Chương 71: Shortcut

Vines erupted from beneath the wolf and wrapped around it, catching fire as quickly as they grew. Miriam poured more fórsa into them as she ran, trying to outpace the flames, but sand was a bad material for vines - it was taking most of what she had to keep them growing at all. Cormac limped along beside her, activating At What Cost. He poured luck into Róise as he stole it from the wolf's right claw.

"We got your back!" Róise had Seven Drunken Nights in full swing - she didn't dare try to get close enough for Banks of Red Roses. She pushed the tempo as fast as she could - she doubted anything short of the full song had any hope of affecting Cian. Sol fired Water lashes at the wolf's feet, which evaporated instantly. Miriam's heart sank. She had charged in full of confidence, but there was no way they could contain Cian, even before his transformation. Anything they threw at him simply burned away like nothing.

The lights between the lanterns were swirling, but there wasn't enough time. The Fáelad took a look around at each of them with clear disdain. Sucking in a deep breath, it let loose a devastating roar, blowing all of them back to slam against King Cianán's invisible wall with an incredible wave of force.

"We have to get him to stay in the circle!" Miriam said after she got her breath back. The Faelad 's head turned to look at her. Oh, gods. Miriam had forgotten this wasn't some mindless beast. It was Cian, with all his intelligence and experience. It very clearly heard what Miriam was trying to do. The wolf looked down at the lanterns with their glowing lines, tightening around it with every passing second. It yawned and sat down, curling its flaming tail around its body.

"What is it doing?" Róise whispered.

"Maybe it's giving us a chance," Cormac said hopefully.

"Maybe it's the real Cian in there, fighting back!" The lines of light snapped together, forming the void circle in the middle around the Fáelad. It closed its eyes as the lantern's time manipulation took effect. The wolf froze. Even the flames licking its body no longer stirred. Smoke halted where it floated in the air. The Wisps let out a boisterous cry.

"It worked! It worked!" Alby shouted, jumping up and down.

"If only my da could see this, damn his rotten old heart!" Róise frowned.

"It can't have been that easy." Miriam agreed. The ground began to rumble. Grains of sand danced in circular patterns as their footprints vanished, the beach smoothing out with each new vibration. In one spot, right next to the frozen wolf, a depression was forming in the sand.

"What in the merry hell is this?" Cormac asked. A giant paw erupted from the sand, slamming back down onto the beach as another wolf pulled itself from the earth, emerging like a gopher from its hole. The wolf shook the sand from its fur and sauntered over to the Wisps' lanterns. With a casual wave of his paw he knocked one over. The beams of light blinked out, and as they did the wolf inside the circle flaked away into ash. The Fáelad turned. You should know better than that.

You would have to encircle the whole island with lanterns to capture me.

"Cian," Miriam whispered.

"Cian! You can understand us! You can speak to us?" Obviously, the wolf growled in their minds. I am what I am. The command of my father does not diminish me.

"Then let us go!" Róise said.

"You've burned the whole island down. But your people are getting out! They're safe! You did what you wanted to do." I don't want to do anything, the wolf said angrily. I act because my father commands it. I am made of him. Just as you command your fórsa to obey you, I must follow his will.

"Then why aren't you killing us right now?" Cormac challenged, his fingers dancing.

"Why are we bothering to talk?" The wolf scoffed at him. Spare me your weak threads, Cormac. You could reach the eighth ring and not have the power to move me. You are still alive because this is as my father commanded. I am to wait for him here.

"He didn't have control of you before," Sol said.

"When you came back to warn us, you were fighting against him! What changed? Why can you not still fight?" The wolf sighed, a deep throaty noise. I used all the Drops my father left behind to reshape myself. I constructed a ritual circle and buried it deep inside Scior. This circle counterbalanced his power. What he shed on his Walk was animalistic - bestial. I was never meant to be more. With those Drops, I could be. I think you know what happened to them.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. The beach was silent a moment. Only the deep rattle of teh wolf's breathing and the gentle lapping of the waves.

"Well there's your problem," Miriam said, stepping forward towards the Fáelad.

"How were you ever going to learn to manage it if you take a shortcut like that?" The wolf snorted. Throwing my words back at me? You display a good memory, Miriam, but your words have no teeth. A thing is what it is, and this is what I am made to be, unless I find enough power to reshape it.

"I learned differently," Miriam argued.

"I learned a vine could be a hammer. A… a pixie could be a rebel. A gambler could be a saint. A ship could be a man. An old woman could be a dryad. An island could be a friend." She walked up to the wolf, who only regarded her with curiosity. Nothing she could do would at all be a threat.

"Why did you want to change in the first place, Cian?" Miriam stared into the swirling blackness of the wolf's eyes.

"Why not stay the Fáelad? Surely your father did not command you to." He… left me here. For a thousand years I protected this island… but from what? For what? I was becoming lonely. The many beasts of Cianán's Walk were mostly animals, but I found in myself an intellect that yearned for connection. So I made a plan to get what I wanted. As you said… a wolf became a boy.

"A shortcut," Miriam said again.

"I learned to filter my fórsa natures without mine. You helped me to do it. However the Drops helped you, it was your own will that caused it to be. A woodsman might use a lever to push a log into the river, but if none is available, the strong backs of friends will do." I admire your persistence, Miriam. You think yourself so old, so wise, yet your entire life would be nothing but a blink in comparison to the time I've already lived. Easy enough to say a thing, when you aren't the one to have to do it.

Miriam shrugged.

"Age isn't time passed. Age is experience. And I can tell you I've lived enough of my life, faced down my own death more times than I can count, and experienced enough to know that the only time you lose the fight is when you stop fighting." Cormac stepped up beside her.

"If I can learn to throw a punch you can learn to do this. The King doesn't own you." Ironic. A Captain proposing mutiny. But you have it all wrong. None of this is about what I want. If you drop a rock, it falls. So too is Cianán's control over me. He commands, I obey.

"I'm pretty sure the tower in Láthair Maol had a river flowing up the stairs," Róise said.

"This is the Tír. Nothing has to be what it is." None of you understand! I am a made thing! I was not made for a purpose, but my maker has imposed one on me nonetheless.

"I understand more than anyone else the burden of that," Sol said.

"You helped me to understand my limitations and to work with the gifts I had. I didn't have to be the Líadan. You don't need to be the Fáelad." And what will you do when Cormac realizes he still has power over you? When his Captain's Covenant can bring you to your knees just because he wants it? When that happens I will look forward to seeing you fight against your maker's commands.

"Enough! This is boring!" From the jungle line King Cianán walked towards them, the hulking Maitiú by his side.

"It was good knowing you guys," Cormac said quietly. The King glared at the wolf.

"I was hoping for a no-holds-barred, knock-down dragout fight against impossible odds! Instead you're just talking about your feelings?" You commanded me to hold them here. You didn't command me to fight them.

"Well, I didn't expect that they'd just let you do it!" King Cianán shook his head.

"I thought you all had more fight in you."

"Just let us go," Miriam demanded.

"Release Cian from whatever control you have. Why are you doing this? We never harmed you, did we?" The King walked around the Fáelad, absently petting its smoking coat.

"Cian! Look, they're calling you by my name. Cian. Bah! This is just some leftover junk I dropped when I got bored one day. I don't know how it got the temerity to start calling itself my son!

"As to why I'm doing this… the same reason I do anything! It's fun!" The King grinned broadly at Miriam.

"I never do anything that's not fun."

"This was fun?" Miriam said, anger creeping unbidden into her voice.

"Hundreds of people lost their homes. An entire island burned. What you call fun is a horror show to everyone else!" Miriam blinked and suddenly King Cianán was holding her up by the neck.

"I'm the Eternal King," he said calmly, as if they were just having a pleasant conversation.

"The Tír is mine. Whatever I say is fun… is fun!" He chuckled.

"You really don't want to see what happens when I get bored." Miriam could only make choking noises in return.

"You're one of the interesting things I found on this island. Miriam, was it?" King Cianán tossed her down into the sand.

"I wasn't born in the Tír either, you know. I find you fascinating! So many Sidhe devote their lives to get to the Tenth Ring. They do it for honor, for glory, for riches, fame, power… but you're the only one I've met so far that is doing it just to survive!" He knelt down and tousled the hair between her horns like a fond uncle.

"Such a powerful motivator, survival! You're in a unique situation where you literally cannot turn back. I would be fascinated to see how that impacts your chance of success compared to the other losers who try to get within sight of my throne. Sailleach has a cruel sense of humor sometimes, but perhaps she's finally played a joke I can enjoy!" The King stood, looking over at the Wisps, who were trying hard to absorb their material fórsa as fast as they could.

"Ew! Wisps! You know, Miriam, you and the Wisps have something in common. They have no god in the Tír either. Unlike dryads however, they didn't come from outside. They just… evolved I supposed? Probably why their species is so weird." He turned to the Wisps.

"Hey fellas! Really impressive job on these lanterns. Most people never really get to manipulating the fundamental forces of the Tír until like Ring Seven or Eight! I honestly didn't even think it would work in an area this fórsa-thin. You should be congratulated! But, I also don't want First Ringers to have access to artifacts that can bypass the Ring hierarchy. You know, King here. We love hierarchies. So… sorry about this." The King reached a hand out and twisted his fist.

Each of the thirty Wisps' necks snapped instantly. King Cianán shrugged.

"Having power is nice. Means I don't have to get my hands dirty!" Moving like a bullet, a fist thundered into the King's face and the projection flew back into the jungle. Standing there, still smoking, but in Sidhe form again was Cian. Older, haggard, with a rough beard and sunken eyes, but it was Cian nonetheless.

"You will not hurt anyone on this island!" he roared. The King bounced back to his feet, a wide smile on his face.

"Oh! This is what I was hoping for! Are you finally ready for us to see if you're a real boy? Or if all that's left is for me to clean up my leftover junk?" Almost gliding across the sand, King Cianán exploded towards Cian.