Page 73 of Rise of the Morrigan

First I spoke him a warning. I hoped my declaration of what might be his impending death would soften his hardened heart. I thought if I interfered in his battles, if he saw his plight, he might relent from his stubbornness and accept my aid. Yes, I wanted him to love me. But if he were ever to love me he had tolive...

I tripped him up as an eel, I distracted him as a wolf and sent a stampede after him as one of the herd. And he still bested the warriors who came after him. He still wounded me...

I could heal myself...

Or I could use these wounds to my advantage...

Frightening him into accepting my aid was not going to work.

But he was tired...

He still had more champions to defeat...

And he was thirsty...

That's it! It pains me to deceive him this way, but I cannot think of another way to bathe my beloved in my power, to give him the strength he needs to fight off the rest of Mebd's champions... to stand a chance against Aife...

Cú Chulainn wasexhausted. He still could barely believe the Morrigan appeared as a woman in hopes he would permit her to join him in battle. If she was the one who'd seduced him the night before... how could he ever trust her? It was her fault, after all, that Ulster had fallen. And now she'd shown her true colors. She'd tried to trip him as an eel. She'd tried to cause a herd to stampede down upon him.

But he'd prevailed. And, at least for now, she'd given up.

Cú Chulainn strolled back toward the river. How many of Mebd's champions had he killed? Too many... he hated killing... he just wanted this to be over.

"Young man," a woman said as he passed by a herd of cattle—all of them were likely the offspring of Donn Cúailnge. "You look as though you could use a drink."

To turn down such an offering from an old woman would have been rude. Besides, Cú Chulainnwasthirsty. Parched, in fact. And a drink would help him recover his strength. "I'd be delighted."

The woman took a mug and filled it to the brim directly from the cow's teat.

Cú Chulainn took a sip. It wasdelicious.It wasn't that the milk was, alone, particularly tasty. No better than one should expect from fresh milk. But he'd been fighting for so long it tasted better to him than any cup of milk he'd ever sampled.

He gulped the rest down.

"Bless you, good woman," Cú Chulainn said, smiling at her. He cocked his head as he examined the woman more closely... she had a lame leg. She was missing an eye. And she clung to her side as if she were in pain. These were the wounds he'd inflicted on the Morrigan... the cow's broken leg, the wolf's lost eye, and the eels bruised side.

"You!" Cú Chulainn exclaimed.

At that moment, the Morrigan shifted again in the form of the maiden he'd seen before. "With your blessing, I have blessed you in turn. The milk you drink is not of the cow, but it is my own."

"Your own milk?" Cú Chulainn nearly gagged at the thought.

"And with it comes my power that it should see you through the day, my love. For I am a goddess of war and death, and with my milk invigorating your frame, combined with the wolf who is within you still, not even Mebd's final champion will be able to defeat you."

Cú Chulainn cocked his head. "Thank you, I guess. But I have this handled..."

"But you do not know the final champion you must face, my love..."

"Why do you keep calling me that!"

"Because I've loved you for many years, Cú Chulainn. I've loved you even though your heart has so often longed for others... and I love you still. Pray, should you survive this battle, you might return my love and we might finally be together."

Cú Chulainn shook his head. "I have to return to my wife..."

"So long as you remain at her side, my love, your life will always be one in defense of Ulster. Yes, even now, as Ulster must evermore bend the knee to Mebd of Connacht, you will have no choice but to live a warrior's life. With me, I can give you what you desire. You can live an eternity as a god, as a god of poetry and verse! You can inspire the bards for generations!"

Cú Chulainn sighed. "Your offer is... generous... but I cannot. I have betrayed my vows already and I will not a second time, no matter how much I might desire it."

"My love... please... you must reconsider."

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