Mystic Knight of Spirit Part 3

The interior of the castle was a gloomy as the exterior. Little light penetrated the walls. What few windows that Breaca could see, were covered with tapestries. She would have never known they were windows had a slight breeze not ruffled the edges of the tapestries. Even the artwork on the wall-hangings was gloomy.
Breaca was led into a throne room. This one was very different from the one in Kells castle. A strange bluish light emanated from the ceiling. Breaca could not see the source, but she knew it was not natural.
The throne was simple but elegant, carved of a deep red wood and covered with purple velvet. Beside the throne was a small table and on it lay a magnificent, but frighteningly evil staff.
On the throne was seated Maeve, Queen of Temra. She was dressed in a purple gown, with a leather corset over top of it. She watched as her general escorted Breaca into her main chambers.
Breaca bowed to the Queen.
"And who might you be?" Maeve's voice even had a hint of evil to it. Breaca knew all to well, that the surroundings did not make the woman. She knew that Maeve was evil and she intended to do something about it.
"I am Breaca."
Maeve shook her head. "That means nothing to me."
"Warrior of Crannaght."
The Queen raised an eyebrow. "Crannaght. I thought that miserable little island was nothing more than a chunk of rock."
Breaca nodded. "It is. A lonely island in a cold ocean."
Maeve glared at her. "What is your business here?"
Breaca smiled and pulled her swords smoothly from the scabbards on her back. Torc rushed in front of his Queen. Maeve laid her hand on Torc's shoulder.
"This little girl can't hurt me. She is nothing more than a toy warrior from an island that no longer exists." Maeve smiled evilly at Breaca.
"I thought you might say that."
Breaca crossed her swords and raised them over her head. "Spirits hear me!" Black mist began to swirl about her body. Maeve and her general stared, transfixed, by the transformation taking place.
Breaca's skin turned black as pitch and her eyes became white as snow. Her armour and weapons took on the change as well. The SpiritBlades, which were crossed over her chest, pulsed with a wicked black light.
"Who are you?" hissed Maeve.
Breaca smiled. Her expression was not intended to be fearful, but with her transformation, it looked quite unnatural.
"I am Breaca, warrior of Crannaght, warrior of Kells, Mystic Knight of Spirit."
Maeve gasped in horror. All of her premonitions were true. Another Mystic Knight did exist. One that could possible mean the end of her reign as Queen of Temra.
She pushed Torc forward into Breaca's path.
"I have no quarrel with, General Torc. My anger is with Maeve, the destroyer of my home."
Torc grinned at her. "I am Maeve's protector. You have to go through me to get to her."
Breaca nodded. "So be it."
She pulled her swords apart, spinning them menacingly. Torc stood back, unsure of how to handle this strange warrior. He had to admit he was a bit frightened, he had never encountered anything like this before. Maeve’s beasts were vicious, but this woman appeared to be downright evil.
Torc saw what he thought was an opening and swung his weapon at Breaca. In one swift move, she knocked his sword away with her right handed weapon and sliced his arm with her left. He howled in pain, but didn't stop.
Breaca could see Maeve sitting in her throne, clutching the sides in fear. Maeve had never been so frightened in her life. She had always had the upper hand before. This time though she was in danger of losing her life. She didn't have Mider here to help her, the other Mystic Knights had already seen to that.
Breaca and Torc swung weapons at each other. They rounded one another silently. Breaca swung at him, feinting a move. Torc fell for it. The Mystic Knight of Spirit smiled as she slid one of her blades into Torc's gut.
Maeve screamed, Torc groaned in pain, Breaca smiled.
The Knight put her foot on Torc's chest, pushing him off of her blade.
"Mider! Dark Fairie of the Shleeves! If you can hear me, I need you!" Maeve screamed at the top of her lungs.
Running footsteps alerted Breaca to the danger of the guards. She whirled around, weapons ready, but instead of guards, the footsteps belonged the other Mystic Knights.

Angus and the others stared in horror at the sight. Maeve was screaming for Mider. Torc lay dying on the ground, Breaca standing over him.
They all rushed forward.
Breaca turned to face Maeve, but was too late. Apparently the dark fairie still had power left in him, where ever he was. Maeve and Torc became circled in a wicked green light and disappeared.
She turned to her fellow Knights. "Why did you follow me?"
Rohan was the first to answer. "Now is not the time for questions. We have to get out of here before Maeve returns."

Several hours later, Breaca and the other knights stood in the throne room of Kells castle. King Conchobar was trying to understand what had happened.
"You wanted to destroy Meave?" He asked her for the third or fourth time.
She nodded. "Yes, I came to this land to find and her and end her reign of evil." Breaca sighed. "The woman has destroyed numerous Kingdoms and villages trying to gain power. And is someone does not stop her, Kells will be next."
The look on her face was enough to send a shiver through everyone in the throne room.
"She is right, my King." Cathabad spoke in her defense.
The King nodded. "I know, but this just seems so strange. I have wanted Maeve's evil ended for over a decade. Now someone comes along that can help with that and all I feel is remorse."
Rohan turned to Breaca. "Why didn't you just tell us what you wanted to do? We could have helped you."
She shook her head. “It is too dangerous. I have to face Maeve alone, otherwise you could all perish.” She looked at the floor then back at them. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” When she said this she was specifically looking at Angus.
The thief didn't notice that she was looking at him, he was too busy imagining the day that Maeve wasn't frightening the entire area.
King Conchobar was still baffled by her actions. Before he could say anything, Cathabad turned to him.
"My King, Breaca is a Mystic Knight from a land far away from us. We do not know what kind of magic rules that land. We only know of our Mystic Knights and of Garrett. We must learn more."
The King nodded. He knew that his advisor knew more about the Mystic Knights than he did. "Do what you must, Cathabad."
The Druid approached Breaca. "Come with me."

Later that day, Breaca and Cathabad arrived at the stone circle. The other Mystic Knights knew this circle well. This was where they entered into Tir-Na-Nog and spoke with King Fin Varra. Breaca had never been. She knew nothing of King Fin Varra or of Tir-Na-Nog, other than what had been told to her by Cathabad and the other Knights.
"Put your hand here." Cathabad pointed to a strange symbol on the flat stone in front of her.
She gingerly reached out and placed her hand above the carving. Cathabad placed his hand over hers and within moments they stood within the land of the little people.
"Good evening! Good evening! I have been waiting for you." The little King said with an air of excitement.
Breaca smiled. These little people were nothing like the ones she had met, when she gained her armour. The fairies that told her where to find her armour were so much different. They were darker. They didn't dance or sing or play, they just sat around and brooded. She was slightly confused about the difference between the little people of these two lands.
"You must be Breaca, Mystic Knight of Spirit." He smiled broadly at her. "I am Fin Varra, King of Tir-Na-Nog."
She bowed, but said nothing. Not that she didn't like the little people, she just was not used to them. They were so different.
Cathabad took her silence as his cue. "My King, we have come here to learn more."
"More?" Fin Varra looked puzzled. "What more is there to know?"
Breaca decided it was time to speak. "Why am I here? What is my purpose?"
The little King looked at her. "You are here to follow your destiny as a Mystic Knight. Maeve destroyed your home. You need to follow your heart."
She looked at him. He hadn't really answered her questions at all. She knew that the fairie folk could sometimes be rather difficult to understand, but she didn't realise that they were just plain confusing.
King Fin Varra could see that she was still unsure. "Give me your hand."
She knelt down and put out her hand. The little King leaned forward and touched her fingers. Suddenly he jerked back, as if in pain.
"My King, what is the matter?" Cathabad looked very worried
Fin Varra stared at the warrior in front of him. She looked confused. She stood to her full height.
"You are not of pure fairie magic. Your armour will be your doom." Fin Varra looked as if he had seen a ghost. "Your armour was given to you by dark magic."
Breaca raised her eyebrows in response to the King's fears. "Your majesty, my armour was given to me by the fairie folk in the land where I landed after the destruction of my home. Are you telling me that I am evil?"
"You may not be, but the Mystic Armour you were granted will control you. It will change your destiny. You must end your tirade against Maeve." He shook his finger at her. "Let the other Mystic Knights take care of this. Do not give Mider the chance to know you exist."
Cathabad shook his head. "It is too late for that, my King. General Torc was badly wounded when Breaca entered their castle to face Maeve. The Queen called up Mider for help. He answered."
Fin Varra sighed. He appeared as if a great weight was on his shoulders. "Then all the Mystic Knights are in great danger. Maeve knows of your existence, as well as Mider. You will be a target."
"Then I must end this now. I can not wait any longer."
Fin Varra stood from his throne. "You must first gather all the Mystic Knights together."
"That will take too long, my King. Ivar has returned to his home, Garrett is away in his kingdom. We must make do with Angus, Rohan and Deirdre." Cathabad spread his hands in front of him.
Fin Varra stroked his beard and thought for a moment. "Well, then that will have to do." He turned suddenly to Breaca. "You must not fight Maeve. Mider will find a way to control your actions and turn you against the Knights."
"What if I fight her alone? Will I be able to destroy her then?"
The little King shook his head. "No, she will just call on Mider's powers. There is something in her castle that can still channel Mider. You must find that and destroy it. Only then will Maeve be truly vulnerable." He dropped himself into his throne. "Go now."

Hours later, they arrived back at Kells castle. Cathabad returned to his chambers leaving Breaca to her thoughts. She decided she needed to be with her thoughts and headed for her rooms.
"Breaca." She could her Deirdre's voice from behind her.
She turned to see the Princess smiling at her.
"Yes, Princess?"
"I was hoping we could talk. If your not too busy." She smiled her pretty little smile.
Breaca nodded. "We can talk, I am not busy."
They entered into her rooms. Breaca removed her weapons. Deirdre was standing by one of the large windows, looking out.
"So what is bothering you, Deirdre?"
The Princess sighed. There was so much on her mind. The days events weighed heavily on her. But other things were more important to her at that moment.
"It's Rohan."
Breaca blinked. "What about him?" "He seems so preoccupied lately. I can't get two words out of him." Deirdre was fidgeting with the end of her sleeve.
Breaca approached her. "He has had many things on his mind. Especially with my actions today, but that is not what bothers him the most."
Deirdre looked at her. "What is?"
Breaca thought for a moment. She wasn't quite sure how to say what she saw in Rohan's eyes, so she figured that she should just day it outright. "He's in love, Deirdre."
She turned her head sharply and looked at her newest friend. "In love?"
Breaca nodded. "Very much so. But the woman that he loves, has shown nothing toward him. He is confused and worried."
She could see that Deirdre was getting slightly angry. She knew that she needed to tell her who Rohan was in love with, but for some reason she wasn't sure that she should.
Deirdre furrowed her brow. "Who is this woman?"
Breaca walked away from the Princess. She walked over to her bed and sat down. She had to tell her, she had to let her know. Breaca didn't want her friend to think the wrong thing.
She smiled at Deirdre. Her smile was warm and friendly. "He loves you, Deirdre."
The Princess stared at Breaca. Rohan loved her? Rohan? Draganta? The leader of the Mystic Knights? Deirdre let out a long, slow breath. She couldn't believe it.
A knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
Deirdre stood straight and tried to compose herself. She had to hide the sudden surprise she had just received.
Breaca quietly invited the inquirer in. The door opened and Angus peeked his head inside, looking around.
He apologised for intruding.
The Princess said, "It's all right. I was just going to my rooms anyway." She bade good night to them and left.
Angus watched her go with a confused look on his face.
"What's wrong with her?" He asked as he closed the door to Breaca's room.
"Nothing, she's just learning something new." Breaca smiled at him. Once again her charming smile took Angus off guard.
He imagined reaching out to her and touching her face.
"What can I do for you?" She turned around and picked up her night-clothes. Angus watched her. He felt strange, almost like he was watching her, but wasn't really standing there.
He made a quiet sound, which caused Breaca to look at him. She saw Angus staring at her. She made her way over to him.
"Angus?"
"What?" He shook his head, trying to clear away the thoughts he was having.
"What did you want?"
"Oh, I was just curious where you were all afternoon. I was hoping we could have talked some more." Angus crossed his arms over his chest.
"I went with Cathabad to meet Fin Varra."
The thief nodded. "Confusing little man, isn't he?"
She chuckled quietly. "Very. But he did open my eyes to some rather disturbing things."
The thief's expression became worried. "What kind of things?"
Breaca shrugged. She wasn't sure if she should say anything, since Cathabad hadn't been too clear about it. The Druid hadn't actually said anything to her the entire return trip from the stone circle. Breaca knew that this could cause some serious troubles with the Mystic Knights, but she felt she needed to confide in someone. Angus seemed the perfect choice, since he really never seemed to have anything on his mind. At least she didn't think he did. The thief was a hard person to figure out. She had no trouble seeing what Rohan was thinking or feeling. Not even the Princess gave her much trouble. Angus was the only one that managed to hide his feelings from her and everyone else.
"It's very hard to explain and I know that I probably shouldn't say anything until tomorrow. Cathabad will probably want us all to meet in the throne room to talk to the King."
"This sounds important."
She nodded. "It is. Not only to the war, but to the Mystic Knights as well." She sighed and seated herself by the window. She wanted so much to be able to open up to Angus, but she knew that she should be quiet until the following day.
Angus stroked his chin. He had picked that action up from Fin Varra. He had watched the little King do it so many times when he was deep in thought. Angus thought it looked like a good thing to do to make him look more intelligent. Not that he wasn't intelligent or anything. Angus had a good head on his shoulders, he just didn't always want to use it. Rohan had shown surprise many times when Angus came up with a good plan. He just preferred to make jokes and be funny. People seemed to like him better when he wasn't trying to think.
Breaca was smiling at him.
"What?"
"You look funny doing that when you don't have a beard."
Angus grinned broadly. "Maybe I should grow one. What do you think?"
Breaca could just imagine the thief with a beard like Cathabad's. Suddenly she burst out laughing. It took her a few moments to realise that she was actually doing it. By that time Angus had also started laughing. Breaca hadn't laughed in a very long time. It made her feel better about things.
Angus walked over to her, muttering things in between fits of laughter about Cathabad's beard and how it would be too long for thieving.
He seated himself on the window sill and said, "I could imagine getting that thing caught in a lock while I am trying to pick it."
They laughed more. Just the thought of Angus with a long beard was too much for either of them to handle.
Breaca had never felt so good. The strangest part of all was that she was laughing with the one person that she couldn't figure out. It seemed a little awkward to her. Nonetheless, she was laughing and that was a good sign.
After several minutes, both of them managed to calm down. Breaca was completely out of breath and felt a little light headed. She stood, deciding to sit on the bed where she would feel a little more comfortable. She didn't realise until she stood just how light headed she was.
Breaca started to fall forward, but Angus was there in an instant. He caught her deftly in his arms. The two of them stood there for a moment, looking into each other's eyes. She wasn't sure what to think. Here she stood, completely by accident, in the arms of a man she knew little or nothing about. She wasn't sure what to do.
Angus stared at her. He was holding her. Granted it was a complete accident, but he was holding her. He started imagining leaning down and kissing her gently.
As their lips met, he realized he wasn't imagining it. He was actually kissing her.
Suddenly he moved away from her. She was still staring at him. Slowly she reached up and touched her lips. Breaca wasn't sure what to do. She had never been kissed before.
Angus let go of her and backed away. "I'm sorry. I don't know what I was thinking." He headed for the door. "Good night. I'll see you in the morning." He opened the door and went out, but before he closed it, he popped his head back in and looked at her. "I'm sorry." With that he was gone.
Breaca watched him leave, still unsure of what had happened. Slowly she played it all back in her mind. They had laughed, she had stood and realized she was dizzy. She started to fall, but he caught her. Then suddenly his lips were touching hers.
She felt so different. She couldn't explain it, but she felt different. She wanted to talk to someone about it, but she was afraid to. Angus had looked so frightened afterwards. I'll just keep this to myself for now, she thought.

Angus stumbled into his hut. Rohan was asleep, though if Angus had his way, his friend would be wide wake in a few minutes.
"Rohan, wake up." Angus shook his friend's shoulder.
Rohan opened one eye and saw his friend staring at him. Angus had a huge grin on his face.
Rohan moaned. "What do you want?"
Angus paced back and forth in their little hut. "The strangest thing just happened and I have to tell someone."
"Why does it have to be me? And why does it have to be right now?" Rohan turned over to face his friend. He and Angus had been friends for as long as he could remember. And Angus had been waking him up in the middle of the night for as long as they'd been friends.
"I did something. I have to tell you."
Rohan became concerned. Could Angus have stolen something again? The first ordeal had never been settled, at least not to his knowledge.
"Angus, what did you do?"
The thief smiled at his friend. Rohan didn't think that Angus could have stolen something or gotten himself into some kind of trouble since he was smiling so much. Suddenly Rohan remembered their conversation the other day about this woman he was thinking about.
"I kissed her, Rohan." Angus stopped suddenly and sat on his cot.
Rohan's eyes grew wide. "You did?" He couldn't believe it. Angus was involved with a woman? "Who is she?"
Angus looked at his friend. Rohan was looking at him in utter disebelief. "Don't look so surprised."
Rohan apoligosed. "Are you gonna tell me who she is?"
Angus sighed. "Breaca."
Rohan blinked a few times, saying nothing. He thought he might have misunderstood his friend. "Breaca?" he asked, trying to make sure that he got the name right.
Angus was nodding. Then he explained everything to him. He explained about the thoughts he had been having, about how he had been feeling around her, about the laughs they had shared that night and about the kiss.
Rohan stared at his friend. He couldn't think of anything to say. It all seemed so unusual.
"Well? Aren't you going to say anything?" Angus was asking his friend.
"I don't know what to say. It's just all so surprising."
"Why? Didn't you think I could ever get involved with a woman?" Angus looked hurt.
Rohan shook his head. "It has nothing to do with that. Anyhow you aren't exactly involved with her. You said you left the room cause you were afraid she was hit you."
"Well, yeah, but still, I kissed her. I thought I was imagining it at first, but I really kissed her." The thief's expression was content. He kept thinking back to the moment. He knew he would never forget it.
Rohan shook his head and laughed quietly. "Get some sleep and see how you feel in the morning."
Angus nodded and laid on his cot. He didn't think he would sleep that night. If he did he knew that all his dreams would be about Breaca.

Continued.