“I’ve been training for it—not the princess part—all summer. With a sword.”
He gave her shoulder a push. “Get out.”
“I can defend myself. And nowhere’s safe, Marco. Not for me. Not for anyone.”
“He’ll come again,” Marg said. “Another battle. More blood, more death. We will stand against him to the last of us. But if he defeats us, if he conquers or destroys Talamh, your world is next. And all the others to follow as he kills and burns. His powers will grow, and so will his thirst for more.”
“You mean he’ll destroy the Earth, like, everything?”
“Our world, your world, all worlds. Each in turn gives him more. Do I understand Jennifer’s drive to lock Breen away? I do. But what she would never believe, never accept, is Breen is the key to the lock. She can’t be shut away. He’ll find her, in time, or if she has a child of her own? A god has all of time.”
“I want children one day. But, Marco, I could never risk that knowing this.”
“Jesus, Breen.”
“It has to stop with me. These are my people. I know how that sounds, but—”
“It sounds right.”
“They’ll fight. But they need me.”
He nodded, took a long breath. “I watched Wonder Woman, I know the drill.”
“Four times. You watched it four times.”
He held up five fingers. “It takes a god to kill a god, that’s how it works, right?”
“The daughter of the son is the bridge between worlds.” Breen felt the words, the thoughts, the truth simply flow into and out of her. “The bridge leads to the light or to the dark. Her path is threefold. Awaken, become, choose.”
Marco waited a beat. “What was that? Like a prophecy? You do that now, too?”
“Sometimes. I’m still me, Marco.”
“Who said you weren’t? Okay then, it gives me a better picture on what I’m gonna need. If you’re okay with that,” he said to Sedric.
“It’s my pleasure.”
“It’s a lot, since there’s no telling how long I’m going to be here. I won’t be leaving until we kick that asshole god back to hell.”
“Marco—”
“I got choices, too, girl, and that’s mine.”
“You don’t have any powers. You have no idea what Odran can do.”
“I’ve been getting a pretty clear picture, and it scares the shit out of me. But I’m staying.”
He shot the index finger of each hand in the air. “That’s it, that’s all. If you start nagging on me about it, I’ll ask Nan here if she’ll put me up. Look me in the eye, Breen, look me right in the eye and tell me if we switched places, you’d just go on back to Philly and leave me.”
“If anything happened to you—”
“Same goes. So that’s settled. I guess I need to borrow something to write down this list.”
Breen didn’t argue with him—she knew better. But she hoped to gradually erode his determination to stay over the next handful of days. Marco, more than anyone she knew, was a creature of urban life and all its conveniences.
The more time he spent in Talamh, without technology, without the basics, the more … maneuverable he might be. Especially if she could convince him of something he could do on the other side to help.
At the moment, she couldn’t think of a single thing.
On the walk back to the farm, she pointed out a pair of dragons, with riders, gliding through the skies.
“Those are scouts.”
“Okay, so, uh, dragons come in all different colors. How about people? Any of my type here?”
“Yes, and of your persuasion. Love is love here.”
“That’s good to hear. Not looking for romance right now, but it’s good to know people around here have open minds.”
“And hearts. There are some, like anywhere, that don’t. They had a religious cult—the Pious. Didn’t start out that way, but they went, well, dark, you could say. And there have been Fey who’ve turned that way. Marco, I want to point out that if you stay, and you want to get anywhere, you’re going to have to learn to ride. A horse.”
“You think I can’t?” He hooked his thumbs in his waistband and strutted. “I can give cowboying it a try. And if you can learn how to do the sword thing, I can.”
“I’m pretty crappy at it.”
“Aw, now.”
“Just ask Keegan. He trained me, and would be the first to say so.”
Marco slid an arm around her shoulders while Bollocks trotted along with them. “You gonna snuggle back up with that fine example?”
“I’m not interested in romance right now either. And I doubt he is. There’s something in the air.”
“You going all—” He wagged his hands.
“I am all—” She mirrored the gesture. “I can feel something … pushing. He wants in. He’s not there yet, but he’s close.”
She shook it off. “But not yet. We’ll get my things, go to the cottage. I think it’ll be easier if you read what I wrote about everything. Then if you have questions, I’ll answer them.”
“Okay, so we just walk from here back to Ireland? Through another of those wind tunnels?”
“It won’t be like that. Not that dramatic.”
Bollocks let out happy barks and raced around. He leaped nimbly over the stone wall and bulleted straight for the two children and the big wolfhound who guarded them.
“Those are Finian and Kavan. And the woman in the vegetable garden? That’s Keegan and Harken’s sister, Aisling. Their mom.”
“So everyone is pretty here.”
They used the gate. Aisling, her dark hair bundled up, dusted her hands on her trousers, laid one on the mound of her belly, before walking toward them.
“Welcome, Breen Siobhan. Welcome. You came back as you said. I should never have doubted you.” She caught Breen in a hug. “I’m sorry for it.”
“Don’t be. I know how you worried, and why. This is Marco.”
“So I hear. You had a tumble into Talamh, I’m told. Are you doing fine now?”
“All good, thanks. It’s nice to meet you.”
“And you as well. Will you have some tea? Mab will mind the boys while we go in.”
“We’ve just come from Nan’s, where we had tea—and wine. I just need to get my things so we can get settled into Fey Cottage.”
“Oh, they’re sent over already. Morena saw to it, and your very handsome clothes, Marco, had a cleaning.”
“Thanks. I borrowed these from your brother. From Harken.”
“Not to worry. He has more.”
The older boy, Finian, raced over, with his younger brother scrambling in his wake.
“It’s almost my birthday,” Finian announced. “You’ll be here for my birthday.”
“On Samhain.” Breen crouched down. “I remember. You’ll be three.”
“Say your hello and welcome to Breen’s friend, Fin. This is Marco.”
He ducked his head. “Hello, and welcome.”
“A bit shy with new people, this one. But,” Aisling continued as Kavan reached them and immediately tried to climb Marco’s legs, “not a bit with that one.”