Page 44 of Rise of the Morrigan

Cú Chulainn lept atop the wall beside her. Only he didn't howl. This was not a moment to relish. He was here out of necessity. To right a wrong that had been done against him. There was no thrill in what he had to do.

Something struck Cú Chulainn's shoulder and ricocheted off of him.

Cú Chulainn turned. An archer stood on the wall, the opposite side of Forgall's fortress. The look of horror on the poor chap's face when his arrow couldn't penetrate Cú Chulainn's hide was unforgettable. Cú Chulainn was no hero like this—he was an invader, a terror, a nightmare...

A bell sounded. The archer, who must've doubled as a lookout, had apparently alerted others to the presence of the two beasts who were assaulting the fortress.

Aife howled a battle cry.

Cú Chulainn growled and leaped from the wall to the floor below, landing on all fours. A blade struck him in the back, which Cú Chulainn barely felt. He quickly pivoted, now on his hindquarters, and swiped the warrior to the side with one of his massive paws.

Three more soldiers charged his position, all carrying broadswords.

A blur of red fur came flying from the walls and collided with them. Aife tore at their flesh with her jaws.

Cú Chulainn hesitated. He wasn't here to kill anyone... not Forgall, not any of his men. But Aife couldn't be stopped.

Instead, Cú Chulainn turned to the pens and released the livestock. He shattered a silo of grain. If he caused enough damage, he figured, Forgall would suffer enough.

But so far, the aged warrior hadn't so much as made an appearance. He was supposed to be brave...

Brave, but smart. He knew what he was up against. He knew better than to strike at Cú Chulainn and Aife head-on.

Cú Chulainn heard a shriek. It was Aife.

Bounding around the corner he saw her, hot tar dumped from the wall above, burning her fur.

Atop the wall stood Forgall. His eyes met Cú Chulainn's.

"Come after me, you wretched creature!" Forgall demanded. "I know who you are and why you've come. Come and face me like a man!"

Cú Chulainn bounded up the wall and met Forgall face to face. Towering over his former mentor, the man who'd first sent him away to Scotland to train with the warrior-queen, the man who'd falsely promised he'd give him his daughter's hand if he proved himself worthy...

"I was right about you, Cú Chulainn! You are a coward! You face me like this... but you'd never face me man to man!"

Cú Chulainn snarled. Forgall was right. This was not honorable. Sure, he could maim the man, he'd get his revenge. But if he did... if he did it likethis...there would be tales told of him, no doubt. But he'd be the best some other warrior would conquer. He wouldn't be a hero...

Cú Chulainn had never wanted to be a hero. But he wanted to be a monster even less...

Taking a deep breath, Cú Chulainn listened to the Awen... he recalled how Gwion so seamlessly shifted, from hare to salmon to bird... He released the ríastrad and stood before Forgall.

Cú Chulainn stood there in front of his foe naked.

"Forgall, now would you be the coward who dares attack a man unarmed?"

Forgall gripped his broadsword and smirked. "You're a fool, Cú Chulainn. In one form or another, you still have little more than the wits of a blacksmith's hound."

There wasn't much room to move atop the fortress wall. Could he survive the fall in this form? He wasn't sure if he could shift back into the ríastrad quick enough before hitting the ground if he jumped. He'd have to do his best to dodge the blow from Forgall's broadsword. His chances weren't great given that Forgall was an accomplished warrior, seasoned by battle. Still, he had no choice.

Cú Chulainn widened his stance as Forgall charged him.

His best chance was to drop beneath the warrior's strike and go for a leg-sweep. All it took was a single pivot... but he'd also leave himself open to take Forgall's strike to the back if the warrior anticipated his move. And a strike to the back, if he didn't die, would likely rob him of the use of his legs for the rest of his life. But it was his best chance... his only chance...

He had to time it perfectly...

As Forgall swung his blade, Cú Chulainn ducked, pivoted, and went for the leg sweep.

Forgall hopped over Cú Chulainn's foot.

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