The future might be dark, but darkness shared wasn't a thing to be feared.
It was to be embraced.
****
Cast of Characters
and List of Irish Gaelic
words/phrases
a chuid den tsaol-Irish Gaelic, roughly, my share of life
Aine- goddess of the moon and time cycles, patroness of werewolves
Ailech-a keep in Uí Néill
Aillen-Fomorian prince, half-brother to Aine, ruler of demons and Changelings
Aillte an Mhothair-now the Cliffs of Moher, famous site in western Ireland
álainn-Irish Gaelic, beautiful
An bhfuil tú go hiomlán gan chiall, tá tú bean dÚsachtach
Dhraíocht-Irish Gaelic, roughly 'Are you completely without sense, you crazy woman?'
An bhfuil tú féin-Irish Gaelic, roughly 'do it yourself'
Bav- the woman in her prime form of the goddess trinity known as the Morrighan, goddess of death, cycles and war, patroness of the vampires, her other forms are Anu, the crone and Machu, the maiden
bitseach-Irish Gaelic, bitch
Balor-Fomorian king killed by Lugh, he of the evil red eye, killer of Nuada
Brian Boru-the last High King to be crowned at Tara
brehon-judge, or arbitrator, also used in the term ‘brehon law’ This was a largely hereditary role, taken on by several clans in ancient Ireland
Bréifne-a keep in Connaught
Brigid- goddesss of hearth and home and fire
cábúnach-Irish Gaelic, a stupid or foolish person, big talker
Cad é seo?- Irish Gaelic, what's this?
claíomh na gréine-Irish Gaelic, sword of the sun, term used for Lugh’s sword, in Ronan’s possession. It can only be wielded by those Lugh gives his blessing to.
Cúchulainn- legendary hero of the Cróeb Ruad, half-human son to Lugh the Long hand
Changelings or the Sluagh-undead creatures formed from lost and damned souls to do the bidding of Aillen
Conchobar-man at arms to Connor Mac Nessa
Connaught-one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland, north-western Ireland
Connor Mac Nessa-ancient king of Connaught
Cróeb Ruad (Red Branch)- Irish Gaelic, roughly 'branch of red', legendary band of warriors loyal to Connor Mac Nessa
Cú Chulaind-Irish Gaelic, roughly 'Cullen's hound' term applied to Cúchulainn
Danu-mother of the Tuatha de Naanan, first of their race
Damnú air-Irish Gaelic, roughly 'damn it' or 'sod it' Expression of frustration
daor-Irish Gaelic, slave
Dian Cécht-one of the Tuatha de Naanan, a healer, and inventor
Du'n Dreach-Fhoula-castle of the vampire Abhartach, located in the area of County Kerry now known as Macgillycuddy's Reeks
Eire-Irish Gaelic, Ireland
eirnin-Irish Gaelic, iron
Fand-queen of the fae, former wife to Manannán mac Lir, believed to be sometime lover of Cúchulainn
faoladh-werewolf, werewolves are not traditionally ‘evil’ in Irish folklore, they were more protectors, but they were considered extremely dangerous
craiceann a bhualadh le do thoin-Irish Gaelic, roughly 'go fuck yourself'
Emain Macha-keep of Connor Mac Nessa
Emer-mortal wife of Cúchulainn
Finn MacCool-a legendary hero of Irish mythology, much like Cúchulainn
Fomorians-the demon gods who ruled before the Tuatha de Danaan
ghrian siúlóir-Irish Gaelic, loosely sun walker, or one who walks in the sun
luchóg-Irish Gaelic, mouse
Lia Fáil-legendary stone of destiny, said to have been broken by Cúchulainn
Lir-god of the sea, not Manannán mac Lir, but his father
Leinster-one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland, in the southeast, including Dublin
Litha-the summer solstice
Lugh of the Long Hand-current king of the Tuatha de Danaan, foster son to Manannán mac Lir and grandson to Balor, king of the Fomorians. Lugh killed Balor to end the war of the gods. He is the god of the sun, among other things, the term ‘long-hand’, or sometimes said as 'long-arm' is given for his deadly prowess with the spear.
Natilus-Catholic priest
Niall of the Nine Hostages, perhaps the same as Niall of the Red Hand-an ancient king in Ireland, many stories are told of a man called Niall who was king for a time in Uí Néill, it is not clear if they are all one and the same man, or merely related
Ní thuigim déithe-Irish Gaelic, I don’t understand gods
Nuada-former king of the Tuatha de Danaan, prosthetic arm of silver made for him by Dian Cécht after he lost it in battle, killed by Balor
Orthannach- demon henchman and executioner for Aillen
Peel-a city on the Isle of Man
Mac Giolla Phadraig-ancient name of the Fitzpatrick clan
Manannán mac Lir-god of the sea and horses and weather, foster father of Lugh of the Long Hand
Manx-term for the Isle of Man
mo ghrá-Irish Gaelic, my love
Munster-one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland, the southwest
the river Shannon-well-known waterway in Ireland
ruad-Irish Gaelic, red
Tá fáilte romhat sa teach seo, mo dheartháir-Irish Gaelic, you are welcome in this house, my brother
Tá mé chomh mór sin i ngrá leat tá sé nimhneach-Irish Gaelic, I am so much in love with you it hurts.
Tarraing mó coileach-Irish Gaelic, roughly 'suck my cock'
Tara-an ancient site in Ireland, once the seat of high kings, located in Leinster
Ti'rna No'g-a place of the Otherworld, a starry city in the sky that vanishes with the rising of the sun. A place mortals cannot go
Tuatha de Danaan-people, or tribe of the Danu, the gods of the Ireland
Uliad-one of the ancient kingdoms of Ireland, in the north-east
Ulster-a province in Ireland, mainly the north
Valhalla-Norse, the Viking afterlife
A FEW WORDS FROM THE AUTHOR
Thank you for taking this journey with Heather and Aidan and I. It has been quite the road trip; full of laughter, tears, a lot of Avenged Sevenfold and Florence + the Machine on repeat, a fair amount of coffee and a lot of sleepless nights.
I wouldn't have missed it for anything and I hope you feel the same.
Feel free to drop by any of the following and say 'hey' and let me know what you thought.
And as always reviews are the breath of life for indie authors, each and every one are appreciated.
Facebook~ https://www.facebook.com/heatherrblair
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Gmail~ thoselovelyshivers@gmail.com
Excerpt from Lightning in Sea
COMING SPRING 2015
Sloane shivered in her sleep as the plane descended through the clouds. She jerked awake, her hand over her mouth to silence the scream that still echoed from her dreams. She looked wildly around, but the plane was quiet. No one else seemed disturbed.
She must have only screamed in the dream, not out loud. Thank god. What an awful nightmare.
When she reached for just what had made it so awful though, her mind swirled everything away, like water disappearing down a drain. She was left only with a racing heart, vague images of a storm and a rune-covered rock high on a hill that seemed to be dripping blood…and that awful screaming.
Sloane shuddered once and let out a long breath.
She slowly relaxed back into her seat, lifting the window shade. Dawn was feathering gold gently over the blue-black expanse of sea below them. She could see the island approaching. It always surprised her how much returning here felt like coming home. From the first time since she'd visited over seven years ag
o, Manx—the Isle of Man— had felt more like home than California, even though she was a Valley girl, born and bred.
This time something was different. This time she was coming to stay. Manx would be her home for real now.
She’d made the leap and left the States, and LA, for good. No more plastic people, no more earthquakes, no more smog. No more clingy ex-husband. She could finally breathe deep for the first time in her life.
Sloane traced the outline of her favorite place in the world as it grew larger in the blurry plane window. If she didn’t want to, she’d never have to leave again.
Everything was going to be just perfect.