CHAPTER 14
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We dance with the darkness
We flee from the light
Illusions we master
With whispers of night
Bleeding for answers
Cut from our pride
Midnights disasters
All broken inside
Answers in questions
Transformed like the ice
The worth of the treasure
Is the weight of it’s price.
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Macha breathed a sigh of relief when Michael opened his eyes and looked around. Moving to the passenger side, reaching over the front seat Macha touched Badbh on the shoulder. “Badbh, Wake up” she shook Badbh a bit harder. Studying Badbs face intently, Macha nervously called out to Badbh again. When her hand touched Badbhs shoulder again her eyes spang open, fixing on the recoiling Macha.
Badbh lunged, going across the seat back snarling, attacking Macha. There was a brief struggle. Macha gained the upper hand, holding Badbhs arms until she relaxed..“What the fuck?!” Badbh asked and exclaimed. She repeated herself. Looking about herself confused. Macha backed away, keeping a distance while Badbh came completely back, and awake.
Michael had been squirming about, trying to get out of the back seat without letting go of Morgan/Nemain. There was no way to do it. Macha leaned down, peering in at him. ” You are going to have to let her go to get out.” Michael writhed about more. He could only get one leg partly out.
Macha leaned in trying to help, when her hands touched Nemain, a strong stinging charge leapt between them, Macha jumped back surprised.
Pacing about, Macha contemplated the predicament. The sound of horses in the barn , neighing, whinnies,horses blowing distracted her. ” Got it!” Macha ran into the log cabin styled barn, the sound of the horses joyously greeting her rolled out of the barn. Sharp cracks and thuds echoed off of the steep rock face the barn stood next to as the excited horses stamped and kicked demanding attention. Which they did not receive. Macha emerged with a saddle blanket and elbow length heavy leather gloves.
“Here, wrap this around her. I will try and hold her weight, you squirm out beneath her. Michael took the heavy wool blanket, wrapping around Nemain. Macha climbed into the passenger side. With much akward manuevering, he managed to climb out without breaking contact. Cradling Morgan in his arms Michael stood upright looking around. A two story log cabin with a wrap around porch. A matching log built barn.
Badb had made her way to the porch, she was hugging a tiny elderly woman. Macha was shaking the gloves off . ” Damn, does she shock you also?” She asked Michael. ” Only the first time I touched her” he answered climbing up the four wooden stairs. Badb and the old woman separated.horses
“Dear Gods! What in tarnation is wrong with her? Is she hurt?” The tiny woman exclaimed with a heavy southern mountain folk accent. Macha stepped up beside them answering before Michael could. ” we dont exactly know.” Badb had already gone inside. The old woman couldnt be more than five feet tall. Macha and Michael dwarfed her. ” This is Elspeth, Ellie , this is Michael” Macha introduced him. She held the screen door open. Michael stepped inside. The smell of Fresh brewed coffee and bread baking greeted them in the house.
Macha gestured at the large sectional sofa in the center of the room. “Why don’t you two sit there.” As she walked away, disappearing into the kitchen apparently. Badb had sat down in a rocking chair by the fire place. A fire crackled and popped within. She leaned over holding her hands out over the flames. The East Tennessee mountains were pretty cold this time of year. Michael had not even noticed the cold, still wearing the T-shirt and BDUs from, was it the day before yesterday? He was not sure.
Macha emerged from the kitchen. “Theres Coffee, water for tea, and hot cocoa. Anyone hungry?” Badb asked for tea. Michael for coffee. His stomach grumbled. “Yea, food would be great!”
Macha returned carrying a tray with three steaming mugs on it. A creamer and sugar bowl. She set the tray down on the table in the middle of the sofa pit. Badb bounced over the back of the sofa landing in a taylors seat legs crossed and folded. She leaned over and spooned in sugar cubes and a shot of cream into her tea cup and sat back stirring her tea, watching Michael sitting there on the sofa with Nemain draped around him in his lap. Both eyebrows slowly raised as she took in the sight.
Michael was awkwardly trying to reach a coffee cup. Macha had returned to the kitchen. Ellie walked out, hung a cast iron tea pot on a swivel arm , swinging it in over the fire of the fire place. When she was going back towards the kitchen she spied Michaels attempt at coffee. She stopped and asked ” cream or sugar?”
" uh yes . no, black is fine thank you.” Amused at his nervous politeness Ellie passed him a cup. She turned and retreated back into the kitchen.
Michael sipped at the strong rich coffee. Nemain-Morgans nose twitched. Macha stepped back into the room, studied Michael a moment then returned with a small plate and two fresh warm biscuits that held an egg, slice of cheese with a thick piece of country ham. The other biscuit was nearly the same, only with loads of hickory smoked bacon.
Michaels stomach rumbled. ” You are eventually going to have to put her down you know.” Macha said walking away. Ellie brought Badb a plate of biscuits and sausage gravy. She was like a little girl getting presents at Christmas as she gleefully stirred scrambled eggs into the gravy. Talking around a mouth full ” Shhus gray thay you Ellie” ” Youre welcome sweetie” Ellie replied returning to the kitchen.
Michael contemplated the biscuits. Same issue as the coffee. Badb seeing his issues laughed .” Shes right you know” she told him between bites. Michael tried laying Nemain down beside him. She would not release her grip on him. Shuffling about Michael finally got her situated sort of half in his lap and next to him. His right arm was free though. He could eat! Still a bit awkward but he did not care. He did not want to let her go either.
Ellie came back into the room, drying her hands on a dish towel. ” So, you won’t be needing the guest room will you?”
" Guess not.” Badb answered. Elspeth stood a few moments, a concerned look on her face. She studied Michael and Nemain. Shaking her head and turning back to the kitchen ” Well! I never would have thought! ” drifted into the room behind her.
Macha returned, she had taken a quick shower and changed. Michael did a slow double take. Macha was wearing a onesie , complete with footies and cat ears.
“I wouldn’t.” Badb warned before Michael said anything.michael paid studied attention to, anything other than Macha. ” Any Ideas? Has she shown any signs of waking?“ Macha asked getting comfortable. Michael shook his head no, his mouth full of biscuit and bacon. Swallowing ” You see it. She won’t let go. I cant seem to make myself either. When I fell asleep, with her, I saw this place, of flames. I called her name and could faintly hear her but I couldn’t see how to get to her. I couldn’t seem to tell where her voice came from.”
Michael leaned back on the comfortable sofa. He maneuvered Nemain so that she was still in his lap, arm draped around his neck, her head on his shoulder. Badb and Macha began talking, going back and forth, finishing each others sentences, answers and questions. Michael tried to follow. He could not. They spoke so rapidly in that Polyyglot language of theirs that he only grasped a word here and there. He laid back, cradled Nemain and thought about that place with the flames. It quite seemed familiar.
“I knew it! I’ve been there, the place of fire!” Macha and Badb turned to Michael. Raised eyebrows and silence were directed at him.
“The thing of fire, when I was changed! When it spoke to me, and I fed on it, I was there, that same place. Morgan is there! The same place!” Badb nodded ” That was what I saw through her eyes. I read all of the memories she had read from your blood.”
“What exactly are you talking about?” Macha interupted. Badb and Michael both began to speak. “One at a time.” Macha interjected. With a brief glance between them and a quirked eyebrow, Badb continued. Michael nodding in agreement.
A flurry of gestures and odd croaks passed between the pair. A few minutes later Macha addressed Michael.
" May I taste of your blood?” she asked. Without hesitation he answered. “Of Course.”
Michael extended his arm, Macha leaned towards him with out hesitation, she bit his wrist. She dd not need much at all, yet, it was difficult to stop. That itself was unusual. Macha prided herself on her control. Sitting back she studied Michael while she sorted through what she had seen.
Michael extended his arm, palm up towards Badb , closest to him, reached out, a flashing blur. In less than the blink of an eye she had drawn a knife and cut his arm. Blood welled out, Macha leaned close to catch some of it in the palm of her hand. The cut began closing. In moments his arm had healed.
Badb was sitting back, licking the blade of her knife. Eyes fixed upon Michael. Macha, raised her cupped palm to her mouth, and lapped the pooled blood up. She sat back, eyes fixed upon Michael just as Badb had.
There is knowledge in the blood. Memories that carried in the red cells. The Aos Sidhe merely appeared human. Each cell contains DNA, in a triple helix with three covalent bonds. Humans have two strands with only one repeating covalent bond.
Human dna resembles a spiraling ladder. The fair folk dna however, is more like a three sided radio tower. Far more complex and unlike anything else on earth. The fair folk store memories encoded within the structure of their dna. With a taste of blood they may see those memories unfold in their minds as if, those experiences were their very own. Due to the complex genetic- crystalline structure and powerful electrodynamics, the Aos Sidhe are all quantum entangled to some degree or other. To past, present, future.
Macha let out a long shuddering breathe. Closed her eyes watching it all unfold. Searching through the three decades of Michaels existence. Centuries of experience had taught her how to organize and make sense of those memories she tasted.
Badb, her eyes unfocused, sorted her way through the memories. Lingering over the memories of war, his time in the army, and the morning of his rebirth. All of it unfolded before her minds eye.
" Llew!“ The two of them chorused. Badb had an angry cast in her eyes. She threw her head back, rolling herself over the back of the sofa, landing on her feet. She began pacing in circles.
Macha hurled her empty coffee cup against the hearth to shatter on the stones. She cursed for a few minutes steadily. Michael was impressed, Macha did not repeat herself once.
Gradually they quieted down enough for Michael’s repeated question to get through.
“Who or what is Llew” “Dead!” Badb spat out still pacing. Macha spoke through gritted teeth. ” A disease! ” Michael tried to ask about what had happened to Morgan. Macha cut him off. ” The thing that ambushed you the morning you were born, that was him.” Michael thought about the thing made of flames. Macha continued ” He must have been tracking Nemain and stumbled on you.” “He enthralled you and used you to spy on her, on us.” Badb finished Machas statement.
" An enemy I take it. Ok, so, what happened to Her?” Michael gestured at Nemain with his head. Macha leaned forward, perching on the edge of the sofa. ” She is enthralled, imprisoned within her own self.”
" How did? ” Badb cut him off. “He implanted a sugestion, an order for you to execute, in your mind when he enthralled you. ” Macha continued “You were entranced, following his instructions until She broke through the spell unprepared for the traps Llew had placed. Now she is trapped in her own mind.Llew, through You in turn enthralled her.”m
" How the fuck? What the, I have no idea how to! How the hell did I?” Michael babbled, trying to grasp what they had told him. Macha stood , beginning to pace moving in opposite directions to Badb. They locked into mirroring patterns.
“How do I find this dude?” Michael asked. Moving to stand in front of him, Badb snapped, .” You don’t, we will!” Ii”Alright then How do I help her?” Michael asked. Macha cocked her head , “You said you heard a faint answer when you called her name. Maybe that’s all we can do. ”
Pacing, thinking, muttering to herself, Macha thought about it. Her body responds to Michaels. She lets him in. “Badb, would you go and touch Nemains forehead ? I need to know if she is feverish.” Badb stepped over and reached out for Nemain. When her hand got close, within inches, a visible spark struck her. ” Dammit Macha!” Badb danced back away from the sofa. Macha called out for Ellie. ” Ellie, could you help us please?” Elspeth crossed back into the room drying her hands on her apron.
" What do you need sweetie?” ” would you try and touch Nemains hand please?” Elspeth blinked, ” What?” ” just touch her.” Badb declared.
Elspeth leaned over the sofa back, reached out and tried to touch Nemain. ” Well Hell!” She yelped snatching her hand back. ” What happened?” Macha asked.
" She shocked me! It felt like electricity shocking me. ” “I’m sorry Ellie, we needed to know. ” Scowling Elspeth stalked back into the kitchen. The angry banging and rattling pots and pans drifted into the main room. Badb stopped pacing , and sat on the stairs watching it all.
“Apparently, you are the only one that can touch her.” Macha explained to Michael. “You enthralled and entrapped her.
You are entangled as well. You have to bring her back.“. Michael , looking down, eyes drawn to Nemain asked, ” How?”
“Why don’t you hypnotize him and tell him what to do?” Badb asked from the stairs. Macha thought about it a minute, ” That’s not a bad idea!” She exclaimed. Michael looking back and forth between them, “Whatever. Just tell me what to do.” Macha reached out and snatched the Dog tags and Celtic cross necklace Michael wore. She broke the thong it had hung on. She examined the dogtags closely. “Your Father as well. Good!” She noted. She unclasped the silver Celtic cross from the dog tags and tied it to the broken thong. “Ready?” She asked. Nodding assent Michael leaned back.
" Now, you need to focus on this charm, and the sound of my voice. Concentrate. ” She dangled the cross. Softly she talked to Michael. He focussed intently on the cross. After a few minutes Macha suddenly tapped him right between the eyes with her other hand. ” Sleep!”
Michael sat still, eyes unfocussed. Macha ordered Michael to sit back and relax. ” Can you understand me Michael? ” Yes” ” Good, now I need you to...” Macha explained how to match auras and synchronize spirits. Since Nemain had been the one to turn him, and they had fed each other, that should be easy. That was why Nemain had been entranced to begin with. They had entangled on a cellular When she had done exactly that with Michael, she had been wide open to it all. Now Michael could join her where she was trapped and bring her back. When she finished the instructions of how to help Nemain, Macha issued one last instruction to Michael. ” Return with Nemain or do not return at all. You must have her safe and intact in order for you to come back. Do you understand? ” “Yes I do” Michael answered.
“Execute” she said. Michaels head lulled over resting against Nemains head. They looked like a couple that had fallen asleep cuddling. ” You best fix her boy. Or I will leave you trapped, alone, screaming into etenity.” Macha stated in a cold flat voice. She spared no shred of compassion for this unknowing tool of Lews. She stood and left them alone on the sofa. There was nothing more that she could do.
Badb had watched it all from her perch on the stairs. She had nodded along in agreement with Machas threat. Macha stepped into the kitchen, after a moment Badb got up and joined her. Watching Nemains face , Badb thought she caught a faint fleeting smile. That was disturbing. Something would need to be done about Michael. What was to be done? Badb did not like things outside of her abilities. Michael, somehow, some why, was outside of her influence. There is something not quite right there. He has been entirely too self possessed and capable. Something is definitely unusual here.