I pushed aside the black curtain hanging over Daire’s gold, ivy-framed mirror, and walked back into the dim underground cavern I stayed in. More mirrors like his lined the packed dirt hallway on both sides between its candelabras, each with different symbols on their frames. My kidnapper-turned-friend, Rio—really Daire’s half-sister, Riona—stood further down the hall. She was in front of one of the other mirrors with a trident at the top and waves spreading out from it. She’d used them to talk with people for the past few weeks as she campaigned for High King.
“I am rather fond of the old ways, Lady of Irons,” echoed a smooth, layered voice from the mirror. The man in the glass had straight blue-black hair framing his narrow face with a matching, trimmed beard. His cloak hid the rest of him. Its color slithered between stormy gray, sea foam green, and aquamarine. The most inhuman thing about him were his eyes. They had the same tilted shape as other Aos Si I’d met, but they had no whites or pupils. The same shifting colors as his cloak took up their whole space.
“I only seek an audience, oh wise Master of the Seas,” Rio said, laying the honey thick in her voice as she fiddled with her signature iron chain bracelet behind her back. “You would not violate your oaths of loyalty by entertaining a guest.”
“An illegitimate, Fomor-touched guest whose power is toxic to my subjects, with a proposition my High King will not take kindly to.” The Master of the Seas’ deadpan expression didn’t budge. If Rio were a T.V. show, he’d change the channel on her any second.
The conversation seemed like it would wind down soon. I hurried behind Rio on a beeline for my cot.
“Who is that?” the man asked as soon as I made it past his mirror. Crap.
I glanced at Rio first, searching for cues. Did this guy like blunt and spunky, or would my personality make Rio’s case worse?
“That is my…” Rio’s slit pupils got round like she had an idea. “She is my counselor, my charming human companion from the mortal realm’s modern age. Rather different from the humans I knew back when we still roamed Eire.”
“Truly?” The strange guy’s eyes lightened to the blue-green of a good beach day as his interest perked. He leaned closer to his mirror. “My son told me he saw such a creature at the announcement feast. I thought he had fallen for some trick. Come, girl. Come where I may see you better.”
Rio waved me forward. I edged back into view beside her.
“Hello, sir.” I flinched at his cloak as new lines of blue shot through it. Was it alive?
“Do not fear,” the man said as he smiled at the color-shifting cloth and held it up for me to see better. “This garment has the power to grant its wearer invisibility. It has a great many stories to tell.”
“I’d like it better if you told them, not the fabric.” I inched closer to Rio as I forced a grin.
“It doesn’t have the ability to speak, but that’s a good idea for a future enchantment.” His amused chuckle filled the hallway in surround sound, sending shivers up my arms.
“Allow me to introduce Manannan Mac Lir, born of the sea, Tir Na Nog’s Master of Enchantment, and the former lord over Uliad.” Rio ran her hand down my back and my goosebumps settled.
“Still lord over Uliad as far as my son is concerned.” Manannan let out a theatrical sigh with a flourish of his fingers. “It still escapes him that ruling does not mean consulting me about every little decision.”
“Perhaps it is that he respects your experience too much.” Rio nudged me. “Would you rather I introduce you, or you do it yourself, dear one?”
“I can do it.” At first I held out my hand, then took it back when I remembered we were basically video chatting. I bowed my head instead. “I’m Maya.”
“No family name or titles?” Manannan asked.
“Um…” What was the harm in giving my last name? Rio swiped her nails against the small of my back. Was that her signal that telling him was a bad idea? I forced a shrug instead. “Family names are Manuel for my dad, Jennifer for my mom, Mercedes for my grandmother. We don’t have any titles. You guys would call us peasants.”
“That was a fair deflection, though I sense you don’t lie often,” Manannan said, switching into a teacher mode. “The secret is peppering the lie with just enough truth to convince your audience. Better yet, structure the truth in such a way as to imply something entirely different. That is the key to getting along here.”
“Thanks for the tip.” I trailed off, not sure what to say next.
“She is full of her own stories, and her style of telling them is so unique.” Rio patted my hip. Telling me I’d done a good job? “Might the two of us come so she can regale you with them in person?”
Crap again. My gut told me I wasn’t ready to go anywhere yet. I needed to do something, but what? I hammed up a big yawn.
“After she sleeps, of course,” Rio added.
“Scry me when she awakens,” Manannan said.
“I will do as you ask.” Rio bowed her head.
Manannan gave Rio a subtle nod back. The glass swirled to normal.
“Quick. To bed with you.” Rio turned me toward my cot and prodded me forward. “We shouldn’t keep Manannan waiting too long.”
“Hold your horses.” I dug my heels into the floor and spun back around. “We’ve got plenty of time.”
“I have no horses of which to hold, and you must rest for our outing.”
“I can stay up for a few more minutes.” I planted my hands on my hips. “What did you just sign me up for? Is there a strategy I have to stick with? Anything important I’ve got to know before we go?”
“At least ready yourself for sleep as I explain.”
“Alright.” I headed toward the wash pitcher. “Your big idea is to dangle me around like something shiny. After I get their attention, you make your big political speech?”
“Precisely.” Rio created a thick rag from of nowhere and held it out to me. “That is how it should go with Manannan, at least.”
“I thought he said his son ran things.” I took the rag and dumped water over it.
“True, he casts the official vote.” Rio knelt by my cot and spread my blanket over it. “Yet Ilbrec never makes a crucial decision without consulting Manannan about it. The true key is winning the father.”
“What kind of promises are you making? I’m sure you’ve got to say something big to get a leg up on your dad.” I scrubbed my face, getting off as much of the surface gunk from my day as I could.
“You’ll find that out in due time, dear one.”
“Oh come on, if you want me in on this, at least tell me a hint.” I swiped one of the dry towels from inside the dresser the wash pitcher sat on and patted myself down. It’d have to be enough.
“Soon, but not yet.” Rio fluffed my pillow and set it where my head usually went. “Did you find out anything from cavorting with Daire?”
“They’re still only using the one uncle you hate, Aengus, to try and make you freak out so you look bad and nobody takes you seriously,” I said as my eyelids started getting heavy. I couldn’t fall asleep yet, though. I was still forgetting something. As I climbed into the cot and pulled the blanket over my legs, I looked over Rio’s bare arms. The last of her bruises had faded a week ago. Her straight fingers worked with the same grace as before Bodb tortured her. She seemed better, but I didn’t know how much of that was her disguise magic and how much was real. “When can we catch up and talk about how you’re doing?”
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Maya, I cannot guarantee how much time we will have together in the coming weeks.” Rio tucked the edges of my blanket under me. “If I am going to succeed, I must always be vigilant. Planning and making connections are vital, and I don’t have long left to establish them. I may need to do things I would rather you not see, and say things I would rather you not hear. No doubt Aengus will use every trick he can to slander me, as you said. Focus will be our only way to defeat them.”
“Wait, one minute you’re saying you need me to help you, and now you’re saying I’m a distraction?”
“The course they drove me to, that you wanted for me, is not easy. I value your stories, your good humor, and even your advice. But I must go without them if I am to succeed. It will be worth it in the end, though. Everything will be worth it.” She lifted the blanket around my shoulders. “Until then, trust me and have patience.”
“Alright,” I laid back, mulling over her logic. I needed to stay with her to find those treasures. This thing with Manannan was a perfect opportunity to scout out the one he had. He was in Uliad, up north, and that meant he’d have Lugh’s Spear. Maybe I could convince her to make it a permanent part of her strategy. “Here’s an idea.”
“What is it?“
“I want to go with you to see all the other people you’ve got to talk to on your big campaign tour, not just Manannan.”
“That may not be possible. Some are more dangerous than others.”
“This whole place is dangerous. I could be a real asset if the other council voters are anything like Manannan.”
Rio bit her bottom lip, still unsure.
“I want to see this new world I’m part of and meet some of the people in it.” If I had to get personal, I would. “I’ve got to live here forever, at least give me a little variety outside some dirt walls and your dad’s place. It’ll also mean I can spend a little time with you while you’re busy campaigning.”
“True enough, I suppose.” She smoothed my bangs away from my forehead. “Very well, for the sake of my queenship and your entertainment.”
With that piece of the plan set, I shut my eyes. Something nagged at me, but I could figure it out when I woke up. I had a little time, right? Rio running her fingertips over my face sent me to sleep.
* * *
I woke up to a little wet nose hovering over me. It was attached to Rio’s fox shape that I’d nicknamed “Queenie.” Rio tended to change into Queenie when she needed to distract herself. Was she that nervous about the Manannan meeting?
Are you awake? Rio’s voice floated through my head like my own thoughts. May I begin to ready you for Uliad?
“Yeah.” I groaned as I processed through what I had to do for the visit. North was the Spear, Uliad was north, Manannan was in Uliad, so Manannan had the Spear. I had to figure out where it was hidden. Then… I came up blank. Hadn’t we come up with a plan? I smacked my pillow. That’s what I forgot to do! “Shit! Not yet. I have to see Daire first.”
What? The delicate fox flowed into a willowy redhead. “Surely it can wait.”
“Not really. Um…” I threw the covers off and patted my clothes. Shirt, check. Pants, check. Bra, check. Not the first time I’d gone to bed fully dressed. “I need to tell him I can’t make it today, that’s it. If I blow him off, he’ll get pissy and not want to hang out anymore. Better to explain it so I can still milk him for information, right?”
“You could tell him through his mirror, but then he would know I’d permitted it. If only you could scry.” Rio went toward Manannan’s mirror and rubbed her head like it ached. “Don’t be long. I can restrain myself from telling Manannan you have woken up until the pain becomes worse. He’ll expect us soon after.”
“What pain?”
“He asked for me to scry him when you awoke. I told him ‘I will do as you ask.’ It is small, but a vow nonetheless. My essence compels me to keep it.” Rio winced as her jaw tightened. “Do hurry.”
“Got it.” I jogged past Rio and vaulted into Daire’s mirror.
I stumbled into Daire’s room to find the pink and orange colors of a sunrise shining on him from his skylight in the domed ceiling. Daire sprawled in his bed with a blanket tangled around his waist and his bare chest exposed. All his soft angles glowed in the light of the new day, and the worry lines in his face had smoothed out as he slept. It was the first time I’d seen him completely relaxed since we met, peaceful even. Every other time his tight fidgeting carried hints of tension, probably from the pressure of dying soon if he didn’t do something.
Snap out of it, Maya. I couldn’t waste time worrying about Darie’s well-being if I wanted to fix it.
“Wake up, princess!” I shook him rougher than I meant to. “Come on!”
Daire groaned as he batted his eyelashes open. He turned over. “Too soon. Come later.”
“Not coming over today.” I shoved him to the edge of the bed. “It’s Rio, she’s taking me to see somebody now.”
“What?” Daire bolted up and rolled off the bed, taking the blanket with him. He supported himself on a nearby pillar and climbed to his feet. The blanket stayed on the floor. “She has an audience? With who? Where?”
“Manannan, Uliad, Spear.” I covered my eyes without missing a beat. ” We don’t have a plan. What am I doing?”
“You paid attention to my lessons?” Fabric rustled like somebody gathering it. “Put your hand down. I have covered my magnificence.”
“Not helping.” I dropped my hand. He’d pulled the blanket around his hips. “She’s expecting me back pronto.”
“Let me think a moment.” He shuffled in a line. “Have you dreamed since you came to Tir Na Nog?”
“Yeah, of course. Doesn’t everybody?”
“Not Aos Si, not since the walls were sealed.” Daire went quiet, then snapped his fingers. He hurried to his desk with the blanket dragging behind him like a dress train.
“You got an idea?” I followed him and watched over his shoulder.
“It’s a spell Aengus taught me.” He bit his lip as he mimed grabbing something. A silver cup appeared. He set it down and wiped his misty forehead on his arm.
“I thought your magic was on the fritz.”
“I’m still rather good at handling my magic, it is merely harder, and I must conserve it. Which I can only assume is related to the curse that will kill me by Samhain if you don’t fetch Lugh’s Spear.” His hand glowed as he pressed it against the nearest clear patch of soil on the wall. He muttered a sweet little song. A small clump of plants grew between his fingers. There were his signature ivy vines. I recognized the yellow weeds with the spiny leaves, dandelions. I gave the other two nicknames: Purple-Stem and White-Flower. “Uncle Aengus taught me a spell for dreamwalking. Human druids used to harness this magic with mixed results, so it should be compatible with you.”
“What’s dreamwalking?” I held my arms out to catch him if he fell. His shoulders shook and he panted between words. How much further could he go? If I wasn’t rushing, I wouldn’t have let him find out.
“Humans from your time call it astral projection or lucid dreaming, though it’s not quite either. Aengus’ spell is more substantial.” Once Daire caught his breath, he whispered an apology as he picked the plants from the wall. He set the silver cup on his desk and reached for something else invisible. A mortar and pestle fell into his palm.
“Are you squishing something?” I remembered when Rio had used those to make some gunk to fix my wrist, and Abuela used a set like that to cook with sometimes.
“Making an impromptu tea actually.” Daire gritted his teeth as the plants shriveled in his hand. He plopped everything but the ivy in the mortar and ground them into a powder. “Get me the wash pitcher.”
I grabbed the metal container nearby. The water inside sloshed as I handed it to him. He poured some into the silver cup.
“Heat the water. Then add the mugwort, jasmine, and dandelions,” Daire muttered to himself as he grabbed the cup. When it steamed, he shook the powder from the mortar into the water. “Next comes the uncertain ingredient.”
“Are you sure this is going to work?” I supported Daire’s back as he wobbled.
“In theory, yes. Success all depends on how I apply it.” Daire crushed the dried ivy to specks with the pestle and dumped it in with the water. The hot water had turned a rich gold with the other plants, but the ivy gave it a pea green tint. “The base spell is supposed to send your spirit, along with any material objects attached to you, out of your body temporarily. You will be like a specter, invisible to others, but tangible enough to touch and carry things. It only works with creatures who can dream, which in Tir Na Nog is you, me, and Mother. The ivy was to connect us so I can detect when you fall asleep. I haven’t had time to make your mirror, yet.”
“That’ll be useful.” I hovered around him, just in case. He wheezed every few breaths. He’d only been so worn out after we rescued Rio. I checked the little white flowers planted in his desk. Those showed me clearer signs of how he was doing, like they were specially tied to him more than all his other plants. They hadn’t wilted, but drooped like they thought he should go back to bed. “You almost done?“
“Almost. All that’s left is to infuse the draught with my power.” Daire picked up the silver cup in both hands. “Would you mind holding onto me so I don’t spill it? I’m not sure my knees will hold out while I do this.”
“Can you do this more than once?” I hooked my arms under his armpits and bent my knees. His shaking knees steadied. “Does it have any bad side effects?”
“I may do it multiple times as long as I have enough rest between attempts. Neither of us should suffer adverse reactions unless we are injured while in our dream forms. There’s also no predicting how long it will last.” Daire sucked in a deep breath as his whole body went tight. Light from his arms flowed into his hands. The cup shined as bright as he did.
His weight dropped into my waiting arms. The water in the cup splashed over the edge. I grunted as I tightened my grip on him.
The light kept up for a few more seconds. His special lilies’ petals and leaves shriveled.
Daire set the cup down on his desk with trembling hands. Once he let go of it, he collapsed against me.
“Oof!” I staggered back but managed to stay up. He always looked like a stick, but his height made him heavy. I dragged Daire back to his bed and set him on it. “Won’t this dreamwalking thing wear you out again?”
“I only need rest.” Daire’s eyelids drooped. “Drink it now. Do not consume anything or relieve yourself before sleeping tonight.”
I had to leave him there. He had a soft bed surrounded by pillows. I shouldn’t worry about him. Guilt still made me look back at him as I walked over to his desk and blew on the cup to cool it off. The desk flower stems sprouted microscopic new buds—a good sign, right?
I swallowed the “tea” in a few burning, bitter gulps and panted as it went down. My eyes watered from the heat. I needed something cool. No. It was like mouthwash. Don’t eat or drink anything until I fall asleep.
I turned away and darted back toward the mirror. “I’ll see you in dreamland!”