Inseparable Read online

Inseparable

  Kevin L. O'Brien

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  Text Copyright 2013 by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Cover design and typography copyright 2013 by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Aon Cari font distributed under a free use license by Cari Buziak and Aon Celtic Art [https://www.aon-celtic.com/]

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  License Notes

  Please consider writing a review for this book on the retailer's website.

  If you see any misspellings or typographical errors, please notify Kevin L. O'Brien using one of his online social networks. Thank you.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents, including those based on the real world, are either products of the imagination of Kevin L. O'Brien or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  Because some ebook platforms do not support special characters, certain words may appear misspelled, but this was done deliberately to avoid the problem of the platforms deleting the characters. Also, the LRF platform used by older models of the Sony Reader does not permit the use of links to external URLs, whereas the PDB platform used by Palm reading devices does not support any form of linking whatsoever.

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  Table of Contents

  Preface

  Inseparable

  About the Author

  Other Books by Kevin L. O'Brien

  Connect with Kevin L. O'Brien

  Sample Excerpts

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  Preface

  To the ancient Gaels of Ireland, the whole world was magical, but it wasn't particularly beneficent magic. Their gods were rather bloodthirsty, looking upon their human subjects in the same way as the latter looked upon the boar and deer they hunted. As well, every person from the moment of birth was inflicted with geasa, singular geis, magical obligations similar to taboos requiring him or her to perform an act, or refrain from performing an act, or face dire, even deadly, consequences. For example, a warrior might be required to never pass a camp fire without asking for a taste of whatever meat might be cooking, while also obligated to never eat dog meat. Worse still, there were forces at work, both spiritual and physical, setting "traps" in which a person would be caught between conflicting geasa, thereby ensuring he or she would violate one and bring about his or her downfall. In other words, an enemy wanting to destroy our hypothetical warrior could build a fire in his path and roast a dog. It wouldn't matter if the warrior refused to ask for a bite, or ate the dog's flesh; either way he would be doomed.

  To the Gaels, such pitfalls were inevitable; it was only a matter of time before they encountered one, and that belief instilled in them an intense fear of death, especially that brought about by a supernatural agency. Their ancient myths speak of dozens of warriors dying from a bloodcurdling scream in the night, and only by drinking themselves insensate could they ensure a peaceful sleep. Yet they threw themselves into battle with a heedless abandon that suggested a contempt for death. This was because they feared dishonor more than death, and because, if they were fated to die anyways, they felt it was best to pursue a short life ablaze with glory, so that future generations would forever remember their names and deeds.

  It is a matter of some controversy as to just how close the members of the ancient warbands really were. Certainly they had to develop an intense loyalty and esprit de corps to function together effectively, but whether that included sexual relations is not known. The ancient myths and legends hint at it, but they were mostly written down by Christian monks who undoubtedly censored more explicit descriptions, and Victorian and early modern scholars were loath to give such an idea credence. Even if warriors having sex with each other was not common, there is no reason to believe that homosexuality was any less prevalent then than now, and the myths also hint that it was better tolerated by the Gaels than by us.

  Back to TOC

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