Then, she extended her left hand, fingers fluttering as she sought a connection with the smoking embers. “Come on,” she murmured. “Dance for me.”
Tender golden flames rose from the fire pit, swelling as she extended her fingers fully.
Fire roared to life before them.
Mor watched her work, her face rapt. Then, smiling, she extended her fingers over the flames, while on her shoulder, Eagal ruffled his feathers and preened. Relief flickered across the faces of the Shee, except for Sablebane, who looked as aloof as ever. Even Fern’s features relaxed a little, while Vyr smiled. “A useful skill.”
“That’s but a shadow of what she can do,” Bree answered, her tone cool. “You’ll see.”
Mor leaned forward then, her eyes bright. “How does your magic manifest?” she asked. “Can youspeakto the flames?”
Lara shook her head. “It’s subtler than that. When I focus on them, I feel a connection form … a partnership. It started a few years ago, when I’d ask fire to dance for me.”
“Does it respond to emotion?”
“Aye … negatively,” Lara replied, aware of Mor’s fascination—an interest that immediately raised her hackles. “Ruari and I have worked together so that I only wield fire when I’m in a calm state. It’s dangerous otherwise.” She paused then. “Didn’t the records you found speak of this?”
Mor leaned back, shaking her head. “It was all about history … not the specifics of the magic.”
“Really?” A groove had etched itself between Bree’s eyebrows. “That seems odd.”
Mor flashed her an irritated look.
A deep rumble rolled over them then, and the ground they sat upon shuddered.
Lara’s breathing caught. The cnoc-banes were indeed restless. In response to her reaction, the flames guttered. But she flexed her fingers again, and the fire flared bright once more.
“We too left some food as offerings upon the summit of the hill,” Mor assured her then, even as her spine stiffened. “Hopefully, it’s enough to keep the ‘hill-breakers’ happy.”
8: TAKING THE HEATHER PATH
LARA WATCHED THE Shee lead the way onto the Slighe Fraoch. Mor went first upon her elk, dragging the shackled Dorka behind her.
A grey dawn greeted them, the sun a pale glow in the eastern sky. A collective sigh of relief had rippled through their small camp with the rising of the sun though—for their precautions had worked. Apart from the odd rumble during the night—warning tremors that shook the hillside—the cnoc-banes had left them alone.
Lara peered through the murk toward where the Shee headed north, disappearing into the mist. The rain had lessened to a drizzle for the moment, but the iron-colored clouds to the north warned that more bad weather would soon roll in.
Soon you’ll face him again.
Aye, there was no getting around this. She was going to have to work with the Half-blood.
Jaw set, Lara straightened her spine and urged Bracken on. Cailean and Roth led the way, with Bree and Lara following. Annis, Ren, and Ruari brought up the rear.
Lara didn’t look back at the three druids. She hoped they were all ready for the Heather Path. She'd heard of roads like this one, invisible to Marav but used by the Shee to travel unseen throughout Albia. Bree had told her there weren't many of these ways, but that if a mortal trod the path, they had to keep their wits about them.
Indeed, Mor had given them a few ‘rules’ the night before.
Don’t leave the path.
Don’t touch anything.
Prepare to face yourself.
The mist swallowed them, as dense as porridge. Rain continued to fall in a soft veil for a short while longer, the caw of ravens echoing across the hillside, and then the air changed.
It grew lighter, scented with thyme, and the rain stopped.
The mist drew back then, revealing a swathe of blue sky arching overhead. And a path stretched before them. It was a greenway, a road of short grass fringed on either side by banks of heather.
