she’s nuts.”
“Really? Why?”
He sighed and looked her in the eye, trying to summarize what he was told and not flip her out in the process. “Well,” he scratched at his goatee. “She says that Dowth is apparently not so much a Neolithic burial chamber as it is some kind of time–travel device. She says that I am really some kind of high king and you are really my wife. Evidently I have a jealous brother who had his wicked sorcerer banish us into whatever doorway opens up in Dowth, sending us into the nether region with no memory of our former life or of each other. She further says that she called to you and that you heeded her call. That was the voice you heard calling to you in your dreams.”
Destry stared at him as he finished his tale. He could see the thought processes in her expression; interest to incredulity to disbelief. By the time he was finished, however, her cheeks were growing pink and he could see tears in her eyes.
“I did hear her voice,” she hissed, leaping up from the stool. “I told you I heard her voice. But she must have been lying in wait for me somehow, hiding in those old tunnels.”
“What about the dreams?”
She looked increasingly upset. “She must have freaked me out so bad with her whispers in the tunnel that I just dreamed of them,” she insisted. “Maybe she hypnotized me; I just don’t know. How else can you explain something like that?”
“You heard two complete phrases.”
“Whose side are you on?”
He could see how upset she was becoming and he grasped her hands to keep her from panicking. “Your side,” he insisted softly. “I’m always on your side.”
“Let’s get out of here before something awful happens.”
He nodded patiently. “We’ll leave,” he assured her. “But I need you to calm down, sweetheart. There’s no reason to get so upset.”
“So upset?” she repeated, her voice rising in pitch. “That woman is telling you crazy stories and you just sit here calmly listening to them.”
“You’re the one that said we needed to come with her.”
She shook her head so hard that her long hair flopped in her eyes. “I’ve changed my mind,” she said. “We need to leave before she murders us. She’s set us up somehow. I want to go back to the hotel now.”
He put up a hand to soothe her before she went wild. “We’ll go,” he murmured, trying to steer her back onto her stool. “Just calm down. Please.”
She opened her mouth to argue with him when Padraigan entered the room again, followed by her three little helpers. Her gaze moved between Destry, standing up and looking at her with some fear, and Conor as he held on to Destry’s hands. Padraigan could guess what had happen by the skittish look on Destry’s face. When she spoke, it was mostly directed at Destry.
“My great and noble queen,” she said softy. “Do you not recognize my face? You and I were as sisters, once.”
Conor looked up to Destry and quietly relayed the question. Destry shook her head fearfully in response and Padraigan continued.
“Your love for your husband was great,” she told the story with a delicate lilt. “So strong it was that it could move mountains. You and the king loved each other from times of old, from times before this, passing through the centuries in different forms but with the same strong love for one another. Somehow, you always found each other no matter what. And it is your love for your husband, and for your family, that gives you your strength. It binds you, protects you and guides you. It is that love that has guided you here today.”
Conor whispered Padraigan’s words to Destry verbatim. Confused, frightened, Destry didn’t have any reply other than to burst into quiet tears. Conor gently pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping his enormous arms around her and hugging her. He didn’t know what else to do. Padraigan took a few timid steps towards the couple, her tender focus on Destry.
“When Olc of the Eye
“Really? Why?”
He sighed and looked her in the eye, trying to summarize what he was told and not flip her out in the process. “Well,” he scratched at his goatee. “She says that Dowth is apparently not so much a Neolithic burial chamber as it is some kind of time–travel device. She says that I am really some kind of high king and you are really my wife. Evidently I have a jealous brother who had his wicked sorcerer banish us into whatever doorway opens up in Dowth, sending us into the nether region with no memory of our former life or of each other. She further says that she called to you and that you heeded her call. That was the voice you heard calling to you in your dreams.”
Destry stared at him as he finished his tale. He could see the thought processes in her expression; interest to incredulity to disbelief. By the time he was finished, however, her cheeks were growing pink and he could see tears in her eyes.
“I did hear her voice,” she hissed, leaping up from the stool. “I told you I heard her voice. But she must have been lying in wait for me somehow, hiding in those old tunnels.”
“What about the dreams?”
She looked increasingly upset. “She must have freaked me out so bad with her whispers in the tunnel that I just dreamed of them,” she insisted. “Maybe she hypnotized me; I just don’t know. How else can you explain something like that?”
“You heard two complete phrases.”
“Whose side are you on?”
He could see how upset she was becoming and he grasped her hands to keep her from panicking. “Your side,” he insisted softly. “I’m always on your side.”
“Let’s get out of here before something awful happens.”
He nodded patiently. “We’ll leave,” he assured her. “But I need you to calm down, sweetheart. There’s no reason to get so upset.”
“So upset?” she repeated, her voice rising in pitch. “That woman is telling you crazy stories and you just sit here calmly listening to them.”
“You’re the one that said we needed to come with her.”
She shook her head so hard that her long hair flopped in her eyes. “I’ve changed my mind,” she said. “We need to leave before she murders us. She’s set us up somehow. I want to go back to the hotel now.”
He put up a hand to soothe her before she went wild. “We’ll go,” he murmured, trying to steer her back onto her stool. “Just calm down. Please.”
She opened her mouth to argue with him when Padraigan entered the room again, followed by her three little helpers. Her gaze moved between Destry, standing up and looking at her with some fear, and Conor as he held on to Destry’s hands. Padraigan could guess what had happen by the skittish look on Destry’s face. When she spoke, it was mostly directed at Destry.
“My great and noble queen,” she said softy. “Do you not recognize my face? You and I were as sisters, once.”
Conor looked up to Destry and quietly relayed the question. Destry shook her head fearfully in response and Padraigan continued.
“Your love for your husband was great,” she told the story with a delicate lilt. “So strong it was that it could move mountains. You and the king loved each other from times of old, from times before this, passing through the centuries in different forms but with the same strong love for one another. Somehow, you always found each other no matter what. And it is your love for your husband, and for your family, that gives you your strength. It binds you, protects you and guides you. It is that love that has guided you here today.”
Conor whispered Padraigan’s words to Destry verbatim. Confused, frightened, Destry didn’t have any reply other than to burst into quiet tears. Conor gently pulled her down onto his lap, wrapping his enormous arms around her and hugging her. He didn’t know what else to do. Padraigan took a few timid steps towards the couple, her tender focus on Destry.
“When Olc of the Eye
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