She held up her palm and another golden rope appeared in her hand. As she took a step toward me, Lady bolted into the room and planted herself between us. She snarled at Erina, baring her teeth.
"You can't save your brat now. Not when you failed to bring my baby back," Erina said. She took another step forward and the dog snapped her jaws at her, biting the air.
Sloan seized the moment to spring up and grab the older woman from behind, holding the blade to her neck. A fine glow seemed to radiate from runes on the knife-edge where it pressed into Erina's flesh.
"Drop the rope," Sloan hissed. Erina, eyes bulging with fear, did as the girl demanded. Sloan held the weapon in place, glancing first at me, then at Tressa. Her hand twitched, and it looked as though she would cut the woman's throat anyway.
"No! Sloan, don't do it," Tressa cried out. From the quiver in her voice I knew she was seeing what I had seen. I understood now why Erina looked so familiar-her daughter was the very image of her. Sloan's purple hair and darker coloring had camouflaged the likeness until they were right next to each other.
"She wants to kill Tressa," Sloan said, looking at me in puzzlement, obviously expecting me to agree that the woman had to die.
Erina had to be stopped, but it would do horrific damage to the girl's psyche when she learned she had killed her own mother.
Erina took advantage of Sloan's confusion and punched back with her elbow. She sent the surprised teenager sprawling, then turned on her in a rage.
"How dare you threaten my life!"
As she glared at Sloan a loud buzzing permeated the air—loud enough to etch painful looks onto the faces of all the Sidhe. The buzzing stopped when a bright flash filled the room. I covered my eyes with my arm to protect them from the blinding light, but when I lowered my arm it still took a few seconds for my sight to return.
I stared at the spot where Lady had been. The dog had disappeared; in her place crouched a Sidhe woman with fine opalescent skin and dark brown hair with an auburn sheen. Her dark hair covered her face as she sat back, supporting her weight on her long, graceful, outstretched arms. She flung her hair over her shoulder and turned her head to look at me, her smile radiant.
My mouth gaped in disbelief—Lady had transformed into my mother.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
TRESSA
The flash of light blinded me. I blinked rapidly as more people entered the room, trying to get my sight back for fear that the newcomers were Unseelie reinforcements. I flinched when someone tugged on the bindings around my wrists. The ropes tightened their grip, pinching my skin.
"I'm getting it. Stay still," said a familiar voice, and I relaxed.
Sloan pulled apart the knot and uncoiled the rope that squeezed my abdomen. Once free of the binding's cinch hold, I took a deep, relieved breath. Sloan dropped the rope and flung herself at me, hugging me tightly and weeping like a child.
Over her shoulder I saw Connor taking Erina away. Erina appeared stupefied—as if not yet understanding what was happening. Connor told Alexander that he would flit with her to the king's castle at Tir na nÓg.
"There, there," I cooed to Sloan, petting her back to sooth her. "'Tis okay, we're all okay."
"She would have killed you," Sloan said through sniffles.
"Aye, but with your help she didn't."
Keelin picked up the blade that Sloan had dropped at my feet. The runes on it were glowing bright now, much the same as Alexander's sword. I had always assumed it glowed because it was one of the treasures.
"The Gáe Assail! Why didn't you tell me you found it?" Keelin asked, indignant. I looked at her blankly. "Lugh's Spear? The Lightning Spear? Surely you recognize it!"
"It's merely a blade, oddly shaped, not a spear." But now that Keelin had put the idea into my head, I saw that if a long shaft replaced the current handle, the spade-shaped blade could indeed be a spearhead. And the way it came and went-almost like a boomerang, just as Alexander had described it.
"That's mine," Sloan snipped at her, grabbing the blade out of her hand. Keelin just smiled.
"How fitting. The treasure that always returns when needed—that can always be found, so to speak—adopts a Lost Child," Keelin mused. "If that's the case, if she is a treasure bearer, perhaps it's best to keep it quiet for a while." Then she dismissed the whole thing, as if finding one of the treasures was only mildly interesting. "Tressa, Rosheen could use your help. She's hurt."
My ordeal had affected me more than I had realized. When I rose to follow Keelin I had to grab the back of the metal chair to support my shaking legs. As I steadied myself I noticed Alexander kneeling next to a woman I hadn't seen before. I gasped as I recognized her from John's photo albums. Neve leaned against Alexander and he cradled her in his arms.
"Xander, you found her!" I exclaimed. I dropped beside her to assess if she needed my help. She looked weak and exhausted, but I didn't pick up on any real physical problems.
The astonished look on Alexander's face told me that the truth of Neve's appearance hadn't sunk in yet. I worried for a minute that he was in shock.
"Go to Rosheen," he said at last. "I'll follow in a few minutes."
I ran across the clearing with Keelin and Sloan on either side. The bodies of those who had fallen in the battle had already returned home. If any of the rebels had survived, they had already flitted away. Only a few of the King's Guard remained, keeping watch in case any of the Unseelie should return.
Rosheen sat on the ground in the distance, eyes closed, leaning against Zoey. I rushed to her, dropping to my knees to examine the wound. Someone had already cleaned it and she had been pressing a clean cloth over it to stop the bleeding.
"You'll have a battle scar," I said. "How happy your father will be!"
She laughed, as I hoped she would. "He always wanted a son to carry on his great wartime achievements. I guess this will have to do."
It took little effort on my part to heal the laceration. In no time the skin on her leg was as smooth as ever—I had been joking about the scar. Only the blood soaked tear in her skirt remained as evidence of the wound. She stood and was testing out the leg when Alexander arrived with Neve.
We had all suffered many physical and mental strains, including the dragons, during the exhausting day. Everyone, including myself, had many questions for Neve. However, at my suggestion, we agreed to wait until we were safely back in Tir na nÓg to hear her story.
When we arrived at the castle, everyone wanted some time to collect themselves, plus the chance to bathe and put on fresh clothing, before we sat and talked. We went our separate ways, agreeing to meet again at tea time.
While Connor went to brief Uncle Lomán and Alexander went off to tend to his mother, I had the unfortunate task of speaking to Sloan. I found her in the kitchen with Sophia, evidently too hungry to wait for tea. Sophia sat on the bench next to her, chatting away, seemingly unaware of the older girl's somber mood.
Sloan's eyes brightened when she saw me over top of her large sandwich just as she took her first bite. Her grateful expression made me feel even worse, knowing the hard news I was about to deliver.
"Sloan, I need to talk to you about Erina," I said.
"That chick is bat-shit crazy," she said around a mouthful of sandwich.
"Sloan, watch—"
"I know, squirt. I know—language."
"This is important." Both girls looked up at me with equally innocent eyes, and I cursed inwardly at what I had to do. "I'm not sure what the best way is to tell you this, so I guess I just need to say it. Sloan, Erina is your birth mother."
She stared at me, chewing a few times without response, as if she hadn't comprehended. Then she swallowed and looked away. A large tear rolled down her cheek.
"So, let me get this straight," she said at last, her voice surprisingly strong. "Not only am I one of the evil Unseelie, but also my mother is bat-shit crazy-" she held a hand up to stop Sophia from speaking, "--and the daughter of Mr. Evil himself."
I didn't know what to say. I couldn't contradict her, nor did I have any words to comfort her.
"What did she do? Just throw me away?" Her voice caught in her throat this time.
"A leanbh, I can't tell you much more, but I believe someone stole you from her. Neve, I suspect, will be able to give you more details." I spoke tenderly, doing my best to use my Sidhe voice to sooth her.
Sophia scooched closer to Sloan. She put her arm around the older girl's waist and leaned her head on her shoulder. "It doesn't matter who your family was, Sloan, 'cause we're your family now. We love you and we're not giving you back to that old Mr. Evil."
Sloan smiled, though her eyes still held the shadow of sadness. She kissed Sophia's head.
Later, when Alexander and I had a few moments alone together, I leaned into him—a silent plea for him to embrace me. I curled my head into his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around me. I took a deep breath, taking in his scent and basking in his warmth. His presence soothed me like nothing else in this world. I felt whole when he touched me.
"What massive ups and downs we've had today," he said into my hair. I nodded, moving my head against his chest. "I was so close to losing you—"
"But you didn't. Don't even think about that—just enjoy the happiness of the day."
"She's back," he breathed. "She's alive. Can you believe it? And she looks nearly the same as when she left."
"Aye, 'tis a blessing. I'm so happy for you. Have you heard her story yet?"
"No. Well, just what I told you before, that she confirmed that Sloan is Erina's daughter. I thought it was best to wait before asking too many questions. I was more concerned that she was okay. She would just have to repeat everything later, anyway. Some of the Brounies are helping her dress as we speak."
His words reminded us that we had only a few minutes before we must meet with the others. We reluctantly pulled away from each other.
"Xander, something else happened in the folly that I don't think you're aware of," I said as I finished pulling on my clothes. He looked at me expectantly. "We found another treasure."
It was odd how insignificant it sounded in comparison to the great discovery of his mother, alive and well. The magnitude of being halfway to our goal of finding all four treasures would surely hit us later, when things had settled.
Although so many of us came for tea that day, the Queen wanted her guests to relax after our strenuous day. She skirted the protocol calling for a formal setting and insisted we have tea in the cozy living room that was part of the royal family's private quarters.
Neve rested on a chaise lounge, Sophia asleep beside her. The King and Queen sat next to each other in high-backed chairs. The twins lay curled up on pillows on the floor at their feet, as they had done as children. Connor declined to sit, leaning against the doorjamb instead. Sloan was there, and of course Alexander, though Sloan sat away from the rest of us. Everyone there was a part of my circle of closest confidants, so before Neve began her story, I spoke.
"You should all know that we have found a second treasure, the Gáe Assail." There wasn't the buzz I had expected. Word must have already spread, at least amongst our intimate group. "Sloan is the steward of the spear. She is a stranger to our people and Unseelie born. I should like to keep this information amongst us few until she is better accepted. For her own safety."
"Is that wise? To let this young woman carry around this sacred object?" Queen Ciara asked, sighting one of the same objections the fae had voiced upon first learning that Alexander carried the sword.
Sloan opened her mouth to speak, but I shot her a warning look and she quieted.
"You could try to take it away from her, Aunt Ciara, but it wouldn't do any good. She doesn't carry it. The spear chose her; it finds her when she needs it."
With that bit of business out of the way, we all turned our attention to Neve, eager to hear her story. She addressed Sloan before she started.
"My dear child, parts of this story may be painful for you. I'm sorry about that. I promise I will be as honest as I can, and I will answer any questions you have." Sloan frowned but nodded.
"You all know that my mother, under torture by the Unseelie Prince, foretold the means of his death. You also know that, after my mother's death, I fled into the Human World to escape my grief and to hide from being captured and tortured myself, as had happened with so many of my brethren." She glanced around the room. Assured everyone knew the story, she continued.
"The part of the story that no one knew is what my mother said to the prince that affected him so badly." Everyone leaned in as she spoke. This had indeed been the subject of much speculation. "She told him he had a choice. That he must choose between a long life and the continuation of his lineage. For if his daughter were to have children, one of them would take his life."
There was a heaviness in the air as everyone avoided looking at Sloan. Sloan glanced around the room, unnerved by our sudden stillness.
"What, me? I'm supposed to kill my grandfather?"
"No one knows if she spoke the truth or invented the prediction. Not even I," Neve said, looking at Sloan with a sad yet affectionate smile. "The important thing is that he believed her.
"When Erina became pregnant, she too fled to the Human World. She knew her father would choose his own life over that of her children. Unbeknownst to both of us, she settled not far from me. Probably for many of the same reasons that attracted me to the area: there is a large Irish community in southern New Jersey that goes back many generations, more people with fae blood, and a sizable Silkie community that lives in the bay nearby.
"I saw her in the park one day with her triplets. I recognized her, and though I didn't know it at the time, she recognized me as well. That same night a premonition came to me in a dream—that she would be found and her children killed." Neve stopped speaking and took a deep breath to settle her nerves. Sophia, feeling her distress, stirred next to her. Neve put a gentle hand on her granddaughter and she settled back to sleep.
"I did nothing to warn her," Neve continued, tears in her eyes. "I was too frightened to approach her, to come out of hiding. And because of my fear, two innocent babies died. At the time I thought they had killed all three.
"Every night I had more premonitions, and I knew my punishment was coming. I set things in order as best I could and then set off to find Erina. If I hadn't, she would have come after you," she said to Alexander.
"Why?" Alexander asked. "If you didn't tell her about the premonition, why would she blame you?"
"She blamed me because the bounty hunters—sent into the Human World by Deaglan Mór to capture me—discovered her inadvertently."
"The Morgans," I guessed, and she nodded.
"I found Erina in the folly on our family estate. She wouldn't listen to me; she certainly wasn't going to forgive me. Instead, she conjured up a hex, telling me I would never again speak to my child until she spoke to hers. The hex transformed me into a hound, the emblem of our family line.
"It could have been much worse. I stayed close to you and your father while I looked for Sloan," Neve said, looking at Alexander with a sad smile.
"Why didn't she come look for me herself?" Sloan asked scornfully.
"She was afraid," Neve said with a shrug and a shake of her head. "She had no one. Mór killed your father after learning of Erina's pregnancy as extra insurance. With her Anam Cara gone, she wouldn't be able to get pregnant again. I had a large extended family—not of blood, but a family chosen in love. Órlaith, Deirdre, the King and Queen," she waved a hand at my aunt and uncle, "and many others."
We sat in silence, taking in the enormity of her story. Finally, Keelin spoke. "So, Sloan truly is a Lost Child found again. One to be treasured. How did you find her?"
"She found me," Neve chuckled. "After Alexander went off to college, I decided I had to leave the Nelson family or they would wonder why I wasn't getting older. Dogs have unbelievably short lives. So I hid in the lighthouse u
ntil they moved away. Sloan walked in one day."
"So all along you were just pushing me around to get me back here? To end your hex and go home?" Sloan asked, a note of bitterness in her voice.
"Dear Sloan, how full of bluster you are!" There was no denying the affection in Neve's voice. Sloan dipped her head to hide her grin. "At first I didn't even recognize you as a Sidhe. I considered trying to get rid of you, but I was so lonely when you came along. I loved you in no time at all. It took another dream—another premonition—for me to understand who you were."
Neve went on answering questions long after our tea had gone cold. The evening ended with everyone, even Sloan, feeling the warm glow of being with family and friends after a long separation.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
We hadn't lost as much time during this visit to the Otherworld as the last. Of course, we had only spent three days in Faery. The daffodils were pushing up through the frozen ground in the Human World, signaling that winter was taking its last bow as spring prepared to take the stage. It seemed unbelievable to me that only a year had passed since I met Sophia and Alexander on a blustery spring equinox.
The memory of our meeting played in my head as we came out of the woods into the cultivated area of Pine Ridge Estate. Alexander came up beside me and took my hand. He smiled at me, his dark chocolate eyes shining, and on impulse I kissed him playfully.
Sophia pushed past us, pulling her grandmother by the hand. Sloan had decided to stay in Faery for awhile, at least until the powers in charge had decided what was best for Erina.
"Poppy! Poppy!" Sophia shouted as we got close to the house.
Shamus came out of the front door of the Manor House, shaking his head disapprovingly. Sophia waved at him but continued shouting. Matt stepped outside after Shamus, rubbing his hands over his arms when the cold air hit him.
John emerged last, pulling his arms through his coat sleeves as he moved. He passed the two other men who stood on the porch and started walking toward us. When Neve recognized him she dropped Sophia's hand, grabbed up her skirt with both hands and ran.
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