Alas, no! I woke from the sleep of death, clutching a piece of her heart. It has turned into a dull crystal-like stone, bruised purple and red.
I must believe this Heart of Brigid will lead me to her.
Why didn’t I leave more clues?
Griffin clutched the purplish-red quartz and turned the page. The scrawl on the page looked like it was written in blood with blots and splatters.
Civil War. Treachery. Heart of Brigid stolen. Gemologists say it’s a rare Irish diamond in the rough. Found in County Donegalat the northernmost tip of the island. I know it belongs to my fairy lover. She told me so in a dream. She is the true Queen of Ireland to protect Ireland from the Norman invasion and the British thereafter. I must go back to the twelfth century and find her. Bring back the heart so she can live forever. Oh, my love, I now know why you and I have not seen each other for so long. I will do yourbidding and kill Richard “Strongbow” de Clare. I will fight for you, my fairy queen, until Ireland is ours again.
“Master Griffin,” the butler’s voice sounded from the door. “Your grandfather awaits you downstairs.”
“A minute,” Griffin said. He skipped to the end to see what he’d been up to right before this last, most unexpected visit to the Otherworld.
What he’d readdropped his temperature several degrees. The note was written by a different hand than the other ones.
Brigid is a changeling. She is not human, but a fairy substitute. You must find the Heart of Brigid and bury it where it was found. Activate the Four to join in the hunt. A female child will be born, hair the color of dried blood, skin as pale as the moon, eyes green as the leafof a rowan tree. Do not be fooled by her. She is the daughter of Richard “Strongbow” de Clare. Use the heart to lure her to her grave—the place you are to bury Brigid’s heart on the northernmost tip of Ireland on a rock jutting from the sea. There, the Queen of Ireland will resurrect and reward you.
In return, you will receive Brigid in the flesh, human again, but mortal. You will haveone glorious lifetime with her, but she will grow old and die. You should rejoice, because Ireland will be united once again in the Otherworld—passed through the mist into a world of forever.
You have plenty of money to carry out your task. Any questions, ask me.
Grandfather
Knocking sounded at the door.
“Master Griffin, your grandfather is here,” Pierce said,this time in a firm voice.
Before Griffin could shut the leathery cover of the annals, the door flew open, and a man with blazing white hair, eyes the color of flint, and thin, stern lips entered.
“Where is it? The Heart of Brigid? Give it to me.”
Griffin gaped wide-eyed at his grandfather and showed him the purplish-red crystal. “This came in the mail from someone named Seamus.”
“This is not the Heart of Brigid,” the elderly man said. “Does this crystal look anything like a diamond in the rough?”
Griffin narrowed his eyes. This lump appeared like a diamond in the rough. However, on closer examination, the crystals were six-sided, not four like a diamond would have.
“No, it is quartz,” Griffin said. “Why would Seamus send this to me?”
“Becausehe’s tricked you,” Grandfather said. “We may be a family of thieves, but the O’Tooles are tricksters from way back. When was the last time you had the Heart in your hand?”
“Pierce said I had a seizure, and I don’t remember a thing.” Griffin ran his hand through his hair and shrugged. His brain was still buzzing with static electricity, and it was hard for him to believe he wasn’t in a timeloop.
“That rascal Seamus probably has it.” Grandfather’s sharp eyes scanned the room as if Griffin were hiding the diamond from him. His gaze stopped on the lump of coal. “Where did you get that piece of coal?”
“I have no idea.” Griffin’s shoulders felt heavy, and fatigue ran though his limbs.
“You were on a transatlantic flight,” Grandpa said. “It was your duty to bringthe Heart of Brigid back to Ireland. You know how important it is to leave notes.”
“I know.” Griffin couldn’t help yawning. “But I must have forgotten. Here’s the note that came with the quartz. It’s from Seamus, but if you say he’s a trickster, then we can’t believe it.”
He handed the note to his Grandfather who scowled as he read it.
“A Morrigan? Do you remember the womanyou were sitting next to?” Grandpa’s voice rose sharply. “We have big problems if she’s taken the Heart of Brigid.”
“We have no proof I had it on the airplane,” Griffin said. “Who is Seamus, and why is he important?”
Grandfather sighed and patted Griffin’s back. “G.E.M.S.stands for Griffin, Eamon, Mack, and Seamus. We are the four guardians of the four treasures of Ireland.”
