The artefact fought with her, and fear trickled down her neck. This piece was like nothing she’d ever handled and was clearly not meant for faerie hands. If not for those few drops of druid blood in her, she doubted she could have touched it at all without losing her mind. Handling the sacred object with care, she filled it with water from a fountain in the palace. With more than a little trepidation, she drank.
In that moment, it was not fae power she acquired, but druid. The strange difference wrestled in the flows. Still, with a useful artefact, blood druids might heal and modify their bodies as the fae could. She just had to pray the Cup would aid her because illusion would not give her gills that worked. Only blood power would actually change a physical body.
The druid power moved through her like a wriggling snake and she had to fight hard to maintain control. By the time she’d crafted semi-functioning gills, she was near collapsing with exhaustion. The work had been performed quickly and no doubt badly, but her success, she reminded herself, was assured.
It felt as though hours passed as she swam back to the Mistgate. Nausea swept over her when she reached the small building, and she staggered as she choked, spitting up the water that prevented her from breathing normally. After an unspoken prayer, she was ready to take the final steps. Passing through the Mistgate, she nearly collided with Queen Grenna’s retinue as they returned to Meditar. Flùranach stepped through the gate at the last possible moment. Weary and nearly weeping with the pain of the strange blood power still coursing within, she stopped time the instant she arrived at the Druid Hall, desperate to get away from the Garden of Mists before Munro or Eilidh felt her presence.
She allowed time to flow again once she’d hidden in the Druid Hall, waiting until Munro and the tall, ugly Mistwatcher Gitan travelled to Danastai. Once they had a few moments to get away from the Mistgate, Flùranach followed, concealing herself until they were out of sight. Only when she believed it was close to when she’d passed through the gate invisibly the first time did she completely release the flows of time.
She took cover in the shadows and watched Gitan search for her for a few minutes. Finally, the Mistwatcher gave up and returned to the palace. Flùranach followed, slipping around the back and waiting for them to leave. When she heard the pair from the Druid Hall depart, she paused to give them time to return to their own lands.
Dizzy and exhausted, she ran to Ewain. She stumbled towards him, trying hard not to collapse, her wet hair plastered around her face and smelling like sea water. Although she usually treated him with the utmost decorum, she couldn’t resist embracing him. Startled, he didn’t respond, but just gave her a moment to calm herself.
“I’ve got the Cup!” She reached into the inner pocket of her cloak and pulled out the exquisite artefact. Her hands still shook with the foreign blood flows racing through her.
“You went to Meditar?” Ewain said, his mouth curling into a smile. This had to be the happiest she’d ever seen him, and her heart soared that she was the cause.
“Yes, my lord,” she said. “I used your temporal training and travelled through the Mistgate, moving back to a time when a portal was open to the sea kingdom.”
He took the Cup and stared at it as though it was the most precious thing he’d ever seen. He whispered, “I will make you a queen.” He tore his attention away from the artefact and met Flùranach’s gaze. “An empress. You shall have anything you desire.”
“I only wish to bond with you,” she said.
“Come,” he told her. “We have preparations to make.”
Chapter 19
When Munro and Gitan arrived back at the Druid Hall, he spun to face her. “What happened while I was with Ewain?”
“I’m not sure, my lord druid,” she said with a frown.
“Tell me everything you saw.” He’d detected Flùranach hiding beneath an invisibility incantation at one point, watching them, but that’s all she’d been doing. Perhaps she had merely been annoyed at the way Ewain sent her away and was doing some spying.
“That’s the problem. I didn’t
see
anything. I’m sure Flùranach was nearby and invisible, but all she did was approach the Mistgate.” She shrugged. “I can’t be certain of any more than that.”
“Did she attempt to manipulate you?”
“No, my lord druid, but something about her felt
wrong
. I don’t know how to explain further.”
“She didn’t go through the gate?”
“No, I was aware of her presence constantly. It did move oddly, almost as though she was jumping around.”
He nodded, although he had grown uneasy. Flùr had been up to something, but if all she did was check out the Mistgate, he didn’t see the harm. But why would she? “Thank you for your help tonight,” he said.
“Of course, my lord druid,” she said. “You may call on me anytime.”
He said goodbye and dismissed her, knowing now he must face the music and tell Lisle about Alyssa’s death. When he walked toward the central courtyard of the Druid Hall, he heard Eilidh’s voice inside. She was arguing with someone, which was unlike her. Typically, Eilidh gave orders and people did what she said, even in the Druid Hall.
By the time he reached the foyer, he understood why she’d had to argue. She was dealing with Jago, a most unreasonable child. A smile crept to Munro’s face, but it vanished when he realised what they were quarrelling about.
“It’s time to find my mama,” he said.
“Maiya is not going to the human realm. I will
not
permit her to leave the nursery,” Eilidh said, as stubborn and intractable as the boy. She stood beside Griogair, who nodded grimly to Munro.
“Queen Eilidh is right,” Munro interjected as he approached. “Maiya is far too little, and the human realm too dangerous.”
“I never saw anything bad there,” Jago said, crossing his arms and scowling at all three adults.
The boy’s assertion wasn’t true. Jago had killed his own father when defending his mother from his abuses. Thank heaven he didn’t remember the incident. “That’s because your mama protected you from bad things, like we’re protecting Maiya.”
“Now I have to protect my mama. She’s dying,” he pled.
Eilidh and Munro exchanged worried glances. “Why do you say that?” Eilidh asked.
“Maiya told me. She said my mama’s blood is getting weaker and she almost can’t feel it anymore. Please. We have to go
now
. I can find my mama. I swear.”
Munro hesitated. He didn’t know what to believe. Should he trust Ewain’s warning? Could they do anything to protect the children against whatever had taken Demi? Or had the warning been a method to manipulate the druids of the Hall into staying out of his business? As far as Munro could tell, the elder druid didn’t often lie outright, but he wasn’t above twisting the truth when doing so suited him. “Jago, I want to talk to Eilidh for a minute. You go see your grandmother, and we’ll come find you when we’re finished.”
“You’ll help me?” Jago said. “I’m scared to go to America alone.”
Munro blinked. He hadn’t considered the boy might try, but if he believed his mother was dying, Munro wouldn’t put it past him. “We’ll talk about it,” he said. “Scoot. We’ll be up shortly.”
Once the child had raced up the stairs and was out of earshot, Eilidh said, “Dear Mother of the Earth. You don’t think he’d attempt to take Maiya with him, do you?” She appeared on the verge of panic. “I need to arrange for more guards. I’ll move her to Canton Dreich.”
“Until when? Until we’re sure Demi is dead?” Munro asked.
Eilidh flinched. “You can’t believe I want that.”
“I know. I’m sorry.” He felt ashamed at having given voice to the impulsive accusation. He glanced at Griogair, who frowned, clearly disapproving of the comment. “There are things I need to tell you both,” Munro said. He explained about the Cup of Cultus. Eilidh had heard a little about the artefact when Grenna returned Rory to the Hall, but he hadn’t taken the time to explain everything before he took off for Danastai. He told them both how the druids had hoped to use the artefact to find Demi and Huck, but that Ewain had manipulated them because he planned to bond with Flùranach. As much as Munro didn’t want to, he also told Eilidh about the elder druid’s cryptic words concerning the dangers of The Bleak.
“Even with these warnings, you want to take Maiya there,” Eilidh said. “I sense your determination through our bond. I understand your desire, even need, to help our friends, but would you honestly consider taking our daughter into a realm filled with demons to do it?”
He paused. “I’m afraid if we don’t, then Jago will. Eilidh, you can’t truly believe we can stop the children. Even if we protect Maiya, are we prepared to imprison Jago? I believe that’s what it would take to keep him from trying to save his mother. There’s also another hard truth: If Demi dies and Maiya believes we might have saved her, neither one of them will ever forgive us.”
“They will. In time.” Eilidh’s pleading tone betrayed her deep worry.
“We could take every Watcher in Caledonia,” Munro said. “Maiya would be surrounded by thousands of soldiers every minute.”
“In the human realm? We would be seen. We cannot expose our people to that risk. It would be incredibly dangerous if humans became aware of us and our gates.”
“I can shift the destination of the Mistgate to go nearer The Way, even to deliver us inside the circle of stones. We won’t see a single human soul, especially if we travel at night. Maiya only needs to tell us what direction to go and how far away Demi is. We don’t have to allow her more than a foot from the Mistgate. As soon as her part is done, I’ll send her home. The whole thing would take only a few minutes.”
“Can you promise she would be safe?” Eilidh said, her eyes narrowed.
“Of course I can’t. But let’s at least discuss the options. If this plan works, we will save two people’s lives and ensure Jago and Maiya don’t try to go off by themselves.”
“You’re right,” Eilidh sighed. “Maiya is getting stronger and more adept every day. If she really wanted to do this, even at fifteen months old, I’m powerless to stop her. Her nurses say she can manipulate every one of them, even the ones trained to deal with astral illusions.” She reached out and took Munro’s hand. “My love, I’m terrified.”
“I promise I’ll watch over her,” he said and kissed her hand.
She scowled. “If you believe I’m letting my daughter go into The Bleak without me, you’re delusional.”
“Eilidh,” Griogair said, his voice full of warning.
She turned sharply and met his disapproving stare. “Don’t even think about trying to stop me.”
“You’re a queen,” he said. “You cannot leave the Otherworld.”
“Every queen leaves her kingdom when it’s time to make a sacrifice to the Mother.”
Griogair rolled his eyes. “This is a
slightly
different situation.” He took her other hand. “I lost you once, when Munro was taken to the shadow realm. I knew you would fade away and die, leaving me with an empty shell. I can’t lose you again.”
“Then come with us,” Eilidh said. “If we fall to these monsters in The Bleak, we all die together.”
“Dear god,” Munro muttered.
“You’re insane. We can’t all leave. Who will rule Caledonia if you, Maiya, Munro, and I all fall?”
“If we’re all dead, I don’t care,” she said.
“You don’t mean that.” Griogair’s tone had softened, but Munro could tell he still didn’t agree with their plan.
“No,” she said. “I don’t. But tonight, my family comes first. Go to Caledonia and get Maiya. Prepare as many Watchers as you can gather quickly and have them wait at the Caledonian Hall. If you choose not to come with us, I will not think less of you.”
Griogair put his fist to his heart and bowed to Eilidh, his eyes full of worry. “As you command, my queen.” He went through the main entrance, leaving Munro and Eilidh on their own.
“We’re really doing this,” Munro said softly, glancing up the stair toward Lisle’s room.
“We’re doing what we must, as we always have,” Eilidh said, her mouth set into a grim line.
∞
Huck hovered over Demi when he returned to her side, worried he’d done the wrong thing, telling her to leave the healing stone behind. She’d made so much progress, and now she seemed to be fading fast. If he didn’t do something, she would die.
“Please don’t leave me,” she said, barely lifting a finger in his direction. She was so weak and pale.
“I went to look for water,” he said and sighed. His plan had proved to be a disaster. They should have gone to those people in the cliff dwellings when they had the chance. Now Demi was sick and in so much pain, he wasn’t sure she’d make it if he moved her again.
“Did you find any?” she asked, her eyelids fluttering as she tried to focus on his face.
“Maybe we should go back to the cliffs.”
“But…”
“It’s better than dying here, waiting for someone to find us. I can return once you’re settled. I’ll carve a note in case Munro or anyone else from our time ever does happen to come this way.”