Prologue
In a mystical realm, just beyond the
sight of the mortal eye, Queen Bevin stood on the balcony of her morning room,
the highest point in her castle. From here she could survey each of the four
shires which made up her kingdom of Grá.
Urraim stood to the North, with its
majestic snowcapped mountains and waterfalls, lush green forests filled with
game, resourceful hunters, and fierce warriors. Síocháin, in the South, brimmed
with fertile fields, healthy livestock, and skilled laborers. In the East was
Rathúnas, a land with sweeping cliffs and crashing waters, and the home to the
kingdom’s scholars, poets and musicians.
Finally, Comhcheol lay in the West.
Although the queen would never admit it aloud, this was her favorite of all the
shires. Comhcheol had captured the best of each of the other shires and melded
them all into one. It had lakes teaming with fish, rolling picturesque hills,
rich soil to grow herbs, and the wise ones who catered to Grá’s health and
wellbeing, both physically and spiritually.
Each of the shires contributed to the
whole of Grá, maintained its balance. However, if something were to happen to
Urriam, Síocháin or Rathúnas, the other shires would be able to compensate.
But, if something were to befall Comhcheol, the queen knew all of Grá would
crumble.
This was why, as Queen Bevin stared to
the west, she was filled with a sense of dread and foreboding. The Bagairt, in the form of a menacing dark
cloud, hovered on the horizon, just beyond the protective barrier of Grá. A
barrier the queen feared she was no longer strong enough to maintain. This was
the reason she had summoned her only son, Pádraig, to her side this day.
A gentle breeze ruffled the sleeve of her
emerald gown, and she shivered, even though she was not cold. She rubbed her
arms, then turned from her vigil when she heard her son approach. The sight of
him made her smile, her fear momentarily forgotten. Pádraig had grown into a
fine young man. He was tall and strong, handsome but not vain, honest and
caring. Yes, she was incredibly proud of the man he had become.
He kissed her cheek, “You needed me
Mother?”
“Yes Pádraig, my sweet boy, my son. I
do.” She laced her arm through his, and led him to the couch. After they had
settled themselves, she elaborated. “The time is drawing near when I will need
to pass on this kingdom. It is requiring more and more of my energy each day to
keep the Bagairt at bay.”
“Then we shall fight them mother. The
Urriam are strong. With them, we can defend Grá.”
She squeezed his hand, “I admire your
courage Pádraig, but I know the Bagairt cannot be defeated by an army, ours or
anyone else’s. The Prophesy states…”
“I do not care what the Prophesy states!”
Pádraig rose and began to pace as he railed.
“We are the masters of our destinies. We will determine what shall come
to pass, not some ancient book.”
“What is written is what will be, my son.
Even our own seers have confirmed this. If we are to survive the Bagairt, it
will not be I who defeats them, but a descendant of yours. The time has come my
love, for you to find a wife and have a daughter. When she comes of age, it
must be her decision to come to me, to be trained and to take her rightful
position as ruler of Grá.”
“But Mother, I have searched all four
corners of our land, and although we have many wonderful and beautiful women,
there is no one here I wish to claim as my own. No one my soul cries out for.”
“You silly boy, you rage against the
Prophesy, yet you still believe in a destined mate.” Queen Bevin laughed and
shook her head. “Although I had hoped it would not come to pass, I knew there
was a possibility you would not find your mate within our kingdom. You son,
must leave here and walk amongst the mortals. It is there you will find true
love, your destiny, the fulfillment of the Prophesy.”
1
Kieren slid down the wall, crossed her
arms over her upturned knees and buried her face. Her chest tightened and gut
wrenched as she fought back the tears, the feeling of impotence. The only person in the world who loved her,
Patrick Christopher Byrne, “Paddy” to all who knew him, lay dying in the room
behind her, and there was not a damned thing she could do about it.
How could this be happening? Only a week
before, her Grandfather was so full of life and then, as if someone snapped his
fingers, she literally watched him fade to the frail being lying in the bed in
the next room. There had been no
accident, no illness, and blessedly, no pain. The sands of time had simply run
out, and he was being given a short reprieve to say goodbye.
Doc Herbert, the last of the steady
stream of friends who had been coming in and out of her Grandfather’s room for
the past three days, was in with him now but not as a physician as a friend,
for Doc has been retired longer than Kieren had been on this earth. The man was ninety if he was a day, and
frequently boasted he one of Paddy’s oldest friend. Although Kieren knew Doc
was of sound mind, she often wondered of the stories she’d overheard of when he
was a boy. The way he spoke, Doc was but a child when the two had met, yet
Paddy had been a man full grown.
Kieren dismissed her wayward thoughts
when the door opened and Doc popped his head around the corner, “He’s asking
for you dear.” She rose, and as she entered the room, Doc hugged her and
whispered in her ear, “It won’t be long now child. I’ll be waiting downstairs
if you need me.”
Kieren attempted a smile, but failed
miserably. She closed the door behind Doc, and slowly made her way to Paddy’s
bed. Perhaps if I take my time he’ll stay with me longer.
As if sensing her presence, Paddy’s eyes
opened, “There you are Kieren, my sweet girl, my granddaughter. Come, sit with
me a moment. I need to tell you a story.” Kieren had heard those same words
many times in her life, except this time she knew it would be the last, and
tears sprung to her eyes as she sat by his side and took his hand. “Ach, none
of that my love. I have lived long, and I have lived well. The only regret I
have is, I did not get to see my mother one last time before I died, but I will
see her one day soon.”
Kieren did not know how to reply to his
comment, so she just nodded and smiled as she sniffed back her tears. “You said
you had a story to tell me Paddy. Does the new queen conquer the Bagairt?”
“No my precious girl, you and only you
can finish the story. I have told you all the tales, you need to determine how
the story ends.”
His voice began to fade and his eyes
close.
“Paddy?”
He opened his eyes again and whispered,
“I love you my sweet girl. Promise me you will never forget the stories I have
told you.”
“I love you too Paddy, and I could never
forget your stories.”
Upon her affirmation, Paddy closed his
eyes for the last time.
2
Kieren was dwarfed by the oversized
leather chair where she numbly sat in the attorney’s opulent office. The past
two weeks had been spent in a fog, the wake and funeral a mere blur. The only
thing real to Kieren now, was her heartache and incredible sense of loss. Paddy
had been her whole world, her guardian, her inspiration, her strength. Now that
he was gone, she was left floundering, no longer sure of herself or her place
in the world.
“Thank you for coming to see me Kieren.
I know this has been a difficult time for you,” the attorney’s sympathetic
baritone pulled Kieren from the miasma of her thoughts, “but if you would bear
with me for a few moments, there are a few legal matters we need to discuss.”
Kieren nodded but did not reply, so he continued. “As I am sure you know, you
were your grandfather’s sole heir, so ultimately his entire estate will come to
you. However, there is a stipulation to his will.”
“I’m sorry?”
“Maybe stipulation was too strong of a
word. Perhaps a last request would be a better way to phrase it.”
Kieren stared at the man across the
desk. “I’m not sure I understand.”
“Your grandfather would like for you to
spend one year in his home in Northern Ireland. He felt you would benefit as a
writer and illustrator if you actually spent some quality time in the land
where your stories take place. You will be provided for while you are at his home.
If, by your twenty-fifth birthday, you wish to stay, or if you wish to return
to your life here, everything which was his becomes yours.”
“And if I chose not to go?”
The attorney sighed, “Paddy did warn me
that would be your first question. If you choose not to go, then everything
which was his would still become yours. Look Kieren, the choice is completely
yours, but this was something he really wanted you to do. He knew you thought
the children’s books you write were all from the stories he told, but he also
knew they were just as much a part of you as they were of him. He wanted you to
be able to see that for yourself.”
“But Ireland is so far away.” Kieren was
overwhelmed. “I have a life here, friends here. Who will take care of our home?
What will my publisher say to me taking off for a year? What…”
The attorney interrupted, “Kieren,
breathe. Arrangements have been made to look after your home in your absence.
Your publisher won’t care if you write while you are here or over there as long
as you can mail her finished product. You’d be in Ireland, not on the moon.
They have had mail service for quite some time now. They also have internet.
You are not being banished. Think of it as an adventure.”
“When do you need my answer?”
He slid an envelope across the desk,
“Your flight leaves out of JFK on Friday.”
3
“Ireland for a year? Oh Kieren, you are
so lucky.” Leila cooed.
Kieren paused in her packing and glared
at her friend, “Hardly.”
“Knock it off, would you. Ask any of our
friends, they would jump at the chance at spending a year abroad.”
“You make it sound like we are back at
college and I’ll be away for a semester.” Kieren sat on her bed and clutched
the sweater she had been folding to her chest. “This isn’t college. I’m an
adult. I have responsibilities. How can I justify moldering in a cottage in the
middle of nowhere for an entire year? What was Paddy thinking?”
Leila wiped away the tear which had
trickled down Kieren’s cheek, “He was thinking you could benefit from being
near the location your books are set. He said so himself.”
“Can’t I do that in a two week visit?”
“You sound like a bratty six year old
who doesn’t want to go to camp!”
Kieren stuck her tongue out at Leila
then sighed. “Yeah,” she admitted. “I guess I do, don’t I?”
“Look, take this time to discover your
family. You’ve always said you didn’t know much about them. Your mom spent her
summers at your grandfather’s home, and it’s where your parents were when they
had their accident. I’m sure you’ll be able to dig something up so you can find
out about them. And there are probably tons of pictures from when your mom was
growing up. Didn’t you say Paddy mentioned his mother right before he died?”
“Yeah, but it can’t be right. She’d be
well over a hundred if she were still alive.”
“Some people actually do live that long
you know. Well, how old was Paddy?”
Kieren grimaced, “I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know? How
can you not know? You just went through all the paperwork after he died. What
did the death certificate say? They had to have listed a date of birth.”
Kieren walked over to her briefcase,
rustled through the papers and handed one to Leila, “See for yourself.”
Leila scanned the sheet, frowned and
read it again, “June 24th, year unknown. How can it say ‘unknown’? Are they allowed
to do that?”
“Supposedly there was a fire many years
ago, and all the records were destroyed. Obviously I knew when Paddy’s birthday
was, since we celebrated every year, but I never knew what year he was born.”
“Well, it has to be written somewhere. Driver’s
license?”
“He never had one. He said he didn’t
need it living in the city. Everything he needed was right here, and if it
wasn’t, there were taxis and buses and trains he could use.”
“Marriage license?”
Kieren shook her head, “Couldn’t find
one.”
“Your mother’s birth certificate? It has
to be one there.”
“And it probably is, but she was born in
Ireland, in the same town as Paddy, and their records aren’t online. What does
it matter anyway?”
“Huh? Oh,” Leila frowned and shrugged.
“I guess it doesn’t. I just wanted to know how old he was and then I was going
to add twenty years as a good estimate of your great grandmother’s age. If
Paddy was only sixty-five or seventy, then the chances your great grandmother
being alive are pretty good, don’t you think?”
“I guess. I never really thought about
it that way. It would be kind of interesting to meet her. She would be the only
family I have left.”
“Wouldn’t that be a nice surprise? But
even if she isn’t alive, by you going there, you’ll still get to learn about
her and the others too. There are other houses on the island right?” When
Kieren nodded, Leila continued. “So, that means they had neighbors. Neighbors
who remember them, some probably very well, and since they’re Irish, you know
there will be stories that need to be told. Who knows, there may even be some
pictures.”
“If any of the old timers are even half
as good at telling stories as Paddy was, then I’ll have an endless supply to
draw upon for future books.”
“That’s the spirit. See, this is going
to be an adventure.” Leila hugged Kieren. “It’s all good. Come on, let’s finish
packing. Your plane leaves in less than twenty-four hours, and you still have a
ton to do.”
4
This
is insane. I can’t believe I’m doing this! What have you gotten me into this
time Paddy?
The pilot had just announced their final
descent into Dublin. Seats and tray tables needed to be returned to their
upright positions. Kieren groaned, stretched, then raised the hard plastic
shade on the tiny oval plane window and squinted against the morning sun.
They had not quite reached the city
limits of Dublin, so they were still flying over countryside when the fog
dissipated enough for Kieren to get her first glimpse of what would be her home
for the next year. Grudgingly she admitted to herself, the land was
breathtaking. The bluest blues and the greenest greens she had ever experienced
in her life. The ground actually appears
to sparkle. She chuckled at the absurdity of her fanciful thought. How could land sparkle or shimmer? It was no
different than the grass and fields we have at home. You my dear girl are in
serious need of some quality sleep. Sleep you won’t be getting for a good many
hours.
“Is this your first time Love?”
Kieren turned to the grandmotherly woman
beside her and smiled. Other than a “Hello” when they first boarded, the woman
had not spoken a word during the entire seven hour flight. “Yes.”
“And where are you heading?” She gently
probed.
Not seeing any harm, Kieren answered, “To
my ancestral home on a little island up north.”
“Ah, that would be Tallymore.”
A born and bred New Yorker, Kieren
instantly became suspicious of the old woman. “How could you know that?”
“I am no seer my dear,” She laughed and
patted Kieren’s hand, “It is the only inhabitable island in the north, so it
must be where you are headed. And a lovely place it is, albeit a bit windy and
chilly for these old bones. You did bring a hat, a heavy coat and some sturdy
boots, right?”
Kieren relaxed and smiled again, “I did.”
“Then you should be just fine, just fine
indeed.”
Kieren debated over questioning the woman
further about Ireland, hoping to gain information not found in the brochures
and travel guides provided by her grandfather’s attorney, but the woman busied
herself packing up her knitting, so Kieren turned back to the window to watch
Dublin come into view.
She took in what she could, which was not
much at a couple hundred feet in the air and at, Lord only knew, what speed.
She would only have an hour before her next flight left for Belfast. How is it a flight all the way across the
Atlantic took just shy of seven hours, yet it is going to take me another four
hours to get from Dublin to Belfast? It makes no sense. I probably should have
just driven from here. Perhaps I’ll
come back and visit in a few weeks. The attorney didn’t say I wasn’t allowed to
leave the island for the whole year.
As the plane locked into the gate and the
passengers prepared to disembark, the woman turned to Kieren and said, “Beware
the wee folks. They are mischievous at best, and downright nefarious at worst.”
Then she hugged Kieren, “Welcome home my dear. We have waited a long time for
your arrival.” The woman got up and left, leaving a puzzled Kieren staring at
her departing back.
5
Surprisingly, all of Kieren’s luggage
appeared on the carousel. She had been worried the airline would misplace at
least one of her three bags during the plane switch. The instructions from the
attorney said there would be a car waiting in short term parking which she
would easily be able to identify. Sure enough, when she exited the terminal,
there was a young man with a sign bearing her name, standing next to a brand
new Cayenne.
Kieren blinked, “This is for me?”
“Are you Kieren Byrne Cleary?” He asked.
“I am.”
The man relieved Kieren of her bags, loaded
them into the trunk, then plopped the keys into her hand, “Then the answer is
yes. Your destination has been programmed into the navigation. Your ferry pass
is in the glove box. You should not have a need for petrol any time soon, but
when you do, there is a credit card in the box as well.” He reached into his
pocket and presented her with a card and a second set of keys. “My name is
Thomas and I am an associate of your grandfather’s solicitor. Those are the
keys to your home, which has been fully stocked, so you will have a few days to
settle yourself before you need to worry about venturing out to restock your
pantry. I left an informational packet on your kitchen table, but if you need
anything or if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.”
“Thank you Thomas.” Kieren said as she
studied the card. “It’s comforting to know I have someone local to call if I
need help.”
“My
pleasure. There is also a cell phone and another credit card on the seat for
your use. The bills for them as well as all the household bills are being taken
care of by my office. You are not to incur any expenses during the duration of
your stay.”
Kieren scowled, “I am quite capable of
paying my own way.”
Thomas raised his hands in surrender. “I
am merely following your grandfather’s instructions. One last thing, the cottage does have a
caretaker, a Mr. Douglas Madigan, so if you see a little old man puttering
about your property, I do not want you to be alarmed.
“I would have accompanied you to your
home, but I am attending a conference here in Belfast for the next three days,
so, regrettably, I am unable. The drive is only about an hour, so I do not
think it will tax you overly much.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m a big girl, I think
I can handle it on my own.”
“Excellent. If you are hungry, there are
several places where you can stop along the M2, or you can wait until you reach
Tallymore. Along the main strip is a pub called Shenanigans. The food is
exceptional and it is a favorite amongst the locals.”
“Shenanigans is it?”
Thomas chuckled, “It does have a
reputation for living up to its name. You won’t be disappointed.”
“Well I thank you again Thomas, and I
will not keep you from your conference.” Kieren shook the solicitor’s hand.
“Again, my pleasure. Welcome home Kieren.”
He said, and with a final wave, he was off.
Welcome
home. That’s the second time I’ve heard that today. Maybe it’s an Irish thing.
Kieren sat in her car for a moment and
studied the traffic pattern exiting the airport. This whole driving on the wrong side of the road is going to take some
getting used to. I should be able to handle it here in the city, but I am
worried about forgetting on the less traveled country roads. It would be just
my luck to meet someone head on.
Slowly she inched her way into the flow.
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