We decided to ride Efa for the trek to the Sacred Cape. Both Bren and I had taken a shine to the chestnut Cob Nemain had given to Bren for his ride from Findrias to Gorias. I liked her because I could tell she was always ready to run into a fight. Bren liked her because she had unselfishly taken us through the night to our final destination. Bren appreciated the little things like that. He loved so easily. I missed him.
Morias rode behind as I guided Efa through the dark. My Gloaming Gaze ability allowed to amplify ambient light. It wasn’t as effective as the Dark Vision boon, but enough that I could see very well outside at night.
The sky had just begun to lighten when we first heard the crash of waves against the cliffs on the southern side of Emain Ablach.
“Do you know why Hook Head is also referred to as the Sacred Cape?” Morias asked. I let out an exaggerated sigh.
“No, but I suppose you are going to tell .”
He ignored my sarcasm. “In a way, this is the most likely spot for Fintan’s lost library.”
“I thought we were looking for a laboratory,” I said, guiding Efa up the slight incline to the promontory that would serve as our best access to the Drowning Pool.
“In the mind of a Sage, the two go together like…” he paused a mont. “Silversap and starlight.” He seed pleased with his analogy.
“I hate you so much right now,” I muttered.
“In any event… This, my dear Ellyllon, is where the Old Powers first stepped into this world. The old gods: Danu and Donn, Eiocha and Taranis, et cetera, all stepped through to Annwn on this very spot.”
“Did you just say ‘et cetera’?” I asked.
“You know, Fídadan, I think sotis my storytelling proclivity is lost on you.”
“You think?” I tid my response such that he would be distracted from arguing at the sight of the view from the edge of the cliff face. It worked perfectly. The Sage was about to continue on his tale but instead gasped as he looked out from the tip of the Hook.
“Each ti I visit this spot, I am overwheld,” he whispered.
I found myself struck silent by the familiar, spectacular sight. Waves crashed high up on the straight drop beneath us. The sll of the sea and the mist from the water drifted past Efa’s neck and brought back to another ti.
I closed my eyes, feeling the warmth of the sunrise on my skin. Efa stood, unfazed by the maelstrom beneath us. Even with my eyes closed, I could tell from the intensity of the crashing sound that the water of the great Wells had risen since the last ti I had been here.
“The water is even more tumultuous than the waves of Segais…” Morias mused. “I suppose that makes sense. This is also a cross-water point of the two seas.”
I forced my mind back to the task at hand. “So, tell again, how I am going to get down to the Well?” Ambiance was great and all, but I knew without asking which of us would be taking the plunge. Morias was too… buoyant.
“I swam here once before, you know. It didn’t go well.”
“Normally, I would applaud your pun,” he said, his rry eyes twinkling. I didn’t laugh. “But I can tell from your tone that this is perhaps not a fond mory.”
“My blue period, rember?” I kept my tone light, not allowing myself to go too deep into that particular mory. It was all darkness and all pain.
The Sage awkwardly coughed behind , trying to fill the silence. I tried to flutter off of Efa but quickly rembered the state of my wings when a piercing pain shot through my back. I flinched, listing to the side. Morias quickly scooted back in the saddle, allowing the space to dismount manually. The big man followed to the ground and Efa wandered back away from the cliff’s edge.
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“I have a ring that should help you with your trip into the waves.” Morias rustled through his robe, pulling out a massive clasp that held an impressive number of magical rings. He held one out to .
I slide the ring on without fanfare. It was gritty and uncomfortable on my thumb and felt odd next to the Rings of Identification on the index finger of the sa hand. I couldn’t wait to ditch both rings and was planning to do exactly that at the first opportune ti.
“Once you have successfully reached the well, and found the entrance to the library, I would ask you to place this Mirrorstone in a prominent location.”
Morias handed a second object, this one a dark, opaque stone with reflective surfaces. I studied the Mirrorstone closely. It was tiny, only taking up the palm of my right hand. I looked back up at Morias with a confused look.
“The stone has a mate.” He held up a second stone that looked as if it might fit together perfectly with the one held in my hand. “I will be able to use the reflections as a projection into the library once you have placed it.”
I shook my head and looked at Morias’ robe with a new curiosity. “What else do you have in there?”
“I’m afraid that list would take more ti than we currently have.” He pointed down at the waves. “My dearest Fíadan…this is where I tell you the bad news.”
I sighed, slumping. “How did I know there would be bad news?”
Morias pointed to the churning waves below. “The ring will automatically activate. But… it must be subrged for a full minute before the magic will seep into your skin.”
“Are you saying I need to swim in those waves for a full minute before it does whatever it does…” I paused, realizing that I didn’t actually know what the ring did. “What does this thing do, anyway?”
“The good news is that you will be able to navigate the waves as if you were one of the Cupbearers of the Sea god. The bad news…”
“… is that I might die before the ring activates,” I replied, cutting him off. “Thanks for sharing that slightly relevant detail back in Gorias.” I began to pace back and forth on the cliff face, glancing down at the violently tumbling waves with every turn. The mories of my last trip into the water ca flooding back to , even as I tried desperately to push them out of my mind. My breath began to co faster and faster.
Morias’ voice ca low and slow to my ears. “Give the ring, Fí. I will go into the waves.” I turned to find that Morias had begun to disrobe behind . I was startled by his roundness…and as much as I wanted to take him up on his offer, seeing him like this was a reminder that he would not last a minute in the sea.
I shook my head, trying to physically force out the painful mories of my past weakness. My teeth ached from the pressure of grinding them together. I turned to face the sea. Before I could lose my nerve, I ran and jumped off the cliff.
The water hit like a charging Fomorian, imdiately blasting the air from my lungs. I found myself upside down under the waves. Below , the water was a murky midnight blue. Thankfully, my Gloaming Gaze ability allowed to see deep into the churning water. I could see the outline of the well in the amplified sunlight that trickled down into the depths.
I kicked hard toward the ancient bricks of the long-forgotten well. I swam furiously but futilely within the Drowning Pool, the currents bringing a flood of long-repressed mories of when I had first seen the well.
For years, I had tried to wash away my failure as a King’s Guard in the rage of justified vengeance. I had bathed myself in the blood of any creature stupid enough to cross . I killed changelings and fae alike…any who wished to do harm. And in a mont of despair, my path had brought here, to what had felt like the edge of the world. My isolation and depravity had left weak and with a sole desire… to end my guilt and misery.
The waves had broken then, and they broke now, in the present. Tossed in the water, I narrowly missed being slamd into the rock of the cliff, saved only by the devastating rip current of a massive wave. I kicked again toward the well, trying to use the downward montum remaining from my dive, but any progress I made was countered by the convergence of the waves.
I battled against the water, my lungs and the stump of my wing burning. I told myself that, just like before, I would survive. Then, I had kicked and clawed my way up onto the sharp rocks of the cliff face, gasping for air and terrified at what I had nearly done.
This ti was different. Instead of seeking escape, I did my best to stay low in the water, trying to find the underwater currents that would suck deeper toward my goal.
I knew exactly when my ring activated because I suddenly could sit upon the waves as if I were riding the wind. I controlled the currents around , and I willed them to take deeper, to the well on the ancient shoreline.
The burning in my lungs had disappeared. The briney hell around gave oxygen, and with it, I was able to see beauty in the chaos. I drifted, alone with my thoughts, deeper into the water and down into the well. I had survived the Drowning Pool a second ti.
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