John Lenahan - Shadowmagic

‘Conor, place the Sword of Duir on the table.’

Nieve’s request came so out of the blue. I said, ‘Huh?’

‘The Sword of Duir,’ Nieve explained, ‘always sits on the stone table when a child of Duir is chosen.’

She said it in such a matter-of-fact voice that I just did as I was told-I figured she knew what she was doing. I placed the sword on the table and turned my attention back to Mom and Dad. I didn’t think it was possible but they were moving even slower than the last time.

‘Do you have any other weapons?’

‘What?’ I said, distractedly, not even looking at her. ‘Oh, just a knife that Dahy gave me.’

‘One of Dahy’s throwing blades? Can I see it?’

Oh, for heaven’s sake, I thought, my parents are a second away from killing themselves and you want to admire cutlery, but then I thought, OK, if this is how she is dealing with the pressure, who am I to complain?

It didn’t even occur to me what she was really doing. She was disarming me.

I reached down in my sock and handed her my knife without even looking. She took the knife and with the reflexes of a cat came up behind me. Her left hand grabbed me by the side of the neck and her right hand brought the blade to my throat. I was so stunned I didn’t react right away, but when I did I realised I couldn’t move. My neck was killing me. Nieve was wearing a ring with some sort of needle in it, a gold needle, I rightly assumed-I was completely paralysed. I tried to pull away but nothing was moving. I was rigid as a flagpole. I attempted to speak and was surprised that I could.

‘What are you doing?’

‘Don’t try to move, Conor.’

I tried anyway, but the only things that seemed to be working were my eyeballs. I looked down and saw that my own knife was about an inch from my throat. ‘Nieve,’ I repeated, ‘what are you doing?’

‘My duty’ she said.

‘Hey, I thought we dealt with this already. Dad gets his hand back and I’m no longer one-handed junior.’

‘If Oisin succeeds, I will let you go.’

‘If he doesn’t?’ I asked. She didn’t answer, but I guess it was a stupid question.

I continued to watch Mom and Dad-I had no choice, it was the way I was facing. The Second Muirbhrucht was putting on a spectacular display. It was so beautiful and terrifying that I almost forgot I was paralysed and had a murderous relative holding a knife to my throat-almost. I relaxed for a second when I remembered Mom’s protection spell, but then I remembered that it only works once-Nieve had tried to kill me already. I had an infantile urge to call out to my parents but they couldn’t help me, or even hear me, and I wouldn’t have wanted to break their concentration anyway.

We were so engrossed in the fireworks that we didn’t hear the footsteps coming down the steps until the last second. Nieve spun me around on one of my tent-pole legs, like a comedian dancing with a department store mannequin. She took the knife from my throat and cocked her hand back in readiness to throw. It was Essa. When Nieve saw who it was, I felt her relax and replace the knife to my throat.

Essa stood still and took in the situation. Her expression turned serious but it wasn’t the look of shock that I had expected. ‘How is it going?’ she said.

‘How is it going?’ I shouted. ‘What do you mean, “ How is it going ”? She is trying to kill me! That’s how it’s going!’

Essa lowered her eyes in guilt.

‘They are almost through the Second Muirbhrucht,’ Nieve replied, calmly.

‘You knew about this, didn’t you?’ I spat at Essa. ‘You’re part of this!’

‘Conor,’ she said in a compassionate voice that I had never heard come out of her before, ‘if this works, you have nothing to worry about.’

‘What if it doesn’t work, eh? Maybe you’ll allow me to worry about that!’

‘Conor…’

‘Don’t Conor me. I’m not surprised that my dear old aunt would pull something like this. She has been trying to kill me ever since we met-but you! I thought we…Aw, never mind.’

‘Nieve,’ I said, trying to turn around, which of course failed, ‘if this doesn’t work, I want her to be the one that sticks the knife into my neck. I don’t want someone who loves me doing it!’

Oh boy, I may have been paralysed but I sure got her in the solar plexus with that one. Essa instantly placed her hand over her mouth and then turned her back on me. Right away, I regretted saying it-but I was mad. And what was I supposed to do? Apologise to a girl who was trying to kill me? She finally looked at me again-her face was wet with tears. I don’t think I have ever seen a more miserable countenance. Then her eyes widened in sudden alarm. She looked around the chamber and said, ‘Where is Fergal?’

‘What do you mean, “ Where is Fergal ”?’ I said. ‘I thought he was with you!’

‘Araf sent him down here to tell you that I had found the gold lines and would be done soon.’

‘You let Fergal wander around the castle alone! How long ago was that?’

‘Ages ago,’ she said. Panic took over her face. ‘It took longer than I thought to cut the gold lines, and then I wasted time before I discovered that the guard upstairs was petrified.’

‘Oh my God,’ I said, as the realisation dawned on me, ‘I know where he is. He’s going to kill Cialtie.’

‘Oh my gods,’ Essa said, ‘oh my gods.’

I was about to tell her to get out there and look for him, when the whole chamber started to rumble. Nieve spun me back around.

‘They have entered the Final Muirbhrucht,’ she said.

The overall colour of the third barrier wasn’t as bright as the second’s, but Mom and Dad’s right hands looked like they were spouting out the entire contents of a fireworks factory. The rumble got louder and the floor vibrated beneath our feet. That’s why we didn’t hear him approach.

‘You lied to me!’ Fergal shouted as he appeared in the Chamber in a rage. He flew at me with murder in his eyes-it shocked the hell out of me. I instinctively wanted to run, except that I couldn’t. For a split second I had a moment of hope in thinking that Nieve would be startled enough to take that damn needle out of my neck, but she was her usual cool self. She didn’t even take the knife from my throat. Essa stopped Fergal before he throttled me. She had to use all of her strength.

His arms were flailing and spit was flying out of his mouth. ‘You lied to me. You and that witch mother of yours!’

‘Fergal, what are you talking about?’ I said.

‘You’re not from the Real World,’ he shouted, with so much vehemence that I could feel the force of his breath. ‘You killed my mother. You and that lying family of yours!’

The rumble in the Chamber increased, as if in sympathy with his mood. To say I was baffled doesn’t even come close. It was like having a cuddly cocker spaniel that all of a sudden turned into a killer.

‘Fergal, what are you talking about? Who told you that?’

‘I did,’ Cialtie said as he stepped into the chamber. He was flanked by four guards holding crossbows. ‘Son,’ he said in that dripping voice of his, ‘come over here.’

Fergal did as he was told and Cialtie actually put his arm around his shoulders. I wanted to throw up.

‘Oh, Fergal,’ I said as I put the pieces of this puzzle together, ‘you don’t believe him?’

‘Of course he believes me,’ Cialtie said as he smiled down at Fergal. ‘Sons should always trust their fathers.’

I tried to speak but nothing came out. The guards looked pretty edgy and their crossbows were aimed at our heads, but I hardly even noticed.