Summary: The Coccham Crew has recently relocated to Rumcofa, where they are finalizing plans for their first Blood Month celebration. Finan speaks of things that may be better left unsaid.
TW: None, really. Some suggestive stuff.
WC: 3.8k
The alehouse was bustling and alive with animated, drunken conversations. Laughter rang out almost constantly from the various groups of patrons gathered there that evening. In one corner sat Uhtred and his men, discussing various plans for the upcoming Blood Month livestock slaughter and feast. In Rumcofa, so near the borders of western Mercia and Wealas with Northumbria to the north, some of the old pagan traditions held fast, despite the rise of Christianity through Angleland.
It reminded Finan much of Eire in that respect. Somehow, some way, his forebears had retained and incorporated their ancient Celtic beliefs and superstitions to work in concert with Christianity for the past 400 years - far longer than the Angles and Saxons had even been Christianized.
His attention drifted from the conversation at hand as he pondered this, and realized that it was, in fact, Samhain, the night to feast the dead. A slight chill ran down his spine as he thought about the belief that the veil between the living and dead was lifted on such a night. He hadn’t observed it much, if at all, after being sold into slavery; not that he had been all that observant of the church, either. Ordinarily, this wouldn’t have unsettled him in the slightest, but something about it began niggling in his mind. Shifting in his seat, Finan grabbed his ale and lifted it to his mouth, a frown pulling on his brow.
As he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth to ensure no ale clung to his whiskers, Finan realized three sets of eyes were trained on him and no one was speaking. He slowly lowered the mug to the table and glanced between his friends. “What?"
Uhtred smirked at him. "I asked you a question about tomorrow, but your attention seems to have been elsewhere.”
“Oh, eh," Finan rubbed the back of his neck, a nervous tick his oath-brothers recognized immediately. “Sorry, I was just caught up in my thoughts."
"What were you thinking so hard about?” Sihtric’s mouth quirked up at one corner, amusement on his face.
“Nothing important. Just realized that it is Samhain, the night when the veil between the living and dead is all but lifted, and the Shining Ones tend to play tricks on unwitting victims."
"All Hallow’s Eve, you mean,” Osferth said softly. "Although with such a small church in Rumcofa, there will be no ringing of the bells tonight,” he added absently.
Sihtric looked at Uhtred, perplexed, then turned his gaze to Finan. "What are the Shining Ones?”
"More of a ‘who’ than a ‘what.’” Seeing Sihtric’s frown deepen, Finan continued. "The Fair Folk, the children of Tuatha Dé Dannan, the Aos Sídhe - People of the Mounds. To use their actual name could insult them, or it will draw them to ya, and trust me, you do not want that. Some of them would do just about anything to trap you and bind ya to them for eternity, so believe me when I say it is best to avoid drawing their attention to ya for any reason.”
“Why?" Sihtric asked again, caught between curiosity and wanting to laugh at how utterly shaken his friend suddenly looked.
Looking perturbed, Finan leaned across the table, closer to Sihtric so he wouldn’t have to shout to be heard by anyone but his friends. “Because, Sihtric, they have been known to spirit unwitting men away, drawing them in with what looks like a woman - one so beautiful that ya have to pinch yourself to be sure yer not dreamin’. She will either take ya to their home and keep you as a slave to all of the Fair Folk for seven years, or she could seduce ya; once she gets ya, she drops the magical glamour and suddenly, ya find yerself humpin’ a monstrous half-beast woman with cloven hooves!”
Osferth made the sign of the cross, his eyes wide as he listened to Finan, who continued his tales of shape shifting beings, quick to twist a deal made with a human to always benefit themselves, or cause sickness or spoil an entire village’s crops over the smallest slight, or those who would drive a man mad, and of the beautiful leannán sídhe who seek out creative men, take them as a lover and inspire their art but inevitably leave the creator who eventually would waste away to nothing.
“If these…creatures are from Irland, is it possible that they would be here as well?” Asked Sihtric after he drained another mug of ale.
“Do not panic, Sihtric. You aren’t a skald, you have nothing to fear from that one," Uhtred smirked at Sihtric, who rolled his eyes but chuckled all the same.
After emptying his own mug, Finan shrugged. “I suppose so, though I really would rather not find out."
"But why would they abduct or enthrall humans, aside from forcing them to work? Surely there has to be some other reason,” Osferth mused.
“Oh, aye,” Finan nodded, his gaze turning to Osferth. “There are lots of reasons. One of the biggest, it is said, is that they no longer have the ability to reproduce children of their own, so they look for a human, man or woman, to procreate with. Hence all the glamour magic to make themselves so much more pleasing to the eyes."
The conversation was derailed by the arrival of one of the serving girls who brought over a new pitcher for them.
“Better make that two pitchers, please," Finan winked at the young woman, who smiled and set down the other pitcher she carried. Uhtred and Sihtric had gone off to piss, leaving Finan with a frowning Osferth.
“How do they abduct a person? Carry them off under the cover of night?"
Finan shook his head as he refilled everyone’s cups. "No, most often, they play tricks; they will either use their magic to confuse a person, making them lose their way, or they will lure the person to follow them.” He paused to take a drink. “I have heard that it makes their magic more potent if their victim goes willingly."
Osferth uttered an oath under his breath as he took a drink of his own ale; the return of Uhtred and Sihtric drew his attention toward them as they sat back down. Finan pinned Osferth with a dark gaze.
“Just keep yer wits about ya and don’t travel alone at night, and you’ll be fine.”
Uhtred rolled his eyes, smirking, as he realized they were still on the subject of the magical beings of Ireland. “Do not listen to him, Osferth. You are in no more danger of anything magical happening to you than you are of Sihtric twisting a curse on you."
Sihtric grinned at Uhtred. "And how do you know I have not been learning witchcraft in my spare time, hm?”
“Because I know your wife," Uhtred replied wryly. “And I see how many children you have. You have no spare time."
Laughter rang out from their group and the conversation shifted as the ale continued to go down smoothly. Discussion of plans for Blood Month fell to the wayside as the men focused instead on ribbing each other and discussing their new lives in Rumcofa. When Sihtric and Uhtred began to tease Finan about Ingrith, the woman who had caught his eye, he gruffly waved them off with a hand, but they saw the flush beneath his beard all the same.
Squinting bleary eyes as he traveled his way home from the alehouse, Finan staggered along the road. He had definitely drunk more than his share of ale, and for every step forward, he took two to the side. The night was cloudy, blocking out any moonlight that would have lit his way home. Ordinarily, his cottage being on the outskirts of the village didn’t bother him much, but staggering home drunk, when all he wanted was to collapse into his bed, was causing him some small frustration.
Finan paused beside a woven fence and looked around, trying to determine where on his path he was. It felt to him as though he should have been nearly home, but the path had become more convoluted as he walked. Getting his bearings as he looked around, Finan rubbed a hand over his face and looked ahead. “Should be right ‘round that turn," he mumbled to himself, and he resumed his staggering trek. He turned the corner and continued on his ambling way; a few minutes later, Finan paused to look around once more, certain he should have been farther along his journey by now. He was confused to see himself only just beyond the alehouse. Finan shrugged it off, explaining it away by way of all the ale sloshing in his stomach. So he set off once more, stumbling toward home.
When the trees to either side of the path became thicker, Finan stopped once more. His mind went blank for a moment as he looked ahead, then turned to look behind himself. “Shouldn’t have ended up in the woods,” he mumbled, swaying drunkenly on his feet. “Ah shite. Must’a turned wrong back there.” He hiccupped and turned to head back the direction he had come from, and began humming tunelessly under his breath.
When Finan turned another corner, thinking that surely he would see the front of his own cottage, he stopped short. Not only was he still in the woods, but sitting on a felled tree beside the path was a blonde woman, wearing a dark cloak. He knew the silhouette after all of the hours he had spent watching her move through Rumcofa.
“Ing–” Finan cleared his throat. "Ingrith? What are ya doin’ out here so late?”
Ingrith smiled as she turned to look up at Finan. “I was waiting for you." She stood then and closed the distance between them. “I wanted to see you tonight." Her voice was smooth as silk as she placed a delicate hand on Finan’s chest.
“Ya…wanted to see me?” Finan’s disbelief was almost palpable; he had never made his attraction to Ingrith known - at least, not to her. Maybe one of his men had said something to tip her off; after all, Uhtred loved to meddle. Or even Sihtric, who smirked at him every time his eyes stayed on Ingrith for just a moment too long.
“Mm, I did." Ingrith gave him a sultry smile as she wound her arms over his shoulders and pressed herself close to him.
His heart began to pound rapidly in his chest as he looked down at Ingrith, his hands coming to rest on her hips. “Why? How? How did ya know–” Finan was silenced when the beautiful blonde before him pressed a finger over his lips. He had never been so close to her before; having her in his personal space, her body pressed along the length of his, she was even more beautiful than he had realized.
“I just know," she told him, that sultry smile lighting her entire face and heating Finan from within when her hands came up to cup his face.
A shiver traveled down Finan’s spine as Ingrith pressed her lips to his, his fingers clenching around her hips more firmly as he responded in kind. One of his hands reached up and he tangled his fingers in her hair, just above the long braid that swept over one shoulder. Finan groaned when he felt her hands caress down his chest and trail off when they reached his waist.
Finan felt his head begin to spin, uncertain if it was the ale or the sheer closeness of the woman before him. He didn’t have long to consider it, though, when he felt the warmth of Ingrith’s hands sliding beneath his tunic. He gasped as her fingernails suddenly raked down his chest, not hard enough to break skin, but enough to send a jolt of sensation straight to his groin. Her throaty chuckle in response to his reaction broke the kiss long enough for Finan to catch his breath.
With his hands still squeezing at her hips, Finan pulled his head back and struggled to focus his eyes on Ingrith, silently cursing himself for having drunk so much ale. Ingrith smiled up at him, a heated look in her eyes that, if Finan didn’t know any better, almost seemed to glow from within despite the darkness surrounding them.
“By God, yer beautiful,” Finan murmured. “I know–” he paused and shook his head as if to clear his ale-soaked mind. “I have wanted t’get t’know ya, and I’m sorry for not having taken the time yet…” He trailed off when Ingrith just gave him that placid, knowing smile.
“I told you, I already know.” Her tongue poked out and slowly moistened her lower lip, that sultry heat returning to her gaze. “I want you, as well,” she said softly. “It is why I waited for you.” Ingrith pulled Finan’s head toward her and began to kiss him deeply.
The world reeled as soon as their lips touched, and Finan suddenly found himself lying on the ground beside the road, dead leaves and plants providing a cushion beneath his back; Ingrith straddled his hips and continued to kiss him, her tongue darting out to flick teasingly against his lips. He groaned as her hips ground against him, her movements setting fire to his own desire. As Ingrith continued to move enticingly against him, Finan felt his body becoming warmer and heavy, as one sometimes feels when comfortable and on the verge of falling asleep. His mind began to dull as well, only the aching need to have Ingrith pulsing through his awareness with each heartbeat.
As Ingrith continued to kiss him, her tongue stroking between his lips, Finan fell further into a stupor. He wanted so badly to touch the beautiful woman who sat astride him, but found his arms not responding to his thoughts. A moment of panic rose up within him, and Ingrith, as if knowing what he felt, stroked his cheek gently. Finan could have sworn her eyes, that had seemed to glow a faint blue only moments earlier, now looked entirely black.
“Shh, just relax and enjoy this,” Ingrith told him, her voice low, firm but reassuring. She gazed steadily into his eyes. “Allow me to take care of you.”
Finan sighed and nodded, even that motion feeling sluggish to him as he felt Ingrith’s breath wash over his neck. He suddenly couldn’t recall what had worried him only a moment earlier; he had never in his life ever felt so blissfully relaxed, and even the aching arousal that throbbed between his legs had become more like a pleasant warmth than a greedy hunger.
Ingrith languidly licked a slow path along Finan’s neck, and he hummed in pleasure. He wanted to speak, to say something saucy, but his tongue felt thick and uncoordinated. When her heated breath washed over the dampened skin, Finan groaned low in his throat.
She continued to kiss and lick at his neck, and occasionally Finan would feel a sharp nip of her teeth. Even those brief moments felt like heaven, despite the tiny explosions of pain each graze of teeth caused. The pain instantly melted into pleasure each time, and he felt himself slowly falling deeper and deeper into this blissful comfort she was bestowing on him.
Somewhere in his muddled thoughts, Finan knew that Ingrith would ruin him for any other woman, and he hoped that this night would be the first of many between them as she continued to move her hips against him and explore his neck with her mouth. He wanted to tell her so, and try as hard as he might, all that escaped him was a soft moan that Ingrith responded to with a hum of her own.
A sharp piercing sensation in his neck flooded Finan with panic, but it was quickly lulled away when Ingrith hummed softly against his neck. Somewhere in Finan’s mind, he knew that something was wrong, but he couldn’t find it within himself to care - he finally had his woman, and she was making him feel exquisite pleasure like he’d never known possible.
As Finan felt himself surrendering completely to Ingrith, he thought he heard someone far off calling his name. He felt Ingrith stiffen against him, and knew that she had heard it as well; Finan couldn’t be bothered to respond, as he was just floating in such a calm, pleasant, peaceful warmth. Hearing his name again, Finan realized he recognized the voice, and thought about how lovely it was that his good friend, his chosen brother, Uhtred, cared enough to check on him. And was that Sihtric’s voice he heard? Why they would sound worried escaped Finan in that moment, because he felt incredible.
The sharp piercing pain in his neck was back suddenly, and he felt Ingrith pull away from the spot she had been licking and nipping at. Finan struggled to open his eyes, having to force them with every last bit of willpower he could summon, and when they finally obeyed, he would soon find that he wished he hadn’t.
Still straddling his lap, Ingrith had turned to look over her shoulder; her entire posture was rigid, and Finan began to feel that something was very wrong, but he couldn’t get his mind to clear of the feeling of wool being stuffed inside his skull.
With a groan, Finan closed his eyes for a moment, until he felt Ingrith shifting as if she was preparing to stand up. Struggling them open once more, he looked up at Ingrith…but it was no longer Ingrith. A hideous creature with gaunt, hollow cheeks, elongated teeth, black eyes devoid of any color whatsoever, and stringy, silver hair peered down at Finan, then hissed at him.
Fear shot through Finan, cold and visceral, and it began to force away whatever hold this creature had him under. He struggled to sit up, but with the creature still sitting atop him, there was no chance of that happening - it still had too much power and control over him. Finan’s mind had begun to clear, little by little, though his thoughts were still dulled and fuzzy, his movements delayed and weak, like trying to fight while tightly wrapped in a blanket.
Just as he thought he might be able to shift enough to force the creature off his body, the weight pinning him down increased tenfold. Finan could hear Uhtred and Sihtric, and now Osferth as well, calling out for him and drawing nearer. Summoning all of his strength and will, Finan forced his arms to move, struggling to lift them to push the thing away from him; he had hardly gotten his hands up off the ground before the hideous creature captured his wrists and pinned them flat. With a small trail of blood beneath her lower lip, Ingrith was suddenly looking down at him once more, though he knew, despite the glamour the creature attempted to put back in place, that it was not Ingrith.
Not Ingrith lowered her head back to his neck, and as he felt her warm tongue slither over his skin once again, Finan suddenly felt as if all of his strength had been sapped away, and that warm complacency crept into the edges of his awareness. It would be so much easier to give in to that warmth, that feeling of bliss, but Finan knew now that were he to surrender again, he would not live to tell the tale. He was tired, though, and it was so much easier to just let go, to let the peaceful warmth surround him.
As the world around him began to slip away into that somnolent bliss, Finan was suddenly and roughly jerked to his feet, supported by strong arms and shoulders to either side of him. The bliss and warmth he had been floating in were ripped away, and he was painfully aware of every ache and pain in his body, and feeling exhausted, as if his very life force had been stripped from him.
Uhtred and Sihtric dragged a stumbling, barely-conscious Finan supported with his arms over their shoulders, back to Finan’s cottage. Osferth followed closely behind, clutching his cross and murmuring prayers the entire way.
If any of the people of Rumcofa had seen the group, they would have questioned what could possibly have shaken the four warriors so badly; thankfully, no one had been out, given the late hour.
Finan groaned as he was placed on his bed, his head swimming and body feeling heavy as lead. Uhtred and Sihtric stood beside the bed and looked between themselves and Osferth, their faces pale. None of them spoke for long moments, their minds reeling over what they had seen. It was only after the three of them settled themselves in various positions around the home that the silence was finally breached.
“What was that?" Sihtric, his face still ashen, asked from his seat beside the door.
Uhtred shook his head, while Osferth finally stopped reciting prayers.
“An Dearg Due,” mumbled Finan, his eyes fixed on the thatching directly above him. "The Red Thirst.”
Uhtred leaned closer to the bedside, his face grim as he looked over Finan. Save for a small bite mark on his neck, his friend appeared otherwise unharmed. "Are you all right, Finan?"
“Exhausted, but alive thanks to you lot." His voice was raspy with fatigue. Finan slowly turned his head to look at his oath-brothers. “By breath or by blood, she would have drained me dry." Turning to look at Uhtred fully, Finan gave him a ghost of his usual grin. "Looks like ya saved me again.”
"Well the next time you decide to wander off with a woman, maybe you should be absolutely certain she is a woman first.” Uhtred smirked at him, chuckling softly as Finan rolled his eyes.
“I thought you said these other beings like to abduct people,” Osferth said softly, his cross still in a white-knuckled grip. “That did not look like an abduction.”
“No, it was not an abduction," Finan agreed quietly. “Because that wasn’t one of the Shining Court. That was a vengeful ghost.”
Silence settled over the group as a chill breeze blew in between the shutters, though no man would admit that he felt his flesh rise with goosebumps when the sound of a woman wailing carried with the wind.
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