Dark Isle (Celtic Legacy Book 2) (9 page)

Stepping back into Aednat’s bower, I explained to her what I was going to do.

“You will sleep now?” Her expression was quizzical, her brows lowered in consternation.
Then her eyes lit up, and she
snappe
d
her fingers. “Of course, Call Lir. Ask him questions. He tell you Aednat is speaking truth.”

I lai
d down on the moss,
my
exhaustion finally work
ing
in my favour.
Cora coiled up on my chest and began to hum a soft tune, the rhythm of it vibrating through my body. My eyelids
slid
shut, the scent of the forest filled my nose, and a hand began to brush along the edge of my face.

Lir, Lir.
My mind whispered, focusing on his name. I didn’t know what he looked like
; not even
whether he was tall or short. I hoped that
calling his name; that the blood we shared
would be enough.
Lir, Lir.

The bower began to fade
;
my body slumped and muscles relaxed. The feel of Luke stroking my brow soothed my fears, uncertaint
y
floating away with his touch. Maybe the prophecy didn’t speak of Luke and I, or maybe it did. But he cared for me, that
much was obvious.

What Don had said was true
.
I could feel that more now than ever.
“I think he was right
,
”
I mumbled.

“Who was right?” Luke asked, his touch never wavering.

“Doesn’t matter
,
”
I said as I drifted off to sleep.

The first thing that hit me was that my skin was cold and tingling.
Stretching above my head, I wiggled my fingers and toes and took a deep breath. Then
I
opened my eyes
—
only to find that I was unable to see anything.

I sat up
, twisting first one way
,
and then the other. Running my hands over my face, I wondered where it was that I’d ended up.
There was c
old stone below me
, and the air was a sharp
bite
on my lungs
, frosted so heavily that
breathing the air hurt my throat
.

Footste
ps echoed around
me, though they sounded as if they were fading into the distance.”Hello?” I called.

The steps stopped
;
th
en
they
started
back
toward me, a small orange glow of light
flickered before
them. “Hello, please, could you say something?” I asked, my hands fluttering to my waist where my dagger rested. I didn’t like this; it wasn’t anything like when Bres had come to me
, or even Ashling. Always before when I’d Called someone, they’d come to me
. It seemed Cora had been right; I’d been drawn to where Lir was. Where ever that was.

“
Are you Quinn
?” His voice
reminded me of the sound of waves crashing through rough surf, strange as that may seem. T
here was no doubt in my mind that I was speaking to Lir.

“Yes. Please, I need to ask you some questions
,
”
I said, twisting my hands in front of me.

The light bobbed closer until
I could tell it was a lantern on a pole;
it
hung between us and I got my first glimpse at the man
who might be my
father.

He was a little taller than me
,
with a build similar to Luke’s. Lean, taunt muscles made for swimming corded his arms.
The light hovered at eye-level
, effectively keeping me from seeing his face.

“H
ow is it that you Called me
?”
h
e
asked.
There was no anger in his voice, only curiosity.

I didn’t expect that question.
Time to dive into the deep end. “
You can Call on people that you love or
who
are family. That’s what I’ve been told.
”
I swallowed hard. “Lir, you are my father, aren’t you?”

His arm flexed and I watched as his muscles bunched. The metal handle creaked under the pressure he was
exerting
on it.
Was he angry? Then his hand slowly relaxed. “Yes, I am your father
, even if only
by
blood.
”
He stepped more fully into the light and I blinked up at him. His face was the same shape as mine, even his eyes
—
though they were a blue
—
were shot through with large flecks of gold.

“
I remember
your mother
. She is . . .”

Lifting my hands I nodded, “I know, she’s an awful person and she probably tricked you. But
what I actually came here to find out is if
you
’re
truly trapped
.
Or is that a lie?” I
asked
, hoping to keep things moving.
My breath puffed out, visible as I spoke in the
frost
-
kissed air.

Silence fell heavy around us. I swallowed hard. “Please.
I need to know.
”

“My oldest son, Card, lured me here. I thought
…
well, that does not matter
now
. I am an old, sentimental fool. But yes, I am trapped here.” He lifted a hand to my face, a fingertip
tracing the bottom of my jaw. “You look like her
;
you have her beauty, but your heart is not after hers. That pleases me.”

Emotion swelled in m
y heart.
“Thank you.
That means more to me than you could possibly know.
”

Again the silence fell around us, the light unwavering in its glow. “Why did Card trap you here? Just to take over?”
I asked.

Lir shook his head. “No, he has made a deal with Balor. In exchange for helping the old Fomorii, he will get a prize any man would fight for.”
He tipped his head. “
Though
Card is hardly someone for you to worry about,
now
that you are coming into your powers.”

“What’s he doing for Balor?”

Fingers flexing on the handle, he tapped the glass top of
the
light. “He is the cause of the earthquakes. Card was always better with earth than water
;
his mother’s blood runs true.
He digs deep for the prize I hid so long ago
; that I was a fool to tell him about. You know of what I speak, do you not?
”

“Chaos.” I whispered the word, but I might as well have shouted it by the way Lir flinched.

“Yes. Card wanted me to trust him, and to prove it I told him where to find her.
I thought he would prove to me he could be trusted
,
”
h
e
said, the pain in his voice obvious.

“He sent that shark after me, didn’t he?” I asked.

Lir nodded, his face grim
. “
I knew, as did Card, that your powers would rival his
. He
sought to end your life
.
I
t
was good you were not swimming in warmer waters
,
”
h
e
said.

The thought of the size of shark Card could have commanded if indeed I’d been in warmer waters chilled me almost as much as breathing the cold air did.

“How do I get you out
?” I asked.

“Do not attempt to rescue me, Quinn.” His eyes softened. “I can see your heart wants to have your family whole
.
I see it in you as clear as any picture. But sometimes we cannot have what our heart wants.”

I clenched my hands into fists. “Then, what
?
I just let Balor and Card and the
Banshee
Queen
win?”

Lir’s eyes widened. “The
Banshee
Queen
? I would ha
ve thought Aednat would strike out on her own before taking up with Balor
.”

His words rattled through me. The cold seemed to be stealing what thought process I had left. “Aednat was the
Queen
?”

Reaching out he touched my face again. “It is too much for you here, daughter mine, you must leave, now.
I will block you from Calling on me again
;
it is best
,
I think.
”
He cupped my chin and gave it a gentle squeeze. The light began to fade.

“Wait! Do you know why Balor is doing this? Its madness what he’s attempting, to make a Dark Isle
,
to seek out Chaos
.
” I hoped he would tell me we were wrong, that Luke hadn’t guessed at Balor’s intentions.

Lir’s voice reached me, like distant waves crashing over the shoreline. “
Let your instinct
s
guide you, Quinn
.”

I woke up with a start, my body shaking with cold. Luke wrapped his arms around me
,
and pulled me into his lap.

“We didn’t dare move you
,
”
h
e
said.
Cora lay sanguine
on a rock
,
being heated by the sun.

Her tongue flicked out tasting the air.
“You’re body
was too cold for me to stay with you.”

“Did you speak to Lir?” Aednat asked
.
Her eyes sought mine, the blue one darkening with intensity while the green one seemed to lighten in colour.

“Why didn’t you tell us you were the
Queen
?” I asked. Luke stiffened behind me, his hands stilling on my arms.

She shrugged her tiny shoulders. “Might not help Aednat if you knew she had been
Queen
.
Bested
by
an
upstart
.” Sniffing she sat
,
and
,
then scooted towards us.

“You know now that Aednat was speaking truth
?
”
Her face
was
hopeful
, but her body was tensed
.

“Yeah. But, let me guess. In order for you to help us, and tell us all the things we need to know, you want us to help you get your crown back
,
”
I said, weariness dragging me. It sure didn’t feel like I’d napped. It felt as though I’d run a double marathon with a side order of the flu,
my body ached so badly.

Aednat sq
uealed
with joy and relaxed
. “You smart one, Quinn. Aednat
like
s
you. Yes, you help Aednat get back crown.
Aednat help you stop Balor
.”

“But why? You came here to escape, to start your own world with Balor
,
”
Luke said, asking the very question I wanted the answer to.

She threw her hands into the air, her long tresses floating for a moment on a sudden breeze. “Because, you Tuatha, always controlling, killing bean sidhe.
Aednat
want
s
her
people to be safe. Like a good
Queen
. So if Quinn promises safety,
Aednat
believe
s
. She is honest.
Aednat sees
her heart. She is prophecy spoken come to life.”

Cora slid o
f
f
the rock and over to my side
.
“We don’t have much choice. We need help if we are to find
a way to topple Balor and Card before they reach what they are seeking
.”

The ousted
Banshee
Queen
smiled at us, teeth sparkling. She opened her mouth to speak and then her jaw clicked shut. Leaping to her feet, she stared around us.

“We are not alone. Bad
Queen
has sent hunters after us
,
”
s
he
said, her voice softening almost to a whisper.