Embers in the Dark

Prologue

Darkness surrounded the chamber in which The Morrigan was kept.  Chained down in enchanted irons, the goddess hunkered down on her knees, trying to figure a way out of this predicament.  She had been abducted straight out of Tír na nÓg and was now...who knows where.  The Morrigan had suspected for a long time that Carman was getting extra help from someone, but from who?  Whoever it was, their power definitely matched her own.  So, it had to be a god.

But which god could have hid themselves from her prophetic sight for so long? 

Just then, a door outside her magical cage opened and in walked Carman with a dark urn in her hands.  The woman swayed across the floor with a big smile on her face.

"Would you like to know what I have in here?" Carman asked lightly.

The Morrigan moved herself a little closer and peered at the urn.  The answer came to her immediately when she saw what was inscribed on it.

"You...you took Lilly and Arthur's unborn child?!" The Morrigan roared.

Carman giggled.  "I sure did."

The Morrigan groaned out and slammed her fist against the barrier.  "You are such a gobshite!  Do you have any idea what you have done?!"

Carman snickered before settling down in a chair.  "Yes I do, and I really don't care about the repercussions, especially since there won't be any."

"There are always repercussions, Carman!  The dark magic you are meddling in is karma based!" The Morrigan argued.

"And your meddling in the lives of us mortals isn't?!" Carlan shrieked, standing up and walking up to the magical barrier.  "Reincarnating your daughter into a human?!  Training her to defeat me?!  Bringing Lilly back to life?!  Oh!" Carman growled, looking up.  "The list of your offensive meddling just keeps going."

"Lilly is the balance the this world needs!" The Morrigan spat, looking up at Carman.  "And when she finds you, you better pray to your Greek gods that you are shown even a shred of mercy!"

A loud cackle escaped Carman.  "Yeah, that won't be happening any time soon."

"What do you mean?  Did you kill Lilly?!"

"No," Carman laughed, looking down on her prisoner.  "No, she's alive.  But...as far as her meddling goes, she's done with all that."

The Morrigan chuckled.  "If you truly believe that, then you don't know Lilly very well."

"Of course I do.  I've watched her every move since her birth, gia ónoma tou Theoú," Carman explained.  [For God's sake.]

Morrigan closed her eyes and sighed.  "What have you done?"

"I have divided and conquered," Carman replied, walking back to the chair.  "Adair has gone off trying to find where you're at, and she won't find you," she said, gracefully sitting down,  "Arthur and Lilly did nothing but fight, fight and fight since I took Cahira so Lilly has moved on to greener pastures.  Arthur is at home with Aoífe and Arthur Jr. and is positively fuming with guilt and regret, and Ogma and Brigid have gone back to Tír na nÓg to fight in the war."

"You underestimate them all.  They'll all be back."

Carman snorted.  "Even if they do, it won't be for a while.  And by then, I'll be unstoppable."

"So what?  You're just living on borrowed time?"

Carman giggled and leaned back.  "I prefer to look at it as getting what I wanted."

"And have you gotten it yet?" The Morrigan asked with a smirk.

"Almost," Carman replied with a sigh.  "Now I just have to find Olena's soul that you have hidden from me."

The Morrigan groaned in frustration and lowered her head.  "I've told you this before.  Olena no longer had a body to return to, which makes it impossible to resurrect someone."

"Well, now I have a body to use."

"Even so, she won't look like Olena.  And still, I don't have Olena's soul.  Olena was Greek, just like you are.  Her soul has to be in Tartarus."

Carman shook her head.  "Not according to my mentor."

The Morrigan turned and leaned her back on the barrier.  "And who is your mentor?"

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough.  Well," The Morrigan heard Carman stand up and walk away.  "This has been fun.  We should do it again real soon."

As Carman left the room and shut the door, The Morrigan clasped her hands together and put them to her forehead, closing her eyes.

"To all the gods and goddesses of the lands and the seas and the air, if you can hear me, I need your help," she whispered.  "I pray to any who might hear my call.  I am The Morrigan, the Irish Goddess of Death, War, Prophecy and Fate.  I have been captured by someone who is powerful, vengeful, and a complete idiot."

As The Morrigan continued her prayer, reciting everything from memory about the things that had happened, did happen, and might happen, she siphoned what little power she had stored inside herself to a small patch of clothing from her red dress.  Once finished, she tore the clothing and placed the piece of fabric in her palm, watching it glow with magic.

"Whoever gets this, find Lillian Rose Morgan.  Set her back on the right path," she mumbled before blowing on it.

It floated into the air before zipping itself out of existence.  The Morrigan laid down on her side, a little winded from the use of her magic.

"Please let this work," she prayed.