Bury the Living (Revolutionary #1) (27 page)

Nora swiveled to face Fionn. “Did
you
know her?”

“I didn’t have the pleasure, no,” he said. His face seemed flushed. “I’ve heard the stories, of course.”

“How can she help us?” Nora asked Brigid, but the goddess was already getting to her feet.

“I’ll leave that for the three of you to figure out,” she said with a wink.

“You’re going to send us back in time without telling us what we’re supposed to change?” Nora protested, also standing, cringing again at the pain.

“I daresay you’ll discover it soon enough. But you won’t get far on that leg. Allow me.” Brigid placed her smooth white hand over the gunshot wound in Nora’s leg, and immediately the pain disappeared.

“Jesus Christ,” Nora breathed, running her own hand over the spot Brigid had touched.

“He’s not the only one who knows a thing or two about healing,” Brigid said.

Fionn stood beside her and gripped her hand, as though what had just happened was no big deal. “Are you sure about this, Nora? Going farther back?”

She squeezed his fingers and gave him a lopsided smile, bolstered by Brigid’s display of power. “It’s the sixteenth century. How hard can it be?”

His expression was serious. “It was a very different time. You have no idea—”

“That’s why I’ll have you. You
are
coming, aren’t you?”

He looked from her to Brigid. “What do you think?”

She gazed at him from under heavy-lidded eyes. “My dear, this is
your
curse we’re talking about. I, for one, have always been rather fond of second chances.”

“Don’t you want to be free, Fionn?” Nora whispered.

He looked at her with his stormy blue eyes, and something smoldered deep in her chest. “Of course I’ll go with you.”

“Well, that’s settled, then!” Brigid clapped her hands and stood up, ushering them out of the pew.

“Do we need . . . the relic?” Nora asked. “I don’t know where it is.”

“I have it, of course,” Brigid said. She handed Nora the tiny red box holding the finger bone. “Now come, keep holding hands. Concentrate very hard. Think about Granuaile. Fifteen ninety-two should do it, I think.”

Nora tightened her grip on Fionn’s hand. “Bran!” he called, and the wolfhound came bounding down the aisle. Fionn buried his free hand in Bran’s fur. Brigid put her arms around them all, and Nora clutched the relic in her palm. She caught a faint whiff of smoke and roses before the goddess whispered, “
Ádh mór ort
, my children. May luck follow you.”

The last thing Nora knew was the sensation of falling.

Historical Note

Writing historical fantasy requires a fine balance between the factual and the fantastical. I strove for historical accuracy regarding the Troubles and the Irish Civil War. As for the possibility of time travel
. . .
I’ll leave that for you to decide.

Some of the characters in this novel actually existed or are based on real people. Likewise, I’ve tried to stay as close as possible to the historical record when describing the events and the timeline of the Civil War. A few items of note: The method of Thomas’s escape from Kilmainham Gaol was inspired by the 1921 escape of Ernie O’Malley, who described it in his memoir
On Another Man’s Wound
. Likewise, Frankie Halpin’s ordeal is based on the Ballyseedy massacre, in which Stephen Fuller was the sole survivor.

As far as I am aware, there was never a secret deal between Liam Lynch and W. T. Cosgrave to keep Northern Ireland part of the Free State. And the forcible removal of the women from Kilmainham Gaol actually occurred three weeks after the death of Liam Lynch.

The notes that Jo, Lena, and Pidge write in Nora’s autograph book in Kilmainham are taken from the autograph books of Republican prisoners in the Civil War. Jo’s note was written by Hanna O’Connor, Lena’s by Annie Fox, and Pidge’s by Bridie Halpin.

And as for Fionn mac Cumhaill? Legend has it that he is not dead, but only sleeping—waiting to return to save Ireland at the hour of her greatest need.

Acknowledgments

I am deeply indebted to both friends and strangers who have given hours of their time to the betterment of this book.

I am very grateful to Liz Gillis of Kilmainham Gaol, Niall Cummins of Trinity College Dublin, Tom McCutcheon of the Kildare Town Heritage Centre, and Mario Corrigan of Kildare Library and Arts Services for their invaluable assistance as I strove for historical accuracy. Any faux pas that remain are mine alone.

Michael Perkins, Lucy Cox, Lesley-Elaine Caldwell, Gemma Gallagher, Melissa Giles, Shawn Plummer, Karmen McNamara, and Ewa Gillies shared from their deep wells of knowledge on everything from Catholicism to the Darfur crisis to Belfast curse words.

Thank you to my marvelous first readers, who gave extremely helpful feedback: Erika Holt, Jessica Corra, Mike Martens, Kari Petzold, Janice Hillmer, Janelle de Jager, and Adam Cole.

As always, I’m so thankful for my editor, Angela Polidoro, and the wonderful team at 47North, in particular Adrienne Lombardo, Jason Kirk, and Britt Rogers. Your enthusiasm surrounding this book is both encouraging and inspiring.

About the Author

Photo © 2015 F8 Photography

Jodi McIsaac is the author of several novels, including
A Cure for Madness
and the Thin Veil series. She grew up in New Brunswick, on Canada’s east coast. After abandoning her Olympic speed skating dream, she wrote speeches for a politician, volunteered in a refugee camp, waited tables in Belfast, earned a couple of university degrees, and started a boutique copywriting agency. She loves running, geek culture, and whiskey.