Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy (43 page)

The Morrigan thrust her hands on her hips
and glanced at Cade.

"Oh yes, my dear Caedehn.  You broke your blood oath.  It was never in our agreement that you use the Cauldron to undo what my C
u
morrig
had already done
.  I have something extra-special in mind for you."

"And you broke your oath as well," Cade retorted.  "Meghan was to be left alone."

"Well then, I guess we're back to square one."  She sneered and turned
her attention back to my mother.
"Tell me Danua, is the daughter worth more than the son?"

Both my mother and I hissed at this, an instinctual response I was sure.

"They are both dear to me, Morrigan, but I will not trade one for the other, especially when I have no proof you have my Aiden."

The Morrigan lifted one of her hands and a ball of red magic swirled above it, small wisps of scarlet shredding away from
the sphere
in the slight breeze.  The orb grew and its center became transparent.  As we watched, a familiar face peered out at us.  Dark hair, bright blue-green eyes . . .

"Aiden!" I screamed, almost kicking Lasair into action.

Cade grabbed the horse's reins before he could take a step.

"No Megh
an," he growled, his voice hard and
authoritative.  "That's not Aiden, only a window to him."

I cast Cade an angry look, but he returned it with a sad one.  Fighting my anguish
and my glamour, I settled down, then
took a deep breath and
glanc
ed at my mother.  Danua's face had grown stony, her eyes flashing between their many hues; her own magic rising up to match the icy bite of our surroundings.

The Morrigan snapped her fingers below the sphere of magic and Aiden's image disappeared.

"So, as you can see, I have him locked away, nice and safe, where none of you will ever tread.  You can only get him back by handing over your dear daughter.  Of course
, you can meet me here tomorrow
on the battlefield, if you wish, but
with that option comes
no guarantee you'll see that half-breed son of yours again, win or lose.  And there is always the chance you'll lose your daughter as well, should you choose to fight."

The faelah, which had been adding their own grunts and small squeals for the past several minutes, must have taken their master's words as encouragement, because they chose at that moment to make their voices louder.  The baying and howling clawed at my soul, but I forced myself to keep my eyes on the Morrigan and her companion.  The tall man, Donn I decided, for who else could it be, stood with his arms crossed over his chest, the black leather pants and
sleeveless
gambeson
he wore matching his hair and eyes perfectly.  He looked like death warmed over, or more accurately, death anticipating a great party.  In this case, I could only imagine that the party he waited for was the war that would begin in a matter of hours.

"I will not sacrifice one child for another.  We will meet you in battle tomorrow Morrigan, Donn," my mother nodded to both the Tuatha De standing before us, "and wipe your overbearing evil from this world for a good ten centuries."

The Morrigan threw her head back and laughed, her curling black hair swirling around her as her magic flared.  When she looked back down at us, her eyes were
like
brilliant rubies.

"I was so hoping that would be your choice.  Oh, how I love a good battle!  Tomorrow morning then, my liege."

In the next breath the Morrigan vanished in a dark red swirl of smoke, a giant raven taking her place.  The black bird let out a cackling caw and flapped her wings, heading north and east into the mountains.  I watched her, my heart pounding, my
resentment
building, my magic urging me to follow. 
No, not yet
, I told it as it burned to seek revenge and save my brother. 
Tomorrow we fight.

Another blast of magic drew my attention back towards the line of faelah, and instead of seeing Donn's silent, menacing figure, I spotted a huge black bull with burning eyes and an extra set of wicked horns.  I gasped and tensed up, making Lasair dance below me.

"Don't worry Meghan," Cade said in a low voice, "he won't attack us today."

Cade's entire body was drawn taught, his muscles straining against his skin, his teeth clenched.  It didn't take long for me to reali
ze he was fighting his riastrad
.  Yes, it would be bad for him to change at this moment; best to save
his battle fury for tomorrow
.

I reached up and ran my hand over his cheek, into his hair, murmuring his name until his wild eyes returned to their usual green
.  Once the initial aggression seemed to pass,
he looked down at me. 
Cad
e grabbed my hand and pressed it against his face.  I smiled as he took deep breaths and closed his eyes, the tension draining out of him.

"Thank you Meghan."

"I didn't know if I could soothe you or not, but I didn't think it would hurt to try."

His mouth quirked into a smile and he said into my mind,
Your presence always soothes me.

I
pursed my lips and arched one of my eyebrows
, thinking about our fight earlier that morning. 
Unless we're arguin
g
, I reminded him.

He smile
d
lightly and kissed my hand. 
Even then, having you near is a blessing
.

The high queen and all the other kings and queens of Eile stood their ground, watching as the faelah burrowed into the
earth
or turned and scattered, chasing after the raven and the bull.  When we were certain none were left and none would attack after we turned our backs, my mother ordered us to return to Erintara.

"We eat well tonight
from
the Dagda's Cauldron and absorb the magic Eile has poured into it, and tomorrow we return to
fight the battle of our lives."

Everyone cheered and I couldn't help but notice the warrior coming alive in my mother.  Her dark hair whipped around her like a banner, and despite the fact that she wore a beautiful dress best suited for court, I could imagine her in a suit of armor and bearing a sword.  I smiled, a small speck of pride growing in my chest.  So, I guess my relationship with my birth mother was healing after all.

The journey back to Erintara was a dismal one.  Everyone seemed to be geared up for a
fierce battle
, everyone except me.  At first I had been ready to take the Morrigan on, but as we continued westward across her desolate territory, the fight in me gradually burned off to be replaced by overwhelming helplessness.  We had only been given a quick look at Aiden, but from those few moments I could read the
terror
in his eyes.

I
held my breath and clenched my teeth
as we passed through the dolmarehn because the anger threatened to take root again.
 
As soon as we were back in the
courtyard of Erintara's castle, I climbed down from Lasair.
Cade was beside me
in an instant,
pulling me into his embrace. 
Like me,
t
he tension coursing through him was almost loud enough to be heard. 
I immediately wrapped my arms a
round him, then
buried my face into his chest and just breathed.

My mother's guard and those of the other Tuatha De gave us our space as they moved about, handing their horses off to eager stable boys and making their way back into the castle.

"I'm sorry Meg
han,
"
Cade
ra
spe
d
against my ear, "but I just need to be close to you for a moment."

Oh, you can take more than a moment Cade
, I responded.

He sighed. 
I'm so sorry about all of this.  About Aiden, about my mother, about not being able to protect you well enough.

I pulled away just enough so that I could look into his face.  His eyes were stark, his expression drawn.  How much of this mess did he consider his responsibility?  How long had he been accepting the blame for all of this?

Cade, none of this is your fault, do you hear me?
I sent, my words painted with the harsh color of conviction. 
It wasn't your responsibility to protect Aiden, it was my family's and just because the Morrigan took him, it doesn't make it their fault either.  You don't need to apologize for your mother.  You are as much a victim of her
evil
as the rest of us.  And I don't want to hear any more of this talk of not being able to protect me.  I'm far more capable of protecting myself than I ever was and you have already done plenty.

Can't help it
, he sent, kissing my temple gently,
it's instinctual.

I wiggled away from him just so I could get my next point across without getting distracted.

We fight tomorrow Cade.  Together.  I don't want you trying to send me off in order to protect me.  Understood?

Yes, my Princess.

I punched him in the arm then grinned when he pulled me in for another
close hug
.

Before I could really get into the moment,
however,
t
he Dagda's booming voice
cut into our privacy
.  "Enough lollygagging in the courtyard everyone!  Let me fetch my Cauldron and begin the ceremon
y
.  We'll need all the power it can lend us, and it wouldn't hurt to have one last celebration before tomorrow's big fight, now would it?"

The men and women still lingering
outside
sent up an appreciative cheer.  Soon, plans were made and messengers were sent to gather all those who would be taking part in the battle against the Morrigan and Donn tomorrow.

As the castle came to life with activity, Cade and I slipped upstairs to get ready.  On our way, we learned that Enorah and her fellow fighters had arrived while we were gone.  She had been put up in the spare room down the hall from ours, and when Cade and I were ready to head back downstairs, we first stopped to collect his sister.

When we knocked, Enorah opened the door with gusto.  Her eyes gleamed and she gave us a wicked smile.

"I hear there is to be a party tonight," she said after giving Cade and I one of her death hugs.  "Come on, let's get to it.  I'm sure my men and women are already celebrating without us."

By the time we made our way back outside, a huge fire had been
lit
with the Dagda's Cauldron suspended above it.  An aromatic steam rose from the great vessel and I caught a hint of beef and barley and onions. 
From the open castle doors, people poured out into the courtyard carrying baskets and trays full of fruit pies, fresh bread and everything else needed for the huge
feast
. 
My stomach growled in response and Cade gave me a rakish look.

It took quite a while for the stew to cook and as we awaited the meal that would feed not only our stomachs, but our magic as well, several people pulled out pipes and harps and fiddles. 
Cade
drew
me into a dance more than once and held me closer than what might have been deemed appropriate.
For those several blissful minutes, I was able to forget about all that had been worrying me since coming to Eile.  Thoughts of the Morrigan and her hatred of me, of my mother's cold aloofness up until recently, of Aiden's capture, of the burden of the extra magic I carried and kept secret . . .
A
ll of it seemed to vanish as Cade led me in one dance after another.  For a few hours I was simply the Meghan I was before, carefree and unburdened by troubles greater than not fitting in.  That afternoon I caught a glimpse of what my life might be like if we won the battle tomorrow and everyone I loved came out of it alive.  Cade and I would be together, happy, not worried about what his mother might do next.

We were in the middle of a
slow
dance when the Dagda called for everyone's attention.  By now, the courtyard was crowded with men and women; all those from Erintara and those who had traveled with their Tuatha De king or queen to fight.  Enorah stood off to the side with about twenty people dressed in the style of the Weald, all of them looking eager for tomorrow's battle.
  Cloth-draped tables, weighed down with a variety of food and dinnerware, stood waiting against the courtyard's tall stone walls.

As the cheerful murmur of voices died down, t
he Dagda lifted his
arms and said in a loud voice,
"I will now begin the ceremony to transfer the Cauldron's power into the food we shall eat.  Remember, if you feel a little strange after eating, that is perfectly normal.  It is only your body absorbing the extra glamour."