1. an tsionainn shannonContents – Prev/ I am the Point of a Weapon (that poureth forth combat),I am the God who fashioneth Fire for a head… Who calleth the hosts from the House of Tethra? Who is the troop, who is the God who fashioneth edges? (Lebor Gabdla Erenn, tr. Macalister)Three signs of the Return: the stranger in the door: the friendless wizard: the unmitigated Sun. Three signs of the Monomachy: a smith without a forge: a saint without a cell: a day without a night. (Book of Night with Moon, triptychs 113, 598)The first that Nita found out about what was going to happen was when she came in after a long afternoon's wizardry with Kit. They had been working for three days to attempt to resolve a territorial dispute among several trees. It isn't easy to argue with a tree. It isn't easy to get one to stop strangling another one with its roots. But they were well along towards what appeared to be a negotiated settlement, and Nita was worn out.She came into the kitchen to find her mother cooking. Her mother cooked a great deal as a hobby, but she also cooked as therapy. Nita began to worry immediately when she noticed that her mother had embarked on some extremely complicated project that seemed to require three souffle dishes and the use of every appliance in the kitchen at once. She decided to get out as fast as she could, before she was asked to wash something. "Hi, Mum," she said, and edged hurriedly towards the door into the rest of the house.
