Sgáthach: Warrior Queen of Shadows

[Native American music] Dun Scaith, known as the Castle of Shadows because only those who are meant to see it are able to.

One cannot seek it willingly of one's own accord.

And if you found yourself cowering in a cave by the sea, cold and bereft and alone, you might only see a simple ruin above you on that cliffside.

For many eyes would just see the rubble, the stone clusters here and there, the remnants of something not so important or interesting.

But perhaps if you are brave and you have shown your courage in ways of your own, and you find yourself at this desolate spot on the Isle of Skye, wind-whipped and having made a dangerous journey to get there, well, perhaps you might be able to see that castle of shadows in all its glory.

The ballasts, the ramparts, the tall towers, so much higher than a ruin of rocks strewn along the cliffside.

Tall, with three soaring floors.

The bottom level where the dining hall is, the second where the small, narrow rooms for each initiate are, and the third where the training takes place.

Four towers surrounding it, and each open to the sky above.

And if you can find this place of shadows, well, you will need to cross the Plain of Ill Luck to reach it.

A desolate marsh, an open boggy plain next to the sea that is treacherous to traverse.

If those not meant to cross it try, well, their feet will stick fast and draw them down into it slowly.

And if by some miracle you are able to pass further into it, it is said that the grass would rise and each blade would be sharper than the tip of a spear and would hold you fast on its point.

But if by some miracle you were able to make it across this plain, you would be met with the Bridge of Leaps, the drawbridge to the castle that would throw back anyone attempting to cross it.

And perhaps by some miracle or by the summoning of Scaith herself that offers you safe entry into those castle walls, if you listen carefully, you might be able to hear the clink, clank of sword on sword.

Nothing else but this and the sound of footsteps shuffling forward and then back, and then heavier breathing.

The clink, clank slowing, breath becoming laborious, grunts and groans of exasperation and fatigue as these students tire from a long day of training in combat.

And then perhaps you'll hear the sounds of those swords being sheathed, the retreat of footsteps down to the dining hall, the clatter of spoons in bowls as they finish their evening meal and head quickly to their rooms for focused training.

Meditation, the concentration of the mind that is achieved by staring directly at a flame for hours upon end, clearing the mind, polishing the glass of the inner eye for insight and for wisdom.

For this is the real power of these warriors in training.

The cultivation of the gift of the second sight over days and nights under Scaith's tutelage.

For it is this, this intuition, this ability to see the future and read the thoughts of their enemies that these warriors leave Dun Scaith with the power of.

And it is for this reason that they cannot be defeated in battle.

Mental focus, physical strength, and second sight.

These are the three pillars of their study.