Book 4. Sacred Hills. Future King of the Sacred Tara.

By Olga Kryuchkova

Ancient Ireland. Dark Ages.
Queen Medb intended to perform an ancient magical ritual for the Samhain festival. She took the service priestesses Toutatis and disgraced druid. It was they who all together wanted to perform the ritual for the young priestess to conceive the incarnation of Toutatis.
On a holiday Medb acted as the Maiden of Fire. All this action took place in the Sacred Oak Grove. The Maiden of Fire, the priestesses and the druid wanted to open the Gates of the Otherworld and they succeeded.
Setanta was still improving his martial arts skills in the kingdom of Donegal when he received a letter from the laird Fergus and returned to Dundalk. Setanta should be 16 years old and laird Fergus intended to tell the young man about his origins. The laird was convinced that Setanta was the bastard of King Conaire, since Deichtine was the king's concubine. Laird Fergus was unaware of Deichtine's encounter with the stag-Cernunnos, the incarnation of the god Lugh. Setanta, after the death of the king, must inherit the Sacred throne of Tara as sole heir. And he is ready for it.
However, before the coronation, he decided to visit his fiancée Emer. For this, he and his friends went to Uisnech. It took several days to get to Uisnech. And at one of Setanta's overnight stays, one of the ancient heroes of Ireland appeared in a dream and presented the future king of Tara with the legendary sword Claiomh Solais, which means: The Sword of Light.
After that, Setanta met an inhabitant of the Other World, Fand, who was in love with a young man. She promised to take him to her legendary Land of Youth when the time comes. Setanta reached Uisnech safely and met his fiancée. They spent several days together. On the way back to Dundalk, Setanta and his friends meet Banshee in the guise of a huge black bird. And this meeting portends trouble. To be continued.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Olga Kryuchkova
• Release date: Mar 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9798215299623

Olga Kryuchkova

Olga Kryuchkova began her creative career in 2006. During this time, the author had more than 100 publications and reprints (historical novels, historical adventures, esotericism, art therapy, fantasy). A number of novels were co-written with Elena Kryuchkova.

Book preview

Chapter 9

Winter was unusually severe, but spring gradually came into its own.

Lush caps of white snow, crowning trees, mountain peaks and covering fields, slowly melted away. The crust of ice that held the mountain lake near the castle of An t-Eilean thinned and became covered with cracks.

The air was filled with the smell of melted snow and wet earth. Birds, sensing the approach of heat, sang trills.

...One fine early spring day, a messenger from Dundalk appeared at the gate of An t-Eilean Castle. The messenger cast an appraising look at the bridge studded with sharp blades, but unlike Setanta and his friends, he did not dare to jump over the obstacle.

The messenger dismounted, and, tying his horse to an old tree growing near the bridge, carefully made his way between the sharp blades. Finally, he reached the castle gate.

I am the messenger of Laird Fergus of Dundalk! he shouted. I have come to An t-Eilean to deliver a message to the Laird's son, Master Setanta!

The gate opened and a guard stood in the opening. He looked closely at the messenger. And deciding that he did not pose a threat, he made an inviting gesture with his hand:

Come on...

The messenger did not fail to take advantage of the offer.

Setanta, meanwhile, was practicing throwing the legendary Gae Bulg spear. Over the past time, the young man and his friends have significantly improved their fighting skills, have become more resilient and stronger.

Young mac Fergus accurately hit the target with the spear, when suddenly a servant approached him in all respect.

Lord Setanta, a messenger from Dundalk has arrived for you, he said respectfully.

The young man interrupted the training and went to the messenger. He handed him a scroll, tied with a braided cord, on which there was a wax seal with the personal symbol of Laird Fergus.

"There is no doubt — this is a letter from my father, thought Setanta. Did something happen at home?.."

Confused, he unrolled the scroll. The eyes of the young mac Fergus saw Ogham signs:

"My son, you have recently passed sixteen years! Therefore, I urge you to return to Dundalk. I have something important to tell you...

Laird of Dundalk, Fergus mac Roich."

After reading the letter, Setanta froze. "What