It’s the sound of the young buck’s song that holds my hand, a sad melody with words I don’t understand but sentiments of yearning that need no explanation. That soft voice makes me think of Murragh, the sound of his singing as he tended the cattle, lonely days when mist drifted down from the hills and the farmland went silent. A lilting melody, it’s one I still hear in my dreams and which, on waking, makes me weep.
Numb to the core, I watch as the youth walks by, axe clutched useless in my dead, right hand. Oblivious to my presence, he moves along the trail, deeper into the trees and then abruptly out of sight.
It takes some time before I can move again. With my death grip loosening, my trembling axe hand drops, drawn down by the weight of the weapon. When I step out of the shadows, tears are welling in my eyes. My heart is pounding from the tension, the relief of my decision, the renewed grief for my lost son.
I cast a silent glance back in the direction the youth has taken. It’s too late now to change my mind, of course. Even had I wanted to. My best chance of ambush has been and gone, passed through the trees with the departing scout. Any attempt to take him now would undoubtedly end in failure.
I start back the ridge in a southerly direction, the opposite to that taken by my unwary opponent. As I walk, the birdsong rises, the wildflower blossoms spread wide towards the sun. In time, I’ll find a route down the valley, to the ráth and to my waiting friend.
Fiacail won’t be happy, of course. My decision to spare the younger scout means an end to the settlement of Ráth Bládhma, certain death for its inhabitants should they choose to stay. Deep down however, I think he’ll understand. A father once, my world is changed without my son. Seeing the love of other fathers, I no longer have the rage to kill.
My friend will despair and moan and curse. But, deep down, he’ll recognise that truth.
For now, my time in Gleann Ceoch is done. For me, it’s back to Seiscenn Uairbhaoil, my home and my family stretched quiet on the hills outside the settlement. I have my own path, my own silences to follow.
Until the Dark Lands beckon.
