Chapter 4

Chapter Four

W hen I woke from my nap, I found myself alone in a cave. Or at least it looked like a cave. Was this a dream?

Curved stone walls and a dirt floor fit well with my theory. The flicker of torches casting shadows on the stone added more ambiance.

I strolled through the cave, thinking it felt like a medieval castle hallway. Where in bloody hell was I?

I put one hand on my chest over where the stone lived in my body, only I couldn't feel it like I normally did. My fingers nervously explored my skin in a frantic attempt to find the sacred artifact that I had fused with to stop these situations from happening.

"Hello, beings of the stone. Are ya hearing me?"

I pounded my chest several times with a flat palm, but the stone still didn't respond. Nor did I find it with my fingers. As impossible as it seemed, I felt like someone had ripped the Dagda stone out of chest.

Was I dead? One of my trembling hands reached out in panic to grip the nearest stone wall. A shooting pain tore across my upper chest. When my wounded shoulder gave out, the rest of me fell against the cold rock wall.

My body obviously hadn't yet recovered from being shot.

I pushed myself away from the wall with my good arm and continued walking. There was a bend in the stone hallway, and I followed its curve into a large, open space. It was part library and part magical practice room. A small cauldron hung in the fireplace that contained a small wood fire.

I felt quite at home until I saw the two still bodies stretched out on rock beds. There was one man and one woman and they looked actually dead. Someone had put them there and then folded their hands over their stomachs like ya saw when a person lay in a coffin.

I stood staring at them until I heard footsteps behind me. Swinging around, I tried to draw a sword, but the energy wasn't there for me.

Goddess, this was worse than when Hisser captured Conn. I felt nothing inside my body except my fragile humanity. Plus, my physical injury was too great to protect myself.

A man wearing a cloak Merlin might have worn walked into the space and raised a hand palm out to me. Feeling no magic in myself, it was good that my presence alone worried him. I hoped this was just a really vivid dream and not some astral event.

I cleared my throat. "Where am I? How did I get here?"

"Let's start with introductions," he said. "I'm One of The Three."

My gaze returned to the prone people lying on the stone blocks. "Are they the other two of yer set?"

His gaze followed mine. He looked as if he'd never seen them before. "Yes. They are with me but not in my form. It was a kindness that The Dagda allowed them to sleep at the same time."

"So The Dagda did this—created this?" I asked.

"We did not finish our introductions. Who are you?" he demanded.

I glared at him as much as I could. Pain made me want to drop into a ball. "My name is Aran O'Malley. I'm a daughter of The Dagda and the current keeper of the Dagda stone."

The man looked at me and blinked several times. "I see," he said, then laughed. "Actually, no, I don't see, but this is obviously possible since you're here. Is your body still alive? I've been diligently working to keep your body alive."

"Well, I hope it is," I said, feeling strange to be saying it. "Some flying man shot me with a metal arrow. It went straight through me."

"Yes, I've been working many healing spells to counteract its effects. I cast those in a room that contains the regeneration magic of the fairy folk." His hand reached out of the cloak to rub one side of his face. "Perhaps I brought you here with one of those spells. They are old magic and sometimes cause side effects. How very strange that you found us in the void. But then, you are the first to genuinely call on us in a very long time.

"Are ya one of the mages powering my Dagda stone?"

"I am," he said.

"What is your name?"

"One of The Three. I know that's odd, but I have no other. Perhaps I did at one time, but I no longer recall it."

I blinked at his answer and inclined my head toward the two sleepers. "So the three of ya chose to power my version of the Dagda stone."

"We were friends— are friends . In our time, we were accomplished mages. We thought we could challenge the gods and rule the people. Our foolishness cost us our humanity."

I shook where I stood. "Is there a place I can sit down? I'm not feeling my best."

"Almost dying will do that to a human. It fascinates me that your ethereal form retains your feelings. That must be from the connection you maintain to your physical form. Can you walk with me? The healing chamber is much nicer. I only fight from this room when I need the help of Two of The Three and Three of The Three."

"Do they wake up to help ya?" I asked as I stumbled after him.

"No. Only their minds wake to join with mine in battle. The two of them chose eternal rest rather than for one of them to live without the other. I bear the burden of constant awareness for all three of us. I haven't minded this fate since the first century."

I frowned at the dirt floor. "It's been thousands of years since the Great War. It seems like The Dagda might have released ya from this burden by now."

"My corporeal body is long gone. I appear to you only as the echo of it, frozen in time."

"Like a computer hologram?"

"Yes. That comparison works closely enough. I'm surprised you understand that technology."

I shook my head. "I saw it in a movie once. A friend and I watch a lot of science fiction."

"Ah... I see," One said.

I stared at him. He looked real to me. I felt real to myself. "So you're not a real person then? How does that work?"

"I'm not real the way you are real. I exist in a way your limited human mind can't yet grasp. I had to live this reality before I understood it."

"Ya sound like this guardian I know."

"The comparison does not insult me. I do not understand why those you call guardians feel superior. I share your philosophical questions about their attitudes and thinking. But they are very powerful. "

One of The Three agreeing with me about Rasmus and his kind made me feel better. However, I was still struggling to accept the explanation of his fate. "Don't ya ever want to escape this place?"

"No. There is no returning to what once was. Besides, I am happy here. I find discourse with you to be quite challenging. Your predecessors feared our magic too much to communicate. They issued the occasional command but weren't talkative. You are the first to visit. I do not know how that is possible or even why you would do so."

"I woke up in her stone hallway. Or rather, some part of me woke up. I don't know how it happened. The last thing I remember is losing so much blood that I passed out in my bed."

One of The Three guided me to a large, well-worn chair. "This furniture is old and unused because I no longer require the pretense of sitting. It's solely made of magic but should hold your spirit form well enough."

I lowered myself down with great relief. "The chair is fine. Thank you."

"You are welcome."

"Do ya have any idea how I can get back to my body?"

One of The Three looked up and studied the stone ceiling. It had to be at least twenty feet over our heads. "Perhaps it will work similarly to your out-of-body travel while scrying. That is your term for astral travel, is it not?"

Of course. She was currently unconscious in her physical body and traveling in astral form. Why hadn't she thought of that?

"Do ya think ghosts might be people who've left their bodies and find they can't get back to them? I've heard that happens when people are killed traumatically. Ya lose yer physical form too fast to process the loss."

One of The Three chuckled. "It is a viable theory. Do you fear becoming a ghost?"

My shoulder still hurt, but I no longer felt like I would fall. "Are ya truly able to save me?"

"Yes, even if I have to regenerate you completely. So long as your dying takes time, we can restore you. Now, if you lose your head in battle—well, that's something we won't be able to fix. I suggest you allow your various parts to pass on if that happens. Lingering would indeed make you a ghost or even something worse."

"Sounds like good advice," I said, trying not to sound sarcastic. I had a hunch that One of The Three wouldn't get it. "Since I'm for sure not dead right now, dying is something I prefer not to do anytime soon."

One of The Three walked to a cauldron. No fire was under it, but the cast iron lit from within when he stood over it. He selected a long crystal wand from a nearby table and tapped the edge. The sound it made resonated in the room. He chanted until the sound faded away.

He paused and looked at me. "You are correct. Your physical body still lives and breathes. Those you consider friends are watching over your physical form. Only one of them knows your true self does not currently inhabit it. I believe it was wise of you to cultivate so many connections with such powerful beings. Lust aside, I get a sense that your bed partner likes you more than you like him. I found it quite amusing that the dark witch believed you'd enslaved him. And she was being totally honest."

So he had insights into everyone and not just me. "Does Felicity Benson practice dark magic?" I asked.

"Dark versus light is a matter of belief, Aran. She calls on dark gods for some of her power. The life she once lived built up a reserve with them. Once she uses up their magic, though, she will be powerless or have to make other arrangements. This is true of many witches. However, your magic is limitless because of your openness to all the many possibilities in your realm. You are very much like The Dagda himself."

"Is that an insult or a compliment? Don't ya hate him for what he did to yer friends and ya?"

"I felt anger and sadness in the beginning. Eventually, I accepted his gift of redemption. I could be reincarnating every few years and starting over all the time. Instead, my soul is full of light, and I have more magick now than ever. Immortality suits me. My companions do not feel the same. They miss being physical with each other."

Yet they had all made a deal to keep their magick over dying. Did I feel like that about my power?

I practiced little magick in the seven years I'd spent in Demon Hunter prison. I'd stayed in prison for Fiona's sake and would do the same again.

But it hadn't been the practice of magick I'd missed the most during my incarceration. It was the absence of those I loved and not being able to be with them. I missed the laughter and the hugs. I missed spending time in their company.

I rubbed my shoulder, which was feeling much better. "So, which of my friends knows I'm not in my body? I hope ya don't expect me to guess because I suck at guessing. I either know or I don't. Right now, I don't."

"You know instinctually which one knows. It is the being you share magick with every chance you get. Do you realize that you're mostly an experiment for him and his kind? The watcher was celibate for centuries before you. I can tell that from reading his energy. You're the only female energy he's been exposed to that permeated his aura."

"Don't ya miss having bedroom companionship yourself?" I kept asking personal questions because it was hard to believe what I was seeing would ever be enough for any being in any form. He watched over his comatose friends and waited for me to need him.

One of The Three smiled. "My light form feels no hunger, no thirst, and no lust. The primary drivers of humanity do not affect me any longer. I am like the watchers were when they first came to our planet. I exist as a being of light but with my human conscience mostly intact. The watchers try and try to learn to be human, but most find they cannot achieve it. Your grandfather had more success than most. That's how he won your grandmother's heart."

I laughed dryly. "I don't think Orlin's human form reveals much about what makes a good human. I'm not even sure Orlin makes a suitable guardian—or watcher, as ya call him. I know you like to use the old-school term for his kind."

One of The Three smiled at me. "It was a great tragedy that your powerful grandfather lost his life so horrifically and that he couldn't tell your grandmother what happened. His regeneration was neither joyous nor victorious when it was done. His grief over her loss remains with him still. Perhaps your watcher grandfather succeeded at learning the most about humans because he suffered like one."

"So Orlin truly did love Murieann."

"Yes. And she loved him deeply in return. They connected in ways most beings never get to do. Her only mistake was not being honest with your father from the very beginning. Just like a chronic disease, living with regret can have long-lasting and detrimental effects on one's well-being. Your father deserved to hear the truth from his mother."

A wave of dizziness washed over me. "I think I need to go back soon. I'm feeling woozy."

"Yes. I agree. I will withhold the irrevocable part of the recovery spell until you are back in your physical body. It would be unfortunate for it to enter a coma state because you were not present."

"Did I come here because I was very close to death?"

One of The Three shrugged. "I can't be completely certain, but I would say no. I think you just wanted to have a concrete reason to believe that the mages in the Dagda stone truly meant to heal you. Seeing us in person was your way to do that."

That reasoning made complete sense to me. "It was good to get to know ya, One of The Three. I'm sorry ya're stuck here forever. It doesn't seem fair."

"I am not alone, Aran of The Dagda. My comrades are always with me... and now I have you to converse with. This is more life than I've had in times past."

I rose carefully from the chair. My legs were like jelly, and I wavered on them. "Could ya help me get back? I'm not sure I can make it."

He blew out a breath. "Well, I could help you, but you probably should do it on your own. It's for the best. Please tell Connlander of the Fir Bolg hello for me. I appreciate the great care he took of the stone all these years. Tell him I finally believe he was right."

"Right about what?" I asked.

One of The Three chuckled. "There's no time to get into the details. It's a very old matter between us, but he might want to know how much I have changed. Is he happy these days?"

"Yes," I said. "Conn has fallen in love again. Mulan is a Wu Shaman."

"Is she the strangely amusing woman you consider a friend?"

"Don't ya already know what I think and feel for Mulan? She has people like ya powering her staff as well. A dragon mage explained things to me."

His unconcerned shrug surprised me. I felt my eyebrows raise.

"I can see why you would think that we would know. But we know only what we need to know, and that amount varies from day to day. It is a concept you wouldn't understand, but the primary effect works like short-term memory loss. In times of trouble, though, I can access those memories as if I thought of them every day. I just don't walk around with them all the time."

"Ya might be surprised by what I can understand," I said to him with a smile. "The guardian—the watcher ya mentioned—he thinks I can't understand him, but I know him better than he realizes. I don't always like him, but I know him."

My host pointed his finger. "Hurry now. Go back through the hallway. Don't let any dead ends bother you. Beings of light pass through stone with no problems."

Beings of light? Was that what I was? "Will I ever see ya again?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but we'll be in touch. If you need me, simply tap on your chest. I have no choice except to respond. We have a contract with you and The Dagda. It is much like the one you made with the demon king."

"Okay," I said, limping away. Half of my body felt like it would never work again.

"Watch your head, Aran. Don't beat it against the stone when you pass through it."

"Okay. I'll be careful," I said as I hobbled back through the room with the other sleeping mages.

When I found the hallway walled up at the end, I sighed in frustration.

"I'm going home," I said aloud, announcing my intentions.

Then, I made a run for the stone wall blocking my exit. I hit the wall, bounced off it, and found I hurt more physically than I ever imagined I could.

Then, suddenly, I got sucked up and passed right through.

I screamed at the same movement and sat up in bed with every cell in my body protesting the effort.

Rest , One of The Three ordered in his commanding voice. The recovery spell needs you to remain as still as possible. Stay in bed, stay still, and think healing thoughts.

Strong arms caught me in reality and gently pushed me back down on the pile of pillows under my head. "Where did you go?" Rasmus asked softly.

"I fell unconscious from the blood loss. I traveled astrally and met the mages who power the Dagda stone. Not all of them, though—just the one that is awake for all three of them. He doesn't remember his old name. He calls himself One of The Three. He was pleasant enough but refused to help me get back here. I had to run through a stone wall to escape."

"The void is not a tranquil place to be. It can be very confusing to someone who isn't dead."

"Is that where I was?"

Rasmus searched my face. "Do you not know where you went?"

Now, I was doubly confused. "No. I think I went there to ask if they could keep me from dying. One of The Three said he would regenerate me if necessary. He told me not to be afraid."

Rasmus blinked in surprise several times before speaking. "So the artifact in your body is a sentient entity in its own right."

"Specifically, he said he and his two comatose friends were light beings."

My guardian arched an eyebrow. "To live within the void, he would have to have evolved beyond his physical human form. I spent some time there but found I missed the stimulation of being physical. That's why I opted to take on guardian duties. I prefer having some sort of physical form."

"My head hurts as bad as my shoulder now. I'm going back to sleep." I closed my eyes only to pop them open again. "Wait... did ya find the bowman?"

Rasmus nodded once with no expression at all. "He will no longer be a problem for you."

"Why not?" I asked, wincing as I twisted my shoulder, trying to turn toward him better.

"I called my brethren to help. He was one of the manmade guardians. A faction of the military sent him to neutralize you. The attack on Ben was related to the attack on you. They know Ben's secret."

I laughed, even though it hurt. "Say it like it is, guardian. The bowman came to kill me because the military knows I ruined their experiment. I knew I should have killed those scientists and all those soldiers they experimented on. I knew someone would retaliate if I didn't. We're not talking about a dark coven. Ben's part of the military believes they can erase anyone they consider a threat."

Rasmus made a face. "Your bowman was not one of those you faced during your monster battle. He had nothing to do with that incident. He was elsewhere at the time doing other things."

I frowned at his statement. "Maybe he wasn't directly involved, Rasmus, but ya can bet whoever sent him to shoot me was. Whoever that is doesn't fear me, and it would serve me better if they did. I bet the manmade guardian was watching us and waiting for someone to take out our wards so he could catch me off-guard. Talk about strange coincidences."

"One of his comrades stole Ben's talisman. It was a lucky guess on their part that you would rescue Ben and deal with his issue. They didn't know about Ben's witch wife, but they probably do now. If Felicity hadn't broken your wards, the arrow might not have gotten to you."

"How many of them were there?"

He ducked his head. "Must I give you a number? They are no longer relevant."

"I know ya didn't kill them, Rasmus. How many of them were there? I want to know what I was up against."

"Three hundred sixty-seven. We gave them all amnesia. They will remember who they once were but not the last five years of their lives. It will cause chaos for many of them. The risks of not doing something were too large. The guardians value your health above their neutrality. Congratulations, Aran. My people care more about you than about the general welfare of humanity."

"So ya didn't neutralize them just because it was important to stop them," I concluded.

"No. But saving you indirectly brought about that effect."

She didn't have any frustrated sighs left in her. Rasmus still didn't get it. He didn't understand the difference between good and evil humans. At least he understood the concept of protecting the people ya cared about. I guess I should be grateful for that, at least.

"Thanks for going after the bowman. Were all of them man-made guardians?"

"Less than twenty of their number had been weaponized with genetic changes. The others were mostly soldiers trained to fight paranormal creatures. Since I had the most experience, I altered the man-made guardians and changed them back into humans. They may retain more memories than their full human peers."

I nodded against the pillow. "Hopefully, we can postpone setting new wards until I'm healed."

Rasmus lifted my hand and held it in his. "Ben's wife laid some basic magickal protection of hers around the property. Her power should hold most threats at bay. Felicity said she couldn't leave your home unprotected after you protected her husband. She feels terrible about how she handled things."

"That was nice of her. I want to like her because Ben loves her."

Rasmus inclined his head in agreement. "You should rest now and heal. I don't like watching you come so close to dying."

"I don't like it either. That's as close to death as I've ever been," I said, smiling when he laughed. "Thanks for going after the bad guys, Rasmus. Ya saved me the trouble of doing so. I hope yer amnesia plan works."

"My brethren were thorough in carrying out the task."

I sighed heavily, suddenly exhausted. "If ya haven't already, tell Ben what ya did. He needs to be aware of the danger. It's that I don't trust his wife, but Mulan and I want to make sure his property has the same level of warded protection as ours."