by Jodi McIsaac
Cedar got out of the car and walked over to them. “What’s going on?” she asked.
Finn answered. “We’re here—close to where Deardra lives. But it looks like we’re not alone.” He nodded his head down the road, where another car sat abandoned.
Cedar was instantly awake, panic coursing through her veins. “Nuala,” she said. “She got here first.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Riona said soothingly. “Why would Nuala need a car if she has Eden with her?”
“Eden wouldn’t know how to bring her here, would she?” Murdoch asked. “She’d have to drive at least part of the way.”
“I don’t know,” Cedar said, looking wildly around them. “I’ve been thinking about it…and, well, you can find a satellite image of almost anywhere on earth online, and photos too. If they have Internet access, they can go anywhere Nuala wants. I think Riona’s right. Why would they need to drive?”
“Standing around isn’t going to help. Let’s go. Everyone on alert,” Rohan said.
Cedar continued to survey the area as she followed the others down a narrow path through a field. They had driven from Dublin to the west coast of the island. A long way off, Cedar could see a round tower and some tiny white dots she took to be sheep. Behind them was field after field of grass and stone, not a tree in sight. In front of them were more fields, but she could see the ocean stretched out in the distance.
“Where are we?” she asked Finn, who was walking behind her and bringing up the rear of the group.
He gestured back toward the road. “We’re nearest to the village of Staddle, if you can even call it a village. Cluster of houses, really. The closest actual village is Doonacuirp. The people in these parts are few and far between.”
Despite the cool breeze, the sun was shining. Cedar lifted her face to it, willing it to warm her and give her strength. Finn touched her arm. “Let’s let the others get a little bit ahead,” he said, standing still for a moment as the rest of the group moved ahead of them. “I sketched you doing that once, lifting your face to the sun. Do you remember?”
“I remember,” she answered, thinking of the tin of memories she had thrown away. She glanced at the retreating back of Felix, who had been walking in front of her.
“Cedar, don’t you see that I had good reasons for not telling you the truth about who I am? You wouldn’t have believed me,” Finn said.
She looked at him incredulously. “Did I really seem that fragile to you? I believe you now, don’t I? I’ve been exposed to impossible things every day for the past week, and I haven’t flipped out or run away screaming. I’ve believed it, because as crazy as it sounds, all of it makes sense.” She glared at him. “Is that why you left me like that? Because you thought I wouldn’t believe you? You didn’t even give me a chance!”
Finn reached out to put his hands on her shoulders, but she twisted away. “I tried to tell you!” he protested. “I told you magic was real. I thought if I could at least convince you of that…but you wouldn’t listen. I wanted to tell you everything, and I would have, but like I said, there are rules—”
“Rules?” Cedar said, her voice carrying over the empty landscape. “That’s your excuse? Since when have you cared about rules?” Her voice thickened and grew quiet, but lost none of its ferocity. “You lied to me, Finn, the whole time we were together. It was nothing but a charade to you—but it was real to me. Now everything has changed, and not just because of Eden and the sidhe. I don’t know who you are anymore.”
Finn’s expression darkened. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said. “You have no idea what I have done to protect you, what it has cost me. You’ve known nothing but peace your entire life. I have been at war since I was two years old.” He exhaled loudly in exasperation. “Open your eyes, Cedar! This isn’t just about you! It’s not even just about Eden! There are millions of lives at stake! So forgive me if I didn’t completely turn my back on my own people and let them all be damned.”
“If yer done shoutin’ at each other, we should be moving along,” Felix called from several feet ahead. The others had stopped and were waiting for them, well within hearing range. She hurried to catch up, her face burning, and they walked the rest of the way in silence.
When they stopped again a short time later, they were standing at the edge of a tall cliff overlooking the ocean. Everything about the place seemed profound to Cedar—the silence, the hugeness of the sky, the ocean that divided the world. A dilapidated hut sat perched on a pile of rocks off shore to Cedar’s right, the only visible indication that humans had ever set foot in this part of the world. Cedar could see more green fingers of land jutting out into the water around the shoreline, and she felt something very old and deep stirring inside her. This was where gods and giants, warriors and fairies had lived, loved, and fought for millennia. The looks on the others’ faces told her they were having similar thoughts. This land had once been theirs. She felt very small, standing among these ancient beings and gazing out at the vastness of the ocean.
“Why Halifax?” she asked Felix, who was standing beside her. “When you escaped from the war, why did you choose Halifax?”
“It’s where the sidh took us,” he answered, still staring out across the water. “And so we stayed.” His voice was somber, and had lost the folksy accent he affected as part of his old man persona. “There are other reasons, of course. It’s complicated. But one of them is because Ireland would be the first place Lorcan would look for us if he found a way to open another sidh. It was best to stay hidden, somewhere he wouldn’t think to look for us.”
Cedar saw Oscar waving at her, and she waved back. Felix went over to speak with Riona, and Oscar came over to stand next to her. “Hey,” he said. “Ready to meet the Merrow?”
Cedar shrugged, trying to act more casual than she felt. “Oh, you know, I meet magical creatures every day. Mermaids are no big deal.”
“Ha!” Oscar laughed. “I’ve never met them either. Mother has a few choice names for them, none of which are fit to be said in the presence of a lady,” he said with a mock bow.
Cedar raised her eyebrows. “All that matters is that they can help us,” she said. “How do we find them?”
“You’ll be doin’ no such thing, I’m afraid.” Felix had rejoined them, Riona by his side.
“The Merrow are on even worse terms with humans than they are with us,” Riona clarified. “They won’t talk to us if you’re with us. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay up here while the others go down and talk to Deardra. It will take some careful diplomacy to convince her to give us the picture. Having a human among us won’t do us any favors.”
Cedar’s stomach twisted painfully. “No way. What if that car really does belong to Nuala? What if Eden is down there? I have to go,” she protested.
“We can handle it, Miss Cedar,” Felix said, his voice gruff and accented once more. “If your wee one is there, we’ll bring her back, but you’ll be best helpin’ us by stayin’ out of the way, if you don’t mind me sayin’ so.”
“But Eden won’t even know who you are!” she said. “If there’s any chance of her being down there, I need to be there too.”
“Cedar, listen to me,” Riona said. “I hate to put it so bluntly, but if Eden has been here, she’s probably already seen the painting, and they’ll be gone. There’s nothing you can do. And if she hasn’t been here yet, we need to get that painting before she sees it. The Merrow won’t even show themselves if they sense a human’s presence. If you want to help Eden, you have to keep out of sight.”
Cedar closed her mouth tightly and stared out over the ocean. Riona placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We might not be too late,” she said. “I’ll stay up here with you. Let’s just wait and see what happens.”
Finn came over and kissed his mother on the cheek. He gave Cedar a long look and then joined the others, who were already climbing down a golden rope that led over the edge of the cliff.
The
vegetation was sparse and there was no place to hide, so Cedar settled down on her stomach and peered over the edge, her heart racing. She watched as the others descended one by one and gathered in a small knot at the base of the cliff. Riona lay beside her. Together, they looked on in silence.
The Tuatha Dé Danann approached the water slowly and stopped at its edge. Anya and Rohan stood side by side in front. Behind Anya stood Murdoch and Oscar, and behind Rohan were Felix, Finn, and Molly. Cedar glanced over at Riona and saw that her eyes were trained on her daughter.
“Why are Oscar and Molly here?” she whispered. “Aren’t they a bit young?”
Riona’s forehead creased, but she didn’t take her eyes off the group below. “When you live forever, or for centuries, at any rate, ‘young’ doesn’t mean quite the same thing. Once you pass thirteen of your years in our world, you are expected to shoulder the responsibilities of an adult, but you may also partake in the pleasures. Besides, if there is to be another war, they will need to know how to gain allies. Now watch,” she whispered.
Cedar looked back down at the shore. Anya knelt and placed her hand in the water, and then stepped back and stood beside Rohan. For a moment, it seemed like nothing was happening. Then there was a disturbance beneath the waves and a large bubble floated out of the water and hung in the air before them. The bubble appeared to be empty, but a voice came from it, clear enough for Cedar and Riona to hear it. The voice said, “Who calls on our queen?”
Anya stood perfectly still as she answered, “I am Aine, water warden of the Tuatha Dé Danann. With me are Ruadhan, Fionnbharr, Mallaidh, Muireadhach, Osgar, and Toirdhealbhach. We wish to speak with Queen Deardra concerning a matter of some urgency.”
The bubble hovered for a moment longer, then disappeared once more beneath the waves. At once, a dozen Merrow rose to the surface. They were beautiful, with skin as white as pearls and long, flowing hair spreading out in the water around them. Though the color of their hair varied widely, they all had strands of red woven throughout their tresses. The Merrow in the center swam forward and walked onto the shore, her tail separating into two long legs. She stood before the Tuatha Dé Danann, clothed in nothing but her long hair and a delicate circle of pearls and gold that rested on her head. She addressed Anya formally.
“Well met, Aine, water warden,” she said, “and your companions also. It is not often that I am inundated with so many visitors from the Tuatha Dé Danann.”
Cedar held her breath, straining to hear the Merrow’s words.
“Others have come before us?” Anya asked.
Deardra tilted her head in what may have been a nod. “Are the Tuatha Dé Danann so disorganized? A small party arrived yesterday on your behalf. I have already given them what you seek.”
Rohan stepped forward and addressed Deardra. “Did this party consist of a woman and a child?”
“Of course. And a delightful thing the young one is,” Deardra answered with a small smile. “They are still here now, if you wish them to join your group for your journey home.”
When Cedar heard this, a cry escaped her lips and she started to scramble to her feet. Riona yanked her back down fiercely and hissed at her to wait.
On the beach, Anya’s voice shook as she spoke. “I am afraid you have been deceived, Queen Deardra. They are not a part of our group, nor are they ambassadors or messengers from the Tuatha Dé Danann. The woman is a traitor, and she has stolen that child. The child’s father is here.” She waved a hand, and Finn stepped forward. “We have been searching for them. Fionnghuala wishes to use the child to reignite the war in our world, and to bring it to these shores.”
Deardra looked at Anya carefully. Cedar wished she could see the expression on her face more clearly.
At last, the queen spoke, and there was an icy edge to her voice. “This is why I choose not to involve myself and my people in the affairs of the Tuatha Dé Danann,” she said. “You are like beasts or humans, always fighting among yourselves, never speaking with the same voice. I do not even know who among you is your leader. Is it you?” she spat at Anya. “Or is it the child?”
She smiled as the others exchanged glances. “Just because I don’t care about your affairs doesn’t mean I don’t know about your affairs. I should think you would want the girl to return to your world, given the prophecy you all cling to so desperately.”
“And what do you know of our prophecies?” Rohan asked, taking a step forward and lowering his voice.
“I know the words the poet Cairpre mac Edaine spoke as he abandoned your land with the rest of your Elders,” said Deardra. “‘The dyad that should not be will rise from the ashes and purge the land of the coming poison,’ blah, blah, blah. You certainly are the ashes, I’ll give him that. And I did hear you’d managed a human-Danann hybrid. I’m assuming that is the child whom my maids are entertaining. I should have known. She doesn’t come across as one of the Tuatha Dé Danann. As I said, I found her quite charming. Perhaps it is an improvement on your race to breed with humans.”
From her view above, Cedar could see Finn shifting his weight from side to side, and his hands twitching. “What prophecy?” she whispered to Riona. “What are they talking about?” Riona merely put a finger to her lips and continued looking intently below.
Suddenly, Finn moved so that he was directly in front of the Merrow queen. “My daughter is being held captive against her will and mine, and she is in your domain. Give her up at once, or you will be an accomplice to this act of villainy.”
“I do not take sides in your war, Danann,” Deardra said, her lips curled back over her pearly teeth. “I will do as I please in my own domain and with those who have entered it.”
“She is just a child!” Finn said, the muscles in his face straining and constricting his voice. “She was taken by someone who would use her to see this whole world destroyed!” He was trembling from head to foot. “You said you were fond of her. Will you do nothing to help her?”
Deardra stared at him through narrowed eyes. Then she opened her mouth slightly and slowly exhaled.
“There,” she said, waving her hand toward the water behind her. “I will leave her for you to fight over. We are not of this world, nor are we of yours, and your troubles do not concern us.” She turned and looked out over the water, and the others followed her gaze.
Cedar cried out as she saw Nuala’s and Eden’s heads break the surface of the water outside the ring of Merrow, close to a small rocky island that held a ramshackle hut. Their hands were flailing in the water, and they both coughed and spewed seawater back into the ocean.
“Eden!” she cried, starting to scramble to her feet again. Riona yanked her down, and Cedar’s knee connected painfully with the rocks underneath her. She struggled to stand up again, but Riona’s grasp was unmovable. “Let go! She can’t swim!” Cedar pleaded.
“You cannot be seen!” Riona hissed back. “Anya will help her. You must stay hidden.”
But it was Nuala who held Eden afloat as they both gasped for air. Nuala’s eyes fell upon the shore, and then several things happened at once. Rohan and Finn started to run along the shoreline toward Nuala and Eden, moving so quickly Cedar could barely follow them with her eyes. Murdoch pulled a handful of small silver daggers out from the inside of his jacket and followed on their heels. Oscar stood transfixed for but a moment, and then pulled out his own long dagger and took off after his father. Felix and Molly followed close behind. Anya held out her arms toward the ocean and started chanting in a loud voice words Cedar did not understand. Deardra stepped in front of her. “These are my waters!” she said.
Then Nuala, still holding Eden afloat in front of her, took a deep breath and shouted, “Tuatha Dé Danann! The Merrow are your enemy! Attack them!”
Rohan and Finn spun around to face the others. “No!” Rohan roared. “She lies! Close your minds to her! Nuala is the enemy!”
Everyone on the beach stopped as if momentarily stunned. Each face was creased in concentratio
n. Cedar held her breath and looked over at Riona, who had the same look of paralyzed torment on her face as the others. Below, Oscar whirled about and flung his dagger down the beach toward Deardra. Cedar watched it fly through the air for an impossibly long time, as if the laws of gravity did not apply. Then it connected with its target, sinking itself hilt-deep into Deardra’s bosom. The queen’s mouth opened but no sound came out. Then she collapsed at Anya’s feet, a pool of violet blood forming around her and running into the water. Instantly, the water near the shore started to seethe as dozens of Merrow rose to the surface, hissing and screaming in tortured, high-pitched voices.
Meanwhile, Riona had regained control of herself and was watching the scene below with a look of horror on her face. More and more Merrow swarmed to the surface, and the water churned and started to rise, turning into a giant wave that towered over the rocky beach. Anya lifted her hands into the air once more and started chanting. The wave stopped cresting and started to recede, taking the still-screaming Merrow with it. Then one of the Merrow gave an order, and immediately the others started emitting loud, forceful bursts of sound that almost pierced Cedar’s eardrums. She saw Anya crumple as if she had been shot. Felix and Molly rushed to her side and tried to pull her back, away from the Merrow’s invisible projectiles, but they, too, stumbled as the Merrow continued their onslaught. Cedar watched as Molly disappeared in a thick cloud of smoke that hung close to the ground, obscuring Anya and Felix from view.
Farther down the beach, Oscar was continuing his attack on the Merrow. His dagger out of reach, he was wielding melon-sized rocks with unwavering precision, cracking the skulls of at least a dozen Merrow before a spear sank into his side beneath his raised arm. Murdoch roared with rage and threw his entire handful of short daggers at once, each of them finding a target in a Merrow throat before dislodging themselves and soaring through the air, dripping with purple blood, back to their owner.
Riona looked at Cedar. “Stay here!” she commanded. Without another word, she turned and made a running leap off the edge of the cliff. Cedar screamed and scrambled to her feet. Riona was falling, her arms outstretched, but then she twisted in mid-air and in a burst of feathers transformed into a hawk, screeching as she dove to join the melee below. Darting at the eyes of the Merrow, she danced through the air, avoiding the spears, tridents, and deadly bursts of sound being flung at her. Anya had emerged from the cloud that was Molly and was advancing toward the water’s edge, while Murdoch continued his assault on those brave enough to stick their necks out of the water. Anya raised her arms once more and the water started to push back, exposing dry land underneath. Rohan was dragging Oscar’s limp body behind a large rock close to the cliff’s base, and Felix was running toward him with a speed that did not belong to a man of his apparent age. Cedar looked around for Finn but couldn’t see him. Then she looked back at the ocean and saw that Nuala was fighting the turbulent waters, moving herself and Eden slowly toward the rocks beneath the hut.