Faeries hated iron.
Edan’s legs nearly buckled. Seeing the old witch was enough to bring back the most painful memories of his days, but seeing the village, listening to her warning, being on Islay made it all personal. The world tilted under him as he put everything together in his mind. His father’s frantic whispers. The flowers withering when he passed them by. The faery on the ship pointing at him. This wasn’t madness. It was a warning of something inside him.
Something he wished not to accept.
He’d laughed about faeries and seers before, but now he was beginning to see this whole situation for what it truly was.
It was his fault Heilyn was taken.
Chapter Nineteen
Ailith
The group decided to get a bite to eat at the local inn, then head to Kilchoman with their companions to search for the faery hill before returning to the cottage.
Dyna dismounted outside the inn. “Lia will be there and I’m sure she’ll tell us exactly what we must do.”
“Don’t you want your daughters here?” Alasdair asked.
“Nay, I do not. I don’t want Tora or Sylvi near the hill. And we’re here to see what we can find first. If we need Sylvi and Tora, I’ll bring them back later.”
“How old are they now?” Alasdair asked.
“Sylvi is nine and ten, Tora seven and ten, Sandor five and ten. Halli is the same age as Daran, and I don’t see him here with you, Alasdair. Don’t push me.” Dyna had her hands on her hips, and Ailith’s father smirked.
She knew her father rarely argued with Dyna. Her mother once told her it was due to his upbringing. He and Els and Alick were often in trouble, and Dyna always knew what they were up to. Others had said it was because of her seer abilities, but Alasdair believed it was because she was smarter than the rest of them.
Ailith loved that about her sire, that he saw intelligence in women. So many men did not.
They were about to walk in behind Roger and Catrina when Edan pulled her father aside and said, “A moment of yours before we go inside, if you please, my lord.”
Ailith looked to her mother, who shook her head, telling her not to intervene. Ailith stepped inside the door ahead of her mother, but once they were inside, her mother led her to the nearest window, its shutters still closed, apparently so they could hear from there. Dyna spun around with a grin, butEmmalin waved her on. The others found a table while Ailith listened to the conversation with her mother.
“What the hell do you want?” her father asked.
“I’m bothered by the fact that you don’t allow me near your daughter. How old is she?”
“Doesn’t matter to you.”
“It does matter. I like Ailith’s company, and I believe she can help me find my daughter.”
“If you think I’ll stand by while you take advantage of her, you are daft.”
“Asking her for help is taking advantage of her?”
“You had your hand on her back.”
“She was about to fall and I steadied her. That was all. You’re reading into my movements and you’re wrong.”
Ailith covered her mouth with her hand and stared at her mother wide-eyed. A bit embarrassed to be eavesdropping, neither of them made a move to walk away.
“I will protect my daughter from any man looking for someone to satisfy his needs quickly.”
Edan’s voice dropped, “How dare you insult me like that. Your daughter is an intelligent, compassionate woman, and I have the utmost respect for her. What you suggest implies I see her as no more than a poxxed woman. If not for the fact that she loves you, I’d call you out for that. I plan to ask for her assistance at the faery hill, and you need to know that I’m not going to allow you to stop me.”
“You think to do whatever you wish with my daughter?”
“Nay, I’ll ask for her assistance, and she can make the decision whether to help me or not. It is her choice, not yours. Your daughter is a woman grown, and she’s wise enough to make her own decisions. You would think that you could see that I am devoted to my daughter, and I need help finding her.It doesn’t matter to me who helps me, but if there is a path to finding Heilyn, I will take it. It’s Ailith’s choice, not yours.”
