The Convicted

Merry Meet

The day dawned dark. The sky like pewter, leaded with clouds ready to pour their grief over the land and those who gathered in the clearing for this day's bleak tidings.

The fog drifted over the land like smoke, gathering in white clouds upon the earth and looming like ghosts over the land in midair. It was as if the sky and the elements knew that this was a day to morn, and it mourned along with the clans who once loved a young boy and girl that was a part of it and would now go back to earth after only a short turn upon its glory.

Suz stood beside Synder, holding her hand, wishing there was more she could do. Her eyes saw every face and the solemnity of the moment broke her heart. She looked over to the MacDara Clan, as she, Synder, and Kedrick stood between the two still feuding clans and stared at the readied pyres their young kin had become.

"Upon this day," the Priestess of Sandire, began the rites. She lifted her hands above her head, and the clouds just seem to float apart and the brilliance of the sun shone down upon their world. "Let it be known that Ember of the MacDara and Kooper of the Hollywell reached for one another. And attempted a bravery rarely found in the young. They gave of their life force, so others may live, survive, and grow to know truth, love, and continued health. Let it be known that love reaches across feuds, enemies, and all darknesses that appears upon this side of the spiritual divide." The Priestess clapped her palms together and Synder and Kedrick stepped forward as one.

"I of the MacDara claims the love of this child who gave of herself the greatest of gifts," Kedrick said. his voice subdued. His shoulders, broad and usually set in a confident way were lowered and his face and eyes held such sorrow that Suz's eyes welled in sympathy.

"I, Synder, of the Hollywell and MacDara lift my voice to the heavens for this boy who gave of himself the greatest of gifts."

Synder and Kedrick clasped hands, her left to his right, and they raised their free palms to the skies, and their voices lifted in harmony to sing of the story of their siblings to the God of the Sun, asking him to grant them fire and entrance to the next world for their beloved.

The song sent chills over Suz's skin, she felt tears falling from her eyes and rolling over her cheeks. Her heart ached with the memories sang by the siblings to the God of grace, love, and benevolent healing.

Would their souls be free to finally intertwine as they never had on Earth? Suz hoped they would.

Synder's and Kedrick's song of praise and love lifted to a crescendo of hope and love, and their prayer for fire was granted. The sky was painted gold, with hints of pink, purple, and subtle hues of red outlining the conflagration.

Without warning, several golden hued strands glowed down from the sky, like lightning strikes, and the pyres were set ablaze.

Synder and Kedrick went to their knees in supplication. Their song now a harmony of gratitude for the God who so graciously granted them the promise of a nexus for their siblings. Without a word or lifting of fingers to push them along, the two pyres began to sail across the lake to the hum of the clans' farewell incantation.

The golden strands of fire retreated into the sky. The clouds rushed back in and a mist fell over the crowd. The water droplets swirled around them, as the two pyres seemed to become one, as they slipped to the center of the lake.

Within moments of the pyres reaching the lake's center, the weather around them abruptly changed. The air blew harder, and the lake's surface went from placid tranquility to raging waves. The Earth around them shook as the clouds seemed to grow maws and poor over them like an ocean coming in from the sky. The waves began to spin and curve in on themselves. Water swirled into a whirlpool never effecting the voyage of the dead. A shimmering waterfall of cerulean, silver, platinum, and amethyst obscured the pyre and rippled like a screen. Balls of the same shimmering colors flew into the air from the center of the whirlpool.

The opalescent spheres burst forth into the sky, and swirled around one another, as the mist around the clans thickened and the wind gusted around them, pulling at buns, slapping men's ties in their faces, and lifting skirts to the heavens. The sky darkened further, as light gleamed from the lakes rippling and stormy surface. Waves crashed around the shore but never passed the tide line to flood over the clans.

As the spheres spun uncontrollably, a bright burst of color surrounded their spherical dance. There was a sonic boom that seemed to crash across the worlds. A collective murmur of "what the hell," and "This can't be happening," that spread throughout the gathering. A resigned gasp of despair rose from the elders.

"Nothing ever good happens when Uisce Bethu comes to call," Suz heard another elder hiss. All of these and other murmurs died upon the blast of colorful spheres of light in the center of the whirlpool coming together in a crack of sound, and leaving in its afterglow the most fascinating being Suz ever saw.

She, and the entity was definitely a female, had long platinum blue hair swirling around her shapely body. Her large tilted eyes were almond shaped and a deep azure. Her body was the same mixture of cerulean, silver, platinum, and amethyst that shimmered in the wall behind her, as she floated from the sky down to rest on a flower of fountaining water.

It looked like a picture out of one of Suz’s fairytale books, as this being who so frightened the elders, fixed her full lips into a sneer at the clans gathered before it. Who was she? What was she?

"Good morn to ye, MacDara, Hollywell, Seyer, Conroy, Madura," the entity greeted in a strong husky voice.

All the elders seemed to flinch, the young, including herself, was too foolish to be afraid, Suz supposed.

"I am The Uisce Bethu, and I have come to save you from yourselves."

Nearly every elder near the shore took a collective step back, and only the young and middle-aged were left at the edge of the shore. Suz looked around. She didn't get it. what was this person that she could scare even the eldest amongst them?

"My lady, will you tell us of your message," Synder was brave enough to ask.

The lady looked upon Synder and smiled. "Yes, my child, I shall tell you of the message from the Gods. Blessings on you for your bravery." Those azure eyes narrowed upon the rest of us with distain. "I am Uisce Bethu and you are a bunch of fools with your petty revenges and childish vengeances. I can take you from this place. I can remove your powers. I can make you but a human, and yet, you insist on disappointing your betters.

The being looming over the clans and their elders found frightening enough to back away from stood, in the center of the flowering geyser of water and stared at them as if they were bugs, she’d like to stomp beneath her dainty feet. Her voice wasn't just melodious; it rang out loud and clear, as she spoke of events to come as though they happened now, as if they were a foregone conclusion.

Suz supposed it was, as this lovely entity was an oracle. Suz had heard one of the elders say the word in reverential hushed tones as he literally turned around and ran for the wood. He all but crossed himself as he fled the scene as if leaving would render Uisce Bethu's words useless.

"Listen!" Uisce Bethu sang out, her voice ringing and chiming across the elements, as if they'd carry her words to every corner of the Earth, "for you are damned if you don’t. Heed the words I say this day. Ignore me if you dare, for you ignore the Gods. I am sent to tell you these words. They are to be a help to you. For what you face is not of this realm. She will destroy you then destroy worlds.

You have not rendered her powerless. She is free to wreak havoc anew. Think you, naught, but heed, learn, and gain knowledge.

Puzzle out the use of who you are and what you can proclaim in these days. Listen to your hearts, reveal the lost. Bring home the family of your families, and find the truth amongst the lies within you and without you. Let not the enmity wrought between two of you become the end of you.

You must listen to the prophecies of the young ones. You must see the truth in obsidian, water, and light.

Leave it to the Earth to render a power that will protect the young and fight against the obstacle in your way and not within one another.

For if you do not heed this, and you fight within, not only will you lose, but so will all the worlds.

Think not that you are the only ones to inhabit this universe. You no longer fight for the lands and yourselves only. You have been charged to fight for all of life and the entirety of the worlds.

You caused this, and it was two amongst you who wrought this wickedness in your midst. And, so, you are the ones charged to overcome it.

MacDara you are charged to accept the Hollywell. Hollywell, you are charged to light the bane fire hand in hand with the MacDara. Love will rule out and a child will come of this union.

Conroy you shall welcome those who have yet to be welcomed into your family. A mating will come. A love will grow.

Seyer take into your bosom those who can help the clans, be ye not afraid of the lost, for they have come to be your salvation along with those who are come to the Madura.

Fill your houses to bursting. Give and welcome. Search, strive, thrive, and ready yourselves for the battle to come, for it will be one like no other you’ve known before. Build your coffers. Search your ledgers. Open your hearts. Learn the magicks. Listen for the Gods, and bring forth the victory the Gods know you’re capable of.

If you fail, we all perish, even those you call God and Goddess. For all the worlds are in the balance. Find the star. Fill the hearth. Blow the Empousa and her Master apart to free the worlds of all their minions of evil doers.

Time moves and raids are made till the Winter of the Earth comes back to us and the fall of the planetary orbits are upon the fifth season of lives.

You must make right what the MacDara and Hollywell put wrong.

Don’t fail or prepare for all to cease including thee."

Suz listened to the riddles Uisce Bethu put out into the ether and nearly groaned aloud. Suz wanted to roll her eyes as Kedrick usually did, but she didn’t think any of them had time to roll their eyes at a Goddess who warned of the ending of the worlds. She thought about the human’s Bible and wondered if their demise would look anything like what the good book said it would. She assumed not, as now that her speech was done, Uisce Bethu stood staring the clans down like they were her enemy, as if she expected them to fail. Suz wasn’t so sure Uisce Bethu wasn’t right. How would they do this thing? Take on what appeared to be two major evils that had nothing to do with them in this century.

All the action of the Hollywell, MacDara feud transpired so long ago no one truly knew what happened. It started long before poor Frances accidentally killed the boy she loved, Sean MacDara over a couple centuries ago when the Draiocht first came to the New World. Suz mulled over the few facts of the feud she knew, as she was a Conroy and knew only the little Synder shared with her about Frances and Sean’s epic incident. The MacDara accused Frances of deliberately killing their boy and from there a feud was born, and now, the most powerful oracle amongst them stood before them threatening the end of all if they lose a battle none of them were prepared to lose or win.