Category : Books-Fiction

Sub Category : Fantasy

                   Chapter 6 ○ Muirgen 
                         Ireland, 1915

        Breathe in, focus on nothing but your own energy. Let it crash over you in a symphony of unfathomable magic, let it take your breath away but stand strong while doing so; never let it bring you to your knees. That's what Muirgen was taught by her grandfather Lir, God of the Sea. To be a magician was one thing but if you put the pressure of being descended from multiple Gods on your soul it weighed you down. Especially if those deities were water Gods and you could barely handle spinning water in a cup without touching it. Muirgen always felt watched by those divine eyes, she felt as if she always had to prove something and it irritated her. 
      Muirgen stood in the lake not too far from the town in nothing but her brown dress. Her Caomhnóir gauntlet and shawl laid on top of a rock on the shore, next to the rock were her boots and socks. She let her long white hair flow freely past her shoulders and allowed it to cover parts of her face like a curtain. She believed that when using magic one should be as natural as one could.
      She took a deep breath and slowly moved her arms to the right, causing the water to begin to flow to that side of her. She lifted her hands slightly and the water raised above the surface in calm movements. She kept raising her arms until she was satisfied with the height of the water and twirled around fast. The water obeyed her command and circled around her. She did the same move again but faster and the water mimicked her movement just as fast. Before she made a complete circle, Muirgen moved her hands back slightly to gain momentum and once she made a full circle with her body she jerked her hands forward. The water slashed past her and went straight for a large stone in the lake. Muirgen moved her hands downwards and to the side in a slicing motion and, naturally, the water followed. It sliced through the stone and crashed back into the lake. The top of the stone slid off of itself and sunk beneath the waves. Muirgen turned away from the stone, child's play. She lifted her arms again but stopped when she heard clapping coming from behind her.
      Muirgen turned and saw Emmet sitting next to her Caomhnóir belongings, his dreads were down, two dreads one opposite sides of his face fell like ropes. He set his hands on his lap and tilted his head at her, his dreadlocks swaying, following his movements just as the water had followed Muirgen. His Emerald eyes bore into her and he had a small smile on his face. 

      "Practice?" He asked.
      
      "As always. What are you doing here?" Muirgen replied.

      "The King said I should watch you practice. He said I could learn from you." Emmet said as he brushed something off his knee.

      "Shouldn't it be the other way around?" 

      "Hmmm~?" He arched an eyebrow without looking at her.

      "You're the druid, you should know more magic than I do. That's your whole reason for being a druid, you're the one with the most knowledge on this kind of thing." She put her hands on her hips. Emmet looked back up at her and smiled.

      "I think your brother just wanted to eat in peace, Muirgen. I have no idea why. I make an excellent table guest." He sighed dramatically. 

      "Oh but of course you do! Just like death." She sighed and twirled her finger, a small cyclone of water broke the surface and spun by her thigh. Muirgen knew he was watching so she spoke up. "What are you looking at, Emmet?"

      "Your succulent thigh, ma'am." He purred. Muirgen shot him a glare and in a matter of seconds the cyclone grew and launched at Emmet. He sat there unphased and let the cyclone wash over him. However, once the water came into contact with the Druid, steam began to bellow from all sides. Muirgen tilted her head and let the water evaporate. It wasn't until she felt a strong arm wrap around her waist and a cool blade against her throat, she knew she was too slow.

      "I do know more about magic and elements than you, Muirgen, my dear. However, I don't flaunt it out in the open like you do." His words pounded into her head, his breath smelled of mint and was soothing against her skin. He moved closer to her ear and tightened his arm around her waist, he traced the knife down her neck and rested it above her cleavage. "However, I can flaunt something else if you'd like." He whispered. She gasped softly and bit the inside of her cheek, her face was bright red but she quickly calmed down and tilted her head.

      "Don't move away from me." She said with a shaky voice that she quickly hid with a giggle. 

      "Why would I want too?" He said. 

      "I don't know...do you have a death wish?" She asked, her voice was cold. She felt Emmet turn his head to look around. All around his sides and back were spikes of ice pointing at him. Muirgen may have not been able to drown him with the cyclone but she could impale him with these spikes and that fact alone satisfied her. 

      "Hmmm...impressive. I'd clap but my hands are full." He rubbed her waist and tapped the blade of his knife against her skin. She laughed and turned her head to face him.

      "Truce?" She asked.

      "Truce." He replied with a smile and dropped the knife. She let the spikes fall and turned to face him, he arched an eyebrow and tilted his head at her. She raised her hand and went to touch his cheek, he allowed it. What Emmet didn't expect was water splashing onto his face or Muirgen retreating to the shore on a wave. She giggled as he spit out the water and rubbed his face dry. He looked up at her, lips in a pout and his brows furrowed.

      "Now that wasn't very nice, Muirgen." He conplained. She shrugged with a laugh and pranced onto shore and grabbed her belongings. Emmet squinted and walked towards the shore. "Leaving so soon?" 

      "You found my practice spot, now I gotta go look for a new one." She nodded to herself.

      "It wasn't a very good spot for secrecy if it's right next to town"

      "Hey! Don't tell me how I should practice." She said as she pulled on her shawl. Emmet finally reached the shore and wringed out his dreads.

      "I wouldn't dare, but may I give a suggestion?" He asked. Muirgen rolled her pale eyes and turned to face him.

      "It would be an honor to hear what you have to say." 

      "I'm flattered you take my opinions to heart." He smirked.

      "I will drown you." Muirgen growled.

      "You have to catch me first." He purred. Muirgen huffed. "Anyway, why practice in lakes and rivers when you literally have a whole Ocean in your backyard? Wouldn't that make more sense? You are the child of Ocean deities, not lake or river ones. Your power is stronger in the Ocean and you can learn new ways of controlling it." 

      He was right. Muirgen knew she was strong but she was stronger at sea. Oceans connected to different parts of the world, different magic came to her from different cultures. She could feel her father's influence all the way from Greece, she could feel all the places her mother traveled when she was alive. That was the problem though, it hurt to use the ocean. The memories of her childhood hurt, they all flooded back to her whenever she was near the sea. Muirgen didn't know how Ronan did it, she didn't understand how he could return to the sea so easily after it took everything from them. Their mother washing away into sea foam after that sword was driven through her chest, how her father left so quickly afterwards; only to show up for their sixteenth birthday to give his children the gift of massive ships for their growing Navy, only then to leave as quickly as he arrived. Muirgen was so lost in her self-pity she didn't notice Emmet's hand on her shoulder or the concerned look on his god-like face until he spoke.

      "Muirgen? Are you okay? Did I say something wrong?" He asked softly, his voice still deep but now it was soft, like dust in the rays of light that passed through the blinds on a melancholic afternoon. The kind of afternoons that were shrouded in hues of gold and honey orange, the faint smell of pine and cinnamon clung the air, a faint breeze and soft music playing somewhere in the distance. Emmet was warm, so warm, unlike his father who was too hot to be near. It was comforting to Muirgen.

      "Yes, yes I'm fine. I just...I don't..." Muirgen bit her lip. She was the Guardian of the most powerful clan and yet she was standing here like a sheepish child who's done something wrong.

      "You don't...?" Emmet asked.

      "I don't like the ocean." She said. She turned her face away, she waited for his laughter. His taunts and jokes but all he did was squeeze her shoulder.

      "I hate the beach. Too much sand." He chuckled. "How about I help you look for a new practice spot?" He said happily as he picked up her socks. Muirgen looked at him with a shocked face, her mouth was open. He looked up at her and tilted his head in confusion. 

      "Why...?" Was all she could manage. 

      "Easy, I ruined your first practice space. Ah...but, if you want to get stronger you will have to overcome your fear of the ocean. I'm not letting you off the hook that easy." He said as he handed her her socks. Muirgen sat down and slipped them on her feet then grabbed her boots.

       "But-"
     
       "I'll be with you. How about this; you promise to practice in the Ocean and I'll bring you a gift everyday." He offered.

      "A...gift?" She asked as she laced up her boots.

      "I traveled all over the world and have many souvenirs from all the different countries. I'd be more than happy to give you some." He said with a smile.

      "I want to know the story behind it too!" She said happily and looked up at him. Emmet smiled big and nodded.

       "Deal." He chuckled.

                            ◇◇◇◇

      "No, no, no, no! You have to show that wave who's boss!" Emmet cried from the shore. Muirgen rolled her eyes and grumbled curses under her breath. How did she let him talk her into this foolishness!? They had been öracticing st the beach for four hpurs now. She roared at the wave and thrusted her arms up to stop it from hitting her. "Good, Muirgen! Good!" Emmet cheered. Muirgen knew she wasn't done yet.
      She spun and shot her arms out in front of her, the wall of water backed up, she smiled and that's when all hell broke loose. The water faulted and crashed over her, dragging her beneath the surface. Muirgen and Ronan were given the gift to breath under water, but when you hit ice cold water from two hundred feet above the surface, let's just say the Ocean can be unforgiving. The impact, as she broke through the surface, hit her head hard, her brain rattled against her skull, her teeth chattered, she was tossed over and over by waves until she felt like she was going to vomit. She summoned all the strength she could muster and willed the water to calm.

'Niiiiiice, Ocean. Please be nice to me? I don't want to die today, I'm sorry for being cocky.' She thought to herself. The waves subsided and she swam to the surface and took a deep breath of the salty air.

       "Muirgen!!" Emmet shouted from the shore. Muirgen sighed and swam towards him and laid herself across the sand. She gulped down air and tried to relax. Emmet kneeled beside her, checking for any injuries. "Oooooh, this is my fault. I'm so sor-" he stopped when Muirgen held a hand up. She looked up at the sky.

      "Our...little...secret." A couple of more breaths. "Ronan cannot know." She said. Emmet sat still.

      "B-Because he'll never let you practice alone, or with me, again?" He asked. Muirgen shook her head and patted his cheek. Warm.

      "He'll never stop cracking jokes." She said with an exhausted smile. Emmet blinked but then chuckled, he shook his head.

      "You need better priorities." He said as he brushed wet hair from her face.

      "Your present just better be worth all of this." She sneered. Emmet chuckled and sighed happily. Muirgen sat up and stretched. "I'm hungry, Lunch should be ready soon, we've been practicing for hours now." 

      "You go ahead. I have other things to attend to." He said as he gazed at something behind her. Muirgen arched an eyebrow and turned, nothing was there but cliffs. She pursed her lips and shrugged.

      "Alrighty then. I'll save a plate for you and bring it to you when I'm done." She said. Emmet nodded and stood.

      "Sounds good to me." He said as he held out his hand to help her up. Muirgen took his hand and stood. She eyed him for a bit then ran off towards the town, leaving Emmet alone on the beach.



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