“Aye. Just a cramp in my foot.” The lie would carry. He wouldn’t admit how often his daughter clouded his thoughts, but he had one recurring idea.
He needed that sword. “Why don’t you practice with it?”
“No need. When I handle it, the hilt adjusts to my hold and my thrusts. It’s the easiest weapon I’ve ever used. And other than here, I wouldn’t use it because I don’t need others seeing it and trying to steal it. It’s happened in the past. When I need it, I’ll use it.”
“Can anyone else hold it?”
John shook his head. “Besides me? Only Grant can wield it effectively. If anyone else touches it, they receive a burn to their skin. In fact, about a decade ago, a man who sold bairns across the water made the mistake of coming for all the bairns on Mull, including Grant, Magni, Tora, and Sandor. He also kidnapped my father and me, hiding us in a cell deep in the ground. The man made the mistake several times of trying to touch Grant’s mother or Grant, and his skin burned instantly. When he came after me, he tried to grab the sword, and the same thing happened to him. It’s protected, and so are the three of us—Grant, Coira, and me.”
Edan absorbed everything they told him. A sennight ago, he wouldn’t have believed a word of their tale, but now? How could he not? Then a thought struck him. “How old were you then, Grant?”
“I think barely a year old. ’Struth, John?” he asked, slurping up the last of the porridge.
“Aye. That’s what made it so remarkable. He was still an infant, yet he could lift the sword. The villain, on the other hand, tried to touch it and couldn’t.”
“You said you brought it?” Edan asked. “Aren’t you worried it will be stolen?”
John chuckled. “Nay. No one else can touch it but the three of us.”
“Not even your sire?”
“He’s wise enough not to try, though I doubt he could even if he wanted to.”
Edan stared at his hands, then boldly asked the question that weighed on him. “Can it kill Gruin so we can get into the hill? Can the sapphire sword save my daughter?”
Grant ran back inside and waved at the two of them. “I’m still hungry.”
John rubbed his hands together. “Possibly. I’ll speak with Lia about it later. If Erena were to return, she would be the best one to ask.”
“Erena?”
“She’s the queen of the faeries, the one who brought the sword to Grant’s grandmother and has guided its use ever since. The weapon must be used strategically. Killing Gruin wouldn’t help us, he’s the key to opening the hill. If we can’t get inside, the sword will do us no good. Once inside, I would use it for protection against the Unseelie. But I’m hoping Erena appears to give me more information on its proper use. I need to know who the truly evil force is that we are fighting before I start indiscriminately killing everyone and everything I see.”
“Isn’t it Gruin?”
“Nay. That’s precisely what we have to uncover before we use it unwisely. He’s merely a lackey for some overlord, I suspect.”
“Wouldn’t Gruin just tell us what we need to know?”
“It’s never that easy.”
“What if we hold the sword against his throat and force him tell us?”
“The Unseelie constantly employ trickery. You’ve seen it with Gruin and the banshee. When dealing with the fae, you must think differently. Identify the one thing you need most and focus on it. The fae will try to distract you in countless ways, and then you’ll fail.”
“So exactly what will you do when we get there?”
“Find my way inside the hill. That’s the only way we’ll uncover the truth.”
“Which truth?” Edan asked, so confused he couldn’t discern the best plan.
“Who is truly holding your daughter and the other bairns, and why?”
Chapter Twenty-Six
Ailith
It was near high sun when Lia finally arrived, again appearing as the childlike green maiden. Dyna clapped her hands and announced, “Outside, seers. We’ll take advantage of Lia being here while we can.” Tora was still asleep, but Sylvi and Ailith stepped outside with Dyna and Lia.
