“So, it’s hopeless.” Theo deflated, dropping his head into his hands.
“Oof.” Pippa made a tutting sound. “That sort of attitude is going to get you nowhere on the road.”
“Theo,” Calum chided gently, “we’re not giving up. I didn’t say we were. May I continue?” Theo picked up his head and nodded. Calum had already perfected the ‘big brother’ voice.
“We don’t have the original language, which means we need to find it.” Calum looked between Pippa and Emmett. “This is where you two come in. You’ll join Theo, and all of you will go and petition the Blue Men of the Minch.”
Theo had only heard of the Blue Men of the Minch in passing, but based on Emmett and Pippa’s stunned expressions, it unnerved him. It was almost a full minute before Emmett spoke, looking directly at Calum.
“You want us to go ask the Blue Men of the Minch?” He repeated the words, the hesitation in his voice betraying his concerns over the plan. He was careful not to contradict Calum outright, but Emmett’s initial response didn’t encourage Theo.
“Yes.” Calum sounded confident. “They retained some of their abilities after the fall. One of those abilities includes a predisposition to curses and the ways of gods and goddesses. If we can get them to talk to you, they should be able to give you the details of the curse.”
“The fall?” Theo interjected, unable to keep up with Calum’s more extensive knowledge.
“The Blue Men of the Minch are fallen angels,” Pippa explained, her grip tightening on her knife hilt. “They fell alongside Lucifer but were caught by the sea. Apparently, the sea found them useful and decided to keep them.”
“And by the sea, you mean what exactly?” Theo raised a brow.
“Manannán, obviously.” Pippa shrugged.
“Of course. Obviously.” Theo stuttered, his cheeks flushing red. While he’d known about magic his entire life, since most of his years were spent in secret, he’d started to feel like he was learning all about it for the first time.
“We can’t ask Manannán for help?” Theo posed the question, looking at his brother. Calum shook his head.
“It would be an all-out war if Manannán decided to go against Cliodhna’s wishes. He may support us and give you gentle guidance or boons during your journey, but it’s too risky for all of Ireland and Scotland for the gods of the sea to start quarreling.”
“How are you going to get the Blue Men to answer our questions?” Emmett interjected. “They’re notoriously tight-lipped.”
Calum sighed and straightened his shoulders, his expression sobering further.
“I’m prepared to offer them access to Scotland’s inland waterways in exchange for the information.”
The entire room fell silent.
No one even dared to move. Pippa and Emmett were looking at one another in shock. Calum said nothing further but crossed his arms over his chest, his posture absolute. Theo wasn’t entirely sure what the magnitude of the offer was, but he could tell it was severe.
“Calum…” Emmett started quietly. “You have thought about this?”
“I have.” Calum seemed unbothered. He was speaking as a prince who’d already made up his mind. “The Blue Men themselves are not any more violent than the kelpies, the selkies, or even the maighdeann-mhara. People are only afraid of them because they’re associated with the fall of Lucifer. Well, I’m not. It’s an old Christian prejudice that keeps them sequestered in the Minch, and I’m prepared to do away with that.”
Emmett smiled. “It’s admirable. I think we can all get behind that thinking. What about the rest of the magical population?”
“I think I’ve earned enough goodwill with our people for them to give me a little bit of trust when it comes to how I govern. At least, I hope so. They got over my inclusion of baobhan-sith. They can get over their prejudices against the Blue Men or go elsewhere.”
“But, Calum…” Theo’s voice was quiet. “I can’t ask you to do this. It’s too much. That’s quite an offer to make the Blue Men, on the off chance they can give us the prophecy.”
“They can definitely give you the prophecy.” Calum interrupted, his voice firm. Theo sighed and held up his hands in surrender.
“Okay, so they give us the prophecy. That doesn’t mean it’ll give us any clues as to how to break the curse.”
“It’s more than what we have now.” Calum refuted. “Besides, it’s something that should have been done a long time ago. It should be done either way.”
“Calum—” Theo started to object, but Pippa appeared by his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. Theo startled. He’d forgotten how quickly baobhan-sith could move.
“It’s okay,” Pippa whispered. “Accept the help your brother is offering, Theo.” There was something unspoken in Pippa’s eyes, but Theo didn’t push it.
“All right.” Theo pinched the bridge of his nose. “So we head out to find the Blue Men of the Minch. We ask them to give us the details of Cliodhna’s curse and tell them, in return, they’ll be allowed to access the internal waterways of Scotland.”
