The Eagle of the Ninth

A month later, Marcus and Esca haven’t heard any whispers about the Eagle, but the Epidaii also don’t speak of their gods much. Esca points out a hunting party approaching, and Marcus gives the chieftain his Demetrius of Alexandria spiel. There are indeed several with sick eyes in the chieftain’s dun, so Marcus and Esca follow the hunting party to the dun nestled above the Loch of Many Islets. A young man greets the chieftain, calling him Dergdian. Inside Dergdian’s hut, an enslaved woman stirs a pot while an old man studies the newcomers. Dergdian’s wife, whom he calls Fionhula, greets him. Gesturing to Marcus, Dergdian asks her to bring out “the little cub.”

Fionhula disappears and returns with a toddler boy, his eyes so swollen he can’t open them. The old man states that the boy will be blind, but Marcus can tell the boy isn’t blind yet. The old man says that he’s been putting toad’s fat on the eyes, per tradition, and begins to complain about Fionhula. Privately, Marcus sympathizes with Fionhula, but he knows offending the old man won’t help the boy. He cleans, applies salves, and bandages the boy’s eyes. Because of how bad the boy’s eyes are—and to protect him from his misguided great-grandfather—Marcus decides to stay a while and tend to the boy himself. While Esca hunts with the hunters, Marcus stays at the hut, watching the women and listening to the grandfather, Tradui, tell stories about how strong men used to be in his day.

Occasionally, Marcus sees a Druid, but that’s not unusual this far north. He hears nothing about the Eagle. Then, one day, he finds Dergdian working on a war spear. Dergdian explains he’s preparing for the Feast of the New Spears, when boys in the tribe become men. The ceremony will happen three nights from now, here, and all eligible boys from the surrounding areas will come for it. This is because Dergdian’s clan, the Seal People, guard “the Life of the Tribe.” Casually, Marcus asks if outsiders can observe. The “mystery” is closed to outsiders, Dergdian says, but other ceremonies are open to all men. So, over the next few days, Marcus watches boys and their fathers arrive, along with merchants and entertainers. It reminds him of the Saturnalia festivities.

On the second day, the boys being initiated disappear. Women ritually mourn the boys, setting empty places for them at the evening meal. By morning, everything is silent, and as the sun sets, everyone gathers and seems to be waiting for something. Esca and Marcus wait with Liathan, Dergdian’s brother. Just as the moon appears, the women begin to cry out and a horn sounds from the west. Marcus and Esca follow the men on a long hike, until they reach a long barrow originally created by the “Ancient People.” Liathan tells Marcus that this is the “Place of Life,” and the group assembles outside the barrow’s entrance. Suddenly, men begin to light torches. One by one, men appear from the barrow, all naked except for the skin of the animal they’re portraying. The animal-men dance with a priest to no music, and Marcus finds the scene disturbing.

Finally, the dance reaches a fever pitch, and the dancers suddenly leap back to reveal “The Horned One,” a man naked except for a headdress with antlers coming out of the forehead. Men in the crowd cheer and kneel; Marcus and Esca join them. When they stand, the Horned One says that the boys died and have been reborn as warriors. As the crowd chants, the boys emerge from the barrow one by one. Some of the boys look out of breath or scared, and remembering his own initiation, Marcus wonders what happened. Finally, another priest emerges—carrying the Eagle with him.