Page 21 of Queen of the Hollow Hills (Eagles and Crows #3)

CHAPTER 20

W hile Corva’s push to send me to rest may have been motivated by something other than a concern about my sleep, I was glad she had done so. It was only a few hours later when there was a knock on my door.

“Queen Cartimandua?” I heard Conall call. “My queen, Priestess M?d has sent for you.”

I sat up groggily, my eyes squinting. The hour was so early. The sun had not yet risen. It took me a long moment to orient myself.

“Cartimandua?” Conall called again.

“I’m awake,” I called back to him. “I will join you in a moment. Please wake Corva.”

“Yes, my queen.”

Rising groggily, I went to the table, where I poured water into a basin. I sat for a long moment, letting my mind clear, then made ready.

I exited the bedchamber a moment before Corva. Everyone in my party looked rumpled and tired, but it mattered not. I signaled to Conall, and we went back downstairs, where a dark-robed priestess of the Cailleach waited.

“Queen Cartimandua,” the priestesses greeted me, then turned to Corva. “Priestess. My queen, we must ride at once. We track the moon and stars. Let us not delay.”

“Very well,” I said, then turned to Aedan, who was waiting.

“They have readied your horse. Shall I send a household guard as well?” Aedan asked.

“No guards,” the priestess told him. “Not even your own, my queen. That was M?d’s word.”

“But—” Conall began in protest, but the priestess lifted a hand to silence him. “The High Priestess said you would protest, sir, but my lady will not be denied. No one is permitted where we are going save our order and her majesty,” the woman replied, her expression firm. She turned to me. “My queen.”

“I understand,” I told her, then turned to Conall. “All will be well. I will return soon.”

Conall frowned. “I don’t need to tell you I don’t like it,” he said, then turned to Corva, giving her a knowing look.

She inclined her head to him.

With that, we went outside, where the horses and two other priestesses waited. No torches had been hoisted. They stood alone in the moonlight.

I mounted Branagán and then reined in beside Corva.

“I am ready,” I told her.

Corva gestured to the others who spurred their horses, making their way to the gate of the chieftain’s house. The guards there opened the door for them.

“Be safe, Cartimandua,” Aedan called, a worried expression on his face.

“You look nervous, Chieftain,” I replied.

Aedan smiled. “Never, my queen.”

“Do not let our queen’s caprice get to you, my friend,” Conall told him. “Imagine how you would worry if assigned as her guard.”

At that, Aedan chuckled.

I gave them both a smile, then tapped Branagán’s reins and set off behind the priestesses.

It was the dead of night, the full moon shining overhead. I looked up, catching sight of the three sisters.

Brigantia. Cailleach. Be with me. Be with us all. Rome rides. Protect us.

“It is merely smoke before the fire,” a gravelly voice replied.

We rode away from the village, turning off a cart path and into the dense woods. From there, we found a path that followed a stream, leading away from all signs of humanity. We rode for over an hour when I felt a strange shift in the air. The hair on my arms rose, and I felt a tingling at the base of my neck. Around me, the landscape grew rocky, with heaps of stones poking out of the ground, some of which surrounded caves. And from within, I felt eyes on me…

The little ones of the hollow hills watched in silence.

Following a path leading up a hill, we emerged onto a plain.

Then, for the very first time, I saw them…the Claws of the Cailleach.

Taller than five men standing on top of one another, they were aligned in a straight row across a grassy field. Under the moonlight, I saw the wildflowers swaying in the breeze. Beside each stone, a torch flickered, casting orange and black shadows on the rocks.

The tall monoliths were nearly square in shape but tapered, cone-like, toward the top. Trailing down from the pinnacle of the stones, deep grooves had been cut into the rocks, making the stone look almost like arrows…or claws. In the distance, I saw more torches and what appeared to be a circle of similar, claw-shaped stones.

We dismounted. I took Branagán’s reins, leading him on. The horse eyed the monolith, his withers quivering as we passed. When Corva joined me, I saw that she had a pensive look on her face.

“What is this place, really?” I whispered to her.

“It is a place of deep and ancient magic. Like the great henge of the three sisters, this place is older than memory. And its use… That is a secret known only to the High Priestess of the Cailleach. But today… Today, we will see.”

I eyed the stones. “The stones. They are grooved.”

Corva nodded.

“Why?”

“I do not know.”

When we approached the final stones, I saw they were formed similarly to the other, with grooves at the top, but sat in a nearly complete circle. There was an opening in the stones to the south, aligning with the row of stones in that direction.

Within the stones, M?d and her priestesses waited. I saw no sign of Onnen and the priestesses of Brigantia.

“Queen Cartimandua,” M?d said, joining me. She gestured to two of the younger priestesses to take the horses. The young girls took the reins and headed off in the darkness, across the field, to a grove of trees not far away. For some reason, I felt that M?d was trying to get the horses as far from the stones as possible.

“High Priestess.”

“Come. The moon is beginning her descent. We must make ready.”

“What is this place, M?d?”

M?d lifted her hands. With one hand, she made a clutching gesture. She then fanned her other hand, aligning it with the wrist of her clutched hand. “The Cailleach reaches from the earth, one hand summoning the magic of the hollow hills, the other directing it.”

“The magic of the hollow hills,” I whispered. “I… I sensed them. They watch us this night.”

“They watch you , Cartimandua. At all times,” M?d said, then turned to the others. “Take your places,” she told the priestesses.

“What are we doing here?” I asked M?d.

M?d looked pensive. “This night, we shall perform a rite not done in many, many years. We will draw the magic from the ground, find the Roman emperor, and stop him.”

“But how?” I asked.

“We shall make an offering to the Cailleach, asking for her help.”

“But how do we stop him?” I asked. “Can he be killed with this magic?”

M?d tipped her head to the side. “Perhaps.” She gestured to the line of stones. “The voice of the Cailleach will rise,” she said, gesturing to the center stones, “and with great sacrifice, we will gain her favor. With her magic in our hands, we will act.”

“What sacrifice?”

M?d flicked her gaze toward Corva.

“The sacrifice the Cailleach demanded,” M?d said. “Now, take your place there,” M?d told me, pointing north. “We must have you in this rite, as the Cailleach decrees, for you are queen, mother, and shield of the Brigantes. Corva, see to her. We will begin now.”

“Cartimandua,” Corva said, gesturing for me to accompany her.

“I don’t understand what is happening,” I replied, frustrated by M?d’s vagaries.

Corva paused and frowned. “M?d is priestess, but you are queen. Do not forget,” she told me, then led me to a place before the tallest of the five stones in the circle.

The priestesses stood in a semi-circle around the opening of the stones, M?d waiting at the center.

Once everyone was in place, one of the women lifted a carnyx and blew, sanctifying the place with the sound. She blew the instrument three times, and then another of the priestesses began to beat a drum.

M?d raised her arms to the sky. “May all you ancient things listen to my voice. Winds of the north, I call you now! Mountains to the east, I call you now. Waters to the west, I call you now. Fire! Fires in the south, I summon you to attend us!”

The carnyx sounded once more, and a stiff wind blew across the field, making the torches flicker.

“Cailleach, lady of winter,” M?d called in a deep voice as the drum thudded in the background. “Cailleach, deep in the hollow hills, you sleep. Deep in darkness, you sleep. Wake! Wake! Wake! The eagle is soaring! Wake!”

“Wake,” the priestesses called.

“Wake!” M?d called again.

“Wake,” the women chanted once more.

“Wake!” M?d called sternly, then turned to me.

The priestesses were silent.

M?d gestured for me to speak.

“Wake, Cailleach. I, Cartimandua, Queen of Brigantes, beg your favor. Wake, mother of the hollow hills. Wake and hear our plea. The day you warned of has come to pass.”

With that, a stiff breeze blew once more, and I heard the sound like a moan on it. To my surprise, the wind whipped hard, and on it, I saw a whirlwind of snowflakes.

“Ancient Cailleach,” M?d called. “Flex your fingers and summon your magic. Far to the south, the eagle flies as the lords of this land sleep. We bid you rise this night to protect our ancient oaks, stones, mountains, and dark places! We summon you amongst us!”

“Smoke…smoke before the fire…” a voice whispered from a torrent of snow that formed at the center of the circle, whirling like a living thing.

“We must extinguish the flame, Dark Mother. We must call upon your great magic in this time of need. Let the old magic within the hollow hills rise and use it like an arrow against our enemies! To appease you, we offer you the greatest of sacrifices given freely by those who come,” M?d said, then turned and gestured behind me.

I turned to see a priestess leading two young women—no, not women, girls—forward. Dressed in flowing white gowns, flowers on their head, the young women entered the circle. One girl had very long black hair. The other was fair; her locks were so blonde that they looked white. Their feet were bare. The priestess led them to the center of the circle, where snowflakes still swirled. The girls gave one another a long look. I could see from their eyes that they were dazed. A heady brew had made their minds light. The blonde-haired girl squeezed the other's hand, just a quick gesture of reassurance, and then they knelt on the ground, back to back. Before them were small stones that looked like those of the Cailleach’s claws in miniature. The small spurs, no more than hip-high, protruded from the ground. The girls placed their hands on the stones before them.

How young they were, how innocent.

M?d walked toward them, pulling a long, silver sword from her belt.

“Cailleach!” she called. “Tonight, your untouched daughters, echoes of Brigantia and yourself in the mortal realm, come to this sacred place as sacrifice,” M?d called.

Realization washed over me. My eyes widened.

M?d would sacrifice those girls, would take their lives, to perform her rite.

“…as daughters of our sacred order, they freely offer their lives in exchange…”

My body trembled as I looked at the brave girls. There was no fear on their faces, yet they were so young. They had not lived. It was not right. They were Brigantes women. They were women of my tribe. They were my people. And I was their queen. Above all, I had sworn to protect the Brigantes. Is that not who these girls were? Brigantes?

The blonde-haired girl looked briefly at me as if wanting to see me once before…

“…tonight, we make this gift of blood?—”

“No!” I said sternly, stepping forward.

Several of the priestesses gasped.

“No!” I called again. “I forbid it.”

“Cartimandua!” M?d chided me harshly. “You disrupt the rite. Step back. This is not your place.”

“Not my place? Everywhere I step in this land is my place. I am queen here, and I say these girls will not be sacrificed.”

“You do not understand,” M?d told me harshly. “The Cailleach must have a sacrifice, or she will not act. We must continue. Corva,” M?d snapped, gesturing for the priestess to pull me back.

I looked at Corva. The expression on her face told me she understood me better. She did not move.

My gaze shifted to the girls once more. They were too young, too innocent. My heart ached at the thought of their deaths.

“We are willing to do what is necessary to protect our people, Queen Cartimandua,” the dark-haired girl told me.

“Brave girl, I thank you, but you are far too young to be asked to make such choices.”

I turned back to M?d. “I am queen of the Brigantes. I will not allow these girls to die this night.”

M?d stared at me long and hard. “The rite will not work unless great magic is called forth here,” she said, gesturing to the center of the stones. “It is our only chance, Cartimandua.”

“Does it have to be blood?” I asked. “Why must the blood of innocents be shed? Is there no other way?”

M?d stared at me. “Perhaps there is another way. But it is you, Cartimandua, who must pay it. You must take their place. We will not take their lives, but be warned, it is the Cailleach who will decide what price you will pay.”

I swallowed hard, then went to the girls, taking their hands and lifting them from the ground. One dark, one fair. Just girls. Looking from one to the other, meeting their eyes, I said, “I am queen and mother to all this land and all her people. I honor your willingness to protect our people this night, but I cannot allow it.”

“Let us bleed now to save others,” the blonde girl told me.

I smiled gently at her, pushing a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. “No, child.”

M?d gestured to the priestess standing nearby to take the girls away.

I turned and watched them disappear into the night.

M?d joined me. “You do not know what you have done, Cartimandua. You are the queen and can command me, but you cannot command the Cailleach. Hope that the sigil over your heart is enough to protect you,” she said, then took my arm and led me to the center of the circle. “On your knees, Queen of the Brigantes. Hold fast to the stones, and may the Cailleach be merciful.”

I lowered myself to the ground where the girls had knelt and then closed my eyes.

Cailleach, whatever power you need, take it from me. You have already taken my heart. Let me be the one to protect my people. Let it fall on me, not on the innocent…

The carnyx sounded again, and once more, M?d began to call as the priestesses chanted. They spoke an incantation in a language I did not know. Around me, the wind started to blow again, as M?d called.

“Cailleach, rise! Rise now, great mother of darkness. Rise now, lady of night! Rise now, lady of winter! Emerge from your deep sleep and be filled with rage. I summon the little people of the hollow hills to rise with us! Rise and lend us your power! Rise, and through the very body of the queen, let us do what must be done! Far away, Rome rides. We must stop this flood before it reaches our shores. Rise, Cailleach. Rise from the depths. Show us what we must do!”

The wind around me whipped harder. I gripped the stones at my sides as the wind threatened to blow me over.

Overhead, the sky rumbled, and the ground below me began to tremble. The cold wind, kissed with snow, pulled at my hair. I kept my eyes closed and waited.

Lightning cracked across the sky.

The priestesses continued their chanting.

It grew louder and louder.

My skin rose to gooseflesh as the wind pulled on me.

Overhead, lightning struck again and again. I smelled the scent of its fire in the air.

When it cracked again, I opened my eyes just a little. I looked, amazed to see that the lightning was not in the sky but was radiating down the line of stones, zipping across the five fingers and then circling the claw.

And then I saw my body.

I was glowing with a brilliant blue light.

Again and again, magic crackled as the priestesses called.

“Cailleach! Cailleach! Rise! Rise and give us your magic!”

With the next crack, my whole body shook. I felt seized with power, my teeth gnashing together, my back straining, everything going rigid. And then, it all grew dark, and the world became still and silent.