Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy

by Johnson, Jenna Elizabeth

"Dear girl! Are you well?"

  He put me down then held me at arm's length, checking me for missing limbs and any other injuries.

  "Your arm," he murmured, taking my hand and gently stretching my arm out.

  I winced, but held still. His mouth cut a grim line across his face.

  "It looks bad, but I'm sure it will be fine once it's cleaned."

  Throughout the Dagda's fussing, the last vestiges of the fight came to an end. The dead faelah were all but ashes thrown to the wind and the Dagda's men were wandering the great field, checking to make sure all the monsters that remained were truly dead. Well, dead in the sense that they wouldn't be rising up again.

  The sound of approaching footsteps made me turn around. Cade stood there, looking tired but not nearly as tired as he had looked in the past after going through his battle fury.

  He nodded at the Dagda, silently thanking him for his aid, then stepped up to me, pulling me from his foster father's protective shadow and into his arms before I could so much as squeak in protest.

  "Are you well?" he said against my hair.

  I only nodded, taking a shuddering breath, though that action alone was difficult with Cade's death grip on me.

  A sharp whinny reminded me that Lasair was still hurt and bleeding.

  "You're lucky," Cade said as he reluctantly stepped away from me. His eyes were bright and fierce. I attributed it to the remnants of his riastrad, but it could have been something else entirely. I swallowed hard as my nerves started acting up again.

  After looking at me like that for a good fifteen seconds, he cleared his throat and said, "You picked a good horse."

  I laughed, despite our surroundings and my fresh anxiety. "I was lucky he picked me, remember?"

  Cade grinned and took my hand, the sharp, primitive look in his eyes fading a little.

  "Now, that's enough fraternizing for now. Let us return to my abode where there awaits a hot bath for the both of you and then a meal afterwards. We have a Lughnasadh celebration planned for this evening, and with today's success on the battlefield, my men will be eager to begin the festivities as soon as possible."

  The Dagda patted Cade on the shoulder, though it was more of a wallop, then climbed back into the saddle of his own horse.

  Cade squeezed my hand once, casting me another quick glance, then left to retrieve Speirling. I turned to find Lasair gazing at me with great brown eyes. I walked up to him, placed my hand on his forehead and sighed.

  "Lasair, you did such a wonderful job," I said, trying not to think too much about the crushing power of his hooves.

  At the sound of his name, his ears pricked forward and he pushed out his head, nudging me with his nose. I laughed and hugged him, happy to hear his contented whicker.

  With the help of a nearby soldier, I was back atop the red stallion, and within ten minutes we were all headed towards the Dagda's home. It wasn't until we passed between the first two hills, however, that I noticed the large black raven glaring at me from the edge of a copse full of dead trees.

  I sucked in a breath and Lasair slowed to a stop, his ears swiveling as he tried to detect what had alarmed me.

  Danger? Meridian sent as she snoozed on my shoulder. The tightening of her claws let me know she felt my unease as well.

  Yes, I sent swallowing back a lump of fear, but it will remain at a safe distance.

  For some reason I knew the Morrigan would not act today. Mustering up as much courage as I could, I sat tall on Lasair's back and faced the raven straight on. A hundred yards separated us, but if I didn't know any better, I would have sworn I saw the horrid bird twitch.

  That's right, I thought as the Morrigan released a low grumbling caw, I have friends now to help me, and I'm not nearly as weak as you think I am.

  Tempted as I was to let some of my glamour flare, the last thing in Eile I needed to do was hint in any way at the magnitude of my power. The Morrigan was far too observant and powerful. Magical spider or not, showing off in broad daylight would definitely give my secret away. Besides, it would be in my best interest to play the victim.

  Yes Meghan, show her you are defiant, but under no circumstances let her know what power you now possess. Your life and the lives of others may depend upon it.

  With one last lift of my chin, I turned back towards the Dagda and his soldiers. My arm ached and Cade waited for me up ahead. If that wasn't incentive enough, then the opportunity to get clean, have something to eat and then take a nap before the party cinched it. I sighed and urged Lasair onward. The Morrigan and I would find another opportunity to meet and work out our differences, I was certain of it.

  -Thirteen-

  Lughnasadh

  The Dagda's underground home met us with the same overwhelming sense of hospitality and cheer I had grown used to. The grand hall was teeming with people preparing the mid-day meal (a bit late because of our little conflict), and the Dagda's female friends scooped me up the moment we entered the house and started leading me towards the ground floor bathroom.

  I cast an exasperated glance over my shoulder, but the Dagda only slapped his knee and let out a roar of laughter. "Don't mind them my girl! They love to fuss over every young person who enters my home."

  I gave him a wry smirk and shrugged. I already knew this, of course, but I could have done with a little less fuss at the moment.

  Before they ushered me down the hall, however, my eyes fell upon Cade's face. Instantly, my smile vanished. He was watching me like a hawk, his jaw working as if he was grinding his teeth together. He stood utterly still next to his foster father, but if I didn't know any better I'd say he was having a very hard time keeping his battle fury in check. Which was odd, since he'd just exhausted quite a bit of it.

  Cade's gaze flashed up to mine and he jerked back ever so slightly. His eyes lost their aggressive edge and he blinked several times, his shoulders lowering as he grew more relaxed. I lifted an eyebrow in question, but in the next moment I was swept around the corner and lost all sight of him. This strange emotion I'd seen in him worried me. He hadn't been like that before the battle and I'd never really seen him so worked up before after coming down from his riastrad.

  Sighing, I let my worries go for now. Later, when we had a chance to be alone, I could ask him about it. At the moment I was very much looking forward to a long, hot bath, and when the women leading me away pulled me into a huge, airy room, I almost melted in delight.

  A great copper tub, modeled after the Dagda's precious cauldron I suspected, awaited me with steaming hot water. The women who had escorted me showed me where the towels and soaps could be found. When I was left alone, I gathered up one of the larger towels and a handful of lavender scented soaps. I quickly stripped out of my bloody, sweaty clothes and sighed in bliss as I immersed myself in the near-scalding water. I soaked for a while, then scrubbed myself down, cleaning all the grime and stench of the faelah from my skin, taking extra care with the cut on my arm. Once cleaned, the pain all but disappeared from the wound and it actually looked like it was healing before my eyes. Perhaps the magic of the Otherworld helped faelah wounds heal more quickly than they would have in the mortal world.

  I can't say how long I stayed in the bath, but when I finally emerged into the great hall, my hair still wet and wearing the spare clothes the Dagda's women had left for me, I felt like an entirely new person.

  I found Cade and his foster father sitting in the kitchen enjoying a cup of tea. As I approached, both men turned to regard me. To my great delight, the weird tension remained free of Cade's face and I had to stop myself from running and flinging myself at him. He, too, had cleaned up and was wearing the simple pants and tunic of the common folk of Eile. True, I enjoyed seeing him in finer court clothes, but there was something about Cade in this very moment, his dark red hair still damp and curling above his collar, the way his mouth curved gently in an almost smile and his eyes . . . Right then, the way he looked at me made me feel like I was the only other person in the entire
world. The dark anger that had dominated his eyes was gone and all that was left was the young man I just couldn't get enough of. I bit my lip to keep it from trembling and fought the sudden urge to cry. I never imagined that I could love someone as much as I loved Caedehn MacRoich.

  I took a deep breath and continued into the kitchen, accepting a clean mug from a dark haired woman and smiling my thanks.

  "The Dagda and I were talking about the battle, Meghan. I saw some of it, though I was pretty preoccupied myself," Cade said, reaching out a hand to take mine. "How did you manage to throw off that first faelah?"

  Did his eyes just flash with that unfamiliar, aggressive emotion again? No, it must have just been a play of the light. I took a breath and said, "I used the dagger Enorah gave me, the one like yours. Well, and Lasair was a huge help."

  My mouth curved in a goofy grin and I looked up at Cade. "That horse is a faelah killer Cade."

  He smiled and squeezed my hand, a tremor running down his arm as he did so. Alarmed, I shot my eyes back up to his, but he had returned his attention to his mug.

  The conversation stopped for a few minutes while we all got back to our own thoughts and sipped our tea. The savory scents of beef stew and fresh baked bread floated all around us and the warmth of the kitchen fire fought off the chill of the autumn air that seeped in through the windowpanes. I had to admit, sitting there in silence was eating away at me. I wanted to ask Cade if he had seen the raven after the battle, but I was afraid that savage look in his eyes would return if I did. Besides, the Dagda's soldiers had made sure all the faelah were gone. No point in bringing it up and making everyone worry.

  A young boy and two servants entered the kitchen and walked over to the small cauldron hanging over the fire. The first woman, old enough to be the boy's grandmother, lifted a ladle and sipped the broth. After a moment's hesitation, she proclaimed it to be ready and started scooping the thick soup into wooden bowls. The boy and who I now assumed was his sister, placed a bowl in front of each of us, then set a basket of hot bread in the center of the great table before leaving to pass out more stew.

  Before he even glanced at his stew, Cade cleared his throat, breaking the silence, and said, "I was wondering if your offer still stands, Dagda, for us to stay here as long as we need to. As you may well know, plans have changed. The Morrigan's attack on Luathara a month ago has made the castle too dangerous for Meghan to stay there."

  He took a heavy breath and continued, his eyes now shifting to the bowl in front of him. "Meghan may decide she'd rather stay in Erintara with her mother, but I cannot ask the queen to extend her hospitality towards me. And now that this fight, this war with my mother, seems to be approaching at a much faster pace than I had previously anticipated, I cannot give you an exact time as to when I'll be able to return to Luathara."

  Cade squeezed my hand. "But the bottom line is, the Morrigan is after Meghan and my priority is to make sure she is safe."

  The Dagda arched a brow, though his face was serious. "Only Meghan is the target, you think? I would say you're a pretty big mark as well, my boy. Especially after defying her so openly. And now that you've been saved by my Cauldron, she'll be even more determined to bring an end to you."

  Cade drew a long, ragged breath and said, almost too faintly for me to hear, "Meghan's life is the one most at risk."

  I shivered, but hoped Cade didn't notice. His words frightened me, not because I knew I was in danger, but more so because they finally drove home what I had known all along but could never really fathom: my life may very well be over soon. Between the Morrigan's obsession to kill me and Cernunnos's unpredictable glamour, I was a walking time bomb or a match in a drafty room. Any day, any minute, I could go off or be snuffed out.

  Before, the notion of dying was just this daunting idea hovering over me like a storm cloud, but now, for some reason, Cade's words took that storm cloud and expanded it until it engulfed me completely. The Morrigan wanted my magic, and she would stop at nothing to get it. She would kill me, and my life would be over. It was as simple as that. Or I could use the magic Cernunnos had given me. That option came with a heavy price as well. If I acted too early, I might end up breaking my geis and become mortal. I'd lived most of my life thinking I was mortal, I'm sure I could manage it again. But if I lost my immortality, I would lose Cade as well. The very thought made my heart clench with anguish.

  I glanced up at Cade, brooding over his stew, and a sudden, desperate realization swept over me. I had been cautious my entire life, carefully living from one day to the next, expecting the future to be a constant stretched out far ahead of me. That was no longer a guarantee, and if I really thought about it, I hadn't been living at all. I'd just been existing, always worrying about what others thought or what the consequences of my actions might be. How those insignificant things would affect my future. Well, turns out I might not have much of a future after all.

  My own glamour and its fussy neighbor started a slow burn in my chest, responding to my new, sudden determination. It was time I started taking part in my life instead of just watching it drift by. Yes, I may not have much time left, but darn it, I would make it worth something.

  The Dagda's great sigh broke me out of my internal, self-inflicted lecture. I clamped my teeth shut and wrapped my fingers around the warm bowl of stew, willing my nerves to settle.

  "But of course you are welcome to stay with me as long as you wish, and Meghan as well," the Dagda continued. "Whether the battle comes to us tomorrow or next year," he added, throwing me a quick look, "you both are always welcome here."

  I didn't want to think about my impending doom any longer, so I turned back to my stew, my stomach growling in appreciation.

  We finished our meal in relative silence, the only sounds to disturb us being the general clatter and conversation coming from the great hall just beyond the kitchen door. When our bowls were empty, the Dagda personally escorted us to our rooms, located on the very top of the hill.

  "Since you plan on an extended stay, you can have the two guest suites. They're adjoining you know. Just a single wall and door between them."

  The Dagda winked and for once my face didn't turn bright red. Maybe my subconscious decided that being embarrassed was a waste of time. Yes, that had to be it. The new, fierce, I'm-ready-to-take-life-by-the-horns Meghan was afraid of nothing.

  Cade moved aside, waiting for me to follow his foster father up a rather large staircase. We climbed the stairs to the very top and came out onto a circular landing. Three, evenly spaced doors greeted us.

  "That one will take you out onto the wrap-around ledge." The Dagda pointed to the largest door, the one closest to the stairwell. "Back in the time when Eile was overrun with Fomorians, that ledge served as a marvelous lookout. Now I'm afraid it only encourages me to play tricks on my guests. Tis a wonderful place to launch projectiles from."

  I turned around and arched an eyebrow at our host. His smile was wide and his blue eyes sparkled silver with mischief.

  The Dagda cleared his throat and turned towards the first door. "This will be your room Meghan, and Cade, yours is the door opposite."

  He opened each door as he spoke and I took a moment to glance inside. The rooms were almost identical and richly furnished. I stepped inside the room he'd designated as mine. One, curved wall seemed to be covered in circular windows, their diamond-shaped panes glittering in the afternoon light. I cast my eyes around the comfortable space, noting the fireplace, the desk and massive shelves filled with books. The small room to the side I assumed was a bathroom. The thick rug on the floor looked soft and the large, four poster bed even softer.

  Suddenly, I was incredibly tired. I had been through a lot that day and I really needed a nap, especially if there was to be a party later. The Dagda's home always exuded welcome and warmth, and I felt so very safe here. The faelah were gone, Lasair and Speirling were settled in the Dagda's famous stables, their wounds being tended to while Meridian and Fergus kept them company.
My own arm felt a hundred times better and I was the cleanest I'd been in weeks. Enorah's makeshift shower was functional and lived up to its purpose, but there was just something about taking a hot bath with a variety of scented soaps to choose from that made a girl feel really refreshed.

  I leaned back from the doorframe and attacked the Dagda with a fierce hug. He let out a small noise of surprise before returning my gesture.

  "Thank you," I murmured, my eyelids drooping sleepily as his beard scratched the side of my face.

  Gently, he peeled me off and held me in front of him. "You're always welcome here, darling girl."

  I smiled and then glanced over at Cade. He was watching me carefully, an expression of sheer admiration on his face. I walked over to him and lifted up onto my toes, giving him a quick kiss.

  "I'll see you when I wake up," I said.

  Cade nodded, smoothing one hand lovingly over my hair.

  I bit back a smile and slipped into my room, shutting the door behind me. To my surprise, I found my backpack, bow, and quiver of arrows neatly tucked into a corner. Before retiring to the bed, I took a few more moments to examine the room. It was shaped like a half dome, one wall traditionally straight, the other a sloping arc. Through one of the windows I could see the wrap-around ledge the Dagda had been talking about and beyond that, a gorgeous, unobstructed view of the other hills and rolling countryside.

  Sighing, I plopped down on the mattress and started taking off my shoes. I was all ready to fall into bed when the soft murmur of voices caught my attention. I glanced over towards the flat wall. Ah, the infamous door that separated mine and Cade's rooms. On quiet feet, I padded over to the wall and pressed my ear to the crack where the door and wall met.

  "Whom do you expect to make an appearance in Erintara?" the Dagda asked, his voice muffled and gruff.

  Cade released a heavy sigh and I pressed myself even closer to the rough wood.

  "Danua of course. Lugh, Nuadu and Epona. I spoke to Lugh and Epona in person, but I can't guarantee the rest. For many of the Tuatha De I simply sent out a royal message in Danua's name, requesting their presence. I can only hope they received the missive and will comply."