Into the Fire (The Thin Veil)

by Jodi McIsaac

  “Oh, stop with the dramatics,” Brighid said. “You saved her life. She couldn’t possibly have survived the force of the spells you absorbed. They nearly killed you. Apparently the druids have lost none of their power during their exile on Ériu.”

  “Where did the druids go, Mummy?” Eden asked. “And how did you make a sidh without a door?”

  “I… I don’t know how I did it, baby,” Cedar said. “I just knew that I could. Maybe it’s because I’m older. But I think your father is right, and that you don’t need the doors either. As for where the druids went… well, all I can say is that I hope it worked.”

  “What worked?” Finn asked.

  “I remembered something Liam told me the first day I met him, when I was trying to get into Maeve’s workshop. He said that even if I somehow got in, I’d never be able to get out. So… that’s where I sent them.”

  Jane looked slightly sickened. “So they’re stuck in there… forever?”

  “I don’t think so,” Cedar said. “I was able to make a sidh to get them in there, so I’m sure we’ll be able to get them out once we’ve decided what to do with them.”

  Under the light of the moon Cedar could make out the body lying on top of the Mound of Hostages. She climbed up the hill and crouched down beside it. She knew she should be glad he was dead, but she felt her eyes prick with tears and an uncomfortable tightness in her throat. She felt Finn’s hand on her shoulder.

  “It’s okay to be upset,” he said.

  She shook her head. “It was all a lie,” she said. “I was so foolish. You didn’t trust him. I should have listened to you. He almost killed you.”

  “He fooled all of us,” Finn said. “Don’t blame yourself. You’ve always wanted a father, and he pretended to be one.”

  Cedar looked at Liam’s face, which was softer and kinder in death. Maybe he would have been different if Maeve had returned his love. Maybe he really would have been the gentle, wise man she’d thought him to be. She touched the bracelet on her wrist and wondered if it had really belonged to her adoptive mother, or if that, too, had been a lie. She took it off and was about to toss it onto the ground, but instead she tucked it into her pocket. Perhaps someday she would find the truth.

  “What are we going to do with the body?” Jane asked. She had come up the hill and was standing beside them, while Felix had stayed below with Eden and was talking with Brighid and Abhartach.

  “Well, we are standing on top of a tomb,” Finn pointed out. He lifted Liam’s body and carried it down the hill. “Cedar, do you think you could give us a little light? Without burning us to a crisp, that is?”

  Cedar opened one of her hands, and a tower of white fire shot up from her palm. Her companions jumped back, and Cedar snapped her hand shut. “So cool,” Eden whispered, opening her own hand and scowling at it in disappointment.

  “Sorry,” Cedar said. “Let me try again.” Slowly, she opened her fist again, and a small ball of white fire rose up from her palm. She walked into the passage ahead of Finn and led him all the way to the back. There he laid Liam’s body down. He called out to Felix, who translated his request to Abhartach, and then several melon-sized rocks floated through the entrance of the passage. Finn plucked them from the air and placed them over Liam’s body. “There,” he said when the body was completely covered. “A cairn inside one of the world’s oldest tombs. A better burial than he deserves.”

  They walked out and Cedar propped the gate back up against the entrance. “I suppose this is where we say good-bye for now,” she said to Brighid and Abhartach. “We need to take the Lia Fáil back to Tír na nÓg.”

  “You don’t seem to be in any hurry,” Brighid said with a sly smile. “You’re the queen now, Cedar. Time to start acting like it.”

  Cedar laughed nervously. “I think you’d be better suited to be queen than I am, dear Brighid. But… we still have Nuala to deal with, so yes, I suppose I need to go and claim my throne.”

  “That sounds so weird,” Jane said. “So listen… I know I’m not one of you guys, but… can I come? To Tír na nÓg? I have the rest of the week off from work anyway, since, you know, you made me miss my geek convention.”

  “Of course!” Cedar said at once, before swiveling around to look at Finn and Felix. “I mean… she can, can’t she?”

  “You make the decisions now,” Felix said with a grin. “But yes, it should be fine. We’ve had humans in Tír na nÓg before. Of course, it’s been a few centuries, but they all seemed to have a good time.”

  “I’ll be able to come back to Earth, though, right?” Jane asked, eyeing him with suspicion. “I’m not going to age a hundred years while I’m there or anything? ’Cause I do have a life to come back to and all.”

  Felix laughed. “You’ll only age a hundred years if you stay for a hundred years,” he said. “Brid, Abe, you coming too?”

  “Tempting,” Brighid said. “But I think I’ll wait until you get things sorted out. Abhartach and I have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “Don’t take too long to visit,” Cedar said. “Okay, let’s go. But first, I think the three of us should have a drink of this.” She rummaged in the backpack and pulled out the bottle Brighid had given her, filled with the potion that would protect them against Nuala’s power.

  Brighid nodded in agreement. “A small sip should do it,” she said. “There may be others who will need it before this is finished.” Cedar tilted the bottle to her lips and felt the sweet, honey-like substance trickle down her throat, then passed the bottle to Felix, who took a sip and then passed it to Jane.

  “Okay,” she said, slipping the vial into her pocket. “Now we’re ready.”

  She picked up the Lia Fáil, which now seemed light in her arms. “Eden, do you want to try opening the sidh without a door? Let’s go right to the Council room in the Great Hall.”

  Eden scrunched up her nose in concentration. She focused her eyes on the air in front of her, as though staring down some invisible person. And then it happened. The air in front of her started to shimmer and dance, and through the veil Cedar could see the Council members seated in their circle of white chairs.

  “I did it!” Eden said, jumping up and down.

  “I knew you could,” Cedar said, and kissed the top of her head. She took a deep, steadying breath and thanked Brighid and Abhartach one more time before turning to give Finn a wry smile. “Why do I have the feeling that the hardest part is yet to come?” Then, clutching the Lia Fáil in her arms, she stepped through the sidh.

  CHAPTER 15

  Cedar would always remember the scene they walked into when they stepped through the sidh and into the Council chambers. The Council was sitting in their customary circle, goblets of wine in their hands or on small glass tables between their chairs. Trays of fruit rested beside them. They were engaged in a heated discussion.

  “We said we’d give her a week! We must honor that!” Gorman was saying.

  Sorcha, the tall, reedy blonde, tossed her hair behind her shoulder. “We’re wasting time,” she snapped. “It is impos—”

  She stopped mid-sentence, her mouth gaping open as she stared at the group that was emerging from thin air in front of her. Some of the Council members jumped up, others sat frozen in shock. Someone knocked over a tray of fruit. A large grin formed on Gorman’s face, but the rest looked as though they had been sucker-punched.

  It was a very satisfying reception.

  Cedar strode forward, holding the Lia Fáil in her arms. Eden and Finn flanked her, and Felix and Jane followed behind. “I have done as you asked,” Cedar said, holding out the Lia Fáil as though it weighed no more than a baby. “I have brought back the Lia Fáil.”

  “Impossible,” Sorcha seethed, trying to glare at them all at once. “Where did you find it?”

  “Hidden in the Mound of Hostages at Tara,” Cedar answered calmly.

  “Is this a trick? This cannot be the true Lia Fáil,” Deaglán said dismissively. He strode forward. “It has be
en lost for centuries. If it was truly at Tara all this time, someone would have found it. You have brought us a fake. The Council does not look kindly on those who try to deceive us, Miss McLeod.”

  “Airgetlam,” Cedar said.

  “I beg your pardon?”

  “My name is Cedar mac Airgetlam,” she answered loudly. “I am the daughter of Brogan and Kier mac Airgetlam, and a descendent of Nuadu of the Silver Hand, one of the first kings of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Do not mock me or call me a liar, councilman.”

  He looked at her through narrowed eyes. “You might feign confidence, but you are still human, no matter who your parents were. And no human will ever rule the Tuatha Dé Danann. Fionnghuala is our rightful queen!”

  “Listen closely, and you will hear that I have the Lýra, just as you do. And if that’s too subtle for your stubborn ears, then maybe you’ll be able to hear this.” She threw the stone down at Deaglán’s feet, where it slammed into the ground with enough force to rattle several of the goblets of wine. Then, casting her gaze around at all the Council members, she stepped up onto it.

  The roar of the stone was as thunderous as it had been on Earth. Cedar could feel the power of it coursing through her body. Any of the Council members who had remained seated were now on their feet. Then Gorman fell to his knees, his head bowed, and the elf-like councilwoman called Maran did the same. The stone continued to roar, and Cedar made no move to step down.

  “What the hell is going on?”

  Cedar didn’t have to look to know who had just arrived. The roar of the stone was unmistakable; she was sure it could be heard all over Tír na nÓg. Slowly, Cedar turned and met Nuala’s enraged eyes. She was standing outside the circle of Council members, her face like a stone but her eyes blazing.

  Cedar stepped off the stone, and it fell silent. “You lost,” she said simply.

  For a moment, Nuala seemed bereft of speech. Then she recovered herself. “You have tricked the Council,” she said loudly, her voice rich with power. The ivy-haired woman who had fallen to her knees stood up, looking at Nuala in confusion. The others looked bewildered too.

  Cedar reached into her pocket and wrapped her hand around Brighid’s potion. She heard a commotion over her shoulder and turned to see Rohan, Riona, and Gorman’s wife, Seisyll, rush into the courtyard.

  “We heard the roar, and we knew it must be the stone,” Riona said, her face glowing with pride. “You did it!” Cedar seized her opportunity. She pulled Riona in for a tight hug as Finn and the others accepted their friends’ congratulations.

  “Everyone on the Council needs to drink this,” she whispered into Riona’s ear, slipping the vial into her hands. “The wine is our best chance, I think.” Riona paused for only a heartbeat, and then nodded.

  “You heard the stone roar,” Cedar said, facing Nuala once more. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Riona whispering to Seisyll. “You know what it means. If you doubt me, why don’t you come and stand on it. Then we will know for sure.”

  Nuala tossed her hair behind her shoulder and marched forward, stopping just shy of the Lia Fáil. “I don’t need to prove that I should be queen of the Tuatha Dé Danann. Who else will restore Ériu to us? Who else will bring back the druids? Not you. It doesn’t matter that you can make this old rock roar—probably using a spell your druid mother taught you—what matters is what’s best for our people. I am best for our people”

  Some of the Council members were nodding and murmuring their agreement. Seisyll had pulled Gorman aside and was speaking to him in a hushed voice. He returned to the circle, and cleared his throat. “This matter can be settled later!” he cried jovially. “For now, let us celebrate the return of one of our most sacred treasures—the Lia Fáil, which our forefathers brought from Falias. Now all the four treasures have been reunited, and it is an occasion of great joy! I propose a toast. Seisyll, if you would be so kind…”

  Seisyll nodded graciously and raised her hand, causing the decanter of wine to soar through the air and freshen the glasses of everyone in the courtyard. “To the Lia Fáil!” Gorman cried, lifting his glass in a toast, and then draining its contents. Still looking shell-shocked, the other Council members hesitated for a moment but then followed his example. Cedar let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. Even Nuala accepted a glass and muttered, “To the Lia Fáil,” before taking a small sip.

  After setting her glass down on one of the tables, Nuala smiled dangerously. “Thank you, Cedar, for returning the Lia Fáil. You have done us a great service once more. But this one act does not entitle you to the throne. The Council has already made their decision.”

  “Uh… that’s not quite true,” Gorman said, clearing his throat once more.

  “Silence, you idiot!” Nuala lashed out. “Deaglán, I command you to remove this fool from the Council. We no longer need his advice.” Nuala turned to face Cedar, clearly confident that Deaglán would carry out her orders without question. Cedar watched Deaglán flush, but he made no attempt to approach Gorman, who looked outraged.

  “You… command me?” Deaglán said, as though he wasn’t sure he had heard her correctly. Nuala sighed and rolled her eyes before glaring at him over her shoulder.

  “You heard me. Get rid of him.”

  “I don’t take orders from you,” he said softly.

  “Since wh—” Nuala stopped short, then slowly turned to face him. Cedar could feel her uncertainty. She watched as Nuala’s face hardened. “Sorcha, was it not decided that I should be queen?” Nuala said. She spoke clearly and loudly, venom tracing every syllable.

  Sorcha looked affronted. “We… we determined that if Cedar could complete the quest and return with the Lia Fáil, she would be the rightful queen.”

  “This isn’t happening,” Nuala muttered to herself. She pointed a shaking finger at Cedar. “She is a human! She is trying to trick you! She is completely unfit to rule our people.” She took a deep breath. “Make me your queen. Now.”

  No one moved. Cedar held out her hand and allowed a burst of flame to rise up from her palm, shooting several feet in the air. Then she closed her fingers and it was gone. All eyes in the room were fixed on her. Concentrating hard, she opened a sidh in the air in front of her and walked through it—reappearing on the other side of the courtyard. Finn was grinning as he closed the sidh behind her. “Show-off,” he muttered. Cedar resisted the urge to smirk at the look on Nuala’s face.

  “Does anyone still think of me as human?” she asked. There was silence. “I’m afraid that Nuala is right,” she continued. “You have been deceived. But not by me.” Her meaning hung thickly in the air.

  Amras, the tall, elf-like councilman, stared at Nuala and asked, “You would dare use your ability on the Council?”

  “Of course not,” Nuala snapped. Her voice was confident, but her eyes darted around nervously. “She’s lying.”

  “She’s not,” Sorcha said, a look of disgust on her face. “You deceived us all, didn’t you? I can see it clearly now.” Beside her, Deaglán was trembling.

  “Deaglán,” Nuala pleaded, moving toward him. “Deaglán, my love, you must believe me, I would never…”

  “Believe you?” he said. “Believe you? How could you? I thought…” Cedar watched as the reality of Nuala’s betrayal started to sink in; his expression transformed from shock to disbelief to hurt to—very quickly—rage. He started advancing on Nuala. “You made a fool out of me,” he snarled. “You used me!”

  “I didn’t, I swear,” Nuala said, taking a step back. Cedar watched as Gorman pulled Seisyll close to him, within the protection of his shield. Finn walked up behind her, and whispered in her ear. “Stay back.”

  “Why?” she asked, unable to take her eyes off Nuala and Deaglán, who was still raging at her. Finn didn’t answer—he just led her back a few paces, beside Rohan and Felix.

  “I loved you, I truly did!” Nuala was saying. “It wasn’t a trick!”

  “Liar!” Deaglán bellowed. He pi
cked Nuala up by the front of her dress and held her a foot in the air.

  “Put me down!” she demanded, kicking at him, but it was like kicking the side of a mountain and expecting it to move.

  Finn and Felix stepped forward at the same time. “Deaglán, let her go,” Finn said. “There are other ways to deal with her.”

  Deaglán ignored them. “Tell them the truth,” he snarled at Nuala.

  “I only did it to help you!” she said. “You wanted it—Ériu, the return of the druids—I know you did. You just needed a little… help to make it happen.”

  “Who else did you deceive? What else have you made us do against our own will?” he demanded.

  “Nothing!” she said, still struggling fruitlessly to free herself from his grasp.

  “Deaglán…,” Gorman said in a warning voice. “You need to put her down. The Council will address her crimes.”

  Deaglán opened his fist, and Nuala crumpled to the floor.

  “Did you force Liam to help you?” Cedar asked, stepping forward. Nuala looked up at her with absolute hatred. Slowly, she stood and brushed off her dress.

  “Liam didn’t need any persuading,” she said. “The promise of revenge on Brogan’s people was enough for him.”

  “What are you talking about?” Deaglán snarled.

  Cedar answered him. “She promised the druids on Ériu full equality with the Tuatha Dé Danann if they helped her become queen. They attacked us several times as we looked for the Lia Fáil. They tormented Eden and nearly drove her out of her mind. They tortured Finn and nearly killed my friend Jane. They would have killed all of us in the end, I think.”

  “She’s a lying bitch!” Nuala cried. “Deaglán, you have to protect me! You must love me!”

  That was the wrong thing to say.

  Deaglán let out a roar of fury, and before anyone could react, Nuala lay facedown on the ground. Deaglán was standing over her, blood dripping off his elbows, his fist clenched around her heart.

  There were several moments of shocked silence. Deaglán stared at the heart in his hands, his expression tortured. Finally, after several long seconds during which no one moved, Amras and Gorman slowly approached him. Silver shackles bound themselves around Deaglán’s wrists, but he didn’t resist, not even when Amras and Gorman led him from the courtyard. Seisyll covered Nuala’s body with a robe and then levitated it in front of her, following Amras and Gorman out of the room.