Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy (17 page)

“What’s wrong Meghan?”

“I’m fine,” I managed as I
wiped away the stray tears
.

I would not break down in front of Cade’s sister.  What was wrong with me?  I had been fine earlier that morning after Cade left and I’d had something to eat.  Perhaps the shock was just now wearing off.

Enorah sank down onto the thin mattress next to me and swung an arm over my shoulder, pulling me close and leaning the side of her head against mine.

“If you need to cry, go right ahead.  You have every right to be upset right now.  No one will judge you harshly for it.”

I shook my head.  No, I could control myself.  I was just taken by surprise is all.  I kept my tears at bay and refused to lose it. 
Time to be strong, Meghan
, my conscience told me.  And for once, I agreed.  Instead of crying, I simply took several deep breaths, willing myself to remain calm.

T
en
minutes later Enorah was leading me out into the middle of their small town.  From the angle of the light pouring through the canopy above, I judged the time of day to be around noon.  Huh, guess I hadn’t slept that long after all.  Would explain why I still felt groggy.

“Sorry, our accommodations are a little primitive, but we do have a shower,” she said, grinning as she pointed out what looked like a shed with steaming cauldrons of water simmering beside it.

I smiled.  Despite the
rustic set up,
a hot shower would help soothe my nerves.

When I was done cleaning up and had donned a
fresh
set of clothes from my backpack, I sought out Enorah again.  She sat with a few other adults her age around the central mid-day fire.  Several children, ranging in age from two to fifteen darted around, either helping their older comrades with chores or playing games of chase.  There seemed to be a lot more kids than what I remembered from my last visit and quite a few extra adults as well.

I asked Enorah about this and her usually bright face turned gloomy.  She nodded once and said, “The Morrigan’s creatures have been more active of late.  I think Cade is right; she is up to something and everyone in
Eile
can feel it.  Those who think they might have wronged her, and those who live too far away from established settlements to protect themselves have sought shelter with us and others who will take them in.”

She turned an
d looked at me, her grey-green
gaze hard.  “A war is brewing Meghan, I can feel it in my bones.  The trees can feel it,” she glanced up at the boughs high above us, “the animals and the very earth can feel it.”

A stone seemed to have formed in my throat, only to slide down to the pit of my stomach.

“Oh no,” I whispered harshly, “this is my fault.  Cade had warned me
about
this, when we first met, before I'd even come to
Eile
.”  I looked up at her and I knew my eyes were flickering
with my magic
once again.  “He told me that my mixed blood would bring turmoil to the people of the Otherworld.”

Enorah only shook her head, then placed a hand on my shoulder.  “No Meghan, don’t look at it that way.  Yes, your presence has brought about this change, but it has been a long time coming.  The Morrigan has been working for years to inflict her reign upon our world.  Only now does she think she stands a chance, but it is a risky bargain.”

I furrowed my brow.  “How so?”

“She wants you Meghan, she wants your glamour.  If she succeeds, the power she steals from you will make her all but invincible.  But if she fails, then she may be rendered powerless for centuries.”

I shivered at that.  I knew the gods and goddesses couldn’t be killed, but
I
could
, immortal or not
.  That gave me an even greater reason not to fight the Morrigan.  And despite what Enorah said, and what the Dagda had once told me, I couldn’t help but feel guilty
about
all of this.  Only one thing to do about it though . . .
I sucked in a deep breath and let it out just as forcefully.

“Okay, maybe I should start learning how to use this immense power of mine then.”

I grinned, despite my unease, and Enorah laughed.
“That’s the spirit.  Let’s have some lunch and then I’ll take you to the Tree of Life.”

As we headed towards the village square, I said, "Cade mentioned something about that this morning.  What is the Tree of Life exactly?”

Enorah’s eyes took on that mischievous glint once again and all she said was, “You’ll see.”

Great
, I thought,
more surprises . . .

* * *

Meridian volunteered to be our lookout as we
made our way
deeper into the heart of the Weald.  I had no idea where exactly this Tree of Life was supposed to be and Enorah wouldn’t tell me.  What she did do, however, was point out all of the wondrous creatures that lived deep within this magical place as we hiked
.  I saw several more
t
wigrins, following quietly after us for a few minutes before disappearing into the branches again, and even some of the pixies that had greeted me in the swamp those many months ago.  A few times we passed by a small clearing bedecked with what looked like a cluster of small, dome-shaped houses.  I probably wouldn't have noticed them except several had streams of smoke rising from
their roofs
.  I lifted an eyebrow at Enorah and she said with a smile, "A cranobh village."

"Huh?"

"
They are distantly
related to brownies but
prefer to live in the forest. 
Cranobh
s
are generally shy and keep to themselves, but are incredibly strong and ferocious if you anger them."

My eyes must have been huge because Enorah let loose a string of laughter, pausing long enough to slap a hand against her thigh.

"Don't worry Meghan!  The only way to offend a cranobh is by cutting down a tree in its presence.  They are very protective of the forest."

We started walking once again, moving deeper and deeper into the ancient forest.  On more than one occasion, I stepped on a moss-covered rock only to squeal when it jerked itself out from under my foot, scuttling off into the brush while emitting clicking sounds.  The first time this happened I gave Enorah a look of horror, but she only
smil
ed and said, “Litterbug.”

Oh, right.  I’d encountered one of those before, only it had looked different than the living rock version.

“Um, do they all blend in so well with their surroundings?”

If Enorah said yes, I didn’t think I was going to make it through this day with my nerves still intact.  And just like that, my wonderful imagination conjured up an image of me grabbing onto a branch for support only to find that it was some creepy crawly thing that didn’t appreciate being touched.

Enorah
chuck
led
and nodded her head
to answer my question
, looking like a woodland elf ready for mischief. 
Great.

Eventually, we came upon a wide, flooded meadow and the natural magic of the Weald, which had been brushing against my skin for the past several hours, intensified into something
far
more substantial.  I glanced down at my arm, expecting to see goose bumps.  Instead, an almost imperceptible pale blue glimmer shimmered just above the surface of my skin, making my blood sing and my own growing
glamour
flare ever so slightly.

Shaking my head, I tore my attention away from the sudden influx of magic and returned my eyes to the glorious scene before us.  The water flooding the meadow was shallow, maybe two to three feet deep
at most
, and there were several large stepping stones creating a path across the natural moat. 
As beautiful as the shallow pool was, however,
the enormous tree
perched dead center
on the largest piece of dry land
brought me to a
sudden
stop.  I felt my mouth drop open as I gazed upon
one of the most beautiful
thing
s I'
d ever seen.  Most of
the tree's boughs curved downward
and several of its roots reached up towards the sky, intertwining with the twigs and branches above them.  All around the entire tree, the roots and branches joined together like this, forming a great sphere of woven natural beauty.  The leaves were gone from the tree, and I couldn’t tell if it was always suppose
d to look that way or if this particular species lost its leaves in the summer.  This was the Otherworld after all, and anything was possible
.

“Meghan,” Enorah said softly, all of her earlier mirth gone from both her voice and her face.

Cade's sister now donned a quiet
demeanor
of respect, one I was quick to mimic.  I glanced down at her arm.  She was indicating
the
pathway of stones that crossed the shallow pool.  “All Faelorehn are welcome to enter within the joining of roots and branches of the great Tree of Life.”

I stared at her in surprise, still under the spell of the tree and the magic that thrummed throughout this meadow like the resounding hum of a plucked guitar string.  Releasing a great sigh, I looked more closely at the
collection
of stepping stones stretching out in front of me, my gaze tracing where they led.  On the other side of the pool I
noted
a narrow gap in the tree’s branches; an entrance large enough for someone to pass through.

Then Enorah’s words hit me.  “Wait, you want me to go in
there
?”

It didn’t seem right.  Sure, I was technically Faelorehn and the daughter of their queen, but I hadn’t grown up here and it wasn’t as if Danua was welcoming me into her castle with open arms.  I knew next to nothing of their ways and although I had come a long way since my internet searches, I still had plenty to learn about my heritage.  And Enorah wanted me to walk up to this tree, which looked to be as old as the earth itself and probably contained more magic than all the Celtic gods combined, and . . . do what exactly?

I almost leapt out of my skin when Enorah placed her hands on my shoulders.  “The Tree of Life is here to help guide us, to give us wisdom and show us our true selves.  And to soothe us when we are distressed.  Can you not feel it beckoning you?”

I swallowed, but nodded.  Yes, I could feel it beckoning me, almost like the feeling I got before being pulled through a dolmarehn.  Only this sensation tugged on my heart, or maybe it was my magic.  I couldn’t quite tell, but it was there.  Still feeling a bit reluctant, I took the first step towards the tree.  After all, I could definitely use some guidance and soothing, even if it came from a
giant,
magical
plant
.  Slowly but surely, I crossed the shallow moat, barely even noticing the enchanted aura of the meadow anymore.

When I was only a few feet away from the tree, I reached out a hand and carefully touched a knot on one of its roots.  Instantly my nerves sizzled, as if icy lightning had struck my hand.  I hissed in a breath, but didn’t move my fingers away.  Instead, I squared my shoulders and stepped through the gap.  Suddenly, the world went quiet and all I could hear and feel were the whispers of hundreds of voices, all trying to speak to me at once in that Otherworldly language that seemed more ancient than time.  My small well of magic flared, stronger than ever, and for a moment I thought my heart might b
urst.

The murmuring voices all came together and
suddenly,
I could understand
them
:
You have goodness in you Meghan Elam, but you are not meant for mere goodness.  You are destined for greatness . . .

The words swirled around in my mind, and although I could see them the way I saw Cade’s thoughts when he used
shil-sciar
, I could hear these words as well.  What did they mean, I was destined for greatness?  Me?  The nerdy teen from Arroyo Grande?  But then again, that wasn’t quite who I was.  I was also Meghan of
Eile
, daughter of Danua the high queen.

I gritted my teeth and let the meaning of the words sink in.  Could I really be destined for greatness?  I snorted.  Sure, why not?  I had gone from being the most unpopular girl at my high school to
being
an immortal Faelorehn
princess
with a
powerful
arch enemy and a hot, faelah bounty hunter as a boyfriend.  My world of possibilities had gone from ‘Not a chance in hell’ to ‘Anything could, and would, happen’ in just a few months.  And that’s when it hit me
, like
the first icy drop of a winter storm, insignificant but shocking at the same time
.  I wasn’t Meghan Elam of California, nor was I the daughter of a Celtic goddess queen.  I was just me, but unfortunately I hadn’t quite figured out who that person was yet.  I mean, I had a pretty good idea, but I was still in the process of becoming who I was supposed to be.  Maybe that is what the voices, the Tree of Life, meant.  I was destined for greatness because I still hadn’t
discovered my true calling yet.