Kevin L. O'Brien's Blog: Songs of the Seanchaí, page 23

Artificial Wetlands

Artificial wetlands (AWs), also known as constructed wetlands, is an ecological method for treating waste water (both gray and black) so that it can be returned to the environment. It works on the same principle as a natural wetlands, using gravel and plant roots to filter out particulates, and microorganisms to consume organic material and pathological organisms.



About the only thing an AW needs in addition is a pretreatment tank that clarifies the waste water by separating out scum and sludge.



Though not potable, the treated water can nonetheless be used for irrigation and general washing (though not bathing), and with further treatment can be made drinkable.



Or it can be diverted into a leeching field to reenter the aquifer or discharged into a surface source such as a stream or pond.



AWs also allow the creation or reclamation of habitats that encourage the proliferation of wild species of plants and animals, and they can be used to catch rainwater or handle flooding.

The design of an AW is very flexible; in fact, it is definitely not a "one design fits all" system, and should be tailored for each situation. Even so, most designs can be divided into two basic groups: open water and subsurface flow. Open water is just that, a design that utilizes standing bodies of water such as ponds in the midst of marsh.



Subsurface flow, on the other hand, uses no open water. Instead the plants are anchored in gravel that is saturated with water, and the waste water flows through the gravel. Most designs are subsurface or a combination of the two.



The beauty of an AW is that it can be scaled to fit nearly any treatment demand, from an individual home to a city. All it requires is a change in attitude regarding what constitutes proper use of land, but AWs can also be stocked with agricultural and cash crops to provide a nutritional, material, and financial return.

The Moon in the Dreamlands

The Moon in the Dreamlands is at once the same and different from the Waking World moon.

It is closer to the Dreamlands and so looks larger in the sky. However, the distance is distorted, such that Cats can leap to it in a matter of minutes, and Dreamers can "sail" there in a few hours. It has an atmosphere and is habitable, though cold.

Though its surface is composed of regolith, the maria are actual seas of a dark, oily liquid. Forests of fungi dot the surface, more extensively on the dark side. The light side is also dotted with ancient ruins, while the Moonbeasts build their cities and mine for rubies on the dark side. More Leng Men live on the dark side with their Moonbeast masters than on the Plateau of Leng.

The Cats love to romp and play on the light side of the Moon on clear nights. They have no fear of the Leng Men or the Moonbeasts, who leave them alone, but occasionally an Outre Cat, such as a Cat from Saturn, visits the Moon, looking for prey. These are the only enemy the Cats fear, and even one can cause a mass panic and retreat.

Outer space in the Dream-universe is filled with a breathable aether that flows and has currents, like air. Boats and ships constructed of wood saturated with space-mead can float, and with sails can ride the currents throughout the solar system. The other planets can be reached in a matter of days, weeks at most. However, the aether is cold, and travelers have to bring their own food and water. Also, there are dangers. In addition to Outre Cats and other creatures, as well as Leng Men raiders, the solar system is infested with the larva of the Outre Gods. Despite encounters that seem benign, it cannot be proven that they have never attacked and destroyed a lone boat or small ship.

Synopsis: The Rat King (a Sir Differel adventure)

It's 1998. Three months have passed since the end of the Grendel Invasion. Sir Differel (22) is preparing for bed when alarms sound. Looking out a window in her bathroom, she sees an 18-foot tall rat-ogre staring in at her. She tries to flee, but it smashes through the wall and grabs her. It then climbs down the house and heads off into the night. As it passes the front of the house, she hears a shout and sees Holt on the third story terrace. He throws something to her and when she catches it she finds it's an army L106A1 pistol with a 90-round drum magazine.

Aelfraed takes charge. Holt reports that the creature was able to approach so closely because they are still so understaffed. The guards that did mobilize were afraid to fire because they didn't want to hurt Differel. Despite his butler's cool, Aelfraed is livid that the Director could be so easily taken and that they have no resources to pursue. They must alert the Privy Council for help, regardless of the political cost. Hopefully Differel can keep herself alive until they can find her.

By Differel's reckoning the rat-ogre walks for over two hours. She estimates its speed to be 12 mph because of its long stride. They seem to be heading east by southeast, skirting the uplands around Thetford. It's avoiding farms and villages so as to pass unseen. It's crossing overland to hamper pursuit, but she realizes the manor has nothing to pursue with. With Vlad gone, she's on her own.

The rat-ogre swings due south and approaches a barrow. At one end is a hidden entrance into a cave system. It carries her deep underground and emerges into the bottom of a high vaulted chamber, almost like an enclosed sinkhole. Stretching across the width about fifteen feet off the floor is a catwalk. The ogre rips off her nightshirt and drops her on the catwalk. There she is confronted by its master: a sorcerer who looks like a man-sized anthropomorphic rat. It announces that it has chosen her to be its bride. When she asks why, it tells her that it is ready to launch a takeover of Britain with its army of rat minions, but it understands that she and her Order pose a serious threat. It also realizes it needs a consort to produce an heir. By taking her as its wife, it hopes to kill two birds with one stone: neutralize her threat as well as make her the mother of its heir. It needs only ravish her to consummate its plan.

She threatens to kill it if it touches her, but it counters that its minion will strip her flesh from her bones, then spread out over Britain and consume every animal bigger than an ant. So she changes tactics and threatens to kill herself. That gets it to back down and it offers to compromise. That gives her an idea. She states that it kidnapping her demonstrates its desire to make her its wife. Faced with this fait accompli, she is willing to negotiate but she will not permit marriage by rape. Instead, it must woo her. It must also agree to pay a bride price and to participate in a civil ceremony to make everything legal. In exchange, she will be its consort and the mother of its children. When it asks how long the courtship would be, she agrees to make it as long as it takes to agree on the bride price. It demands that they marry as soon as the price is paid, and she agrees. She demands that it fetch her butler to negotiate the bride price, and it agrees. It then shows her to what will be the bridal chamber but leaves her alone. It tells her she may explore the caves to her heart's content, but she is unlikely to find her way out and there are many dangers she must be careful of. After it leaves, she finds a wardrobe full of gowns and dresses. She puts on a nightgown and lies down to catch a nap.

Aelfraed is meeting with Holt and Mrs. Widget. The Privy Council has agreed to place a Royal Marine commando force at their disposal. Unfortunately, all attempts to figure out where the creature went have failed, but then guards report it is coming back. Aelfraed orders them to hold fire and it doesn't attack, but comes up to the front entrance. The guards report that it is carrying someone who requests a parley. Aelfraed goes with Holt and Mrs. Widget to the terrace above the car port to talk with it. The rat-king reports that Differel has agreed to marry it, but she wants it to negotiate a bride price and has asked for Mrs. Widget as a matron-of-honour and Maggie King as a bridesmaid. The three realize this is their chance to find out Differel has been taken. Holt goes to get Maggie. When she arrives, she has a bag, ostensibly containing toiletries and other necessaries, but also guns and ammunition, and tracking devices. The rat-ogre picks up the three passengers and starts off while Holt goes down to Intelligence to track where it goes.

Differel is awakened by the rat-king announcing that her people have arrived. She receives them in the bridal chamber and they conference. She explains its plans to conquer Britain with a horde of man-eating rats, and her agreement to marry is to stall for time. She wants Aelfraed and Mrs. Widget to negotiate the bride price. They are to negotiate in good faith but to delay as long a possible while she and Maggie try to find a way out of the caverns.

The tracking device has located the rat-king's lair, but deep penetration radar from a spy satellite reveals a maze of caverns and tunnels beneath the barrow, and the layers of rock prevent an exact pinpoint location. They must reconnoiter, and that will take some time. He collects some guards and they head for the barrow.

Over the next three days, Aelfraed and Mrs. Widget negotiate during the day while Differel and Maggie explore the caverns. In the evening the rat-king wines and dines her, serenades her, reads poetry, and shows her the wonders of his underground world. She almost finds him charming despite herself, but he also describes the power that she will yield as his consort, first over Britain, then Europe, and finally the Eastern Hemisphere. That convinces her he must be destroyed. At night before they retire, she reviews their progress with her people as they decide how to proceed.

On the third day, after a near fatal accident, Differel realizes they cannot escape on their own. That evening she gets the rat-king to describe how he came by his powers. He had been an archaeologist excavating a Roman temple in County Surrey when he discovered it had been built over an ancient Celtic Briton holy site dedicated to rats. He discovered a skeleton of a gigantic humanoid being with the head of a rat, and with it the scepter. As soon as he touched it, he felt himself filled with power and the ability to command rats. The skeleton reanimated and became the rat-ogre. With his newfound power he realized he could bring peace and order to the world, so he retreated into the underworld to lay his plans and build his army. Over time he came to look like a rat and he realizes that if he waits too long he will lose his humanity completely.

That night Differel tells her people of a change in plans. Aelfraed and Mrs. Widget are to come to an agreement, but they are to make a prenuptial agreement as well, that once married but before the honeymoon she is to share in his power. When they express confusion she asks them to trust her. Then a weak call comes over the walkie-talkie they brought along. Holt has found his way into the vaulted chamber. Differel orders him to stand down until further orders.

The next day, Aelfraed and Mrs. Widget agree on the bride price: a portion of a treasure the rat-king had collected over the years to pay human confederates. He also agrees to the prenup. After the rat-ogre brings the treasure for them to inspect, the wedding commences. Differel convinces the rat-king Aelfraed is a justice of the peace and can conduct a civil ceremony. Vows and a ring are exchanged and Aelfraed pronounces them husband and wife. With that, instead of a kiss, the rat-king presents her with the scepter.

As soon as she touches it, she can feel its power flood through her. She understands what the rat-king feels and she is consumed with the desire to use that power against Britain's paranormal enemies. With Vlad gone, she is convinced this is meant to be. The rat-king is now an object of desire to her. She wants to lie with him to seal their partnership and secure their dynasty. She is convinced this is what she has been saving herself for. With them in control, Britain would be made safe forever, it could recover its lost past glory, and the Pax Britannica could be extended throughout the globe.

Then she remembered her Aunt Mandy and she realized she was about to go down that same path as her. Summoning her will, she takes control of herself and the scepter. The rat-king realizes what's happening and tries to reclaim it, but Holt appears, shooting and wounding him. They flee, but when they reach the catwalk, they are cut off by the rat horde. The rat-king demands the scepter, but Differel calls to the rat-ogre and it seizes the rat-king and tears him in half. She then uses the scepter to disperse the horde and de-animate ogre, causing it to turn back into a skeleton and fall apart. With that the glowing runes fade and Differel collapses from exhaustion, letting go of the scepter. When Aelfrae picks it up, nothing happens.

Back at the manor, Differel places the scepter in a secure vault. She then explains to Aelfraed and Holt that when she thought of Mandy, she remembered something her father had told her, a quote by Lord Acton: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." As tempting as the scepter was without Vlad, she doesn't want absolute power. That had been the rat-king's downfall. Despite his good intentions, he could never have yielded the scepter for good, and neither could she or anyone else. The power may not have been evil, but humanity is too weak to use it properly. As for Aelfraed, she speculates that the scepter is activate by the galvanic effect of bare skin, and wearing gloves he was protected. Holt states that at least the wedding was a sham, but she corrects him saying Aelfraed really is a justice of the peace and so the marriage was legal; it had to be, for her to claim the power of the scepter. But since their vows were until death did them part, she is now a widow, technically speaking. However, she doesn't believe this is something that should go beyond her immediate circle of intimates. They agree, and go about their business.

In her boudoir, Diferel opens her jacket and takes a jeweled engagement ring and a gold wedding band out of her shirt pocket. She studies them for a moment, then opens the display case to place them inside. After closing the lid she lays her hand on the glass and ponders what might have been, before leaving the room to head for her office.

Synopsis: The Book of Shadows (a Team Girl adventure)

Eile and Sunny are hired by a wealthy matron to go to Ireland to retrieve an occult book, the Book of Shadows. When they arrive, they find the book dealer dead and his store ransacked. Medb appears and they flee from the police. They go back to their room at a pub to retrieve their traveler's cheque cards, but are surprised by a female police inspector, Chromáin. They get away and hide out in a ruined church. After dark, Medb summons the ghouls from a cemetery. They confirm a sorceress forced them to kill the bookseller and steal the book, but they already passed it to a contact. They describe him. Medb then takes the girls back to the ruins where they spend the night.

The next morning, they steal some bicycles and go to meet a leader of an IRA splinter group to sell the cards for cash. The girls recognize the leader as the contact described by the ghouls. When Medb confronts him about it, he denies it, but then he tries to kill Medb and the girls. Medb beats off his men as the girls snatch the money and some papers. On the road, they discover that the papers Sunny took are brochures for Aillwee Cave. Medb realizes that the IRA leader will take the book there, because there is a ritual in the book that will allow a sorcerer to summon Fomorians from the cave. With the Fomorians on their side, the IRA would be unstoppable.

They head north towards the cave, stopping only to rest and eat. In early evening they are attacked by winged monstrosities that try to kidnap the girls, but Medb beats them off. The next day they are nearly caught by the police, so Medb contacts Chromáin and arranges a meeting. She makes a deal to lead her to the real murderer and his/her accomplices.

Chromáin gets them to Aillwee and Medb leads them down into its depths. In a gallery closed to the public, they find the IRA leader trying to raise the Fomorians. His men try to prevent the women from disrupting the ceremony, but at a pre-arranged signal, the ghouls appear and subdue the men. Chromáin arrests the IRA leader, but then the matron who hired the girls appears and the ghouls kill the IRA people and take the women captive. They are then taken through ghoul tunnels to an underground temple where the matron intends to raise Cromcrua, the last and most powerful of the Fomorian kings. Medb is to be sacrificed as part of the ritual, both because of her personal power and to placate him, since he and she were enemies in ancient Ireland. The ghouls will be given Chromáin and the girls as their reward. She begins the ceremony, but something goes wrong. A gate is opened and a tentacle monstrosity begins to emerge. The matron is seized by it and devoured. The ghouls present Medb, but as it reaches for her, more ghouls enter the chamber. However, they attack the other ghouls. As the ghouls fight amongst themselves, Medb takes the book and reads off a counter-spell as Chromáin and the girls fight off tentacles. The spell works and the gate closes.

The rescuing ghouls are victorious and they lead the women back to the surface. Their leader explains to Chromáin and the girls that the ghouls who had captured them were members of the Radical faction, that worship Nyarlathotep. She and her warren are Traditionalists, who worship Mordiggian. Traditionalists eat corpses, though they are not adverse to fresh meat when the opportunity arises, and they are tolerant of humans, since they themselves were once human. The Radicals, on the other hand, see all humans dead or alive as prey, except for other worshipers of Nyarlathotep. Ordinarily they would not have interfered, but their association with Medb as the original Morrígan and their desire not to see mankind destroyed forced their hand. She gives Medb the Book of Shadows to keep safe. Medb asks her to initiate the girls as friends of her warren. She explains to them that such a ritual normally requires the suppliants to undergo sexual relations with the members of the warren, however, there have been exceptions granted under special circumstances. She will have to confer with the priests of Mordiggian to see if the girls can be granted this dispensation.

The girls and Medb return with Chromáin to Kilfenora. Based on their statements and her report, all charges against them are dropped. The girls and Medb then return to Lahinch and spend a week on holiday at Medb's expense. On their last night, Medb takes the girls down into a nearby ghoul warren. There they are initiated as friends of the ghouls in a special ceremony with Medb as their sponsor. They are given ankhs so that they can show any ghoul they meet that they are friends and trustworthy. They are not required to engage in sex or consume corpse flesh, but afterwards they are invited to the feast and orgy. The ghouls take no offense when they decline.

Fantasy Warrior Women Artwork Gallery

As part of the Medb hErenn website, I maintain a gallery of artwork of fantasy warrior women.

Enough said. (There's a ton of images, so give the gallery time to load.)

NSFW

Jump to the page.

Next eBook: Survival & Sacrifice

The next story in my schedule to be published through Smashwords will be:

Survival & Sacrifice

Eile and Sunny of Team Girl are visiting Sir Differel Van Helsing at her ancestral manor when the estate is overrun by a horde of monster. Their first and only thought is to protect their friend and her son, but will they have to pay the ultimate price to succeed?

This will be another free ebook.

New eBook: The Surrogate

I have just published my latest ebook:

The Surrogate

Shasta Taffaday is a young woman who was forced to become a prostitute, a streetwalker, to survive. Her pimp sends her to the home of Clarissa MacCandels, a rich Denver socialite, who wishes to hire her services as a sexual surrogate, to teach her son how to have sex. She offers her a great deal of money as an inducement, enough for her to leave the streets and set up as an independent escort. Shasta is sorely tempted by the offer, but something about it doesn't feel right, and she can't be sure what Ms. MacCandels really wants. Still, she accepts her offer and agrees to seduce her son, but then Ms. MacCandels tells her the whole truth....

This ebook is free and can be downloaded from Smashwords.

Ecological Sanitation

An alternative to modern industrial sanitation is a process called ecological sanitation, also known as "ecosan". Whereas industrial sanitation seeks to treat water so it may be returned to the environment while processing and disposing of human waste, ecosan seeks to recycle human waste and waste water as much as possible. The idea is to reuse what has already been used, while returning as little as possible to the environment. In doing so, consumption of environmental water is reduced to a bare minimum without depriving homes or industry of all they need to function.

The diagram below summarizes a typical industrial sanitation system:



Potable water is obtained from surface and ground sources and consumed, producing wastewater in the form of urine, graywater, and blackwater. Rainwater, either collected as runoff from fields or in city storm drains, is allowed to mix with wastewater. Food is grown on agricultural land and consumed, and the produced feces are mixed with waste water to form sewage. Sewage sludge is separated from wastewater and treated, then incinerated or buried in a landfill; only a small percentage is used as fertilizer. As such, nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous must be taken from the environment to manufacture artificial fertilizer. Any water obtained from treated sludge is returned to a surface source. Wastewater itself is returned to surface sources virtually untreated. This contaminates surface water and requires it be treated to make it potable. Meanwhile, groundwater sources are not recharged except through rainfall, and is slowly depleted.

The diagram below summarizes a typical ecosan system:



Potable water is obtained from surface and ground sources, and used for drinking, cooking, and bathing. Non-potable rainwater is harvested and used for washing, cleaning, and flush toilets; any remainder is used to recharge groundwater. Food grown in agricultural fields is consumed, making feces, while drinking water produces urine. Urine is separated from feces, collected, and used to fertilize agricultural fields. Feces is separated from blackwater and composted with all organic waste produced by homes and fields. This compost is applied to the fields as fertilizer. Graywater is treated using folkewalls and small-scale artificial wetlands, and reused for non-potable purposes to augment rainwater. Blackwater is treated using large-scale artificial wetlands and wetparks, and used to irrigate crops to augment rainwater. Excess rainwater is channeled into collection ponds or wetparks using rain gardens and bioswales, and is used to recharge groundwater.

The result is that very little wastewater is discharged into surfacewater, very little bodily and organic waste is discarded for nothing, very little potable water is used for non-potable purposes, and only a minimal amount of surfacewater or groundwater is used for potable purposes.

For more information, see this article.

Firearms in the Dreamlands

Many Dreamers are surprised the first time they encounter firearms in the Dreamlands. Most simply come from times before their development, but the rest believe that if any object is impossible in the Dreamworld, it is the gun. However, firearms are a perfect example of that class of Dream-artifacts which are actually older than they are perceived to be, though not by much. In fact, firearms have existed, in one form or another, since ca. 700 A.D. in the Waking World. As an amusing aside, it is worth noting how some modern Dreamers, especially those from the United States, react when they learn firearms are available. More than a few are eager to acquire them, believing they will give them a great advantage over conventionally armed opponents, only to discover how difficult they are to find and maintain, and how inaccurate they are. Only the most ardent believers in the superiority of a citizen armed with a gun over anyone not so armed ("sheeple" is a label frequently used for such persons) usually make the effort to overcome the problems of using firearms in the Dreamlands. A survey of their long-term survivability might yield some interesting results.

Read the rest of the article.

Synopsis: Dribble & Maggot on Vacation

It is June 1993. Differel (17) has just completed the Summer Term of the Lower Sixth Form at Gresham's, and is spending her two month vacation before the start of the Michaelmas Term for the Upper Sixth Form hard at work trying to catch up on all the Order paperwork she had to neglect. The phone rings and Aelfraed informs her that Lady Margaret Chesham is on the line. Surprised, she takes the call. Margaret addresses her as Dribble and Differel responds by calling her Maggot, which is what they've called each other since they were 12. M asks if she's doing anything that weekend. When D asks why, M explains that she intends to celebrate the end of the school year by spending a few days at the family vacation lodge in the Highlands of Scotland, and she wants her to be her guest. When D expresses suspicion as to why she would extend such an invitation, M admits that she will have one other guest: Lord Freddie Wynsocke, the youngest son of the Marquess of Wimbledon, the oldest marquessate in Britain, and reputed to be the wealthiest, handsomest, most eligible bachelor in the peerage. D congratulates M on such a fine coup (feather in her cap), but asks why she would want her to tag along. M reveals that Lord Freddie has a friend, The Right Honourable Peter Mayhew; she describes them as being like Henry and Thomas from the movie Becket. Essentially Lord Freddie won't go anywhere or do anything without his bosom buddy Peter along for the ride. She needs someone to keep Peter busy while she seduces Lord Freddie; someone who won't be competition for the marquess's son. D is hardly flattered, and M's suggestion that this might finally be an opportunity for her to lose her virginity doesn't help, but when M states that she can't trust anyone else, D agrees. They agree to meet at M's family's townhouse in York on Thursday morning, from where they can drive up together. Lord Freddie and Peter will meet them there that evening. They will stay through Monday and return on Tuesday.

Vlad drops D off at the townhome along with a trunk in time for morning tea. Afterwards D and M head out. They take turns driving and arrive at Bealach Castle on the shores of Loch Fyne outside of Inveraray. D notes that while the 'castle' is actually just a modest manor house, it still makes her retreat at Loch Moriah look like a wee 'umble cottage. However, it is well staffed by domestics who live in the village. After showing D to her room, M takes her on a tour, then they take afternoon tea. Lord Freddie and Peter arrive. M introduces them to D, then takes them all on a tour of the grounds. D finds Peter to be a perfect gentleman and contemplates perhaps sleeping with him. They have a formal dinner at seven and afterwards play billiards until midnight, when they retire. Peter escorts D to her room, but merely kisses her hand and wishes her a pleasant sleep. D is taken with him, but doesn't want to push him if he isn't interested.

The next morning at breakfast they discuss the day's activities. M and Lord Freddie go boating on the loch while Peter and D do some fishing. After luncheon they decide to go horseback riding into the mountains. They are warned to be back before nightfall, as a storm is moving in and is likely to bring a severe chill to the night. They ride up to a waterfall where they stop to have tea. Afterwards D and Peter take a walk while M and Lord Freddie make out. While they walk along the shore of the plunge pool, D spots faeries and other fey denizens. She realizes this is one of their sacred places and they will protect it against desecration. D figures they've pressed their luck long enough and should go back. When they arrive back she helps M pack and explains what she's seen. M agrees to leave, but before they can, Lord Freddie and Peter start throwing stones into the pool. D tries to stop them but it's too late. A creature emerges from the woods, some kind of hideous goblin with long sharp teeth and claws. D recognizes it as a wirry-cowe, a creature the Fey use to punish mortals who transgress one of their taboos.

D summons Caliburn and orders the others to get to the horses. She tries calling Vlad, but can't get through; she figures the Fey are blocking her. The boys get to the horses first, but mount and take off instead of waiting. Terrified by the wirry-cowe the girls' horses run off. M and D are stranded; they have no choice but to flee on foot, with the wirry-cowe chasing after them. The woods are thick enough that the girls often lose sight of it, but it always seems to find them again. D has no doubt that it has excellent eyesight, hearing, and smell, but she assumes it can track them by homing in on their thoughts and emotions. They need a way to break the link.

Presently they come upon a small grove of mountain ash, more properly known as rowan trees. D knows the rowan is the most powerful defense against the fey. She directs M into the center and directs her to climb a tree while she climbs its neighbor. Though the crowns are not thick enough to hide them, the surrounding trees help obscure them, and as D expected, the wirry-cowe avoids the copse altogether, giving it a wide berth. As such, it doesn't see them, and the rowans shield them from its ability to detect them. D waits for the wirry-cowe to get out of sight, then descends. She takes off her jacket, rips a sleeve off her shirt, and hands it to M, telling her to rip it into long ribbons. She then collects leaves, some early berries, and a few late flowers, and using the ribbons tie them into two wreaths to wear on their heads. That should shield their thoughts, though it can still track them if it sees them again. They head off in a different direction to avoid it.

As dusk approaches the storm moves in and the temperature drops. Though it almost never drops below freezing in the summertime, they cannot spend an entire night in the mid-thirties unless they dressed for it, which they didn't. Combine that with rain and wind, and they could easily get hypothermia. They have to find shelter, and as luck would have it, they stumble upon a bothy just as the rain starts. It's made of stone with a slate roof, but it also has a wind turbine. It's small, but the single room inside seems larger than it really is. There are no windows and the door seals tight, keeping out drafts. There is a raised sleeping platform; a wood stove and fireplace with wood; a kitchen sink; an indoor latrine; a bank of car batteries; a hotplate with a few pots and utensils; canned food; and casualty blankets. D speculates that the sink is connected to a septic tank with a large leeching field. She figures whoever built it wanted it to have as small an impact on the environment as possible. They also find a surprise: a .410-bore single barrel shotgun. They wonder if it was accidentally left behind by a previous visitor or is provided as an emergency weapon. Though D can shoot with it, M has been hunting grouse since she was 14, so she takes charge of it. There are only five bird-shot shells, and the .410 is the smallest caliber available, but D figures that at pointblank they can still kill.

D hangs the wreaths on the door. There is a chance the wirry-cowe can now track them, but the door is the only entrance and the rowan wreaths will keep it out. They combine and heat two cans of ravioli and eat out of the same pot. The temperature keeps dropping, and while they are sheltered from the wind and rain, it still gets cold. M wants to start a fire, but D says the wirry-cowe could home in on the smoke; as it is, the rain is helping to protect them. D tells M she has an idea for how to destroy the wirry-cowe. If they don't, it will continue to track them, even down into England. She's not sure of all the details yet, but she believes it's their best hope.

After they clean up, with nothing else to do, they decide to go to bed; at least it will help to keep them warm. D suggests they undress, to better pool their combined body heat and M agrees. They cover the platform with two blankets and cover themselves with two others. They lay front to back to be effective. As they relax, they begin caressing and fondling one another. D can't be sure if it's deliberate or if it's just some kind of release of their pent-up fears and frustrations, but she doesn't care. They turn to face each other and make love for a couple of hours before they fall asleep in each other's arms.

In the morning the storm has passed. They are somewhat embarrassed by their situation, but by mutual silent agreement don't say anything. After getting dressed and eating a breakfast of ravioli, they don their rowan wreaths as M loads the shotgun and D summons Caliburn, and they leave the bothy. Fortunately the wirry-cowe is not waiting for them. D sends M on ahead, then she removes her wreath and tosses it away. She sets out, but within the hour the wirry-cowe catches up to her as she expected. She runs from it, but doesn't try to escape. She's trying to lead it into an ambush so M can kill it, but after an hour she begins to fear that M has deserted her. Tired, she summons Caliburn and attacks it, but it is too quick and agile for her. At one point her fatigue causes her to trip and the wirry-cowe leaps at her, but M appears and starts blasting away. She empties the internal magazine, but the wirry-cowe isn't dead, though it is injured. It tries to kill her, but D takes its head off. D asks M where she was, and M states that for a moment she considered running off, but while she hesitated D got past her and she had to chase after them.

They head back for Inveraray and along the way find their horses. They ride back to Bealach Castle and discover no one even knew they were gone. Lord Freddie and Peter had told everyone that they had stayed overnight in Inveraray. M is so incensed she orders them to leave, but the boys become violent. D and M manage to hold them off and Vlad appears, scaring them out of their wits. With his help, D and M chase off the boys, who run for their lives.

As they clean up, they discuss the previous night. They wonder if there might be something between them, so they try making love again. This time, however, nothing sparks and they decide the first time must have just been fatigue and anxiety. Which relieves them, because otherwise it would have meant they actually like each other. They dress and head for Glasgow for some shopping and clubbing.