Kyan nodded tightly.
‘Ireland,’ Lawna interjected softly, ‘seems to be the key.’
Callum put down his cup. ‘The Dagda had another side, however, as Donn, the God of Death, and the celestial partner of the Morrígan.’
The goddess that made Empyreals …
‘In one legend,Cath Tánaiste Maige Tuired—’ Callum continued.
‘The Second Battle of Maige Tuired,’ Kyan translated.
‘—it tells of a battle between the Túatha Dé and the Fomóiri – enemy Demon Gods.’
Nicole looked to her father. ‘You told us stories about them?’ she checked, recalling distant tales of wicked magic and demonic immortals.
Her father nodded, quiet.
Callum gave him an approving, curious look. ‘At one point, the harp of the Dagda was stolen by the Fomóiri and the three best warriors of the Túatha Dé – Dagda, Lug, and Ogma – got it back.
‘The Fomóiri desired the instrument as it had great power and possessed the three strains of otherworldly music. An iron string that induced sorrow, or death. A bronze one for joy. And a silver one, for sleep. Though, those aren’t the only powers the harp possesses, are they?’
‘No,’ Remi said, leaning closer as if building to her main point. ‘In Siren society, there’s a legend about the harmony of the spheres.’
‘I remember you telling me about this,’ Nicole murmured, thinking of a painting in Westmoore’s collection Remi had been keen to see.
She nodded. ‘It’s deemed to be mythological, but some Sirens,like my father, have theories that it’s real, and have been trying to prove it.’
‘Which is why the Wake tried to assassinate him,’ Lawna added darkly.
Bells’ skin drained of colour.
‘He was the lore-keeper,’ Remi said. ‘And he had access to some of our oldest songs and stories.’
Callum’s brows rose slightly. Remi seemed mildly uneasy admitting that fact. Nicole knew Remi’s father, Adam, had been searching for old Celtic songs, in Welsh, Irish, and Scots Gaelic for years and was still doing so. Was this why?
‘The thing is,’ Remi said, ‘I also think the harmony of the spheres is real. But my theory is that if the Dagda’s harp is real, too, it had a role in keeping the harmony balanced. If it was stolen, or broken, or hidden, like your mother’s note suggests, then I wonder if retrieving it, or playing it, would help.’
‘But what is this harmony?’ Dylan asked. ‘And what spheres?’
‘I think it’s – for lack of a better term – the vibrations that affect planetary movement.’
‘So, just to sum up,’ Dylan began, ‘you think that the “Siren’s Instrument” we need to bring down the Wake, is actually a harp of the king of the Irish gods, which not only has the power to cause death and destruction but also to change the planetary alignments?’
Remi’s overwhelmed smile portrayed how much she’d fought to understand and untangle her part of the mystery in the last six months. ‘Yep.’
‘Are you saying you want to … steal this Brian Boru Harp?’ Bells asked, cautious.
‘I mean, I hope not, but I do need to check it out. I don’t want to steal anything; it’s a very important symbol of Ireland.’
‘It’sthesymbol of Ireland,’ Kyan said softly.
Worry knotted Nicole’s stomach.
‘If it’s supernatural, won’t it be guarded?’ Dylan asked. ‘How close will you need to get?’
‘I honestly don’t know. Ideally, I would need to see it out of the glass box it’s in, and perhaps play it to know how it feels and if it is somehow a divine instrument. Especially because the story says that the Dagda’s harp has only three strings. This is strung with manymore, so I’m doubtful. But I also think I’ll be able to feel if it’s the right one because …’ She smiled, eyes winking with the joy of sharing a secret. ‘I think I found one of the strings.’
Nicole’s father sat forward, alarmed and riveted. He looked between Remi and her mother. ‘How is that possible?’
