Into the Fire (The Thin Veil) Page 8

  “Is it still there? At Westminster Abbey?” Cedar asked. Maybe this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.

  “No,” Finn replied. “It was stolen by a group of students a few years ago, and they returned it to Scotland. They got caught, and the stone was taken back to the English. But then the queen gave it back to the Scottish in a symbolic gesture, and it’s now in Edinburgh Castle.”

  “Then that seems like a good place to start, doesn’t it?” Cedar asked, not sure why Finn didn’t seem more excited.

  “It’s just that the likelihood of it being the real Lia Fáil is slim to none,” he said apologetically. “It’s changed hands so many times; it’s extremely likely that at least one copy was made, if not several. Who knows where the real stone is? It may be at the bottom of the sea with Fergus and his men. Or perhaps Murtagh sent Fergus a copy. Or maybe the monks at Scone gave Edward a fake. Even if they didn’t, the chances that the real Stone of Scone was just sitting around in Westminster Abbey all this time are extremely rare. It’s quite possible it’s locked in a vault somewhere in a government facility or museum. There’s no way to tell where the real stone is, I’m afraid.”

  Cedar was getting frustrated. “Well, we’re not going to find it by standing around here talking,” she said. “The first thing we have to do is go back to Earth.” She felt a moment’s hesitation as she looked at Finn, who was staring intently at Eden. She’d assumed he would come with her, but now she wasn’t so sure. Would he want to stay in Tír na nÓg with Eden?

  “We’ll have to bring Eden with us,” he said, and Cedar felt a wave of relief. “We’ll need her to create sidhe for us so that we can travel quickly.” Cedar hadn’t thought about that, but he was right. If they only had a week they’d need to move as quickly as possible.

  “We should all go with you!” Molly exclaimed. “The more of us who search for it, the faster we’ll find it!”

  Finn shook his head. “No, I think it should just be the three of us,” he said. “It’ll be too conspicuous for a big group of people to appear out of thin air. And I don’t want to leave Nuala here on the loose. You need to stay and keep an eye on her in case she tries to take over while we’re gone.”

  “Not so fast,” Felix said, running a hand distractedly through his blond hair. “You have no idea what you’ll find, or what you’ll be up against. Finn, you’ve got a little girl to look after, and, well… no offense, Cedar, but you’re still kind of, you know, human when it comes to strength and all of that. And if any of you are injured, my healing power will be useful. Everyone else should stay here, but I should come with you.”

  Finn started to protest, but Cedar said, “Thanks, Felix.” She was glad he’d be coming with them. The more help they had the better, she thought, and if they did run into trouble, Felix could always bring Eden back to safety.

  “Make sure you take the starstone,” Riona said. “That way you can keep us updated on your progress, and we can let you know what happens here on our end.”

  “We should leave a sidh open for you,” Finn said. “I don’t like leaving you here with no way out, just in case things go… wrong. We don’t know what game Nuala is playing.”

  “But what if she follows us through?” Cedar asked.

  “I don’t think we have to worry about that,” Rohan said in his deep voice. “Eden’s the only one who can open the sidhe, and she, Finn, and I are the only ones who can close them. I don’t think she’d risk being trapped on Ériu. But there’s no need to leave a sidh open. We’re not going anywhere. Besides, we can contact you through the starstone if we need you to open one.”

  Cedar nodded. “Okay, if you’re sure.”

  They all looked grim, no doubt remembering the years they’d spent searching for Brogan’s hidden sidh as they evaded Lorcan. She hoped they wouldn’t need such an escape this time.

  Cedar said good-bye to Nevan and Seisyll, both of whom wished her luck and hugged her for just a little too long. Then she followed Finn, Eden, Riona, Rohan, and Felix into the house’s willow-lined courtyard.

  “We’ll grab a few things from our room and open the sidh from there,” Cedar told Riona and Rohan, gesturing to the door that led to the room she and Finn shared. Riona nodded and hugged her close. “Good luck, dear.”

  Cedar opened the door and held it ajar as Finn, Eden, and Felix entered. Then she waved at Riona and Rohan one last time and closed it behind her.

  “Are we really going back?” Eden asked as they walked through the field of poppies.

  “Yes, honey, but just for a little while. Your father and I need your help. There’s something we need to find—”

  “The Lia Fáil,” Eden interrupted.

  “That’s right,” Cedar said. “And we don’t know where it is, so we’ll need to look in a lot of different places. That’s where you come in.”

  Eden nodded seriously. “I can help by opening the sidhe for us to go through.”

  “Think of it as a big scavenger hunt,” Cedar said, keeping her tone light. If Eden saw this as a game, maybe she wouldn’t mind being dragged all around the British Isles quite so much.

  “Where do you want to go first?” Eden asked.

  “Well, I think we should start by going home,” Cedar said. “Our old home. An Internet connection would come in handy, and I can pick up my tablet to take with us in case we need to look up maps or pictures of where we need to go. Are you ready?” she asked as they approached the pond.

  “Just a minute, I want to say good-bye to the fishies,” Eden said, running over to look into the water. Felix followed her, and she started showing him her favorites.

  Finn pulled Cedar in for an embrace as they watched them. “Ready to save the world?” he asked.

  “Always,” she said. She could feel the adrenaline pulsing through her veins. “But first, I want to change back into my jeans.” She walked into her walk-in wardrobe and found her jeans and shirt toward the back, where they had somehow hung themselves up. When she emerged, the others were standing in a small group.

  “I’m done saying good-bye,” Eden said. “Where should we go? The kitchen?”

  “It’s as good a place as any,” Cedar said. “I hope Jane’s not walking around naked or something.”

  Eden giggled at this and then walked over to the wardrobe door and pulled it open.

  Jane wasn’t naked, but what they saw was even more surprising. Jane was sitting at the kitchen table with the man whom Cedar had met outside of Maeve’s house. He stood up when he saw them.

  “We meet again, Cedar,” he said.

  CHAPTER 5

  Cedar!” Jane cried, jumping up. “I didn’t think you’d be back so soon! What’s going on? Is everything okay?”

  Cedar didn’t answer. Instead, she gently pulled Eden behind her, her eyes glued on Liam. He held up his hands apologetically. “I’m sorry, it must be a bit of a surprise to see me here. But your timing is excellent. I was just asking Jane if she knew how I could find you.”

  He held his hand out to Finn, who was the closest to him. “You must be Finn,” he said. “I’m Liam Neill.”

  Finn shook the man’s hand but didn’t smile. “So you’re the mysterious Liam. Why were you looking for Cedar?” he asked, clearly disinterested in small talk. “And who are you? Cedar says you weren’t exactly forthcoming the first time she met you.”

  Liam didn’t seem offended. “I have to apologize for that as well. It seems as though I didn’t make a very good first impression.”

  “You guys can come in and sit down, y’know,” Jane interrupted. “You don’t have to stand in the doorway. I just put on some coffee. Who’s this?” she asked, jerking her chin in Felix’s direction.

  He bowed slightly and said, “Toirdhealbhach MacDail re Deachai at your service. You must be Jane.”

  Jane gave Cedar a wry look. “Is he for real?” she said.

  “Oh, for goodness sake, just call him Felix. The rest of us do,” Cedar said, and Felix straightened up and la
ughed.

  “If you must,” he answered with a wink at Jane. “But one of these days I’m going to meet a human who can say my proper name.”

  Jane scowled, and Cedar wondered if she had taken offense. Eden squirmed out of Cedar’s grasp and ran off to play with the toys and books she had left behind in her room. The rest of them found seats in the living room, where Jane brought out mugs of steaming coffee. Cedar sipped hers gratefully. It had been another long day.

  Liam accepted a mug from Jane and wrapped his long, slender fingers around it. “Again, I’m sorry for the unexpected visit—well, both unexpected visits,” he said. “I didn’t expect to see anyone at Maeve’s house when I went to visit her grave. I’m glad I was there, since you seemed hell-bent on getting into that shed no matter what it did to you. But I’m afraid I wasn’t very talkative that day.” He stared down into his coffee. “I hadn’t been back to that house in many years. It was… difficult.”

  “How did you know Maeve?” Cedar asked. Finn and Felix were both giving Liam wary looks, but Cedar was glad that he was here, glad that he’d come looking for her. She hated unanswered questions, and she’d thought about him a lot over the past couple of days.

  “She was my student,” he answered.

  “Your student? But I thought Brogan was the one who taught her,” Cedar said, surprised.

  “No, he just arranged for me to do it,” Liam answered. “I only met him a couple of times.”

  “So you’re a druid,” Cedar said. She felt like she was stating the obvious, but she needed to be certain.

  “Yes,” he said. “I was her mentor for several years. After her apprenticeship was over, we lost touch. She didn’t want to have anything do with the druidic life after… well, after he left. By the time I learned what had happened to her, it was too late.”

  “How did you find out about Maeve’s death? And how did you know Cedar was planning on going to Tír na nÓg?” Finn demanded.

  “You of all people must know that the magical network is still vast here on Earth, even if it’s mostly hidden. A battle between the Tuatha Dé Danann and the Merrow does not go unnoticed, especially one that results in the death of the Merrow queen. And it made even greater waves when the High King of Tír na nÓg was defeated at the hands of a human.” He bowed his head at Cedar. “Your bravery is exceptional.” Returning his attention to Finn, he said, “I did not know of your plans to return to Tír na nÓg; there is no spy among your ranks, at least to my knowledge. It was an educated guess. And I should have pressed my case harder. I came here today to warn you that Nuala wanders Tír na nÓg freely… but perhaps you already know that since you have been and returned.”

  Before Cedar could answer, Finn asked, “How do you know about Nuala?”

  “I’ve known about her for many years,” Liam answered patiently. “She attempted to contact as many druids as possible while she was here. I never spoke to her myself, but several of my kind did. Many of them were quite impressed. Rumor has it she’s convinced some of them to return to Tír na nÓg once she is crowned queen. They say she is offering them equality with the Tuatha Dé Danann. I admit that I can see how that would appeal to some.”

  There was an awkward silence in which Finn and Felix exchanged loaded glances. Then Cedar asked, “Does it appeal to you?”

  “No, on a number of levels,” Liam answered. “For one, I’m quite happy here. Also, I don’t put stock in the promises of the Tuatha Dé Danann—no offense. We had our time in Tír na nÓg, but here on Earth we serve no one but ourselves. Returning to Tír na nÓg would be a return to servitude, whatever Nuala claims. And if she thinks she can get all of the druids to return, she doesn’t know us very well. There’s no real organization or leadership. Most of us come and go as we please and are quite happily integrated into this world. We’re humans, after all—we just possess certain abilities that other humans do not.”

  Felix stood up and started pacing the apartment. “It seems quite convenient that you were here exactly when we arrived, and that you showed up at Maeve’s house the night before Cedar was supposed to leave for Tír na nÓg. How do we know you aren’t helping Nuala?” he asked.

  Liam nodded slowly, and when he spoke his voice was thick with emotion. “I understand why you might think so. But believe me, it couldn’t be further from the truth. Maeve was my best student and a dear friend. If the information I’ve heard is true, Nuala killed her in cold blood. Now Nuala is playing some sort of game with my kind. I don’t know what it is, but I don’t trust her. Why does she want the druids back in Tír na nÓg so badly?” His brow wrinkled as he considered this.

  “I can’t give you proof if that’s what you’re looking for. But I can assure you I’m not helping her. She couldn’t offer me anything that would make up for what she did to Maeve, not even the High Kingship of Tír na nÓg. I didn’t come to spy on you—I came to warn you. Stay away from her.”

  “We can’t,” Cedar said bluntly.

  “Cedar, she killed your mother,” Liam said. “You have no idea what she—”

  “I know exactly what she’s capable of, and what she’s planning,” Cedar interrupted. “She’s using the return of the druids as a way to convince the Council to make her queen. She conveniently forgot to mention the bit about offering them equality with the Tuatha Dé Danann. And when she’s queen, she’s going to use her ability to start a Third World War—or the apocalypse. Once all the humans have killed each other, Ériu will be ripe for the taking.”

  “Holy shit,” Jane breathed. “Are you serious? Can she do that?”

  “She can and will, unless we stop her. That’s why we’re here. We didn’t come back because we were running from her,” Cedar said.

  “Then why did you come back?” Jane asked.

  Cedar hesitated. It still felt too strange to say it out loud.

  Felix was the one who answered. “Because Cedar is going to become queen, not Nuala.”

  Jane blinked at him. “No. Seriously?”

  He frowned. “You don’t think she is worthy?”

  “She’s my best friend, of course I do,” Jane said, rolling her eyes. “Forgive me if the whole fairy-kingdom thing is still sinking in.”

  “But if that’s the case, Cedar, why are you here instead of back in Tír na nÓg?” Liam asked.

  Cedar swallowed. It was so much easier to accept these things when surrounded by the magic of Tír na nÓg. Here, it sounded ridiculous. But that didn’t make it any less true. “Even though my father was High King, the Council has given me a task to perform before they’ll make me queen. It’s a test, to prove myself. I have to find the Lia Fáil.”

  Finn was still scowling, and Cedar could tell that he didn’t like talking about this in front of Liam. But something deep inside of her trusted him. And she wanted him to stay. From the sounds of it, he had known Maeve a whole lot better than she had, and she had about a million questions for him.

  “The Lia What?” Jane asked.

  “Foy-al. L-i-a-f-a-i-l,” Cedar spelled. Jane was already reaching for her laptop. “It’s also called the Stone of Destiny. It’s one of the four treasures of the Tuatha Dé Danann, but it’s been lost somewhere on Ériu—I mean, Earth—for centuries. I have to find it. In a week.” She gave Liam a wry smile. “You don’t happen to know where it is, do you?”

  Liam let out a long, slow breath. “Of all the things they could have asked of you…,” he said. “No, I don’t know where it is. No one does. We—the druids, that is—have searched for it for centuries. It’s an important historical and cultural artifact, even if it no longer has magical properties. But there are many large stones in sacred places around the world, and it could be any one of them.”

  “Great,” Cedar said drily. “So we just need to go around and touch every stone in the world to see if it gets warm. Except it might not even work for me, being sort-of human and all.”

  “Well, that’s where your Danann friends come in handy,” Liam said. “Never hurts to
have a god or two around.”

  Jane snorted. She was already online, her eyes flicking rapidly over the screen in front of her. “Okay, what do we know?” she asked. Quickly, Cedar filled Jane and Liam in on some of their theories, with Finn occasionally interjecting with additional information or to correct something Cedar had gotten wrong. Jane didn’t look up from her computer’s screen, her fingers clicking away on the keyboard as Cedar talked.

  “What are you doing?” Felix asked Jane, peering over her shoulder.

  She raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s called a computer. Don’t you have computers in Fairyland?”

  He smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. “No, but I did learn to use one during the two decades I was living here. It’s quite interesting, actually, watching human technologies evolve. It’s another way you differ from us. Our technology, so to speak, has more or less gone unchanged since… well, since forever. Yours has changed radically since the last time I was here—before this most recent stint, I mean.”

  “When were you last here?” Cedar asked, intrigued.

  “Oh, it’s been a while,” he said with a laugh. “Let’s just say that the humans hadn’t yet figured out electricity, let alone the Internet.” He leaned back and laced his hands behind his head. “I like humans,” he declared loftily. “Always have. Used to visit here quite a lot. I tried not to get too tangled up in the humans’ affairs, but it was difficult. There was always someone who needed healing, especially with all the wars going on, and before you lot discovered things like penicillin and vaccines—which are brilliant, by the way. Of course, the human women are interesting too. There was this milkmaid once, in Derry… damn, she was beautiful. And she genuinely believed in the fairy folk.”

  “What happened to her?” Cedar asked. She glanced at Jane, who seemed to be studiously ignoring Felix. Her eyes were still fixed on the screen, but they weren’t moving.

  “She died,” he said simply. “I went back to Tír na nÓg for a spell. I guess more time passed than I realized—it’s so easy to forget that humans have such short natural life spans. When I returned, I found out that she had married, borne children, grown old, and died. But one of her daughters told me that her mother had always shared stories about the fairy she had once loved, so I guess she never forgot me.”