Chapter Nine

Date: Unknown — Planet Designation: P2X-3YZ — Time: Unknown

 

The next morning, Daniel awoke with the smell of bacon wafting past his nose.  He was so comfortable he didn’t want to open his eyes just yet.  Sighing in contentment, he shifted a little, then froze.  Something was lying on his chest.  Vaguely remembering the Green Woman, his mind raced through the events of the previous evening, trying to recall if something had happened after all the mead he had consumed.

 

Slowly opening an eye, he let out a relieved breath.  He was face to face with a large cat.  Reaching out, he began to stroke the friendly feline and chuckled.  Luminescent blue eyes stared into azure ones.  He had never seen a cat with those color eyes before.  Usually, the eyes were merely yellow or green.  She was entirely black save for two faint white streaks streaming down from an ear to alongside one of her eyes.

 

“Hey there,” Daniel greeted his companion.  “Where did you come from?”

 

The big cat merely blinked at him with a smile on its furry face.  She seemed quite happy to continue lying on Daniel’s chest.

 

“You know,” the linguist said quietly, “I’m allergic to cats.”

 

Again, the cat blinked.  Daniel smiled at her and continued to pet the silky soft fur.  He could feel the low rumble of the cat’s purr course into his chest.  They stayed in this position for some time.  Daniel petting, the cat purring, in peaceful and soothing companionship.

 

A noise outside Daniel’s room had the cat’s tufted ears perk-up.  Turning its head towards the door, the cat mewed a greeting to Ta’om as he entered the room.

 

“You have a friend, I see,” the muscular fairy said with a grin.

 

Daniel smiled and tried again to sit up.  The cat gave him a disgruntled look and stretched out even more to prevent her comfy couch from moving.  Daniel laughed quietly at the cat.

 

“Seems she doesn’t want me to get up yet,” he told Ta’om.

 

Sitting down on the bed next to the archeologist, Ta’om stroked the cat’s back, making her arch and purr even louder.

 

“Cats are known for innately understanding the spirit of people.  And a fairy cat such as this will only approach a human if it senses a kinship with that person.”  Ta’om turned his gaze to Daniel, “She has become your familiar.”

 

Daniel turned his attention back to the black cat.  He looked into the feline’s eyes.  Unfathomable and shimmering, it reminded him of a vertical pool of sparkling water in a stone ring— He wasn’t real sure what the image was or even where he remembered it from.  It bothered him that his thoughts and memories seemed to be drifting in and out of focus.  Perhaps it was fairy magic, or he was just going plumb crazy.  But even that thought soon drifted out of mind.

 

“What’s her name, Ta’om?”

 

The elfin man laughed.  Daniel thought his laugh sounded like a symphony of bells that filled the room.

 

“You must ask her that, Daniel.  A familiar will only tell her name to her pet.”

 

The linguist raised his eyebrows up in surprise.  He asked incredulously, “I’m her pet?”

 

Both the cat and the fairy grinned.  Ta’om stood up and walked towards the door.  Saying over his shoulder, “If you are hungry, there is food in the main hall.  The cat will show you the way.”

 

The pair stayed reclined in a contented silence.  Daniel was wondering about his father.  How could he have been a Sidhe?  He knew his dad was half Irish-half Welsh, as so many from New York were.  And that his paternal grandfather was from the County Galway on the western coast of Ireland.  That memory sparked another.  Many of the Tuatha stories centered in and around County Galway.  Still, if Melburn really was one of the fairy folk, why had the man forgotten?

 

A story his mom had told him popped into his mind.  She said that she had seen Melburn in a pub in England when she was a student at Oxford.  Claire thought he was cute and decided to go over and talk with him.  The way she told the story, as soon as Melburn set eyes on her, he was smitten.  From then on, one was never seen without the other nearby.  Maybe she was what caused him to consider never returning to Tir Na n’Óg.  Could the desire for a woman really cause a man to leave a place such as this?

 

Then a new vision entered Daniel’s thoughts.  It took him a long time to get the image to come into focus.  He closed his eyes and concentrated hard.  As if lightning in a clear blue sky, he remembered.  A woman with dark hair and dark eyes, standing in long, flowing robes.  He lived with her in a desert and he knew that they were in love.  And she was the reason he did not go back.  Go back?  Back where?  Thinking of her made his heart ache though he couldn’t pinpoint why.  This forgetting thing was really starting to annoy him.

 

With his eyes still closed he absentmindedly continued to stroke the cat.  Another scene floated almost out of reach.  He could vaguely see a beautiful woman with long, black hair and smoky gray-blue eyes.  Daniel knew it wasn’t the woman from the desert.  But thinking of the smoky-eyed lady made him both warm, fuzzy and irritated all at the same time.  Who was she?  The picture would not sharpen enough to see her clearly.  She sort of resembled the Green Woman he danced with the night before.  Accept not green, but pale and soft and smelled of anise, like a sweet liqueur.

 

His head was starting to ache and his stomach to grumble.  Stretching out, Daniel slowly stood, unceremoniously plopping the cat on the floor.  She stared at accusingly, jumped back onto the bed and began to clean her paw.  As he gave her a small pout, the newly restored man tested his weight on his ‘new’ legs.  It was as if he’d never lost his old ones.  Muscle tone was firm and there were no, scars.  Daniel knew when he had come to Tir Na n’Óg it was for healing.  He remembered that his legs were missing, but not how nor why.  The cat meowed loudly jarring him from his thoughts.

 

He dressed and made his bed, despite the cat’s protest.  Sitting back down, Daniel again stroked his newfound friend.

 

“So,” he spoke to the animal, “are you going to tell me your name?”

 

The elfin cat looked at him smugly and meowed.  Daniel smiled at her, “Okay… keep your secrets,” he said.  “Will you show me the way to the hall where breakfast is served?”

 

He felt a little foolish for asking a cat for directions, but the feline stood up, stretched, and then jumped off the bed, heading out the door.  Amazed, Daniel got up and followed his familiar.  He was glad that the cat knew the way, as the tunnels twisted and turned like a labyrinth.  He enjoyed the walk through passages that were lit with an iridescent green.  Daniel could not see any lights, so he figured it must be a natural luminescence.

 

When he turned a corner, he stopped abruptly.  The walls were carved with Ogham inscriptions.  Stepping up to study the writings, Daniel could feel his mouth watering.  Every symbol was in pristine condition.  Tentatively, the archeologist ran his fingers lightly over the wall, as his mind raced to understand what words said.  He knew this… knew that languages were something he loved.  he was so enthralled with the carvings that he didn’t notice the cat winding around his legs until he tripped and fell to the ground.  The black feline walked up and sat in Daniel’s lap.

 

“Sorry— um… cat,” Daniel murmured to his furry friend.  “This is… soooo fantastic!  It’s fresh… and, and, and… new!  I’ve never seen these letters all complete and— wow!”

 

The cat purred in pleasure as Daniel continued to stare at the wall in front of him in amazement.  As he watched, the meaning of the words came to him.  It was a poem.

 

Hark, the faeries are here,

Inviting you to tell them your own story

So they can weave it into their enchantments.

 

Each moment in Faerie is newly born, vital, and

Various, always different from the instant before.

Nothing is fixed.  The signs and symbols and the

Words you hear can only truly be translated by you.

 

So look,

And feel.

And know.[1]

 

He read it aloud to the cat twice, trying to understand the passage.  “Hmmmm— maybe this is the reason I’m having trouble remembering anything.  Each moment in Faerie is newly born, vital, and Various, always different from the instant before. Nothing is fixed.”

 

The human cocked his head to one side, with a perplexed expression.  As Daniel petted the cat the smells of breakfast stirred his stomach into a growl.  Putting the cat on the ground, he stood up and once again touched the carvings.  The cat meowed at him to quit dawdling and move on.

 

“Sheesh,” Daniel said, “you are as bad as… as… damn it, I can’t remember!  I think it’s someone I know, but it just won’t come to me.  This is really getting aggravating.”

 

For the first time, he had a feeling of unease.  Like when you just can’t remember the lyric to your favorite song, or when you’re supposed to be somewhere important but you don’t know why.  Yet the moment passed, his worry flitted away on the wings of a butterfly, and he was concerned no longer.

 

The archeologist entered the main hall with his furry shadow leading the way.  It wasn’t crowded like the night before, only a handful of people sat at a table.  Ta’om beckoned Daniel to come and join him.  As soon as he sat down, the Green Woman placed a plate of food before him.  Daniel smiled shyly at her as she poured him a glass of wine.

 

“I am very glad you are here with me, Daniel,” she purred in his ear.

 

Daniel glanced up at her to smile, but grimaced when his cat sunk her claws into his leg.  The woman sat down across the table from him and began to eat her morning fare.  Taking his time he covertly looked at her.  She seemed so familiar to him.  Her skin was tinted green and her hair was black, long and wild.  In front were streaks of white hanging down over her eyes.  There were leaves woven throughout— the same color as her skin.  Her eyes were a gray-green and her lips…  Her lips had just the right amount of pout in them.  They were lush and kissable lips.

 

He felt as if he could do anything when she was near him, as a healing energy raced through his veins.  When she touched him, it was always so gentle, like rain on an April day.  Daniel felt like a teenager falling in love for the first time.  Yet a stirring rustled in his heart, and he realized this was not the woman who made him feel this way.  But then who…?

 

“Child,” Ta’om brought him back to the now, “we have waited so long for you to come to us.  I wish to make you known to our brothers and sisters.”

 

Daniel looked at the others sitting at the table.

 

Ta’om stood and indicated to his left, “The Queen of the Day, The Speaker of Truth, The Lord of the Forest.”

 

Daniel smiled and nodded in salute.

 

Ta’om then pointed to Daniel’s right and continued, “You already know the Green Woman.  Next to her are The Gift, Dagda, who is our Father and the ruler of all the Tuatha, and Oghma, the God of Language.

 

“We are here for you— to guide, to teach, and to heal.”

 

Daniel was overwhelmed.  He knew next to nothing about any of these people.  Even after all the studying and reading he had done… but that seemed so long ago.

 

The Queen of the Day stood and bowed her head to him, “Master Daniel, peace to you my son,” she said in a voice that sounded like a lazy brook.  “I am here to guide you to tranquility and grace.  You have so much pain and grief inside you.  You must let it go, my son.  Embrace the beauty that is yours to have.”

 

Daniel listened to the fair elfin woman with a heart so desperate to accept her words.  Tranquility was not something he ever had in his life.  Well, that couldn’t be entirely accurate.  He supposed that when he was young and his parents were with him, he felt that way.

 

She placed a long-fingered hand upon his head and whispered words he did not understand.  A warm feeling trickled down his body, like honey.  His mind went blank, but his soul sang.  When she kissed the top of his head, a calm he was sure he had never known washed over him.  Daniel sighed in contentment, wishing only to burn this feeling into his mind so that he would never lose it.

 

The Queen of the Day smiled at him and resumed her place at the table.

 

Next, a painfully thin man stood and bowed to Daniel.  He was tall and lithe.  His skin was gray-green and he had an austere look about him.  Short antler-like horns graced his forehead as his hair hung long down his back.

 

“Daniel, my friend, and brother,” he began, “you have made me proud over the years of your life.  With all the atrocities that have happened to you, you continue to speak with truth.  You have an open heart and a fair mind.  You stand for those who have no voice and defended those that have been wronged, even when no other would.

 

“Never stray from your personal truth no matter who might stand against you.  Follow your heart, brother, and the Sidhe shall always be a part of you.”

 

The Speaker of the Truth sat back down and reached for his mug of ale.  Next to him another swarthy man stood.  Leaves stuck out of his hair hither and thither, and his clothing was made of rich loam.

 

“I give you serenity, Master Daniel. I am the Lord of the Forest.  My gift to you is strength.  Strength for what is to come.  You have always stood firm in your convictions and soon you will need the power that I offer you.  Your heart is open to us, Daniel and I can see the love you have for another.”

 

Daniel immediately glanced to the Green Woman, and she smiled salaciously back at him.

 

“You must take a firm and gentle hold of your spirit.  Protect the one you love, the mate that has your heart.  Guard your pack, your family, and clan with no reservations, as you always have.  Your actions speak loudly but also listen to the quiet and the dreaming.  Daniel, my brother, hold on to these simple truths, for doubt will always linger.”

 

Daniel tried to recall the pack the Lord mentioned.  His family was here… wasn’t it?  And who was this mate that held his heart?  He was so confused.  Then a vaguely familiar voice tickled his mind, You better come back to me, Moswen.  I don’t care if you have legs or not.  I just want you. I love you!

 

The voice in Daniel’s head continued to pester him.  It was so familiar, so intoxicating.  Suddenly, his attention was pulled back from the fluid memory when he felt the cat twist around his legs.  Jumping up, she mewed at him contently and laid on his lap, tucking her front paws underneath, like a bird nesting.

 

The Gift, the fairy that was sitting next to Daniel, stood up gracefully.  He could tell that it was female from the sheer chemise that did little to hide her body.  She wore a haunting mask that entirely covered her face. Carved from an oak tree, it was dark and wonderfully engraved.  She also had antlers coming out from the tangled and knotted green hair.  Around her neck, she wore a gold band with a jewel in the center shined brightly.

 

She did not speak but merely placed a silver torque around Daniel’s neck, embossed with typical Celtic designs.  Similar to a choker, it did not completely close in the front.  Each end was decorated with blue gems that shimmered like clear water, exactly matching his eyes.

 

Daniel touched it and was surprised that it felt warm, not at all like metal.  He smiled at the strange woman and bowed his head in thanks.  Ta’om shocked Daniel when he spoke next to him.

 

“The gift she has given to you freely is richly deserved, for she does not give lightly.  It contains all the wisdom you have acquired throughout your travels.  And holds all that you have seen and been given here in the Land of Youth.

 

“But a warning I must give; you may never take it off.  If it comes off, even by accident, the gift that she has bestowed will flee and leave you broken and quite mad.  If you decide to return to your world, the torque will be a reminder of these gifts and the caution they bare.”

 

Daniel’s eyes widened.  He knew that fairy gifts always… always, had a price.  However, what confused him was the idea of a different world.  One that Ta’om said was his world.  Daniel was sure that this was his world.  He had dreamed of another, but couldn’t remember anything substantial about it.

 

“But,” Daniel started in a worried voice, “I belong here.  What world are you speaking of my brother?”

 

“The realm from whence you came, Daniel.  A world that is as distant from this one— as the beginning of a breath from the end of the sigh.  One you should return too, but we will not force you to go.”

 

About to protest, Daniel saw the largest man stand up.  All were deathly quiet.  He was by far the tallest of all of them and had skin the color of the sun.  His face was kind and seemingly chiseled from stone.

 

“My son,” he said with a voice as intense as thunder, yet gentle as snow falling, “I am Dagda, father of all the Tuatha Dé Danann.  I too have a gift for you.”

 

He placed both his big powerful hands on Daniel’s head and whispered in a voice that sounded like a song of many voices.  Feeling a jolt course through him, he became aware of a darkness that enveloped him briefly.  When it lifted, the place seemed brighter than before.  Dagda returned to his seat and smiled at the confused human.

 

“What… what did you do?” asked Daniel, “If I may know.”

 

“I have given you Imbas Forosnai-Knowledge that Illuminates.”

 

The Tuatha grinned at the blank look upon the face of the younger man, “The gift of foresight, Daniel, my son.  You will be able to glimpse into the future at times of great need.  This will save you and your loved ones from any foe that wishes to harm you.  But you must not rely on this gift, for it will come and go.  As you will learn, magic has no master.  Always be cautious, as with any enchanted force.”

 

Jackson cocked his head to one side and racked his brains for information about the loved ones Dagda spoke about.  They were people he had the feeling that he knew, but they floated just out of reach of his conscious mind.  He tried hard to gather in the threads of remembrance, but they all just skittered away, and with it, Dagda’s warning.

 

“Daniel, this gift also has its warnings.  You may never tell anyone of the Imbas Forosnai.  The penalty will be the loss of your eyesight as well as a madness of the mind from which you will never recover.  You must heed our counsel, for your very essence is at stake.”

 

The archeologist nodded his head, confusion still evident within him.  Ta’om stood again and bowed his head to all those at the table.  Silently they gathered their things and left the stone hall.  Only he, the cat, and one other stayed.  Daniel recalled the name of this one as Oghma.

 

“Pardon my asking, sir,” Daniel said, “your name is similar to the language that is carved on the walls here.  I’m not much for believing in coincidences.”

 

The man gave him a dazzling smile and a nod, “Yes, it was named after me.  I was the one who taught the Druids this written language.  I am truly happy that you made the connection.  Come, let us walk together.”

 

The cat jumped off Daniel’s lap and he stood up to follow Oghma.  The fairy was about as tall as he was but broader.  His skin color was reddish as if he spent too much time in the noonday sun, and the orange and yellow tones in his hair blazed as fire.  He seemed the most human looking of all the fairies that Daniel had met so far.

 

“I’m glad that you have taken your gift of language so seriously.  You have learned much on your own,” Oghma stated in his quiet singsong voice.

 

“I don’t understand.”

 

“As a child, you were touched by the fairy.  I’m sure Ta’om has told you that your father was one of us.”

 

Jackson nodded.

 

“And when he didn’t return to our realm, we came and gifted you.  Even though you never understood how languages just seemed to unravel for you, you didn’t shy away.  You embraced your gift wholly.”

 

“I just always assumed it was because I think so fluidly.  Most of the languages seem to come from another earlier one.”

 

“Ah, but you have cracked ones that are not even from this planet,” Oghma stated.

 

This confused Daniel, “What other planets?”

 

At the edge of his memory, there was the large vertical blue pool that shimmered and danced contained by a stone ring.  He knew it meant something to him, but couldn’t get the thoughts to come together.  As he continued to comb through his stagnant memories, the pale skinned, dark haired woman stepped out of the blue pool and smiled.

 

“A warning, child,” Oghma placed a hand on Daniel’s arm pulling him from his musings.  “You mustn’t lose yourself here in Tir Na n’Óg.  This is not your home.  Your father belonged here but was spirited away for the love of your mother.  But you my son… you have a destiny to fulfill.  And your mate is waiting for you.”

 

With that, Oghma turned and padded away, leaving Daniel and the cat to stare after him.  Looking back to the cat, he sighed.  Everything here was in sharp focus, but it seemed to him that there was so much more that he just could not seize.  The cat meowed and walked away with a swish of her tail.  Daniel followed.

 

The tunnel was dark but not to the point that he couldn’t see.  When they turned a corner, however, the passageway opened out into a vast forest.  He could smell the fresh, sweet air.  The trees were old and gnarled but sang with a youthful voice.  The cat led him to a large boulder next to a quick-flowing stream.  Daniel sat on the rock and closed his eyes so he could more clearly see what was around him.

 

A pair of lips gently touched his.  Surprised, he opened his eyes to see the Green Woman standing before him.  She smiled, coming closer, intent on another kiss.  Daniel was so startled that he let her.  Her tongue touched his lip and he instinctively opened to her.  At first he felt that nothing was wrong as she kissed him deeply.  Nothing wrong, but it wasn’t quite right.  She wasn’t right.  His mind darkened, and he had the impression of being drugged.

 

She pressed herself against him making his body start a rebellion with his common sense.  As the Green Woman’s kisses feathered over his face, she guided his hand to her ample bosom.  Daniel carefully ran his fingers over the silky fabric of her robe and kneaded her breast.  As they kissed, he felt everything around him fade away.  He spread his legs open and pulled her closer to him.  He could feel the bulge growing in his breeches.  Daniel so wanted to be inside her, penetrating her, loving her with wild abandon… this vision, this pale and beautiful…

 

Just as those images came to him, his lips were wrenched from hers with a howl of pain.  The Sidhe screeched when the cat leaped onto Daniel’s lap, crushing his erection.  She fled the forest with a cry of anger and a flash of green.  The cat hissed and spit at her.

 

“What?… Wait!” Daniel called as he brusquely tossed the cat aside.

 

“What did you do that for?” he demanded in a growl, rubbing his very sore and now deflating dick.

 

The cat jumped back onto the rock and began to groom herself as if nothing happened.  Shaking his head, he realized that it was the Green Woman kissing him and not the pale woman from the pool of water.  He knew the Green Woman was not the one that was intended for him, the mate his brother Ta’om had spoken about.  With a small groan, he sat down on the grass and leaned against the boulder.  His shadow hopped down to sit next to him.  The cat meowed with an admonishing look.

 

“You didn’t have to pounce on my boner, ya know.  A simple scratch would’ve sufficed,” he said as he scratched the feline under her chin.

 

Closing his eyes, the face he wanted to see instantly came to the forefront of his mind.  The woman’s skin was a soft, milky tan, flawless and beautiful.  Her eyes twinkled and shone with such love that it made his heart jump.  Her smile was a benediction on her face, with lips as ripe as a strawberry.

 

He knew this beauty; he was sure of it.  But Daniel also knew that she was not one of the Tuatha.  He tried to remember her name until his head began to pound in protest.  The cat stood on his lap and placed a cold nose against his cheek.

 

“Aisling,” he whispered, “your name is Aisling.  It’s Gaelic and means, um… fantasy, dream… right?”

 

The cat smiled and rubbed herself on his chest.  Daniel was happy that he discovered his shadow’s name, but the one he wanted still did not come.  He knew the mere sound of it was a song that lifted his heart and occupied his dreams.  It was to her that he sorely needed to get back.

 

But, back where?

 

Aisling purred and kneaded his leg as he sat lost in thought.  He distractedly put his hand on the boulder he was leaning against and felt indentations beneath his fingers.  Spinning around, careful not to dislodge Aisling from his lap, he saw the Ogham inscription covering the rock.  This time it did not take long to translate the words.

 

We are Existent within knowledge of land,

We are Existent within knowledge of stars,

All Around and Below and Above,

East, South, West, and North,

This is our prayer.  This is our knowledge,

This is our source.  This is our existence.[2]

 

With the dizzying force of a bomb, he remembered.  The stars.  He lived among the stars.  His travels took him beyond the stars and to places never seen before by his kind.  The vertical pool of water in the stone ring was his gateway.

 

No.

 

Stargate.

 

He traveled through the Stargate!  As the image of the kawoosh graced his thoughts, when the event horizon settled.  The blue pool quivered a moment, and then a woman appeared through it, and he knew… finally, he knew!  Her name was Vala.  Vala Mal Doran.

 

His Vala.

 

He had to get back!  He had promised her— Vala— that he would be back no matter what.

 

“Aisling,” he said to the cat, “you need to take me to see Ta’om.  I have to get back to my home.”

 

The cat smiled, turned, and trotted away with Daniel on her six.

 

***

 

Ta’om smiled as the human paced back and forth in front of him.  He was gesticulating passionately as he spoke of the woman he loved, and the friends he had to return too.

 

“I’m part of a team called SG-1!  That’s the pack you guys were talking about!  Right?  My family, my clan.  And the woman you and the others spoke of, my mate, her name is Vala.  She means everything to me, and I have to get back.  I promised her that I would return!

 

“And, and, and… the cat told me her name.  Aisling.  It’s Gaelic and means…” Daniel gave a little chuckle. “You already know what it means.”

 

This was what Ta’om had been waiting to see from Daniel before he would let the man go home.  The love and excitement that he had let die inside and Ta’om needed to make sure it was resurrected entirely.  His passion for the woman he loved with all his heart, and the excitement of a new future.

 

The poet stopped Daniel and laid a hand on his heart.  He recited a blessing in his own language:

 

Shuaimhneas, go domhain ar an tonn reatha a thabhairt duit

Deep peace on the running wave to you

Shuaimhneas, go domhain ar an aer ag sileadh a thabhairt duit

Deep peace on the flowing air to you

Shuaimhneas, go domhain ar an domhain ciúin a thabhairt duit

Deep peace on the quiet earth to you

Shuaimhneas, go domhain ar na réaltaí ag taitneamh a thabhairt duit

Deep peace of the shining stars to you

Shuaimhneas, go domhain ar an oíche milis a thabhairt duit

Deep peace on the gentle night to you

Ghealach agus na réaltaí Doirt n-éadrom leighis ar tú

Moon and stars pour their healing light on you

Shuaimhneas, go domhain a thabhairt duit

Deep peace to you

 

Mé a thabhairt duit ar an cumhacht ag an iolair

I give you power of eagle

Mé a thabhairt duit ar an chumhacht a lon dubh

I give you power of Raven

Mé a thabhairt duit an eagna ar nathair

I give you wisdom of Serpent

Mé a thabhairt duit an de Eala guth

I give you voice of Swan

Mé a thabhairt duit an chumhacht na Mara

I give you power of Sea

Mé a thabhairt duit ar an sláine an Talún.

I give you integrity of Land.[3]

 

A vacuum of colors and sounds consumed Daniel.  He was buffeted around and around.  There was no up or down, nor in or out.  His thoughts were focused on the face he loved.  He clung to them with a tenacity of a pit bull.  No other thing would enter his mind until he could see her, hold her, and kiss her.

 

Vala!  She was the woman that haunted, teased and loved him.  It was as if the whole universe of knowledge opened up to share secrets with him.  Daniel realized then that Vala was a Welsh name and it meant Chosen.  And that was exactly what she was to him— his chosen love.

 

A strong, still voice penetrated his thoughts of Vala and he knew it was Ta’om’s.

 

“Brother, it will take you some time to adjust to your world again.  Once you have your lover with you, all will become clear again.  And on no account forget my child, you must never utter a word of what you have seen here nor speak of that which was given to you.  If you do, the blindness and insanity will come to you tenfold.  Remember all that you were taught.  Safe journey, Brother Daniel.”

 

And then it was dark.

 

 

 

[1] Froud, Wendy and Brian. The Heart of Faerie Oracle. Abrams, N.Y.: Imaginosis Book, 2010. Print.

 

[2] Ortiz, Simon. Land and Stars, The Only Knowledge, 1993 http://www.wolfwalkercollection.com/articles/land-stars-only-knowledge (accessed 14 July 2015).

 

[3] Irish Proverb. Eleven Doors | Once Puertas, http://elevendoors.com/ (accessed 14 July 2015)