I let Rio do whatever she wanted to my outfit and my hair. She styled a black under dress and swirly purple cloak combo with silver armlets to match my piercings, similar to the announcement feast weeks ago. My hair had grown long enough during my time in Tir Na Nog that she could french braid part of it back. Abuela would be proud I’d gotten my bangs out of my face, and Mom would want picture proof I’d worn a dress.
We walked through the trident mirror. At first, the roar of water crashing against rocks drowned out every other sound. Wind whipped through a massive room, bringing a salty spray with it. I tugged my cloak closer as I took everything in.
The room itself was built like a half circle, jagged rock walls reminding me more of a cave than a castle. The mouth of it showed a view of the ocean. The massive blue-gray surface looked solid enough to walk on, other than the occasional foamy wave-crests that popped up closer to the cave. I held onto Rio’s arm a little tighter to keep from slipping on the slick floor from all the water splashing in, and I found myself wishing for the anti-slip soles on my work sneakers.
Manannan had laid out a banquet table with all kinds of food surrounding platters of pork and silver apples. Dozens of people mingled around the table. They all wore decorative seaweed, coral, and fish scale patterns of some kind. A couple of noble white horses wandering around the cliff made my inner five-year-old squeal.
I picked out a haunting melody running under the chatter once I got used to the waves. Was it coming from the sea? I wandered away from Rio, closer to the cliff’s edge to hear it better.
“Block out the music,” Rio warned in a whisper as she yanked me back to her. “The mermaids drown whoever they catch with their song.”
“And the horsey—I mean horses?” I lowered my volume to match hers.
“If they are Kelpies, they will also drown you before devouring your heart.” Rio explained it like common sense. “Neither of them are Manannan’s steeds. They would kill you with one kick unless you had his permission to touch them.”
I clung to Rio’s arm and clamped down.
“Riona, young Maya, welcome to my home.” Manannan, our host, sat dead center at the banquet table. He’d slung his technicolor dream cloak over the back of his chair.
“We appreciate your fine welcome, oh Lord of the Waters.” Rio bowed at her waist.
I copied her, curtseying to be safe.
Manannan got to his feet and his torso seemed wider than it should be. He walked around the table toward us with an odd rhythm to his steps, something off about his balance. His legs came into view. I counted three of them. All were the same length and shape, taking orderly turns. As much as my Abuela’s inner voice preached not to stare, I couldn’t help it.
“You have more legs than me, sir.” I forced my attention up to his face, a foot and a half above me. “Were you born with them or was it something else?”
“Better to be obvious about it than oblivious.” Manannan smirked. “The answer is ‘something else.’ This deformity is the price for how much power I harness.”
“My friend, Nico, told me about this guy from a long time ago who had legs like yours, only his was from a conjoined twin. He got pretty famous putting on shows for people, got married, and had plenty of kids.” I gestured to his extra limb, hoping I wasn’t making an ass of myself. “Rio-Riona said you’re pretty successful too.”
“Of course. I am the oldest surviving member of the Tuatha De Danann and my house reigns over the most surviving subjects. And like the figure in your story, I too am married with many children.” He waved over to the woman sitting by his chair. “Fand, come meet this young mortal. She has proven herself odd, but resourceful thus far.”
“She cannot be from Eire.” Fand stayed by her plate and fidgeted with a seashell holding her seafoam-white braids together. The only thing about her that matched her husband was the color scheme of her blue-green dress and aqua cloak. She examined me with slitted pupils. “She is wide enough to belong to a wealthy family, yet her skin is so tanned, like a farmer’s. Perhaps she spends too much in the sun.”
“I actually come from a lower income family,” I clarified while I squeezed Rio’s arm to keep from yelling at this lady for talking over my head. “My mom apparently has some Irish in her, but I take after my dad’s side. He was Mexican and he happened to have darker skin, but that’s not the rule. I also get paid to serve food to other people, but I don’t farm it.”
“Maya is my companion, Lady Fand.” Rio pet my hand. Was she comforting me or giving a warning? “She does not act like a submissive waif, so I do not treat her as one.”
“A wise choice.” Fand smiled with enough sincerity that I almost believed her. “The rebellious ones always stay interesting. I hope her performance pleases you as much as her brash demeanor.”
Manannan showed us to a couple of seats across from them. The small talk of the crowd died to a hum as if they wanted to eavesdrop without being too obvious.
“This is my son and king over Uliad, Ilbrec.” Manannan pointed to a younger man on his right.
“Yes, welcome to Uliad.” Ilbrec had wavy black hair, a deep blue jacket, and sat like somebody jammed a stick in his spine. He focused on a scroll unrolled in front of him that he read while he picked at his food. Unlike his parents, he kept his opinion of me to himself.
“Occasionally I desire the power to turn back time so that I sent my son to Mumhan rather than my precious Aine. Then I could have appointed her to rule this place instead.” Manannan leaned down to me like he’d just told me a big secret, even though everyone around us could hear what he said. “She knows when it is better to remove the rod from one’s arse and enjoy one’s self.”
“I have different views on the timing of when someone should ‘enjoy’ themselves, Father.” Ilbrec peeled a piece off a hunk of meat with his fingers.
“Aine has also done very well with Cliona.” Fand bit into a silver apple and swallowed without chewing. “At first their union seemed like a waste. Two women cannot conceive a babe, and Aine would make lovely children. Then Aengus Mac Og sealed Tir Na Nog with the Key, and now none of us may have children anymore. There is nothing stopping a pair who wishes to wed for love rather than lineage.”
“Yes. A great many things changed with that botched creation. It was only because of Aine’s knowledge of the sea that Cliona’s Bean Sidhe survived the sealing.” Manannan went around to his chair and sat between his wife and son. “The Dagda and his brood were never known for their intelligence. Yet they receive credit for saving Tir Na Nog by throwing together this mockery of my work. When I made the walls separating our realm from the mortals, I spent a great deal of care crafting them to have certain doors and pathways in and out. Like all brilliant magic, they developed a mind of their own. However, ever since that child Aengus Mac Og tampered with them, Tir Na Nog has been a shadow of itself.”
“It’s not bad work for such a rushed ritual.” A familiar voice cut through the waves as everyone surrounding it went quiet. Daire’s and Riona’s uncle, Aengus, leaned against a stalagmite by the mouth of the cavern. His immature grin, lavender cloak, and bouncy curls made him seem like an amateur cosplayer in a good wig. He bowed at his waist with his cloak whooshing out behind him. “Greetings m’lord Manannan and m’lady Fand. And of course his majesty Ilbrec, whom I have to thank for this generous invitation.”
“Why did you invite my would-be rival to a private gathering?” Manannan sighed at his son.
“Because you always harp that I should stop consulting you for every little decision,” Ilbrec said with a careless shrug. “Since the meeting was of a political spirit, I thought it fair a representative for the other candidate be present.”
The soft hum of Rio’s particles and an electric current filled the air around her. I reached under the table and squeezed her hand, a quiet reminder to stay cool. We knew he was coming, but that didn’t take away her old grudge. She didn’t explode into a gray cloud that rotted everything it touched. So far so good.
“He is a just king to allow me an audience on behalf of my esteemed brother.” Aengus sashayed between the crowd of ocean-themed Aos Si, and took the empty seat on my left. He plopped down with his hands tucked behind his head like he owned the place. Was he about to put his feet on the table next? “What did I miss?”
“Merely introductions and other assorted banter.” Rio gave Aengus her sweetest imitation of a smile. Under the table, her nails dug into me so hard I had to grit my teeth. I bumped her knee and she switched to strangling her skirt instead.
“Well allow me to add my name. Aengus Mac Og, Lord of Bru Na Boinne and King over Midhe.” He took my free hand put a light kiss on my knuckles.
“I’ve heard tons about you. It’s almost like I know you already.” I wiped my hand on the inside of my cloak. “And nobody does that hand kiss thing anymore.”
“Unless one of the parties is trying to flatter the other.” Aengus’ eyes literally twinkled as he waggled his eyebrows at me. “My nephew speaks about you at length, including how close you and the Lady of Irons are. You must please your mistress a great deal to tame her so. Perhaps you might give me a try one day.”
Rio’s chain curled up my arm and latched on.
“He forgot to tell you flirting like that is creepy.” I squeezed Rio’s knee. She had to calm down. “Let’s stop talking about me and stick to politics, okay?”
“Politics are so droll.” Manannan leaned on his elbows and folded his fingers under his chin. “You’re the entire reason we came together. Lady Riona said you have such stories to tell.”
“Stories about what, their bed play?” Aengus pouted like I used to in chemistry class. “Surely there are more relevant topics.”
His implication spiked my temperature and stewed anything good I could’ve shot back. And worse, nobody else jumped on him for it. They all went along like it was common sense.
“Mind your tongue, Kin-Slayer,” Rio spat.
“The mortal does have a point.” Ilbrec ran his finger over his scroll like he needed to find his place again. “We have tarried too long on frivolities.”
“Humor your elders, my boy.” Manannan never took his unnerving stare off me. “Don’t mind Aengus, either. No one cares about his opinion here. Go on.”
“Um, alright.” I bit the inside of my cheek as I glanced at Rio. She pressed against the small of my back. Was that her giving me the go ahead to wing it?
My audience really liked water, so I kept to that theme. I talked about my family’s beach days, indoor plumbing, an elementary field trip to the aquarium, and any pirate movie plots I could think of. The room went dead. My every word echoed against the cave walls. Ilbrec peeked up when I described the miracle of hot water showers with the turn of a knob. I never took a sip of the drink in front of me, even though my throat got hoarse the longer I gabbed. My hands stayed occupied, gesturing when a modern name for something didn’t make it through my translation spell.
“All of this innovation, and the only one allowed to witness it is the Key Bearer?” Ilbrec slammed his knife on the table and turned to Rio. “Tell me, Lady of Irons, does he have knowledge of these things?”
“He does frequently ask for permission to scry them and obtains it, yes,” Rio said with a somber nod. “He often bragged about such visions to me when he was small.”
“He still rambles about those trivial novelties.” Aengus sat up straighter. “It’s a childish obsession.”
“I should go to Tara now and demand that Bodb Derg force that whelp to share such knowledge. Are we not the superior house? Do we not deserve a share of this bounty?” Ilbrec addressed the rest of the chamber and got encouraging whoops, cheers, and horse whinnies as his answer.
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“It’s not Daire’s fault he’s the only one with that power,” I stuck in. Daire couldn’t be there to stick up for himself. Rio wouldn’t. Someone had to be in his corner. “He didn’t ask for it. And he definitely doesn’t have any say in how it’s used. Nobody can blame him for trying to make the best of a bad situation.”
“Very true.” Manannan smoothed his short beard as he slid closer to Ilbrec. “Who does the fault truly lie with?”
“Aengus Mac Og’s, for altering your design in such a way.” Ilbrec glared at the man he’d invited. “The Key Bearer should share some blame for never speaking about his visions on Feast Days.”
I went to give this entitled jerk a piece of my mind. Rio patted my leg and stopped me. I wrinkled my nose at her. She squeezed my knee and shook her head. Did she have something in mind?
“My alterations have kept us alive all these years.” Aengus set both hands on the table, half out of his chair. “If you think this mortal’s stories of pipes running water indoors are impressive, that is only the start. Daire has also prattled on about how humanity has revolutionized warfare that now rivals our magic. His visions are omens that reinforce the need for the Key’s existence, not wonders to be sampled on a whim.”
“Someone must be held accountable for keeping this from us!” Ilbrec vaulted up. The cries of his subjects backed him up.
“Your majesty, the Key Bearer is nothing more than a tool,” Rio said, speaking up over the noise. “Daire, Lord of Ivy, is a spoiled heir who spends his days working his gardens and fantasizing about the wonders of his visions. He may be a part of the Dagda’s Brood because of his position, but they have conditioned him to submit to their orders without question.”
“You accuse our High King and his chosen of maliciously withholding our only link to human society?” Ilbrec asked straight out.
“There is no malice in it,” Aengus said. “That would be too tall of an accusation.”
“The Lady of Irons only states what she has witnessed.” Manannan scooted an empty plate toward me. “My dear girl, you must be famished from speaking at such length without pause. Go on and refresh yourself.”
“I’m fine.” I swallowed the saliva gathering in my mouth from the food smells. “Actually, I wanted to know more about your place. Is this it, or are there other rooms?”
“The caves of Emain Ablach are a network of many places burrowed into a single cliff,” Manannan said. “There are individual quarters for all my subjects and any who care to visit. This abundance of food and drink comes from my own enchantments and generous aid from Aine in Mumhan. We also boast arenas for sport, stables to keep my boat and horses, and a gallery where I display my treasures. I used to have an entire isle at my disposal, but I sacrificed it for the safety of my subjects.”
“Can we get a tour?” It’d make a perfect excuse to scout, and that gallery room had to be on the list of stops. “Riona’s always saying it’s not safe for me to go out by myself and explore. It doesn’t give me a chance to see the exotic stuff she’s told me about. That treasure room sounds pretty cool.”
“Hmm, I don’t see the harm in showing you a few levels.” Manannan raised his eyebrows at Rio. “What say you? You and Ilbrec could speak of those matters you told me about earlier while I entertain your companion.”
“A splendid idea. Does this please you, your majesty?” Rio held her hand out for Ilbrec, the one without a chain attached to it. “My uncle might even join us if he isn’t too weary.”
Ilbrec rolled his scroll up and came around to Rio’s side of the table. She took his arm and cupped the curve of his elbow.
“I won’t leave you alone with him, vixen.” Aengus jumped up and planted himself on Ilbrec’s other side. “Someone must provide balance to whatever you wish to say.”
“Very well.” Ilbrec rubbed his temples, stuck in the middle of them. “Let’s be on our way.”
I took Manannan’s arm when he offered it, and we walked ahead. The three behind us talked politics, too low for me to hear over the crashing water outside.
The closest thing to mirrors in Manannan’s home were upright pools of water set into the walls. He led me away from those. We headed toward the cliff edge where the ocean splashed into the cave. That soft music rose and switched to a sweet dance like I’d hear at a carnival. It made me think of laying in a warm bath and letting my muscles loosen up after a long day. Would finding the music help me feel less nervous?
Rio’s warning came back. Those were mermaids using a magic song to trap me. I forced myself to focus on my boots. We stopped at a staircase carved into the side of the cliff that disappeared midway. Manannan walked me down the first few steps until they faded under the dark water.
“Hold tight,” Manannan said. “The next area lies beyond here.”
I gulped and walked into the water.
The surface parted on either side of my foot, and I hit dry rock.
“Master of the Seas, remember?” Manannan snickered and guided me the rest of the way.
He submerged us in a big bubble of air so we traveled like a mini-submarine. Half-naked women with fish tails darted around us as spotted gray seals chased them. It was like going through a tunnel at an aquarium where the fish tank went over my head.
The stairs ended at another cave with rich grass covering the floor and a bright stone set into the ceiling like a small sun. A couple of pigs romped around on one side while three giant white horses grazed on the other. Manannan bragged about how they slaughtered the pigs for fresh meat every day, but they never ran out because the pigs grew right back. He showed me to the biggest of the horses, Enbar, his obvious favorite. He told me a story that went with him: that horse used to live in ancient Ireland with his daughter, Niamh. When Tir Na Nog closed, Enbar made it back. Niamh didn’t.
“Even your family lost someone.” I went to pet Enbar’s neck, but stopped when I remembered Rio’s warning about touching the horses. “He’s not going to drown me, is he?”
“Those are Kelpies, a different kind of Aos Si.” Manannan ran his hand through the noble animal’s mane. “Go on, he will keep steady.”
I rubbed that shiny fur. It felt soft, but slick. Enbar stomped the ground. I flinched away.
“It’s hard to believe a peasant girl is this uncomfortable around livestock. Humanity has changed a great deal.” He glanced away toward the stairs where Rio, Ilbrec, and Aengus talked.
Aengus motioned every other way while Rio stroked Ilbrec’s arm with confident composure, her glow staying white and calm. Her level of chill around the uncle that killed her mom showed just how much she wanted to win Ilbrec over.
“For a newcomer to this circle, she plays well so far,” Manannan commented. “She may resemble her mother, Fuamnach, in body, but her character is far more level. Fuamnach had a windy nature and flitted from one extreme to the next. I sense your lady has gusting emotions, but her Fomor magic keeps them on course. She reminds me of a certain cautionary figure.”
“Another story?”
“You should take this one to heart, young counselor,” Manannan said. “Long ago, before the Tuatha De Danann became the Aos Si, we were at war with one of the original races that ruled over Eire, the Fomor. We sought to cultivate the land into a new home, while they wished to let it run rampant and remain unlivable. The fighting had taken its toll, so our leaders at the time, myself included, reached a compromise with the Fomor so our forces could regroup. We sealed this treaty with the election of a new High King: the son of a Fomor sympathetic to our cause and a lady of our kind. You may have already heard of him, Bres the Betrayer.”
“That sounds a little familiar.” I thought back to when Daire told me a quick and dirty summary of Aos Si history. “The details are still fuzzy.”
“Bres sought to teach the Tuatha De Danann the merit of Fomor values. While our race relied on deception and traditions, their culture revolved around blunt action and simplicity. He asked for too much change too fast,” Manannan continued. “Instead of living in cooperation with the Fomor, we became like slaves to them. So we overthrew Bres and prepared for our rebellion. Bres complained to his grandfather, Balor of the Evil Eye, and a bloody war ensued. It cost Bres everything he held dear: his only son’s life, his wife’s respect, and the loyalty of his mother’s people. After the fighting, we found him abandoned on the battlefield and pleading for his life. His reputation never recovered. Someone later poisoned him because of it.”
“And you think Rio is heading for the same thing?”
“Rio. That’s an endearing nickname.” Manannan lifted a pile of white powder that hadn’t been there to Enbar’s mouth. Sugar? The horse nickered and licked it up. “The Lady of Irons has the ambition to defeat the Dagda’s Brood, and a solid vision for the Aos Si’s future. I fear she has not taken into account the division her plans would cause. However, she has impressed me enough to earn my support. Inform her that I will do what I can to influence Ilbrec and Cliona to vote her way.”
“I’ll pass on your advice too.” It occured to me that the stability of Rio’s whole nation would rest on her decisions if she beat Midir. If she made one wrong move, Tir Na Nog could go to war with itself. I’d thought if she won, everything else would fall into place. Stopping to consider the reality made me woozy. All I wanted was to go home and for her to be happy without me. Was her replacing Bodb the best way to do that?
“You seem to appreciate the weight of your responsibility,” Manannan said, interrupting my train of thought.
“Yeah, it just dawned on me.” I pushed my doubts down. I could work through those later. Refocus. Back to the mission. “What’s the next room?”
“My treasure room. Shall we—” Manannan cut off and waved his son over. “Our liege summons us, Ilbrec. It was a pleasure meeting you, Maya, but I’m afraid the rest of the tour will have to wait.”
“Why the hurry?” We were almost there. All he had to do was show me the next room. “Can’t we fit in one more?”
“Our present High King calls them.” Aengus slipped behind us.
Rio came next and took the small of my back.
“And he needs to see both of you?” I asked. “We can stay in opposite caves. This place is really cool.”
“He intends to pay us a personal visit and ask about a private matter.” Manannan patted my hair like a doting dad. “Perhaps another time.”
“And remember the other reason it is best if we are not present while Bodb Derg is around.” Rio turned me to the mouth of the cavern.
It reminded me of the upright pools in Manannan’s main cave. Open, endless water showed those mermaids and spotted seals speeding through the water. Horses with fish tails joined in their game. We walked up and I made out a faint reflection. Was it enough that Rio could use it like a mirror? She touched the water, but nothing glowed and none of the colors shifted like they usually did. Still, she walked forward into it without flinching. I followed along.
Aengus smiled and wiggling his fingers at us before he monopolized Ilbrec.
Slick, cool wetness slid over me with the same sucking sensation as walking through a mirror. It submerged me into it. I closed my eyes, hoping I’d come out on the other side of somewhere.
Something hard bumped my shin and I tripped. The smell of underground soil, grass, and candle wax made me open my eyes.
“Careful.” Rio caught my waist, suppressing a giggle as I stumbled the rest of the way through the trident mirror. “Are you hungry yet? You didn’t touch any of Manannan’s offerings.“
“Not yet.” We’d finished sooner than I thought. My mind raced too much to go to bed yet, and her being only inches away wasn’t helping. “You’re looking happy.”
“Things were promising with Ilbrec.” Rio glanced behind me, probably to another mirror in the row. “I should leap on this progress while I have it.”
“You need to take a break between wins.”
“My blood is too high for rest.”
“Okay, so what else can you do to let off steam before you start rolling again?”
Rio rubbed a few links on her chain bracelet, then she stopped and her pupils rounded. “You wanted to accompany me on the rest of these visits, did you not?”
“That’s your idea face. What were you thinking?”
“Your time spent with Daire has made you stop your conditioning drills, and it’s been weeks since we last reviewed any combat.” She detached a couple of the links from her bracelet, flattened and folded them to a small dagger as long as her palm, and tossed it at me.
“And? We’ve been busy.” I caught the knife by its blade. Its sharp edge sliced me. I hissed and dropped it to the dirt. Blood welled from the cut in my finger.
“It would reassure me if you knew better how to defend yourself against an assailant.” Rio’s particles gathered in her right hand into a longer, sleeker knife than the rough one she’d given me.
“Everybody has magic here. I don’t.” I sucked the blood from my wounded finger and picked up my tiny weapon from the dirt. “What’s the point?”
One second Rio stood a few paces away from me, fiddling with her new knife. All it took was a blink for her to be on me, within inches. The cold flat of her blade pressed alongside my jugular as she hovered close enough that her clean breath swept over my forehead.
I froze with the same instinct as an opossum playing dead, and zeroed in on her sternum. Her knife never flinched as I held my breath.
“Don’t underestimate the power of surprise.” Rio handled my fingers with her free hand and rearranged them around my short dagger so my thumb lined up with the handle instead of curling into my fist. Her version of holding it felt easier and gave me more control of where the blade went. “Like this.”
She tapped my locked elbow. I relaxed it.
“Strike at the softest vital area you can reach.” She guided the knife by my wrist to the soft area under her ribs, then up to her neck, and last right under her eye. Her pupils had narrowed to slits, and the flat gray of her irises rumbled like the sky in a hurricane. I’d been stupid enough to go outside during a category one a few times, and witnessed the cold ferocity in the whipping wind as the rain stabbed me like a barrage of needles. It was hell to be in, but addictive to watch. “These will give you the surest distraction.”
I swallowed, mesmerized and hardly hearing her. “Yes ma’am.”
Rio cocked her head and pursed her lips. “Why did you refer to me as a matron?”
“Wha—Oh, it’s a respect thing.” Her sweet confusion snapped me out of my trance. I made some distance between us. My pulse slowed a notch. “Let’s practice this.”
Rio ran me through a couple maneuvers. We rehearsed them back and forth until my muscles picked up the moves and went through them without me thinking about it. From there, we traded strikes in slow motion, getting me used to improvising with my new skills.
“Oh yeah, and Manannan told me he would back you and put in a good word with his daughter and her wife for you,” I said as I stabbed at her midsection. The uneasy dread from the Bres story clawed its way back. I didn’t want her to win the election only to end up alone and miserable. If I told her Manannan’s warning, would she reconsider running? Did I want her to? “He also talked a lot about a guy named Bres. Does that ring any bells for you?”
“Bres is infamous, at least according to our history. Back when he was alive and married to my aunt, Brigid, my mother befriended him. He served as a confidant of hers before he died.” Rio knocked my arm away and came at me with the same motion. “Why would Manannan bring him up?”
“You reminded him of Bres, apparently. He thought you could be divisive if you won.” I slid to the side and grabbed her wrist to bend it back. “Do you know why he’d think that?“
“He may have concerns about my plan for after I win the High King’s seat.”
“What’s that?” I lunged at her face.
“You’ll find out in due time, dear one.” Rio swept her leg under me. I tripped back, but she caught me around my waist with a teasing grin. “I don’t want to risk ruining the surprise before I know if it will happen.”
“Alright, be secretive.” I caught myself staring at her mouth before my guilty nerves flared up. She had a potentially controversial plan for winning and counted on me being with her the whole time. Part of me wanted to, but I couldn’t stay in Tir Na Nog forever.
I drifted off later with that guilt gnawing at me as a ghost version of me floated out of my body. Tough shit, I told myself. Daire had to come first until we finished the cure. He was counting on me too, and he’d be there any minute. It didn’t make me feel better about lying to Rio, but it helped me focus.