THE MORRIGAN CHRONICLES

The other Tuatha and their human trainees were in a large facility attached to the residence. The Druids were in another. I wasn’t sure what I had to work with in Neil and I needed the humans to follow him. If he was unimpressive I couldn’t have the others seeing it. So I had one of my warriors tell him to meet me in the stables. There was an indoor arena that would do just fine. We would be training alone.

He walked in wearing leathers and boots similar to mine but black. These would be the clothes he would battle in. The leather was spelled to withstand claws, teeth, and any sharp weapon. I could tell by his stride that he was trying to project confidence but was unsure of himself.

“I had on gym clothes but the guy you sent to tell me to come here told me to wear this.” He pulled at the leather vest. I couldn’t help but notice his shoulders and biceps were more developed than I realized.

“We train in what we battle in,” I managed to eke out semi-stoically.

“Okay. So where do we begin?” He smiled warmly, his caramel eyes trained on mine.

“We’ll start with a five mile run and begin increasing distance when you can manage a quick pace. I need your endurance to be optimal. Let’s get through that and when we get back we can begin hand-to-hand combat training.”

“All right but I’ll warn you, I lift weights in the gym regularly, but I’ve never been one to do much cardio. I’ll do my best but I’ve never run five miles in my life.”

I reassured him, “You are a descendant of Arthur. His blood runs through yours. There’s strength in that. You will find yourself able to do more physically than you can imagine. You will be stronger, faster and more skilled than the rest. It’s my job to help you get there.”

We set off at a decent pace. One mile in and he seemed to be doing fine. I picked the pace up to a seven minute mile and he hung in. I decided to see how well he could do. If he would be able to hold this pace talking or if he would start gasping for air.

“So tell me about yourself, Neil.”

He glanced over at me. It was cold out and though he had sweat on his face he had no problem answering. “In comparison to the past day, my life has been fairly ordinary. I grew up in a small town in South Dakota. Went to college at the University of Nebraska, then law school. Got a job at a firm in Lincoln. My dad passed away from a heart attack so I moved back to take care of my mom. Got a job as a prosecutor in a nearby town. Couple years later my mom passed away. I think it was from a broken heart. She died in her sleep. She was lost without my dad.”

He never gasped for a single breath and his gaze stared off in the distance. His eyes were still warm but I could see the sadness. I know that sadness. Many of my loved ones have died in battle. Never of disease or old age, and I was blessed to have had them for very long periods of time. My heart ached for him.

“Anyway, I’ve spent the last year just working. I was actually contemplating a change. With my family gone there was no need for me to stay in South Dakota. Guess I got my wish.” He laughed and smiled at me. I was glad it was cold out and that I had an excuse for the blush I know rose in my cheeks.

“What about you? Are your parents here?”

My turn. I guess I asked for this in opening a conversation. I kicked myself for ending up having to talk about myself. “No. They’re not here.

My parents died in battle a long time ago.” “I’m sorry.” He looked embarrassed.

“Don’t be. They lived for several hundred years.” It was now my turn to stare off in the distance, remembering them.

“What were they like?” His voice pulled me back.

How much to divulge? I pondered. “My father was King. Ruler of the Tuatha. He was strong. Ruthless to his enemies and loving to his family and people. My mother was what a queen should be. Regal, beautiful, strong and a hell of a swordsman.”

He laughed. “So you’re a princess?”

Now it was my turn to laugh. “No, I’m not a princess.”

“So is King Conall your brother?”

I choked and laughed. “No!”

“I just thought since he’s King and your dad was King…”

I was still laughing. “Strong bloodlines breed strong Tuatha. The strength of our ancestors is passed down, but to be the ruler of our people is not decided by blood. You remember the Stone of Fal and how it sang when you stood upon it?”

“Barely. I was kind of in a trance.” He laughed but I knew he spoke the truth.

“Well, that signaled you were the true King of Erin. That cannot be debated. We have a spear that is similar. We do not vote for our leader and politics do not come into play. The Spear of Lug is one of our sacred gifts and determines our King. When my father died, Conall was chosen.”

What was I doing? I don’t care for humans. King Conall and Emrys determined we were to tell the humans as little as possible and here I was spouting out information. I couldn’t help myself.

I picked up the pace. A six minute mile pace to be exact. He held but I could tell he had to work at it. Good. Hopefully that would grind the talking to a halt.

The last quarter mile I slowed down to a walk. “And that was our warm up.” I smiled seeing that he was still upright. The hard work was yet to come.

“So Morrigan, I’m going to be completely honest. I’ll work my hardest and learn as much as I can but I’m not confident about any of this. I still can’t completely wrap my head around it.”

I didn’t let my face betray any thoughts or doubts. My lungs had adapted to the frigid air and the cold felt good against my face. Judging by the dark clouds, snow would soon fall. I loved every season, but winter always was a welcome time of year for me. I could smell a fire burning off in the distance. A bonfire no doubt, to gather around between lessons.

“Neil,” I began in as supporting a tone I could offer, “we have plenty of time, and I’m tasked solely with making sure you’re ready. Don’t worry. I give my word that you will physically and mentally be ready and we will prevail. I have no doubt of that.”

I knew I sounded confident and I could tell by his expression that he believed every word. I wished I did. But knowing that building his confidence was crucial, I began laying that foundation. He would not come close to surviving if he had any doubts in himself.

Making our way into the stables I paused to pet a beautiful black gelding. He was massive and majestic.

“He likes you.” I felt Neil’s warm breath on the back of my neck.

Though it was invisible I brushed it off with my hand. “It’s not that he likes me. He respects me. All animals have a pecking order. A difficult horse is just testing to see if you are below or above him.”

I stepped away before turning to face him. “We’ll begin with some basic hand-to-hand defensive moves. After lunch we’ll begin attack strategies.”

“You’re the boss. Not that I’m doubting you, but aren’t I supposed to learn how to use a sword?”

Having only trained Tuatha I was not accustomed to being questioned. “Footwork and strategy are the basics, and before you can even think of picking up a sword you need to at least become mediocre at the basics.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Sarcasm laced his words but he grinned, softening my prickly surface.

I circled him, my eyes evaluating every inch. “I would say ‘master’ the basics but I fear my definition of mastering something is very high and time is of the essence.”

His eyes locked on mine and I stopped with my left profile in front of him. I telegraphed a right cross and he clumsily stumbled out of the way. “Sloppy, but your instincts are good and you managed to avoid contact.”

“Then show me how to not do it sloppily.” His face was genuine and open. No ego, no animosity. He was malleable and willing to let me mold him. Him trusting me was crucial for his success. Our success.

I walked behind him, placing my hand on his hips. “I want you to keep your feet flat on the ground, but shift your weight to your toes.” I kept my hands where they were and could feel the shift. “Good, just like that. You always have your weight there. And by always I mean always. You’ve had twenty-eight years to relax back on your heels. That time is over. There is

no time that you’re relaxed now. Always on your toes.”

He looked back over his shoulder at me. “I understand.”

“Good,” I said. “Your power comes from here.” I used my hands on his hips to swivel them slightly until he mimicked the movement on his own. “Your hips and core will help you to move quicker, block impossibly hard hits, and attack with accuracy and strength.”

I released my hands and walked in front of him. We began slowly, with me showing where I would punch or kick him and then showing him the appropriate block. I was impressed at how quickly he learned. His movements were becoming more and more fluid.

Several hours passed and I felt my hunger growing. “Let’s take a break and get some lunch.”

Neil rubbed the front of his left shoulder and nodded. “Good, I could use a break.”

Before he could finish speaking I moved his hand away from his shoulder and felt it. Thick solid muscle enlarged from use. I used my thumb to press into the spot where the front shoulder muscle attached to the bone and he winced slightly. “It’s inflamed a little. Ice it while we eat and make sure to tonight as well.”

I still had my hands on his shoulder and that awkward moment of realizing I was close to him hit me. The warmness of his eyes held me there longer than I meant to stay. Pulling away, I turned to leave, breaking the moment.

“How’s it going?” Emrys said, strolling towards me. I could see by the smirk on his face he had witnessed what had just happened and the warmth from my cheeks betrayed every word out of my mouth.

“We’re just getting started, you needn’t worry,” I snipped.

I walked past him and never looked back.

I ate quickly and mostly listened to others talk but didn’t add much to the conversation. The dining hall was full and today the energy buzzed with excitement. Tuatha, Druids and Knight descendants were intermixed in their seating. Laughter and camaraderie filled the room. Neil sat next to me and mostly spoke to Treasach. They laughed a few times at my expense, comparing the horrible training experiences I’d subjected them to.

I raised my eyebrow as Treasach rose, he kissed the top of my head then winked at Neil. “Listen to her and you’ll have nothing to worry about. She trained me. She’s the best.” Then he headed off.

“The King’s children love you,” Neil said as a statement, not a question.

“And I love them with all of my heart,” I replied. “Time to practice attacking, so finish up.”

We went back to the stables and practiced until evening, followed by dinner with everyone else. We stuck to this schedule for two months. Run in the morning. Defensive training before lunch, attack training after and then dinner. My evenings were spent with Emrys and the King debriefing them on how the day went.