Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy (33 page)

I took note of the handful of other attendees, most of whom were daughters or sons of those present, or Faelorehn of great power but not so strong as my mother and her brethren.  Many of them looked my age, but then again, being from the Otherworld, they could be hundreds or
even
thousands of years old.  I shivered a little.  Yeah, I was still getting used to this immortality thing.  My wandering gaze skidded to a stop when they fell upon a man with golden hair and beautiful blue eyes.  For a few seconds my mind went blank as I admired him.  This was no common Faelorehn.

Who is that?
I asked Cade in awe.

He glanced up and searched for the god who had captured my attention.  He laughed softly when he
discovere
d who I was talking about. 
That, my love, is Lugh.  The Celts called him the Master of all the Arts, and he is one of our most talented and powerful rulers.

As I ogled him, I had no doubt that he was everything Cade claimed him to be.  He was stunningly beautiful, his hair such an unusual shade of blond and his skin almost glowing with life.  He sat back and casually surveyed his fellow Tuatha De, joining cheerfully in a conversation every now and again.  In fact, I was so distracted by his radiant presence that it took me a while to notice the quiet man sitting at his side.  When my eyes finally left Lugh's striking face and caught sight of his companion, I nearly gasped out loud.  How I hadn't noticed him before was a mystery, what with the antlers protruding from his head.  Perhaps he had been making himself invisible before now, but at that very moment he was as real and present as the golden god sitting next to him.

Cade and I had been moving gradually
deeper into the room, but after
spotting Cernunnos I froze, my feet rooting in place.  Cade stopped with me and gave me an inquiring look, but my thoughts and attention were somewhere else entirely.  My gaze was fixed on the god of Eile's wild places, and as the memories of our strange meeting in front of the Tree of Life poured forth, that little magical spider sleeping in a dark corner of my mind burst to life and started working frantically to gather up my thoughts.

I had not expected to see him here.  Why I had thought he wouldn’t heed my mother’s call, I
couldn't
say.  Maybe because he had seemed too unreachable, too wild, to be
influenc
ed by something as simple as Danua’s summons.  But here he was, leaning against the window pane, as close to the wild as he could get in this beautiful castle, his arms crossed as he listened to something Lugh was saying to him.  Yet, he wasn’t really listening, for he had seen and recognized me.  His brown gaze was captivating, and his mouth gave a slight upward tilt, but that was all the acknowledgment I got.  After having his thoughts in my head on more than one occasion, the gesture was almost ridiculous.

Cade, apparently, noticed the exchange as well.  He moved in closer to me, stepping just so and breaking my eye contact with the antlered god of the woods.

“Why is Cernunnos looking at you like that?”

It was a murmur, but it sounded like a death threat.  I gave Cade a troubled look.  Had that sliver of his
riastrad
returned?  His green eyes had flickered to a dark brown and he looked almost
violent
.

I swallowed, only to find my mouth dry.  “He-he spoke with me in the Weald, when you were gone those first
several
weeks after we arrived in Eile.”

There.  That was all I was going to tell him.  The gift Cernunnos had given me was still unknown to others; my little magical spider still keeping my
secret wrapped up securely
.  My heart raced and I was afraid Cade would notice my pulse as he grasped
my hand more tightly
.

He stepped even closer and placed his hand on my face, his fingers splayed and trailing down my cheek.  I sighed and closed my eyes.

“Did he threaten you Meghan?  Did he try to seduce you?”

Wait,
what
?  My shock must have been clear on my face because Cade continued with
shil-sciar
,
He has a reputation, Meghan, of charming young women and taking advantage of them.  Especially beautiful young women.

I felt dizzy all of a sudden, both from the implication of what Cade had said and from his sincere compliment. 
Had
Cernunnos been trying to seduce me?  I
frowned
and tried to remember the details of that day in the meadow with the Tree of Life.  As hard as I t
ried
, I could not recall the horned god’s conversation or actions being seductive in any way.  Yes, he had talked me into accepting his gift of Tuatha De magic, but even then, when he touched me, it didn’t seem inappropriate in the least.

No Cade, he was kind to me
, I finally managed. 
I was just surprised to see him here is all
.  I grinned and looked Cade in the eye. 
I didn’t think my mother’s influence was strong enough to entice the god of wild things to come to a fortress.

The vice-like grip on my hand loosened and I could feel Cade physically relax.

“Good,” he murmured, leaning down to
press his lips to the top of my head
.  And then with a mischievous grin and a challenging glint to his eye, he said, “Because he can’t have you.”

I snorted at that, having half a mind to tell Cade no one could have me
;
I was not a possession, but
then
someone in the room cleared their throat.  Oh.  I guess we were causing a scene.  I hooked my arm around Cade’s and leaned into him a little, biting my lip to keep from
blush
ing.  Okay, I guess he could have me, just as long as I could have him back.

Danua eyed us with slight annoyance as we took our seats beside her.  I was glad to see that she had reserved one for Cade as well.

The moment we were seated, my mother rose, the heavy skirt
s
of her sapphire gown flowing around her like water.  She
lifted
her hands and a cool flush of power poured over everyone.  I actually shivered, but managed to stay calm.

The moment the friendly chatter ended, my mother took a breath and said, "As you all know, we are here today to discuss a problem that has been growing for quite some time.  During the past
several
weeks, the young Caedehn MacRoich," she paused and acknowledged Cade with a formal nod, "traveled throughout Eile seek
ing both counsel
and aid from each of you.  The fact that everyone is present today gives me great hope that we will come to some desirable conclusion with regards to our common plight.  That plight being that the Morrigan has become more determined than ever to take my throne and unleash her evil power
upon
all of us.

"She plans on doing this by either enslaving or destroying my daughter and taking her magic," she paused and gestured towards me.  Nearly every set of eyes turned to look
in my direction
and it took all my willpower not to shrink into the cushion of my chair.

"Why not take the magic from another Faelorehn?" a young man with dark hair called out.  "She can't possibly have any more power than the rest of us."

Despite the
slight
sting of insult in that comment, I was thankful for the distraction.  Everyone lost interest in me, and I joined them as we cast our eyes in the young man's direction.  He was rather good-looking, I couldn't help but notice.  Tall and broad, his dark brown eyes flashing to hazel.

My mother sighed and r
olled her eyes to the ceiling.

"Bowen," the man next to Epona, Nuadu, growled in warning.

Danua held up a hand.  "No, it is alright Nuadu.  He has a point.  The reason I believe the Morrigan is after my daughter is complicated."

I froze, utterly horrified.  Where was Danua going with this . . . ?

"The Morrigan has never liked me, and when Meghan was born, I was forced to send her into the mortal world so that she would never know the evil of that goddess.  Unfortunately, Meghan discovered our world and broke the geis of protection I'd placed over her.  The Morrigan tried to take her magic then, since she was an easy target having not grown up in
Eile
and
ignorant in the ways of wielding
her own glamour properly.  But Meghan proved she was stronger than the Morrigan anticipated."

Wait, was it just me or was that a hint of pride in my mother's voice?

I blinked up at the high queen, and she gave me a small smile before throwing her mask of sovereignty back on.  My heart nearly stopped.  Was my mother, in her strange, silent way, trying to reach out to me?  Despite the fact that she had wanted to put our healing process off until after this war?

Danua took a breath and continued, "Now I believe it's mostly about revenge for the Morrigan, and as we all know, when the war goddess is on a mission of vengeance, she is twice as dangerous."

Silence descended upon the room and I gritted my teeth. 
I appreciated my mother's sincerity, but n
ow everyone knew my story and that the Morrigan was on a rampage because she couldn't handle being outdone by a pathetic Faelorehn who didn't know how to use her magic.  Despite
my general unease, however
, I
allowed Danua's small bit of praise and acknowledgment bring me some joy
.  Maybe she was warming up to
me after all.

"Does that answer your question Bowen?"

The young man nodded once, shot me a quick, appraising look, then sat back down.  For some reason, his quick yet efficient assessment of me made my skin tingle.

"Are there any further concerns?" Danua asked, casting her eyes over those sitting around the grand table.

When no one spoke up, she continued, "Then I'll give each of you a chance to speak.  If you have any information or any ideas on how to take on the Morrigan, please feel free to share your thoughts now."

The Dagda rose out of his chair and cleared his throat.  "My foster son and I spoke at length just recently."  He gave Cade a nod of acknowledgement.  "He informed me that the Morrigan has enlisted help from someone of great power."

A light murmur grew in the room and I clenched my hands into fists.

"How do you know this?" Danua asked, her voice sounding a bit strained.

I looked at Cade and his face was as serious as ever.  Had he and the Dagda not told my mother about their theory?

"Because
she
has already launched two attacks on us, your Majesty," Cade said without getting up.

The high queen shot her eyes in his direction, her face paling ever so slightly.
 
"When?  How?"

"Just after Meghan arrived in Eile," Cade continued.  "A small army of faelah descended on Luathara the very evening Meghan and I returned from the
mortal
world, and we were overwhelmed by faelah once again on our
journey
to the Dagda's.  The only way she could have gained enough power after losing it the day she tried to capture Meghan is if she had help.  And not just any help, but the assistance of someone of great power."

A cool silence
descended upon
the room
once again
as everyone let Cade's words sink in.

"And I'm assuming by your tone that you know who this ally of the Morrigan is?" Danua said slowly.

Cade nodded.  "Donn."

Surprised gasps, some louder than others, filled the room.

Before the chatter could get out of hand,
Lugh stood
from his chair
, graceful as a li
on, and the Tuatha De quieted down
.  He splayed his fingers out to support his arms as he leaned over the table and let his head hang.

“Caedehn is right.  The moment he arrived at my doorstep a week ago, I sent out spies to see if what he claimed was true.  The Morrigan has, indeed, enlisted the help of Donn.”

"How on Eile did she manage that?" the man with the scars, Goibniu, asked.

Cade shook his head.  "We don't know."

"Donn has more power than any three of
us
combined!" Epona
cried.

As the murmurs of disbelief made their way around the table, I glanced at Cade.

You didn't tell everyone your suspicion about Donn and the Morrigan when
you
left to summon them?

No
,
w
as his answer. 
I told them I suspected the Morrigan had found an ally in her evil
plot, but I never told them who
I suspected.

I thought about that, then took a moment to survey the faces around me.  It was clear now that none of them were the culprits, but I could understand why Cade had been careful not to share his thoughts.  Well, except with one of them . . .