Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy) (21 page)

“I see two things I know Allison would like to do more,” Ethan said, grabbing my elbow and turning me. He pointed at one sign that read
Kerrigan’s Books
, and another that simply said
The Ice Cream Parlour.

“I don’t see myself having much reading time in the near future, so let’s go with the ice cream.”

Liam pushed up from the bench and started walking toward the ice cream parlour. Just as quickly, he stopped and spun on his heel, pulling a napkin out of his pocket and grinning. “My treat.”

Not much eased my mind like ice cream. Ethan found us a seat and said he wanted to surprise me. He and Liam got in line, which was unexpectedly long for October. I guessed I wasn’t the only one who found solace in hot fudge and whipped cream.

When they returned, Ethan carried a bowl big enough to feed ten. My eyes widened at the unearthly amounts of ice cream and toppings.

He placed the bowl in front of me, and I think I may have sighed in anticipation. “This is a Forbidden Chocolate Lava Sundae,” he said with a flourish.

“Wow.” It was all I could say. “Where’s yours?” I asked when he sat down across from me.

Liam snickered and took a bite from his ice cream cone.

Ethan shook his head and laughed. “I thought you might let me have a bite or two.”

I pulled the bowl closer and frowned. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I told you to get your own,” Liam said, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

Ethan rubbed a hand over his chest. “You wound me.”

I shot him a look, trying not to laugh. “Fine, you can have a bite,” I said, handing over the extra spoon.

Ethan had made a good call. Eating something delicious and talking about unimportant things definitely made the time go by much faster. When we finished, it was almost time to go. We grabbed our bag of steel leashes and went on the lookout for a cab.

Once Liam pre paid our fare, we climbed into the cab. I turned in my seat to wave to Liam, swallowing the lump of fear in my throat as we pulled away from the curb.

Ethan put his arm across the back of the seat and angled his body toward mine. “Everything’s going to be fine,” he said in a low voice. “Okay?”

I nodded and tried to put on a brave face. “I just want to be done with it.”

It was weird traveling on the left side of the road. Before June of this year, I’d never even left New England. Someday I hoped to come back to Ireland under better circumstances. It was so beautiful and I’d only been able to see a small part.

Ethan must have sensed my need for quiet. We didn’t speak much during the drive, but he kept his arm over my shoulders.

Dark clouds moved across the sky, blocking out the sun. A fine mist fell on the windshield, barely enough for the driver to put on his wipers. He had the heat on full blast, since it was so damp and raw. On our way to pick up the cab, Liam had bought the three of us black
Save Tara
hoodies. We looked like ridiculous tourists, but at least we were warm.

We arrived at the entrance to the Hill of Tara just after four o’clock. Ethan and I walked up to the gate where a sign read
Boyne Valley Visitors Center Open for Admission 31 October 17:00- 21:00.

“The gate is locked,” I said, giving it a shake.

“That won’t be a problem,” Liam said, strolling up to my side. His hair was a little wind-blown, but otherwise you’d never be able to tell he’d just run thirty miles.

“Oh, yeah?” Ethan said. “How’s that?”

Liam fixed a steady stare on us. “We’ll be glamoured. Rules of admission do not apply.”

Ethan grinned. “Even me?”

“Even you.”

“Nice,” Ethan said, looking down at his arms.

“Follow me,” Liam said as he walked around the visitors enter. There was a short fence, but we hopped over it easily.

A few people were scattered over the field stretched out before us. The land was dotted with burial mounds thousands of years old. I’d read a little about Tara and the Hill of Hostages before we came. This place was rich with legends of kings from hundreds and thousands of years ago.

“See that cross?” Liam asked, pointing to a large stone cross surrounded by a low iron fence.

“It marks the spot of the Battle of Tara Hill in the late eighteenth century. On top of that mound behind it is the Stone of Destiny. It was moved to this spot after the battle to honor the soldiers who died.”

“The Danaans brought the stone here, right?” I asked.

Liam nodded. “That’s what they say. I was brought up believing it was used as a coronation stone for the High Kings. But as it turns out, it was a gift from the Danaans to the High Kings. The properties of the fháillan increased their power, and they didn’t even know it.”

“Saoirse told me it’s the largest piece of fháillan in existence,” I said.

“Right,” Liam said, squinting at the stone. “Which is why Aoife needs to use it.”

“If Aoife were to show up here right now, we’d be screwed,” Ethan said.

“Yes. Let’s go across to that hedge,” Liam said, pointing toward another hill about five hundred yards behind the Stone. “We can keep out of sight over there.”

At the bottom of the hedge, pale pink, star-shaped wildflowers still held on to their blooms. We sat on the cold, damp ground, the fragrance from the flowers spreading with the chilly wind.

We stayed quiet. We wouldn’t be seen by the locals, but if by any chance Aoife was within earshot, we didn’t want to risk her overhearing us.

The clouds scattered, halting the cool, misty rain. As the sun lowered over the horizon, it cast the green hills around us in a glorious golden tone.

Every few minutes one of us peaked over the hedge to see what was going on with the festivities. There was a crew assembling four large, curved metal plates into a fire pit on the flat field between the burial mounds. Liam told me they weren’t allowed to light a bonfire directly on the ground.

A crowd of people gathered at the gate as the sky darkened. Men and women carried torches around, adding a sense of ancient mystery to the landscape.

When the gate opened, we stood, the cloak of darkness keeping us hidden. The bonfire was lit by the torchbearers, starting as a tiny flame but quickly igniting into a crackling blaze.

A group of musicians set up not far from where we hid. One held a large frame drum, another a set of pipes and the third a tin whistle like Aodhan’s. One of them did a count of three and the night was filled with the sounds of a haunting Irish tune.

A coil of panic seized my chest. I was so scared of what was in store, that my fingers started going numb. But there was no turning back now, this was what we’d been hoping and planning for since I’d first met Liam over the summer. It was bigger than me or the fear spreading through my limbs.

Ethan wrapped his arm around my waist, leaning down to whisper in my ear. “This is going to work,” he said.

I leaned my head on his shoulder, hoping a fraction of his confidence might rub off on me. Feeling his arm, firm and strong around my waist kept my fear under control.

Liam watched the bonfire, determined set to his jaw. The flames reflected in the clear blue of his eyes, and I could see that no matter what it cost him, he was ready. Ready to take back his freedom from the one who’d stolen it from him all those years ago. As I watched, it came to me that he was as much a prisoner as my mother.

Liam turned, his eyes searching mine. “Are you ready?” he asked.

I nodded, and Ethan handed me two of the leashes. I stuffed them into the front pocket of my hoodie. He threaded his fingers through mine and we followed Liam out from behind the hedge.

A crisp wind stirred my hair around my face. It was time. Everything we’d been through had led us here. Ethan squeezed my hand, undoubtedly sensing my tension. I looked up and the clouds blew across the star studded sky. The air was thick with the smell of wet grass and burning wood.

Liam slowed, glancing back at us over his shoulder. “No signs of her yet,” he whispered.

The hill where the Stone of Destiny sat was empty. We moved through the people circled around the bonfire, getting closer to the base of the hill.

“Stay close,” Liam said, tension seeping out of him. “Don’t leave the crowd yet.”

Nodding, I watched the spot on the hill. My heart was beating as fast as the drum behind us. The moment I heard Liam’s sharp intake of breath, I knew Aoife was there.

I licked my lips, trying to see. Squinting and tilting my head away, I saw her form melt out of the darkness. She had her back to us, her hands extended so they rested on the Stone of Destiny. She was wearing tight jeans and a cropped black jacket, her black curls half pulled up on top of her head.

“Can you hear what she’s saying?” Liam asked.

“No,” I said. “I can’t hear anything besides the music and the fire.”

He motioned for us to move in closer. “I’m going to walk around the south side of the hill so she’ll see me coming. You two get yourselves just to the bottom until you see me raise my right hand. When I do, you strike.”

We nodded and Liam disappeared into the night. Ethan and I edged closer to the hill, away from the crowd.

For several minutes, I couldn’t see anything beyond Aoife. But then I could just make out Liam’s pale skin and dark sweatshirt as he approached her. A sense of foreboding travelled up my spine as I watched him move in.

He was speaking, but it was too low for me to hear. He looked angry, and I could see the fiery look in his eyes.

“You go for her legs, I’ll get her arms,” Ethan whispered.

I pulled the chains out of my pocket and wrapped them around my hands. Without tearing his eyes from her, Liam raised his right hand, and Ethan and I took off up the hill running.

When we were just a dozen yards away, I could make out a knife in one of her hands and a cup in the other. Liam said her name and she dropped the cup, which clattered on the stones under her feet.

Liam reached out to knock the knife from Aoife’s hand. She grabbed his arm with her other hand just as Ethan and I reached them. Bright light enveloped the hill and when I lunged to wrap the chains around her legs, the ground fell out from under me.

The light was too intense. I ducked my head into my elbow to keep it from burning my eyes. I tried to make sense of what was happening, but I felt like I was falling blindly into an abyss. Voices were shouting all around me, too muffled and distorted for me to understand.