The latest set of Cuchulainn's egotistical ravings....
Cuchulainn played by Keith Grainge
My mother is returned to me! She lives again because of some miraculous power of the city in the sky which even I do not fully understand. Nothing in my life has given me so much joy. The only reservation to my happiness is that it is not shared by the rest of my Family. In particular Taranis, who was instrumental in Dierdre's recovery, now feels that she must exile herself from her own home. While Taranis has definitely over-reacted, Dierdre's initial response to her was slightly ungrateful, undiplomatic and perhaps even a little paranoid - due of course to her weakened state and her ordeal. I mean, it's plain through her actions that Taranis is different in every respect to the murdering monster who was her father; I live in hope that as my mother comes to know Taranis she will realise her mistake.
I feel guilty now, reflecting on events in Tir-na-Nog'th, that at one point I almost believed that Taranis was going to desert my mother to a continued fate of imprisonment and mockery at the hands of a malicious old man, twisted by pettiness and hatred. I should have trusted her. My excuse is the stress of the moment, and my disgust at the behaviour of one of my other cousins, Ishmael. His attempt to attack my mother through her trump not just once but twice made me furious. Not long ago I would never have believed that I would be tempted to strike a cousin, but he drove me extreme close to this. Fortunately for his jaw and my peace-of-mind, I resisted the temptation.
Before I can rest and celebrate however, it seems that Fiona and Corwin need rescuing. I can't help thinking that it would have been better to first find Corwin, since he is at least half mad and may be being pursued by a fearsome opponent, rather than Fiona, who I judge to be extremely competent and unlikely to take unnecessary risks. Anyway we're well on her trail and are bound to catch up with her soon.
I am slightly worried that some of my companions may not be up to the rigours and realities of the heroic quest. Benvolio, while a nice guy, doesn't know what he's doing, and doesn't have the sense to listen to those who do. If he hadn't lingered near the underground pool that we passed, then we would never have been attacked by the lobster creature and Taranis would not have had to kill it. But then to go and examine the poor thing's body in huge detail and bemoan its fate while others of its kind approached shows a shocking lack of judgement and experience. Fortunately I was on hand to pick him up and drag him away, or we would have had to have killed even more of the animals. I really can not understand why he berated Taranis so viciously for killing the thing - the folk of the Courts of Chaos must be even wierder than I thought if they feel kinship for seafood. And then finally after receiving an explanation for my having saved him from the horde of other crustations bearing down on him, rather than admit his fault he became rather annoyed and indignant. Only now do I realise that he was trying to intimidate me with his armoured centaur form. Its almost funny really. I, Cuchullain, the hero who has fought the most fearsome and hideous monsters in all Erin, be intimidated by an over-grown pony with an axe for a tail? Pah. He has a lot to learn.
Ishmael again demonstrated that mystical power overrides common sense by flinging a haphazard bolt of force straight into poor old Nicobris. Nicobris, who had been doing wonders due to that sword of his (silvered edge perhaps?), almost fell out of the sky and was lucky to survive. Will Ishmael actually kill a kinsman before he learns to control his folly? However, I must admit that his slowing the advance of the lava flow was impressive and also useful to give the others a chance to rest after their exertions.