Once Dyna and Ailith gathered their mantles, Avelina said, “Come along with me. Maitland insists on escorting us, and Erena said Grant’s father is welcome anytime.”
They headed out the door and Avelina pointed to the side of the castle toward the sea. “Follow the golden light.”
The four made their way down a path that traveled around the castle, two benches set at different places for people to admire the beauty of the sea. Avelina waved them on past the first bench but stopped at the second. “There she is.”
Ailith looked up, gasping when she saw the vision of the woman known as the Queen of the Faeries. A beautiful woman with a gown created from many tiny hands, if she were to guess, appeared in the night sky, stars above her head. How did she do it?
Erena called out, “Please sit, Avelina. You look lovely this eve.”
“I’ve been blessed with grandbairns to keep me busy.”
Erena floated in the sky above them before she drifted downward, an array of butterflies surrounding her. Avelina couldn’t help but watch the sheer joy and disbelief in Ailith’s face at seeing the Queen of the Fae for the first time.
She squeezed her hand and whispered, “Isn’t she lovely, Ailith?”
Staring up at the vision as Erena descended, Ailith had to force herself to close her mouth, the awe overpowering her. “The butterfly wings. It sounds as if there are enough to cover theentire island. And the color of their wings reflects the moonlight. My thanks for inviting me.”
Erena wore a dark blue gown that carried the shadow of the butterflies hovering, her golden hair lighting up the area around them like a beacon in the middle of a storm at sea.
“Come forward, my dear. I wish to meet you,” she said, holding her hand out to Ailith.
The lass took several steps forward, her shoulders squared and her chin lifted, evidence for Lina that Ailith believed in this new path her life was taking.
Erena’s astute eyes traveled from Ailith’s head to her toes, a hand held above Ailith’s head for a moment before slowly sweeping down her side. “I must agree with you, Avelina. I detect compassion and conviction both. Ailith is a strong lass, exactly who we need to fight this next battle. Are you ready, my child? We will guide you along the way, but we need your special skills for what we must face.”
“Why me?” she asked.
“Why not you?” Erena’s gaze sharpened. She took Ailith’s hand and drew her closer. “Your sire knows he and his cousins were often outsmarted by Dyna. A woman’s strength does not always look like a man’s.” Erena’s fingers brushed lightly against Ailith’s chest, just above the heart. “And this beats the longest. It is what will let you fight for the smallest in the world. Never doubt it.”
Dyna sat down next to Avelina, squeezing her hand.
“Dyna.” Erena’s voice softened. “Your lasses have come into their gifts. Tora sees what is. Sylvi hears what cannot be spoken, the thoughts and feelings of others, the quiet things. And now Ailith has come into the past. The gift we have been waiting for.”
Dyna’s eyes closed. “Four.”
“Four. Three threads cannot hold. You bind them, Dyna. You always have. You see what is to come, and you weave.”
Erena spun around in a circle and raised her arms, sending the butterflies off in flight as if chasing someone. Moments later, Lia came out from behind a tree in her green gown, while Sylvi and Tora came down the pathway to join them, Derric following.
“Diamond, what the hell?” Derric, using his favorite name for his wife, stopped when he looked at the two faeries lighting up the area. Sylvi and Tora joined Ailith, one on either side of her. “Excuse me, ladies. Never mind my rudeness.” Derric moved next to Dyna, taking her hand in his.
“I’m glad you have joined us, Tora and Sylvi.” Erena looked from one to the next, then to Ailith between them, then to Dyna on the bench. “What was. What is. What is unspoken. And the weaver who sees beyond. None of you can do this alone. Together you are whole.”
Lia moved closer, her face more serious than they’d ever seen it. “It’s the Unseelie, is it not?”
“Aye, Lia. The Unseelie have broken the old accord and have begun to steal bairns away, hiding them away in the faery hill. I cannot cross their barrier, and neither can you. We need these lasses to break past it.” She waved her hands over the trio standing together. “The son of the broken bargain walks among you. His blood is the key and the danger. This you must uncover.”
Then she strode over to Ailith and took her hands in hers at the same time that her parents appeared on the path. Alasdair moved forward, but Erena held her hand up. “Please, Alasdair. You have given us John, and you have accepted his fate. Now you must accept your daughter’s purpose and trust that she will excel at this new role. She has the power to save many, so please support her in this, as Lia and I will.”
“Both of my bairns? Please leave Daran for a bit.”
Erena laughed, setting more butterflies into the air. “We will not need Daran. But please allow me to explain. You,Alasdair Grant, have a father and mother, and a grandfather and grandmother who are watching over them. You were exactly right when you recognized that Ailith has been made in the image of Madeline Grant. Maddie’s power only grew once she was freed from the burdens of her life on MacDonald land, and her heart has the power to help many, just as your mother’s did. They’ve given this power to Ailith. Allow her to use it as she should.”
Alasdair wrapped his arm around Emmalin’s waist and tugged her close, kissing her cheek. “We’ll support her in any way we can.”
Erena shifted her attention to Dyna, Sylvi, Tora, and Ailith. “The Unseelie have stolen these children and hold them somewhere in a faery hill on Islay. I wish I could stop them, but unfortunately, I cannot descend into his world. This island is often used by the unseelie because the barrier from Faerie to your land is so thin. But understand this canon. The underworld does not give up what it takes. Be prepared to lose something of yourselves to get them back.”
She tugged the four closer. “There is an evil overlord on Islay that is one of the cruelest creatures I have ever met. Somehow, we must stop his reign of evil. It will not be easy, but I trust the power of your youth.”
