Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy

by Johnson, Jenna Elizabeth

In my mind, his words whispered across my conscience. Remember Meghan, you can't tell a single Faelorehn man or woman about that magic I gave you.

  My eyes narrowed. I knew this already, why was he repeating it? Did he think I was stupid enough to forget?

  He must have sensed my irritation because his face softened ever so slightly before his words reached out to me again. I am allowed to offer you one more sliver of information the Spirits of the Wild shared with me. You will have spent some time in the Morrigan's lair before you can act. That is all I am permitted to say.

  I drew in a sharp breath as my eyes grew wide. The Morrigan's lair? That could not be good. But at least he was giving me more to go on.

  "Remember what we discussed, dear Meghan," Cernunnos said aloud, his dark eyes hard and locked with mine. "And keep an eye on that boy of yours. Quite the temper he has. It could get him into trouble."

  I crossed my arms and glared at him but made no response. He chuckled and slipped past the curtains to join the other revelers.

  Cade stepped forward, reaching out an arm. "Meghan," he said quietly.

  I threw my arms down and shoved him hard in the chest. Cade grunted in surprise as he took a step back to catch himself.

  "You idiot! What is wrong with you? Why on earth would you entice a Celtic god like that? Do you have a death wish?"

  Cade merely rubbed his chest, frowning in slight confusion. I sighed and dropped my face into my hands.

  "I was the one trying to hurt him," I grumbled.

  Cade gently took one of my hands and pulled it away from my face. I looked up at him, my expression one of misery.

  "Why?" he asked.

  When I didn't answer immediately, his eyes grew hard again and he asked with a clipped tone, "And why was he out here confronting you to begin with?"

  Oh yes, why indeed. What could I tell Cade without making him suspicious?

  I shrugged, trying to shake off this new batch of unease. "We had a misunderstanding is all."

  As I turned to head back into the ballroom, Cade's hand fell on my shoulder, stopping me.

  "Meghan," he said, his voice gentle but insistent.

  I cursed inwardly, my little spider working furiously to capture and bind all the thoughts about Cernunnos's magic that now poured into my mind. Quickly Meghan, invent some excuse . . .

  "He wanted to introduce himself properly, so he said. Then he made some off-hand comment about Danua I didn't care for."

  Cade's eyebrows rose. "Oh?"

  Nodding, I swallowed and continued with my fabricated explanation. "Yes." I smiled and stepped closer to Cade. "He couldn't understand why the high queen of Eile would allow her daughter to traipse around the countryside with a ruffian like you."

  Cade returned my smile and pulled me close, molding me against his chest. I took a deep breath, inhaling his scent and letting his presence relax me. After what I'd learned tonight, I needed Cade's comfort like a fish needed water.

  When the weight of Cade's heavy arms settled around me, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes, letting my mind drift off.

  "I'm sorry Meghan," he murmured against my hair, "about the way I reacted. But when I saw Cernunnos's hand around your wrist . . ."

  He trailed off and I felt his muscles tense and his body heat spike. With some effort, I imagined, he got his anger under control. The last thing either of us needed right now was for a piece of his riastrad to rear its ugly head once more.

  Cade sighed again. "I guess I just went blind with rage."

  He gently removed me from himself and put his hands on my face. "I thought he was trying to hurt you."

  I smiled and stood on my toes, settling my mouth against his. He accepted the kiss and transformed it into anything but the innocent caress I had initiated.

  When he finally let me go, I put a hand on his chest, his heartbeat playing strongly against it. I bit my lip to hide a grin.

  "I understand Cade. Just try not to anger the gods too much, okay? You need to be whole and healthy when the Morrigan decides to attack us."

  And just like that, the little bit of peace Cade had created shattered. Why did I have to go and remember what lay ahead of us?

  Cade drew me close again. "Don't think about that now Meghan."

  Behind the curtains, where my mother and her court and all the other Tuatha De stood around talking and sharing news, the orchestra started in with a new song. The music was gentle, soothing, as if somehow the people playing the instruments knew I needed some comfort right about now.

  "Dance with me princess?" Cade whispered against my temple.

  I turned and nipped his ear. He grunted in slight surprise but I merely answered back, my own voice hushed, "Oh, of course my young man. But we must remain out here on the dark balcony so that my mother, the queen, doesn't catch me consorting with a rogue such as yourself."

  He laughed and swept me around in a circle. I squealed and allowed my dismal mood to vanish as Cade drew me near again into a slower dance.

  We spent a good half hour on that dark patio, dancing to the music drifting past the velvet curtains, before someone finally found us. My worries had been eating away at me for weeks, but at least for that one evening, for those few, precious minutes, I was able to forget my qualms and enjoy the cheerful music, the warmth of Cade's arms and the happiness of knowing I was loved.

  -Seventeen-

  News

  Cade and I left Erintara a week after the meeting with the Tuatha De, returning to the Weald in order to wait for news from the Morrigan's realm. Although my mother had invited us to stay in the castle, I couldn't stand being there any longer than the seven days that had already passed. It wasn't that the Tuatha De were cruel or rude, or that my mother's cold indifference left me feeling drained (and it wasn't Cernunnos's presence either; he'd been kind enough to keep his distance since our strange confrontation), it was mostly a combination of other factors. The subtle build up of Faelorehn magic was grating away at me and making it harder to control my own glamour, and the constant undercurrent of aggression as everyone scurried about, preparing themselves for the coming war, didn't help either. I could sense the stress in Cade as well, his every muscle tense whenever I put a hand on his arm or leaned against him. It didn't take long before he insisted we return to the Weald.

  "It's not so far away that we can't make it back here if anything should develop," he'd told Danua and the Dagda at afternoon tea the day before we left. "Besides, Enorah offered her help and now would be a good time to let her and her best fighters know we will gladly accept their assistance."

  "Very well," my mother had replied, as cool and collected as ever. "We will send word when you are needed."

  I hated the idea of hiding out, but staying in the castle with all that raw magic bouncing around was out of the question.

  My mother rose early the next morning to see us off, the great hooded cloak she wore to ward off the cold hiding her face. To my great surprise, she reached out and took my hand in hers. "Be safe daughter, and know that we will do all we can to thwart the Morrigan."

  I nodded once, fighting the tears that suddenly wanted to escape. Turning away, I called out for Meridian, my silent words brushing her mind. She'd been hiding out in the stable, and complained in her own avian way as she found a spot on my shoulder. The stable workers had saddled Lasair and Speirling, and as I spotted the two stallions, the odd sadness that had visited me vanished. The red horse pricked his ears forward at my arrival, tossing his head and whickering softly, his warm breath misting the air.

  Cade helped me into the saddle, and once I had my loose riding cloak situated around me, I leaned forward and whispered, "Did you miss me boy?"

  Lasair tossed his head again and dug at the cobblestones with his front hoof. I smiled. "Yeah, I missed you too."

  Cade led Speirling around to me. "Ready?" he asked, his eyes glimmering with anticipation.

  I smiled in return and nodded. I couldn't help but agree with him. The journey
to the Weald would do our troubled minds some good. So long as we didn't meet any faelah along the way . . .

  With one more wave to my mother and the Dagda, we were off, our horses' hooves clattering along the cobblestone streets of Erintara. The Otherworld had cooled down at autumn's arrival, but that lingering hint of summer still suffused the air. I laughed, despite the relative melancholy still clinging to me. Lasair's whicker matched my mood and he picked up his feet, dancing a little as we made our way down the road.

  With my smile still bright, I turned around and glanced at Cade. He had the hood of his long riding cape pulled over his face, but the flash of his teeth told me he enjoyed my antics. My heart all but melted in reaction to his small but sincere gesture.

  We climbed into the hills, and in no time we found the dolmarehn we had passed through the week before. Once on the other side, we encouraged the horses into a faster pace, Fergus increasing his own speed to keep up with us. We bypassed the Dagda's, the grouping of hills strangely still and quiet without the cheerful god's presence, and headed directly for the dolmarehn that would take us to Luathara. We had decided early on that we would spend the night at the castle and then head for the Weald first thing in the morning. How long we ended up staying in the magical forest, I couldn't say.

  By the time we reached the wooded hill behind Cade's castle, it was nearly twilight. Cade pulled Speirling to a halt and I followed his lead. When Fergus left our side and disappeared down the hillside in complete silence, I knew Cade had sent him ahead to make sure all was well.

  Fifteen minutes later the wolfhound reappeared and we urged the horses onward. Briant and his family greeted us in the courtyard.

  "Lord Caedehn! Lady Meghan! We have worried about you since last time we parted. How is your sister my lord, and the Dagda?"

  "You were supposed to remain in the village," Cade grumbled as he climbed down from Speirling.

  Briant brought himself up to his full height. "We live at Luathara now, my lord. It is as much our home as it is yours. Besides, someone had to make sure it didn't become overrun with the Morrigan's abominations."

  Cade merely shook his head and sighed. Who could argue with that logic? As he filled his steward in on the past several weeks, I followed Briant's wife and daughter inside as the stable master led our horses away. Lasair called out to me, seeming agitated as the stranger took his reins. I whipped around and looked at him, his brown eyes flashing with unease.

  Leaving my friends on the stairs of Luathara's main entrance, I walked over and pressed a hand to the red horse's forehead. He blinked once, twice, and then he seemed to settle.

  "This is home, Lasair. Cade and I must travel to the Weald soon, but it is safe enough for you here. We'll return as soon as we can."

  I hated the idea of leaving the horses behind, but they would not fit through the dolmarehn that would take us to Enorah and her wildren, and the people who had returned to keep Luathara's castle in running order would take good care of them. I only hoped the Morrigan was too busy preparing for war to bother with attacking Cade's castle again.

  That evening, Cade and I shared a light dinner with Briant and his family. I chatted a little with Birgit, but my heart wasn't in the conversation and I was pretty certain she sensed it. I just had too many other worries on my mind.

  Later that night, as I enjoyed the feeling of cozying up to Cade in his great bed, I contemplated what the future might reveal. We had a lot going for us, if I really thought about it. Sure, the Morrigan was the Celtic goddess of war and she had the god of the afterlife on her side, but we had everybody else. I had my own glamour and that extra helping from Cernunnos. And we had the Dagda's Cauldron. A piercing tingle of joy shot through me at that sudden thought. How on earth could I have forgotten about the Cauldron? Suddenly I felt much better about everything that had been keeping me awake at night. Perhaps we weren't so lost as I had thought. Sighing in pleasure, I snuggled in closer to Cade as his arms wrapped around me.

  * * *

  The moment we arrived in the small village in the middle of the Weald, we were descended upon by dozens of children. The two guards who had spotted us a few miles out wandered off to fetch Enorah, and when she came stepping out of one of the many cabins, Cade let go of my hand and wrapped his sister up in a great hug. She grumbled and struggled to escape, but smiled the entire time. When he let go, it was my turn. Enorah grunted in surprise as I mimicked her brother's gesture.

  "I've missed you!" I said, stepping away.

  "And I you," she answered, looking at both me and Cade. "Why are you here? Has the war started?"

  Cade shook his head. "No, but it shouldn't be long now. We've come to stay with you until Danua summons us. All that Tuatha De magic was wearing us down."

  Enorah pursed her lips and nodded. "I can imagine. Well, let us make use of what time we have then. I'll have to get some of the other adults prepared for looking after the young ones while I'm gone. I have at least a dozen good candidates to take along with us when the time comes."

  We followed Enorah as she led us to our very own cabin. Once we dropped off our stuff, we headed back out into the village square. We had gotten off to a late start that morning, so by the time we settled into the routine of the village, it was time for the evening meal.

  "Tomorrow morning we practice, Meghan," Enorah proclaimed as we enjoyed the rustic cooking of the wildren of the Weald.

  The fire felt warm and inviting, and the memories of my month spent here in mid-summer came flooding back. It was good to be within the embrace of the forest again, the safety of its ancient magic settling my nerves.

  "Good," I said, taking one more bite of bread. "I haven't had a chance to use my longbow in days."

  Enorah only grinned, her eyes glittering with anticipation. Before Cade and I headed for our cabin, we regaled the tale of the attack outside the Dagda's and what had been discussed in Erintara. Enorah listened with full attention, her usually jovial face slowly becoming weighed down with the bad news.

  "We're going to have a real fight on our hands then," she finally said. "But that's the one thing about the Faelorehn. We do know how to put up a good fight."

  As I drifted off to sleep that night, I tried to keep Enorah's positive attitude close to my heart.

  We can defeat the Morrigan and Donn, I told myself. We have all the Tuatha De and the Cauldron on our side. I just have to have faith.

  My thoughts sounded convincing, but for some reason they did little to ease my mind. Yes, it seemed we had a good chance against the Morrigan, but something I couldn't quite grasp remained hidden under the surface; something unknown and unseen. A haunted spirit that knew something I didn't, but couldn't tell me. I had a bad feeling that whatever it was, it wouldn't reveal itself until much later.

  Suddenly, Cernunnos's words came rushing back to me: Before you use my magic, you must first visit the lair of the Morrigan.

  I shivered and Cade, sensing my distress even in sleep, stirred next to me. Forcing myself to calm down for his sake, I tried to think happy thoughts and eventually I fell into a restless sleep.

  * * *

  Focused. I was utterly, and entirely focused. Breathe in, breathe out. Nice and steady. Eye on the target and . . . release!

  I let the arrow fly and it hissed through the air, slicing the apparition in half.

  "Good!" Enorah cried as she conjured up another false faelah.

  We had been in the meadow a good two hours, Cade's sister creating targets for me with her magic while I practiced my archery skills. This exercise was a lot more difficult than aiming for the non-moving kind of targets, but then again, what good was it trying to kill stationary targets when the ones that mattered in the real world would be moving all over the place?

  I shook my head and got back to my task at hand. Cade and I had been in the Weald for well over a month now, biding our time and passing each day in dreaded anticipation for news from Erintara. The temptation to cross into the mortal world and v
isit my family was great, but so was the fear of drawing attention to them in case the Morrigan was watching. Yes, she knew about my family in Arroyo Grande, but if I stayed away, maybe she wouldn't think I was attached to them any longer. Instead, Cade and I kept our minds occupied by spending most of our waking hours practicing any fighting skills we could think of. Usually Cade or Enorah or some of the older wildren would run me through one drill after another until the moves became second nature.

  This morning, however, I had opted to practice archery with Enorah. Cade had left before dawn to check the perimeter and hunt for the evening meal with some of the adults and older children. I was happy to stay back with Enorah. My archery could always use some improvement, especially when it came to moving targets. Another shape came at me, and my focus sharpened. I blew out a great breath, took aim and shot, the arrow tearing through the center of the smoke monster. The magical form disappeared and another soon followed.

  Ten more minutes passed before a frantic cry from Meridian forced me to lose my concentration. The arrow missed Enorah's smoke faelah and glanced off a rock.

  What is it? I sent, trying to mask my annoyance. If she was just sharing her excitement about something she caught, then I'd be tempted to lock her in the cabin for the rest of the day . . .

  Trouble. Village, was all she sent.

  My heart nearly stopped. Every last nerve I possessed drew taught and my magic simmered in my chest.

  "What's up?" Enorah asked, drawing her magic back into herself and following me as I headed back towards the settlement.

  "Don't know. Meridian just told me there was trouble back at the village."

  Enorah cursed and picked up her pace, jogging ahead of me. Dread curdled in my stomach as I trailed after her. Had the Morrigan finally made her move? Had she somehow found a way into the Weald? As I hurried down the trail, I pulled an arrow from my quiver and got it ready just in case.

  A large crowd was gathered as we came upon the low cabins of the wildren's woodland town. Several of the children stood surrounding a stranger, murmuring and reaching curious fingers out towards his semi-formal clothes. Wait, no, not a stranger . . .