Stone of Destiny (The Danaan Trilogy) (8 page)

“I was right, that dress is perfect for you,” she said, changing the subject.

“Thanks,” I said, tilting my head at the shell pink chiffon dress she had on. “Wasn’t that the first dress you tried on?”

“Yes,” she said, scrunching up her face at her reflection. “And I don’t know. I think I like this one best after all.”

I couldn’t help grinning. “It’s perfect, you look amazing.”

After I changed, Nicole decided to try on one more dress, just to be sure. I pulled my phone out and stared at it. Should I call Niamh and tell her about the girl?

I decided to send her a text. That would give me an idea of her reaction without having to talk in code.

I have something to tell you.

She replied before I could even put my phone back in my pocket.

Are you still at the mall?

I told her I was and to watch for me in about half an hour.

As Nicole and I paid for our dresses, I wondered if I’d made the right decision. Maybe I shouldn’t tell Niamh yet. I just wasn’t sure.

When we got back home Nicole grabbed her bag from my trunk and said goodbye before she darted next door. On Sunday’s there was always a big dinner at the Magliaro residence. Since Nicole thought Ethan and I still weren’t speaking, she didn’t even beg me to come with her.

I climbed the steps onto my front porch feeling a little paranoid. What if Samantha was somewhere out there watching me right now?

The hall clock just inside the front door said it was just after two. I’d hang up my dress and go for a walk next door to talk to Niamh and still have plenty of time to finish up my homework.

“I’m home,” I called down the hall, not sure who was around. I could hear the sound of studio audience laughter from the television and just made out my mother’s feet tucked under her on the couch in the living room at the end of the hallway.

“Allison, we’re back here. You have company,” Gram said, and I heard plates being moved around and footsteps on the kitchen tiles.

I tossed my bag on the stairs and went down the hall to see who it could be. When I got to the kitchen, surprise flitted through me. Niamh sat at the kitchen table drinking tea with Gram. I glanced over at my mother who just stared at the television, like she was completely oblivious to the Danaan in our house. I knew she wasn’t, she’d told me once in Tír na n’Óg that she was still aware of everything around her, she just couldn’t show it.

“Hey,” I said, raising an eyebrow at Niamh.

I introduced myself as Liam’s sister. Go along with it.

“Did you find something pretty at the mall, sweetheart?” Gram asked before raising her tea cup to her lips.

“I did. Well, Nicole picked it out, actually.”

Gram laughed. “So, Niamh tells me you two have a couple of classes together?”

Say yes.

“Yes, we do.” I cleared my throat and looked at Niamh. “Isn’t that such a coincidence?”

“It really is,” Gram said. “Such a small world.”

“Absolutely.” Niamh turned to me. “I was hoping you had those notes from Friday for me to look at.”

“Oh, yeah sure. They’re just upstairs, come on.”

I hurried up the stairs, Niamh trailing behind me. Once the door was closed I sat on my bed

Niamh looked at me expectantly and I bit my lip.

I thought about the girl I’d seen, imagined her face and dark hair in my mind for Niamh to see.

You’ve seen Samantha too, I take it?

Surprised she put it together so quick, I just blinked at her.

Yes, I knew about Samantha.

I shook my head.
But Aoife acted like it was a big secret.

She doesn’t realize I know about her child. There are many things Aoife doesn’t know.

Does Liam know?

Niamh walked over and sat in my desk chair.
No.

Why haven’t you told him?

Remember, there’s a significant time difference between my world and yours, Allison.

To me, it’s only been just over a year since Aoife gave birth to Samantha. And in between that time, many things happened that kept me from telling Liam. By then, he had discovered he had you. It just hasn’t been the right time.

I shot her a sidelong look as something else occurred to me.
You said ‘I saw Samantha too.’ Does that mean you’ve seen her?

I sensed them before I saw them. I can tell when my people are nearby, and Ciarán, the Danaan she’s with, knows this. I think he’s humoring Samantha by letting her think she’s sneaking around on us. She’s not sure how to approach you or Liam yet. But I do know from her thoughts that she doesn’t mean you any harm.

Good.
I breathed a sigh of relief. Images of Samantha killing me in my sleep had been dancing in my head since lunch yesterday.

Samantha has a significant amount of Danaan blood. She’s a telepath like me. As you might guess, it’s given her a great deal of trouble in this world

I imagined what it must be like to hear people’s thoughts. Even the dreams I had made me think I was crazy. She must have had it much worse.

So she’s my half-sister?

Niamh smiled, wrapping a strand of hair around her finger.
Yes, that’s right.

I wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I had a sister. She looked right around my age, too. But something felt off. Like Niamh was holding back. I wished I hadn’t thought that when her eyes lifted to mine.

I’ve scanned her thoughts, which is more difficult than just hearing thoughts. I know Aoife has been to see her, but I haven’t been able to figure out what Aoife is up to. Which is why I’ve kept quiet about it. Diarmuid, my adviser, thought it best to wait until we had a better understanding of the situation before telling Liam.

Okay, so Samantha met Aoife and she told her about all of us. I guess I could understand she was curious about meeting her father. Not only that, but Niamh was her aunt and I was her sister. What I couldn’t put my finger on was why Aoife had gone to meet her after keeping her a secret for twenty-odd years, or just over a year in her own world. Why now?

Those are the same things I’d like to know.

How do we get her to talk to us?

My father has the ability to call Ciarán out. Nobody, Danaan or human, can resist his compulsion.

A shudder rolled through my body. How ironic that the thing that made Deaghlan so repulsive was exactly what we needed.

He plans to go back to Tír na n’Óg today to take stock of the damage done from the iron, but we may be able to have him help us before he leaves.

Are you going back too?

I haven’t decided. I should go. I need to talk to my mother about so many things. And I’m weak from reversing my father’s work on Ethan’s mind. But I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to leave now.

Before I could stop myself I wondered if that was because of Samantha or because Aodhan was here and she didn’t want risk losing track of him.

Niamh looked sort of amused.
Both.

How do you think Liam is going to take the news?

Good question. Shall we go find out?

I felt terrible adding another lie to the dozens I’d told my grandparents lately. But letting them think Niamh was Liam’s sister seemed a much better choice than the truth. Would I ever be able to have that conversation with them?

Gram and Pop, Liam is actually my dad. You know, the one who knocked Mom up back in Ireland? I know he looks my age, that’s just because he’s spent so long in a magical fairy world, cursed so he couldn’t come be with Mom. Oh, and Niamh isn’t his sister, she’s really a fairy princess from the other world. Her crazy sister Aoife is an evil fairy who steals human blood to make her more powerful. It’s her fault Mom lost her mind, so don’t blame Liam, okay?

No, lying was the way to go.

With a sigh I told Gram I’d see her in a couple hours and that Niamh and I were going to watch a movie next door.

We found Liam stretched out on a lawn chair in his backyard with his eyes closed. I hesitated when I imagined how our news would turn his life upside down. Again.

Niamh turned to look at me and squeezed my shoulder. It was such a human gesture, I almost laughed. Maybe there was hope for their race after all.

“Hey old man,” I said, nudging his chair with my foot.

Liam opened one eye and looked over at me. “How right you are,” he said. He sat up and rubbed a hand over his face.

“Liam, we have some news,” Niamh said as she pulled two more lawn chairs over.

I sat on the chair she offered me. Liam looked between us as I pulled my legs up and wrapped my arms around them.

“Before we captured Aoife in Tír na n’Óg, do you remember a time when she was gone for longer than usual?”

He raised an eyebrow. “Gone? Well, a few times that she left for what seemed longer than others. Why do you ask?”

“From what I can gather, it was right around the time you met Elizabeth. She came to this realm, alone. She stayed here for nearly a year without returning home to you. Of course it would have felt like little more than a week to you.”

“Yes, I suppose I remember. At that point I was able to see Elizabeth every few days. Why?”

“Well, during that time, Aoife had a secret she was keeping from all of us.”

“Just one?” Liam asked dryly.

“One in particular,” Niamh said. She drew in her lips and looked at her lap for a moment. “Liam, Aoife became pregnant with your child. She didn’t want the baby, afraid you would love it more than you loved her. So she made Eithne hide her in this world.”

Liam stood. “My child?” His hands flew to his hair so fast they blurred. “That’s not possible, I would have known…”

“There’s a lot of that going on lately, huh?” I said and wished I could stick my foot in my mouth.

Niamh chuckled softly. “There’s more. Your other child, your daughter, has come looking for you. From what I’ve read of the girl’s thoughts, Aoife found her living in Thunder Bay. She knows about you and about Allison.”

He laughed, a small desperate sound. His hair stood up at odd angles from the abuse he was inflicting on it as he paced back and forth.

“I don’t know what to say.. What am I supposed to do?” His words all melted into one another.

“Liam, it’s okay. We’re going to talk to her. Figure out what she’s doing here,” I said as I reached for his wrists, trying to get him to stop before he pulled all his hair out.

“How long have you known about this?” he asked Niamh.

“Does that matter right now?” Niamh asked, neatly deflecting him. “What’s more important is finding out any information she has about Aoife, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, yes. I suppose you’re right.” He ran a hand down his face.

“Okay. She has one of Aoife’s guards with her. You remember Ciarán?”

Liam nodded, but kept his hand over his eyes. “Is he another murderous fiend now, draining humans?”

“I don’t know. I can’t get past his mind shields. But he doesn’t look haggard like Aengus does in your memories.”

The image of the guard who attacked Liam and me in Thunder Bay, like a walking cadaver, popped into my head. When Liam and Niamh imprisoned Aoife, her guards had become addicted to the small bits of magic in human blood.

“Good to know the girl isn’t traveling with the likes of him,” Liam said.

Niamh shifted in her seat next to me. “We’re going to try to get my father draw Ciarán out. After that, I’ll be going home to speak with my mother.”

“Good, good.” Liam said. He started walking toward his back door. “I’m just going to get a drink of water.” His hair stuck out like a porcupine and his skin was a ghastly white. He was spooked, discovering he had two daughters in two months.

I slapped my hands down on my thighs. “That went well.”

Niamh glanced from me to the back door. “About as well as expected.”

My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a text from Ethan. My insides tightened.

Just finished dinner, wish you came. You busy?

I laughed to myself. Was I busy? I was sitting in my father’s backyard waiting for him to lose it after learning he had not just one, but two grown daughters.