Into the Fire (23 page)

“Yeah…” Finn said slowly. “Brid’s kind of gone underground since she found out about what happened with Nuala. She doesn’t deal very well with… well, failure. When she found out that Nuala tricked her into helping her find that painting of Tír na nÓg, and made her forget about it… well, it wasn’t pretty. She’s off sulking somewhere, and she’s sworn to have nothing to do with the Danann.”

“Can’t you at least ask her?” Cedar said. “She adores you, and now she owes us one for the whole Nuala thing.”

“I’ll give her a call,” Finn said. “If she hasn’t changed her number on me. Maggie, may I use your phone? I’m afraid we lost all of ours.”

“Of course, my dear,” she answered, nodding. “It’s on the counter in the kitchen.”

“I’d like to come with you,” Liam said to Cedar. He had been very quiet since they had arrived at Maggie’s, and it had crossed her mind that he’d probably prefer to be back in the university library in Dublin.

“Of course,” she said, pleasantly surprised.

“I may not be as powerful as Brighid, but I know how to fight my own kind, if it comes to that,” he said. “I’d like to help keep you safe, if I may. And Eden, too, of course.”

Cedar smiled at him. “You have been very kind,” she said. “Thanks for coming all this way and for all the help you’ve given us already. Eden might still be trapped in that dream if it weren’t for you.”

He blushed and apologized again for what had happened between her and Nuala in the dream.

“You had no way of knowing that Maeve had given Nuala and Eden the same potion,” she told him, “or what the result would be.”

Just then Finn returned to the room. “Well?” Cedar asked. “What did she say?”

“She says she hates phones,” Finn said, a wry expression on his face. “She wants to see all of us in person.”

Cedar sighed. “She wants to see
you,
you mean.”

Finn grinned at Felix. “Actually, I think she’s more interested in Felix this time,” he said. “She became quite adamant about the visit
after
I told her he was with us, and that he’s ditched his fisherman disguise.”

Cedar looked at the clock. The day was getting on, and she was bone tired. But they had less than a week. There wasn’t time to lose. “Okay, let’s go,” she said. “Is she still in New York?”

“No,” Finn said. “She’s, uh, well, she has her own island.”

Somehow, this did not surprise Cedar one bit. “Of course she does.”

“Uh, guys?” Jane said. “How are we going to get there? Via dragon? ’Cause I’m assuming Eden doesn’t know what Brighid’s island looks like, and all my tech is toast.”

“Brighid said she’d send over some pictures of the beach beside her place,” Finn said. “Apparently she has protections on the house so that we can’t just show up in her bedroom.” He gave Felix a sly grin. “She said she’d make an exception for you.” Felix rolled his eyes. Jane scowled and hunched further down into her robe, running her fingers self-consciously over her scalp.

Cedar turned to Logheryman. “Where’s the closest town? We need to get to a library or an Internet café.”

Maggie answered for him. “It’s not far,” she said. “But if it’s technology you need, why don’t you just borrow mine?” She reached into a drawer in the desk in the corner and pulled out a tablet computer. “I use it for reading, mostly, and for the games. I wouldn’t have expected folk like you to need such a thing.”

Jane grinned at her. “This is my kind of magic,” she said, taking the tablet from her. “And you are one very hip old lady.” Maggie laughed at this and took up some knitting from a basket on the floor while Jane, Finn, and Eden hunched over the screen.

“There they are,” Finn said, reaching across Jane to slide a photo across the screen. “See that, Eden? Think you can take us there?”

“Yeah, that place looks awesome!” Eden said. “Let’s go!”

“Hold on a second!” Cedar called before Eden could reach the nearest door. She turned back to Maggie. “Thank you very much for your help.”

The old woman bowed her head slightly at Cedar. “It’s been my pleasure,” she said. “I’m here to help you anytime you need me.”

Cedar turned to Logheryman. “Did the druids tell you what they were planning on doing next? Did they say anything about Eden—how they can get inside her head?”

“They were looking for information, not offering it,” he answered with a roll of his eyes.

“Well… thanks anyway,” she said. “For deciding to help us.”

Logheryman merely nodded. Cedar walked over and stood beside Eden. “Okay,” she said. “Let’s go.”

“Thanks for the story!” Eden called, and then she reached out for the door and yanked it open.

CHAPTER 12

W
ait, Eden!” Cedar called, racing through the door after her daughter. Eden was sprinting along a dark beach under the glow of the moon, the light reflecting off the puffs of sand she was kicking up with her feet. She slowed to a walk, but didn’t turn around. Cedar stopped to take in her surroundings.

Leave it to Brighid to have a home in such a breathtaking, exotic place. They were on a small island off the coast of Thailand under a glowing full moon and a skyful of stars that were brighter than any Cedar had ever seen before. The moon was so large and incandescent that she could actually see the enormous dome-shaped mountains rising out of the water. It had been early afternoon at Logheryman’s house in Ireland, but it was evening here, and the only lights were the celestial bodies and a scattering of tiki torches that lined the beach. A bird sang in a nearby palm tree, and Cedar felt her body start to relax. The warm air felt amazing, and she peeled off her light jacket and bent down to take off her shoes and socks. She almost laughed when her toes sank into the sand.

“Wow. Just… wow,” Jane said, coming up behind her. “Can we stay here forever?”

Cedar grinned and followed Eden’s footprints along the beach. “It’s like we’re in another world,” she said, and Finn snorted at the irony.

“Brighid does have a flair for the exotic,” he said. He took her hand, and together they walked down the beach. She allowed herself to pretend for a moment that everything was normal, that they
were just a normal couple walking hand in hand down a pristine white beach, watching their daughter play in the sand. Someday, she thought, this will all be over. She squeezed his hand and looked up to meet his eyes.

“It’s almost perfect, isn’t it?” he said.

“It is,” she said with a smile. “Almost enough to make me forget that we’re on the run from an angry horde of druids who want to kill us while we look for a stone that could be anywhere on the planet.”

“Yes, there is that…,” he said. Then he called out to Eden, and she ran back to join them. “This way, I think,” he said, and the rest of the group followed him up a narrow, torch-lined path that led off the beach and over a small incline that was covered with large, leafy trees and a tangle of vines and exotic grasses.

When they emerged on the other side, Cedar couldn’t help but break out into a grin. Brighid’s “house” was enormous, and built like a modern version of a medieval castle, complete with a moat and drawbridge. But instead of rough bricks and stones, the entire thing was smooth and white, and more than half of the building was paned in sheer glass. Cedar couldn’t see any spotlights, but the building was completely lit up, as though glowing from within.

They walked around to what seemed to be the front, where two large white pillars stood, a single sheet of solid glass between them. A silver button started to pulse on one of the white pillars, and Finn walked over and pressed it. A voice came out of thin air. “Come in, please. She is expecting you.” Immediately the glass retracted into the ground and a delicate white bridge rose up out of the moat, which was filled with water so smooth it looked like a mirror, perfectly reflecting the moon and stars above it. Cedar joined hands with Eden and Finn, and together they crossed the bridge toward the castle. Felix and Jane followed, and Liam walked a pace or two behind them. The massive front doors, made entirely of glass, swung open to admit them. Then they heard her.

“My dears!” Brighid said, holding out her arms as she descended a large, curving white staircase, dressed in a flowing white pantsuit. She looked as though she would have been equally at home in the yoga studio and at an evening ball. Her hair was loose and cascading around her shoulders, softening the striking features of her face. They waited for her at the bottom. Cedar glanced over at Finn, who nudged Felix forward with his shoulder, an amused grin on his face.

“Well, look at you, Toirdhealbhach,” Brighid exclaimed, reaching for Felix first. “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes?” She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him enthusiastically on both cheeks. “You are
very
welcome in my home,” she said, with a look that clearly said he’d be very welcome in her bed as well. Cedar heard a soft huff from Jane behind her.

Brighid didn’t notice, because now she was oohing and aahing over Finn and how dreadful his fight with Lorcan must have been and was he absolutely sure he didn’t need to stay with her for a while to recover? Finn demurred politely and brought Eden forward. “I don’t know if you remember meeting her,” he said. “But this is our daughter, Eden.”

To Cedar’s surprise, Brighid’s face softened and she knelt down so that she was at Eden’s level. She shook Eden’s hand softly. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eden,” she said. “I understand that we’ve met before. I’m sorry to say I do not remember it.”

Eden smiled and said, “It’s okay. Nuala does that to people. I like your house.”

Brighid stood up and beamed. “Why, aren’t you sweet? It’s my own private retreat, although I’m always thrilled to have guests, of course. And now tell me about these humans you brought with you,” she said.

“This is my friend Jane,” Cedar said. Brighid looked Jane up and down, her dark eyebrows raised in question.

“I was in a fire,” Jane said. “Felix healed me. Couldn’t do anything about the clothes or the hair, though.”

“Did he now?” Brighid gave Felix an admiring look. “Well done, darling.” Then she turned back to Jane. “We’ll get you all fixed up, don’t you worry,” she said. “And you’ve brought a druid, I see.”

Liam stepped forward and bowed slightly. “This is our new friend Liam,” Cedar said.

“Mmm,” Brighid said, running her eyes over Liam. “Well, they’re dead useful to have around, that’s for sure. I had one for ages and ages, but then he went and died, which I suppose they all do, eventually. I meant to get a new one but then decided I preferred to travel alone. Still, good for you for acquiring one so soon. You didn’t waste any time after finding out who you really were, did you, Cedar?”

Cedar gaped at her. “He’s our friend, not our servant!” she said, indignant.

“Really? How interesting,” Brighid said in a tone that indicated she was already bored of the subject. “Well, let’s not stand here in the foyer gabbing. Come in, come in, humans, gods, and druids, all.” She turned and swooped out of the room and onto an expansive balcony that overlooked the ocean.

“We came to ask—” Cedar began, following her onto the balcony.

“For my help, I know,” Brighid said. “No one ever comes to see me just for the company. But that can wait. Look at yourself, dear. Your friend Jane isn’t the only one who has seen better days. I’ve instructed my people to prepare baths for you, and some light refreshments. Then you will rest, then we will feast, and
then
you will tell me about all of your troubles. I insist.”

“Thank you, but we really don’t have time,” Cedar said.

“There is always enough time, darling,” Brighid said dismissively. “Now off you go, ladies. Vanessa will show you the way.” She
pointed to a tall, muscular woman who was wearing a dress of soft white leather that barely came down to her upper thighs. She was standing so perfectly still that Cedar hadn’t even noticed her when they’d come out onto the balcony. “And gentlemen, follow me, if you please,” Brighid said. “Your druid may come as well, if you wish.”

Finn gave Cedar a small smile. “It won’t take long,” he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. “And if we accept her hospitality, she’ll be in a much better mood. Besides,” he said with a sniff, “you do need a bath.” She rolled her eyes and swatted him away.

“Be good!” Brighid said with a wink, then Cedar, Jane, and Eden turned to follow Vanessa, who led them back through the expansive foyer down a narrow hallway lined with erotic black-and-white photographs of the naked human form. At the end of the hallway she opened a door, and stepped back so that they could enter. It was, without a doubt, the most incredible spa Cedar had ever seen.

“Oh wow,” Jane breathed. Vanessa, who had yet to speak, closed the door behind them, leaving them alone.

How many worlds will we enter here?
Cedar wondered. It was as if they’d entered a secret glade hidden deep within the rain forest. The ground beneath their feet was the softest moss, cool and refreshing. Sunshine glimmered like liquid diamonds through the glass ceiling, which was hung with vines and huge bright pink flowers. Steam rose from a half dozen pools, and an intoxicating scent of something less tangible than any one spice or perfume filled the air. Peace, maybe, or laughter. They walked around the room, trying to take it all in. A waterfall flowed out of a wall of glittering rocks and into a large pool. One wall was lined with rows of thick robes and towels and several shelves of delicate glass bottles filled with different soaps and lotions.

“Can I go in, Mummy?” Eden asked, pointing to one of the small pools near the lotions.

“Of course,” Cedar said. They stripped off their clothes and gently submerged themselves in the warm water.

“Oooooh, it smells like bubble gum!” Eden exclaimed. Small pink bubbles began to form on the surface of the water all around her, and she laughed in delight.

“Really?” Cedar said. “I smell mint, and… rosemary.” The water around her was a dark green, and she could feel her skin tingling with pleasure. She leaned closer to Eden, but still couldn’t smell the bubble gum.

“I know!” Eden said. “I bet it smells different to each person!”

Cedar nodded. “I think you’re probably right,” she said. “Hey, Jane, come over here and tell us what you smell.” Jane was still standing by the rows of bottles, examining the labels. She knelt down and ran her hand through the water in the pool where Cedar and Eden were bathing.