Fate/Curadh Beag

Chapter 23: An Aftermath and Uncertainty

FATE/CURADH BEAG

"Little Champion"

Chapter 23: An Aftermath and Uncertainty

"Uuuuungh..."

Naoise let out a low moan of agony as he regained consciousness. He was momentarily befuddled as to why he had passed out, but quickly realized he was lying on top of someone. Then he recalled witnessing the ominous red light emanating from Cuchulainn's Gae Bolg, and knew it could only mean trouble. He had instinctively thrown himself over Deirdre to shield her from the blast, since they were so close to the epicenter of this new disaster. Fortunately, the cursed spear had exploded deeper within the earth's surface, keeping the damage contained to just more violent rumbling and further wrecking of the race track. The couple remained uninjured, but were understandably stunned by the whole ordeal.

"Aah... N... Nao... ise..." Deirdre mumbled in a half-awake daze.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

"I... think so. What about... you?"

"I'm unharmed. Just take it easy."

They sat there for a long while, trying to parse what in the world just happened. A few minutes later, they heard numerous footsteps approaching as guardsmen and citizens alike barged in to see the extent of the destruction for themselves.

"Cor blimey..." the stadium's owner gasped in dismay. "This is much worse than I thought."

"I guess that means we have to tear it all down and build from scratch," one of his assistants said.

"You might be right. There's no way this can be fixed with a few patch jobs."

"So, no more horse races for a while, huh?" one of the older men moaned dejectedly. "Damn it all. It was all I had to help me keep my mind off of my daughter's suicide. I guess we're not allowed to have nice things in this world, are we?"

"Don't say that," one of the druids told him. She had been called in along with some colleagues to administer aid to anyone who was potentially injured. She assured the heartbroken fellow, "The stadium is an important place for everyone in Emain Macha, if not all of Ireland. I'm sure they'll construct a new track that's even more grand than the previous, especially considering how long ago this one was first built. Maybe it will be even more special for you if you offer to help with the construction."

"Perhaps..."

The mood was similarly morose for many other townsfolk who saw the race track as their center of culture, and a vital source of income for many families. To Naoise and Deirdre, however, none of that was of their concern. They could only think about Connla, Fir and Fial, who were all still inside the fissure when Gae Bolg struck. They couldn't imagine any of them surviving such a tremendous blast.

Suddenly, another man pointed to the sky and exclaimed with a deep accent, "Oy! Look up there, y'all! There be somethin' red an' glowy comin' down!"

To the crowd's astonishment, a bright red bubble descended from above and hovered before them. Inside was the comatose Connla, with her torso and arms slumped forward, one hand clenched around her spear, and the other holding Mini Cu's tail. Moments prior to Gae Bolg destroying the last of Macha's curse, Cuchulainn had cast a spell on Connla's body to quickly fly her out of the blast zone. However, the strain turned out to be too much for him, since he had to do all of this from a remote location kilometers away. Once he accomplished what he wanted to do, he lost mental contact with Connla and slipped into a coma, his magical energy completely exhausted.

"Oh my word!" Deirdre cried out.

The orb gently set her down on the ground several feet away from the crevice, then disappeared as it lost its energy. The concerned onlookers ran up to her, and both Naoise and Deirdre kneeled beside her. The former cradled her head upon his hand and urged, "Hey! Are you okay!? If you're awake, then open your eyes!"