Overcomer - The Battle - Judy Colella (best love novels of all time .TXT) 📗

isn’t dead – it’s eternal, after all, but only shut away for the rest of Time – has been replaced by another, one more subtle and clever, more like its Master.”

“And?”

“And, well, for right now, neither this new General nor the Most Evil One wants to be bothered with you, so that isn’t the problem. However, there is much mischief afoot, and no one is sure where or in what manner it will be manifested.” The Keeper shook his head in disgust. “We’re all watching in our own way, but I have to warn you, lad, that a time is coming when you will be called upon once again to help. All those fancy titles Celesta gave you are more than ego-building designations. Do you remember them?”

“Um, yeah, but it’s a little embarrassing.”

“Then I’ll say them for you – Time Warrior, Sword-Wielder of the Light, Defender of the Balance. Perhaps you should give them a little more thought, Cian, especially the last one. Like it or no, you do have a destiny, one you must continue to fulfill.”

The boy nodded and looked around him at the pathways stretching in all directions, each containing countless portals. If he remembered correctly, the Keeper was the Guardian of the Balance, but now he, Cian, was its Defender. Knowing from the progress of his own life how easily that Balance could be tipped, he could readily understand the need for both.

“When I am called upon, I’ll answer and be ready,” he said, sounding like someone much, much older.

“Then I am content,” said the Keeper. “Amergin, my old friend, please return this remarkable young man to his home.”

“As you say,” the Druid answered, rising. “Come, Cian. It’s a bit of a journey to your portal.”

 

*******

 

“Mondays suck,” said Katie, dragging herself from the lockers as they prepared to go to English II class.

She and Celeste had been returned home late Friday night, emotionally and physically frazzled, but – to their parents’ relief – completely intact. Not until Saturday afternoon had Celeste been able to talk about what had happened, and then only through sporadic bouts of crying. Amergin had told her that Cian would probably be all right, but he’d looked so awful, so horribly….dead.

As for Katie, her mother didn’t want to hear anything at all about what had transpired, telling her daughter she was glad to have her home, and that was all that mattered. It was as though the woman’s natural sense of humor had left with Katie, but hadn’t bothered to come back. She had made Katie stay home all weekend, and the girls had needed to be content with brief phone conversations and the occasional text – they were too upset to talk for very long anyway, even to each other.

So as dreadful as Mondays were, the weekend had been even worse.

Celeste, walking beside Katie, said nothing. She was devastated. It had been too long, she felt. If Cian hadn’t been brought back by now, there was a good chance he never would be. And why? Because he had probably died. She gulped back more tears, wishing she could go home and hide under the covers forever.

When they reached the classroom door, Celeste hung back. “I – I think I’m going to see the nurse,” she said in a barely audible voice. “I can’t go in there, Katie. Not without – ” a sob lodged itself in her throat and prevented her from continuing.

“Oh, Celeste.” Katie understood. “I’ll go with you if you want.”

“Go where?”

The two girls turned, both gasping at the same time.

Without a word, Celeste threw her arms around Cian, holding him so tightly he could barely breathe. And it didn’t help that Katie was hugging both of them. Both girls began sobbing with relief, and he held them gently, biting back his own emotions at seeing them like this. Had they actually missed him as much as he did them, especially Celeste?

“Excuse me,” said Mrs. Farrell, coming to the door, “class is about to start. Think you might want to join us?”

The girls pulled away – reluctantly to be sure – both wiping their eyes.

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” said Cian, his accent oddly more Irish than Southern drawl, “but would you mind terribly if we excused ourselves from class today? I would be ever so grateful.” He gave her a warm smile, and her knees almost buckled.

“Oh, uh, why of course, Mr. MacDara. Whatever, um, take as much time as you need – the homework will be on the board if you’d like to stop by later and copy it down.”

“You’re wonderful, ma’am. Thank you.”

“Ha! It’s nothing – nothing at all!” One hand fluttering over her heart, she went back into the classroom and shut the door.

The girls started to laugh through their tears as soon as she was far enough from the door to be out of earshot.

“Any idea how you do that?” asked Katie, almost herself again.

“None,” he answered honestly.

Celeste took a long, shuddering breath, finally under control. “You sound different. In fact, you look a little different, too. How long were you gone?”

“About a month is all, but I was speaking Gaelic the whole time. Sorry.”

“For what?” This was Katie, who found the extra Irish in his speech rather cute.

“Nothing. Can we go somewhere and talk?”

They chose the benches by the bike racks outside, several feet away from the bus area and far enough away from the school to avoid being overheard.

“What happened to you?” Celeste demanded once they were sitting.

The metal mesh benches were cold, and for once Cian was extremely glad he wasn’t wearing a tunic and leggings. “It took about two weeks before I woke up,” he said, “but then I seemed to get better rather quickly.”

“But where? Where did the Keeper take you?” Katie pulled the collar of her jacket closer. It was the beginning of March, and the real warmth of spring was still a long time away.

“To Tara in Amergin’s time. I was given some kind of elixir by their chief healer.” He gave a short laugh. “Said he knew it tasted like rabbit piss, and he certainly had the right idea. But it really worked.” He thrust his hands into the pockets of his wool jacket. “I did wonder, though, how he knew what rabbit piss tasted like.”

“Cian!” Katie punched him in the arm, giggling at his remark. She was so filled with relief she was becoming giddy with it.

“Anyway,” he told them, grinning slightly, “that’s how I got better. Then Amergin had me help him stop some cattle thieves, and after that, he brought me to the Hub and then home.”

Celeste noted silently that he considered Connecticut his home, and not Ireland or Atlanta. Good.

“How is the Keeper?” she asked. “He went off to get Amergin, and that was the last we saw of him.”

“He’s fine, I guess. Oh, and he gave me a harp to give you to replace the other one. When I got to the portal in Mystic, I called Katie’s mother for a ride, but she said she had some kind of appointment, and had your mother pick me up instead and drive me here. I left the harp with her, which, uh, is what I really needed to talk to you both about.”

They gave him a puzzled look.

“Apparently, there will be times ahead when our, um, help will be needed again. When that happens, Celeste, you’ll be given back the one you used in the meadow. Meanwhile, Michael gave me this bloody great sword to hold on to for the same reason.”

“Excalibur, you mean?” asked Katie. “You do realize what you have, yes?”

“No. He told me to ask both of you, maybe go to the library and read about it. So no, I don’t have any idea what the huge flap is about this thing, except that it really is beautiful as swords go, probably the most perfect one I’ve ever seen or handled.”

Katie and Celeste exchanged a look. “You’ve never heard of King Arthur?” asked Celeste, a little incredulous.

“Or Gwenevere?” Katie added.

“Or Sir Lancelot?”

“The Round Table?”

“Merlin?” they said at the same time.

“Stop!” Cian put his hands over his ears, laughing. “I have no idea who you’re talking about, okay?”

Sitting on either side of him, the girls leaned forward in order to see each other, and nodded. “Mission!” they exclaimed simultaneously.

Cian groaned.

 

 

 

 

 

The End

For Now

Imprint

Text: Judy Colella
Images: Lazslo Kugler
Publication Date: 03-26-2014

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