by Laura Howard
“She’s hiding in the fháillan mine. We’ll need to sneak inside to get everyone out. What do we have to do to get her in the fey globe?” I spoke to everyone in the room, but it was something I was trying to work out in my own mind.
That’s going to be complicated, if she can see what you’re doing.
Doubt crossed Aodhan’s features. His mouth pressed into a thin line as he waited for Saoirse to speak.
“We need to contemplate our options,” she said, giving Aodhan a beguiling smile. He blinked and stood. Rubbing his hand over his buzzed hair, he walked to the corner of the room and back, frowning.
We’ll have to come up with two separate plans. One real plan, and one plan for Aoife to overhear. It won’t be easy, but it’s doable.
The hand around mine tightened. I forced myself to smile at Ethan, unsure how we’d be able to pull this off. Aoife would know we were coming for her, but could we take her by surprise?
“I can rally Deaghlan and my guards in two days time,” Saoirse said, tapping her finger on her lower lip.
It will have to be tomorrow, really Niamh thought.
We all nodded, making me think Niamh had communicated with the entire group.
After some more discussion on the logistics of our fake plan, a serving girl came to show us to our room to freshen up before dinner.
Remember to keep silent about our real plan, Allison. The only way we can finish this is if we have the element of surprise.
I’ll remember.
The girl brought us to the room I’d stayed in whenever I’d been a guest here. As she shut the door behind her, I felt hyper-aware that Ethan and I were alone in the same room he’d spent the night with me the first time. Nothing remarkable had happened, but we were very rarely alone.
As if he could read my mind, he turned and a slow smile lifted one side of his mouth.
“What?” I said.
He shrugged. “I was just thinking that in a few days there’s a good chance all this will be over.”
He advanced toward me, placing his hands on my hips.
“It’s hard to imagine my life going back to normal,” I said as my heart picked up speed.
“I don’t know if that will ever happen,” he said, his eyes glinting as he pulled me to him.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked, though it was difficult to speak when his lips touched the place where my neck met my shoulder.
“You,” he said each word between slow kisses until his lips were just below my ear, “are far from ordinary.”
“Hmm,” I said, not knowing if I could form a more intelligible reply.
It seemed he was done talking, because we were moving backward until my legs hit the bed. He pressed his hands on my shoulders until I sat and he hovered over me.
Seconds later, I was on my back and his arms were on either side of my head. He looked into my eyes as he bent down and pressed his lips against mine, kissing me softly.
I ran my hands from his shoulders to his waist, loving the feel of him so close. When I touched him, he tensed and the kiss deepened. His lips moved against mine in a way that burned all the way to my toes.
Ethan shifted so he was on his side and pulled me against him. His eyes were intent as he picked up my hand and kissed the tender skin of my wrist.
“I put in for a condo down by Arrowhead Lake before I met up with you today,” he said before trailing his lips from my wrist to the sensitive area near my elbow.
I swallowed. “You did?”
“Yes,” he said, making his way back down to my wrist. “You and I don’t get nearly enough time together with us both living with our families.”
I laughed while he kissed each one of my fingers. “Yeah, you’re right.”
“Once I get you home,” he whispered. “I plan on memorizing every inch of you.”
With my free hand, I grasped his cheek. His words echoed in my head, making it difficult to breathe. Closing my eyes, I brushed my lips against his.
Pulling back, I looked at him. I studied the thick eyelashes over his chocolate-colored eyes. I ran my fingers over the light stubble of his cheek. I still couldn’t believe Ethan wanted me, really wanted me.
“Sometimes I can’t believe this is real,” I said shyly.
His lips curved into a smile. “This as in Tír na n’Óg or as in you and me?”
I laughed. “You and me.”
“This is very real. And I am very much yours.”
Mine.
A little while later we headed down to the dining hall. We’d gotten cleaned up and were smiling a little too much for the seriousness of the situation.
Saoirse sat at the head of the table and when we walked in holding hands she smiled, her eyes dazzling.
“Good evening,” she said, inclining her head.
“Good evening,” Ethan and I said at the same time, causing us to smile even more.
Niamh’s mouth quirked up in a knowing smile and I felt a blush creep up my neck. I wondered how much of my time alone with Ethan she was able to see in my thoughts.
Dinner was served, a hearty vegetable stew. As we ate, Niamh filled us in on the plan for the following day.
Knowing Aoife was able to watch every move, Niamh and Saoirse were being very careful about sending a messenger to Deaghlan. The only way to keep the plan secret was by using another telepath. He left for Aoife’s seaside home only moments before Ethan and I came down.
Saoirse and Aodhan discussed the logistics of the fake plan as we listened to Niamh with our minds, pretending to be engrossed with our food.
Tomorrow morning before dawn, we would leave for the fháillan mine. Saoirse and Deaghlan would undo the protective wards that kept the mine hidden. Once those were down, Ethan and I would find the back entrance Ciarán and Samantha had used to sneak inside. We would find Samantha, Liam and Ciarán. Aodhan had given Ethan a folding saw-like tool to cut through the shackles. Meanwhile, Niamh and Aodhan would find Aoife and capture her.
It sounded good, in theory. The truth was, nobody knew what Aoife was capable of. Not even Saoirse. She had promised me she would make those I loved suffer if I didn’t do as she said. But sitting around thinking of that wouldn’t get me anywhere. The only way I’d be brave enough to go through with any of this, was to just keep focused on the moment.
I’m in the dining room at Liam’s house. My grandmother is in his kitchen, mixing juice and ginger ale in a punch bowl and when she hears me, she looks up and smiles.
Someone says my name from behind and I turn to see Ethan holding up two bags of hot dog buns. I laugh and follow him into the living room to the French doors leading to Liam’s patio.
He opens the door and I look past his shoulder, but instead of Liam’s back yard, there’s a gray stone wall. Standing in front of the stone is Aoife. Her arms are crossed and she looks at me as though I’ve just said something that makes her very happy.
She speaks, but her mouth doesn’t actually move.
You’re just in time.
“Allison.”
I screwed my eyes shut, burying my face into the feather pillow.
“Come on, Al. It’s time to go,” Ethan said, rubbing my hip from behind me.
I yawned and stretched. I wanted to pull the blanket up over my face. Aoife’s strange expression of pleasure was still ingrained behind my eyelids.
The idea of leaving hours before sunset was that Aoife would still be sleeping and unaware we were coming. We dressed in charcoal leggings and tunics to keep inconspicuous in the dark morning. I brushed my hair and pulled it into a braid before we went down to the dining room.
Aodhan and Niamh were the only ones at the table when we got there. There were fruit and crumbly scones set out for us by the serving women. We didn’t have time to waste, so we ate in relative silence.
When we were finishing, Saoirse and Deaghlan joined us. It was strange seeing the queen in the same dark leggings I wore. The simple clothing did nothing to take away from
her beauty, though. Her hair was pinned back, drawing attention to her lovely heart-shaped face.
I couldn’t get a very good read on Deaghlan. His expression was very solemn, nothing like the smirk I’d grown accustomed to seeing on him.
When they approached, we all stood.
“Good morning,” Saoirse said, her gaze fixed on Niamh.
I glanced at Deaghlan. He was taller than most of the men I’d ever met, other than Aodhan. His black hair had been cut since the last time I’d seen him, making him appear less rakish.
He didn’t greet us, just stared into space. I wasn’t sure how to react to this version of Deaghlan. He wasn’t making lewd jokes or demeaning us in anyway. It was almost disturbing.
It’s time to go, Niamh told me.
I turned to Ethan. “Ready?”
“Let’s go,” he said, standing.
My parents and their guards will go ahead. Aodhan and I will stay with you to show you the way. Once we get there, we’ll split up.
The walk to the mountain was quiet. Aodhan marched ahead like a soldier going into battle, his face rigid with determination. It reminded me of the first night we’d met in Thunder Bay. If not for Aodhan, it was possible Liam would have died that night.
Niamh stayed by my side, as did Ethan. She held her head high as we walked, reminding me of a goddess from my Greek history book. I felt very insignificant beside her. She radiated confidence and I knew she would fight until the end to capture Aoife. She might not be willing to kill her, but now that she knew about Aoife’s scheme to tear Aodhan from her, she had little sympathy for her sister.
I know you worry I blame you Allison. But you couldn’t be more wrong.
I was surprised, even though I shouldn’t have been. I hadn’t focused on keeping her out of my head, since it was the only way we could communicate.
I’m still sorry. If I were stronger, I would’ve been able to stop Aoife before everything got so out of hand.
She shook her head.
You are stronger than many women of the Tuatha De Danaan could ever hope to be. You just don’t see yourself clearly.
I smirked. Thank you. But I hope you know how much I hated agreeing to what she wanted.
She kept her eyes forward. I do.
When we got to the base of the mountain, the sun was just beginning to paint the sky a pale peach on the horizon. Niamh held up a finger and closed her eyes. We waited as she tried to communicate with Saoirse.
They’ve located the entrance Samantha and Ciarán must have used. It’s around the west side, up a narrow trail that forks up to the right. You’ll know you’re in the right place because a rocky outcropping marks the site of an old landslide. Follow the trail around the rocks and you’ll see the mouth of the mine entrance.
Ethan slid his hand into mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply through my nose. We were really going to do this. Niamh and Aodhan would give us a head start to get to where Ciarán and Samantha were being held. Once I signaled we’d released them, Niamh and Aodhan would enter from the opposite side of the mine. They would find Aoife and trap her once again.
I looked at Aodhan and his answering gaze was so full of conviction, I felt a renewed sense of self-confidence.
Ethan and I walked through a field of purple wildflowers to the west until we found the trail. It started off easy enough, but grew steep and rocky. I took my time finding safe footing. A twisted ankle would mess up the entire scheme.
Once we came to the fork, we walked around the piles of rocks where we found the opening just as Niamh described it. Once inside the mine, it was as dark as a moonless night. I reached into my pocket and pulled out the tiny spheres Niamh had given me. They were fey lights and when I held one out, it lit the tunnel enough for us to see where we were going. I passed one to Ethan, and he gripped my hand and pulled me against his chest.
“Stay close to me,” he whispered into my hair.
I nodded into his shirt.
“Promise?”
“I promise,” I said, my voice muffled against the smooth fabric.
The cave formed a winding tunnel and we couldn’t see very far ahead as we walked. I listened for any sounds that would indicate we were getting closer to Samantha.
The tunnel opened up and we could either go along a narrow ledge with a high ceiling or continue down another dark tunnel. Pressure settled in my chest as I looked for any indication of which way we should go.
“Which way?” Ethan said, his voice low as he paced from one side of the tunnel to the other.
I stepped forward, focusing on the tunnel first. I couldn’t see very far inside even with the fey light flaring. I looked to the right, at the place where the cavern opened into a ledge.
I glanced over my shoulder at Ethan. “Let’s try the ledge first.”
“Okay, do you hear anything?”
“No,” I said, shrugging. “Just following my gut.”
“That’s the best we’ve got,” he said, walking ahead of me and putting up his hand. “Let me just see if it’ll hold us.”
I bounced on the balls of my feet while Ethan threw a few small boulders to see if the ledge was stable. The last time we walked across a narrow path like this, the whole thing collapsed under Liam’s feet. Which might have been caused by Aoife, but I might never know for sure.
“Let’s go,” he said, gesturing for me to follow him.
At the end of the ledge, there was a wide bend leading to another tunnel. We followed the tunnel, only seeing as far as our fey lights allowed. I froze when I heard a wet, dripping sound beyond the light.
“I’ll see if I can find where that’s coming from,” he said, creeping forward. I waited, the dripping noise tapping a beat in the darkness ahead.
A crunching sound echoed in the tunnel and two things happened before my mind could process what I was seeing. The ground beneath Ethan’s feet shifted and crumbled and he vaulted forward, tumbling into a hole in the cave floor.
I screamed, my feet carrying me forward without thought. I fell to my knees at the edge of the hole. Ethan was ten feet down in several inches of water. He bellowed in pain, his fingers scrabbling against the jagged walls of the hole.
“Ethan,” I said, looking around trying to figure out how I could get him out of there.
A steady drip of water hit him in the center of his head, and he was alternating between trying to climb the wall and cover his head with his tunic.
“It’s burning me, it’s like acid,” he yelled, his voice hoarse.
My heart dropped. I tried to shimmy down and reach my hand to him to help him climb, but he was just out of my reach, frantically trying to climb out of the pool at his feet.
I scanned the ground around me, not even sure what I was looking for, just hoping for some divine inspiration to get to Ethan.
A patch of small stalagmites jutted off the cave floor and I scuttled over to them and hooked my foot behind one, lowering my upper body down to where I would be able to grab his hand.
“Ethan, over here,” I said as loud as I could so he’d hear me over his own shouts.
He turned and saw me hanging over the edge of the pit and hurried through the burning liquid. He tripped and landed hard on one knee, howling in pain. Without hesitation, he jumped back up and made his way to me.
He reached up and grabbed my hand, his body trembling with shock and pain. With effort I was able to support him as he used my body to lever himself up out of the water. His hands found a crack along the wall and he climbed up the side and heaved himself up next to me. Using all my strength, I pulled myself back up, dropping beside him.
His hands were shaking so badly, they fluttered uselessly against the fabric of his pants.
“Are you trying to take them off?” I asked, not sure if touching him would hurt him worse.
“Y-yes. It’s burning my skin.”
I knelt beside him, yanked my sleeves over my fingers and pulled his boots off, throwing th
em to the side. He was able to remove his socks and wiggle his pants down and I helped him pull them off his feet.
He blew out a shuddering breath and dropped down on his back. His chest heaved as he tried to breathe through the pain.
“What can I do?” I asked.
“I’ll be okay, just give me a minute.”
I sat back on my feet, and closed my eyes.
We’re coming, Niamh said in my head.
The sound of footsteps echoed from the direction we were heading.
Niamh and Aodhan blurred to a halt just in front of Ethan. Aodhan looked down into the pit then back at Ethan and me.
“What’s down there?” he asked.
“It’s some kind of acid,” Ethan said, his teeth chattering. The skin on his feet and up to his thigh on one leg was deep red and blistered. When he looked up, I saw spots where the acid had splashed on his forehead and his cheeks were raw, as well.
“There’s nobody here,” Niamh said quietly as she knelt down beside me.
“What?”
“When I saw Ethan falling in your mind, we came in the front way. We saw the rooms where you’d seen Liam and the others, but they’re empty. Aoife is nowhere to be found, either.”
“Oh, no,” I said, deflating.
“This looks like some kind of trap,” Aodhan said as he inspected the gaping hole Ethan had fallen in.
“We should have known,” I said, shaking my head.
“What do you mean?” Ethan said, his face pale and strained.
“She knows everything I do. Charging in here trying to trick her was stupid.”
“That kind of talk will get you nowhere, Allison,” Aodhan said, eying me with disappointment.
I exhaled and got to my feet.
“Are you able to walk?” I asked Ethan.
He squeezed his eyes shut and wincing, got to his feet.
“Yeah, my skin hurts, but I’ll be fine.”
Seeing his pain, I reached for him, but faltered. “I’m so sorry.”
He narrowed his eyes at me, reaching out his own hand to grasp my shoulder. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“You shouldn’t be here, I wish more than anything you hadn’t been dragged into this.”
