Nessa and I look at each other and breathe a sigh of relief when the outlaws of Magh Croimor run away. We lift the brave ranger up from where he collapsed in the doorway and place him gently down on a soft pallet of skins. I check his leg in case the wound has opened again. The binding and stitches hold and there is no fresh bleeding.

I turn to Nessa. "Whew! I heard that band of renegades was roaming around Celtia but I never thought one of them would be here, let alone the whole pack! I wondered where that man got such an awful slash on his arm. Well, at least we're safe from him. He won't be using his sword arm ever again, that's for sure!"

We chatter excitedly about what happened. Nessa's wolfhound sniffs around to be sure they are really gone. I reward Liadan with a hunk of dried venison. "Thank the gods you came in! You helped to scare them off," I praise her.

The shock of being held at swordpoint by the infamous Baine Baoisgne sinks in. My legs suddenly get weak and I plop down heavily on the cot where the wounded robber was resting just a little while ago. I'm so glad they didn't take me hostage!

There is only a little time to catch our breath before we hear a lot of shouting outside. Two men in King Cormac's royal colors are carrying the warrior poet Fenian down the hill to the tent. A black stallion trails after them. As I go to meet them, I notice a black plume of smoke forming into a thick cloud over Tara Hill.

"The Ard Righ's maze is burning," one of the messengers tells us. "There's nothing we can do about it. This one was lucky to escape! It looked like he just missed getting struck by the lightning that hit and sparked the fire! We found him lying in the maze beside the charred bodies of the two giants."

"Sweet Brighid's breath!" I exclaim. "Well, it's good that the maze is destroyed. It was too dangerous. At least one man was killed and too many were badly hurt."

The other messenger nods solemnly. "Some are saying that the lightning was delivered by Lugh's own hand. The King is entrusting you with this warrior's prizes for completing the maze. Please see that he receives these when he recovers."

A golden torc and a sheaf of wheat is put into my hands. "Aye, I will be proud to present these to him from King Cormac!"

Fenian was lucky indeed, for he only had a few bruised ribs and some scratches on his back from the wildcat that someone let loose in the maze. He is quick to regain his strength, especially after I give him the prizes from King Cormac. He thanks me and rides off on his beautiful horse.

The ranger awakens soon after. He seems much restored after his long rest, and is eager to leave for Inver Colpa. Nessa and I thank him for protecting us and bid him farewell.

The festival is coming to an end and what an exciting time it has been!

"I understand there's going to be a ceili at Tailtiu's Tavern tonight to close the feis," I smile at Nessa. "Go ahead and get yourself ready. I'll clean up the tent and see you later. Thank you so much for lending a hand. I would have been overwhelmed here without your help!" I give Nessa a warm hug. "Not too much dancing, mind you. Don't forget to take your walking stick!"