Defiance (The Priestess Trilogy) (14 page)

A strong breeze ripped in through the
open door, swirling around
her and
whispering
to her
.
The earth beneath
Shiovra
’s knees
trembled ever so lightly.
She could feel
warmth
all around, dancing wild and free
.
Water crept up from beneath the statue’s feet, pooling slightly.

“
I beseech thee, Guardian
of air,
to guide me through the darkness and watch over me
,”
Shiovra
continued, titling her head back slightly
and raising her arms above her head
. “
I beseech thee, Guardian of earth, to guide me through the darkness and watch over me
.
I beseech thee, Guardian of fire, to guide me through the darkness and watch over me. I beseech thee, Guardian of water, to guide me through the darkness and watch over me.
”
She could feel a great power swelling within her. “In the shadows, evil hides, ready to draw me from love’s side. But with thy help I shall be strong against those who would do me wrong. May thee send chosen warriors my way, to keep lurking evil at bay. So mote it be.”

Pausing a moment,
Shiovra
took a deep breath and slowly released it.
“I beseech thee, Great Mother, to guide me through
the darkness and watch over me,” she said
steadily
. “Be with me now and guide
my hand as I serve the people of this village
, in accordance to thy will. So mote it be.”

Shiovra
turned her hands so that her palms faced the ground and slowly lowered her arms. “I thank thee, Guardian of air, for joining me. Go if thee must, stay if
thou
like. Hail and farewell,”
she continued. “I thank thee, Guardian of earth, for joining me. Go if thee must, stay if thou like. Hail and farewell. I thank thee, Guardian of fire, for joining me. Go if thee must, stay if thou like. Hail and farewell. I thank thee, Guardian of water, for joining me. Go if thee must, stay if thou like. Hail and farewell.”

The whispering breeze slipped away, returning to its gentle dance.
The earth beneath her knees calmed, no longer humming beneath her. Warmth lingered, becoming tame. And the water around the statue’s feet seeped slowly into the earth.

Bring her hand
s
together, the priestess offered a few last words, “Oh, gentle Mother, I thank thee for joining me. May I serve thee well and true. Go if thee must, stay if thou like. Merry part.” Lowering her hands to her lap,
Shiovra
sighed a
nd sat in silence for some time, feeling the energies around her subside.

Suddenly, t
he feeling of being watch washed over the priestess.

Her
eyes
snapped open
and she rose slowly to her feet, turning to face
whoever
intruded upon the ritual
.

The torches had been snuffed o
ut, leaving only the sunlight coming through the open door to light the small
hut
.

A
man
stood
leaning against the wall beside the door, arms crossed over his chest. Li
ght from the doorway reached to his shoulders, but left his face in shadow
. Yet something told
Shiovra
that this was the same man from the Banqueting
House,
Odhrán
of the Milidh clan
.

In the light, she could see the marking on his wrist better: a long serpentine dragon whose body intertwined with
it
. He st
ood in complete silence, unmoving
.

She watched him with careful and scrutinizing eyes, and was sure that he returned that very same gaze. The priestess could feel his gaze on her, pier
cing
and filling her with unease
.
Shiovra
’s entire body tensed

Then, abruptly, as she opened her mouth to speak, he uncross
ed his arms, turned, and walked
silently from the
hut
.

Shiovra
released the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Her heart pounded.
Daire
had warned her to be wary of him, and
true to his warning, the Milidh man had slipped into the cottage during the ritual without her noticing.
Anger boiled within her as she wondered just how Ainmire could condone allowing that man to walk so freely among their village. It was his clan, after all, who had taken her mother from her when she was a child; a woman who was also kin to Ainmire himself.
Shiovra
simply could not understand it. Yet with her anger also came the grief she had pushed aside ten years ago.

Taking a deep breath to regain her composure,
Shiovra
stepped from the
hut
only to find Mahon and
Daire
waiting for her.

A surprised paused was brought to her step.

“Are you all right?” Mahon pressed anxiously, his eyes shifting away, narrowing coldly on something off down the path.

Shiovra
followed his gaze and found what had garnered his interest. All she saw was a man’s back r
etreating away from them. “Aye…” she muttered watching as Odhrán walked away. “I am fine.” The priestess turned back to her brother. “Mahon…I…
,” s
he began. 

“Forgive me,” he interrupted. “I
was being a fool, pushing you away when I should have welcomed you with open arms.”

The priestess found she was momentarily stunned by his words and she found herself faltering to reply.

“When you left Tara, with hardly a second glance back, I felt like you had turned you back on me,” admitted Mahon. “I allowed my anger at mother’s death and your departure get the better of me for ten years. I had no desire for you to become the High Priestess, I loathed the thought greatly.
Ceallach’s words would not sway me. And for that, our
reunion was
not as joyful as it should have been.
Please, forgive me.”

Shiovra
smiled, fighting back the sting of tears trying to form. “We are both a
t
fault,” she said gently.
“I regret the manner in which I left, but I do not regret becoming the High Priestess of this village.
Yet,
due to my choice, what
should
have been a merry
meeting
became
a meeting of harsh lectures.” A small laugh swelled within
her, but it was quickly pushed aside. “I would like you to understand that
this is not
something I can run away from
. What kind of priestess wou
ld I be if I turned away
? How would that look in the eyes of the villagers we are in charge of protecting? We are the clan. They look to us for protection and guidance. I will not turn my back on them. And neither should you.”

Ma
hon was silent a moment
, then
asked, “Will you make me a promise?”

Shiovra
meet his gaze.

“You have been seen by the Milidh clan outside this village,
Daire
told me thus
,” he said, voice hard.
“They
will
begin to hunt you. I want you to promise me, that no matter what happens, you will do all in you power to
survive.
”

A slight smile touched
Shiovra
’s
face and she nodded. “You have my vow, brother.
”

“Thank you,” Mahon replied
with great relief.
He looked her over briefly. “How is your wound? Does it heal well?”

“Aye, though it may leave its mark upon me as a reminder,” she replied, her hand slipping to her side where bandages lay hidden beneath her clothing.
Though the wound no longer ached, the memory of the Milidh man’s crazed gaze lingered painfully in her mind.
“That man…Árdal…he was mad.”

Daire
nodded
in agreement.
“We need to be wary,” he said in a low voice. “There could be an attack upon the village.”

Mahon’s face hardened. “We should speak of this elsewhere,” he suggested, gesturing towards the
High fort
.
“We cannot be sure that the enemy doesn’t already have eyes in this village.”

Shiovra
though instantly of Odhrán. She did not know much of the Milidh man, only that each time she’d seen him, he had been
watching
. Following her brother and cousin up the path to the
high fort
and onward to the main cottage.

Mahon pushed open the wicker door-lintel and st
epped aside, allowing
Daire
and
Shiovra
to duck inside before following
himself.

The cottage was large with wicker-work screens hanging between each of the inner and outer support posts,
portioning
off the outer ring.
Within the sections
were
bedding, supplies, and piles of wood. A hearth lined with stones stood in the center of the cottage, an empty pot hanging over it and benches surrounding it. Close to the hearth stood a low table scattered with wooden bowls and earthen cups. A thick fur pelt covered the bench beside the table and
some
plainly woven cloth
hung between posts, hiding the beds

Yet what caught
Shiovra
’s attention the most was a very familiar loom leaning against a support post. The wood was well worn and a partially woven cloth sat ready to be finished. The priestess ran her fingers down the side of the lo
om, taking in every
nick in the wood.
It was the same as it had been ten years ago. The loom had once been her mother’s.

“
The Milidh clan already have a foot in this village,” muttered
Daire
angrily, pulling
Shiovra
from her memories.

“Odhrán?” asked
Shiovra
,
dropping her hand and
turning to her cousin.
“You believe he may have been sent to watch us? To learn our weaknesses and such?”

Daire
nodded. “Aye.”

“
Odhrán…is from
the Milidh clan of D
ún Fiáin.”

Shiovra
looked at her brother curiously.

Mahon
crouched down beside the dwindling fire in the hearth, poking at it with a stick
. “He was sent here by the chieftain of Dún Fiáin to guard you,
Shiovra
,
and ensure that you
fulfill the betrothal agreement when the time comes,” he admitted
in a low voice
.

“To
guard
me?”
protested
Shiovra
angrily.

Nodding, Mahon
sat the stick down and
continued,
“
Ceallach informed me that when you returned to Tara, Odhrán
was to serve as your guardian warrior.” He
exhaled, ru
n
ning
his hands through his hair. “I protested the decision, but Ainmire informed me it was for the sake of the alliance.
I cannot go against him.”

“How are we to know that Odhrán isn’t a dagger waiting to strike?!” demanded
Daire
. “Are we to believe that the Milidh clan of Dún Fiáin is so concerned for
Shiovra
’s safety that they sent was warrior to protect her?!”

Mahon held a hand up. “
I have tried to reason with Ainmire, but he will not listen,” he said. “
All we can do is watch for any hint that would betray ill intentions.”

“I do not like this in the least,”
Daire
muttered.

“Lord Mahon?” came a tentative voice.  A young boy stood looking shyly into the cottage. “Lord Ainmire wishes to speak with you.”

“Aye,” he told the boy. His eyes turned bac
k to his sister, “Keep a wary eye out when Odhrán is near. We cannot be too sure what he may be thinking.” Turning back to the boy, he left the cottage.

Shiovra
moved to stand in
the doorway
, watching as her brother
walk
ed
away.
Though she had left Rúnda on her own terms and had been discovered by one of the Milidh clan, she knew that if she had remained and left on
Réalta’s
conditions
, she would have still be found out eventually.
It would not be long before the enemy started to hunt her.