Beneath the Forsaken City (34 page)

“You would make a wonderful king.”

“Would I?” So far he’d made a mess of things by acting on his own desires and out of his own fears. A king must make decisions for the good of his people, no matter the personal consequence. And somehow he knew if given the hard choice, he’d always choose Aine. He could sooner sacrifice himself than allow harm to come to her when it was in his power to save her.

“We just don’t have all the information yet. They don’t have all the information.” He gestured to the piles of books spread across Liam’s desk. “I still feel as if the answer is here somewhere.”

“Then we read. We pray.” Aine stretched to kiss him and then grinned. “And probably read some more.”

Conor chuckled. “You don’t need to sound so enthusiastic about that.”

“And you don’t need to sound so morose. I’ll just send you anything in an obscure language and you can awe me with your linguistic prowess.”

Conor grinned and stole one more kiss, which elicited another smile from Aine. Then he grew serious and linked his arms around her waist. “I love you, Aine. You amaze me. You make me feel like I can do anything.”

“I think that’s what marriage is for.” She pointed to the folios and books piled high. “We should get started. If you believe there are answers here, there are probably answers.”

Conor hoped so, because lately it seemed as though every answer came with another set of questions.

It had actually been easy,
Eoghan thought.

The failed first attempt aside, it seemed that Conor possessed the skills and knowledge necessary to protect the city. Carraigmór’s magic had somehow chosen him to be their leader.

The only thing left to do was convince Conor that he was meant to be High King. Riordan and Daigh certainly thought so or they wouldn’t have ceded him power so easily. The rest of the Conclave could be convinced. Conor might refuse the title of Ceannaire, but he was already making decisions on their behalf. Eoghan’s role in the High City was over, just as he’d always intended.

So why did he feel so bereft?

Pride, he decided, as he made his way toward the training yards. He’d always known that Conor possessed abilities and education that were vast even by Fíréin standards. It was time to stop moping and make the most of what he was meant to do. Just because the brotherhood had effectively been dissolved didn’t mean there weren’t still men to be trained, captains to be developed. He was good with a sword, and he was good at teaching others to be good with a sword.

He paused at the edge of one yard to watch two young men, perhaps six-and-ten, bouting with wooden weapons. Eoghan recognized one as Fíréin by his fluid style. The other was kingdom trained but no less talented
 
—a recent refugee, probably, escaping the druid’s conscripted army.

“Halt,” Eoghan called, and the two boys backed off in surprise. The Fíréin apprentice bowed immediately, but the other one just stared at him.

“What are your names?” Eoghan asked.

“Colm, sir,” the first boy said.

Apparently the opponent figured Eoghan was someone of note because he sketched a hasty bow. “Anraí, sir.”

“You’ve got good form, Anraí. But I want you to watch me and tell me what I’m doing that you’re not.” He took the sword and faced Colm. “Your attack.”

Colm came at him with a series of flawless offensive strikes. The boy was going to be good someday. Eoghan easily deflected the blows without countering, trusting Anraí to pick up the nuances of his technique.

Then he stepped back and addressed the new student. “What did you note?”

The boy stared, puzzled. Then understanding dawned on his face. “Your weight. It’s centered. I’m reaching.”

“You’re reaching,” Eoghan repeated with a nod. He handed the boy his weapon and then watched as the two resumed their match. When he was satisfied that Anraí had made the correction, Eoghan moved on.

After stopping and working with half a dozen groups, a calm settled over him. Perhaps Conor’s return was an answer to his prayers. He’d always known he belonged at Ard Dhaimhin, even as he chafed at the restrictions placed on him. He loved teaching, fighting, the rhythm of life in the city. Even as he mourned
Master Liam’s passing, he could admit that without the pressure of living up to expectations as the Ceannaire’s successor, he could be happy here.

What did it matter if Conor received the acclaim? Even though Eoghan had given his entire life to Ard Dhaimhin . . .

I see all men equally, though I may call them to different tasks.

It was both chastisement and encouragement. Eoghan bowed his head beneath the weight of Comdiu’s words.
I will serve in whatever task You set before me. Forgive me.

I still have plans for you.

Aye. Eoghan would do what Comdiu asked him, even if that meant he would never again see the world outside Ard Dhaimhin’s borders, never find a woman who looked at him with the same love Aine had for Conor. If Comdiu called him to fight, he would fight. If He told him to follow, he would follow.

And if I call you to lead?

Lord?

There was no answer. Eoghan shook his head and went back to his rounds. Maybe Comdiu was just making the point that it was not his place to dictate what he would or would not do. He needed only to offer his will to obey and stand ready to respond when he was called.

He forgot about the somewhat one-sided conversation as the days passed, pushing aside the twinge of jealousy he felt as Conor stepped into the space Liam had left vacant.

He was hardly surprised, then, when one of the younger boys serving in the fortress told him he’d been summoned to the Ceannaire’s office. His friend hadn’t wasted any time in assuming the prerogatives of the station. And why should he? Conor was the son of a king, born to leadership. He’d already shown that he had his own path to follow, the rules and goals of the brotherhood aside.

Eoghan shoved down those thoughts and raised a silent prayer of apology to Comdiu for their bitter tone. He’d never thought of himself as being uncharitable, but then again, he’d always enjoyed a certain status within the brotherhood. How uncomfortable to realize that his humility had been just a sham.

He climbed the stairs to Carraigmór slowly, wondering what Conor could have to say to him. But when he arrived at the Ceannaire’s office, it was not simply his friend waiting. Riordan and Aine were with him.

“There’s something you should see,” Conor said. “Sit down.”

Eoghan lifted an eyebrow at the command, but he sat. A stack of scrolls on the desk drew his attention.

Aine spoke first. “I found the message from your mother, Eoghan. You said that she was a Fearghail?”

“That’s right. Why?”

Aine turned a book toward him, a heavy leather-bound tome that took up half the table. “This is a genealogy of Sliebhan. Fearghail is a noble clan.”

Eoghan looked between Aine and the book. “So? It’s not as if they had any contact with me after I was given up.”

Aine pointed to an entry near the bottom of the page. “This right here? Fionnuala Nic Fearghail? I think that’s your mother. It shows she married a Beollain about five-and-twenty years ago.”

When Eoghan looked at her blankly, Conor said, “Beollain is the minor royal branch in Sliebhan. Just like Laighid is to Nir, or Eirhinin is to Cuillinn.”

“What are you saying? That I have claim to the throne of Sliebhan?” Eoghan laughed. “Maybe that meant something before, but Sliebhan has fallen. Royal blood hardly matters now.”

“Eoghan,” Aine said more gently, “have you ever heard the story of how the Great Kingdom split?”

He frowned. Everyone knew the story. “Daimhin was
disappointed his sons hadn’t held true to their faith or their gifts. He named a successor who was not of his direct line, and rather than lose what they felt was their birthright, his sons killed him.”

Aine nodded. “There’s more, though. We found one of Daimhin’s journals in the Ceannaire’s study. I can only guess Liam already suspected he may have been wrong about the prophecy.”

Eoghan looked at the three others in the room. They stared at him, as if willing him to read the direction of their thoughts.

“Daimhin spoke of a boy who possessed the same gift he did,” Conor said.

“Music,” Eoghan guessed.

“No,” Conor said. “Comdiu spoke to Daimhin. Directly. As I believe Comdiu speaks to you. He wanted the High King of Seare to be guided not by his own thoughts and prejudices but directly by Comdiu himself. That is why Daimhin’s sons rebelled against him: because they did not hear Comdiu’s voice.”

The breath left him like flame snuffed from a candle. “You can’t possibly mean . . .”

“We do,” Riordan said. “If we reread the prophecy in this light, it’s altogether possible.”

“But the sword and the song
 
—Conor has wielded both already to restore Ard Dhaimhin. In a sense, he’s already fulfilled that prophecy.”

Conor shook his head. “I believe the prophecy does refer to me. But I won’t wield the sword and the song. I believe I
am
the sword and the song, a tool in the hand of the one who will deliver our island from this evil.”

Something unsettlingly hard glimmered in Conor’s gaze as he stepped around the desk, something Eoghan couldn’t reconcile with the young man he knew. But even the books had not prepared him for Conor’s next words.

“I am not destined to be High King, Eoghan. You are.”

1. When the sidhe are unleashed, they take control of the kingdom’s citizens through their emotions. Do you think emotions can be trusted? Contrast how Eoghan and Conor deal with misleading emotions.
   
2. Comdiu speaks differently to each of the characters. He communicates with Eoghan directly, He sends Companions to Aine, and He uses humans for Conor. What does that say about how God relates to us as individuals?
   
3. The characters attempt to rely on Comdiu, but when they use their own wisdom, they get themselves into trouble. Sometimes they escape without having to take responsibility, and other times they have to bear the harsh consequences of their actions. What application do you see for your own life?
   
4. Conor struggles with the question of whether he did the right thing by saving Aine and bringing her home to Aron. What do you think?
   
5. Liam sacrificed himself in order to (he thinks) save the future of the brotherhood and Ard Dhaimhin. Do you think he was right or wrong in that action? Why?
   
6. Both Conor and Liam are incredibly gifted but too confident in their own abilities. How are Liam and Conor similar to Niall? How are they different?
   
7. All the characters deviate from Comdiu’s plan for them, thinking they are doing the right thing. Liam wants to protect his city, Eoghan wants to obey Comdiu, Conor wants to save Aine
    
   —all of which are noble goals. When does the “right thing” become the wrong thing?
   
8. Aine, Conor, and Eoghan all undergo challenges and trials throughout the book, but they emerge understanding more about themselves and Comdiu’s will for them. How does God use trials and difficulty to teach you and prepare you for your service to Him?
   
9. At Cwmmaen, the sidhe traps Conor and his companions within a glamour that makes everything appear to be normal, even desirable, but really just masks the corruption beneath. How is the illusion a metaphor for sin?
   
10. In a number of places, Conor puts Aine before himself. He tells Haldor that he loves her, so he counts her life as more important than his. Later he says there is nothing he wouldn’t sacrifice for her. Is this good or bad? How does his sacrificial love
     
    —however imperfect
     
    —reflect God’s love for mankind (see Ephesians 5:25)?
    
11. Conor believes he would not make a good king because he must be willing to sacrifice an individual for the good of the many. Is that position morally right or wrong? Is there a different standard of morality for a head of state versus an individual? Why do you think so?
    

Aberffynnon (ah-ber-FIN-nuhn)
 
—a port city on the southern coast of Gwydden

Aenghus (AYN-gus)
 
—Lady Macha’s husband

Ailís (AY-leesh)
 
—Aine’s mother, lady of Forrais and wife of Alsandair Mac Tamhais, now deceased

Aine Nic Tamhais (ON-yuh nik TAV-ish)
 
—the “lady healer of Lisdara,” married to Conor Mac Nir

Alsandair Mac Tamhais
 
—Aine’s father, lord of Forrais and chief of Clan Tamhais, now deceased

Amanta (ah-MAN-ta)
 
—the island upon which Aron and Gwydden are located

Amantine Sea (ah-MAN-teen)
 
—narrow sea separating Seare and Amanta

Ard Dhaimhin (ard DAV-in)
 
—former high city of Seare, home of the Fíréin brotherhood

Arkiel (ar-KEEL)
 
—Companion who instigated the rebellion against Comdiu

Aron (ah-RUN)
 
—Aine’s birthplace, across the Amantine Sea from Seare

Askr (as-KER)
 
—Norin warrior god

Bain (bwen)
 
—Forrais guard

Balian (BAH-lee-an)
 
—the faith of those who follow Balus; a follower of Balus

Ballaghbán (bal-luh-BAHN)
 
—port city in northern Faolán

Balus (BAH-lus)
 
—son of Comdiu, savior of mankind

Beagan (BOG-awn)
 
—Fíréin tracker

Bearrach (BEAR-uhk)
 
—healer at Lisdara; Aine’s instructor

Breann (BREE-ahn)
 
—novice of the Fíréin brotherhood

Bress (bress)
 
—King of Aron

Briallu (bree-AHL-lu)
 
—Talfryn’s daughter

Brightwater
 
—nickname for Ionbhar Dealrach

brithem (BRITH-ev)
 
—traveling judge in Aron who presides over serious crimes

Caerfaddyn (care-FAD-duhn)
 
—a Gwynn castle, seat of Prince Dewyn

Calhoun Mac Cuillinn (cal-HOON mok CUL-in)
 
—former King of Faolán, assumed deceased; Aine’s half brother

carnyx (car-nix)
 
—war horn

Carraigmór (CAIR-ig-mor)
 
—fortress of the High King and the Fíréin brotherhood

Cass Mac Onaghan (kass mok ON-ah-han)
 
—captain of the
Beacon

Cé (keh)
 
—Forrais guard

céad (ked)
 
—a company of men; literally, one hundred

Ceannaire (KAN-na-ahr)
 
—leader of the Fíréin brotherhood

Cill Rhí (kill ree)
 
—Balian monastery

Cira/Ciraen (seer-AH) (seer-AY-ahn)
 
—largest empire in history, now reduced to a small portion of the continent

Clogheen (cloh-EEN)
 
—a market town in central Faolán

Comdiu (COM-dyoo)
 
—God

Companions
 
—the spirit warriors of Comdiu; angels

Conclave
 
—the ruling body of the Fíréin brotherhood

Conor Mac Nir (CON-ner mok NEER)
 
—Timhaigh warrior and musician, former Fíréin apprentice

Criofan (CRIH-fahn)– former Fíréin brother

Cwmmaen (coom-MINE)
 
—a former Ciraen fortress in Gwydden, seat of Prince Talfryn

Daigh (dy)
 
—senior member of the Fíréin brotherhood

Daimhin (DAV-in)– the first High King of Seare

Dal (DAHL)
 
—senior member of the Fíréin brotherhood

Dewyn (DEW-ayn)
 
—prince of Gwydden, Talfryn’s brother

Diarmuid (DEER-muhd)
 
—druid; formerly Ceannaire Niall

Diocail (dyuh-KEL)
 
—master of Forrais’s house guard

Dún Caomaugh (doon KOW-mah)
 
—southern Aronan port city

Dyllan (DIL-lahn)
 
—Gwynn prisoner in the Sofarende settlement

Eilean Buidhe (AY-luhn BOO-yah)
 
—a southern island located between Aron and Seare

Eluf (ell-LOOF)
 
—Norin warrior

Eoghan (OH-in)
 
—Fíréin apprentice; Conor’s best friend

Faolán/Faolanaigh (FEY-lahn) (FEY-lahn-aye)
 
—northeastern kingdom in Seare, formerly ruled by Clan Cuillinn/their language and people

Fechin (feh-KEEN)
 
—senior member of the Fíréin brotherhood

Fergus Mac Nir (FAYR-gus mok NEER)
 
—former king of Tigh; Conor’s uncle

Fermaigh (fuhr-MY)
 
—southern Aronan port city

Fionnuala (fin-NOO-la)
 
—Eoghan’s mother; clan Fearghail (husband’s clan unknown)

Fíréin (FEER-een) brotherhood
 
—ancient brotherhood dedicated to the reinstatement of the High King

Forrais (FOR-rahs)
 
—Aine’s birthplace in the Aronan Highlands

Gabhran (GAH-ruhn)
 
—Lord Riagain’s enforcer

Gainor Mac Cuillinn (GAY-nor mok CUL-in)
 
—tanist to King Calhoun; Calhoun’s brother, assumed deceased

Galbraith Mac Nir (GOL-breth mok NEER)
 
—king of Tigh; Conor’s stepfather, now deceased

Gillian (JILL-yuhn)
 
—elderly Fíréin brother

Glenmallaig (glen-MAL-ag)
 
—seat of the king of Tigh; Conor’s birthplace

Glyn (glin)
 
—bard

Gradaigh (GRAH-duh)
 
—senior member of the Fíréin brotherhood

Guaire (GUHR-yeh)
 
—Forrais’s steward

Gwingardd (GWIN-gard)
 
—a Gwynn castle, seat of Prince Neryn

Gwydden/Gwynn (GWIH-duhn) (gwin)
 
—a country across the Amantine Sea/their people

Haldor (HAL-dohr)
 
—captain of the Sofarende settlement near Cwmmaen; also known as Haldor the Brave

Hall of Prophecies
 
—magically concealed chamber in Carraigmór that contains the Fíréin brotherhood’s ancient writings

Hyledd (HY-led)
 
—Talfryn’s wife

Ial (yahl)
 
—captain of Cwmmaen’s guard

Iomhar (EE-ver)
 
—young Fíréin brother

Ionbhar Dealrach (ee-ON-var DAL-rok)
 
—one of the largest clan holdings in Aron; controlled by Lord Riagain

Keondric Mac Eirhinin (KEN-drick mok AYR-nin)
 
—Lord of Rathmor; battle captain

Klasjvic (KLAH-yah-vik)
 
—Norin capitol

Lachaidh (LAH-chee)
 
—Forrais guardsman

Lelle (LEL-leh)
 
—Norin god known as the “dying god”

Lia (LEE-uh)
 
—Aine’s lady’s maid

Liam Mac Cuillinn (LEE-um mok CUL-in)
 
—Ceannaire, leader of the Fíréin brotherhood; Aine’s half brother

Lisdara (lis-DAR-ah)
 
—seat of the king of Faolán

Llantawe (hlan-TAW)
 
—a Gwynn castle, seat of King Llewellyn

Llewellyn (HLEW-ell-en)
 
—King of Gwydden

Loch Ceo (lok kyo)
 
—lake within Ard Dhaimhin

Lorcan (LUR-cawn)
 
—leader of Aine’s guard, presumed deceased

Macha (mah-HUH)
 
—chieftain of Clan Tamhais, lady of Forrais

Manog (mah-NOGH)
 
—senior member of the Fíréin brotherhood

Meallachán (MOL-luck-on)
 
—bard

Merov/Merovian (mehr-AHV) (mehr-OHV-ee-an)
 
—country within the Ciraen empire/their language and people

Miach (ME-ahk)
 
—first mate of the
Beacon

Neryn (NEHR-ehn)
 
—prince of Gwydden, Talfryn’s brother

Niall (NEE-ahl)
 
—former Ceannaire of the Fíréin brotherhood, now Keondric

Niamh Nic Cuillinn (NEE-uv nik CUL-in)
 
—King Calhoun’s sister, assumed deceased; Aine’s half sister

Norin (NOR-in)
 
—the common name of the Northern Isles; origin of the Sofarende

Odran (OH-rawn)
 
—Fíréin tracker

Oisean (oh-SHEEN)
 
—Forrais guard

Pepin (pep-EEN)
 
—Merovian mercenary

Rathmór (RATH-mohr)
 
—seat of Clan Eirhinin, a minor royal line of Faolán

Riagain Mac Comain (REE-gan mok KO-myn)
 
—lord of Ionbhar Dealrach (Brightwater), Aine’s distant cousin

Riordan Mac Nir (REER-uh-dawn mok NEER)
 
—Conor’s father, senior member of the Fíréin brotherhood

Roidh (roy)
 
—Forrais guard

Róscomain (ros-COM-muhn)
 
—old forest bordering Tigh and Sliebhan

Ruarc (ROO-ark)
 
—Aine’s bodyguard, now deceased

Seanrós (SHAWN-ross)
 
—old forest bordering Faolán

Seare/Seareann (SHAR-uh)(SHAR-uhn)
 
—island housing the four kingdoms/its language and people

Semias (SHAY-mus)
 
—former King of Siomar

sidhe (shee)
 
—the evil spirits of the underworld; demons

Sigurd (SEE-gyurd)– Norin mercenary

Siomar/Siomaigh (SHO-mar) (SHO-my)
 
—Southeastern kingdom in Seare/their language and people

Sliebhan/Sliebhanaigh (SLEEV-ahn) (SLEEV-ahn-eye)
 
—Southwestern kingdom in Seare/their language and people

Sofarende (soeh-FUR-end-uh)
 
—seafarers from the Northern Isles (Norin)

Talfryn (TAL-frin)
 
—prince of Gwydden, lord of Cwmmaen

tanist
 
—chosen successor of a Seareann king, elected by the kingdom’s council of lords

Taran Mac Maolain (TAH-ruhn mok MAL-lin)
 
—mercenary, once a Midland lord

Tigh/Timhaigh (ty) (TIH-vy)
 
—northwestern kingdom in Seare, ruled by Clan Nir/their language and people

Uallas (WAL-luhs)
 
—lord of Eilean Buidhe

Ulaf (OO-lahf)
 
—Sofarende warrior