Earth and Spirit Part 3

In the fray of battle, a soldier raced up to the Princess and gave her the King's orders. At once Deirdre turned to her friends and shouted, "Call your armour!"
Rohan kicked the closest Temra soldier. Raising the Sword of Kells over his head, he shouted, "Fire Within Me!" Deirdre raised her Whirlwind Crossbow over her head and shouted, "Air Above Me!" Ivar fired lightning at several of the nearest soldiers. When they had fallen he held his trident out in front of him and shouted, "Water Around Me!" Lastly, Angus swung his mace, catching the stone end in his hand. He raised it over his head. "Earth Beneath Me!"
Deirdre was the first to notice Garrett was not among them. He had not made his elemental call. She became worried. Suddenly she heard from the opposite side of the courtyard, "Forest Before Me!"
The Mystic Knights stood in their Mystic Armour facing the Temra soldiers. Within minutes the soldiers scampered from the castle, fearing for their lives. The King had been right to have the call their armour.
The five knights congratulated each other and the soldiers around them on a job well done.

Breaca stood as her husband entered the throne room, the other knights following him. He rushed up to her and kissed her happily. Deirdre smiled as she moved to stand next to Rohan. All could see that she was with the man she desired most, even though they had made nothing official. Garrett frowned.
"Well done, Knights." The King smiled at them all. "Though you do have Breaca to thank."
Angus looked at his wife. "I realized that Maeve was just doing this to tire the troops. She wants us to become used to the battles."
"We needed to make a difference in this fight. Therefore I instructed you to call your armour." Conchobar smiled.
"It was a wise decision, your majesty." Ivar nodded to the King.
They all new that this was a great victory for Kells, but also that Maeve would not stop. She had her plans for the kingdom of Kells and one little defeat was not going to change that.

"What?!" Maeve glared at Torc. "I trusted you to kidnap her." The rolled like acid off her tongue.
Torc looked to the floor. "Forgive me, my Queen. She was not amongst the battling soldiers. Her condition has made her unable to partake in the fighting."
The Queen whirled around. "I need that child, Torc."
A voice from the other side of the throne room, caused Maeve to glance in the direction of the dark faerie's portal. Mider stood smiling at her. "Mider has an idea."
"Dark lord, you have a way to help me?" Maeve approached the table.
He nodded. "Reach into Mider's portal and take what you feel."
The Queen narrowed her eyes at the dark faerie. She had little reason to trust him, but decided that she needed to obtain her goal more than she needed trust. Slowly she slid her hand into the green flame the sprung from the stone. The flame was cool to the touch. As Maeve plunged her arm in she felt an odd sensation. Her skin began to tingle, as if it was being pricked with a thousand tiny needles. She wanted to pull her arm from it, but knew she had to find what Mider had hidden there.

Maeve felt something hard and smooth within her grasp. Quickly she withdrew her arm from the flame, holding in her hand a small black stone.
"What will this do?" She rolled the stone around her hand.
The faerie smiled wickedly. "It will help you obtain your goal. The child that the Mystic Knight carries will be yours, Maeve."
Torc approached the table where the faerie stood. "But how do we get to her? She stays holed up in that castle."
"Quiet!" Mider yelled.
Torc shrank back, fearing his days as a human were numbered.
Mider raised his hands. A dark light played around his fingertips. With a loud crackling sound, dark lightning flew from his hands and entered Maeve's body. The Queen shrieked in terror, but soon realized that she was in no danger. Slowly she began to fade from view.
"This invisibility spell will last for twelve hours. That should give you plenty of time to get into the castle and steal what is yours." Mider cackled gleefully.
Torc looked to where the Queen had stood. He could see nothing, though he knew that she was there. He could hear her laughter echoing throughout the walls of Temra castle.

Angus held his wife close to him as they lay in bed. He imagined what his life would be like when their child was born. He smiled at the thought of holding his son or daughter and rocking them to sleep. Suddenly the thought occurred to him, that he hadn't thought of a name yet.
"Breaca?" he whispered.
"Mmm?"
He adjusted his position to he could hold her closer. "Have you thought of a name yet?"
She yawned and shook her head. Names for their child had been the last thing on her mind the past several days.
"I was just wondering what we should call it?" Visions of Angus Jr. floated through his head.
"Well, I was thinking that if it is a girl, we could name it after Deirdre." She glanced over her shoulder at him.
He thought for a moment then nodded. "That sounds good. What if it's a boy?"
"We could name it after Rohan." She had decided that naming their child after Angus was a bad idea. She didn't think he needed his ego inflated anymore than it already was.
"Why not name it Angus?" He asked innocently.
She looked at his grinning face and shook her head. "I don't think so."
His expression turned to one of total dejection. "Why not?"
"Do you really think I want another little thief running around the castle?" She smiled at him.
He laughed and agreed that Rohan would be a better name. "Anyhow," he explained. "Rohan and I decided long ago that if we ever got married, that we would name our sons after each other."
She raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? And what about your daughters?"
He looked innocently at her. "We never thought about that?"
Breaca laughed. "Oh Angus, you are a prize."
They kissed and laid down to sleep. He held her in his arms until he began to feel too drowsy to stay awake any longer. Eventually they both rolled into their respective positions and drifted off into sleep.
Neither of them noticed the evil presence that had crept into their room.

Maeve smiled wickedly as she looked at the two sleeping figures. It was her chance to get what she came for, but she had to be extremely careful.
Pulling the smooth, black stone from her waistband she held it in her hand. Inside her head was Mider's voice, giving her instructions.
Following Mider's instructions carefully. she began. She cast a spell over them both, keeping them asleep until the morning sun shone through the windows. Next she pulled the covers down from where they lay of Breaca's sleeping body. She smiled in delight as she stared at the knights bulging stomach. The baby was almost 8 months old inside its mother. Maeve glared angrily at the face of the sleeping woman.
"I shall have your child, knight. And I shall leave you with nothing." Maeve wanted to laugh, but knew that she needed to be as quite as possible.
Carefully the evil queen raised Breaca's bedclothes. She lay the black stone on the knight's stomach and began her ritual. Maeve raised her hands over the stone and chanted, "Forces of sorcery, release this child from its mothers womb. Give it to me to raise as mine own." Her hands began to glow. The stone melted into Breaca's stomach. A dark light bathed the knight's body. Breaca whimpered in her sleep, unsure of what was happening to her body.
Maeve held out her hands over Breaca. The light coalesced about the knight. The queen watched in glee as Breaca's stomach became flatter. In Maeve's hands the body of a child appeared from the light.
Breaca's child no longer inhabited her body. Maeve laughed wickedly, holding the child to her.
"I have your child, knight. You shall rue the day you ever came to Kells." In a flash she and the child were gone.

Angus awoke to a shrill scream. He sat bolt upright in bed and looked over to his wife. Breaca sat next to him, terror in her eyes.
"Breaca, what is it?" He reached for her hand. When he touched her he realized that her hand felt odd. Angus glanced down. That's when he saw what had frightened her so.
The bed coverings were soaked in blood, as was her body. Breaca stared at her lower body, fearing the worst.
Her husband jumped from the bed and ran for the door. Just as he opened the door, he discovered Rohan and Deirdre approaching.
"Angus, what was that scream?" Deirdre had not even bothered to dress. Suddenly Angus, realized that neither of them were wearing their day clothes. He wanted to smile and congratulate them on finally getting past their differences, but more important things were at hand.
"Rohan, get Cathabad," he instructed. "Deirdre, I think Breaca needs you with her right now."
Deirdre nodded as she looked at her friend. His face was as white as a sheet. Something had obviously frightened him very badly and she knew that very little frightened him.
She entered the room and was shocked at what she saw. Breaca sat in her bed, her back straight, staring at her hands. Slowly the princess approached, holding her sleeping gown off the floor. She opened her mouth to tell Breaca that she was there, but no words came forth. All she could do was stare. Blood covered the knight and the bed.
Her first response was to run forward. "Breaca! Are you injured?" Deirdre grabbed the knight's shoulders.
Breaca looked at her, terror in her eyes. She slowly shook her head. "My child." She could say no more.
Deirdre looked at Breaca's stomach. As she reached down to touch her friend's abdomen, she realised that it was too flat to house a child. Her hand shot up to her mouth. Breaca's child was gone.
Angus returned to his wife's side, the sickening feeling in his stomach subsiding slowly. He knew that he needed to be strong for her. During the night, Breaca had suffered a great loss and none of them knew what to do.
"Breaca." Cathabad rushed into the room, Rohan fast on his heels.
The knight looked up at him, too stunned to say anything. Cathabad and Rohan stared at the sight before them. Neither of them had seen that much blood in one location in their lives. Rohan had been in many battles, but rarely was blood spilled in such a quantity. He could hardly believe what he saw.
Suddenly, the realisation of it all hit Breaca. Tears began to stream down her face. Angus slid his arm around her shoulders, laying his head on her back. Deirdre also held her. They all knew that she needed as much support as she could get at that moment. The loss of a child was a terrible pain. None of them had ever suffered it themselves, but they knew from others who had, what a devastation it could be.
Garrett and Ivar stormed into the room, asking questions, but soon became quiet when they took in the scene before them.
"Out of all you!" Cathabad ushered them out, all except Deirdre. Angus didn't want to leave. Staying with his wife in her time of need was the foremost thing on his mind, but the druid made it quite clear that she needed the comfort of a female friend and no other at the moment. Rohan pulled Angus out of the room. Cathabad assured them that he would call for them when he felt Breaca was ready to see them. The men left without any further word.

Servants rushed in and out of the room for the next few hours, bringing in fresh bed sheets and pails of hot water. Deirdre tried her best to clean as much blood as she could from her friend. The princess was amazed at how much blood actually had seeped into Breaca's hair and clothing. It took her some time to clean her completely, especially since she was still in a state of shock and could do nothing for herself.
Deirdre helped Breaca from the bath and dressed as best she could. Deirdre stared at the change in her friend. Breaca had gone from being the strongest woman she had ever met to a quivering child. She wished that she could do more for her, but knew that no one could help her. Except for maybe Cathabad.
As Deirdre helped Breaca back to the bed she shared with Angus, she felt terrible for them. They had both looked so forward to the birth of their child, only to have it all end in a bloody tragedy.
Cathabad entered the room quietly, a look of grave concern on his face. He watched as Deirdre helped Breaca sit on the edge of the bed.
The princess looked up at the Druid. "What is it, Cathabad?"
He approached them. Breaca looked up at him, tears once again forming in her eyes. He laid his hand on her shoulder. "I believe Maeve had something to do with this. I found some magical residue."
The knight stared at Cathabad, then spoke the only words that came to her mind. "She will pay with her life."
They both looked at her then at each other, knowing full well what Breaca's intentions were.
The druid seated himself on the edge of the bed, next to her. "I believe your child is still alive, Breaca."
The knight blinked. "Alive? How?"
Cathabad explained that he could find nothing that showed the death of the child, just that magic had been involved. "So I believe that Maeve discovered about your pregnancy and decided to take the child for herself, believing it to be powerful."
Breaca looked from the Druid to the princess. "She had my child. Then I must finish what she started." She tried to stand, but found that her legs would not obey.
Deirdre caught her. "Wait. Breaca you suffered during the night. So much blood was lost. You need to rest and let us devise a plan." She looked her friend in the eyes. "We will save your child, of that you can be sure."
Breaca nodded, not wanting to show fear, but feeling it inside anyway.
Cathabad ordered her to bed. "And stay there." He smiled warmly at her.

The King had already been informed of what had happened during the night. He sat on his throne, sadness straining his handsome face. He knew that such a loss was hard on Breaca and Angus, but also on the entire kingdom. Many of the inhabitants of the surrounding villages had been planning a celebration for the birth of the child, but now that celebrations would have to cut short.
Conchobar looked to Angus. "So, Maeve has stolen the child?"
Angus nodded. "That's what Cathabad has figured out."
Rohan looked to his friend. Lines of worry creased his youthful face. "Maybe I should go speak to Fin Varra."
"I already went."
The King sat forward. "When?"
"A few weeks ago, before Maeve's attacks became so regular."
Ivar stood from where he had been sitting. "Well, what did he say?"
The thief thought for a moment, trying to remember what the little king had told him. "Something about the child being special since it would be the first born to two Mystic Knights."
Cathabad nodded. "Yes, I remember that from my vision." He then turned to the King. "We must save the child. It will be important. More than just being Angus and Breaca's child, but because it is an unusual child."
They all nodded. Rohan and Angus excused themselves from the throneroom, leaving the others to make the plans needed to get the child back. Angus had always been good at strategic manoeuvres, but he could not concentrate at that point. He wanted only to be with his wife.

As the two friends were walking down the hall, toward Angus' rooms, the thief turned to his friend. "So, I noticed that you stayed in the castle last night. Can I hazard a guess where you stayed?"
Rohan smiled. "I think you can guess quietly to yourself. I would like to keep this as much between Deirdre and myself as possible."
Angus grinned his usual mischievous grin, knowing that the two knights had been spending more time together than was good for them. But he was happy for the two anyway, considering they had been hiding their feelings for a very long time. Actually at one point, Rohan had vehemently denied having nay feelings for Deirdre, but Angus knew better.
The two friends came to the door of the room, where Breaca lay. Angus was almost afraid to see his wife, for fear that she would be very upset. He knew, though, that she had every reason to be upset, he just didn't want to see her cry again. She had such strength and desire, he didn't want to see her reduced to nothing over what had happened.
Angus opened the door, quietly, not wanting to disturb his wife, in case she had been sleeping.
Breaca turned to look at her husband and smiled. "Angus. I'm glad you came."
Deirdre excused herself and left with Rohan.
The bed had been completely cleaned of blood. In fact, it was so clean that, had he not been there when she awoke, he would have never known that she had lost any blood.
"How do you feel?" he asked quietly as he sat beside her.
She looked at her husband. She could see the pain in his eyes, just as she knew that he could see the pain in hers. "I'm doing better. How are the plans coming?"
"Well, I suppose. I left as soon as I could to check on you."
She smiled at his concern for her well-being. "You didn't need to. You could have helped them greatly with your gift for strategy."
He nodded. "I know, but Garrett is a good strategist, too. Anyhow, right now you are more important to me than anything." He kissed her gently. "Shouldn't you get some rest?"
She shook her head. "I want to sit here for a while."
"Whatever, as long as you feel well enough to." He squeezed her hand. "I think I'll go see if Garrett ruined the plans yet."
Breaca laughed. Both of them were taking the whole ordeal better than they should have. "Go do that. I'll just be looking out the window."
He kissed her and left the room.

Breaca watched her husband leave. She knew that this had taken its toll on him, but she also knew that he wouldn't stop until their child was rescued from that horrible woman. She thought for a while, wondering what Maeve could possibly want with her child. It took a while for it to sink in, but then she realized that the child was that of two Mystic Knights, therefore was a magical creature.
Breaca sighed, not wanting to think about it anymore. She stood from the bed. She was feeling much better. Her strength was returning to her. Cathabad had given her some tea earlier and apparently it had worked its wonders.
The knight looked in the mirror. Her body had returned to its shape before the child had started to show. As she stood looking in the mirror, she could feel her anger at Maeve overwhelming her. She wanted to be able to help Angus and the others with the planning. In fact she felt the need to.
Breaca turned her attention from the mirror to the trunk at the foot of the bed. She had stored her armour and weapons in that trunk when she discovered, due to the pregnancy, that she could no longer wear them. Now it was time for her to become the Mystic Knight of Spirit once again. Time for her to face the woman that had stolen her child.

“I think a direct assault on the castle is in order.” Ivar pointed to a spot on the map in front of them.
Rohan shook his head. "Maeve will be expecting that. We need to sneak in there and find the child."
"For all we know, she could be expecting that." Deirdre spoke up.
Angus sighed. "I don't care how we get into the castle, as long as we do."
They had been arguing over how to retrieve the child for over an hour. All of them were getting tired of talking about it. The King could see that. He wished that he had a better idea of what Maeve was planning herself, but knew that there was no time to send anyone there to find out.
"Can I help in any way?" Aideen's little voice could be heard about their heads.
Angus jerked his head up to look at the little faerie. "Yes, Aideen, you can."
"What would you like me to do?"
"Go to Maeve's castle and find out her plans."
The faerie nodded and flew out the open window.
Rohan watched her go. "Hopefully she'll have more luck than we have."

Maeve stared at the child in lying on her throne. She watched as it kicked its little legs and blinked at her. So far the child had behaved beyond reproach. The little girl hadn't cried one single time. Though Maeve knew that if the child had actually known what was going on, she would have been frightened beyond her wildest dreams.
The queen reached down and picked her up. "Now what shall I name you, child?"
"How about naming her after yourself, Maeve?" Mider said from the far side of the room.
She whirled around to look at the dark faerie. "I considered that, but decided against it. I don't necessarily want the child growing up like me."
Mider smiled and said, "Good choice." He curled his finger toward Maeve, desiring to see the child for himself. "Human children are always so detestable."
Maeve snarled at him. "This one is different. It has power. Power which is now mine."

Aideen fluttered into the throne room, keeping out of sight just behind a tapestry. She could hear Mider and Maeve talking about the child, but at first could not see it. As Maeve turned around to approach her throne, she saw the child in the evil queen's arms. At least the child is alive, Aideen thought.
She now knew that Maeve had not taken any drastic action, so she decided it would be the best time to make her departure.

Conchobar sat on the throne, covering the plans with Ivar and Garrett. Rohan and the princess sat quietly at the long table off to the side of the room. They had barely spoken two words to each other since they were awoken by Breaca's terrible screams. Rohan glanced ever once in a while at Angus, just to make sure that he was well. Angus sat in a chair under the open window, waiting for news from Aideen.
His wait was soon over. Aideen came fluttering into the throne room to hover before Angus. "Angus, the child is well. I heard Maeve and Mider talking about it."
"Did you see it?" Deirdre asked.
Aideen nodded. "Yes, Maeve was holding the child."
Angus sighed in relief. "At least we know my child is alive."
The King looked at Angus. "That is a relief. Now we must decide on a plan of attack."
Garrett walked over to where the others sat. "I still agree with Ivar that a direct assault is the best plan."
Rohan shook his head. "I don't agree. She may harm the child."
They began once again to argue over the best plan of attack. No one noticed Breaca enter the throne room.
"I also agree with Ivar," she said.
Angus jerked his head up from the where his gaze was placed at the table. "Breaca."
His wife stood in the entry way to the throne room. She was completely clothed in her armour, her swords crossed over her back. "You should be resting."
She shook her head. "I cannot rest knowing that Maeve has our child in that dank castle." The others watched her as she approached the table. They could all see her anger. Her eyes betrayed the feelings that she did not want her face to show.
"Anyway, I have an idea." She smiled.

That evening the knights made their way to the castle. Cathabad had given them all powders that were intended to make them invisible. All except for Breaca. She was not with the group that moved silently across Temra lands toward Maeve's castle. She stood waiting in the throne room of Kells castle, waiting for Aideen to return with the message that they were ready.
Breaca's idea was that once the knights were invisible and positioned outside Temra castle, she would call her armour and ask the spirits to move her to Maeve's throne room. By that time, Aideen should have already returned to the knights and given them the word to attack.
Breaca wanted to be the first thing Maeve saw that evening. She smiled with pleasure at the thought of removing Maeve's wicked smiled from her face.
"Breaca, the knights are in position." Aideen's little voice broke into her thoughts.
The knight turned and nodded at the faerie. "Let them know to enter as soon as you return."
Breaca pulled her swords and raised them over her head. "Spirits Hear Me!"
The familiar black mist swirled around her body, turning her skin black and her eyes white. Somehow the knight looked much more sinister that time.
"May luck go with you," said the King.
She nodded as she intoned the final phrase. "Spirits Move Me!"

Continued