‘Get your mother.’
Mom was already on her way when she met me on the road. The blackthorns had told her.
When we arrived back with Dad, she used her wand to part the thorns and we carried him in.
‘What was that?’ I asked, still a bit stunned.
‘He’s a Pooka,’ Dad said. ‘They can change into animals.’
‘Oh, right,’ I said.
Fand and another Fili woman arrived and tended his wounds. They gave him water (which woke him up) and a tonic (that put him to sleep) and carried him back to the village.
The story of how Dad became a lefty had to wait.
Later, back at the village when things had calmed down a bit, Araf, Fergal, Essa, Mom, Aunt Nieve, Dad and I had a late lunch. The food was a vegetarian’s dream. It made me think I would buy a pair of sandals, listen to folk music and forgo hamburger joints forever. The others had been collecting tree sap all morning in preparation for a Shadowcasting after nightfall, and they were almost ready. Fand popped in and informed us that her Pooka patient hadn’t regained consciousness.
Fergal interrupted the chomping. ‘So, Conor, what did you think of the story of how Prince Oisin lost his hand?’
‘I didn’t hear it,’ I said. ‘We were interrupted by a rabid Pooka.’
‘Oisin,’ Mother said, ‘it is time you told your son the tale.’
‘Now?’ Dad said.
Deirdre nodded.
THE RACE OF THE TWINS OF MACHA
Dad planted his elbows on the table and wearily rubbed his eyes. It made me realise that these were probably not the most pleasant memories to retell. He pushed away his lunch plate, slapped his palm on the table and began.
‘Ona made many predictions,’ my father said. ‘We all know about the son of the …’ He lifted his handless arm and pointed to it. ‘But there was another prediction that only my father knew. Ona predicted that, The first of Finn’s sons to perform the Runechoosing would attain the throne.
‘Now, at a very young age, I realised that my brother was a horrid child that would grow up to be an evil man. Finn, like any parent, was slow to see this but by the time my brother reached Rune-age, even my father knew that he did not want Cialtie to hold the throne.
‘Cialtie attained Rune-age a year before me, but Father forbade him to take his Choosing until I was of age as well. Finn told him that he would hold a huge pageant to celebrate The Land’s first double Choosing. This infuriated my brother. He left the castle and did not return for almost a year.
‘After he left, my father revealed to me Ona’s prediction and his wish for me to take my Runechoosing first. We concocted a plan. I pretended to take up fishing as a hobby – in fact, I spent most of my time on Loch Duir, not fishing but – practising rowing.
‘A fortnight before my birthday, Cialtie returned with a group of Banshees. He claimed that Banshees were not treated well in The Land and that these men and women should stay in the castle to promote understanding among the races. Even then, it looked to me as if they were at least bodyguards – and at worst, the beginning of a private army.
‘Father organised a huge celebration, in honour of the two princes of Duir coming of age. The centrepiece of the event was the Sruth de Emain Macha – the Race of the Twins of Macha – a boat race across Loch Duir. Cialtie and I would race the length of the lake, starting at the far shore, and the first to place his runehand on the Castle Beach would be the first to Runechoose.
‘The Runelords and the people of The Land looked at the race as good fun – innocent sibling rivalry, but my father, Ona and I knew the truth – it was a race for the crown.
‘On the morning of the contest, my brother and I left early and rode to the far shore. With each of us there rode a second. I brought Eth, the son of my father’s master goldsmith. He was my best friend, the brother that Cialtie was not. Eth knew my brother’s treachery as well as I, and his job was to look out for the dirty tricks that we both knew were coming – Cialtie, as usual, was a step ahead of us. He brought with him a Banshee sorceress named Mná – she was beautiful. All the way to the starting point Mná chatted and flirted with Eth, and by the time we reached the farthest shore, Eth was besotted with the Banshee sorceress – as a security guard he was useless.
‘Cialtie only spoke to me once during the journey. He rode up next to me and said, “This boat race is not as innocent as it seems, is it, brother?” He is the only man who can make the word brother sound like a threat.
‘“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied, as calmly as I could.
‘“I think you do. I think this little contest is very important indeed.”
‘“What makes you say that?”
‘“The way you and Father are acting – you are both such bad liars.”
‘“No one, brother Cialtie, is as good at that as you.”
‘He smiled, like it was a compliment. “I don’t know what you are up to but I am sure that winning this race is very important. Am I right?”
‘He looked me in the eyes – I held his stare without wavering.
‘“No matter,” he said, “even if this is a bit of frivolity, I can see in your eyes that you want to win. That is reason enough to beat you.” He laughed that disgusting Cialtie laugh and galloped ahead.’
‘There was a pavilion and a small entourage waiting for us at the starting point. After a short breakfast we entered our boats. Mná actually gave Eth a kiss for luck. When their lips parted, he looked like someone had clubbed him over the head. Even I laughed. You see, I was so confident in my rowing superiority that I let my guard down. No one saw Cialtie put the shell under the seat of his boat.
‘The sergeant-at-arms dropped a small gold amulet into a tube that set off a spectacular golden flare. The race was on!
‘Cialtie was always stronger than me and he seemed to have grown stronger in the time since he had been away, but his rowing technique was awful. I had spent months experimenting with length of stroke and the depth of the oars in the water, and had built up my back muscles – I was by far the better rower. The race was mine, but I didn’t want to pull too far ahead. I needed to make it look at least a little close – besides, it was fun. I was a short way ahead of him, effortlessly gliding through the water, watching him strain with sloppy rowing. I was cocky and overconfident – I let him get closer just so he could see that I was hardly even trying.
‘I even allowed my mind to wander. I thought about Deirdre. I had first met her at one of Gerard’s parties. She made quite an impression on me and I on her.’
Dad flashed Deirdre a smile across the table that she returned.
‘I was distressed, like everyone, when I heard that her home had been destroyed, but what really worried me was the news that she had vanished. I persuaded Ona to perform a mini rune reading that hinted to Deirdre’s whereabouts in the Fililands. I told everyone I was going on an extended fishing trip and set out to find her.
‘The thorns almost killed me before I could finally convince them to give a message to Deirdre. She brought me into the Fililands and … well, we fell in love. I persuaded her to end her self-inflicted exile. I started to row a bit harder knowing she was waiting for me at the Castle Beach.
‘When