[Firenze]: 56.Sharman - The New Beginning: Chapter10

CHAPTER TEN – THE DAGDA

The next day it seemed that the blizzard had calmed over the mountain pass, and Kerrin was wide awake huddled up in a corner shivering with coldness. She reached out to prod the fire with her sword when she realised it was missing from her side. Kerrin jumped up and began frantically searching for her sword. Domitri walked in with her sword and a satchel of bread, and meat.
“Why do you have my Mother’s sword?” shouted Kerrin.
“I recognised it that is all and I did not want you to have this weapon as you might endanger my life” answered Domitri.
“What is it that you recognise about my sword?” asked Kerrin as she began to calm down.
“The symbols along the blade are that of The Dagda leaders, I am surprised that you have it” replied Domitri as he handed over her sword.
“Thank you for the return of my sword, may I ask what are you going to do with me?” asked Kerrin.
“What do you mean?” Domitri seemed confused at this question.
“Aren’t you going to kill me for my power?”
“Nicht, nicht, nicht, I will not harm you, I have come to offer you my help along with the other Dagda. We wish you to train in our ways in order to kill Morea. We know he has killed a man that you held very close to your heart.”
“Othel” and Kerrin turned and looked away in dismay.
“This man Othel, Was he related to you?”
“Yes he was, he was my Father but not my real Father. I am going to kill Morea when I return to Isa but that is if he doesn’t find me first. I will accept The Dagda’s offer.”
“First we must travel to the Tunnel of Cerridwen, so you can find your spirit guardian, it isn’t far from here but it is still a journey to make.”
“I understand, we will make the journey and go now” Kerrin got up and sheathed her sword but as she began to walk she staggered and fell to the ground. “Damn it!” She stood up again and walked a slower pace to what she was before.
“Your body is still not used to the cold, here” Domitri handed over his thick black fur lined cloak to Kerrin. Kerrin wrapped the cloak around herself tightly blocking out the cold wind of the mountains.
They exited the secure warmth of the cave into the dawning morn, the path which they were to tread this day was a treacherous one and has taken many lives of travellers and Sharman a like but it is also known as the path of rebirth for reasons unknown until this very day. But it was also feared for the same reason. Kerrin walked slowly through the snow and her shoes were becoming increasingly wet and cold. But she didn’t feel like a cold wet weakling in the presence of this Dagda Sharman, she felt powerful, strong and that she could do anything she wanted to do without a care. Domitri looked at home in the snow. His tall, slender body made him look to good for this mountainous life he led. He looked like a Sharman that had just completed his training at the Sharman Guild. But in truth, he would have passed through the Sharman Guild gates long ago if he didn’t stray to the dark side of Sharman magic. As both Kerrin and Domitri neared the tunnel, the snow began to fall more heavily and it almost blinded Kerrin to the point where she wanted to crawl along the floor. Domitri saw that she was struggling with this weather so he came up behind her and swept her up off her feet. He walked through the snow happily with Kerrin in his arms.
“We are almost at the Tunnel Kerrin” Domitri smiled at her.
“Great, I can’t wait to get this over with” Kerrin laughed quietly.
“I wouldn’t be so eager if I were you, the tunnel is long und dark und extremely lonely” His smile vanished.
“You mean you aren’t coming with me in this tunnel?”
“No why would I? I already have my spirit guardian and am quite happy with her.” He chuckled, “Do not fear the tunnel as it will fear you more” Domitri smiled.
They finally arrived at the Tunnel of Cerridwen and Domitri set Kerrin down onto the ground, he took a deep breath and looked onward at the tunnel as he continued walking, then pointed to the entrance, “Kerrin that is the entrance, go and let the magic guide you” he said looking at her and then pushed her to urge her into the tunnel. Kerrin walked silently towards the cave, the jewels on her sword glistening in the now moonlit sky. As she entered the darkness of the tunnel swallowed her shape and all she could hear around her was the gentle tapping of water coming from the rooftop above. The dark path was flat from the many Dagda that have trodden on it before, he quiet breath came out as a mist in front of her and surrounded her silently. She could hear murmurs all around her but ignored them and continued onwards into the tunnel as it grew colder until she finally saw a light moving just ahead of her, Kerrin ran to catch it. She felt as if she were flying as she ran when she realized she was using her powers to move, by this point she was moving at a phenomenal speed towards the light. The light stopped in a room of which looked like it used to hold great meetings. Kerrin paused in the room and smiled, as she looked around at the different carvings in the wall, she felt as if she had been there before. Suddenly the room went dark and even colder than before, yet she remained still and drew her sword and held it tight in her hands as a sound like a hammer knock came as well as a whisper saying “The spirit council is now in session” and echoed throughout the cavern. As she stood there she felt a dark presence behind her standing silently as the lights began to come up again she turned around and there stood Morea behind her.
“What are you doing here?” Kerrin demanded.
“Saving you from a grave mistake and from my brothers’ treachery” Morea said calmly.
“I don’t need your help, go away! I know what I am doing!” Kerrin shouted.
“I wonder what the dark spirits will do to you when you announce your real name to them for you are not Kerrin, Family of Tir but Kerrin, Family of Perdhro” he said looking at her, “Just accept you are of my family Kerrin, you are my blood and blood never lies!”
Gasps from the spirit council could be heard echoing through and through the tunnel. Until finally a spirit came forward, dressed in black just like the high sharman, Morea looked at him with anguish, “You traitor!” Morea shouted at the spirit. The spirit walked straight past Morea ignoring him totally and walked to Kerrin.
“Child, what is your name?” the spirit asked in a tender tone.
“I am Kerrin, Family of T…” Kerrin paused before she said Tir and decided to use her actual name, “I am Kerrin, Family of Perdhro” she said calmly.
“Ah, you’re a Perdhro, a long line of High Sharman in that family, so I am guessing you are his daughter” the spirit said looking at Morea.
“Yes, I am unfortunately” Kerrin said sadly.
“My name is Arramay, Family of Perdhro, I was the thirteenth High Sharman and the founder of the Dagda, I have been chosen by the council and your inner sharman power to be your spirit guide” said Arramay politely.
“NO, Kerrin don’t accept him please I am begging you, you’ll end up evil and full of hate, please” Morea said looking at her worried.
“I accept you Arramay, Family of Perdhro as my spirit guide” Kerrin said despite Morea’s plead and Arramay smiled and entered her body and mind as they became one, “You my dear father, I challenge, if I win, you leave me to learn under The Dagda, if I lose, I will train under you in the Guild” she said with her sword at his throat as she floated backwards out the tunnel and into the mountains and stood next to Domitri.
“So who is your spirit guardian?” Domitri asked.
“Arramay, Family of Perdhro” Kerrin said as she waited for Morea to exit the tunnel.
“You, you, you got the original Dagda leader as your spirit guide! I don’t believe it!” he said stunned.
“Well believe it and I met my father in the tunnel, did you let him in?” she asked speaking as if in a trance, “I also learnt that my father is your brother, which makes you my uncle”
“No I didn’t let him in the tunnel; he has become more wily than I initially thought and yes I am your uncle, to be truthful I am Morea’s twin brother, the younger one anyway” he said smiling as Morea walked out the tunnel, “Good evening brother” he said slyly as he wrapped his arms around Kerrin.
“Get your arms off of my daughter Domitri before I destroy you” Morea said drawing his sword.
“So you want a Dagda as a daughter Morea, even your supposed wife to be Jenna was Dagda, she was one of our greatest leaders and proved how easily it is to seduce the great High Sharman out of his solitude” he said laughing lightly.
“Jenna was not DAGDA!” Morea roared as he charged in with his sword high, Domitri moved Kerrin out of the way and blocked Morea’s attack.
“She was and you know it! You tried to break her into the sharman ways and she refused, so she ran away with the wine seller” he said laughing lightly.
“Liar! She loved me; she just didn’t want to let the rest of The Dagda know she loved me and wanted to change her ways, she was one of their leaders! Now slowly my own child turns against me in her mind as our great, great, great, great grandfather did against our family and our people” he said pointing at Kerrin and vanished in the air reappearing behind Kerrin grabbing her and vanishing again, “Forgive me Kerrin for what I am about to do” he whispered in her ear as they appeared in the testing arena.
“Why bring me here my dear grandchild?” Arramay said through Kerrin. Kerrin’s eyes were black as the night sky.
“Grandfather, please let my daughter train in the sharman ways and then let her choose her path, the way of the high sharman or the way of The Dagda leaders, surely you can see it is wiser she grow up as a sharman and then turn if she chooses to” Morea said watching her.
“Kerrin, has so much darkness in her heart, so much hate, yet her path is that of the sharman in the light and not of The Dagda, she will be a great leader of both people, she will unite them” Arramay said as Kerrin floated in the air cross-legged, “Allow Kerrin to return and meet The Dagda leaders, she will return by sunset tomorrow, a sure that she will be safe with Kenaz, he would have been a fine Dagda if he didn’t choose his sharman life”
“Very well, she must be back by sunset tomorrow as you have promised” Morea said. Arramay just nodded and returned Kerrin back to her normal state.
“What am I doing here? How did I get here? Please don’t take me back to the mountains father, please, I was wrong” Kerrin said confused.

- Is this your doing Arramay? She would never accept me as her father.
- No, this is nothing to do with me, her heart is showing her the truth and she has accepted it.

“Father, please answer me” Kerrin said.
“You can stay here, you don’t have to go back to the mountains” Morea said smiling and hugging her.

- You are forgetting our deal Morea!
- Shut up! This is her decision not mine or yours!
- You’ll regret this Morea; she will grow strong and with my guidance will turn against you.
- You will not do such a thing; you will be going against the code of Macera and will damn your own soul.
- My soul is already damned! This is my one chance to redeem myself.
- Then redeem yourself by helping her.
- I have no choice, do I?
- No and you know it.

Arramay fell silent and Morea continued hugging her, “Come let’s return you to your Uncle’s apartment” he said as he moved and took her hand.
“Do I have to stay with him father?” she asked, “I would prefer to stay with you” she said hugging his arm.
“Yes, you do, he is your first guardian and I am your second” he said walking along and out of the testing arena, “It is proper for him to care for you more than I since, I promised him your guardianship whilst here” he said kissing her head.
“Okay, father” she said as the moon shone brightly, “Will I see you tomorrow father?” she asked him.
“Yes you will for your lessons will begin tomorrow” he said smiling, “Come, we need to move quicker before The Dagda find you back here” he said vanishing in thin air and reappearing in front of Kenaz’s apartment door and knocked gently on the door and waited. There was no answer after five minutes and Morea became suspicious, he turned to Kerrin, “Kerrin stay here, don’t follow me” he whispered as he opened the door and entered. The apartment was pitch black and so quiet you could hear a mouse down the end of the corridor, he walked into the living quarters and saw Kenaz gagged and tied to a chair, he untied him using magic and no sooner he did this, Kenaz stood and dashed to Morea.
“Where’s Kerrin?!” he said panicking.
“She’s outside”
“You fool! The Dagda are here and are after Kerrin!” Kenaz said as he ran to the door.
Outside several black shadows began to creep and surround Kerrin as she waited patiently for Morea to return. She did not notice these shadows surrounding her until they solidified and grabbed her, Kerrin screamed, “Father! Help!” she shouted as she squirmed. The hooded Dagda Sharman waved his hand over her face, “I am sorry for this treatment my lady” he whispered into her ear. Kenaz rushed outside and sent an array of flames at them but they easily blocked his attack.
“Pathetic, little brother of a traitor” he said smirking, “It’s a shame your sister let your powers waste away here, you would have been such a good Dagda Sharman” he said holding Kerrin tight.
“What do you mean? My sister was not Dagda!” Kenaz said confused.
“Ha! Your sister was one of our greatest leaders and proved that Sharman are weak when it comes to their hearts and also proved that she was weak as well” he said laughing and Morea walked out of Kenaz’s apartment shaking his head.
“You never learn Domitri, leave the girl alone she has done nothing to you, you just want revenge on me for me gaining this position instead of you” Morea said calmly.
“That position should have been mine! Father knew I was more talented than you, knew I would have been a better leader but no…he choose the favourite, he choose you Morea and I hated you for it and still do but I was found by The Dagda and was reborn a new” Domitri said.
“You abandoned who you were for an evil spirit Domitri and became a demon” Morea said.
“Your daughter will become a Dagda leader with our training brother and will be more powerful than any sharman alive!” Domitri said manically as he lifted Kerrin upon his shoulder, “Farewell, Brother” Domitri said as the Dagda vanished.
Kenaz dropped to his knees and held his head, “No, I can’t believe this happened” he whimpered, “I can’t believe what they said about my sister, she can’t have been Dagda” he looked up at Morea, “High Sharman, why did Kerrin call you father?” he asked confused. Morea looked at Kenaz and knelt in front of him and pulled out Jenna’s journal.
“Read the final entry in that journal” Morea said calmly. Kenaz nodded and opened the book and read:

16 Elazaire 1234

This may be my final entry as the pain grows everyday as the child in my womb grows and prepares itself to come out. I hope that if I do die, my dearest Othel does not read my journal for what I am about to write will upset him dearly. The child that grows in my womb is not his child; it was conceived with the Sharman Guild’s very own High Sharman, Morea, Family of Perdhro. My wish for when I die is for my child to take on the name of her true father and to live with her father become a true sharman and never to meet the darkside of which I have lived for my entire life and I pray my brother Kenaz never finds out about my second life with The Dagda for I know he worked hard in the guild to restore our family name. He is brave and honourable, and I pray that he may find a wife that will love him as much as I do and will in my afterlife, may Thurisaz keep him and my child from harm.
I have looked into the future of my child and have decided to call her Kerrin after the first wife of the first Dagda Arramay. Kerrin, Family of Perdhro, she will honour Morea after she discovers the truth of her heritage and will become the most powerful High Sharman this world has ever seen, my only hope is that she doesn’t follow the second path I have foreseen as it will lead to the end of this world. If she follows the first path, the end of The Dagda will follow.

“I can’t believe it, Kerrin’s your daughter and my sister was a Dagda” Kenaz said shocked.
“Well believe it, now I wish to go and get my daughter back before what I fear will happen” the High Sharman said as he took the book back.
“I want to help High Sharman, she is my niece after all, tell me what to do” Kenaz said as he stood up again.
“You will need to learn the dark sharmanism, the same magick as The Dagda and to be honest I don’t wish to risk you learning it as, to learn it may drive you mad and join The Dagda yourself as my brother did” the High Sharman said sadly, “But you can help me by lending me some of your spirits energy”
“That is illegal and you know it” Kenaz said walking back into his rooms.
“Then Kerrin will become Dagda and there will be no turning back for her” the High Sharman said grimly.
Kenaz stopped dead in the corridor and sighed, “Then I will do it, for Jenna, for Kerrin and for this kingdom, instruct me on how to lend you the spirits energy” he said with another sigh.
“Summon your spirit and I will do the rest” the High Sharman said calmly.
Kenaz nodded as he raised his hand high into the air and began muttering in demon tongue, “Alz ze ihc kaniya erebo, oo maniya el a ne comana eck Califer!” he said his voice becoming more demon like as he spoke until finally his spirit appeared in front of him.
“You summoned me in demon tongue Sharman Kenaz, you only do that in desperate times, what is wrong?” the demon spirit Califer said concerned.
“I need you to lend some of your spirit energy to the High Sharman Califer” Kenaz said grimly.
“That is against the code of spirits, I refuse to do it” he said stubbornly.
“Do it Califer! Or I will send you back to Fehu where your rightful place is!” Kenaz said angrily.
“Why though? Why do you want me to break the code?” he asked.
“My niece has been kidnapped by The Dagda, the High Sharman’s daughter is my niece Califer and I want my sisters’ daughter back, please will you assist the High Sharman?” Kenaz asked again.
“Only if he promises to appease the Spirit Council and stop them from punishing me for this crime” Califer said calmly.
“Califer, you have my word that I will appease the Council if you help me” the High Sharman said watching him.
“Then I shall obey Sharman Kenaz’s wishes” Califer said as he turned into his elemental form of fire and forced a little white orb out, the High Sharman grabbed it before it vanished and swallowed it. As it digested in his stomach Califer turned back into his normal shape, “There you have it, save your daughter so that I may meet her” he said bowing.
“I shall bring her back” the High Sharman said vanishing in mid-air.