Into the Fire (The Thin Veil)

by Jodi McIsaac

  “I can be there in two hours,” he said.

  After hanging up, she came back into the living room.

  “You should sleep,” Finn said. “There’s nothing we can do until he gets here.”

  “We should have a plan,” Cedar said, but her thoughts were sluggish and her body ached with exhaustion.

  “Later,” he said, guiding her into the reclining armchair and covering her with a soft blanket. “Sleep now. We have no idea what tomorrow will bring.”

  Cedar awoke a few hours later to the sound of muffled voices. She opened her eyes and winced at the crick in her neck. The voices were coming from the kitchen, and she stood stiffly and headed toward them. Liam, Felix, and Finn, who was holding Eden, were sitting around Logheryman’s rickety kitchen table. “Hey,” Cedar said groggily. Liam stood at once and pulled out a chair for her.

  “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Um… I guess so,” she said, still trying to clear the cobwebs from her brain. “As well as can be expected, I suppose. What time is it?” In truth, she felt like she’d been hit by a train, but of the three females in the house, she certainly had the least reason to complain.

  “Three a.m. I’ve looked at Eden, and though I’m no doctor, I’d say that Felix is right. She’s hiding in there,” he said in his soft lilt.

  “So how do we convince her to come out?” Cedar said.

  “Well, there is one thing that could work.… It’s a fairly advanced spell,” he said. “In fact, it’s one of the last things I taught Maeve. She was just starting to get the hang of it when—well, when we lost touch.”

  Cedar wondered why he and Maeve had lost touch so completely when they had obviously been very close. She added it to her mental list of things to ask him when they had more time.

  Liam continued. “I can create a potion that will allow you to enter Eden’s mind. She’s dreaming, you see, and this potion will allow you to join her in that dream. When she sees you, she’ll feel safe, and you can guide her out.”

  “How will I do that?” Cedar asked.

  “You are firmly tethered to this world, this reality,” he said. “I think it should be fairly easy for you to gently, and safely, bring her out of her own mind and back into the waking world. You want to come back, you need to come back. And if you’re with her, she’ll want to come back too.”

  Cedar looked over at Finn and Felix. “What do you think?” she asked.

  “I’ve heard of such a potion before,” Felix asked. “But I’ve never seen it used. I can’t say how it will work.”

  “Can I do it?” Finn asked. “Instead of Cedar?”

  Liam nodded thoughtfully. “You could, theoretically. But forgive me for saying that in this case the bond between mother and daughter is perhaps a bit stronger.”

  Finn flushed but said nothing. He was well aware that he’d missed most of Eden’s life.

  “Okay,” Cedar said. “Let’s do it. How long will it take?”

  “That I cannot say,” Liam said. “But make sure she feels confident and relaxed before you suggest leaving the safe place she has created. Is there somewhere you can both lie down?”

  “The bedroom,” Finn said.

  “I’ll watch him prepare it,” Felix said.

  “Of course,” Liam replied calmly, ignoring the implied suspicion. “I brought all the necessary ingredients, plus some extras in case you need them in the future.” The two of them headed into the kitchen, and Finn carried Eden into the bedroom. Cedar followed them. The room was plain, with chipped beige walls and musty blue curtains. The bed was unmade.

  “Where do you think he is?” Cedar asked, pulling up the covers. She’d been so preoccupied with Jane and Eden that she’d barely spared a thought for the leprechaun. The last time she’d seen him, he had helped them—for a price. She hoped he was okay.

  “I don’t know,” Finn said as he laid Eden down, resting her head against the pillow. “But from what I know of Logheryman, he can take care of himself. He may just be traveling.”

  She looked down at the still, small figure on the bed, and smoothed Eden’s forehead with her hand. “It’s okay, baby,” she whispered. “Mummy’s coming to get you.”

  There was a knock on the open door, and Liam came in carrying a tray with two mugs. Felix followed, and nodded at Finn and Cedar.

  “This is going to work, right?” Cedar asked Liam nervously.

  “There’s no reason why it shouldn’t,” Liam said. “And if it doesn’t, it just means she’s not ready yet. It won’t harm either of you. Are you ready?”

  Cedar nodded, and Liam propped Eden up a little so he could pour some of the potion between her lips. She swallowed reflexively, and then he eased her back down onto the pillows. “Now hold her hand, or put your arms around her,” he said. “The two of you need to be in constant physical contact.” Cedar gathered Eden into her arms, and then accepted the mug he handed her with one hand. She looked over the rim as she took a sip, and met Finn’s eyes, which were filled with worry.

  “I’ll be back soo…,” she started to say, and then everything went black.

  CHAPTER 9

  When Cedar opened her eyes, her first thought was that she had gone through a sidh… or back in time. She was standing on the veranda of Maeve’s house in the country, the house where she’d grown up. The sky was a bright blue, brighter than she’d ever seen it, and the smell of the ocean was so crisp and strong it made her eyes water. Was this the inside of Eden’s mind? She hadn’t thought it would feel so real.

  She looked around for Eden, expecting her to be close by. When she didn’t see her, she turned to look inside the house. Then her ears picked up a faint scraping sound, and she stopped to listen. Scrape, scrape, scrape. It sounded like digging. She stepped off the veranda and turned toward the sound. That was when she saw her.

  Eden was kneeling in the fresh soil of Maeve’s grave. Her arms were covered in dirt up to her elbows, and there were muddy smears on her cheeks and forehead. She was digging in the grave with her bare hands, making a small mound of dirt beside her. Eden was crying, and saying, “I want Baby Bunny, I want Baby Bunny…” in a small, plaintive voice.

  Cedar rushed over to her daughter. “Eden!” she called, and then she slowed down, remembering Liam’s warning not to frighten her. But Eden acted as if she didn’t hear her. She kept right on digging. “Eden, it’s Mummy!” Cedar said, clearly but softly. Then she noticed another figure lying in the yard.

  “Mum,” Cedar whispered. Maeve’s body was lying in the gravel where Nuala had shot her. Her white blouse and bright yellow skirt were covered in dirt and blood. Cedar rushed forward, her eyes fixed on her mother. She knelt down, tears welling in her eyes. She reached out to brush the blood-matted hair off Maeve’s face, and then screamed and jumped back. Instead of Maeve lying dead on the ground, Cedar was now staring at her own lifeless body. Her green eyes were open and sightless, though they looked right at her. Her mouth was the most disturbing thing of all; it was wide open in a tortured, silent scream.

  “What’s the matter, Cedar? Scared of your own mortality?”

  Cedar ripped her eyes away from her gruesome doppelgänger and saw Nuala standing next to her. She scrambled to her feet. “What are you doing here? Are you part of Eden’s dream?”

  Nuala paced around Cedar in a circle, like a lioness sizing up her next meal. “I am,” she said. “As much as you are. It seems as though we both share a bond with little Eden now, doesn’t it?”

  Cedar grew cold. “What are you talking about?”

  “Didn’t she tell you? Eden and I have dream-walked together before.”

  “But you’re not with us now, not in real life,” Cedar protested, wondering if Nuala had somehow overpowered Felix, Finn, and Liam and was now lying on Logheryman’s bed with her and Eden.

  “I don’t need to be,” Nuala said. “But I am glad that you’re here. The Council is being very… stubborn, shall we say. They insist on giving you a chance.
Of course, if you don’t return from your little escapade, they’ll hardly be able to blame me. I’ve been in Tír na nÓg all this time, busy making friends.”

  “I’m not afraid of you,” Cedar said. She could tell that Nuala’s power wasn’t having an effect on her, not here in Eden’s mind. There wasn’t any of the usual fogginess she felt when the other woman spoke to her. “You can’t hurt us here.”

  “Mmm, maybe… but then again, maybe not.” She snapped her head around to face Eden, who was still digging in the grave. “Eden!” she called.

  This time, Eden heard. She looked up, her eyes widening in horror when she saw Nuala. She jumped to her feet and started backing away. “No, not you,” she whimpered. “Leave me alone, please!”

  “Eden?” Cedar said. “Can you hear me now?”

  Eden stopped backing away and looked at Cedar. “Mummy?” she said in a small, hopeful voice. Then she noticed the body on the ground, and her face crumpled. She ran toward it, looking back and forth between Cedar and the body in confusion.

  “It’s okay, honey,” Nuala said, walking slowly toward the child. “Your mother is dead, see. But you’ll be okay. I’m going to look after you now.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Cedar snapped. “I’m right here, Eden. I’m not dead.”

  “That’s just what your mind wants you to believe,” Nuala said, kneeling down to Eden’s level. “I’m so sorry, sweetheart. But don’t worry. I’ll take care of you.”

  “You killed my mum?” Eden asked, her eyes wide.

  “No, of course not, my dear. She did this to herself. She was reckless, dragging you all over the world looking for the Lia Fáil. It’s her own fault. She left you alone. But I’m here now. You can trust me.”

  Slowly, Eden knelt down beside the body on the ground. Cedar put her hand on her daughter’s shoulder and said, “Eden, it’s okay, I’m right here. This is just a dream. I’m not dead, and I’ve come to get you.” Eden looked at her, but didn’t seem to register what she was saying; her eyes were still fixed on the dead Cedar. Then she stood up, and Cedar jumped back.

  Her six-year-old daughter had morphed into someone she had never seen before. This woman had Eden’s wavy brown hair and olive skin, but was taller than Cedar. Holding her head up high, she slowly turned to face Nuala.

  “You!” Nuala hissed. The woman tilted her head slightly.

  “Did you miss me?” she asked in a teasing voice. “The Morrigan has not yet claimed you, I see.”

  “That was just a dream,” Nuala said through her teeth. “This is just a dream.”

  “Is it? I think we both know that’s not quite true,” the woman said.

  Cedar stared at her. She looked a bit like her daughter, or how her daughter might look in twenty years… could it be? “Eden?” she asked tentatively. The woman swiveled around.

  “Mum,” she said, her voice suddenly stern. “You’re not safe here. You should go.”

  “What are you talking about? I came to get you, to wake you up. I’m not leaving without you.”

  Eden nudged Cedar’s body on the ground with her toe. “Let’s get rid of this,” she said, and the body dissolved into nothing. “Now seriously, Mum, you should go. I’ll be right behind you.”

  Cedar stood her ground. “I don’t care how old you look, I am not leaving you alone here with her.”

  “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. I can take care of her,” Eden said.

  “Is that what you think?” Nuala’s voice came out in a snarl. “When you fled deep into your own mind to save yourself? You’re not even safe here. You’re not safe anywhere. I will always be able to find you.”

  Suddenly Nuala wrapped her hands around Cedar’s throat. Eden let out a snarl and advanced on them, but Nuala sent her sprawling in the dirt with a fierce kick. Cedar gasped for air, but nothing could get through. She clawed at Nuala’s arms, but they were like steel. “Forget about the Lia Fáil. Forget about becoming queen.” She dropped Cedar to the ground and stood over her.

  “No,” Cedar gasped through shallow and ragged breaths.

  “What?” Nuala snapped.

  Cedar struggled to her feet. “I will never stop fighting you,” she said, her eyes locked with Nuala’s. “You should be the one who’s afraid. When I find the Lia Fáil and prove that I am the true queen, you’re going to wish you had never messed with my family.”

  Nuala laughed derisively. “What are you going to do, human me to death?” she said. “You’ve already used that trick once, and it won’t work on me.”

  She wrapped her hands around Cedar’s neck again and squeezed. Already weakened by the first attack, Cedar was powerless to stop her. “I gave you a chance,” Nuala said. “But you just don’t learn, do you? Don’t worry, you won’t die alone. I’ll kill them all; everyone you love. In fact, I think I’ll start with your friends here in Tír na nÓg. They’re being rounded up as we speak. Such a pity you weren’t there to save them this time.”

  Cedar could feel her mind shutting down. Great black patches swam in front of her eyes, obscuring her vision. She looked around for Eden, but everything was an indiscriminate blur. And then she was on the ground again, pulling in desperate, painful breaths. As her vision started to clear, she could make out someone standing in front of her. The hem of a black lace gown drifted by like smoke. It was Eden, or rather the woman Eden would become. Her voice was deep, dark, and filled with power.

  “Someday, Fionnghuala, we will meet in the waking world, when I have come into my full power. You had better hope you are dead by then.”

  Then Cedar felt herself being picked up. The next thing she knew, she was staring at the ceiling of Logheryman’s bedroom. The first rays of dawn were struggling to make it through the grime on the room’s only window. There was shouting, and when she turned her head, she saw that Finn had pressed Liam up against the wall, his hands at the other man’s throat.

  “Stop,” she croaked.

  Finn dropped the druid and rushed to her side, his eyes half-mad with worry. Felix was there too, she noticed now. He was kneeling at the bedside, his shirtsleeves rolled to his elbows.

  “Mummy?” Eden said, looking around groggily, her hair a sweaty mess on her forehead.

  Finn fell onto them both. “Ow,” Cedar said, and he quickly shifted to give her more space.

  “You’re okay,” he said, holding her hands tightly in his, like he would never let them go. “You did it.”

  Cedar shook her head gingerly and then winced. She took one of her hands from Finn’s grasp, and ran her fingers over her throat. Her neck felt bruised and raw, just as it had in the dreamworld. “Yes,” she said. “It wasn’t as easy as I thought.” She looked over at Liam, who had stood up and was hovering in the corner. “What’s going on? Why were you shouting?”

  “We thought you were dying,” Finn said, with a glare at Liam. “We couldn’t wake you up, but you were having trouble breathing. It was like someone was choking you.”

  “Someone was choking me,” she said. “But it wasn’t Liam’s fault.” She told them what had happened. Eden’s jaw dropped when Cedar told them the part about seeing Eden’s older self, and how she had saved Cedar from Nuala.

  “I don’t remember that part at all,” Eden said. “I just remember looking for Baby Bunny and being scared. And then… then I saw you on the ground.” Her lip trembled, and she looked like she was on the verge of tears.

  Cedar hugged her close. “It’s okay now,” she said. “We’re both okay.” She looked at the others. “From what Nuala said, I could tell that she and Eden had shared dreams before.” She turned to Eden. “Honey, do you remember anything like that?”

  Eden thought for a moment. “I think so,” she said. “Gran gave us each something to drink, and it was supposed to help me figure out what Tír na nÓg looked like so I could open the sidh for Nuala. But it didn’t work.”

  Cedar stared at her. “Gran?” Right before her death, Maeve had told Cedar that she’d tried to he
lp Nuala get to Tír na nÓg in the hopes of saving Eden from all the Tuatha Dé Danann. But she had only mentioned using the starstones, not this.

  Liam was pale. “I’m so sorry, Cedar. If I had known…”

  “Is that why Nuala’s been able to mess with Eden’s mind? Because she did this dream-thing with her?” Cedar asked.

  “It makes sense,” Liam said. “She’s not working alone. This is powerful druid magic. But yes, that dream-share would have created a bond between them that would make Eden more susceptible—”

  “How can we stop her?” Cedar interrupted. “What can we do to block her out of Eden’s head?”

  “I… I don’t know,” Liam said. “I’ll need to do some research, and maybe some tests. It’s possible, though, especially since Eden is a sidh-closer. Perhaps we can amplify her power or teach her to block Nuala.”

  “There’s something else,” Cedar said, looking anxiously at Finn and Felix. “Nuala said that the others back in Tír na nÓg are being rounded up. She said she’s going to kill them.”

  Finn and Felix exchanged worried glances.

  “Do you think she was telling the truth?” Felix said tentatively. “Maybe she was just trying to scare you so that we’ll stop looking for the Lia Fáil.”

  “Can we really take that chance?” Cedar said. “Our starstones were in my apartment—in the fire. We have no way of getting in touch with the others. We’ll have to go back.”

  A silence fell on the room. After a few long moments, Finn said, “It might be a trap.”