Nyx in the House of Night

taking part in the process to become a warrior, but even up and through many of our battle stories following that time, women played major roles on and off the field. Within the Clan the Warrior Women of Scotland are still respected and loved in modern society.
    Alan Torrance’s stories, Seoras’ guidance, and the physical act of touching, smelling, knowing the magnificent setting that was once home to this mighty queen enabled me to bring her alive again through my fictional world. I hope, somewhere, somehow, that makes her smile.
    CLAN MACUALLIS AND THE GUARDIAN MYTHOS
    By concluding my essay with Seoras Wallace’s interview, I’ve saved the best for last. I readily admit that I borrowed heavily from Seoras and the history of his Clan in creating the Guardian Mythology and my fictional Clan MacUallis (which is a loose Gaelic translation of Wallace). Seoras told me fascinating stories that had been passed down through his family for centuries, and (with his permission) I absorbed the folk history of Clan Wallace into the House of Night.
    Okay, that sounds easy: I just take what a guy tells me and turn it into my own fiction. Uh, not so. Especially not so if the “guy” and his Clan consider you their shenachie. I want to do Clan Wallace proud, and I’d never been so nervous in my professional life as the day Seoras read the manuscript of Burned , the book in which the Wallace history first began to weave into the House of Night world. Let me be very clear: I’ve fictionalized the history of Clan Wallace. I’ve worked my version of it into the mythology of the House of Night world, just as I’ve worked Cherokee tradition into that world. Neither are meant to be accurate representations of actual history. I do hope that through my creation of the House of Night mythos I have demonstrated the respect and love I feel for both cultures—my greatest desire is for my storytelling to reflect that.
    I was intrigued about the respect Clan Wallace showed and still shows women, and I asked Seoras to expand on the historical significance of the idea that their Clan protected Scotland’s Ace. I think readers can easily recognize how I incorporated his words into the world of the House of Night through my creation of the Warrior Guardians. And, yes, the fictional Seoras is definitely based on the real man, who Kristin, like Aphrodite, affectionately calls The Shawnus. I also admit that there are definite similarities between my fictional Sgiach and me, especially as I describe the bond between the Queen and her Guardian. It may be indulgent, but I like to believe adding pieces of my real world to my fictional world makes for a more authentic story. It certainly makes it more fun to write!
    Here is Seoras’ story:
The Wallace, Wall-ace, were part of the race of people inhabiting Scotland’s Midwest coastlands at the sea mouth of the Clyde (Alcluid). They were known as the Strathclyde Britons, whose central castle/fortification was DunBriton (today known as Dumbarton). The King was known as the Ard Righ, or High King: full title Artur ard Righ. Artur (from Arturus) means the Bear. His queen was titled Bann Righ, or the Ace.
The Artur ard Righ sent to all the Clans for their best warriors, male and female, a gathering of the finest of the nation’s dedicated warrior class. They put their lives before any threat to the Ace, Bann Righ, who represented all that was precious to the peoples of Strathclyde and guarded the iconic symbols and religions of the race at all costs against Roman, Saxon, or any other enemy.
An Ace primarily is represented in the living body of the ancient nation’s Queen, who was also of warrior stock and traditionally a trainer of the young blood, or future kings and queens. But the word ace also refers to the iconic symbols of the race. The Guardians carried these totemic symbols to war, and so were the heart of the people. When not at war, these aces were placed originally at the foot of the Antonius wall by the Guardians, who derived their clan name, Wallace, from this action: Wall/Ace.
    This brings me to the role of women in the Clan, both ancient and modern. It’s funny that outsiders see only the surface: big, strong, kinda dodgy-looking men who seem invulnerable and anything but matriarchal. The truth is far from it. A true Clan warrior reveres and respects his woman, and the Clan women, with his heart and soul and body. Here’s how Seoras describes it:
The status of women among the Clan,