Chapter Thirty-Nine
Lia
The following day, Lia emerged from behind their cottage while the bairns played with Cormac, Magni, and Morgan in the loch. A few had remained inside, moving slowly after a late night of celebration, but most had moved to the loch or the clearing behind the cottage.
“Gather round, if you please. This is a good time to speak with you while the wee ones are busy. I have a story to tell and then I need your help. All of you.” She glanced from one face to the next, not surprised to see Edan standing next to Ailith.
“I’m glad you are here, Edan. Heilyn doesn’t wish to splash in the loch? ”
Edan shook his head. “She stays close to me.”
“Understood,” Lia whispered, her gaze following the innocent child chasing a butterfly in the grass. How could anyone choose to attack such innocence? Death was not good enough for them, in her mind.
Alasdair stepped closer to the lass. “We’ll help you in any way we can, Lia. What do you need?”
Connor, Dyna, Maitland, Emmalin, Sylvi, Tora, and Ailith joined Alasdair near Lia.
Lia sat on a stump, settled her skirt, took a deep breath, and patted her hands on her lap before she began.
“Centuries ago, my sister and I were to marry brothers. Erena, my older sister, is the most powerful queen of the Seelie. She was to marry a man named Morvran, and I was to marry his brother, Taranis. Just before our wedding, an evil overlord stole forty-three bairns from their homes, imprisoning them. I tried to use my powers to stop him, but I could not.”
Lia paused, a smile crossing her face when the sound of Daran splashing in the water interrupted her. “His laughter is a balm to my soul.” She couldn’t help but wonder if she had married, would she have bairns of her own by now?
“My beloved Taranis tried to assist me but was cast aside and locked in a prison similar to the bairns’. It’s one I’ve tried to break over the years. Its similarity now gives me a clue as to how to free him. But that’s not the end of my story.
“Morvran attacked the overlord, seeing his brother locked in the cage, but he was killed. The double marriage never took place, and for centuries, I’ve been searching for Taranis, believing he is in the hill. Did you see a man with long light brown hair and golden eyes?”
Everyone shook their head except for Ailith and Dyna. Ailith said, “I saw him. He was in a similar cage with a golden cast. I didn’t have time to approach it. Erena told us to ignore any adults we saw.”
Frowning, Lia stared at her. “Adults? More than one? Did she give you any names?” Who else would possibly be in a cage? She’d have to think on that later. For now, she had a purpose to this meeting and she’d finish it.
“Nay, I only saw the one you described. Fair-haired. I wasn’t close enough to see his eyes, but they were definitely not dark.”
Dyna said, “I saw the same.”
Lia’s eyes misted. “I knew it. I knew he was in that hill. When you love someone, you can feel it when they are close.”
An eagle soared overhead, its cry calling to each of them, a succession of faces turning upward.
For this small interruption she was grateful.
What she was about to ask them could cost them more than she would reveal.
It was too early to be honest about this task put to her, the task she was hoping to turn over to their capable hands.
She couldn’t do it alone. At that thought, she jumped off the stump and paced.
“Lia?” Dyna whispered.
“I’m fine. Do not worry, I’m just gathering my thoughts.” That was all she would admit to at this point.
Alasdair asked the question on everyone’s mind, “Could Taranis have been killed when the hill collapsed? And what of Gruin? Is he not dead?”
Lia stopped and leaned against the stump to put forth the question she needed. It was time to get on with this. “Nay, Gruin will always survive, and he probably moved any other cages to another spot. Did you see another forty bairns?”
Ailith quickly answered. “We opened the cages of all the children we found. All the families who were missing children found their bairns.”
Lia jumped when a rabbit darted across in front of them, Heilyn now chasing it.
She ignored the lovely sight because she could not allow herself to be distracted from her mission.
“Gruin admitted Taranis was in the faery hill and said if I brought him five items, he would allow me time with my beloved. I need all of you to help me, if you would be so kind. I truly believe that if I can find him, I can figure out how to free him, so Gruin offering me this time…” She paused, closing her eyes.
Her voice broke when she spoke again, “Will you help me find these items?”
Uncle Connor spoke first. “Of course, we will. But please allow us some time to heal. If we can. Know you what the five items are?”
“Aye. He gave me the list, though there’s no reason to list them now.” She ticked the items off on her fingers as she counted to herself. “I will not forget them.”
“Do you know any of the items? Are they familiar?”
“Only the changeling blade.”
Connor let out a whistle. “I have many questions, as I’m sure others do. But what exactly is the changeling blade? Is it anything like the sword the shadow knight held? The one that would disappear until it was ready to slice into your flesh?”
“The changeling blade drinks children’s souls.
It’s the weapon used to steal the forty-three children from Islay years ago.
The children became trapped in changeling bindings I could not undo.
Taranis tried to help me and has suffered for it ever since.
The changeling blade is hidden somewhere on this island, and it might free the bairns also. ”
“Why haven’t you tried to free them before?” Emmalin asked.
“I have. I’ve tried everything I know to break their bindings, but I can’t pinpoint their exact location. I’m hoping finding these five items will help free the bairns too.”
“Then who can tell us more? How can we go after something when we have no idea where they are located?” Uncle Connor asked. “And who knows where the five items can be found?”
Lia sat again and folded her hands in her lap, a hint of triumph on her face.
“I’m pleased to tell you I finally have hope about that.
It’s our Woven Circle of Threads—our Seers.
Now that Ailith completes the Woven Circle, we can focus on locating the five items. Seers can see things neither Erena nor I can.
With Ailith, the Four Threads are joined, and we can begin to find the five keys that will free my beloved Taranis and possibly lead us to the wee bairns.
Taranis must know exactly where they are. He just needs to be set free.”
***
No one noticed when Dyna got up and moved to a spot closer to the cottage, away from the group.
She glanced around the side of the hut to check on the group in the water, hoping to cover her worry.
Dyna paced as everything returned to her.
She’d promised Erena she would keep her secret, but this was proving most difficult.
She was the only one who knew Morvran wasn’t dead, and after hearing Lia’s explanation, she couldn’t help but wonder what exactly had happened to him centuries ago.
As usual, Dyna had too many questions, but ones she couldn’t ask.
Every word Lia spoke was a fresh twist on what she’d learned from Erena. Lia, Morvran is not dead. He’s trapped inside the faery hill and I cannot tell you.
If Morvran was still alive, why was Erena hiding it from Lia?
And what would Lia think if she knew Morvran was bound in silver threads not far from Taranis?
But the question that echoed in her mind could not be quashed.
What were they getting into?