“Are we nearly to camp?” asked Conall. “Me feet are killing me and I ain’t had a decent meal since sometime yesterday.”
“I don’t know, Conall,” replied Domhnall as he led the way through the steaming jungle. “Try eating some berries or something.”
“Oh sure, eat some berries, get poisoned. marvelous idea Domhnall!”
“Look, Conall, I’m just as tired and hungry as you are, but we’re going to keep walking until we find Saoirse!”
“Whatever happened to the boat, anyway?” asked Conall after a pause.
“Sank,” muttered Domhnall.
“What?”
“It sank,” said Domhnall a little louder.
“It sank?” exclaimed Conall.
“Not so loud! do you want the whole forest to hear us?”
“How did it sink?” inquired Conall.
“A big sea monster bit into it.”
“Oh well that’s just brill! There goes our livelihood and our only way of getting home! but I suppose you’re alright with that.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“I see the way you look at Saoirse,” replied Conall. “You’re holding a torch for her, that’s for sure.”
“And you think I sank the boat on purpose so we’d be forced to stay here with her?” asked Domhnall, indignantly.
“Love makes a man do some mad things.”
Domhnall took a deep breath. He couldn’t afford to let his brother get on his nerves, not now. the fisherman soldiered on in utter silence.
“Listen, Domhnall,” said Conall. “It was just a wee joke. Don’t take it so personally.”
“Conall, need I remind you that this whole fool errand was your idea! It was your idea to go on this treasure hunt to an island of horrors in the first place.”
“You’re right,” sighed Conall.
“What was that?” asked Domhnall.
“I said you’re right.”
“I’m right? I am right? Wonders never cease! I was right about something!”
“Don’t let it go to your head.”
The trees became less thickly grown as they journeyed on. Massive, cyclopean stones rose skyward all about them. From somewhere nearby, there came a crashing sound through the wood, as though some large animal was nearby, or perhaps a group of large animals. A group of massive brutes crashed through the undergrowth.
They towered over even the tallest aurochs they had seen in Hibernia. From their heads came long snouts, on either side of which were long, curved tusks which reached almost to the ground. With these tusks, they felled great trees, beating a path through the jungle. There were about four adults and two young among them. The two brothers had not seen such beasts since their last trading voyage to Africa, where Conall had accidentally offended a local chieftain and was nearly fed to the lions. These creatures looked somewhat different than those, having much longer tusks and small ears.
Domhnall and Conall, for all their stealth, did not escape the notice of the animals. with an indignant grunt, one of the adult elephants turned its bulbous head in their direction, sniffing the air with her trunk. The brothers backed away into the forest slowly. This strategy proved ineffective, however, as the creature had already perceived them as a threat to her young. The elephant charged.
“Oh, damn it!” said Conall.
“Run!” cried Domhnall.
The two men ran through the forest as quickly as they could, attempting to evade the charging beast. They came to the edge of a deep gorge; at the bottom, certain death, or serious injury at best. Domhnall took no time to consider whether or not he could jump the distance. with a mighty leap, the Hibernian barely made it to the other side. Conall, still a few yards behind him, attempted the same feat, however, being somewhat heavier than his younger brother, he did not quite make the distance and ended up grasping the rock wall with his fingers. Being a sailor, he could hold onto the edge longer than most, however, Domhnall knew eventually his hands would tire.
“Don’t worry, Conall!” said Domhnall. “I’ll have ye up and safe in two shakes of a lamb’s tail!”
“Take your time, Domhnall,” replied Conall. “I can hang here all day.”
It was unfortunate that they had lost the rope with the boat. It would have come in handy right then. Domhnall searched the forest for a suitable replacement; a branch, a vine, anything. He eventually located a lengthy vine that would do the job. After cutting it loose, Domhnall ran back to the edge of the gorge.
“Grab it!” he said, throwing it down to his brother.
Taking hold of the vine, Conall began pulling himself up the side of the gorge, as Domhnall helped him from the other end. The vine, however, was weak than Domhnall had initially thought. Soon its fibers tore under Conall’s weight. Quick as a flash, Domhnall grabbed hold of his brother’s right arm, holding on with all his might.
“Don’t worry Conall!” said Domhnall as he strained to hold on. His grip was slipping, as Conall’s arm was slick with sweat. Conall looked up at his brother, love and sorrow evident in his blue eyes.
“Don’t you dare let go!” growled Domhnall.
Suddenly, another pair of hands grasped Conall’s left arm and together they dragged him to safety.
“Saoirse!” cried Domhnall, embracing the maid. “I thought I’d lost you!”
“You were the ones who were lost!” she replied. “Wandering aimlessly in the jungle. I had to follow your trail just to make sure you didn’t get yourselves killed!”
“It was a near thing, there,” said Conall.
“You’re welcome,” said Saoirse. “Now we’d best be heading southwards so that maybe we have a hope of reaching the other side of the island before nightfall.”
The brothers followed the maiden through the greenery toward the other side of the island, and, hopefully the end of their journey.
Domhnall puzzled about what would happen after they did so; how would they return to Hibernia? Were they forever trapped here? Perhaps they would have to start a new life on this island. The prospect would not be so horrible; perhaps they could continue their trade as fishermen there. Saoirse might make a fine wife. Still, he would miss the fair green hills of his homeland and all his friends.
The trees eventually gave way to open land covered in large rocks, some of them carved with intricate designs. Thunder rumbled in the darkening sky overhead. Domhnall sensed a strange foreboding.
“We’re almost there,” said Saoirse.
“Well, that’ll be a relief,” said Conall.
“We just have to pass through the forbidden lands.”
“Wait - forbidden?” asked Domhnall, alarmed.
“Yes; they say this is the place where the dragon first landed and burned up the inhabitants with fire and lightning. We are forbidden to come here by the Pugwaks; of course, they’re forbidden too, which means they won’t look for us here.”
Domhnall sighed; they had seen far worse since leaving Hibernia. This seemed little more than a ripple. As they went deeper into the rocky country, they heard the sounds of thunderous drums pounding through the land, accompanied by mad, ecstatic wailing. Creeping over the crest of the hill, the trio looked upon a multitude of Pugwaks in vivid red paint and revolting masks dancing chaotically about a large, perfectly spherical object.
“This is strange,” said Saoirse. “They’re forbidden to even enter this place. What are they doing?”
Domhnall and Conall knew. They knew the sound of the drums and wailing and the wild dancing and the blasphemous rites that came next. They had been but boys when Patrick had brought the light to Hibernia, but they remembered when the dark ways ruled, and men performed unspeakable rituals to appease the gods of the darkness. they were summoning the Serpent.
In response to the wild drumming, the clouds rumbled overhead, whirling about overhead in a circular dance of doom. The Pugwaks made a cacophonous cry as the great maw of the serpent descended from the black abyss above them. The great sphere in the midst of the Pugwaks quivered, cracks forming across its surface.
Domhnall watched, transfixed by the unholy scene. It was only a whisper from Saoirse that roused him from his horrified fascination. The three circled around in a broad arc, keeping well clear of the rite.
A sudden shout of triumph went up from the Pugwaks. The sphere had split open, but it was no mere sphere. What crawled out was one of the most loathsome things Domhnall had ever laid eyes on: a freshly hatched dragon. Surely such a thing had not happened since long before their birth. No wonder this part of the island was forbidden; this was where the serpent’s nest was. The young monster made a hideous cry as the parent drew near. Domhnall grew ill.
The adult serpent turned its yellow-green eyes toward the three travelers, and the eyes of the Pugwaks followed. Domhnall swallowed hard; they had been spotted.
“Time to run!” said Domhnall.
And away they went, projectiles raining down on them from behind and before; the Pugwaks had them surrounded. With nowhere to run, the Hibernians drew their weapons and prepared to go down fighting. Then out of the darkened waste came a very great and terrible war cry. Into the ravine came a host of natives. they were of a different character than the Pugwaks; the designs of their paint differed, as well as their forms of adornment. At their head was a tall, pale-skinned man with a thick mustache and long wolf-grey hair with streaks of red throughout. Domhnall immediately recognized him as a Hibernian.
“Father!” cried Saoirse.
The Pugwaks and the Chungawaka clashed. Blood and entrails flew about the battlefield. Domhnall and Conall made a good accounting of themselves, whetting their blades on the surrounding foemen. Suddenly, the newly hatched serpent squirmed toward the combatants, sinking its terrible teeth into the high priest. The monster ripped him to shreds, devouring him in moments.
The warriors froze, staring in horror at the spectacle. The elder serpent then ascended back into the void, its young following after. The Pugwaks quit the battle after that, racing into the wild before the spears of the Chungawaka.
Saoirse embraced the old Hibernian. The man looked up at the two fishermen through his flashing blue eyes.
“Now who be you two?” he asked in Hibernian.
“Conall McCallum and this is me brother, Domhnall.”
“They rescued me,” added Saoirse.
“Thank you for returning me daughter to me,” replied the old man. “I am Ewan McColl.”
“Pleased to meet you,” said Domhnall, taking Ewan’s offered hand.
“Come, let’s take ye back to our village and get ye fed. Ye must be starved!”
With that, they followed the Chungawaka out of the cursed land into the deep forest.
“So,” said Ewan, “How go things back home?”
“Things are well,” said Conall. “Oengus sits as High King at Tara, now.”
“Oh really? I knew his father. Fine man. Loved mead a bit too much though. That’s something I miss, here; mead. They do have beer in abundance, though.”
“I could go for a beer,” said Conall.
“How did you get here, anyhow?” asked Ewan.
“Conall here won a treasure map in a boardgame and insisted we come here and steal the Serpent’s Eye,” said Domhnall.
“You know it’s cursed, right?” said Ewan.
“Saoirse told us,” said Domhnall.
“I’m sorry you came all this way for nothing,” said Saoirse.
“I don’t think it was for nothing that we came,” said Domhnall.
“That’s not what you said a few days ago,” jeered Conall.
“Well, I was wrong.”
Saoirse smiled at Domhnall.
They finally arrived at the village, to much fanfare. Saoirse embraced her mother, weeping on her shoulder, while garlands of flowers were placed around the necks of Domhnall and Conall. There was then a great feast held in thanks for the return of Saoirse.
The fishermen stood upon the shore next to a boat laden with supplies for the return journey. Ewan, his wife, and Saoirse stood nearby looking on.
“If you could’ve gone back to Hibernia, why didn’t you?” asked Domhnall.
“Well, I had reasons to stay,” replied Ewan, holding his wife a bit tighter.
“You could stay too, you know,” said Saoirse.
Domhnall blushed.
“Come on Domhnall!” shouted Conall from the boat. “We’re burning daylight!”
“We’d be happy to keep you here, if that’s what you want,” said Ewan.
Domhnall looked into Saoirse’s bright eyes, then back to the boat, where Conall stood, ready to embark on the journey home. The fisherman sighed.
“I’d love to, but someone has to keep Conall from killing himself.”
“Then allow me to give you a gift,” said Saoirse.
Standing on tiptoe, the maid kissed Domhnall on the lips, to the Hibernian’s great astonishment.
“Farewell, Domhnall McCallum,” said Saoirse with teardrops in her eyes.
Grinning ear to ear, Domhnall joined his brother in the boat. Conall stared blankly at his brother.
“What?” asked Domhnall.
“Nothing,” replied Conall, shrugging.
The two shoved off in the deep blue ocean, waving farewell to the mysterious island of the Serpent.