Free Sacrifice by Philip Freeman Page B

life.”
    â€œWhat do you mean?” asked Dari.
    â€œMy grandfather was a druid sacrificer,” she said. “He left this home before I was born, but I heard the story from my parents. When they had been married just a short time, they decided to become Christians. They had attended the monastery school together and loved the life of the church, but would never have dreamed in their youth of defying theirparents and leaving the old ways behind. But by the time they came of age and married, only my grandfather was still alive. He lived here with them and served the Order at ceremonies all over the province. He was a formidable man, they say, tall and powerful. It must have taken a great deal of courage for my father and mother to tell him that day that they were joining the church.”
    â€œWhat did he do?” I asked. I had heard bits and pieces of this story from my grandmother over the years, but never the whole tale.
    â€œHe stood up from this table and raised his arms to the sky. Then he called on the gods to curse them, to wither their crops, to decimate their flocks, to render my mother barren, to make them suffer every possible torment for the rest of their lives, then to die wrapped in flame, along with anyone they loved.”
    â€œDear Jesus, that’s horrible!” Dari said. “What happened then?”
    â€œHe walked out the door and never returned. I was born four years later, but not before my mother suffered three miscarriages, and the two of them almost starved after their harvest failed twice and the flock was wiped out by a blight. They thought everything was fine after that and the curse had run its course, but when I came home from the monastery to visit them one day, I found their bodies in the charred ruins of the old barn. I don’t know how the fire had started or why they couldn’t get out, but I buried them in the meadow and moved here myself to tend the sheep.”
    â€œI heard that your grandfather left Ireland years ago,” I said.
    â€œYes, I heard that too. They say he went to Argyll in the land of the Picts with the Dál Riata. I heard later that he had gone to the northern isles. He may still be alive somewhere. I don’t know and I don’t care. He was a wicked man who killed my parents.”
    Tears were rolling down her cheeks.
    â€œI can’t let him win. I can’t let this farm go to ruin because of a curse or a mad druid on the loose. Deirdre, you know I love you and Aunt Aoife. I have nothing against the druids. Every one of them I’ve ever met was kind and generous to me. But there are some bad apples in your basket, like my grandfather, who use whatever powers the forces of this earth have given them to cause pain and death.”
    Dari and I both put our hands on hers.
    â€œRiona,” Dari said, “I understand. I’ll tell Sister Anna why you won’t come to the monastery. She won’t like it, but I’ll tell her you’re well protected here. Is there anything we can bring to you?”
    She wiped her eyes.
    â€œNo, thank you. I’ll be fine. This has just been a hard time with the deaths of Grainne and Saoirse.”
    Dari and I bade her farewell and walked down the path to my grandmother’s house in silence for a while before Dari spoke.
    â€œDo you think she’ll be safe?” Dari asked.
    â€œYes, I hope so. No one is going to get near that house with those dogs.”
    I looked behind me to the southwest.
    â€œThe sun is getting low in the sky. You and Kevin had better get back to the monastery before Sister Anna sends out the king’s guards to look for you.”
    â€œTrue enough. Will you be all right? I hate to leave you.”
    â€œI’ll be fine.”
    â€œBe careful tomorrow with Finian. He may be a fanatic, but he’s as cunning as they come.”
    â€œDon’t worry, Dari, I’ll be fine. He would never hurt a fellow druid.”

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