stronger as they went southwards. She
begged Naoise to let them go to some place of safety and there wait
until Fergus had fulfilled his _geasa_ and could rejoin them and go
with them to Emain Macha. But the Sons of Usna, strong in the
knowledge of their own strength, and simply trustful of the pledged
word of Conor and of Fergus, laughed at her fears, and continued on
their way. Dreams of dread portent haunted her sleep, and by daytime
her eyes in her white face looked like violets in the snow. She saw a
cloud of blood always hanging over the beautiful Sons of Usna, and all
of them she saw, and Illann the Fair, with their heads shorn off, gory
and awful. Yet no pleading words could prevail upon Naoise. His fate
drove him on.

"To Emain Macha we must go, my beloved," he said. "To do other than
this would be to show that we have fear, and fear we have none."

Thus at last did they arrive at Emain Macha, and with courteous
welcome Conor sent them word that the house of the heroes of the Red
Branch was to be theirs that night. And although the place the king
had chosen for their lodgment confirmed all the intuitions and
forebodings of Deirdre, the evening was spent by in good cheer, and
Deirdre had the joy of a welcome there from her old friend Lavarcam.
For to Lavarcam Conor had said: "I would have thee go to the House of
the Red Branch and bring me back tidings if the beauty of Deirdre has
waned, or if she is still the most beautiful of all women."

And when Lavarcam saw her whom she had loved as a little child,
playing chess with her husband at the board of ivory and gold, she
knew that love had made the beauty of Deirdre blossom, and that she
was now more beautiful than the words of any man or woman could tell.
Nor was it possible for her to be a tool for Conor when she looked in
the starry eyes of Deirdre, and so she poured forth warning of the
treachery of Conor, and the Sons of Usna knew that there was truth in
the dreams of her who was the queen of their hearts. And even as
Lavarcam ceased there came to the eyes of Deirdre a vision such as
that of Cathbad the Druid on the night of her birth.

"I see three torches quenched this night," she said.
"And these three torches are the Three Torches of Valour
among the Gael, and their names are the names of the
Sons of Usna. And more bitter still is this sorrow,
because that the Red Branch shall ultimately perish
through it, and Uladh itself be