THE ROAD TO CONNEMARA

Tara rode through the night. Although she knew how narrow the crescent moon had become, her gaze kept returning to the sky. She was exhausted, which was no wonder after spending almost all the past days on horseback. No, it was rather a miracle that she still held herself upright and managed to suppress the desire for physical rest. The only thing that mattered now was to find the Lycans and return to the Twelve Bens with Ivy and Seymour before the ultimatum set by Áthair Faolchu expired.

Tara let the mare walk for a while. She couldn't push the animal too hard. She knew Álainn would be willing to give her life, but what would she gain if the noble beast collapsed from exhaustion beneath her? She would not only lose a faithful companion but also squander the last chance to reach her destination on time.

The rider crossed a grassy hill and then followed a narrow, rocky path down into the valley. The rain had softened the clay and made it slippery. Tara loosened the reins and leaned forward slightly. She trusted the horse to safely bring its rider down into the valley. Finally, the dappled mare had solid ground under its hooves again. It whinnied and broke into a brisk trot on its own. Tara patted the shimmering white neck.

"Álainn, my beauty, my faithful friend, all we can do now is hope that Tapaidh has lived up to his name and flown south like an arrow. Perhaps they are already on their way to us."

Her eyes searched the night sky for a sign of the sea eagle but couldn't spot it. So Tara had no choice but to continue riding and hoping.

Later, as the sky was already fading, the druid gave her horse another break. She swayed with the rhythm of the hoofbeats. Suddenly, Álainn snorted. Tara was instantly alert. The mare had noticed something unusual that unsettled her, and the druid knew the horse well enough to take this premonition seriously. In the shadow of the towering hawthorn bushes to the left of the path, she stopped and turned in the saddle. There she saw him, the old wolf, so thin that his ribs protruded from his mangy fur. He trotted around the corner and then sat back on his hind legs, not taking his eyes off the horse and rider. Tara froze. The mare snorted again but made no move to flee. A smile crossed the wrinkled face of the old woman as she recognized him.

"Turlough! I should have known. A bard must be where the great history takes place. May the gods be with us and hold a good ending in store for us!"

She nodded in his direction, and the wolf returned the gesture but didn't come any closer. So Tara continued on her way. Until morning, the filí would now follow her, then the rising sun would drive him into hiding until evening. But Tara was sure he would catch up with her again during the next night. He had picked up her trail and would follow her to witness the turning of the times with his own eyes.

As they had secretly feared, it wasn't possible to approach without being noticed. Catriona spotted them and sent them away. Only Seymour was allowed to stay by Ivy's side, which, of course, didn't help them.

"Why can't we communicate with him if we manage to have bats drive away the darkness for us?" Luciano complained.

"First of all, you can't even do that," Franz Leopold contradicted, looking at his new scratches, "and secondly, the spirit of a wolf is more developed and its will stronger than that of a bat, haven't you forgotten?"

"I can do it," Luciano defended himself. "I was just too rushed to concentrate. And as for the mental powers of a wolf, do you really think they are greater than ours? His will stronger than ours?"

"Of course not!" Franz Leopold exclaimed indignantly. "It may be true that the Nosferas are inferior to a wolf, but you wouldn't dare to insult a Dracas so disgracefully, would you?"

Instead of being offended, Luciano grinned from ear to ear, and not only Alisa realized that he now had Franz Leopold exactly where he wanted him.

"I'm glad to hear that. Then it will be no problem for you to later interrogate Seymour."

Franz Leopold was speechless for a few moments. Of course, he stood far above the wolf, yet he doubted that he could accomplish this task - especially if Seymour didn't want to reveal anything.

Why not?, he asked himself as he saw the wolf approaching him an hour later. He's just a wolf!, he told himself.

"And? Aren't you going to tell us what's going on?" Alisa urged, following Ivy to the cave entrance, where she bid farewell to the sea eagle to release it on a new journey.

Franz Leopold followed behind them, attempting to make contact with Seymour. The wolf turned to him and looked at him sharply. At least he had managed to convey his wish to him. Franz Leopold wondered how the wolf would make himself understood. Through a mixture of sensory impressions and feelings? The Dracas flinched as words echoed through his mind like tolling bells.

"Retreat your mind and do not dare to touch mine again! If you want to know something, then ask Ivy yourself."

The wolf curled its lips and bared its teeth to emphasize its words.

Ivy turned to him. "What's wrong?"

"We were just talking. Although Seymour wasn't very talkative."

"Oh, you were trying to interrogate him."

"Yes, without success, as you probably guessed."

Ivy smiled at the wolf and then at her friends. "You leave nothing untried, that honors you. But now cease your efforts. No, you don't need to protest, because Donnchadh will gather us all in the next few minutes to announce a decision that concerns us all. To anticipate it: I couldn't convince him or Catriona to let Seymour and me go alone. Nevertheless, I must leave! As soon as possible."

"So we will accompany you!" rejoiced Alisa.

"Yes, you and everyone else. Since our cave hideout has been discovered and no longer offers the necessary security we hoped for, we will all go to Aughnanure."

"What is Aughnanure?" Luciano wanted to know.

"The word comes from the Gaelic achadh na n-iubhar, which means 'field of yews'." The three friends still looked at her puzzled. "The castle is named because it was once built in a grove of yew trees."

"And when do we leave?" Alisa asked.

"I suspect as soon as everyone is gathered back in the cave."

"What will happen to our coffins?" Luciano added.

Ivy shrugged. "I don't know. The journey is long. No matter in what form, a night is quickly over until we reach the bogs."

They walked side by side through the corridors and approached the cave where they had spent the day when they suddenly heard voices. They stopped dead in their tracks and listened.

"I cannot accept your decision!" That was Donnchadh's voice, and he was on the verge of losing his composure. The vampires had never seen him like this before. The other voice, on the other hand, was calm and composed as always.

"Many things are not going as we planned, otherwise we would probably still be at Dunluce, informing the heirs instead of traveling halfway across the island with them."

"Catriona, I can hear from your tone that you still don't give the incidents the necessary seriousness. Yes, I suspect that you were only too happy to travel south with the heirs. And now you want to drag them into the bogs. Isn't the danger we face here enough? Do you want to throw them to Áthair Faolchu's clan as prey? Here in Aillwee, we have the situation under control. Can we say the same in the bogs?"

"Calm down, Donnchadh. Yes, it is a pleasure for me not only to show the foreign heirs Dunluce and its cliffs. I love the rugged Burren and the expanses of Connemara. Wouldn't it be a loss if they never saw it? It's our land. Our soul!"

Donnchadh just grumbled.

"But you know that this has nothing to do with my decision to take the heirs of Dunluce away. Haven't you also sensed their aura? They have impressively demonstrated to us why they have come. I thought we could shake them off. My mistake was underestimating them. I didn't think we had a traitor in our own ranks, but that's the only way I can explain it. And for that reason alone, I cannot allow Ivy and Seymour to travel north alone."

"We could send someone to protect them," Donnchadh said weakly.

"Whom? How many pure Lycans or Servients would it take to guarantee their protection?"

"It's only until they meet with Tara. We could wait for them…"

"Have you been outside today and taken a look at the waning moon? Its light is fading fast. They can't make it anymore unless we go to meet Tara. We don't know what the werewolves have planned once the ultimatum expires."

"They have no right to issue an ultimatum!"

"And yet they do. The night of the new moon, Áthair Faolchu said."

Donnchadh sighed. "And yet I cannot approve of all of us embarking on this journey. They can't even transform yet!"

"No, we must remain in our human form. And now let's call them together. Midnight is already approaching."

"I still disagree," Donnchadh insisted.

"That is your right. But I have decided that Ivy will not go without my accompaniment."

Donnchadh sighed. "Then let's all go. Let them gather outside the entrance."

The four vampires and the white wolf ducked behind the stone blocks that had blocked the entrance to the cave during the day as Donnchadh and Catriona passed by them.

"Come on. We'll be leaving soon," Ivy said cheerfully. "Do you have anything in your boxes that you want to take with you? I assume they'll stay here. They would hinder us too much."

Luciano seemed not to have listened to her. He shook his head in astonishment. "That she's allowed to talk to him like that. Conte Claudio wouldn't stand for that from his shadow."

"His shadow?" Alisa murmured. "That's probably not a very accurate description."

Ivy turned away and walked briskly ahead with Seymour, forcing the others to hurry to keep up with them. Alisa packed a small bundle of her most important belongings, then they made their way to the cave entrance, where they were already expected, as Hindrik informed them in passing. He was still looking for Tammo and Sören.

"Tammo is probably hanging out with those damn Pyras again," he grumbled and disappeared. "As if there weren't worthier heirs he should befriend!"

"He probably doesn't like the two," Luciano observed.

Alisa shrugged in surprise. "Obviously. But why? Certainly not because they're a bit rough and dirty."

"Maybe because they're from France?"

Alisa didn't respond. Was Hindrik imprisoned by such prejudices? She would look into that at some point!

Franz Leopold lag etwas hinter den anderen zurück und rief sich eine eigene Fledermaus herbei, die ihm den Weg wies. Wenn er nicht so in Gedanken versunken gewesen wäre, hätte er vielleicht etwas wie Stolz empfunden, dass ihm das nach nur wenigen Nächten so leicht fiel. Er dachte auch nicht darüber nach, wie Alisa ohne ihn zurechtkam. Ja, ihm war nicht einmal bewusst, dass sie forsch neben Luciano herschritt, als würden die Sterne ihren Weg beleuchten. Franz Leopold konnte im Moment nur an eines denken: an den Wortwechsel, den er zwischen Donnchadh und Catriona gehört hatte. Der Clanführer und sein schöner Schatten? Sie hatten alle hinters Licht geführt! Nun gut, Ivy schien nicht überrascht, und vielleicht wussten die Lycana Bescheid, doch den anderen Clanführern war es sicher nicht bewusst, wie die Iren sie genarrt hatten. Wenn er das Baron Maximilian berichten würde. Für einige Momente gab er sich der Vorstellung von diesem Gespräch hin, genoss das Erstaunen, das sich in Entsetzen und kurz darauf in Verachtung wandelte. Dann konnte er Baronesse Antonias scharfe Stimme hören und zuckte innerlich zusammen. Nein! Die Vision entglitt ihm und begann, ihn zu peinigen. Er wischte sie weg und konzentrierte sich auf seine Wut, um der Verwirrung zu entgehen. Sie hatten gewagt, die Dracas und die anderen Familien zu täuschen. Ivy hatte es gewagt, ihn zu täuschen!

So hielt er sich ein wenig abseits von den anderen, die sich mitten unter die wie ein Bienenschwarm summenden Erben begaben. Donnchadh sprang auf eine zwei Schritte über dem Grund vorstehende Kalksteinplatte und erhob die Stimme. Sie klang wieder ruhig, souverän, entschlossen, wie die eines Herrschers. Catriona stand stumm am Fuß der Felsen, die Hände in ihren Ärmeln verborgen, den Blick aufmerksam über die Lycana und die Fremden schweifend.

"Whom does she want to deceive with this farce," Franz Leopold muttered as she looked directly at him. He shuddered. Quickly he turned away and joined his cousin and cousins. He noticed Ivy watching him. She radiated an unfamiliar sadness, but he paid her no further attention.

Finally, Donnchadh called for departure. The Lycana and the foreign Servients dispersed among the small groups of young vampires, who ran like fleeing shadows toward the valley. Franz Leopold stayed with the Dracas, while Ivy and Alisa matched their steps to Luciano's pace.

"I thought his relatives got on his nerves," Luciano said, spotting Franz Leopold a little further ahead. "For me, Anna Christina would get on my last nerve. Compared to her, Chiara is just right - even if I don't always share her opinion."

"Chiara is a gem!" confirmed Alisa, who always felt some envy at the

 sight of the carefree and cheerful vampire with the already so feminine figure.

They followed the sloping limestone platform down into the valley. As Seymour sought out the most comfortable path between the sharp furrows, they made good progress. Ivy seemed strangely introspective.

"It almost feels wrong that Leo isn't near us," Luciano said.

"Yes, I never thought I'd comment on his absence other than with a sigh of relief," Alisa agreed. "I've gotten used to him, as crazy as that sounds."

Luciano grinned. "Yeah, sure, you need someone to argue with, and Franz Leopold is good for that every night. He gets your blood boiling!"

"That's not true!" she protested vehemently.

Luciano laughed. "See, now you're using me as a replacement, but I warn you, I can't walk and have witty arguments with you at the same time. Doing both at once is too much for me!"

"No, I just don't like arguing as much as Leo does," the Roman retorted.

Alisa looked over to the Dracas again, who were also not making much progress, probably because the two girls once again wanted to express their protest against everything the Lycana demanded of them.

"Leo," she said softly, letting the word linger within her. Of course, she despised his manner, and yet there was an unknown side of herself that missed him and wished he would rejoin them. She looked at Ivy, who, head bowed, was tapping along. Her thoughts seemed far away, but when Alisa looked at her, she seemed to sense it and met her gaze.

"Give him time. Once he sorts out his feelings, Leo will make a decision."

"For what?" Ivy smiled somewhat sadly. "I don't know. It's not easy for him. For a long time, he managed to ignore his feelings, but now he can no longer do that. He's horrified to realize that he feels friendship towards those he's been taught to hate and despise. Now he must admit what he feels and then decide."

Alisa nodded. "I won't argue with you. You're the one who can read others' thoughts, but it seemed to me that it was about Donnchadh and Catriona. The conversation we overheard is troubling him."

"Yes, that set the spiral in motion and forced him to think about what is good and right. He needs time."

"Which he's spending with Karl Philipp and Anna Christina of all people? Nothing good can come of that! He's been almost bearable in the past few nights. I bet now he'll regress into that disgusting behavior he always exhibited in Rome," Alisa said confidently, but Ivy shook her head.

"Wait and see."

They reached the sheep pasture again, which they had visited in the early evening hours. The animals bleated anxiously, but some of the Lycana who reached them first calmed them down, so they watched the passing vampires curiously and silently. If Luciano had hoped they would stop for a little snack, he was disappointed. Donnchadh led the group straight down the valley towards the coast and then along the bay's shore. They made a wide detour around the small fishing village of Ballyvaughan, and Alisa seemed to notice that two or three of the Lycana or Servients would discreetly break away only to rejoin them some time later, with a look of satisfaction on their faces.

The night progressed as the clan leader led them past mud flats exposed by the ebbing tide and then over a promontory jutting far into the bay, always choosing the shortest route, as Ivy assured them.

"Didn't we land here by ship?" Alisa asked. Ivy confirmed the assumption. "Then are we on our way back to Dunguaire Castle?"

Luciano grinned as Ivy nodded. "I suspect Ulicia will give us a warm welcome!"

"Oh yes, she'll be beside herself with joy to host us again so soon," Alisa remarked, smiling mischievously.

Ivy didn't share the joke. She just nodded and then spoke with Seymour, which the others didn't understand as usual.

"You should teach us Gaelic," Alisa said a little annoyed.

For the first time since they left Aillwee, a smile flickered across Ivy's face. "Why should I do that? Then it will be much harder for me to hide my secrets from you."

"Exactly," growled Alisa, then laughed too.

The morning would surely be another two hours away when the silhouette of Dunguaire appeared in the pale light of the thin crescent moon. They walked along the shore and then over the drawbridge onto the island. Ulicia greeted them in the courtyard, and as they had suspected, she radiated displeasure, which seemed to envelop her like a veil of mist.

"Oh, you again. I had hoped not to see you for a longer time," she said. While the clan leader was obviously annoyed by this, Catriona only showed her fine smile, which gave her a deeper beauty than the sullen Anna Christina would ever possess.

"Yes, we're back here," Donnchadh said gruffly. "And we'll spend a day behind these walls. Send your Servients to prepare our resting places. We'll move on tomorrow, but we'll have to leave the coffins we brought with us on the outbound journey with you for longer."

Ulicia raised her eyebrows and looked penetratingly at the two vampires. "Come inside the hall and tell us. I want to hear this story!"

The visitors followed her into the hall. Some yawned, even though sunrise was still far off. Alisa and Luciano hurried to the bench closest to the seats where Ulicia led the clan leader and his shadow. Ainmire also joined them. The hostess took the largest chair, which with its high, intricately carved backrest was surely very uncomfortable, but in which she seemed larger, almost majestic.

Ivy hesitated and looked over at the table. Catriona barely shook her head imperceptibly. So Ivy turned away and joined her friends. To their surprise, Franz Leopold left the company of the Dracas and came over to them.

"A seat in a good listening position?" he said quietly, playfully wagging his finger.

"But of course," Alisa agreed. "One must make sure to learn something, lest one ends up being foolish."

"Quiet now!" Luciano hissed. The four of them listened intently, but so far Ulicia was only giving instructions to her Servients on where to accommodate the guests. It wasn't until the two had left that the conversations turned to a more interesting topic. Yet the friends were disappointed, as they didn't learn anything new. Either the Lycana really had no idea why they were being pursued...

"Or they don't want to tell Ulicia," Franz Leopold speculated.

"Why wouldn't they tell her if they knew?" Luciano wondered.

"Maybe they don't trust her?" Alisa suggested.

Luciano didn't seem convinced. "She may be blunt and a bit peculiar, like many of the Elders, but she's still a Lycana! If they didn't trust her, they wouldn't have led us to Dunguaire. Do you think they're taking us away from the cave just to risk Ulicia opening the gates to our pursuers?"

"What a speech!" Franz Leopold scoffed. "So thoughtful. We're not used to that from you!"

Alisa reassuringly placed her hand on Luciano's arm. "That was a good thought. And I'm sure Donnchadh—or Catriona—trust Ulicia and her Servients at least enough not to fear they would deliver us to the enemies."

"And yet we have a traitor among us," Ivy said sadly.

"That's only Catriona's suspicion," Luciano objected.

"I'm certain of it," Ivy insisted.

Alisa narrowed her eyes. "And Donnchadh?"

"They agree on this point, as usual. The confrontation earlier was very unusual, and I'm sorry we accidentally overheard it."

"Oh, you're sorry we found out the truth?" Franz Leopold bristled. "That we discovered that you Lycana have fooled all the other clans?"

Ivy vehemently shook her head. "No one is being fooled! Donnchadh is our clan leader, and we Lycana stand behind him. He is a vampire of pure blood, experienced in life and battle, who has been a good leader for us for many decades."

"But Catriona makes the decisions! An impure who should only be his silent shadow!"

"Wise women are an ancient tradition in Ireland," Ivy said a little evasively. "The Celts valued Druidesses, High Priestesses, even warrior women who led their tribe into battle. Women could own land, inherit, divorce their husbands, and represent their rights themselves. But when the Christians came and the old gods faded into the background, women also had to learn to settle for a role in the background."

"And?" Franz Leopold interjected in an aggressive tone. "What are you trying to say? Or are you just trying to deflect from the topic? It's not about her being a woman."

"I'm trying to explain to you that it's not as black and white as you think. This is not about deception or misrepresentation. It has nothing to do with the other clans. It's a longstanding tradition. Catriona is the most powerful, the oldest, and the wisest vampire among the Lycana, and that's why Donnchadh follows her suggestions, even though he's our clan leader. No one talks about it. He is the clan leader and she is his shadow. The well-being of the Lycana is all that matters."

"So not all Lycana know that it's actually Catriona making the decisions?" Alisa asked somewhat incredulously.

"No," Ivy said. "I don't think they even want to know."