Flight (Children of the Sidhe) (10 page)

“
I know. We’ve spoken of this before.” Tessa spoke quietly, as if to a wounded animal. His regret reeked like a rotten wound.

Mikhail looked her in the eye.
“Will you support me, if they come to Tir Nan Og?”

“
I will always support you, Mikhail.” That would never change. “Safe travels. Call on me when you return.”

“
Will I find Nathan still in residence?”

Tessa just smiled a small smile.
“I have no idea.”

“
Well, if he needs a place to go, ask the tree-folk. They will guide him.”

“
The tree-folk? What are we in the middle of, Mikhail?”

“They have agreed to help the half-human children if there is need. That’s all I know.”

The tree-folk were ancient beings even by Sidhe standards. They rarely got involved in disputes among the fae. If they did it meant they believed Tir Nan Og itself was in danger. Tessa thought back to the llaiadian wing Nathan had found in the forest, and the creature she thought she’d seen in the deep shadows of that oak tree the day she fell. This piece fit right in with the dark puzzle of what was happening to her world. Tessa didn’t like that one bit.

Nathan looked up when he heard the front door open. He
’d been waiting for Tessa, and met her in the hallway.

Something shone in her eyes for a moment when she saw him there. She pulled herself up straighter, her chin lifting.
“You’re leaving?”

He smiled.
“And you’re perceptive.”

She waved him off.
“No, my brother was just asking about you. For a moment when he asked, I almost hoped...but of course you’re going. Why now?”

“
Nemglan returned. We spoke at length. It was his feeling I’d been here long enough. Setting up residence isn’t a great idea in current circumstances.” He felt his lips twist in the start of a snarl. “He’d rather I go into hiding.”

“
And you think that’s a bad idea?”

“
Don’t talk to me like you do your brother. I’m no child for you to guide. Yes. I think it’s a bad idea. I’m returning beyond the veil. Abarta already tried my mother’s house, where I was raised. He thinks I’ve moved on, and I seriously doubt he’ll return. If he does, I have Hawk.”

“
You’ve only just discovered your hawk. Give yourself time and you may discover other gifts. You need our help, Nathan. Let us help.” The last came out on a sob, and for the first time, Nathan understood that Tessa truly feared for him.

“
You could come with me.”

She stared at him, as if
she’d never considered leaving before. “I can’t do that. I’ve lived here all my life.”

“
Seriously? Is that as rare among Sidhe as it is among humans?”

“
It’s not rare at all here. Things pass from one generation to the next. My brother is always off on his adventures. He can stay any time he likes, but he keeps a place in Underworld, by portal it’s like a three-minute walk from the Authority Guard.”

“
Underworld? What does that mean?”

Tessa fisted her hands on her hips.
“I see Nemglan still left much of the explaining to me,” she huffed. “The world of Tir Nan Og is split, as the human world once was. Middleworld in Tir Nan Og – where we are now – is the most similar to the human world beyond the veil. Underworld is a darker place, accessible through portals.”

“
So, is it literally under? Like under my feet right now?”

“
Not quite. It isn’t in quite the same plane, but this is all esoteric. The truth of it is that most Sidhe can move between Underworld and Middleworld using established portals. Only one can move between them by creating his own portals as he needs them; that is Ian’s power. Humans are better off staying in Middleworld, but half-humans seem able to travel in Underworld without problems, or at least that was the case for Hazel.”  

Nathan saw that flicker in her eyes he always saw when she mentioned Hazel. Not for the first time, he wished she wasn
’t so obviously hung up on Ian.

“
You said Tir Nan Og is split as the human world
once was
. In my world, they speak of the hells and the heavens. You’ve talked about Underworld, but is there anything above?”

“
Excellent question. You are a sharp one, Nathan.” She appeared thrilled at his interest, and Nathan wondered if this was a topic that just didn’t come up much among them. Tessa was a scholar, after all. “Upperworld is different. Some may reach it, but when they do, they never return to this plane.”

“
Never say never.”

Tessa frowned.
“Really, they never return.”

“
It’s a saying beyond the veil,
never say never
.”

“
Well, I don’t care for it. Here, when I say never, I mean
never
.”

“
Understood. So why don’t they return? Are you saying it’s impossible? Or is it just so great there that they choose that place over this?”

“
No one knows. How would we? They
never
return.” She smiled wildly, and Nathan took it as an attempt to soften her words. It came off a touch manic. She had so much to learn about humans. “I suspect they cannot return. Some have traveled there meaning to return and tell others what they learned, but it never came to pass.”

They were silent for a moment. Nathan thought of the ramifications. There was so much to Tir Nan Og that he hadn
’t seen yet. So much to learn and discover. He had to admit he hadn’t felt this alive for a long time.

“
Maybe you can show me a portal and how to use it, and I can return to visit. You’d give me a grand tour, wouldn’t you?” He smiled, trying to win her over.

Her expression didn
’t budge. “I will give you a grand tour. Now.”

He grimaced at her unyielding tone.
“Tessa, I must go sometime.”

“
Must you?” She laughed, and covered her mouth, her expression wilting. “Forget I said that.”

“
I won’t. I just can’t believe you would actually mean it. You don’t need me for anything.”

“
I like you, Nathan. I like spending time with someone who has no expectations of me. I’ve enjoyed our time together.” She stepped closer, her sapphire eyes glistening. Nathan couldn’t take that – another Sidhe getting teary-eyed over him today.

Suddenly, he was kissing her, and he wasn
’t sure who had initiated the kiss. She felt so right in his arms, her body melting into him in that way of familiar lovers, yet still so new to him that he responded in a moment. He unclasped the halter neck of her gown, pulled the ties that held it so close to her skin. Before he knew it, she was naked in his arms. She’d let him undress her. She was his in this moment, and his alone. He knew it from the watchful, vulnerable look in her eye, like she couldn’t quite trust him not to hurt her, in the end.

He couldn
’t stop himself from saying, “Maybe I spoke too soon. If I need to disappear, the wilds of Tir Nan Og are probably better than I could do back home. If your offer still stands–”

She cut him off by throwing her arms around his neck and landing an exuberant kiss before he could finish his sentence.
“Let’s plan later. Kiss me now,” she told him.

It was a command that had to be answered
.

Seventeen

The morning sunlight filtered through th
e branches of the ancient Tir Nan Og forest. She’d always held a fierce pride deep in her heart for the wilds of her homeland. Yes, she was a scholar, but she was also Sidhe, and steeped in earth magic to her core.

They’d been walking since sunrise, after spending the night in be
d, moving between dream and the sweet passion that felt like a fantasy, through all the dim hours. When they finally rose, Tessa felt deliciously spent.

T
he forest felt right today, it felt like her other home. The darkness she’d felt closer to her house didn’t overtake her here as it had there in recent days. Maybe there was still hope of averting whatever was moving the forest toward darkness.

As usual, Nathan had been silent for a while before a question inevitably brought him back to the present moment.
“Tessa? Is it the veil that blocks the sun? Do you ever actually see the sun in Tir Nan Og?”

“You’re very perceptive, Nathan. No, we do not see the sun’s face in Tir Nan Og.

The path wound through a thick copse of walnut and oak trees. Nathan wasn’t sure where they were going, exactly. Tessa led the way. Nathan had agreed to stay to the wilds of Tir Nan Og, or at least to give it a chance before he went back beyond the veil to a life posing as a human. As long as she had his attention, she was going to take Mikhail’s advice.

Finally they broke out of the dense cover of trees, into a
clearing surrounding one aged holly tree.

“
Good morning,” Tessa called.

Nathan peered around, trying to make out anyone else sharing the clearing. He
shrugged, as if to say,
can’t see anyone
.

“
Ah, Tessa. A fine day to you.”

She smiled her greeting to Thrum, her old friend and a leader of the tree-folk.

Nathan turned, like an animal looking for its tail, but he still couldn’t see anyone. Thrum chuckled at his expense, and Tessa knew it was time to defend him.

“Now, now. I’d better introduce you properly,” she said.

“Who are you?” Nathan asked, still looking around stubbornly, refusing to look to Tessa for aid.

“
I am Tessa’s friend. Now come around here to my front so I can get a better look at you. Nemglan’s boy, aren’t you? I’ve heard about you.”

Nathan sidled around the holly tree to the side Tessa was facing.
He stumbled a little at what he saw. “Wha—what?” he stammered.

The face on the tree
smiled. “Ah, there we are. Surprised, eh? I always have fun with that when someone new comes to Tir Nan Og. A rare treat. Pleased to meet you, Nathan. I am Thrum.”

“
Thrum,” Tessa said, “Mikhail told me the tree-folk would have advice for Nathan.”

The tree was silent for several moments, its branches waving in the breeze. “Does Nathan seek advice?”

Tessa ducked her head. The question was as much of an admonishment as the gentle-spirited tree would ever offer. She met Nathan’s eyes, and saw the question there. He didn’t know what was going on.

“Don’t worry, you two. I’ll start from the beginning…” and Thrum began to speak.

Alone in the forest where he’d been staying with Tessa for the past couple of days, Nathan occupied his mind with small tests of the magic Tessa had shown him in recent days. She’d left all serious talk at the roots of her tree friend, in preference of a true escape to the wilds. Thrum had revealed much regarding the old ways of the Tuatha De Danann, and how they’d respected those of mixed blood. It was the reason the Sidhe children, the half-humans, had been called to the Well of Slaine, an ancient, sacred space that showed the Sidhe’s respect for these members of their extended family. Tessa had seemed more disturbed by these revelations than Nathan, with his complete lack of reference for the knowledge Thrum shared with them.

Nathan still wasn’t ready to join the others at the Well of Slaine. When Tessa left the subject alone, he
was grateful for the space, though they were together always. They shifted often, hunted and foraged when they were hungry, and slept when they’d exhausted each other. Nathan couldn’t remember a more carefree time. He’d rarely felt more relaxed.

During
the past two days in the wilds, Tessa finally had a chance to teach him to use the most basic of his Sidhe abilities. It turned out he had quite a hand at magic tricks. He liked it. He chose jeans and a gray Henley, exactly what he would have worn beyond the veil. Dressed, he stood in the somewhat eerie dimness of the forest when something zipped past his face fast enough he didn’t even see it. He jumped back, startled, and a moment later, Season dipped back into view from where she’d apparently been hovering above him. “Sorry about that. I’m so glad I found you.”

“I’ve been wondering where you were. I figured you’d catch up long ago.”

“I have my suspicions about why I couldn’t find you, Nathan. In fact, there’s something we must discuss, now, while we’re alone.”

Nathan narrowed his eyes at the pixie’s sullen tone. “What’s so important?”

Season’s gaze darted around, like she had to convince herself they truly were alone before she could continue. That’s how Nathan knew that whatever she wanted to say, it had to do with Tessa. He steeled himself to indulge the pixie’s ranting. She never had liked Tessa.