Shatter - Sins of the Sidhe (3 page)

Never looking back, Lorcan stepped into the abandoned realm and looked around. The place was dark, hard, and as cold as his soul... if he had a soul. “This will do for now.”

Walking around the cavernous dwelling, Lorcan had to come up with a plan to gain his powers back. It took much time and risk to figure out how to gain energy, but eventually Lorcan figured it out. He started collecting the weak souls left wondering the moors by luring them with promises of light and peace – a simple ploy that worked time and time again for the desperate and needy spirits. They’d come to him for help and peace, and he’d suck them dry of their energy. Every soul added a precious bit of power to his stripped magic. Soul by soul, Lorcan slowly started to build his powers again. Each one he drained turned into shadows and eventually demons.

That was the beginning of
The Darkness
.

As time passed, Lorcan grew stronger with every soul he snared and brought back to his dominion. It wasn’t long before he created a small army of his own. Scouring the countryside, Lorcan ordered his shadows to have the remaining Druids in Scotland brought back to him dead or alive in his hasty attempt to get rid of the one who gave him entrance to his realm. It was something he should have done immediately, but was too distracted at the time to think clearly. Stupid and eager, greedy and short-sighted, that’s what Lorcan had been that day. The little twerp had no doubt run to tell whatever Fae was helping him about what had happened. Lorcan was sure that the boy’s misuse of magic would cost him is life. The Gods did not take kindly to rule breakers and trespassers. Not wanting to risk the chance of the Druid’s survival, Lorcan captured or slaughtered all Druids he could find in Scotland over the next few years and feasted on their souls and sucked in their power and energy. Twas a glorious feast indeed.

It was all Adam’s fault. Adam had been charged by the Goddess Morrigan to tutor the Druid fledgling in the ways of Fae magic but had not explained the necessary precautions against their trickery. Sidhe and all other Fae are generally cunning and self-serving. Adam had barely started on his lessons with the boy before realizing it was going to be nothing short of a miracle to tame his youthful curiosity of small trivial magics. It had only been a few months since Adam was sent to the young boy, and getting him to pay attention was harder than getting a hobgoblin to bathe. The child was hard-headed, young, and preoccupied with thoughts of battle and bravery. Adam had sympathy for the boy, left alone to care for his mother and younger sister while his father and older brothers fought a battle far from home – twas tough to be left behind. Being a warrior himself, Adam still craved the sensations that came with battle: bloodlust, adrenaline and rage. ‘Tis a fine wine that should be enjoyed drop by bloody drop.

And now instead of fighting a war with men, like he was created to do, Adam was fighting another type battle with a wilful child. Truly, the boy had the attention span of a gnat and was more interested in lighting candles and chatting with the animals in the wood than learning the deeper arts. But Adam reminded himself time and time again that it was a beginning, and they had time to train. Or so he thought.

Every Druid had the same duty, but is given a special gift that was unique to them. Some Druids could manipulate time, others could control the weather, and some, like this boy, could talk with animals.
There were several other powers and gifts that the Gods bestowed upon the Druids for their service, but they all have one thing in common: duty. All
Druids were to keep the balance between the human world and the other Fae worlds. Twas the only way ensure the survival of all within them.

If the balance was to tip over, bloodshed and destruction is all that would reign. For the Fae, and especially the Sidhe, were selfish by nature, much like humans. Greedy and lusty, they cared only for self satisfaction. Lorcan was a prime example of that very fact. Adam had not thought more on Lorcan after he had been cast out centuries ago. Stripped of most of his power and left with a small bit to survive, the chances of him enduring the human world were assumed slim. Oh how wrong he had been.

Misjudge is not the word for it. Catastrophic is closer.

Thankfully, Adam was able to keep the boy hidden
and safe from the darkness that was cast over the Highlands. The Goddess
Morrigan came to Adam on the moors that same day. She told him what the boy had done and how to keep him hidden and safe from total destruction. There was more to this young Druid than meets the eye, Morrigan promised. But truly, Adam didn’t see it. Regardless, Adam spirited the boy and his withering dying family out of Scotland and brought them to Ireland, where Adam’s powers were strongest.

Sadly, the boy’s mother and sister died a few days later, leaving Adam to care for a mourning child that was a shattered mess of guilt, sadness and vengeance. As they piled the last of the rocks on his family’s graves, out in the most secluded area of their new home, the boy made a blood oath to have his retribution.

Devlin MacCullum will have his vengeance. No matter how long it takes, Lorcan’s blood will spill and his existence will be erased from this world and all others.
Headstrong, eager and angry, Devlin vowed to do whatever was needed to see that his oath was kept.

Adam forced Devlin to change his family name to hide his identity; he was no longer called a MacCullum. Twas a blow to the boy’s pride, his family’s name was infamous among the Druids, but it was a necessary sacrifice to ensure his safety, lest he be discovered and killed. Together, they forged a new life in Ireland. It was just the two of them, a heartbroken Druid and a bloodthirsty Sidhe Warrior.

Devlin missed the Highlands terribly; he missed his brothers and da that were still there fighting. They would come back and Devlin, his mother and his sister would be gone. But even at such a tender age, the Druid decided he was not looking back, he would only move forward towards his goals of vengeance. Hiding was safer for Devlin, and would give him the time he needed to hone in on his magics and learn to fight like a skilled warrior. The Druid was on a mission of the worst kind and became obsessed with fulfilling his vow. Adam realized then that this conquest was going to be messy, long, and dangerous.

The Goddess Morrigan made it very clear that this Druid was important and necessary for the balance to remain between the worlds. Adam didn’t want to go against her commands, but his instincts were screaming to find Lorcan by any means necessary and smite the whoreson where he stood and be done with it. Being the Goddess of Battle and understanding his need to fight, Morrigan reminded him to be patient with this endeavour. This was not a war to fight in blind rage and vengeance. It was one that was going to take a great amount of strength and courage- not that Adam was lacking in either of those categories. But she reminded him of his first and most important task: to train and raise the Druid under his care. For now, they had no way of finding where Lorcan was hiding, but Morrigan said another would crack open the seal he’d placed on his veiled realm, and there will come a day that they will face a battle the likes of which Adam has never seen. She wanted Adam and the Druid to be ready when that day came.

Centuries of waiting with no sign of Lorcan’s hidden realm opening, Adam had almost given up hope. It wasn’t until one day, hundreds of years later, a shift in the universe rattled and tipped the balance of nature. Like a sonic boom, energies rippled out across the lands. The time had finally come. Although they felt the shift happen, neither Adam nor the Druid could sense where it was or who had caused it. Seeking guidance, Adam called on Ava, who was most skilled in the arts of divination and a person he trusted wholeheartedly. He tasked her with finding the one who broke the seal. For that person would be the key to destroying the Shadow Lord, Lorcan, and give them a chance to seek retribution long overdue.

Now, after centuries of waiting and training, Adam and the Druid will finally get to finish what was started.

Rowan laid back with a sigh on her king-sized box spring and mattress that sat on the floor. She had no frame to lift the bed off the ground, and for good reason. Things can hide under there. Not that those “things” needed a hiding place around her. They seemed to perch on her dresser, the end of her bed, and against her windows without a care about being seen or not. Seeming more curious than scary, she tries her best to ignore them. Hell, they’ve been hanging around her for so long they’re more like creepy, crawly pets. Regardless, the thought of them slithering under her bed while she was sleeping was just too freaky for her. The bed stays on the ground.

Once in a while there were others that would visit. Dark and sinister, some the size of a child while others were over seven feet tall, and all of them with hungry eyes on her. Well, she assumed they had eyes, most were just solid black so it was hard to tell. The smaller critters that freaked her out the most were the ones that slithered and crawled up the walls. They just didn’t move right, like they had too many bones or maybe no bones at all. It was hard to tell but freaky as hell.

Scanning her room and confirming it was creepy- free, she turned on her TV and watched the depressing news about this weekend’s homicide count and who-done-what around town. Disgusted, Rowan scowled at the newscaster as she did a recap of the crimes and murders. What is the matter with people? Selfish, greedy idiots, every single one of them. The world is a beautiful place and ugly people doing ugly things really have a talent to destroy such beauty. Assholes. Annoyed and exhausted, Rowan turned the TV off and rolled over.

Holy shit, there it was, sitting at the corner of her bed staring at her.

Rowan didn’t move and tried to not gasp or break eye contact with the thing. The size of a fat cat with skin pale and grey like fresh clay, the beast had a jaw that jutted out like a bulldog with large pointy teeth, hair long and frizzy like a wild white mane, and gigantic almond-shaped eyes the color of pitch.

“Go away,” was all she said.

It blinked and then swallowed itself whole, disappearing as fast as it came. What the hell? Seriously? That thing doesn’t come often, but she’d prefer it not come at all.

Rowan was five years old the first time she saw that ugly critter. Lying in her old bedroom with her pretty pink canopy and her Jim Henson Muppets bed sheets, the beast just sat there and stared at her then too. Little Rowan closed her eyes out of pure stubbornness and fear. She wasn’t going to cry for help, she was five after all - a big girl. But she wasn’t going to have a staring contest with it either so she squeezed her eyes shut and steadied her breath until she eventually fell asleep. In the morning, the sun was shining, the creature was gone, and her dad was making bacon and eggs in the kitchen.

The next time it came to her was years later. It had been so long, Rowan was starting to believe it was all in her imagination. Ro was getting dressed for school and when she sat on her bed to put her shoes on, there it was by her feet. Large black pits staring straight through to her soul, she screamed as it swiped a clawed hand out and scratched her. When her mom came running in to see what was wrong, the beast had already vanished, swallowing itself whole again. The small scratch on Ro’s ankle was all that was left behind. It was her only proof that the nightmare was indeed real. But no one believed her. Ro’s parents just thought she’d clumsily scratched herself in a hurry to get ready for school and dismissed her claims. She still had a faint jagged scar on her right ankle.

Shaking those scary memories from her head, Rowan rolled over and went to sleep.

Her dream started out fine:
Rowan was eating ice cream and walking down a road in her old neighbourhood, cars driving by, birds chirping. But then the scenery changed with a shift of her vision, and she was someplace else entirely and very much alone. She’d been here before but now it looked and felt different. It’s hard to explain this way of dreaming, her vision is hazy and crystal clear all at the same time. Rowan was standing in front of a large white house. A vibration rippled down her spine, like a bell gong resonating from her throat to her toes. This is a bad place.

She hears the familiar sounds of cicadas buzzing and hissing in her ears. Looking at the front porch of the old white house, Ro sees her old friend Charlie looking tired and defeated with his hands in his lap and shoulders slumped. “Charlie. What are you doing here?” This was bad. This was worse than bad. Ro needed to wake up. Now.

“Help me” was all he said and then they were both standing inside the house. “Touch nothing,” he whispered and held her body against his as they floated fast from room to room. He was looking for something and couldn’t find it. The sadness and frustration seemed to drip from the walls themselves. Old furniture tossed and broken lay scattered everywhere and again he says, “Help me.”