“I don’t. And here are Morena and Marco now. You pleased him with the bracelet, settled yourself some with the protection of it. When you’ve gathered your own supplies, you might make more of the sort—for different purposes. For gifts and bartering. You’ll want that when we go to the Capital.”
“To the Capital? You never said—”
“My mother comes to the valley in a few days more, to visit, to see her grandchildren. To be here for Samhain. And when she goes back in the next month, we’ll go with her. The people need to see you, and you them. The valley isn’t the whole of the world. For me, perhaps the best of it, but not the whole.”
“We don’t have until next month.”
Because he saw the puzzlement, and some fear, when what she had reached up inside her, he held out a hand to stop Marco and Morena at the gate.
“Let it come, mo bandia. It’s yours.” He took her hand to steady her. “Knowledge is as much a weapon as a sword.”
She curled her fingers with his, looked into his eyes. Steadied. “The curtain parts. It cannot hold. And when it clears, he sees. The child, the bridge, the key. The blood of his blood. Daughter of the Fey, of the gods, of man. When he sees, he knows. And they slip and slide through the cracks to bring the dark where the white robes worship, and plot and plan. Blood sacrifice, blood magicks. It begins there.”
“When the veil thins,” he finished, because he saw it, too. Felt it with her, through her, in himself.
She shuddered. “I don’t know what that means, except he’s coming.”
“No, not he, not yet.” Absently, Keegan pressed his lips to her forehead. “But he’s picked his time and his place, and the weak-minded among us who’ll follow him.”
“I couldn’t see, not really.”
“We’ll work on that, won’t we?” Keegan said in a tone as absent as the kiss.
“There was water—an ocean, I think—and cliffs, and a stone building on them. Not here, and not Odran’s cliffs.”
“Not here, no. In the south. South,” he said as he gestured Morena and Marco to come ahead.
“You okay, Breen? You’re so pale.” Instinctively, Marco put an arm around her. “What the hell, Keegan?”
“Sure she’s fine. Just not used to the seeing as yet. But she saw well enough, as did I.” He looked to Morena. “We know when and where he’ll try a strike, and so we’ll be ready for it.”
“South, you say? The Pious?” She bared her teeth. “Bloody fanatics. They’ve sworn oaths.”
“And some break oaths as easily as a twig underfoot. On Samhain. I need to send a falcon to my mother.”
“Amish will take your message. He’s faster than most. Should I get Harken?”
“And Mahon as well if you would.”
“War’s coming. Why are you smiling?” Breen demanded.
“It was coming in any case. But now we know how and when and where. You’ve given us a weapon, and we’ll use it. Ah, pity sakes, woman, he meant—or will mean—to send his demons against us with us unaware, and on a night, a holy night, where we honor those who came before us. When we reach out to them, and them to us. We’d be in ritual, in celebration, in homage. Instead, through your gift, the trap he means to set we spring on him.”
“My grandmother. I need to warn her.”
“Not to worry, we’ll see she knows. And she’s nothing to fear tonight, nor do you. Feck it all, woman, you did well. Be pleased with yourself. Now go back over, and help Marco with the baking.”
“We’re still going? To the mines?”
“And why wouldn’t we? Your training doesn’t stop, and you need what they mine, don’t you? Take her along, Marco. She could use some of the wine she likes.”
“Me, too.”
“Tomorrow then.” Keegan swung on his duster, picked up the sword she’d dropped without realizing it. “An hour earlier. Don’t be late.”
“He’s … excited,” Breen marveled.
“Okay. Come on, boy, I think we’re going back to Ireland. I think I get it,” Marco added as the dog scrambled up and raced ahead of them. “Sounds like the bad guys are planning a sneak attack, but now it won’t be a sneak because you had one of those vision-type things, so they know the plot. Samhain’s Halloween, right?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to google that, get more juice on it.” Marco glanced back when they reached the stone wall across the road. “Wow, man, look up there. Two moons. They really have two moons. I have to think about that later. Let me help you over.”