She tugged him forward, leaning him against the cage the same way she had. “Do it with me. What is a favorite memory of hers? What makes her giggle?”
He paused, then said, “She got away from me at the beach and toddled across the sand chasing a bird. She loved having me chase her.”
“Put your head against the cage and your hand over her heart. She needs you, Edan.”
Tears washed away the blood on his cheeks from the ravens. Prayers filled his mind, but he quickly pushed them aside to focus on his dear daughter. He wished to scream at her to get her to look at him, but he knew it was not her fault.
“My sweet girl, Da misses you so. Your laughter, the way you toddle down the path to hug every goat we have. How you love your dear aunties.” He wished to run his fingers through her hair, wipe the smudge of dirt from her chubby cheek, and lift her up to toss her into the air, sending her into a fit of giggles and wiggles.
Every part of him wished to lay his face against the cage and never let go, but he had to stay strong. Stay focused. “Heilyn. Come to Da.”
Still nothing. He interlaced his fingers with Ailith’s and held their intertwined hands over his wee lassie’s heart. “Heilyn, please come meet Ailith.”
A moment later, her cage dissolved and she fell into his arms. “Da!”
Edan hugged her close, sobbing as he hadn’t since the day she was born, and he’d lost Florie. But the moment didn’t last. The next group of shadow knights awakened, all ten of them,with two coming straight for them. Her father intercepted them, but then the mist disappeared, and the walls began to crack, threatening to collapse. Ailith leaned into the next cage where a wee lass remained. She leaned in, the image of a father setting her on a pony filling her, and the lass fell into her arms. But there was no time.
Dirt fell from above. The entire place was about to collapse. She looked down at the ground beneath the shadow knight.
“There,” she pointed. “Give me Heilyn and hold onto my hand. You have to put your other hand on the root under the knight, the piece that ties him to this land and gave him life.” How she knew this, she’d never know, but visions of Logan Ramsay telling her to trust her instincts overwhelmed her. The two of them knelt down as she guided Edan’s hand to the root.
Dyna grabbed Heilyn, and Ailith’s gut came through. “Your iron blood. Use it to destroy the roots of this evil place, Edan. Cut your palm again.”
He did as she asked, then grabbed her hand and laid the two together on the root.
“I’ll be right back!” Dyna shouted.
Chaos reigned. The ground shook, the walls cracked, the shadow warriors fell, some back into their cages, others dead on the ground. “Go,” Edan shouted. “We have to go now.”
Grant called out, “What is happening? Is it collapsing?”
Dyna appeared behind her, two other bairns in tow, Heilyn in her arms. “Their cages dissolved.” She handed Heilyn to Edan so they could stand on either side of Ailith, supporting her leg as they hopped toward the staircase, a distance away yet.
The bairns sobbed in their arms, Edan prayed, but they moved along slowly as the ground ruptured under their feet, tripping them as tree roots appeared out of nowhere, rising to meet branches and curling together.
“Ailith, where are you?” her brother called out from ahead of her.
“We’re behind you. Go, John.”
“Nay, I still have my sword.” John came back, lifted Ailith into his arms and handed her the sword. “Hold it over your head.”
Ailith did and the blue weapon lit their way over to the staircase. John stepped back. “Dyna, go first with your two, then Edan.”
Dyna headed toward the stairs but stopped, stepping aside. “Go!”
Edan didn’t wait, going ahead of her while John followed, calling back, “What is it?”
“Naught, I’m coming,” Dyna cried.
Cages crashed and wooden steps exploded behind them as they raced up. When they were about to go out the door, Ailith turned back in time to see Gruin shaking his fist.
“You will see my ire for this!”
Edan clutched his wee daughter to his chest, inhaling her sweet scent.
Heilyn was home.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
