Chapter 1
Lir knew there was a secret to age.
Everyone who was anyone knew the spell that Larry Lir lived under. If there was one thing that Larry craved it was the ability to grow old amongst his peers and not to be stuck in some strange time warp that was beyond comprehension - a curse.
There was an air of Celtic mysticism about him that cloaked his wiry frame, and which helped to endear him to so many people, but in particular, his native Irish folk. The name Lir, was of course, an old Irish one, and Larry was aware of the legend that had grown up around the old Irish folktale - The Children of Lir.
Though he himself hadn't been transformed into a beautiful swan like the fabled Children of Lir, he was nonetheless, perhaps because of his name and heritage, under a spell that was every bit as frightening, as astonishing, and as enchanting as his more famous predecessors. The spell could be broken, he knew that, but only if the right circumstances prevailed. His father had carried the same spell, and his grandfather, and both had broken the spell upon them, the secret of how to do so passed down from generation to generation.
But Larry, had a problem that was unique to his unfortunate circumstances. His father was dead. His mother too. Both gone.
Murdered!
And the secret of how to age gone with them.
The O'Coileain children had moved on, their uncle having found new work opportunities in Scotland. They had parted with tears in their eyes, but parted they had. Thormanby in Howth, the house Larry had inherited from his parents, seemed quiet following their departure. Larry threw himself into his work. He could understand why they had moved on. In many ways he was a link to their murdered parents and they needed to move on from that particular horror.
He wondered would he ever be able to move on himself? There had been a common bond with the Cuban kids in that they were all orphans as a result of their respective parents' being murdered.
Larry sighed heavily.
Life, he thought.
He was a twelve year old boy with a shock of red unruly hair, green eyes, and handsome looks. Business had been quiet lately and he was hoping for some action. He hated sitting around doing nothing. It was an anathema and went against every grain in his wiry body. He needed to get busy again.
Things had moved on a lot since the Cuban case. A number of years had passed and still Larry was stuck in that strange time warp that hung over him like a black cloak. Sure enough, the day had come when the killers of his parents had been released from the 'joy. True to his promise he had stood there watching but without the shotgun in his hands. Mac, his trusted chauffeur and sidekick stood with him. It was Mac's last duty for his employer. He was about to retire.
It meant of course having to find a replacement. In Chen, he found not just a chauffeur but a retired forensics specialist with liaisons back into An Gardai Siochana - Ireland's police force. Chen had helped him previously on the Cuban case and his parents' case. He was a good man to have around.
A buzzing sound, like an angry bee, alerted him to the fact that he had a new email. His technology was bang up to date thanks to the influence of Colm O'Coileain. Lir took a seat at his desk and opened his email.
Dear Master Lir,
We need help.
Our father was mown down by a car last weekend and we need to organize protection for him. He's currently in the Mater Hospital. Men from our country are trying to hurt him and we don't feel safe. We are from Myanmar, a country in Asia.
Could we meet up to discuss things?
Kind regards
Kan and Thandar.
Larry was intrigued. He picked up his smartphone and hit the number for Chen and asked him to bring the car around.
He had arranged to meet them in Dublin City.
Dublin had changed over the years; not so much the city but the suburbs. The city too had seen some changes and not all of them for the better. The Liffey had once bisected the city into a north side and a south side but changes meant that there was was now a west side that stretched way out past Lucan, nearly into places like Celbridge. The M50, the outer ring road, helped to link up various parts of the city and the DART which ran from Larry's home in Howth or his neighbouring suburb of Malahide ran frequent trains as far south as Greystones in County Wicklow.
Larry had arranged to meet the children outside the GPO. The General Post Office was a landmark building that had featured heavily in Ireland's battles for freedom, and especially in the Easter 1916 Rising. During the Rising the building had suffered extensive damage but had been rebuilt in the years following. Most of the building was made with mountain granite except the portico which was Portland stone. On the acroteria are three statues: Mercury, an ancient god of Rome, Fidelty which also had its origins in Latin, and Hibernia in the centre holding a spear and a harp. The building was fronted by six fluted Ionic columns like something out of ancient Rome and it was against one of these columns that Larry waited for Kan and Thandar to show up. His watch showed 10 AM, and it was a bright, crisp clear January morning.
He straightened up as he noticed a pair of children approaching. Obviously foreigners, he concluded correctly that they were the pair he had arranged to meet.
