Emily's House: Book 1 of the Akasha Chronicles

Chapter 49: The Dughall Enigma

Chapter 49: The Dughall Enigma

“We must talk young Emily about our friend Dughall.”

“From what Hindergog told me, Dughall is no friend of mine.”

“A wise human once said, ‘If you know neither yourself nor your enemy, you will always endanger yourself’. You have learned much about yourself here in this land of mist and fog, have you not?”

“Yes, Goddess, I have.”

“Then it is time for you to learn about your enemy. What do you think he is after?”

“I thought you knew! You must know.”

“It is a simple thing to know the hearts of humans, but not so simple to know the plans of one who is no longer quite human. Dughall spent many years in the Umbra Nihili, perfecting his ability to hide his thoughts and plans from all, including me. I have ideas about this dark one. But you Emily, must understand him if you are to stop him.”

“I don’t think I want to know anything too deep about him.”

“If he is successful with his quest, it will surely lead to the destruction of your world and perhaps even this one. If you are to end his quest, you will need to know something of the man that you are destined to meet.”

Brighid told me Dughall’s story. I learned about his enslavement as a child, the horrible life of his mother, his escape and the Umbra Nihili. It was hard to listen to it. At time, I found myself feeling sorry for him. But as the story went on, my anger rose.

I lost my mom too. Okay, she wasn’t a slave and wasn’t killed at the hands of another. But I watched her be tortured by the alien tar being. My dearest one got snatched from me too. I didn’t go on a murderous rampage.

“It is one of the mysteries of humans. Infinitely fascinating creatures.”

“What mystery?”

“That two different individuals, in similar circumstances, can choose such divergent paths. You walk the path of yellow bricks. Dughall walks a path paved with the broken and scoured bones of his enemies.

“Now you know his story. What do you think he is after?”

I reflected on the story. It was clear to me that Dughall wanted power and revenge. But there was more to it too. After a while it dawned on me. Maybe he was more like me than I cared to think. And maybe like me, he wanted to be reunited with one he lost. As soon as I thought it Brighid’s robes shimmered ever brighter.

“He wants to find his mother,” I said.

“Yes, smart girl.”

“But why does he want to come here? I have learned that this is not the place of human spirits.”

“No, it is not.”

“Maybe he is mistaken. Maybe he thinks it is and boy will he be disappointed when he gets here. He’ll find nothing but mist and fog.”

“Ah, that would be the fates playing a cruel joke on one who deserves such a joke.”

“Do you think that is what will happen then, if he makes it here?”

“The portends of the future speak of another possibility.”

“Then what is it? What could he hope to find here?”

“Ah, that is one of the mysteries for which we will need to go deeper.”

“Mysteries? You mean there is more to this place than I’ve seen?”

“Much more to the mysteries, my Youngling. Much more.”

“You will teach me then, won’t you? If I’m to defeat Dughall, I have to know all there is to know about this place.”

“You will learn the mysteries that you need to complete your task. Perhaps someday you will return to learn more mysteries. Now, it is time.”

“Time for what?”

“Time to learn about the mystery of time.”

“Time is a mystery?”

“Time, space. Here, there. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. All just different names for one. If you learn this lesson, you will have a most powerful weapon, one that will help you defeat Dughall.”

As always in the Netherworld each question was answered with a riddle wrapped inside an enigma.

“More riddles Goddess.”

“What is life without riddles young one?”

I thought that I’d seen every strange thing there was to see in that place. I was wrong.