Lucky

Chapter 15

Deaglan's eyes hurt from reading. His legs and butt hurt from sitting. His back ached from being hunched over. Even his fingers were sore and cracked from having spent so many hours turning through page after page. But he didn't care. He would not move until he had the answer that he sought, even if it took him the rest of his life to find it.

It had been three days since the Battle of Falias, as it was now known. Three days since the Fomorian arm was defeated by the might of the Tuatha de Dannan and three days since peace had finally come to the Otherworld for the first time in its history.

In those three days much had been said of what had taken place, and how. The tale of Deaglan and Kaie had spread like wild fire from one end of the city to the other. The Mac Tuatha spoke openly, boasting even, about how Deaglan and Kaie had crossed the Otherworld in search of the Spear of Lug. They spoke of melee's with Dobhar-Chu, of wrestling matches with Oillipheist and how Deaglan had laughed in the face of an Am Fear Liath Mor.

From there the tales only grew. Deaglan had been hailed a hero for the way he had faced off against the mighty Calor. It was said that Deaglan danced around the blade of Calor and mocked him openly while the god swung until he was red in the face. It was said that Deaglan shot fire from his palms and lightning from his eyes as he smite the forces around him. It was even rumored that Kaie, the Beautiful Banshee – as she was now known -- sacrificed herself as a means to finally bring the mighty god to his knees once and for all.

But that wasn't where the tales stopped. Mac Germait was spoken about with a reverence that even he could not have predicted. He slew enemies by the hundreds, with a single stroke of his blade, sending them flying back and over the horizon as if they were flowers in the wind. And when he did get his hands on the Sword of Light he named each of the Fomorian giants and killed them one by one.

That part was true enough at least. Deaglan had heard from Mac Culit's own mouth that as soon as the Sword was given to Mac Germait, he went about eliminating the Fomorian like an exterminator on a mission. The only one to get away was Calor himself who was far enough back from the front line to see that the battle was lost, fleeing immediately.

And the battle was lost too, Never before had so many Mac Fomorian fallen to the blades of the Mac Tuatha. Once the Fomorian giants were killed, the Mac Fomorian lost their way. Some tried to flee, some tried to surrender and most died. Well over three quarters of the army died that day, and many more died later as they crossed the Otherworld in an effort to make it back to the home unaided.  The Tuatha sent kill squads after them, cleaning them up and wiping them from the face of the Otherworld for all time.

There was a lot to celebrate in the city of Falias following the Battle of Falias, and most were only too happy to celebrate too. For three full days the celebrations roared. The Mac Tuatha spoke of a new age, one in which the Otherworld would finally begin to grow and blossom into the beauty that it once was. They spoke of moving to the cities long abandoned, rebuilding and repopulating. They spoke of peace. Yes, there was much to celebrate.

The only person in all of Falias who wasn't celebrating was Deaglan.

Those three days were spent locked away in the Great Library, reading. He read until his eyes bled. He read until he could no longer keep his head up and off the page. He read until the candles he used burned out entirely. And then he read some more.

It was the death of Kaie that brought this on. Once the battle was over, her body was retrieved and when he saw it, a fresh wave of grief was brought about the likes of which he had never felt. He crumbled and he broke at the sight of her. He begged for Mac Germait to do something, anything. Surely there was a way to bring her back? There had to be. Although Mac Germait had insisted that there was not, that death was permanent, Deaglan wasn't so sure. In fact he knew that wasn't the case.