Trail of the Necromantress Chapter One   Chapter Two  

The Warrior Maid mentally kissed her nunchaku goodbye, if only for a moment.

But she never missed.

Scathach sent them flying. They whirled in a horizontal arc, making their way back to her hands. Those they had hit were keeled over on the ground. Scathach snorted at the far lesser warriors.

"Shadow."

Scathach looked up a second before the voice said her name. She had sensed her. "Carman." The Witch of the Celts.

Scathach smiled. Carman smiled as well, and said in a low rasp, "Well, my dear, are you just going to stand there and glare at me?"

In answer, Scathach flicked her tongue, which had become that of a snake. Her other features had sharpened, elongated, and angled. Her grass-green eyes sparkled, and she lunged. Scathach realized she was fighting the Witch of the Celts. Seeing Carman had awakened a magic she had locked inside her for the most demanding situations. Therefore, she rivaled Carman. But Carman had also awakened some memories
...
"Go, my darling," Brigid had said. She called everyone darling, including Scathach, though she was not so closely connected to her.

So Scathach had set off to train the would-be legendary King Arthur…

She had left Tir na nog, her birthplace, her first home. All for the humani. When she had arrived in Britannia, a man had greeted her. He knew who she was. He declared that he had had a vision of prophecy, of a young, Celtic woman arriving to train his young charge.

"And you might be who?" Scathach had said.

"I am Emrys, I am the Seer, I am Olo Eopia. But all call me Merlin. Except for Dagda, that is, but…"he trailed off. Scathach could see that he was one of those bumbling, disorganized humani who misplaced everything they had.

"Dagda?"

"You know him?" said Merlin, shocked.

"Of course. I am the Warrior. I am Scathach."

Merlin bowed, then said, "You are Next Generation?"

"Yes. There is something about you, old man. Something I cannot place. Tell me, who are your parents?"

"My father, he was mortal. My mother…Gwri of the Golden Hair."

"I knew your mother, old man. I had meant to go to her wedding. But…dracaenae are a pain. Where is the boy?"

"Arthur?"

"Yes. Arturius .Soon to be Arturius Maximus."

"How do you know this, Warrior?"

"I am going to train him."
...
Scathach had fought while dreaming. She was that good. Only once did she falter. That one slip cost her battle, though it did not concern her fighting ability. It concerned the fact that a lightning bolt had chosen that moment to strike the ground. And the fact that Carman was a Witch, and could foresee this. And the fact that Scathach was not into prophecy.