My dear Aofie,
If you are reading this, it is because we have met, at last. You must know you were born for a sacred reason and have a unique purpose. The plans I have for you are rich with opportunity but will not go unchallenged. You were born to bring order to the kingdom of men and defeat the angel of death who allows the demons to infest our lands. The kingdom of men has been destroyed, and, in part, I am relieved it is gone, for it was corrupt. However it is not the end of our kingdom, although it was destroyed, when we take it back, we can rebuild it and bring purity to our lands. I know you can do this; you were born for this, meant for this, not only because you are my daughter, my firstborn. You are so much more. I left you with the centaurs because I had to, and what was out of my hands ended up a blessing in disguise. The centaurs know much of the world, but more than anything, they know how to train you to become a warrior. My warrior princess.
I hope that you will have discovered you have magic. The centaurs know little about magic, nor how to teach one about it. You are of the age where your training must be completed before you take up weapons of war and storm the kingdom. To do so, you must go to the elves. They will understand what kind of magic you have, the uses for it, and how to use it for defense against the demons. Unlike the centaurs, the elves are adept in showing you your true self and will help you come to terms with your strengths. This revelation can take place over mere weeks, and although the experience is intense, you will walk away with all you need to know.
Before you leave the elves, you must ask them for the weapon you will need to defeat the demons. When I fled from the kingdom, I stole a relic that would ensure a united future. A future without demons or corruption. I stoleClaíomh Dearg, the red sword. I traded it to the elves in exchange for a powerful spell to keep myself and those who fled with me hidden. The sword must be regained, and you must do whatever it takes to regain it. It was always meant for you, your birthright, and with your magic you can wield it better than any other warrior.
War is in your blood—power stems from you, and your blood is why you will succeed in all that you do. You are my firstborn, my warrior. It is by your actions, your leadership, that you can rally other warriors to your side and create an army to go up against the angel of death and wrench away the grip he holds on Labraid. To this one purpose I give you my blessing. You must understand that everything I did, I did in the name of this one goal, this sole purpose: to defeat the enemy.
Finally. You must have asked yourself this question over and over again. Who is your father? I share this knowledge with you but ask that you destroy this letter once you have committed these words to heart. If those who know the truth find out we both still breathe, they will burn us. I suspected treachery before you were born, but I also knew if the king, Conan Mor, saw you grow in strength and beauty, he would know you were not his child and strike you down.
We discovered plots to overthrow the kingdom years before they came into fruition. We were betrayed on all sides, however during that time, a great Oracle walked in our midst. I went to her and asked what to do to secure the future of mankind. She told me to conceive a child. I had tried, but time after time, I lost child after child, and I feared the king would forsake me. We had tribunals come to visit, and I thought it would be a perfect time to sneak away and visit the witch woman who lived just outside the gates. She gave me herbs and conducted a ritual to help me conceive. Under the light of Selas, I lay with a man I assumed was the king. I had him come to me in secret. When the deed was done and the moonlight came over his face, it was not the king, nor a man at all, but a god in mortal form. Dagda.
He promised to bless me with children, but you would be the warrior who would save the kingdom of men. I assumed you would be a boy, but when I saw your tiny face I understood. You belonged with the centaurs in the wild woods, for I know not what powers you earned from him. Magic and royalty sing in your blood.
I give you this knowledge with a warning. The gods watch over you, for you are of their blood. However, if you sway from this quest, there will be repercussions. It is unusual for gods and goddesses to interfere with the lives of mortals except for personal gain. What they are after, I know not, but their words have blessed me. May the blessing of the gods follow you wherever your quest takes you. And always remember, you are of royal blood. You are strong. You have the true power within to defeat the darkness.
Your mother,
Ceana Mor
Chapter Twenty-Three
Tears streamed downmy face and I sat, frozen, under the flicking torchlight. Emotions warred in my heart and I did not know what to say, what to do, or what to think. How should I react with this knowledge before me? Daughter of agod? Was this true? It did not feel true. I felt even more lowly and human, for I was not born out of love and desire, I was born out of the trick of a god, to be treated as a mindless tool to do their bidding. The thought ate at me, as did the betrayal of my mother. She’d gone to a witch woman and brought curses down upon her head. My mouth set in a grim line and red flared over my head—my magic, telling me I was angry, furious at the events that had passed.
Again, I recalled Epona’s eyes when she told me Conan Mor was not my father. She’d grasped some semblance of truth and tried to spare me from pain. And who was Dagda? It was a name I had not heard before. Was my mother sure she’d slept with a god? Or had it been a mortal with a red beard, tricking her once again? The kingdom had fallen before they fled; they’d been assailed with enemies at all sides. But there was the fact that my mother claimed she had trouble conceiving and yet had five children. The gods must have given her strength.
The pages fell from my fingertips. I buried my head in my arms, biting my lip to keep from sobbing. What did that make me? A warrior princess meant to take back the kingdom and hand it over to one of my pure siblings to rule? Surely it was obvious to all who saw me that I was not a full-blooded royal but a bastard.
If the centaurs could see me now, especially those who teased me throughout my youthful years, they would have considered me the scum of the Labraid. Bile rose in my throat again and I wanted to leave. My fingers shook, and I longed for fresh winds against my face. Epona often said situations felt heavy at night, but a step out into the light or a good night’s sleep could refresh my thoughts and help me gain clarity. A desperation for clarity rose in me, even though words of warning rang back. If the words written in the letter were true, then the gods demanded my life and there was nowhere I could run to hide from them. Not only that, I didn’t know what I wanted. All my life I’d been made to understand I needed to take back the kingdom, but I felt alone. Who stood with me? Yes, the centaurs if I roused them. But who else?
“Aofie?” A questioning tone shattered my thoughts.
I jerked. Mother. Although now I thought of her more as Ceana Mor. I scrambled for the loose sheets of parchment, heart pounding in my throat. “Mother?”
Shadows covered her face as she crossed her arms. “I thought I might find you here. When I lived in the palace, I’d often sneak off at night. We are more alike than you think.”
She moved closer, but although her tone was light, something in her posture made me want to flinch away. “You’ve read the letter, and it’s changed your mind. Hasn’t it? I can feel the tension in the air. I was afraid this would happen. One day you’d be my daughter, until you understood there are greater powers at work beyond what we can see, and we are both affected by them.”
I seethed inside at the words she said. Of course we were both affected, but she was blessed while I had to go to war.
Admittedly, fighting was something I was good at.
“To be of royal blood comes with many duties, not all of them desirable.”
“I understand,” I agreed, although I wanted to complain that it was unfair.
“Aofie.” My mother’s voice turned warm. “I don’t expect you to take this in all at once. Rest here for some time before you go on to the elves. The world can wait for you—it has for the past eighteen years. Besides, I did not come to discuss the contents of my letter.”
Frowning, I glanced away, fighting my temper. Her kindness both warmed my heart and made me angrier. While I knew it was selfish of me to consider my own interests, I was vastly disappointed. Again, I recalled Epona’s warning about expectations, but I had not expected this. It was difficult to battle my emotions back into submission.
“Come to me if you have questions.” Mother drew nearer, her shadow casting a shallow darkness in the halo of light I sat in. “The weight of responsibility rests on your shoulders now—a weight I understand as queen of the fallen kingdom of men. It is a daunting task, but I must warn you about the company you keep.”
I stiffened and lifted my head. My eyes rose to meet hers but they were still masked in shadow. A ripple of embarrassment crossed me. Why did I feel the need to please her and seek her approval? If anything, her warning came far too late. Romulus had taken it upon himself to tell me about the demons and Takari had already tricked me with her bewitching magic.
“You travel with an iceman and a nymph,” Mother stated. There was a coolness in her tone like the frost in the mornings. “Nymphs are bad enough; they use their magic for personal gain and are known for their tricks. They cannot be counted on for alliances, and if you would travel with one, you must arm yourself against their magic. You would do well to seek and find a talisman.”
I opened my mouth to ask her where in the middle of the forsaken forest I would find such a talisman, but she went on.
