Belisama winced. “You do not belong in the Tuatha Dé Danann, Maeve.” She bit her top lip as she studied me. “We are energy. We do not have mass. Not as the Aos Sí does. We are celestial. You were born of the physical realm. Your first breath took the Aos Sí into your body. You were fed from its bounty.Drank of its water. You have my magic, but you belong to the Aos Sí.”
A sharp pain made my right eye close. “I feel so hungry, but I don’t want to eat.”
A troubled look painted her face. “Your bonds are straining.” She explained.
“Bonds?” I pressed my hand to my eye. “But it hurts even when Cormac and I are together.”
“Your other bonds, Maeve.” Belisama’s gaze softened. She waved a hand to the tree nearest the river. Its fat pink blossoms were too heavy for the flowers, and they rained down into the river like snowflakes. The tree creaked as it bent to her will, arching over the length of the river, though its body should have been too thick to do so. The air shimmered.
Belisama, my mother, moved her hand from my bicep, down to knit her fingers with mine. She ushered me forward, the river moving around her to form a path, as she led me through the makeshift doorway.
I had traveled by Silver more than once, and the sensation was always unnerving. The rapid shift in the environment and temperature.
One moment, I was knee deep in water, adjusting my gait against the lazy force of the river. Next, my bare feet slapped against smooth stone. The shadows of the forest were gone, and the arid air sucked the moisture from my skin.
The sun overhead was round, burning down, and the sky was an impossible blue.
I remembered the pattern on the floor. A mosaic made of terracotta tile. The platform that the dragon had so carelessly thrown us onto.
It felt like weeks had passed since that moment.
The platform was no longer empty; instead, a ring of chairs surrounded us. A basin stood in the middle of the arrangement.
“Maeve!”
I turned as Cormac raced through the archway, his eyes burning with fierce desperation. He took the stairs two at a time and strode towards me with force enough to slice through an army if one had stood between us.
My mother let go of my hand as Cormac scooped me into his arms. His hand tangled in my hair at the base of my skull, and he pushed his lips against mine, clinging to me as if I were a dream about to disperse.
Every muscle in my body seemed to relax as I sagged in his arms.
I was safe. Cormac was with me, and everything was going to be okay.
I didn’t know how long our embrace lasted when my mother interrupted by pressing a cool metal goblet against my arm, drawing my attention.
“Drink this.” She urged. “It will make you feel better.”
Cormac released me as if I were on fire. “You’re sick?”
“I don’t think it’s contagious.” I joked. “And without a tail, you won’t get fin-rot.”
He shook his head, eying me with concern. “That’s not what I meant.”
“Maeve will feel better if she drinks this.” My mother interrupted, pressing the goblet into my hands. “It’s water from theLough Key. A lake that exists in both the Aos Sí and the Tuatha Dé Danann, as you do.”
I took the cup and drained the contents—thirst overriding my actions more than my mother’s words.
“The Tuatha Dé Danann have called a Quorum.” Belisama continued. “To discuss Balor.”
Cormac’s lips pulled into a snarl. “Does that mean you are going to help?”
“Cormac—” I warned.
He held up a hand. “Those feckers have been avoiding me for days. I’ve been left in this labyrinth, and every person I’ve seen hasn’t given me a sodding answer. Not about where you were. Not about Balor. Not about a fecking thing.”
My mother’s eyes creased with amusement, though her lips did not move. “Manannán mac Lir has a soft spot for the cursed ones, it seems.” She said coolly. “Anyone else would have been sent to theMistéireachfor punishment.”
“Is that what that place was? Punishment?” I cupped my throat.
