The next few days were spent preparing for the journey to Akkadia. They prepared packs for the Eacha with their clothing, foodstuffs, blankets and other essentials. At last they were ready to depart on the morning of the third day. As they were leaving, they placed spells of enchantment and protection over their home and the surrounding lands and waters, so that it and the birds would remain safe until their return.
For several hours they rode through the mountains in silence. The Eacha were considerate of their riders and gave hardly a jostle as they traveled. They stopped by a stream at midday and spread a blanket on the grass under a willow tree, where they ate lunch. When they’d finished eating and had packed everything and were mounting up, Lodan said, “I have an idea. let’s tell stories to each other as we travel, it will make the journey go a little faster.”
Áine smiled, “Alright, you start, since it was your idea.”
“Ahhh… ye got me there, lass,” he laughed, “alright, I’ll start…
“Once upon a time, as all good stories start, there was a beautiful maiden named Sinánn who was crouched behind a hedge, secretly watching some wizards doing incantations in a grove of hazel trees near a water well made of crystal. As the wizards put the final touches on the ogham runes incised into the crystal well, the chief among them touched the base of the well with his long alder wand. Immediately water rose and fell in a graceful arc, fracturing into a million tiny diamonds in the first slanting rays of the dawn. He then touched each of the seven hazel trees that surrounded the fountain, linking them to it in a protective circle. The leaves on the trees began to shake violently, the berries pulsed and throbbed and almost before their eyes, the hazelnuts swelled and hardened.
“The chief wizard raised his arms and said, ‘See here, the Fruit of Knowledge.’ The other wizards murmured amongst themselves as the old man went from tree to tree inspecting the fruit. ‘They are all perfect; our task is complete.’ He leaned upon his long staff of alder and his hard grey eyes softened as they stared into the morning sun. ‘It is the beginning of the end,’ he said. With the sun at his back, he walked away from the small grove surrounding the crystal well.
“‘How long will it last?,’ asked one of the younger wizards. ‘Until humankind learns to breach its defenses,’ replied one of the older wizards. He gestured towards the grove. ‘We have gathered together the entire knowledge of the Sídhe in those seven trees and in the fruit they bear, we must not allow it to fall into the wrong hands…’ Their voices faded as they passed beyond the maiden and disappeared amongst the trees.
“Sinánn waited until she was sure they had gone before coming out from behind the hedge. The sun sparkled off her dark hair and she raised her hand and shielded her eyes from the sun. Slowly she walked towards the grove. Even from a distance it radiated magic and power. The trees were more delicate than normal hazels, their branches longer and the colors of their leaves more vibrant… only the fruit seemed the same. But the fruit of the trees contained the Seven Branches of Learning… the entire knowledge of the Sídhe.
“And it was hers for the taking.
“Sinánn grinned and thought to herself that if she only had all that Knowledge to herself, she could destroy the rest of the Sídhe folk and rule the younger race of Man. And she would be immortal. She stood beside the well, touching the crystal blocks. The well was surprisingly warm to her touch and soft, rather like skin, yet the water itself was cold, ice-cold. She knew that the wizards did not intend to leave the grove here; she knew that they intended to shift it beyond the world of Man to a place apart, where it would be accessible only to someone with great knowledge and magical power.
“She put her hand in the water, and felt delight at the tingling sensation that engulfed her hand and forearm. She could feel the power of the place crawl over her body. With a shiver she reached out her hand to pluck one of the hazelnuts… and the well seemed to erupt in all directions. An icy hand gripped the maiden and dashed her against the ground again and again. She retched as foul water forced its way into her lungs, choking her, drowning her.
“The maiden panicked, her arms thrashed wildly and her legs scrambled to keep her upright, but the grove was gone; the well was gone; there was nothing there but a world of ice-cold water, which burned her throat and eyes like fire. She was lifted higher and higher in the column of water. She tried to scream, but there was no sound. The water continued to rise, and rise… until suddenly, it fell. The huge wave carried the shattered lifeless body of Sinánn south and west, cutting a deep and wide swath through the lush countryside, until it reached the Western Ocean.” Lodan paused for effect.
“And then?” Áine asked.
“Oh,… it was a magnificent river… the Shannon,” Lodan grinned at her.
