CHAPTER 15
As the weeks went on, the onslaught of bad weather continued. Our scouts had heard, from the few radios and televisions that were still working, that the death toll had risen to such an extent that a National Disaster had been declared. Hospitals were full and makeshift ones were being set up in nearby halls.
There was now a severe shortage of food getting to the shops, but once again the great human race was fighting back and finding ways around the difficulties.
Groups organised themselves around the country, taking care of those less able. They had crafted makeshift vehicles suitable for the severe weather and travelled to the local farms and warehouses to collect food and fuel to distribute to the people in their towns. Houses were shared, as it was easier to keep fewer homes warm and safer to keep people together. I sent troops out to once again give protection to these houses. Spells were said over them to discourage the Gremlins, and health spells were repeated to ward off the power Of Orbreen.
The Hippogriffs had fought well and defeated most of the Cu Sith. It had, as I expected, been a bloody battle. Only a few Cu Sith had retreated back to the wilderness, the rest of them had been killed. Two of our Hippogriffs had also been killed though, and we praised their courage and mourned them in our own ways.
Our worst losses had come from London itself. Grindylow, evil water spirits, had gathered in force and headed down the frozen Thames. We had been warned of their coming and formed an army to fight them, but it was a trap. Our information had been false and we had fallen prey to one of their spies. As we concentrated on the Grindylow, a large army of Redcaps had come behind us. We were caught between the two groups and, although we fought bravely, we were defeated. They had closed in on us, heavily armed. Once again Dagdar was there, he had an enormous club with him. He wielded the club and the smaller of the Fairies were swatted like flies as it flew through the air, crashing down hard on the larger of the troops. Only a meagre few survived, but with horrific injuries. The white snow stained red from the blood of so many.
We fared better in the North of the country and in Scotland. There was still large pockets of enemy dotted around, but we definitely had the upper hand. Not all the evil creatures had joined in the fight some, who lived in the far regions of Scotland, preferred their solitude and didn’t want to take sides. This did make things easier for us. The mortals were also coping better in these areas and this, I was sure, was due to the fact we were used to colder climates in the Northern half of the country; and many were poor, and therefore had learned to make do.
We gathered in the kitchen once again, and went over all our reports. We were not losing, but we were not winning either. We really needed to gain an advantage to bring this to an end. I still had no luck in finding anything to remove the bewitching spell from Dagdar.
He was a master of war, and it was he who was responsible for the enemy strategies. If only we could bring him back to normality, I felt sure that would be the beginning of the end for Cailleach Bheur. I sat every night studying the book Hattie had given me.
One night I sat in the comfort of the living room, in front of the fire to study the book. I had become so frustrated and still finding nothing, when I suddenly realised the date, it was the 19th December; less than a week to Christmas. I looked around the room; it was bare of anything to show the festive season was upon us. Normally my tree would have been up and the house fully decorated. I would have been spending my evenings wrapping gifts and baking goodies. I thought of the shopping days last year and the thrill when you find the perfect present for someone. I loved the hustle and bustle of the shops, the carols ringing out and the little chestnut stalls that appeared every year. There would be no queues at tills, and bulging shops with pre Christmas sales, this year. I thought of all the poor children, still waiting for Santa Clause to come, and wondered what their parents would be saying to them. I sat and wondered if I would ever be able to celebrate my favourite time of the year again. Tears filled my eyes and with a heavy heart, I climbed the stairs to my bed.