Desperate Acts

lamps. The most dramatic changes were to his head, which had become skull-like with pale, dry, mottled, parchment flesh stretched tightly over his face, and his hands, which were little more than skin and bones.

  Enraged, Finn Bheara let go of Cridedub with his right hand and swung around to strike at the former queen. But she had anticipated his action and ducked below the arm. Glaring, he raised his fist to hammer her.

  She remained crouched and pointed at his face. "Glamain!"

  An intense flash of light seared his eyes. Roaring in pain, he released the banshee and slapped both hands over his face. Dropping the dirk, she stood up and took a hold of his robe. Pivoting on her feet, she swung him hard around and let go when he passed in front of the gate. He flew through it backwards and fell on his back. With his influence gone, the gate slammed shut with a clap of thunder and the shimmer vanished.

  Whirling around, she saw Cridedub collapse onto the ground. The Archon's tentacles flailed about in a desperate manner as the disc of light contracted. Grabbing up her dirk, she sliced through the few that still held cats, then stepped back as they slipped through the disc like snakes down a hole. The last one wasn't fast enough, and as the disc closed it cut through its width. Finally, it became a blinding spot of light again, before it vanished.

  Medb looked down at Cridedub. She, too, had resumed her normal form, much like that of Finn Bheara except she wore no diadem, only a thin circlet with a single diamond in its front. She knelt beside the crumpled form and the fay looked up into the massive woman's long, handsome face.

  She placed a hand behind the banshee's head, and felt her life draining away. Pity soured her stomach. "I apologize for the harm I have done to you, which I never intended. I ask your forgiveness."

  Cridedub tried to speak, but could not, still being under her spell of silence. The former queen raised her free hand to remove it, but the faerie woman reached up and touched her on the forehead. A brief jolt of searing pain flash through her brain, and her sight went black as she fainted.

  When Medb awoke, it was daylight. She lay stretched out in the clearing, a soft pillow under her head. Someone had also covered her with a blanket. She looked to her left and saw a golden tray lying on the ground, with a silver platter of sweet meats and a crystal decanter of rich mead with a matching goblet beside it.

  On her right sat Selgach Mor and Cucath. "Thank Bast you are all right," the huge tabby said, an uncharacteristic note of concern in his voice. "When you fainted, we could not be sure how badly you were hurt."

  She sat up and leaned against one of the pillars. She felt a little light headed, but was surprised she had not been harmed. "What of Cridedub?"

  "She died," the Queen said, "after she touched you. We asked Atal and his priests to bury her in a secluded part of the grove."

  The news saddened her more than she expected, but she would have expected it. No power short of divine intervention could have saved the banshee, and she did not believe in gods.

  "I will go to pay my respects later. How many of your people did you lose?"

  Cucath sighed, but it sounded more wistful than sad. "A dozen returned to the Bosom of the Great Mother; a few dozen more were injured, but most will fully recover. I am disappointed."

  She frowned. "How so? It sounds like you were lucky."

  "It was not the battle I hoped it would be." He sighed again.

  She could not help grinning, but her humor vanished when the Queen moaned. "We have failed. We did not gain the information we needed, and now we have no further means to acquire it."

  Something flickered in the back of Medb's mind. When she focused on it, she jolted with shock.

  "We have not failed. When she touched me, Cridedub imparted everything we needed to know. She must have retrieved it from Finn Bheara's mind while you used her as a conduit. It was her revenge for his sacrificing her."

  Excited, the two cats leapt to their feet, their tails twitching in a frantic manner. "Then you know their plan."

  "In intimate detail. However, I also know that they laid a trap for us. Your spies were found out; the Fomoraigh fed you false information, hoping you would take the action you did. The Daoine Sidhe were ready for it; their plan was to use the Archon to destroy us all, thereby removing the only two obstacles that could have thwarted their scheme. It very nearly succeeded."

  The two cats looked at each other, then back at her, their tails bristling.

  "You mean, it wasn't a retaliatory act?" asked Cucath. She heard a tone of menace in his voice.

  "So it would seem."

  "The Fomorians and the Faerie Host conspired to commit an overt act of war. This can neither be forgotten nor forgiven."

  "We cannot fight them both alone," the Queen stated. "We will need allies."

  Medb tapped her right temple. "With the knowledge I have, it should be no problem to convince others to join us."

  Selgach Mor looked her in the eyes. "How long do we have before they put their plan into effect?"

  She scanned her memory. "The plan is already in motion, but it will take a number of years for it to come to fruition, perhaps as much as a decade. However, the longer we delay, the more difficult it will be to stop them."

  The two cats sat, wrapping their tails over their front paws. "Then we should discuss who we could approach," the Queen suggested.

  Medb picked up the goblet and decanter, and poured herself a generous libation of mead. "You read my mind," she jested as she took a sip.

  Glossary and Pronunciation Guide

  Amadan Mor (AH-muh-duhn MOHR)--great fool; a powerful Daoine Sidh

  Anam naofa bheith ionam (AH-nahm NEE-fuh VEH IH-nahm)--blessed soul be mine

  Bansidh (BAHN-shee)--woman of faerie

  Bres (BRESH)--meaning unknown; the name of Medb's son by Elatha

  Ciunas (KYOO-nuhs)--silence; a thaumaturgical spell that renders the target unable to speak

  Cridedub (KRIH-juh-doo)--heart of darkness

  Cruacha (KROO-uh-ckuh)--meaning unknown; the name of Medb's mother

  Cucath (KOO-kuh)--hound of battle; the name Medb christened the leader of the cat council

  Damnaigh (DAWM-neye)--damnation

  Daoine Sidhe (DEE-nuh SHEE-uh)--men of faerie

  Elatha (EH-luh-huh)--meaning unknown; the name of Bres's father

  Finn Bheara (FEEN VAH-ruh)--meaning unknown; a king of the Daoine Sidhe

  Glamain (GLAW-muhn)--devour; a thaumaturgical spell that reduces organic material to ash

  Go gcaomhnai na naoimh sinn (GO GEEW-nuh NAH NEEV SHEEN)--saints (holy/divine powers) preserve us

  Mab (MAHB)--tassel; the high queen of the Daoine Sidhe

  Magh Mor (MOY MOHR)--great land; Faerie Land, one part the Irish Otherworld

  Medb hErenn (MAYV HAIR-rayn)--Maeve of Ireland

  Selgach Mor (SHEH-lih-guhck MOHR)--great hunter; the name Medb christened the Cat Queen

  Setim (SHEH-teem)--blow; a thaumaturgical spell that strikes a target with a physical blow

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  For more information on Medb hErenn, see the official site [https://www.medbherenn.com/].

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  About the Author

  Kevin L. O'Brien was born with a pen in his hand.

  Well, not quite, but he has been writing for as long as he can remember, at least since First Grade. Writing has always been his first, true love, but it hasn't always been his career. He worked for 15 years as a biomedical researcher, then for 3 years as a web designer. However, after 30 years of trying to be published in print with little success, he has decided to try his hand at self-publishing. Most of his works will be sold as ebooks through various online retailers, but he also plans to make some available for free exclusively on Goodreads.

  He writes primarily speculative fiction--fantasy, science fiction, horror, and their sub-genres--but he also likes to try his hand at thrillers, suspense, mystery, and even westerns. However, his stories tend to have a fantasy element, no matter
how subtle.

  Most of his stories involve the following three main characters:

  Medb hErenn [https://www.medbherenn.com/]--One-time queen of Ireland, she is over 3500 years old. A warrior and a sorceress, she cannot be harmed by any weapon made by the hand of man.

  Eile and Sunny, Team Girl [https://www.teamgirlforever.com/]--They are two adorable, vivacious, fun-loving young women whose motto is ONWARD TO ADVENTURE!!! Yet trouble follows them like a love-sick puppy wherever they go.

  Sir Differel Van Helsing [https://www.sir-differel.com/]--The descendent of Abraham Van Helsing and King Arthur, she heads the Caerleon Order, the premier monster-hunting organization of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. She commands Dracula, the most powerful vampire extant, and the greatsword Caliburn, better known as Excalibur.

  He also writes a series of sword & sorcery stories set in an alternative universe known as the Lands of the Dreams of Men.

  Kevin lives in Denver with his family and 4 cats.

  For more information, see the Songs of the Seanchai [https://www.seanchaisongs.com/].

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  Discover other titles by Kevin L. O'Brien:

  A fidus Aranea, Adventurer's Honeymoon, Barbarians R Us, The Beast of Exmoor, The Christmas Vampires, Dark Vengeance, Disposable Commodities, Do Unto Others, Far-Sight, Feline Savior, Gourmand Hag, Gratuitous Crossover, Gruff Tolls, Immanuel, Inseparable, The Lions of Inganok, Man Friday, Masie's Mind, No Torrent Like Greed, Oak Do Hate, Post-Traumatic Redemption, Pride and