L.S. Fayne's Blog, page 2

Hello, I took a break from writing fantasy to wri...

Hello,




I took a break from writing fantasy to write a non-fiction book about Fibromyalgia. I’ve had fibromyalgia since a supposed minimally invasive surgery left me wrong. I woke up wrong and have been wrong since. This book tells about the fears and frustrations of fibromyalgia, and also about the things I do to keep walking, keep smiling, and to keep living. I hope it helps others who have fibromyalgia to not feel alone, and those who know someone such as I, to understand what their daily life is now like.




Now that I have done that which I felt I must, I can re-submerge into the fantasy worlds once again. I love to pull them upwards so others may visit them, too. Always remember to embrace life and joy. They do not last forever.



Fibromyalgia Chatter

...

    

     Dara, Alana and Rhoswen took Haley to the base of the Sierra’s—for here was a secret. Within the cave system was a magical place. Here the naiad nymphs played freely in the hot spring waters. The magical caves also held a long forgotten secret—a portal. Magic had called to magic, and the sisters had found the caves. They guarded the doorway and maintained an escape route for the Miwok people—a back door for those who wished to flee the devastation. The decision to pass through the doorway could not be made in haste, for they might not be able to return—for the doorway opened to the land of Faerie.




     When the settlers came, filled with prejudice and hate, the sisters were gone. When the wars began—some of Miwoks escaped. Still, there was the gold fever and yellow fever—and the sisters returned.




     Their house was a ruin, blackened and burned to the ground. Reverend A.J. Brown had led the mob who descended on the homestead—only to find it empty. In a mob rage—they set fire to the house and all the out buildings. On the orders of the Reverend, no one was to set another foot on this cursed land. The land had been left abandoned for the last two years.




     The sisters stood and looked over their beloved meadow. Determination filled them as they stared out over the blackened buildings. It was time to heal and to mend. It was time to take back what had been taken, and to claim a stake for future generations.




     Yellow fever struck the settlers in 1853, wiping out over half of the town’s citizens. The odor from the cleansing fires could be smelled for miles around. Strangers avoided the road to the town. The settlers were all alone in the wilderness, and watched helplessly as their families and neighbors died. There seemed to be no hope. One week after the first of the fires—the town folk were surprised to see Dara and Alana O’Byrne standing at the edge of town. They demanded to talk to the Reverend.




     To save his beloved wife Annabelle, who was also afflicted with the disease, the Reverend made a pact with the sisters. The sisters administered to the town and there were no more deaths. That very month, the Reverend led a group to rebuild what they had destroyed. The citizens never again lifted voice, fire, or rock against the O’Byrne blood.




     Only the Reverend and the sisters knew the details of the pact—but the pact was made with magic and blood—to this day, it binds the two families. The knowledge of the bindings and rites were passed from generation to generation through the female O’Byrne descendents.



     The seven O’Byrne sisters were Kellan—whose name means warrior princess, Alana—the bright fair one, Dara the one with wisdom and compassion, Rhoswen—the white rose, Vevila—the melodious one, Kane—the bringer of war, and Haley—the ingenious one. Their mother had named them for what she had glimpsed of their futures—for she too had the sight.

Dara, A...

          Dara, Alana and Rhoswen took Haley to the base of the Sierra's—for here was a secret. Within the cave system was a magical place. Here the naiad nymphs played freely in the hot spring waters. The magical caves also held a long forgotten secret—a portal. Magic had called to magic, and the sisters had found the caves. They guarded the doorway and maintained an escape route for the Miwok people—a back door for those who wished to flee the devastation. The decision to pass through the doorway could not be made in haste, for they might not be able to return—for the doorway opened to the land of Faerie.

     When the settlers came, filled with prejudice and hate, the sisters were gone. When the wars began—some of Miwoks escaped. Still, there was the gold fever and yellow fever—and the sisters returned.

     Their house was a ruin, blackened and burned to the ground. Reverend A.J. Brown had led the mob who descended on the homestead—only to find it empty. In a mob rage—they set fire to the house and all the out buildings. On the orders of the Reverend, no one was to set another foot on this cursed land. The land had been left abandoned for the last two years.

     The sisters stood and looked over their beloved meadow. Determination filled them as they stared out over the blackened buildings. It was time to heal and to mend. It was time to take back what had been taken, and to claim a stake for future generations.

     Yellow fever struck the settlers in 1853, wiping out over half of the town's citizens. The odor from the cleansing fires could be smelled for miles around. Strangers avoided the road to the town. The settlers were all alone in the wilderness, and watched helplessly as their families and neighbors died. There seemed to be no hope. One week after the first of the fires—the town folk were surprised to see Dara and Alana O'Byrne standing at the edge of town. They demanded to talk to the Reverend.

     To save his beloved wife Annabelle, who was also afflicted with the disease, the Reverend made a pact with the sisters. The sisters administered to the town and there were no more deaths. That very month, the Reverend led a group to rebuild what they had destroyed. The citizens never again lifted voice, fire, or rock against the O'Byrne blood.

     Only the Reverend and the sisters knew the details of the pact—but the pact was made with magic and blood—to this day, it binds the two families. The knowledge of the bindings and rites were passed from generation to generation through the female O'Byrne descendents.

     The seven O'Byrne sisters were Kellan—whose name means warrior princess, Alana—the bright fair one, Dara the one with wisdom and compassion, Rhoswen—the white rose, Vevila—the melodious one, Kane—the bringer of war, and Haley—the ingenious one. Their mother had named them for what she had glimpsed of their futures—for she too had the sight.

Christmas in the House of O'Byrne, end of Chapter Two

    



     Tragedy struck the family in 1958, when her great-granddaughter Violet, was brutally murdered by her estranged husband—George Leonard Taite. Violet's children came to live with Lidia and Shade. Amber was twelve, Richard was eleven, and Adell was almost eight. George Taite had never been prosecuted for that horrendous crime. He had escaped from the law and disappeared.

     Lidia set up rooms on the second floor for herself and the children. The children were so traumatized by the death of their mother, that Lidia felt the need to send out a S.O.S to the family for assistance.

     Leah answered that cry for help. She was a Druantia Priestess, and came to live with them. She was young for a priestess—only twenty-four—but was very wise, and had a calmness about her that the children responded well to. It was at her suggestion, that the children legally regained their mother's name of O'Byrne, clearing some of the emotional baggage the name, Taite, triggered.

     Leah could never really settle into the rooms in the house, so chose to set up rooms down by the chapel in the underground labyrinth. Lidia assumed it had something to do with her vow to the Goddess. Leah had created a really cozy home within the caverns. The place was complete with a large warm bedroom, a small kitchen nook, a good size sitting/workroom, and a bathroom.

     Leah had also influenced the creation of a large natural hot pool. The pool was made from stone, baked by magic into a smooth surface. The heated water was fed to the pool from the mountain itself. Lidia had done a lot of soaking in that pool. It was very soothing to sit in the hot fragranced water while drinking one of Leah's home brewed beverages. They had become very good friends through the years.

     Michelle and Gary Marvin also answered Lidia's S.O.S. The twins, Teddy and Lilly, were the same age as Adell. The Marvin's offered to let Adell stay with them in Fresno. Lidia thought it would be a good distraction for Adell, and would allow her more one-on-one time with Amber and Richard. She accepted the offer. The five children spent a lot of time back and forth between the O'Byrne and the Marvin households. Now the children were grown, and Lidia was very proud of all of them. They had grown into strong, fun loving people.

     Amber had moved out when she became an adult, but moved back into the house when she became pregnant with Emily. She never talked about the father—Lidia never asked. She just supported and loved them both. They still lived in the house on the second floor.

     Adell was still living in the house when she met Phillip during an ice storm. They were both assisting in a search and rescue mission to bring some rock climbers down from one of the nearby cliffs. He was a helicopter pilot, and she was a searcher. Lidia could understand why Adell fell so quickly for Phillip. He was tall and strong, strong enough to pull Adell and the fallen rock climber to safety. He had black hair, vivacious blue eyes, and a charming smile. He was very gentle and kind. The two fell in love, married, and had little Natilie. Lidia had the upper story remodeled into a suite when Natilie was born. The O'Byrne property now had a helicopter pad sitting in its back pasture.

     Lidia was finally free of the house and property. She had been waiting to hand the keys over to someone else for quite some time—but the house wouldn't choose anyone. It had its own code and would only allow ownership, and admittance, to the family member that passed its own "rite of passage".Adell had recently passed these tests. Lidia was finally able to step down and let Adell take over. It was such a relief. The house was a huge responsibility—a very demanding presence. It was ageless and didn't seem to notice the aging of its occupants.

     Lidia moved back to the house where she grew up, married, and had her children. It was a sad type of homecoming returning alone—but she needed the rest that the place offered. The Oregon Cascades was not so different from the Sierra Nevada's. The Cascades might not be as high, or majestic, but neither were they as cold. She liked to watch the nymphs play while sitting on her small porch. She knew that the magic was strong in her Oregon home, and it felt good. She could put her feet up, and for the first time in her life—just enjoy doing absolutely nothing.

Christmas in the House of O'Byrne, Chapter 2+

     When she finally came out—the house was hers—or maybe she belonged to the house. The last Matron had died and the house hadn't chosen a replacement, though many had tried. It had locked down, and only admitted those of the O'Byrne family, strong enough to challenge for the matronship.

     The property consisted of 640 acres, the deeded amount from the mid 1840's, and was very valuable. 640 acres sounded like a lot, but some of the acreage included sheer cliffs that ran straight up and down.

     It was a fact, that the seven sisters had coaxed gold from within the caves in those cliffs. The gold was long gone, but the investments the money went into still flushed the family coffers. The property had a rather strange trust which was set up to go with the O'Byrne descendent who could acquire the house. Since the property trust was with an O'Byrne attorney, no questions were ever asked.

     Lidia remembered the hug Josh gave her when she'd stepped out of the house after the trials. He had just grabbed her and held her tight. She hugged him back, and knew she was loved. He knew that she was the same Lidia he fell in love with, the house had not changed her. She might belong to the house, but she also still belonged with him.

     She cleansed and opened the house.  It again, became the stronghold for the O'Byrne family. It was a place where discrepancies could be fixed, hearts could be mended, and sickness could be healed. The house became a home where everyone was free to laugh and to love.

     The family was not without its problems, the ability to use magic created its own complications. It could be used to make life easier and to make great things happen—but sometimes the magic went wrong, and created its own anxieties. This house had seen it all—weddings, births, and deaths.

     In the same year that Lidia became the Matron to the house, their daughter Andra died. She was Lidia and Josh's oldest child, and was very dear to their hearts. Lidia felt as if her heart had been ripped from her. The agony of loss was only lessened by the love of her family. Lidia and Josh's other daughters, Rose and Idra, came with their families to stay a short while. Lidia also invited Gerold, Andra's husband, and his two children to come stay at the house—Allisa was seven and Adam was six. They stayed for a year while Gerold tried to come to terms with Andra's death. The presence of the children was an added joy to Lidia during that time. Together they mourned the loss of Andra, and tried to make sense of her death.

     Lidia's mind wandered to the night her husband Josh had died. It was in the spring of 1957. He had died from complications due to Parkinson's disease. They had worked with the symptoms the disease had caused, for the last twenty years of his life.

     Intellectually, Josh's death wasn't a surprise—but the heart can't seem to understand that. The passing of a soul—even though expected—still shocks the heart. Lidia kept expecting to see him walk in a door, or lying on the bed. She would turn to tell him something funny, only to realize he wasn't there. She would see something beautiful and think to tell Josh when she got home, only to realize that Josh wouldn't be there waiting to hear her—would never be there. Her heart would seize. Her face would agonize with unshed tears. He had been her life mate. The sorrow of his passing ate up her soul, making her ache for him. To this day, she missed him terribly.

     The only other resident in the house at the time of Josh's death was Allisa's son Derrick Andrew O'Byrne, nicknamed Shade. He was twenty when Josh had passed. When he was a child, he had developed a sensitivity to the sun. When someone was looking for him, others would nod in a direction and say something like… "Over there in the shade". After a while, they would just nod and say shade. Pretty soon he was being called Shade. The nickname stuck.

     He had a special affinity with the earth and watched over the land. He was an earth healer. He accepted the binding of the house and the property, it was his true love. He accepted the O'Byrne name as his right. It wasn't his father's name—it was the name for those with magic. The lanky boy had grown into a tall lanky man. He had dark piercing eyes, dark brown hair, bushy eyebrows, and a thick raggedy mustache. Both hair and mustache were now liberally dusted with grey.

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Christmas in the House of O'Byrne

     Now, pavement would have been rather nice on her tired ankles. The mail delivery couldn't come up any closer to the house. Frankly, she was surprised that they were able to deliver as far as they did. The roads around this area were very narrow, and severely wound in on themselves.

     When Adell was a child, she used to say that the roads could almost bite themselves in the butt because they curved around so tight. The road traveling along the property was the old highway. Parts of it had long since fallen into the stream. The road looked quite deserted—people were amazed when they discovered the O'Byrne house.

     Lidia had just turned 102, and her bones were letting her know about it. She spied Adell coming down the drive in her brand new, red Ford Bronco. She walked over into the snowy grass. Her boots came up to just under her knees and protected her ankles against the cold. She snuggled deeper into her black down coat. Damn it was cold!

     "Hi Nana," Adell said as she rolled down the window. Lidia smiled, she liked being called Nana. It was the nickname Adell had given her when she had first started talking. Adell was actually her great-great-granddaughter, but after a while all the greats sounded ridiculous, and Lidia preferred to just be called Nana. It stuck and now all the grandchildren called her that.

     "Did you see the long list I left on the table?" Lidia asked.

     "Right enough," Adell answered earnestly. "Thank you so much! I had no idea, we would need this much stuff. You even mentioned the light bulbs."

     "Well, this is your first year as Matron," Lidia told her. "I just wanted to make it easier for you."

     "I'm glad I have you here with me this year," Adell saw Lidia shiver. "Would you like a lift back to the house? I'd love to practice driving this thing in reverse."

     Adell was very aware of Lidia's age. She didn't look her years, but Adell knew that she hurt from the cold. Lidia was slender and looked a little frail, but she was actually very strong and quite independent. Adell respected Lidia's strength and resilience. She was very fond of the old lady.

     "I think, I'll take you up on that," Lidia answered thankfully. "I didn't realize it would be this cold. The driveway seems a lot longer than it used to." Lidia opened the passenger side door and climbed up into the Bronco.

     "Ready?" Adell asked.

     "All ready," Lidia said.

     Adell shifted it easily into reverse, and backed toward the house. The ride was smooth and effortless."I think we're probably half a mile from the road," Adell mentioned while keeping her eye on the road behind them. "That's a long way when it's as cold as it is today. Here we are."

     "Thanks sweetie," Lidia got out of the Bronco and waved as Adell made her way back toward the highway.

     Lidia looked up at the old house. A lot had been added on to it through the generations of O'Byrne's. It stood tall and imposing, huge windows looked out over the wilderness. A wide porch meandered around the house.

     Nostalgia swept over her as she thought about her life, while living in that house. She hadn't grown up here, in fact she was already married to Josh and had their three children before she had ever stepped foot into the house. But somehow, her years here seemed fuller, more colorful—more alive.

     Maybe it had been a bad idea to move, she missed having people around. The house was energized by the comings and goings of so many people, it was never stagnant, life pulsed within those walls.

     The house was a magical place, and had called to her in 1922, when she was forty-three years old. At first she just felt a compulsion to see the ancestral estate—a compulsion which had led to an obsession. She just had to see this place! Josh had enough of her agonizing, and packed her up for a vacation into their Model T Ford, and drove down from Oregon.

     When she and Josh arrived at the house, it had looked abandoned. She was confused about the neglect. It had been her understanding that the family used the house as a sort of O'Byrne stronghold, and that it was always ready to receive visitors.

     For some unfathomable reason, she asked Josh to stay with the car, and approached the house alone. She tested the door and it squeaked open. She entered into the foyer, and read the sign on the entry door. She removed her coat and shoes, then entered into what seemed to be, a large empty room. From the moment she stepped through that doorway, the house tested her.

     She was in the house for hours. Josh frantically tried to get inside—but the house denied him entrance. In a state of panic, he threw a foot sized rock at the window—it just bounced off. He sat on the steps to wait. He knew some of what she was, and the history of her family. He prayed to God, that she would come out soon and be whole.

Christmas in the House of O'Byrne - To end of Chapter 1

     A huge Christmas tree stood in the corner. Adell had laughed, as she watched her husband Phillip, drag the monstrosity in. Then she got a little more serious, when she thought about decorating it. He saw the look, kissed her on the head, and told her they would make a family event of the decorating. When he stood the tree up, the top bent over against the ceiling. He had misjudged the height of the tree.

     Adell never did decorate the tree. She was going to, but got interrupted and left all the decorations sitting out on the floor. The tree miraculously decorated itself—with the help of many little hands. Someone even used little magical lights instead of the standard electrical ones. A delicate angel was set on the top of the tree—it looked a little strange, lying on its side, pressed against the ceiling.

     Along the wall that separated the great room from the kitchen was a spectacular tapestry of the Yosemite Valley, a gift from a thankful father. The room had a lot of special gifts received through the years—a bracelet here, and a cup there. Most of the gifts were displayed, every gift was cherished. The family felt proud of helping people, and liked to remember the deeds from all the generations. Feeling that pride was the true payment for all the efforts, and sometimes pain of using magic.

     Across from the tree was the formal dining area. A large twelve person oak table set was sitting in the corner. The table and chairs had been hand crafted, and were around a hundred years old. The set had been a gift to an ancestor by the name of Olivia Renay O'Byrne.

     Olivia had foreseen a fire which would have killed the entire Whintel family. She banged on doors, and drove the family out of the house. Her sister went to the neighbors, and insisted that they come and help put out the fire. It was ironic, and a little irritating to the neighbors, to see that the fire had barely started smoldering, and that very little damage had been done.

     George Whintel was eternally thankful. He suspected that Olivia saw more than she had told the neighbors. His suspicions were confirmed the next day, when they found accelerants splashed on the side of the house. A week later George got a confession from his daughter's ex-boyfriend—that he had tried to burn them all out.

     Through the doorway was the kitchen. It was a large country kitchen which hadn't been updated in a long time. The floor was covered with tired, green linoleum. The kitchen didn't have a dishwasher or a microwave. Lidia—the previous Matron—simply didn't see the need, she had dishwashers—although her helpers begged to differ, since they were her dishwashers.

     The kitchen had two older stoves with top burners, and a stand-alone indoor grill. In the corner of the kitchen was a large walk-in refrigerator. It was large enough to feed the whole family through the Twelve Days of Christmas. A long table shared space with the center of the room. It was a most excellent table, long enough to keep order when there were so many people doing tasks in the kitchen at the same time. There were only a couple of chairs and one stool in the kitchen. More could be brought in if necessary, but Lidia thought her workers worked better when standing, rather than sitting and gossiping.

     The window above the large double sink looked out toward the cliffs. Occasionally, deer could be seen meandering in the distance. Sometimes Bear came to the back door to beg for food, but the family was wise enough not to feed them.

     There was a small pantry accessible from the kitchen. It contained the obvious house hold staples such as baking supplies, canned goods, and laundry soap—but toward the back was a secret door. A door most didn't notice—this door led to an underground labyrinth, and could only be opened by those magically keyed to the door by the Matron. The complex labyrinth led to various magical workrooms and libraries, and was routed into the base of the mountains. In the back of the labyrinth was the chamber their ancestors had simply called the Gate—the portal to Faerie.

     There was a laundry off to the side of the kitchen with a bathroom which was accessible from the back deck. The back deck was built along the whole width of the house. On it was a twelve person spa, and an old picnic table. Many generations of O'Byrne's had sat on top of the old picnic table, and gazed at the glory of the stars above. Stairs led down from the deck to a large fire pit.

     The first floor also had a large bedroom at the back of the house with its own bathroom and French doors which opened into the garden. Lidia, the previous Matron, had been living there, but recently vacated the room to return to Oregon.

     There were eight bedrooms on the second floor with three bathrooms. Amber and her daughter Emily lived in two of these bedrooms. The other rooms were identified by their colorful schemes. Some were quite beautiful, some a bit dreadful. Lidia had never taken the interest, or the time to redecorate them.

     There was the blue room, which had lovely blue drapes and an old fashioned feather bed. The white room had lush silky white drapes and a glossy white bedspread. The yellow room was lined with cheerful daffodils. The orange room was a tad boring, and would put people right to sleep—whether they wanted to or not. The green room was rumored to be haunted. The purple room was simply horrid. Each room had been styled by generations of O'Byrne's.

     Lidia had the third floor remodeled when Adell and Phillip were pregnant with Natilie. They moved into them just before the baby had been born.

     The O'Byrne house had an inconsistent flow of residents. Beside the Matron and her immediate family—it was home to the Priestesses of Druantia, and those who came to study and work magic. To many, it had also become a refuge in a time of need.

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December 19, 1981 The house...

December 19, 1981

     The house was a big, lumbering old mansion built upon granite and framed with oak. It had housed seven generations of O'Byrne's. The house had expanded from the three bedroom structure the towns people had built in 1853. It was now three stories high and about three rooms wider. Guests had to enter into the house by way of the foyer. Here they could put away their coats and shoes. The next room was the parlor and it had a perverse sense of humor. It didn't allow anyone to pass unhindered while wearing shoes. It was quite happy to trip anyone up who dared to cross while still shod.

     The parlor didn't have any furniture or windows. It was a large, ascetically bare room with blond, untreated floor boards. The walls were filled from floor to the ceiling with books. The only grand gesture the room had was the huge fireplace on the right. The fireplace had room enough inside to cook with an old-type caldron. In fact, there was soup currently cooking in the caldron.

     The only other item in the room was a luxurious grey fur resting in front of the fire. Its texture teased the senses. No one was sure what kind of animal it had been. Its shape was similar to a dog, but about the size of a cow. No one remembered a time when it hadn't been in front of the fire. Lidia had tried several times to remove it, but it kept finding its way back.

     The smell of herbs and spices whiffed through the parlor and into the great room. The great room was huge and open, boasting natural red oak floors. A person could see everything from anywhere in the room. Elaborate drapes revealed huge windows which looked out into the mountains. Ornamental rugs looked warm and inviting, grounding the different areas of the room. A fire was merrily popping in this fireplace.

     Normally there would be heavy couches and chairs strewn precariously about the room, but Adell had removed them so there would be plenty of room for everyone to gather around the Christmas tree. She had made over a hundred festive pillows, which now adorned the room. She wanted to make sure that everyone had a place to sit. When she finally completed her task, Adell promised herself to never do it again, her fingers were still sore from all the pin pricks.

     The music area had a baby grand piano sitting on a colorful ornamental rug. The windows behind the piano were covered from floor to ceiling with royal blue drapes. A small group of sofa chairs sat facing the piano—ready for that private performance.

     Speakers were wired around the whole first floor of the house, so music could be heard in any of the rooms. Even the bathroom boasted a speaker. The area had an eight-track tape deck, a cassette player, and a record player. The family mainly used the cassette player now. The cassettes tended to sound better than the eight-tracks, and didn't jam in the system.

     A large television and movie area was separated out by the use of colorful Chinese blinds. These blinds could be dragged into place to allow more privacy while watching movies. A plush, half-circle sofa surrounded a large 24" television. Below the television housed a brand new Zenith VCR. VCR's were a new concept, and the unit under the television was quite expensive. Only the older children were allowed to run it.The south wall had the largest windows. These windows framed the spectacular cliffs facing the house. Even those who had lived in the house all their lives, felt a sense of awe, as they gazed out the windows.

Christmas in the House of O'Byrne , entity erupts

May 18, 1980



The entity was in a shocked rage. He had been blasted to the outside. This was very wrong. It was never to go outside. The mother had said so. Shape and reshape, that was his job, his existence. He gloried in its repetitions. He wanted to go home. He had to go back inside. He roamed around the outside looking for a way back in. The only entrance was the still spewing hole that had developed when the mountain had flung them out. Others milled around outside as well, none as smart as he. He knew he was more evolved. He worked directly with the fire. There! He spied another entrance into the mountain. He flung himself down inside only to find that he was trapped. It was a trick—a warm blood trick. The mother had said they didn't need to concern themselves with the warm bloods outside.  He couldn't move—hungry, very hungry—lonely, oh so lonely.

Christmas in the House of O'Byrne continues...

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     Dara, Alana and Rhoswen took Haley to the base of the Sierra's—for here was a secret. Within the cave system was a magical place. Here the naiad nymphs played freely in the hot spring waters. The magical caves also held a long forgotten secret—a portal. Magic had called to magic, and the sisters had found the caves. They guarded the doorway and maintained an escape route for the Miwok people—a back door for those who wished to flee the devastation. The decision to pass through the doorway could not be made in haste, for they might not be able to return—for the doorway opened to the land of Faerie.

     When the settlers came, filled with prejudice and hate, the sisters were gone. When the wars began—some of Miwoks escaped. Still, there was the gold fever and yellow fever—and the sisters returned.

     Their house was a ruin, blackened and burned to the ground. Reverend A.J. Brown had led the mob who descended on the homestead—only to find it empty. In a mob rage—they set fire to the house and all the out buildings. On the orders of the Reverend, no one was to set another foot on this cursed land. The land had been left abandoned for the last two years. .

     The sisters stood and looked over their beloved meadow. Determination filled them as they stared out over the blackened buildings. It was time to heal and to mend. It was time to take back what had been taken, and to claim a stake for future generations.

     Yellow fever struck the settlers in 1853, wiping out over half of the town's citizens. The odor from the cleansing fires could be smelled for miles around. Strangers avoided the road to the town. The settlers were all alone in the wilderness, and watched helplessly as their families and neighbors died. There seemed to be no hope. One week after the first of the fires—the town folk were surprised to see Dara and Alana O'Byrne standing at the edge of town. They demanded to talk to the Reverend.

     To save his beloved wife Annabelle, who was also afflicted with the disease, the Reverend made a pact with the sisters. The sisters administered to the town and there were no more deaths. That very month, the Reverend led a group to rebuild what they had destroyed. The citizens never again lifted voice, fire, or rock against the O'Byrne blood.

     Only the Reverend and the sisters knew the details of the pact—but the pact was made with magic and blood—to this day, it binds the two families. The knowledge of the bindings and rites were passed from generation to generation through the female O'Byrne descendents.

     The seven O'Byrne sisters were Kellan—whose name means warrior princess, Alana—the bright fair one, Dara the one with wisdom and compassion, Rhoswen—the white rose, Vevila—the melodious one, Kane—the bringer of war, and Haley—the ingenious one. Their mother had named them for what she had glimpsed of their futures—for she too had the sight.