The creature didn’t move, her stare never breaking as she keened.
Clía’s heart was in her ears as she scrambled back. But instead of falling against the coarse rock of the mountainside, there was nothing.
Gravity pulled her down as she stumbled into an opening in the cliff.
Darkness surrounded her. The crack in the mountain was tall but thin, covered by moss and vines that tapered the moonlight into nothing. She fumbled through her pack for her lantern, hands shaking as she lit it. She couldn’t stop. She rushed deeper into the cave, following her desperation into the unknown. Her mind slowed only when she realized she wasn’t being followed.
Everything she knew about bean sídhes reminded her that she was safe. They never were thecauseof harm. Merely omens.
Clía forced herself to take deep breaths. None of her family was here. They would be safe. They had to be.
She repeated this to herself as she walked farther into the damp space, unsure of what would await her and not quite braveenough to find out. The cool air bit at her skin, making her wish she’d thought to bring a cloak.
The walls curved above her, the space narrowing and the ceiling sloping. Following the natural twists and winds of the tunnel, she looked for another way out as a new fear started carving away at her mind.
There are so many ways one can die in a cave.
The path took a slight decline, and she sent a prayer to Aodhán that his mountain wouldn’t collapse on top of her. Suddenly, she regretted not praying more with the Draoi.
Eventually, the earth floor evened out beneath her, and the tunnel ended at a solid wall. When the light from her lantern hit the wall, it reflected back, fracturing into thousands of beams that danced on the dirt-covered ground.
Clía gasped. Crystals covered the wall, a type she had never seen before. In the dim light, she couldn’t name the color with confidence. Perhaps a soft shade of pink? She stepped carefully to the wall, mesmerized. She had never seen any crystal that looked like this, let alone one that would be this visible at surface level. She could only imagine how deep the vein ran.
Looking closer, she examined the formation. There was something about it she couldn’t describe—a magnetism unlike anything she had experienced before.
It would be beautiful on a necklace. Or maybe a crown?
A small cluster of the crystal jutted out in front of her, it’s connection to the rest of the vein fragile. She pulled out her sword and struck with the pommel in one deliberate blow. With a crack, the cluster fell to the ground, and the light in the cave seemed to dim. Her fingers curled around the pale gem as theair thrummed around her. Carefully, she placed the crystal into her pack.
The wall that held the crystal was a dead end, with no path to take her farther into the mountain. Which meant she either had to stay there or retrace her steps.
In the dark cave, she could almost forget the bean sídhe and the Sluagh and all the other creatures that could be lurking. It was quiet and small andsafe.
But she needed to know that Domhnall and Ronan were all right. She needed to know if they’d discovered anything.
Having no choice but to return the way she’d come, she walked back through the cave. Once she reached the entrance, she paused and listened for the cries of the bean sídhe. There was only silence.
When she stepped out into the early morning light, she was alone.
A noise came from her left. She held her sword tightly, the weight reassuring.
“It’s us,” Ronan said, emerging from the trees with Domhnall close behind.
Clía’s eyes fell to the scraps of paper in the prince’s hands. “What did you find?”
“The tent was abandoned, but they left behind some evidence. The fragments of a supply list, and letters.” Domhnall’s eyes hardened. “We were right. Tinelann broke the treaty.”
Part Two
Chapter Fourteen
Tonight brings a unique task.” Kordislaen slowly paced the center of the training arena, prowling in the gray morning light. “Chief Lyons will be arriving here at Caisleán Cósta to meet with me, and will be joining us for our banquet.”
They had arrived back from their quest late in the night, delayed by the time it took Clía, Ronan, and Domhnall to reunite with the rest of their group. Thankfully, they were still on time to meet their deadline of the day before Taranasadh. Ó Dálaigh had promised to relate to Kordislaen their findings in the mountains, telling them to focus on their training.
Kordislaen paused. “I assume I do not need to remind you to be on your best behavior. Put aside time to clean yourselves up. How you look and act reflects on me. If you do anything to shame me, expect to be going home.”
Kían grumbled faintly beside Clía—something about “not agreeing to this”—but she ignored them, focusing on Kordislaen as he began his lesson.
