The Embers are Fanned in Cruachan Read online

  The Embers are Fanned

  in Cruachan

  Book 2

  Bill Stackhouse

  The Embers are Fanned

  in Cruachan

  All Rights Reserved.

  Copyright © 2017 by Bill Stackhouse

  Revision F - 2018

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without the written permission of the author.

  This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  Acknowledgements

  I can’t express enough gratitude to two women, without whom you would not be reading this book.

  First, to my mother, Eleanor. Some of my earliest memories are of her taking me by streetcar (Yes, I’m that old!) to the public library in Cleveland, Ohio. And when I reached my teens, it was she who introduced me to Rex Stout and Manning Coles, infusing me with her love of mysteries.

  Secondly, and most important, to my wife, Arlene. When in the throes of a mid-life crisis I left a fairly decent job to become a writer, never once did she say, “Why don’t you go find yourself a real job,” although, I’m sure she must have thought it many times.

  My heartfelt thanks to both of you!

  Also, my thanks to Arlene and her cousin, Carole Klusman, for their proofreading assistance. Once you’ve been over the text so many times yourself, your mind begins to read what you meant, not what you actually wrote. I appreciate the second and third set of eyes.

  Also By Bill Stackhouse

  The Ed McAvoy Mystery Series

  Stream of Death

  Hickory, Dickory

  Encore to Murder

  Wash and Wear

  Candle Snuffer

  Thin Ice

  Forget Me Not

  The Caitlin O’Rourke Mystery Series

  Black-Irish Setter

  Icon Feel Your Power

  Creature of Habit

  The Chronicles of Pádraig

  A Spark is Struck in Cruachan

  The Embers are Fanned in Cruachan

  A Fire Rages in Cruachan

  The Fire is Quenched in Cruachan

  Character Names

  Aednat-----[AY-nit]

  Ailill-----[ALL-yil]

  Aislin-----[ASH-lin]

  Álmhath-----[AWL-uh-va]

  Alroy-----[ALL-roy]

  An Fearglas-----[on FAIR glahs]

  Aoife-----[EE-fah]

  Beibhinn-----[BEE-veen]

  Bowie-----[BOO-ee]

  Bradan-----[BRAY-don]

  Breasal-----[BREE-sal]

  Brian-----[BREE-an]

  Brynmor-----[BRIN-more]

  Cabhan-----[KAV-an]

  Cadwgawn-----[kah-DOO-gan]

  Cahal-----[KA-hal]

  Caoilainn-----[KAY-linn]

  Cearul-----[KAR-ul]

  Cian-----[KEE-an]

  Coinneach-----[KOY-in-ock]

  Colm-----[KOL-um]

  Conall-----[KAWN-all]

  Conlaoch-----[kon-LAY-ock]

  Daragh-----[DYE-ruh]

  Déaglán-----[DECK-lan]

  Diarmuid-----[DEER-mid]

  Donnan-----[DUN-ahn]

  Donny-----[DUN-ee]

  Dyddanwy-----[dee-THAN-wee]

  Eamon-----[AIM-an]

  Eirnín-----[AIR-nin]

  Eógan-----[OWE-in]

  Faolan-----[FOY-lan]

  Feidhelm-----[FAIL-im]

  Fergal-----[FUR-gul]

  Finbar-----[FIN-bar]

  Fintan-----[FIN-tan]

  Fionnuala-----[fin-OWE-luh]

  Garbhán-----[GAR-vawn]

  Gearóid-----[GAHR-ohd]

  Ginebra-----[jin-EH-bruh]

  Glendon-----[GLEN-dun]

  Gormán-----[GUR-mawn]

  Griogair-----[GRI-ger]

  Håkon-----[haw-KUN]

  Hilma-----[HEEL-ma]

  Hugh-----[hue]

  Iollan-----[OOL-on]

  Irial-----[EER-ee-yal]

  Isla-----[EYE-la]

  Jarlath-----[JAR-leth]

  Keiran-----[KEER-awn]

  Killian-----[KILL-ee-an]

  Kyna-----[KEY-na]

  Labhrás-----[LAV-raws]

  Lachtnán-----[LACHT-nawn]

  Lairgnen-----[LAIR-gnen]

  Líadan-----[LEE-a-dan]

  Liam-----[LEE-am]

  Lorcan-----[LOR-kawn]

  Máedóc-----[my-AY-doc]

  Máiréad-----[MAWR-aid]

  Marga-----[MAR-gah]

  Meig-----[meg]

  Muircheartach-----[mwir-CHER-tack]

  Murchú-----[MUR-choo]

  Murtagh-----[MUR-tah]

  Neasán-----[NYAS-awn]

  Neave-----[NEE-av]

  Niall-----[NIGH-ul]

  Odhran-----[OWE-ran]

  Oisín-----[ush-EEN]

  Pádraig-----[PAW-drig]

  Parnell-----[PAH-nul]

  Phelim-----[FAIL-im]

  Radha-----[ROWE-uh]

  Ranait-----[RAN-eh]

  Ríoghán-----[REE-awn]

  Rionach-----[REE-in-ock]

  Risteard-----[RISH-taird]

  Ruadhán-----[ROO-awn]

  Ruari-----[RO-ree]

  Rutger-----[RUT-gur]

  Scoithniamh-----[SKUH-nyee-uv]

  Scolaí-----[SKUL-lee]

  Seamus-----[SHAY-mus]

  Siobhán-----[shi-VAHN]

  Siollán-----[SHULL-awn]

  Sléibhín-----[SHLAY-veen]

  Suibhne-----[SIBE-nuh]

  Tadhg-----[tige]

  Taliesin-----[tal-ee-ES-in]

  Taran-----[TAH-rhen]

  Teagan-----[TEE-gun]

  Tierney-----[TEAR-nee]

  Tuama-----[TOO-uhm-ma]

  Uaine-----[OO-in-yeh]

  Ulf-----[OOLTH]

  Ultan-----[ULL-tun]

  Yseult-----[EE-solt]

  Place Names

  An Saol Eile-----[on sail ELL-ah]

  The Otherworld

  Beanntan Fiacaill-Sàbhaidh-----[BYAN-ton FEE-ICK-ul SABB-heed]

  Sawtooth Mountains

  Coedwig Dryslyd-----[KOID-wig DRIES-lid]

  Tangled Woods

  Droim Fiaclach-----[DROOM FIA-claw]

  Serrated Ridge

  Stob Bàn-----[STROW-bahn]

  White Peak

  The Northern Shires

  Árainn-----[ARR-in]

  Béarra-----[BEAR-ah]

  Cairbrigh-----[CAR-uh-bree]

  Callainn-----[COLL-een]

  Gabhrán-----[gull-RON]

  The Western Shires

  Báinigh-----[by-NEE]

  Cairbre-----[CAR-bur-uh]

  Ceatharlach-----[CAT-her-lock]

  Dealbhna-----[DEL-ab-nah]

  Fotharta-----[FOR-har-tuh]

  Iorras-----[ERR-iss]

  Lorg-----[LURG]

  Orrery-----[are-or-EE]

  Tulach-----[TUH-luh]

  The Eastern Shires

  Ceanannas-----[CAN-non-nus]

  Gabhalmhaigh-----[gull-WE]

  Gaileanga-----[GYAL-lean-gyuh]

  Liatroim-----[LEE-uh-trim]

  Luíne-----[LEAN-yuh]

  Muraisc-----[MORE-ishk]

  Seanaid-----[SHAN-idge]

  Sruthail-----[SRUTH-uh]

  Words & Phrases

  Am Fear Liath Mòr-----[am fair lee-ath MORE]

  The Big Gray Man

  An Fear Portach-----[on fair pour-TOCK]

  The Bog Man
<
br />   anam cara-----[ah-nahm KHAR-ah]

  soul friend

  bean-sidhe-----[BAN-shee]

  female spirit whose wailing warns of impending death

  capall uisce-----[kop-ull ISH-cuh]

  water-horse

  cathair-----[COT-ur]

  stone ringfortress

  Cosaint agus Seirbhís-----[CO-sint ah-gus SHUR-beesh]

  Protection and Service

  Dáil-----[doyl]

  Assembly

  Daoine Dofheicthe-----[dee-nee doe-ET-chee]

  Hidden Folk

  Déan díobháil do aon duine-----[den DEE-woil duh AY-un DOO-neh]

  Harm no one

  dúnfort-----[DOON-fort]

  citadel

  færing-----[FEH-reng]

  small four-oared boat used by the Northmen

  Fáilte!-----[FALT-cha]

  Welcome!

  kelpie-----[KELL-pee]

  malevelant water-horse

  phooka-----[POO-kuh]

  mischievious water-horse

  poulaphouca-----[poll-ah-POO-kuh]

  phooka-pool

  ráth-----[raith]

  earthen ringfort

  Roghnú-----[ROW-new]

  Selection

  Seirbhís a Tír agus Rí-----[SHUR-beesh ah TEAR ah-gus REE]

  Service to Country and King

  sgian bròg-----[SKEE-an BROWG]

  boot knife

  skeið(ir[SKAY-j(er)]

  longship(s) used by the Northmen

  Sláinte!-----[SLAWN-shuh]

  Health!

  tríbhís-----[TREE-veesh]

  the conjoined triple spiral

  Mid-Winter Day

  Central Federal Region - Dúnfort Cruachan

  Although the sky was clear and cloudless, with the bright sun shining from directly overhead, the cold wind whipped around atop the interior cliffs above Saltwater Bay, Cruachan’s only natural harbor.

  All three kingdoms of the Confederation—the Northern Shires, the Western Shires, and the Eastern Shires—plus the Central Federal Region came together in the middle of the island, all bordering on the bay.

  While the federal authorities administered the actual activities for the entire harbor, each of the kingdoms had their own set of docks and exercised control over material coming in and going out of their respective realms.

  Sitting on a boulder, observing the stevedores load and unload the ships, Pádraig shivered, as he pulled his gray, wool cloak tighter about him. It wasn’t just the wintry air and the wind, though, that had chilled him, but something much more personal, causing the biting cold to seep deep down into his very being.

  The Mid-Winter Selection had been held that morning. As part of the process, tradesmen hand-picked their apprentices, and youths, who had, or would, come of age during the year, put themselves up for entry into a trade. It was also the day when the five master wizards each sponsored one young man or woman to the Academy for the Spiritually Gifted.

  His perch on that rock, just below the Citadel of Cruachan, had always been one of Pádraig’s favorite places. His late mother, Aislin, used to bring him to this very point when he was but a young boy. Here, she would identify for him the various types of traders’ vessels that had come from the East, across the Sea of the Dawn. He always returned to this spot whenever he was in the Central Federal Region. It had a calmative effect on him—at least, it usually did. Not so, though, on this day.

  Again, hunkering down into the warmth of his cloak, Pádraig imagined the four-seat open parade carriage with a fringed top, hitched to a pair of matching white draught horses, making its way back from the docks to the citadel. The five new student wizards, he figured, had already boarded the sea-currach that would transport them to the Academy for the Spiritually Gifted on Blessed Island.

  It had seemed like such a short time ago that he and Máiréad had boarded that very same vessel as student wizards. Now, here he sat, ten years later, with the rank of an apprentice wizard, the third level of wizardry. Máiréad, too, had graduated from the Academy as an apprentice wizard. Both of them, in fact, had finished their studies and had achieved level-three status in record time—seven years and seven months.

  Although his time at the Academy was over, Pádraig’s education continued now under the watchful eye of his sponsor and mentor, the Venerable Taliesin, Court Wizard of the Kingdom of the Western Shires and Guardian of the Black Stone.

  * * *

  Achievement at the Academy was the measure of advancement. Achievement only. Nothing else mattered. Eight years was the cut-off point for advancement to each of the first three levels of wizardry. Some, who had shown promise and had been selected as student wizards, never made it even to the first level.

  Those who did attain level-one status—that of novice wizard—would be awarded a green mantle, identifying them as keepers of tradition and history. They didn’t keep this knowledge in books or on tablets. They kept it in their minds. A few managed to learn and memorize what was required of them in two or three years. Some, in five. Others needed the entire eight years. But novice wizards, however long it took them to achieve that level, were treasured throughout the three kingdoms. They knew the history. They knew the traditions. They knew the law and the lore. And they were respected for their knowledge.

  Oblate wizards were those who had attained level-two status. Their purple mantles marked them as herbalists and healers. No king or shire chieftain would even consider not having at least one oblate wizard on his staff. Accidents, wild animals, and conflicts were ways of life in Cruachan.

  Apprentice wizards wore red mantles to signify that these few had mastered the rudimentary spells, incantations, and potions necessary to attain level-three status and function as wizards-under-supervision. Their education continued in the field; and, they would spend however many years as was necessary, assisting the master wizard who had sponsored them. During this time, it was hoped that they would learn the most complicated spells, incantations, and potions.

  Once, and only if, their sponsors deemed them to be ready, apprentice wizards would graduate to level-four status and receive blue mantles that designated them as journeymen wizards. They were now free to function independently and offer their services for hire. However, they were still under the charge of the master wizard in whose kingdom they functioned.

  The kings of the three realms, in consultation with the Sodality of Master Wizards, had the privilege of choosing their own master wizard from among the ranks of journeyman wizards to fill a vacancy due to death. The High King had the sole responsibility to choose the Arch-Wizard, as well as the Master of the Academy for the Spiritually Gifted.

  Death was the only reason a master wizard could be replaced. Once reaching that level-five status, he or she was a master wizard for life. Upon a master’s passing over to The Otherworld, the Arch-Wizard would temporarily take custody of the seeing-stone, which that wizard had guarded, until a new master wizard could be named. Along with receiving a black mantle that signified the rank of master wizard, all the late master’s possessions, including the seeing-stone, would become the property of the newly-consecrated master wizard.

  * * *

  Ten years, Pádraig mused. Has it really been ten years? His thoughts again turned to Máiréad, his once-upon-a-time soul friend, and he winced and shook his head in sadness:

  The Lady Máiréad, daughter of Eógan, Earl of the Western Shires, and the Countess Kyna, had lobbied the Venerable Taliesin for an appointment to the Academy. Since Taliesin was Court Wizard of the Kingdom of the Western Shires, and her father was the elder cousin of Déaglán—Chieftain of Tulach Shire, King of the Western Shires, as well as High King of Cruachan—Máiréad was positive that the appointment was hers, simply for the asking.

  However, in such matters, the members of the Sodality of Master Wizards kept their own counsel and made their own decisions. When the time came for the Mid-Winter Selection that year, Taliesin had chosen to sponsor Pádraig,
rather than Máiréad.

  Being passed over crushed the girl, especially since Pádraig, although a gifted one as well, had never expressed any interest whatsoever in becoming a wizard, preferring, instead, to continue working with his father, Finbar, the farrier.

  Máiréad’s mother Kyna, however, wielded some influence of her own and, when it came time for the Venerable Odhran, Court Wizard of the Kingdom of the Northern Shires, to make his selection for the Academy, the master wizard picked Máiréad.

  Even though both childhood friends were student wizards at the Academy, in the almost-eight years they were together on Blessed Island, Máiréad spoke to Pádraig only when absolutely necessary as part of their studies, and even then, as if he were a stranger.

  Ten years, Pádraig thought again. And, still, Meig has never forgiven me.

  The apprentice wizard closed his eyes, took a series of slow deep breaths, and did the best he could to clear his mind, as he had been taught. When he opened his eyes, he willed his vision to magnify the scene across the bay.

  Closer and closer the image of the watchtower on the Iorras Shire side of harbor entrance, a mere speck on the horizon just moments before, slowly zoomed into his field of vision, as if the young wizard were simply a furlong away, rather than leagues.

  One of the harbormaster’s pilots had just guided a sea-currach through the narrow harbor inlet and had transferred back to the pilot’s currach that would take him to the next ship waiting patiently in the queue to enter or exit the harbor. Due to the restricted width of the entrance to the bay and the tidal swells, no vessel, except for those operated by the Cruachanian Defense Forces or the security forces of one of the three kingdoms, was permitted to traverse the inlet without a skilled pilot at the tiller. A wreck in that narrow space would shut down harbor operations for the entire island.