Fate,
far-sighted Daughter of Time, Life-weaver, chose
Malach son of Mathred as High Teloch,
King beyond Kings, Earl of the Iolish, Chieftain,
5
renowned in all time as first of the Ring-Wearers.
Malach, orphaned,
was raised by his people the Ui Lide Aesal until
he became a man full, and in full manhood
he was much like his father, strong, daring,
10
knowing not of fear. Malach stood above most men,
gold fell his locks, first always to laugh, yet
unlike his father he would first look for peace
with a voice tempered and sweet, gifted with
music, though the magic of the Baíth shone less
15
eagerly from him. In his sixteenth year, Kaedwald,
ruling Teloch of the Ui Lide Aesal, died
and Malach was resolved to take his place.
The Ui Lide Aesal were strange
among the Iolish, for instead of choosing one
20
of the Teloch’s kin, any man of the Tella may
become Teloch should he first prove himself equal
to the past kings; some men choose the sword
to prove themselves, some their own hands, others
choose the harp and word, through many means may
25
a man become Teloch of the Ui Lide Aesal. Malach
chose to prove the worth of his blood
by bull-leaping the white bull Donn Coracht, who
before killed any man who stood in his field. Ten
times he charged Malach son of Mathred, but each
30
time with grace Malach grabbed his horns as they
were lowered and vaulted the great bull, landing
unscathed, until at the eleventh hurdle Donn
Coracht submitted to him meekly, for this he
was named Malach Deft-Hand and made Teloch.
35
As Teloch, his Tella thought
it proper for him to seek a wife, yet the young
king did not, for in his dreams Malach was
tormented with the sight of a great storm far off
born from beyond the sea which would sink forever
40
Ioland and all its peoples; so in fear
of the storm, Malach pursued not a wife but sought
out the wise man of Ail Meloch, great friend
of the great Mathred, and the wise man advised
the Teloch thusly,
45
“Dreams are seldom wrong,
for in dreams we look on the world with eyes
clear, though in waking our sight is again
clouded. A dream may tell you clearly what
is fated, but because we read them poorly, their
50
message often goes unheeded. I believe you are
right to fear this dream, and were even more right
to tell me of it. I often aided your father
in counsel, now I shall guide you.
“The Sea is the ancient enemy
55
of our people, many times she has tried to swallow
whole these lands, many times did your father
protect us from this fate, but he has since passed
beyond and we are left unguarded from her wrath.
By what means she seeks to break us I think
60
I know.
“The people of Ioland
have long been divided by blood into many Tellas,
and long ago forgotten about the wide world, but
this does not mean the wide world has forgotten
65
them and while the Iolish looked inward, far
sailors from Eurol who trade with this land have
spread the knowledge of our divisions. Word
will spread to conquerors, for there have always
been those with an eye for blood and treasure,
70
and to this land shall come war. Only through
uniting against the storm can the Iolish survive.”
Malach, heeding this warning,
won first the friendship of the mighty Aamach Eas,
great warriors who live on the Aglach Telocha,
75
the River of the King, named the Aglach Roim
before the reign of Malach. The Aamach Eas are few
and build no walls, for they believe that these
make men weak. In custom they act as those
of the Ui Arden, for in their own stories they are
80
descended from the life-guard of Ert Diall, Teloch
of the Ui Arden, who was poisoned by his second
wife to see her son take his seat before the son
of his first, when the guard of Ert Diall sought
to hide the first son she raised the Ui Arden
85
to violence; the guard fought all the Tella for
five days, could not break them nor be broken
themselves, and so they gathered their wives
and escaped with their ward, settling atop a hill
beside the Aglach Roim. The men of Aamach Eas hold
90
Ert Diall’s bloodline as sacred, allowing only
the first son to rule as king. For their part,
the Ui Arden tell that Ert was cruel, taking
his second wife against her will, and that his first
son was of the same stock.
95
Malach then conquered swiftly
the Ui Arden, who were divided in the choosing of their next
Teloch between two brothers, making both his
supplicants, taking next the Ui Agla and then
100
the people of Helm Hailas, a people not properly
Iolish but which came over the sea long ago from
Eurol and settled the land between Ail Meloch
and the sea; and though they carry themselves
in the Iolish manner, speaking the language
105
of the isle mixed with their own long forgotten
one in a harsh tongue unpleasant to the ear
as the land they claim, for little grows between
the sea and the mountains, and have dwelled
in that barren land for generations, they do not
110
number as one of the Iolish Tella. Malach had
no difficulty in subjugating them, gaining
dominion over all of the East and proclaiming
himself High Teloch of Ioland.
The western Tellas grew afraid
115
of Malach and his sway over the isle, and moved
together. Swearing oaths of brotherhood,
the Telochs of the west gathered in the halls
of the Un Bolam, for they were nearest to Malach
and their hatred for his father terrible. In their
120
halls feasted the Ui Con Tara, Un Colta bar,
Un Goll, Un Salal, Un Londar Norna, Un Londar,
and the Drocht Baalon. As they gathered, each
Teloch demanded to be made High Teloch equal
to Malach, to place the many war bands under
125
their command, to be given a war-tribute
by the others. Each thought himself the only
choice and hoped to take from Malach his place,
to sit as the High Teloch while all Iolish bowed
to his meadbench. The Telochs spent five nights
130
arguing about how to begin the king-choosing,
each had wise men, charlatans, warriors, bards
and witches speak for them but few could be heard
speaking over the roar of shouting, and during
the day the Teloch’s warband would fight in sudden
135
battles to place their kin above all others, using
their hands only so to not spill blood and bring
shame to their host. Soon the Un Bolam had no more
mead for their guests, and the men grew more
restless, eager to go to war. On the sixth night,
140
the Teloch of the Un Londar Norna, Bran Kededran
refused to have wise men speak for him but
speak himself, and in his speaking he spoke not
unharshly about other Telochs, especially
on the character of the Drocht Baalon who
145
in his eye were vile for separating his kin,
the Un Londar, from his own Tella. Hearing these
words of spite, the Teloch of the Drocht Baalon,
Ceallach, was brought to such a rage that he left
the mead hall and gathered his men for revenge,
150
placing themselves before the door.
When Bran left the mead hall
the Drocht Baalon rushed forward and grabbed him,
taking him before the waiting king Ceallach, who
demanded blood be paid for Bran’s words. The men
155
of Drocht Baalon formed two circles, with
spears facing in and out so that he might not
flee, nor his men help him. Bran agreed
to the duel, so long as he was allowed his spear
and shield. These were swiftly brought to him, but
160
Ceallach took no weapon and used his fists.
As soon as Bran held his arms, Ceallach was
on him, and Bran could not stop the blows, nor
his men reach him, and he died beneath Ceallach’s
hands, his helm crushed.
165
Ceallach, aware that the Telochs
would fear him and banish him from their host,
called them back to the mead hall to give
the reason for his actions, but they would not
come unless they brought their house guard
170
and he came alone. Ceallach agreed, for
it was only through the Telochs that he would
be proclaimed High Teloch. He stood before
the Tella, on the table given for his people
and spoke his defense,
175
“At this table, I sat and listened
as the man whose blood now covers my hands spoke
vile treachery. I listened as he named my blood
to be the illness which has weakened the Iolish
to their present state, but if my blood
180
be so weak, why have his people not driven mine
from this island, why is his blood on my fists
and not mine upon his spear? I shall not claim
that his blood saps Ioland of its strength, only
his temper, so rash and vile, a failing which many
185
Iolish do possess. But what of mine, I have just
killed a man over words and many will laugh
as I speak of temper. You will call me traitor
to the guest-right we have been given
by the Un Bolam through their food and drink.
190
“You were here as well
when he cast dung-words at my Tella and all bore
witness to my temperament, rather than kill
the man with my hands where he stood, which I have
shone to be an easy task for me, I left this hall
195
to spare the shame it would bring my host
to have his death in their hall, so near his bed.
Guest-right extends beyond these walls, to all
the extensive lands of the Un Bolam, and yet
I killed him in the lands of our host you will
200
next claim. I did so within the proper bounds
of guest-right, for I killed not to revenge myself
but for the honor of our host, for though
it is wrong to kill in the very home of my host,
so near his bed, it is more wrong to permit such
205
rudeness to my host go unpunished. Each of you
heard the filth which he used to fill the home
of our host, and yet you allowed him to continue
to speak, allowed him to continue soiling the home
of your host, while I alone took action
210
and avenged them.
“If there are any among you
who believe that I have acted unjustly, that
I violated the guest-right, let them come before
me, let us see those who would falsely claim
215
to champion our hosts, the Un Bolam; I will accept
all challenges, but know in your heart that you
are false before me, the champion true. To the men
of Un Londar Norna, you may challenge me at any
time without fear of falsehood, I have killed your
220
Teloch and a man of your people, all rights
to combat are yours.
“It is the temper,
of the dead man which threatens us Iolish,
in his mind the suffering of his people is the fault
225
of mine. Our people have had peace for many
generations, the same may not be said for his kin.
They have had many battles for control of each
other’s Tella, as recently as ten years past.
The Iolish have lived scattered for too long, only
230
under the threat of Malach, Teloch of the East,
have we come together to appoint our own
High Teloch. We each claim the lofty mantel
of High Teloch, but none of us know what that shall be.
We have no agreement if the High Teloch will reign
235
for one battle or for all his life, if we pay him
tribute of silver or of gold. I hold that the High
Teloch should rule over all of us that we might
end this petty squabbling which we are born into,
to hold judgement over each Tella and Teloch.
240
“I will be the High Teloch,
I will rule each of you and judge fairly, for
I am strongest, and if any man doubts my claim,
they are welcome to test my arms and do battle
with me. I will not refuse him. Kings, my case
245
is yours to judge.”
The Telochs were afraid,
unsure of what to make of his claims. Well they knew
of the renown of his strength and were witness
250
to the eagerness with which he killed, but more
they feared his words, which had placed him beyond
reproach, they sat silently afraid that now they
must yield to him the highest seat, to stand above
them and hold judgment over them because they
255
lacked the words to answer him, until the young
son of the Teloch of the Un Salal, who had seen
only fourteen winters, but was known for the skill
of his tongue and whose youth made him unafraid
of the strength of Ceallach, spoke,
260
“Your words have in them truth.
Here sit all the great Telochs of Ioland and none
of them defended their host from the unclean
words which were spoken in his hall. You are right
in defending this house and none of us would
265
be just in our judgment had we ruled against you.
Yet you are unwise if you believe this single
action gives the right of highest kingship
of the land to you.
“It is true that you alone acted,
270
and shame will forever weigh on those who here
today, but a good king must have more in him than
strength. A Teloch must have wisdom, pass judgment
justly, and be not rash. Yet we here seek not
to name a Teloch, but a Teloch above Telochs,
275
High King of all the Iolish people one who could pass
judgement on our kings, of all mountains
and oceans, all pebbles and streams. It is them
the High King will rule. Every Teloch is connected
to his land, thus the High Teloch must
280
be connected to all Ioland. The wind must take
him as its king and proclaim his will wherever
it breaths, the trees must bow and the mountains
kneel as he comes, the flowers bloom
in delight, the waters shield him, the grasses
285
be his sword. It is them that must be convinced,
they who must bow. I propose that each Teloch who
desires to be named High King must go to the river
which flows at the foot of the Ail Bolam and let
the land chose our High Teloch for us.”
290
To this the Telochs agreed,
eager that Ceallach not be crowned as High King
in that hour, praising the speaker, whose name
was Noríín, and the Teloch gathered their retinue
to ride to the river Noríín had named, a ride
295
of three days. Ceallach was enraged for having
his position rejected by the other kings, but he was
determined and conceived a plan to trick
the Telochs. Noríín at the same time had talked
to his father and promised him that if he were
300
named the next Teloch of the Un Salal, over
his brothers, he would deliver to his father rule
over all the island, to which the Teloch agreed.
Ceallach’s plan was this, that he would wade into
the river and ask of the land who should stand
305
as High Teloch, and a number of his warband hidden
would reply “Ceallach”. Though renowned for
his strength he was also shrewd and he thought that
Noríín had planned to do much the same for fear
of his power and had his waiting men armed.
310
His suspicion was not ill-founded, as Noríín planned
to ensure his father was chosen, and knowing
the other Telochs would plan their own means
to fake the favor of the land, the boy sent
his men ahead to find a wise man and to tell him that
315
the other Telochs planned to become the High King
without the approval of the land they would
rule, that he was needed to show the true will
of the land. His men flattered the wise man
and made him forget all his wisdom, that he soon
320
believed that the Un Salal were warriors chosen
by the Baíth themselves.
When all kings had come
to the river, they were greeted by this wise man,
who offered to them his judgement. All save
325
Ceallach agreed to submit to him, who instead
waded into the river and cried aloud for the earth
and water to select its High King and swiftly came
the reply “Ceallach”, but Noríín saw through this
and sent his men to the forest where they
330
discovered Ceallach’s warriors. Fighting erupted
as many men were wounded, but at length these were
forced from the forest and Ceallach was disgraced.
The wise man cursed him that no matter how
he might try, by strength or by guile, he would
335
never become High Teloch, he would only serve
those appointed above him.
The wise man then gave
his judgment and the Un Salal were placed above
all peoples of the alliance, their Teloch named
340
High Teloch. For this, Ceallach in his heart
named the Un Salal as his enemies forever.
The kings returned to the home of the Un Bolam
and began their war planning. This took little
time as all Telochs but Ceallach were united under
345
their High Teloch. They left the halls
of the Un Bolam a fortnight after beginning
the king-choosing. In their march, the Un Bolam
took the vanguard, pride of place given to them
for hosting the other Tella, and the other peoples
350
followed no set order; save only that the Drocht Baalon
followed after the host, for Ceallach had
little love for the other Tella.
Their gathering had taken
much time and Malach had come to know
355
their purpose, swiftly he set out
against them with all the peoples of eastern
Ioland. To him came the strong spears
of the Aamach Eas and the many swords
of the Ui Arden, the stout shieldwall
360
of the Ui Agla and the haggard hunters of Helm
Hailas; those desperate people who long languished
between mountains which drank away the water
and seas too salty to drink. The people of Helm
Hailas had fled to that barren land from some
365
violence two hundred years before the life
of Malach, so great was their need that they
settled without complaint the dry lands behind
the Ail Meloch and named it a paradise. The people
of Helm Hailas, though they came in number, had
370
become few from years of want and their villages
grew empty, bar the cold chief’s hall, their homes
became small. No crop can grow in such a land
and flocks struggle to prosper there,
and by necessity the men of Helm Hailas began
375
to steal from others to sate their need, so that
the Ui Arden and Ui Agla came to fear the coming
of night when in darkness raiding bands would seep
into their lands in search of ready food
and livestock to take with them to their bleak
380
homes; and in their raids that which they came
to prize above all else, above sheep, above wives,
above gold, were the cattle well-tended by Iolish
husbandmen. Any man who brings back a bull
was raised above his fellows and given lands, their
385
raids for pride and place could lead them far from
their home, once encircling all Ioland in a raid
which lasted a full year. Through long years they
became similar to the Iolish, but separate they
still were. In the grandest hall reigned their
390
Teloch, whose blood came from the helmsmen who
guided them to that land. In Malach’s time they
were led by Teloch Mebeb, she was both cunning
and fierce, and brought to Malach many lean
warriors, but also the cursed boy Reych.
395
She presented the boy
to the High Teloch, naming him the guarantor
of victory as she spoke of his past.
Reych was born in death, his mother
passing from the difficult birthing even
400
as he took his first breaths, and his father,
distraught, placed his anguish and pain for losing
his wife and mixed together with hatred
at the mewling child which was her death with
his very soul to name a powerful curse upon
405
the mewling babe, that for all his life he would
be made to carry the dead which he made upon
his heart, a black mark unseen to fester there
and weigh on him until life was but weariness.
The curse placed against one so new to the world,
410
his father fell lifeless to the floor. At the age
of fifteen, Reych had killed many men,
or his queen and the tempest of rage which lived inside
him. Though not yet a man he could battle ten
and see victory, the speed of his limbs so quick
415
that no blade had ever left its mark on him.
Malach placed this boy in the vanguard as his host
left the Hall of Hala to wrestle the western
Telochs for dominion of the isle.
He set his warband
420
in the woods of the Un Bolam, which the host
of the many Telochs neared carelessly, for they
were in their own lands and had not thought
to place scouts on their path. Malach fell upon
the men of Un Bolam with sudden ferocity, the way
425
a storm arises on the sea, and the Un Bolam ran,
having no order in their forces, their Teloch
killed early in the fighting. Reych felled all who
came against him and the vanguard was turned; but
a great host lay beyond and these men swiftly
430
brought themselves into a shield wall, for they
did not know that Malach’s men were unorderly from
their battle with the van. The Drocht Baalon did
not join the shield wall, instead moved to a knoll
to see the shape of the battle. Malach brought
435
his men back into order and led only a small number
of them to charge, and when the host of the West
saw them, they scoffed, thinking the Un Bolam
cowards for breaking before so few. Such was their
confidence that they broke their shield wall
440
and charged Malach, quickly surrounding him
and his men, but they were deceived
and their eagerness betrayed them as the rest of Malach’s
force charged from the trees and hit them hard
behind. They were shattered, not by the force
445
of Malach, but through their haste, and the host
of Malach went far in their pursuit, killing all
those within their grasp, until at last they were
alone on the field, except for the Drocht Baalon,
for Ceallach had seen the battle and would not run
450
before speaking to Malach.
Malach’s host, fresh in victory,
surrounded the Drocht Baalon and gave no path
for them to flee by, eager to see their victory
completed. Ceallach called loudly for Malach
455
to come to him, and upon his arrival he spoke,
“Hail Malach, son of Mathred,
son of Math. By force of arms the field is yours,
and the island waits with nervous eyes to see
who our first High Teloch will be. I stand here
460
as the first of the Iolish to bear witness
to the kind of ruler you are, the weight of time
now set upon your shoulders, and all days after
this will bear your mark, even till the end
of this island. So be just and true in thought
465
and deed so all sons of this land hold your name
as the height of what a man may become, but
if your reign is false, and justice is not loved
by you, then I shall be the first of all
the Iolish to curse your name, and we will have
470
between us war. Be not assured that in this fight
victory will be yours, though you have defeated
all the sons of the west, before you stand
the Sons of Baalon, we who are descended from that
great warrior.
475
“The host who were here laid low
by the skill of your arms was not always united,
for we were many Tella, and between us there
lay deadly hatred from time past. We chose to end
our enmity to protect our own from the power
480
of your arms. In this choosing, new enmity was
born, for I was best suited for the leading of all
the west but the other Telochs feared my own
power, and took from me my right. I will admit
to you that after they took this from me, I sought
485
to reclaim my right through dishonest means. I was
not alone in doing this, for the Un Salal made
a wise man foolish, and had him chose the High
Teloch without proper knowledge, an insult to our
land. I chose an honest trickery, and used
490
my own men to win what is by right mine, but all
kings conspired against me and used dishonest
trickery to take the title from me.
“I have seen the battle
that you have fought against these dishonest kings
495
and I acknowledge you to be the High Teloch,
I freely lay aside the right I had at your feet,
though had I faced you, know it would have been
me who would rule the Iolish in your stead. I now
place before you your first judgment, I ask of you
500
to punish the Telochs who dishonored
me and to deliver to me the son of the Un Salal
named Noríín, for he is the one who brought
the Telochs to dishonor. High King, the land
is yours, and now you must earn its people,
505
justice lies at your feet. What is your
judgement?”
Malach had listened with patience
while Ceallach spoke, his wounds of battle still
bloody, and when he finished Malach gave
510
his judgement,
“I have heard much of you,
Ceallach son of Cole, and the strength of your arm
is not to be doubted. I had not heard
of the strength of your tongue, however,
515
and in all measures it should be counted your
strongest weapon. The sons of the west have
nothing to fear from me, I shall not lay them low,
instead I will raise them to new standing.
I am plagued by dreams of a storm, borne over
520
the sea, coming from the east to break this isle.
The strength of all the Iolish is needed to turn
away the storm. I am glad that you have
surrendered before my host, for the Drocht Baalon
are mighty warriors whose strength is needed
525
for our future.
“You have asked me
for judgment, that I give freely. In my judgement
both you and the other Telochs acted wrongly,
you by your own admission denied the land its
530
proper place as judge, and they by fooling a wise
man and believing the very foolishness which they
had given him. Therefore I command you, and all
Telochs who engaged in this foolishness,
to perform penitence before the river where this
535
trickery took place and to ask the river
and forest to pardon you. As for the son
of the Un Salal, whose name is Noríín, I will not
deliver him to you, for I know that his life would
be not long in your hands, and the death you would
540
give him he does not deserve, for both of you
sought to cheat the other Telochs. Then this
is my judgement, that though Noríín shall not
be delivered to you, I do have a sentence to pass
against him. After you have asked for penitence,
545
you, Ceallach son of Cole, shall come to my hall
at the Hill of Hala, where you will become
my champion to deliver my justice to those who
would stand against it and my ear will forever
listen to your council, but Noríín, even after
550
his penitence, will be forever barred from
the Hill of Hala where the High Teloch will forever reign.
This is my judgement.”
Ceallach was pleased at the words
of Malach and swore to him that Malach would
555
forever be his king, and commanded all the Drocht
Baalon to do the same. Having sworn their oaths,
the Drocht Baalon went forth to find those who had
run from the armies of Malach, and slew them.
Now there was no army which could stand against
560
Malach and all of the Iolish paid tribute
to the Ui Lide Aesal. Their power was great,
and in victory his men began to seek again for him
a wife so their power might continue for all
time, and though by tradition he was to search
565
among his own Tella or else he might have taken
for a wife any woman from the powerful Tella,
he chose for himself the daughter of the Aamach
Eas, in whose blood flowed an ancient line
of kings. The Iolish are not like those
570
on Eurol, where the wife’s house pays
the husband’s, but indeed it is the opposite,
and of the Iolish the Aamach Eas demand
the greatest proofs of a future husband. So that
even though Malach was the High Teloch and they
575
paid to him a tribute, they would not give her
to be his wife before receiving those proofs.
Malach came before the fathers of the Aamach Eas
and spoke,
“Fathers, your age and wisdom
580
has let you stand above all men of the Aamach Eas,
to render your judgment upon them. I am no son
of your Tella, yet I come before you, for in your keeping
lies that which I yearn to possess.
“I have already in my hands
585
that which no man has ever held. For now
the Iolish people hold me to be their High Teloch,
and all people are to be my people. I may
no longer claim any Tella as my own,
to do so is to place them first and all others
590
into servitude. I must judge true and fair,
so the Iolish will become one people, the way iron
links are forged into mail. My future will
be the future of my people, my actions will stand
for ages. If I am just and good, then my people
595
will be for all time, but if I fall into cruelty
and unkindness, greed and treachery, they will
never rise above who they are now, and will only
fall into greater cruelty and mistrust, becoming
beasts of the land.
600
“As I stand, I am alone,
one man with the burdens of all peoples weighed
on his shoulders. I can bear this burden for
a time, I am still young. Yet youth is only
a cloud, soon fleeting, and age, hidden behind it,
605
soon descends. I must have sons to take
my burdens and continue my work. With them,
the safety of the Iolish will be secured, their
happiness guaranteed. There are many who would
gladly see their daughters given to me that they
610
might secure their place above all others and worm
their way into my council. Therefore I must place
my trust in old friends who joined me willingly.
“I have long heard stories
of your daughter Niola, the Iolish speak of her
615
and wonder that such beauty should belong
to mortal man, and not to the Baíth alone. Many
have come before you, asking for her hand, Telochs
have come seeking her, but they have each been
turned away. I am no Teloch, I am the Teloch above
620
Telochs, king beyond kings, and I have not come
here to set you above all the Iolish, rather
I come to show them an example of a just people
and to raise them to your height. Show them your
justice, and allow me to have her as a bride.”
625
The Fathers replied to him,
“Malach Deft-Hand,
it is true that you have in your possession that
which no mortal man has ever held, you have all
630
the Iolish under your protection, and you have
the love of our daughter, Niola Fair-Haired, who
has long seen you as her only rightful match. You
desire her and she desires you, yet we cannot
permit this pairing today for you have not given
635
us proofs of your worthiness.
“You know nothing of her,
save of her beauty, and beauty is milk, either
consumed at once or else spoiled with time. Where
will you be, Malach, King of Kings, when her
640
beauty has vanished? It is a magpie who finds
something new and beautiful when the old silver
is tarnished. You must be no magpie, for you
are Malach, High Teloch and King of Kings,
and to resign to this fate would be most evil
645
for our favorite daughter, one we must avoid for her
and all the Iolish. You spoke truly when you named
her as beautiful as the Baíth. She
is the morning sun, the morning sun will reach
brilliant noon if you let it before dusk falls.
650
Niola is to be the mother of tomorrow and deserves
a husband worthy of her. There is more to her than
what Ioland knows.
“You have lands, but these will
bring her no joy, you have power, but power cannot
655
love her, you have warbands, but these cannot feed
her, you have wisdom, but it cannot clothe her.
Malach, son of Mathred son of Math, what will you
bring her that she may not fear these? You may
sustain her today, but what of tomorrow, what can
660
you offer her besides you desire?”
Malach raged at their reply,
for refusal awoke something with in him which had
never before stirred, a vanity gained in unceasing
victory, the questions the Fathers gave felt
665
to him undeserved, and for the first time he felt
the stinging humiliations of defeat. Yet no man
conquers through surrender and Malach desired
above all to prevail, his will made of strong
iron, so he gave battle with the Fathers,
670
“Have I found an opponent
eager for battle against he who has not known
defeat? Very well, for I will not shirk from
battle when it is offered so freely to me. Do they
think me so skilled in battles of arms that
675
I would neglect to train my tongue for war? This
is a battle I have prepared for, they will not
find me as green as they would hope me.
“You have told me
by your own halting breath that Niola believes
680
me to be her only worthy match, and I believe
the same, yet you would refuse us each other.
I am told it was for our youth and her beauty that
we are denied, for fears I will grow tired of her
as she grows old. You fear that I might lose
685
my seat, that my meadbench would be burned
and my people laid low. These are just fears,
however impossible, one day the earth itself may
shake me of my love or my power, it may happen,
perhaps the Baíth shall rise from the earth
690
to unseat me. Yet that day, black day, will not
find me eager to submit. I am the High Teloch,
King beyond Kings, on the day that I die I will
still be the High Teloch, King beyond Kings
and she beside me, my wife.
695
“I have heard of her beauty
it’s true, so have all who live on our island;
I am not alone in possessing this knowledge
and of those who live around you, none speak
of anything else. If the people of this land
700
do not know more of her it is because you have
hidden her from us. Teach me of her if that
be your requirement of her hand, bring
me a champion that I may defeat him if you worry
of my strength, bring all your armies against mine
705
if you doubt that my warband might defend her, but
if you hide her from me, know that this land
belongs to me and my people and we will find her.
“You named me and my lineage,
710
each word you spoke true, I am Malach, the only
man to hold all the Iolish in his grasp. Now any
man may walk from west to east without fear
or blood feud by my power; my father was Mathred
the one who left no feud time to fester and when
715
the Sea stole from him his wife, he conquered
it by his rage, the sun and moon are separated
by his hand, his blood runs hotter than the blood
of any mortal man; my father’s father was a man
of no ordinary power either, for he was the wisest
720
of the wise men, so wise that a Baíth woman wed
him in order to learn his knowledge. This
is the family you seek to destroy, know that
in our blood runs the magic of the Baíth
and we will not know defeat. Give her to me that
725
we might be friends and live in peace.”
Others would tremble
before these pronouncements, but the fathers
of the Aamach Eas took no notice of them, one gave
a call and from a door in the meeting hall came
730
forth Niola, daughter of the Aamach Eas, who had
been listening to the talking from behind a door,
and she spoke to the High Teloch,
“We also are the children
of ancient lineage, warriors born for the battle.
735
Our people have never surrendered to the enemy,
we have never left the field before our foes.
Bring your armies, King beyond Kings, bring all
the Iolish here to war with us, and you will find
us ready to fight, each man and woman of us. You
740
will find me in the warband, my spear bristling
in the line, we fear not one foe nor any
multitude.
“They do not deny you
my hand for hatred of you, nor from spite, they
745
who were first to fight with you in your wars,
forget not our blood spilt for your conquest. They
desired to learn what your ceaseless wars have
made you. Your eagerness to look past our battles
beside you is a worry, but even this is not why
750
you are denied my hand. You are Malach, son
of Mathred son of Math, the blood of Ioland’s
greatest heroes is yours, they know well your
blood well storied, and do not hide me from
yourself for the heroes of your past. They deny
755
you my hand because the man you were when you
began your conquest, is not the man you are
today. Your conquest was begun from a fear for us,
all peoples of this land, that the black storm
which rises in the east would carve us away
760
and so sought to unify and bring us together
to face this storm. The Malach who stands here
is not that Malach who took us to war, for
he before was humble and unproud.
“When your host marches
765
down upon us and we are fall beneath unceasing
hoards, what will happen to you next? Do you
believe that I will leave willingly with my people
slain without grave howes above them, will your
people who follow you continue to when their
770
Teloch has become a common thief? Your wife-taking
shall be the greatest crime and the songs sung
even until the wreaking of the isle shall name you
blackheart. Such action would be your undoing
and the ruin of all before the storm.
775
“I am to be the mother of hope,
but my husband must be my equal. It is true that
there is little known of me by the people of this
land, but this was by design, for in keeping
secret my life they have allowed me to live
780
as others do. I see that the only one who could
be my husband is you, a man of destiny to equal
the fate placed on me, but only the Malach who
began in hopes of saving the land deserves me, not
the arrogant conqueror who stands before us today.
785
My life is given to great events, spun by Fate
alone. Though Fate demands I be surrendered
to long-planned designs, the Fathers are mortal
men, and will not yield so easily. We are prepared
to fight Fate until she yields, as your father
790
once gave battle to the Sea. We will not yield
to Fate, and we will not yield to you.”
Malach was silent for a great time,
rooted to his place as a tree, but thought hard
on the storm of words which Niola had raised
795
against him, even after she walked out of the mead
hall. When he had gathered his thoughts and spoke
once more, his voice held its spirit, though
it had lost the rage it once held,
“Fathers, I have spoken rashly,
800
and in my speech I have fallen into great vices,
for I am a man who has dreamed great, and achieved
great, so in the conquest of my dreams I forgot
the waking day and my place in it. I am merely
a man who forgot his place and was seduced by
805
his own blood, convinced of its righteousness.
I am not Math, whose cunning entrapped foxes
and whose wisdom confounded owls, nor am I
Mathred the Undefeatable who guarded this land through
the virtue of his arms. I am neither of these,
810
I am Malach, and that will be enough.
“The pride which I have brought
to your home has shamed me, I has mistaken
to think that the men of Aamach Eas had broken
faith with me when they had never broken their
815
shield wall in battle. We are brothers, not
by blood but by hard days hard won, though I have
brought shame on that bond. I ask you
to receive my repentance and forgive my arrogance,
permit us to move past my folly and on to our
820
work, the preservation of the Iolish from that
which is sure to come.
“Your daughter is yours,
I will not take her from you by force of arms,
such action is unworthy of our friendship, never
825
again will I hold myself in such bad airs, I will
stand the first among equals, not a master but
a father, a gentle hand not the iron rod.
Brothers, I am in your debt for refusing me.
I wake from the long slumber of dreams to find
830
my friends in need. You have spoken of Fate,
of this terror I believe no man is bound, I have
seen a great number of men die for fear of Fate.
If your daughter is held in its chains, tell
me that I might break them for you.”
835
The Fathers spoke to him, joyed,
“Malach, we did not seek
to humble you to laud our power over you, we have
none but that humble kind which is formed
by shared lives with friends. Remember that you
840
are the High Teloch, and that you must still
protect those who call you king and judge them
too. You are to lead all men of this island
and so do not fear to use that power which you
hold over them, but remember that you are also
845
a man as all men are, fated to die, that your
power is for your fellow’s safety and not
his subjugation.
“Fate should not be made light of,
for she is not the breeze but the ocean, she will
850
feed her favored and drown those she scorns. She
should not be ignored, for she has great love for
traps and only in keeping her in your sight will
you avoid them. We caution you not to think
so little of her who has given you much. He who
855
is king today will tomorrow be hungry, that ever
is her device.
“Malach, Fate has grabbed Niola
as a hunting hound grabs hold of a hind, and Fate
will keep her. She was born with doom weighing
860
over her, for days her mother screamed in pained
labor and we rushed to summon the wise man of Ail Meloch
He soothed the mother with herbs
and brought Niola into this world, but would not
long hold the child for he pronounced that a dark
865
fate ruled her, that she is to die in childbirth,
that her husband will have one heir only, that her
child would have no parent, and the fate of this
land will be bound to that child for all time.
This is her doom, this we have told her and she
870
has accepted it, but only if her husband is worthy
of what Fate had set upon her. Malach, knowing
this end and keeping the light of humility as your
guide, do you still wish to take our daughter
as you wife?”
875
Malach did not fear any fate,
and was still steadfast in his desire for her,
agreed to pay any brideprice for her. This
the fathers forgave, his price was paid in
his knowledge of their shared fate. Malach was eager
880
to be wed, but even so gave the date of his
marriage in three months from that day, that
his people might gather to the Hall of Hala
to see his wedding and so he had time to give proper
observance to his fathers. The Iolish hold this
885
law amongst all its peoples, except those
of Helm Hailas, that the fathers who have died hold strong
powers over the living, watching over them
and protecting them to such a degree that they may
appear on the earth as guides for their children.
890
They often take vows on their fathers, cursing
themselves should they fail in upholding these,
yet they never invoke their mothers, for they gave
them life and they dare not vow against that gift.
During the most important moments of their lives
895
they ensure their fathers are at ease, out
of fear that in their displeasure they will
seek to harm the living.
In this time runners were sent
to each of the Tella of Ioland, calling them
900
to the wedding of the High Teloch. All the Tella
were summoned, save the boy Noriin, and each Tella
came, eager to sit near the meadbench of Malach.
To the Hall of Hala, home of the Ui Lide Aesal,
came the Aamach Eas, the Drocht Baalon,
905
Ui Con Tara, Un Goll, Un Salal, Un Londar Norna,
Un Londar, Ui Arden, Ui Agla, Un Colta bar,
Un Bolam, and those of Helm Hailas. Great gifts
they brought, each in hopes to shine brightest.
They forgot not their defeat before his forces,
910
nor his mercy. Each were welcomed by Malach
with great solemnity and friendship, not to diminish
them with his power but to welcome earnestly
friends to his hall. There also was the great
friend of Mathred, the wise man of Ail Meloch,
915
who of all the wise men of that day was
the greatest.
There is no ceremony
in an Iolish wedding, only a feast with a great
many speeches of friendship and bonds,
920
and in a feast of such importance as Malach’s
the feast was of such size as would not be seen
again for many years. Fifty cattle were
slaughtered for each Tella, fowl of many kinds
in large number, a great herd of deer were
925
hunted for the table, and a lake of mead so that
no man knew thirst. With all Tellas seated before
him, Malach made laws that Iolish would abide
to always. He named outlaw any man who took a wife
against her will, which was the cause of many
930
feuds. The feast lasted a fortnight in endless
revelry, so well did the mead satiate each guest
that ancient feuds were drowned by Malach’s
generosity, except for Ceallach’s hatred
of Noriin, though it lay forgotten during
935
the feast. Indeed he was rarely a man given
to jollity, mead did not bring him to happiness
but instead made him more fierce, but in
the Hall of Hala all were joyed by the union of Malach
and Niola. It was on the last night of the feast,
940
when all were most joyous, that Ceallach stood
upon the meadbench of the highest table and spoke,
“In all time we are most blessed,
for never have we all gathered together in such
manner and such friendship, indeed never before
945
has friendship lived so freely among our peoples.
This friendship belongs only to one man, who
by his strength and charity gave to us this great
gift. No gift we give him will repay that boon.
Friendship belongs to Malach, peace belongs
950
to Malach, to Malach, to Malach.
“Brothers, for I feel not the illness
in naming each of you my own brother that I would
have felt before this feast, we are by him bound
to peace and he who tarnishes the memory of this
955
day will forever be foe to all, breaking a solemn
oath of guest right by which we are bound. No man
may break guest right while they stay in the hall
of their host. The host promises to feed and guard
those in his hall, and the guest vows to never
960
take arms against those who share his hall.
The Hall of Hala is not bound by these walls but its
borders extend through all lands of the Iolish,
to the very waves which crash on our shores,
for these are now the borders of his lands
965
and we guests in it, and Ioland shall be his hall
so long as his people stand and his heirs walk
the green grass. I vow that the people of this
land will always be one people so long
as his heirs live, and that they who design to take that
970
which rightly belongs to Malach or Malach’s heirs
shall find their desire betrayed and turned to ash
in their mouths, their deaths swift and cruel.
This my first vow, one to be kept all days,
to Malach, to Malach, to Malach.
975
“Here is a bride most beautiful,
most kind, to wed the man who has given
us so much, may she bring him all he has sought,
as he brought us that which we have long sought.
Any man who seeks her will be my foe, though
980
the mountains fall and this land breaks, I will
still pursue vengeance against any who would touch
her and all who covet her. Any who harms her shall
not live more than a year. She is rightfully
Malach’s, the High Teloch, to harm her is to harm
985
the very earth. This is my second vow, which will
last all my days. To Malach, to Malach.
“All you know my strength,
and all know my pride, these vows I invoke are not
hollow, ever shall I follow them, though I wear
990
thin. The peace we have must always endure
for the sake of all our people, but if broken,
the lifeblood of Malach will always take revenge
on those who break it. Ever will their designs
fall before Malach’s. My last vow before all who
995
stand here, that those who betray the Peace
of Malach will not live to see their designs
achieved. To Malach.”
His solemn oaths evoked,
Ceallach returned to the revelry as each
1000
of his oaths were sworn also by the host. It was never
before that the peoples of the island would hold
one belief among all, for the island is large
and a great many people live there, but they all
held Malach as their High Teloch and were eager
1005
to serve him without anger in their hearts. It was
after the speech of Ceallach that peace lived with
all the Iolish people. The wise man of Ail Meloch,
after a time of revelry, stepped before
the meadbench of Malach and spoke,
1010
“Malach, son of Mathred,
son of Math, you are now the High Teloch
and the shepherd of a great flock. I am called
a wise man and with my wisdom I see that you are
a great man, to whom Fate has given much and who
1015
Fate holds central to her plans. It is proper
to give to great men great gifts, for they are
most deserving of them. Two great gifts you have,
the first, your wife, fairer than all the stars,
they will be ever jealous of her. You hold
1020
the love of your people and have given them Peace,
this being the second great gift which Fate has
given you. Now I hope to give a third, a work
of supreme majesty.
“Long have I lived,
1025
and now there is not a hair on my body which
has not gone to silver, my body is no longer
the strength of youth but the illness of age.
It is indeed a great difficultly, to stand
and speak to such crowd of the strong, many
1030
of whom will not gain my age but fall in glorious
battle. When in my ruddy youth I learned great
wisdom and stood at the side of your father
Mathred, I first dreamed this dream. For though
in my possession was great knowledge, ever envious
1035
of the boons which Fate gave so willingly
to Mathred, I desired to be thus blessed.
“I began to collect
all the wondrous things of this earth to study
them, my journey taking me far from this land
1040
and into the world of demons, creatures of great
horror and dread which fed on the wicked. Yet
I walked not alone, and with Mathred by my side
we stole the ends of the rainbow, the sound
of a cat’s footfall, the redness of the sea,
1045
the voice of the winds, and the stars which shined
in daylight. I promised my friend the boon was
a weapon that he might defeat the ancient enemy
of the Iolish, the circling Sea, but I held
a secret shame, that with the boon I might become
1050
his equal in all things. These things we took from
the world and through many years I worked to forge
them together, but though I labored long, my skill
was incapable of such creation, the dream eluded
me. Now much time has passed, years bloomed
1055
and withered before me, and though I did not
surrender my pursuit of this boon, I had other
tasks which demanded my labor, my mind ever driven
to the conquest of knowledge in all its parts.
Malach, in these long years, I gained the power
1060
which I had sought, and through my knowledge
I forged together these wonders into a single
ring.
“This ring, of all gifts most great,
holds within it a great power for good fortune;
1065
ever shall the wearer’s possessions increase, from
silver it shall breed gold, the wearer need only
keep on this ring and witness as the good
in his life increases with every day. It is the ring
of Fortune, of Fate, of the High Teloch,
1070
and is named the Ring of Dain Thar Duin. Upon
its face is the Hart, king of beasts, and three
gemstones make its crown, forged from perfect gold
woven with your blood to bind it forever
to your line. All who hold it will be remembered
1075
by the Iolish for all time and stories of
their life will be passed along until the Sea washes
over the land and all is made anew. This boon has
long been in my dreams, but I know that my age
will soon take me and I have deemed it fitting
1080
that the boon which I thought would make
me Mathred’s equal is better served in making you
his superior. I have great wisdom and have learned
that I have no need for this ring, I have become
Mathred’s equal by my own power, but you must
1085
surpass him. He had not the great burden upon him
as you do, he was the Teloch of only one Tella
where you are Teloch to all. He spent much of time
pursuing challenges where you will spend the time
allotted you ruling. You and your line are
1090
the only true possessors of this ring, for you
alone will the ring will give abundance and not
excess, fill all your needs and end your wants.
King Malach, this is my gift to the line of Math.”
Such wonder was on each face
1095
of the host as they marveled at the boon given
Malach and each eye fixed hawkish gazes
at the ring, the smallest glint of gold filled
their deepest desires. The ring on Malach’s finger
hushed the host, and he began to speak,
1100
for the first time in a fortnight addressing the hall
entire,
“In all the Earth, of all tribes of man,
we are the most blessed, fortune has delivered
us a time of ease and friendship where
1105
we no longer grow strong from the conquest of our
neighbor but stronger by his peace. We have
nothing to fear from his wellbeing and much
to praise, the good fortune of one man is the good
fortune of all his village. We are now one
1110
people as never before, the hungry wolf forms
a mighty pack to hunt. I have seen his starvation,
the doom of all his kind, and I saw us scattered
in his path. That is why I sought our peoples
to become one. Let this doom come, it will find
1115
us ready for any burden. We will not starve.
“I am given three great gifts,
loyalty, a wife, and a ring. These I have earned
and will continue to earn, for none of these are
set in the sky but must be won each day or they
1120
will be lost. In the coming years great trails
will face our people, only through these three
great gifts can the Iolish survive the doom.
Through your loyalty we will form a warband
of such size that no foe can face us, our
1125
shieldwall shall be unbreakable, our warcry shall
shake them to their bones, the pack unharmed from
the hunt through its loyalty. My wife shall give
me heirs to continue this guard the Iolish people,
a line destined to guide our people through all
1130
time, this line she gives us shall have your
loyalty. Their blood is my blood and I bind you
to aid them as you aid me. The ring, the final
gift, most kindly given, will be the sign
of my heirs, it is theirs to possess for all time,
1135
and will always find its way back to their hands,
for theirs will be the only hands which may wield
it, it will always bring ruin through excess
to others who falsely hold it.
“With these three gifts,
1140
the Kingdom of the Iolish begins, well may
it weather the Storm which comes for it. Eternally
it will be bound to my blood, eternally made
by the friendship of your peoples. Let us vow
peace between ourselves, as I vow to protect all
1145
those who hold me their High Teloch. I vow
to love and uphold the virtue of my wife always.
I call upon all my ancestors to protect my line
as it serves the people of this land, may they
guide my children through all time. Now as your
1150
High Teloch, I call you to hold these oaths
as solemnly as you hold your fathers. When dawn
breaks, the feast will be over, let no food
be wasted nor mead go undrunk. Hail renowned
guests, Hail Ioland and the Hall of Hala.”
1155
Thus the three great men
spoke and such was their passion and power that
their words became law, immutable, held over all
the isle. This great feast of tribes which would
never unite again left the Hall of Hala
1160
in the dawn hour, each returning to their lands
unmolested, bound by the peace of Malach, each
in their hearts holding a secret, shameful,
desire, a secret violence against the peace.
In short time Niola grew heavy
1165
with the child of Malach and the fathers of Aamach Eas
wept knowing their daughter who would soon
die. Malach was unafraid of Fate looming over
his wife and continued to govern the people of Ioland
justly and love his wife as he had promised to do.
1170
He would fawn over her in all hours of the day,
filling every moment he did not govern with her
laughter, carving her love onto his memory.
Her labor was pained greatly, her screams lasting
three days and three nights, all the birds
1175
of the air and beasts of the land were silent
awaiting the cry of Malach’s heir, no mother gave
birth during Niola’s labor that Malach’s child
would be born above their own. The child was born
the fourth day of her labor with the coming
1180
of the dawn, Niola lay greatly weakened in
her suffering, but as the fathers of the Aamach Eas
gathered about her to ease her passing, they saw
that she would not part from her child and leave
her alone in the world. Long she remained ill, but
1185
fierce was her fire, she did not perish and grew
stronger with each day. The child was named
Ilulean, named after the red-yellow Dawn Flower
which lives by the waters of the sea and ever
greets the sun. Her face shone with all the beauty
1190
of all the island, never crying, for joy eternal
was her birthright, a gift given by all the Iolish
peoples to her father. In the peace of those times
she grew quickly and in her fifth year she had
great locks of gold hair which her mother had
1195
given to her, so that those in Hala named her
Finnoan, which is Gold-Haired. Never did she know
tears while Hala stood, and she roamed the woods
and waters of the Ui Lide Aesal and the lands
of her people guarded her, no beast dared harm
1200
her, teaching her the songs of nature so she might
order the forests as she pleased.
Malach was well pleased by Ilulean,
her eyes bright with knowledge, her joy brightened
the Hall of Hala and all the court praised Malach
1205
and Niola for her temperament. Malach believed
the fate given his wife was destroyed, set aside
for his family and people. Great was his joy when
Niola was with child again, his final conquest
of Fate. As her eighth month passed, Malach called
1210
many of his friends to the Hall of Hala
to celebrate his second child, and a son he hoped
to be his successor. The wise man of Ail Meloch
came to the hall, as well as Ceallach
and the Fathers of Aamach Eas, though they still
1215
feared Fate.
Yet ill fortune was stirring
in the lands as Malach prepared his feast. Beyond
the Ail Meloch, in the barren lands between
the mountains and the sea, greed festered
1220
in hearts, five years beneath Malach was to them
wearying. For the good king Malach had outlawed
their cattle raids and gave to them instead prize
cattle from his own herds, including the strong
scions of the bull Donn Coracht. Unable to name
1225
themselves warriors for completing feats
of strength and bravery, the people of Helm Hailas
could not claim honor in the eyes of their
ancestors and grew restless and hungry
to do so once more. It was Teloch Mebeb
1230
of Helm Hailas whose festering heart desired
the Ring of Malach, by its power she would set the people
of Helm Hailas above all others and her above
them; and though she feared the might of Malach
and held his writ as sacred law, she could not
1235
withstand the demands of her desires as they grew
more powerful with the passing days. Her people,
barred from raiding and hateful of living under
the giving hand of Malach, were eager for glory,
and Queen Mebeb ruled by her greed called
1240
her warriors to her hall and in the night they left
for a great raid.
Malach had much to celebrate
as his hall prepared for his second child; joyous
was his hall, the feast smaller only to that
1245
of his wedding. All his Tella, the Ui Lide Aesal
were at his hall and the Fathers and many warriors
of the Aamach Eas. Malach began the feast
by speaking to all guests, Niola was not at his side
but beginning to give birth in her
1250
chambers. He spoke,
“Here again the people of Ioland
have gathered in peace to welcome my child
to the world, though we are greatly diminished
in number from our earlier feasts, I am no less
1255
grateful for those who have arrived to
the Hall of Hala, the house of Niola the Fair,
Ilulean Finnoan the Kind, and Malach King. In this hall
will soon stand another to be welcomed, I eagerly
await his arrival.
1260
“Five years have I ruled,
five years has Peace lived freely in our lands
and all have prospered by her grace. The Iolish
are well prepared for that which will come, armed
with this Peace they shall prevail though
1265
the trails are unknown. We have conquered greater
things than men: old enmities which have stood
as long as Ioland, Fate so cruelly weaved
against us, it is by our bond of brotherhood that
this land knows peace. May Peace reign alone
1270
for a thousand years and may men be born and be placed
in their hallowed barrow without knowing anything
else.
“My wife has given me a daughter
who by her charm will keep these lands from chaos.
1275
Now she gives me a son whose arm will conquer
those who break this peace. In all things we have
fortune, in all things blessed, so strong have
we become that my fears of the Storm have been
assuaged, and if the storm comes our people will
1280
be unafraid, though its torrents shake the very
roots of mountains and the trees be uprooted.
Peace is our shield and safety is our sword.
By these pillars the Iolish become again one
people.
1285
“This meal is endless in all time.
Let all the ages pass yet all those heroes born in after
days will wish themselves seated upon the lowest
seat of the Hall of Hala to be in our presence.
1290
Borne of fear was my desire to see this land
in one hall, but in glory unending shall be these
great days. In this hall sits Ceallach, warrior
of such strength and cunning that no bear may ever
defeat him, and no fox outwit him, beside him
1295
the wise man of Ail Meloch, whose wisdom
is greater than all other men together. Niola
the Fair and Ilulean the Awe-Filled live here,
and make this hall most beautiful of all gardens.
Malach King reigns here, his hall all the lands,
1300
and in his hall no man goes without food or has
want of mead.”
Great was this feast,
and though they were in number fewer than his
wedding, the host drank more mead than before,
1305
Ceallach alone drank more than half the island
had at the wedding of Malach and Niola, at his
side the sword of Malach, given to him, forged
four years prior when a bone-demon from
the deep sea washed upon the shores of Ioland. Many
1310
trembled at the sight, but Malach named
the happening fortunate and had the long horn cut
off and made into the handle for a sword and given
to Ceallach to keep Malach’s peace. Only three
times did he draw it and never did it drink blood,
1315
so well he kept peace. It was in the early hours
of dawn that the host of Mebeb arrived as thieves
to the Hall of Hala, having left the lands
of Helm Hailas three days thence, taking great
care that their movements go unmarked, their
1320
reaving host fell upon any that saw them so that
the men in the Hall of Hala knew nothing of their
approach. The cries of Niola were great
and terrible and all those awake listened eagerly
to hear the cry of Malach’s child, but heard
1325
in his stead the war cry of the thieves. In a fury
the raiders burst upon the hall and began their
pillage. Mebeb sought not to become Teloch above
all Telochs as Malach had, nor to rule wisely,
only to take his hearth and hall, to hold in her
1330
hands all the works of Malach and claim them
as their own. She sent her people to take
the crops, and a number of warriors to take
the livestock of the Ui Lide Aesal, the bull Donn
Coracht the great prize, for it was the Bull
1335
of Malach and the selfsame beast whose offspring
were given to them without conquest; but the bull
would not be subdued with ease and killed three
score men before exhausting itself and the reavers
could carry it off.
1340
In the Hall of Hala
blood flowed as free as the mead, for though
caught unawares, the men of the Ui Lide Aesal were
in great numbers and beside them the Aamach Eas
fought with that which they could find, for
1345
no weapon was permitted in the Hall of Hala, save
only for the sword of the champion, Ceallach. Yet
Ceallach had drunk too much and when war came
was found in a servant’s cot and could not be roused.
Though no man of them lived through the day,
1350
it is known that the people of Aamach Eas, even
the women, fought as no other could fight. Their
blood was fierce and burned with a rage which
could forge iron, many raiders fell before them.
Close were they packed in the Hall of Hala,
1355
a melee without order as the raiders of Helm
Hailas entered wherever they could, into
the chamber of Niola came the reavers and speared
her as a hind, her last terrible cry shrilly
ended. Malach in sorrowed rage saw his house fall
1360
to ruin, for even the great power of the wise man
of Ail Meloch was brought to its ending. Malach
was kind, but on hearing the final breath of his
wife above the din of war, and seeing the many
pillars of his house fall before him, a rage came
1365
over him, for he had in him the strength
of his father and through his blood the power
of the Baíth, so in his final rage he seemed
to grow to giant size, and with his hands bare
battled with a dozen men, his teeth his swords
1370
and many were stabbed, one still stood supporting
the House of Ioland. Malach cried for Ceallach
the last cry of the trapped stag calling
for his brother, and Ceallach was roused from his slumber
to see the house of his lord and brother burned
1375
before him, those he stood champion for dead
at his feet. In the fallen timbers and blood,
through the ashes dancing at the ruin of Malach,
Ceallach saw the child Ilulean who stood watching
her house burn. Drunk though he still was,
1380
Ceallach rushed to Ilulean and spirited her from
the Hall of Hala, the sword of the champion
battling its way from the sacred halls, slaying
all who stood before it, friend or foe, and into
the lands surrounding fled.
1385
Malach battled on against the horde,
even when his arm was severed by blades, until
the flames consumed the timbers of the Hall
of Hala and they fell down upon him. The looters
of Helm Hailas ravaged its corpse, pulling gold
1390
from the mighty ribs. Malach’s body was found
and humiliated and the ring taken from his hand
and given to Teloch Mebeb. The host returned
to Helm Hailas in a riot and at her seat she
donned the ring and claimed herself
1395
to be the Teloch above all Telochs. They gave not
a proper burial to any, foe or friend, leaving
them to the carrion birds, cursing their spirits
from going beyond the island. To her prized
warriors she gave the livestock of the Ui Lide
1400
Aesal, and to the greatest of these she gave Donn
Coracht, the bull which made Malach king. This was
the cursed Reych, and he became hers. The fire
of the Hall of Hala spread, word of the fate
of Malach came to each Tella, the land fell
1405
to chaos as each claimed to be High King, the few
of the Aamach Eas who remained fortified their
home and would not let any enter.
Ceallach ran with Ilulean
through the night of fire and blood, choking smoke
1410
and ash, felling those who came against him
with a power so swift they could not see it, such
as the speed of the dread hand of Ceallach.
Desperation and despair drove him as he clawed
his way from the Ruin of Ioland. Sun and Moon rose
1415
and fell from the sky unmarked by him; he ran on,
the child in his arms, until after time uncounted
he stumbled. Recognizing his own weariness
he stopped for brief rest in a dense grove,
placing Ilulean down that she might rest also,
1420
his sword drawn that he might rise swiftly from
his sleep to battle, but before he rested he spoke
to the child.
“The Isle is broken
and all the good which your father created
1425
destroyed by fools and thieves. We shall
be a ruined people, a people long suffering,
and this burden shall remain to blacken our hearts
until we are redeemed, though what could save
the Iolish from this crime I cannot see. Our guilt
1430
shall wreck us as we strive forward from that dark
deed, but long shall it be ere we forget the Peace
of Malach and what it brought us. Yet you do not
live beneath this guilt, your heart remains
sinless, you alone are free of this burden,
1435
it is we who have failed you, last of the Ui Lide Aesal
to walk this green isle. I plan now to take
you to my people, the Drocht Baalon, for I fear
that your kin did not survive in great numbers
and are too weak now to hide you from harm. Yet
1440
my people are as of yet unmarked by the turmoil,
and by reaching them with swiftness can we stave
the fall of one Tella. There you shall be raised,
protected from harm as the traitors who cast this
terrible crime on Ioland shall be destroyed,
1445
so rest now and worry no more.”
Here he dropped from exhaustion,
and there he rested a full day; but Ilulean knew
no rest, ever before her eyes was the ruin of her
house, the final anguish of her mother, and she
1450
wept until she had no tears left.
It was there
beside the sleeping Ceallach that Ilulean met
the Baíth. First she was afraid of the figures who
came before her, thinking them to be the warriors
1455
who had orphaned her, but she could not run,
for they surrounded her, rising from the trees,
and her screams could not wake Ceallach. Their
faces were strange, gaunt and fierce, tall they
stood, taller than any man, and their eyes burned
1460
red. Yet about them has a strange beauty,
the beauty of the earth itself, of flowers after
rain, and as she looked she grew less afraid
of the strange people, and especially for one who
seemed kindlier than the others, in whose face
1465
Ilulean saw her father. Slowly this Baíth reached
forward and gave to the child her hand, which
though frightened she took, and in gentle voice
the Baíth witch sang,
“Child,
1470
blood of Baíth born, brought by bounded Fate here,
long on lark’s ell from lost languishing to the land
of kings crowned in combat, clear from the clashing
the bear has bolted before breaking from his burden;
rest now, retreat no further rella, rest and revenge
1475
shall swift see you stand, sorrow shall not sustain you
as revived rises the Ravager, the Reaver,
Doomcaller damning and damned by the deceitful
to perish as they pluck the prize so pridefully,
you, child, chance brings much challenge and change
1480
ere she grants guardianship o’er ground and sky,
blood must bury by blood before the Baíth
grant their gifts, time is short, the Good God comes, gather
yourself, we must go.”
1485
The Baíth took Ilulean
to the Hill of Hala, leaving Ceallach where
he lay, and there sang the Song of the Rains,
their tears drowned the embers of the hall
and gave them rest. The Baíth then gathered
1490
the slain who had been disgraced without burial
and gave each a barrow, a home for all time, they
sang songs of sorrow as each mound rose from
the soft earth, doors of stone carved with runes
of easing, calling the dead to rest in honor,
1495
and the smallest among them was buried as a king,
but for Malach and Niola the barrows were made
to be larger than all others who had yet lived,
the stone doors twice the size of a man. Around
the Hill of Hala the barrows were set, and in days
1500
after the Iolish were afraid to enter
the Grave of the Ui Lide Aesal, for it is said that
the dead seek vengeance for the disgrace they
suffered by the raiders, and hold all Iolish
guilty for the Doom of the Hall of Hala. Their
1505
labor done, the Baíth each entered the barrows
and the kindly Baíth took Ilulean by the hand
and led her into the Barrow of Malach.
In Helm Hailas Teloch Mebeb
sat herself above all others and wore brazen
1510
the Ring of Malach, and each day praising the arm
of Reych, that only he might be her consort
by virtue of his strength. In her unending praise
of Reych, giving gifts of gold and herds of cattle
to him alone, was born a hatred of her for she
1515
would not see virtue in any other and her poor
rule threatened the timbers of her hall, even
as it was threatened from without. The death
of Malach was known through the entire island
and war lived in the home of peace, each Tella
1520
claimed to be the heir to the Ui Lide Aesal
and the true friend of Malach, each claimed
the right of revenge against the house of his
enemy. The anger Teloch Mebeb bred into her people
grew into a dark serpent of malice which coiled
1525
its way about her hall until her people desired
for nothing but her death, though none had
the will to stand against Reych. It was one of her
many charlatans of whom she was fond, named
Keldiar and who had long sought to sit beside her
1530
at the mead bench, who could no longer resist
his hatred, and in the last hour of the night
in secret drew himself to her chamber and with
vengeful dagger stole her life even as Reych slept
beside her, taking from her body the Ring
1535
of Malach before he fled.
The rage of Reych
shook the Helm Hailas when he discovered his love
slain beside him and the great prize removed,
he drew his sword and slew each charlatan
1540
in the land before he took after the thief,
searching for the ring. The charlatan was far from
Helm Hailas, fleeing with great speed, eager
to use his prize in safety, to bend the boon
to his will and increase his false powers through
1545
it, but news quickly reached him of the rage
of the hunter, that he was tracked as a sow
by hounds, and he fled further, hiding
in the great forest which grew on the sides
of the Ail Meloch and there waited for
1550
his hunter’s rage to pass, though poorly did he judge
the skill of Reych. It is from the unloving land
of Helm Hailas that great hunters were made, for
they can run a full day, needing only an hour’s
rest before continuing their chase. Wily are they,
1555
having great knowledge of traps for they have
little skill in wedding the cattle to the plow
and grow little, they have in them a great
mistrust of others and a shrewd sense of smell.
It is by his ability that Reych found
1560
the charlatan quickly, but could not catch him
unaware, so swift had Reych come that
the charlatan had only finished his hiding and set
his watch when the trees brought rumor
of the hunter’s approach. He fled with Reych
1565
behind him, and in terror he flung the ring into
the forest, marking the place, before running
deeper into the woods. Reych would not allow
his quarry to flee and soon caught him, as the terror
of the charlatan drove him carelessly crashing
1570
through the forest, leaving many traces of his
passing. Reych slew him without a word and left
his body to fester; but denied the ring he flew
into a rage, searching each warren and hollow, but
found it not though he searched for a year.
1575
He returned to his people
and found them in chaos, preying on each other,
taking from kin where before they took from
others, but at his coming they gathered to him,
sensing a great doom which rose from him
1580
as a fire, being bound to it, and they listened
to his words,
“Blood for blood,
an old currency and just, the language of all men
and unendingly true. This price is paid, for
1585
he that took the life of Mebeb has given his life
to me. This debt paid, but more does he owe
us for he hid from us the Ring of Mebeb, her great
gift, that which belonged to her alone and has not
been returned to me, her heir; and so I will hunt
1590
it till my body melts from my bones, but I will
not hunt alone. Each of you will be beside me,
hunting with me, as ceaselessly as me, never
resting till the ring is ours again. I will bind
you to me, your strength become mine and you will
1595
live forever in me. What have you to lose, for
since the death of the Teloch there has been
no life in this land, no end to the days of death
which have plagued you as your brothers take
your livestock. Now I call you to honor her, and bind
1600
to me.”
Before they could move,
he began by that twisted power taken from
the charlatans of that wretched land a dark song
of chains, each word swirling about them
1605
and binding them where they stood, all the while
listening as the dark figure chanted their fate,
vowing that they would not rest till he held
in his hand the ring. As the words fell out of his
mouth and poisoned the earth they did not flee
1610
though they trembled in fear; and as the final
words were spoken, that diseased knowledge
of the charlatans reached into their bodies
and grabbed hold of their souls in their sacred
dwelling and tore them from their homes, their
1615
bodies falling dead to the earth, their strength
chained to the cursed spot on his heart, where
in a swirling tempest they were bound to aid him
in his search, as in howling madness the Hunter
was born amid the bodies.
