Rundimahair: A new hero for a new adventure by Larry Forkner (dark books to read .txt) 📕

warriors. Sean’s arrival gave Ashling new hope for the future.

* * *

While Sean was a beacon of new hope for the people of Rundimahair, he was becoming an unwanted distraction for Grainne. She didn’t yet know who he was, but she knew enough to realize he could be a potential threat to her grand plans.

When she sensed his presence at her castle, in the high mountains of Scotland, Grainne felt a chill of unease pass through her mind. It was the first touch of what might be called fear that she’d experienced in centuries.

She could only sense his presence on the outer fringes of her consciousness. That alone was cause for concern. Other than Ashling, no one had been able to hide from her immense powers of perception for centuries.

Not since Eamon had stolen away from their long-time home in Scotland, had she been unable to find anyone she searched for. That had been nearly three hundred years ago. To this day, she still hadn’t been able to find their hidden sanctuary.

She’d make progress, to be sure, but she was still unable to find the exact location of Rundimahair. Only the combined powers of the Grand Council could have kept the location a secret for so many years. In truth, she was now convinced that only Eamon and Ashling had powers great enough to foil her centuries–long search.

Grainne had narrowed her persistent search to somewhere in the western United States but hadn’t been able to get any closer to their true location.

Now this strange young man had shown up at her enchanted stronghold in Scotland. Somehow, he’d been able to see through the many protective spells and find his way inside her fortress. He wasn’t there in his physical form, which was some small comfort. But he’d managed to enter the forbidden halls of her castle in his spirit form. That should have been impossible.

She was also concerned by how difficult it had been for her to track him. Grainne had just barely sensed his presence at all, and that was because she’d sensed his movement. She’d almost convinced herself that she’d imagined it until she felt him rush for the door, while she was distracted with her assistant.

Grainne had smiled when she sensed his thoughts and was able to take his name out of his worried mind. She’d only been able to track his mind for a few seconds before it was blocked from her again. This young man was receiving help from powers Grainne hadn’t sensed for centuries.

She still wasn’t sure if what she’d sensed was possible. For just the instant that she’d made a connection with him, Grainne was shocked to feel the powers of Faolan and Donal coursing through his veins. It should have been impossible to have both bloodlines running through his veins.

To be sure that he would not become a thorn in her side, Grainne had sent some of her most deadly and powerful warriors to destroy Sean. It should have been easy, but somehow, he’d managed to destroy them all and escape.

When she had finally controlled her anger, and visited the site of the rare defeat, Grainne realized she’d achieved a victory of sorts. Even though Sean had escaped, he’d only managed it with help from someone Grainne knew well. Ashling had come to Sean’s rescue.

It was the first time she’d sensed Ashling’s presence in over three hundred years. It was very faint, but it was there. Grainne was now sure that she could narrow her search from the Western U.S. to the Pacific Northwest. Time was running out for the traitors who’d betrayed her and followed Eamon and Ashling into hiding.

Chapter Thirteen

May you get all your wishes but one,

So you always have something to strive for

~ Old Irish Saying ~

Young Ailbe hadn’t been this excited in years. After endless hours of trying to convince her grandfather to purchase modern farming equipment, he’d finally relented.

“What kind of tractor will you be lookin’ to buy, Granda?” Ailbe asked.

“There’s only one kind of tractor worth spending hard earned money on, my dear Ailbe,” Aengus said cheerfully.

“Let me guess–a John Deere, right?”

“Saint’s be praised, you did hear some small piece of what I’ve been tryin’ to teach you, lass.”

“I’ve heard plenty of what you’ve had to say, Granda,” she replied, giggling.

“Oh, aye and sure it’s true that you’ve chosen to ignore the most of what I say.”

“Not most of it, Granda. “Just the parts that make my life miserable.”

“Fair enough, child. Here we are at Riley’s Farm Equipment,” Aengus said, in a cheerful tone. “Can you believe the size of this place? Sure, and it’s true that we could grow our entire corn crop on the acres he’s using to show off his farming equipment.”

“Welcome to the twenty-first century, Granda,” Ailbe said between giggles. “It’s your first trip outside of Rundimahair since I was born.”

“Which wasn’t so long ago, dear child,” Aengus said.

“And when was the last time you’ve been to Eugene, or any other mortal town?” she asked.

“Longer than I care to remember, Lass. If you were old and wise enough to truly understand the dangers around us, you might understand why such trips must be few and far between,” Aengus said solemnly.

“Saints preserve us! My old eyes must be playing tricks on me this fine day. For a moment there I thought I saw me old friend, Aengus, driving onto my lot.”

“Oh, it’s me you blind old robber,” Aengus said cheerfully. “I’ve come to see if they’ve thrown you in jail for charging three times what your little tractors are worth.”

“Three times what they’re worth?” Riley said, frowning. “If I sold them any cheaper, I’d be giving them away–so I would.”

“Oh well, then, Riley. I wouldn’t want to be taking bread out of your wee little one’s mouths,” Aengus said.

“I’m afraid they’ve not been little ones for some years gone by, Aengus. I see it’s the same with young Ailbe. She gone and grown into a beautiful young