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She shut her eyes. Her consciousness flowed out of her, down the stems, under the soft gathered soil, and into the roots. There she traveled like a spark, from root to root, from one plant to another, her consciousness rising and sinking till she sensed a young child, staring at the large, luscious petals of a Rayolith plant more than twice his size.
Yes. There he was. A helpless fawn in a garden of vipers.
The Rayolith plant was harmless as long as nobody made contact with the edge of the petals. He didn’t know if he touched it, the spikes along its tip would clamp onto him and suck his blood from his body till he collapsed, a dried out husk. An adult faerie could pry the barbed petal off with little effort, but this child wouldn’t even know what to do.
When she willed it, the vined plants nearby stretched, reaching out, sliding to the cobblestone and upwards, weaving together above the child’s head.
The plants reached forward, tickling the child, teasing him, drawing him down the webbed pathway of greens that Macha had created. The child laughed and stumbled along, moving through the pathway in the direction that Macha desired.
She could have done anything she liked with the little one. Lead him off another way, even lifting him over the wall to be lost among the bustle of the city. She might have smothered him in greenery and foliage, wrapped so thoroughly they’d have to raze the entire garden to find him.
She could have done any number of horrible things to the boy.
Her vine tunnel came into view.Macha, what are you doing?Morrigan asked. There was fear in her tone.
She smiled. Let Morrigan stew. It was the least of what she deserved.
The vine led the helpless little one forward, tripping among the vines, laughing.
She withdrew her hand from the stem as her plant based tunnel reached the gaping woman in front of her. “There is your child.”
The boy toddled forward, and the mother scooped him up, smothering him with kisses.
“My deepest gratitude, your majesty.” She clutched her son, bowing again, caution and fear in her eyes as she hurried away.
You… didn’t hurt him, Morrigan said.
What have I against a mother and her child?Macha snarled at her sister.
She may have allied with Badb in order to take down Morrigan and regain their freedom.
But Macha was no monster.
Chapter 26
The heartstone provided me with a chance to move against my sisters. I walked about Dagda’s room looking for a place to hide it. Keelin monitored my movements. As I searched for a spot, I pressed my thumb against the black diamond, burying one last memory inside. I didn’t need to look into the stone to insert memories. I simply willed the memory in my mind into the heartstone and it appeared.
I’d decided that since I couldn’t read my sister’s minds, that they couldn’t read mine. I’d suspected it for some time now. Yes, we saw what each other did, even sensed each other’s emotions. We could even project words to one another when we chose. But the fact that I didn’t know what Macha’s intentions were with the child in the gardens until she turned him over to his mother confirmed that any thoughts we didn’t want to be heard by the others belonged solely to ourselves.
Keelin shut the door to Dagda’s room after I exited, having stashed the heartstone in a new place. A smile crossed my face. I always had the impression that I didn’t have very creative hiding spots, but today I’d placed it in the casings of one of his old swords lying near his closet.
Dagda said that he and I were the only ones who saw into the stone. I hoped that excluded my sisters. So far, they’d released no outside signs that they were aware of our communications through the heartstone. But I would discover the truth soon. I wasn’t sure when. Conveying dates within memories proved difficult.
I just needed to trust Dagda to act in his own time.
I entered my room. Lunch waited for me on the table. Roisin bustled nearby. Dagda had traveled to the city to do business. He’d invited me along, but I stayed behind, too afraid of what havoc Badb or Macha might wreak if they took over in the middle of the busy streets.
And because we both needed a break from each other. After that night in my room, he hadn’t touched me. In fact, he refused to enter my bedchamber, insisting on midnight walks in the gardens whenever Macha or Badb weren’t in control. Part of me might have been offended except that every time I was around him something hot and unyielding built in my chest and I’d start picturing his hips on mine, of how my nightgown rubbed between our bodies, of his crushing weight grating my breasts and it was all I could do not to beg him to come to my room, to finish what we’d started that night. It became worse when I felt that seething hunger in my belly. The sign of Dagda’s desire mixing with mine.
If we touched, something between us would snap and there’d be no going back. I wanted that. I wanted it so badly until the inevitable guilt came and I’d remember why I shouldn’t.
Before Roisin noticed, I swallowed, willing my pounding heart to settle.
The plan with the stone was far from perfect and even with sharing memories, I hadn’t been able to directly disseminate the danger the entire Otherworld was in. He didn’t know about Badb’s deal with Ornan. In fact, I still found I couldn’t communicate any of my sisters’ schemes. But if this went how we planned, Badb and Macha might end up hanging themselves.
Roisin placed the silverware around my plate. “Your lunch, your majesty.”
“Thanks.” I settled into my chair. The juice in my cup had an odd tangy smell to it.
