mentioned it, but I didn’t really think he was serious. I thought Rohan might be a better contender, actually.”
Anya laughed—a short, bitter sound. “I think we did too good of a job on you, Cedar. We didn’t even want you involved with the search for your own daughter. ‘Just a human,’ we said. Now we want you to be our queen, and you don’t think yourself worthy.”
“I’m just being realistic,” Cedar said. “I want to stop Nuala more than anything, but I don’t think this is the way to do it.”
At that moment Anya’s other son, Sam, arrived with Nevan. “Hey, Cedar,” Nevan said. “Did Eden tell you about all the exploring we did?”
“Not yet,” Cedar said with a smile. “But she’s hardly had time to catch her breath. I’m sure I’ll hear all about it later. Where is she, anyway?”
“She’s with Felix,” Nevan answered, pointing over at the long tables of food. “He’s letting her try one of everything.”
“Thanks,” Cedar said, and headed in Eden’s direction. But before she could get too far, she was stopped by a group of people she didn’t know.
“Welcome to Tír na nÓg!” one of them said, grabbing her hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “I knew your father. He was a great king. And your mother was a wonderful woman too.” The others in the circle nodded and murmured their agreement. “We’re sure that you’ll make a wonderful queen. The Council can hardly refuse you! Brogan’s blood runs in your veins.”
Once again, Cedar found herself at a loss for words. “I’m not sure—” she started, and was mercifully rescued by Riona, whowrapped her arm through Cedar’s and led her away after making their excuses.
“I’d like you to meet my friend Seisyll,” Riona said, leading Cedar over to a robust woman whose hair was pulled back in a series of tight twists that emphasized her sharp facial features. “You met her husband, Gorman, at the Council.”
“Oh, yes! It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Cedar said.
Seisyll grabbed Cedar’s hand and clutched it tightly in her own. “You have no idea what you have done,” she said fervently. “You not only saved my husband, but you’ve given us all a second chance.”
“Oh… um, thank you,” Cedar said. She was beginning to feel like she was an actor in a play and that she was the only one who hadn’t been given the script.
“Can I get you a drink?” Seisyll asked, and before Cedar could respond, she waved her hand in the air. A crystal goblet filled with wine soared toward them, pausing just in front of Cedar, who reached out and plucked it from the air.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a sip. “How did you—”
“We all have our special gifts,” Seisyll said, floating a plate of food toward them as well. “But what was I saying? Ah, yes. I was just telling Riona that she and her friends put us to shame. We should have joined the resistance too, but we weren’t foresighted enough. By the time we realized our mistake, it was too late. And then Gorman was taken in for questioning—they knew about our friendship with Rohan and Riona, of course—and he never came back out. Until you arrived, that is,” Seisyll said, squeezing Cedar’s arm.
“Those idiots on the Council need to have their heads knocked together—look at the welcome they’ve given you! What do we want with a world like Ériu, anyway? We were only there for a few hundred years—we weren’t the first to conquer it, nor the last. We hardly have a ‘claim’ to it, as they say. And, really, while I’m sureÉriu is lovely, it surely cannot possibly compare to Tír na nÓg, even now. What are your thoughts, dear?”
“Uh… well, they are both very beautiful, I suppose, in their own way,” Cedar answered. Finn had walked over to join them and had wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Well, I say it’s the very best thing that could have happened, you coming here,” interjected Seisyll. “Both when that monster was
Anya laughed—a short, bitter sound. “I think we did too good of a job on you, Cedar. We didn’t even want you involved with the search for your own daughter. ‘Just a human,’ we said. Now we want you to be our queen, and you don’t think yourself worthy.”
“I’m just being realistic,” Cedar said. “I want to stop Nuala more than anything, but I don’t think this is the way to do it.”
At that moment Anya’s other son, Sam, arrived with Nevan. “Hey, Cedar,” Nevan said. “Did Eden tell you about all the exploring we did?”
“Not yet,” Cedar said with a smile. “But she’s hardly had time to catch her breath. I’m sure I’ll hear all about it later. Where is she, anyway?”
“She’s with Felix,” Nevan answered, pointing over at the long tables of food. “He’s letting her try one of everything.”
“Thanks,” Cedar said, and headed in Eden’s direction. But before she could get too far, she was stopped by a group of people she didn’t know.
“Welcome to Tír na nÓg!” one of them said, grabbing her hand and shaking it enthusiastically. “I knew your father. He was a great king. And your mother was a wonderful woman too.” The others in the circle nodded and murmured their agreement. “We’re sure that you’ll make a wonderful queen. The Council can hardly refuse you! Brogan’s blood runs in your veins.”
Once again, Cedar found herself at a loss for words. “I’m not sure—” she started, and was mercifully rescued by Riona, whowrapped her arm through Cedar’s and led her away after making their excuses.
“I’d like you to meet my friend Seisyll,” Riona said, leading Cedar over to a robust woman whose hair was pulled back in a series of tight twists that emphasized her sharp facial features. “You met her husband, Gorman, at the Council.”
“Oh, yes! It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Cedar said.
Seisyll grabbed Cedar’s hand and clutched it tightly in her own. “You have no idea what you have done,” she said fervently. “You not only saved my husband, but you’ve given us all a second chance.”
“Oh… um, thank you,” Cedar said. She was beginning to feel like she was an actor in a play and that she was the only one who hadn’t been given the script.
“Can I get you a drink?” Seisyll asked, and before Cedar could respond, she waved her hand in the air. A crystal goblet filled with wine soared toward them, pausing just in front of Cedar, who reached out and plucked it from the air.
“Thank you,” she said, taking a sip. “How did you—”
“We all have our special gifts,” Seisyll said, floating a plate of food toward them as well. “But what was I saying? Ah, yes. I was just telling Riona that she and her friends put us to shame. We should have joined the resistance too, but we weren’t foresighted enough. By the time we realized our mistake, it was too late. And then Gorman was taken in for questioning—they knew about our friendship with Rohan and Riona, of course—and he never came back out. Until you arrived, that is,” Seisyll said, squeezing Cedar’s arm.
“Those idiots on the Council need to have their heads knocked together—look at the welcome they’ve given you! What do we want with a world like Ériu, anyway? We were only there for a few hundred years—we weren’t the first to conquer it, nor the last. We hardly have a ‘claim’ to it, as they say. And, really, while I’m sureÉriu is lovely, it surely cannot possibly compare to Tír na nÓg, even now. What are your thoughts, dear?”
“Uh… well, they are both very beautiful, I suppose, in their own way,” Cedar answered. Finn had walked over to join them and had wrapped his arm around her waist.
“Well, I say it’s the very best thing that could have happened, you coming here,” interjected Seisyll. “Both when that monster was
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