She perked up when she saw us though and woke Tristan with a violent shake. Tristan slipped from the bench and came rolling up to wave his arms about, looking for his attacker. His obsidian dullahan eyes shot about the room, his wide mouth grinning as usual.
“It's time to go,” Sarah stood and slapped his shoulder. “Isn't it?” She asked me.
“Yes, it's time,” I agreed. “Were you able to speak to the Coven elders and inform them of what's happened?”
“Yes,” she cleared her throat. “They're a bit shocked by our transformations and even more shocked to hear that we've spoken with the Goddess. In light of all of that, they've decided to pardon the murder of Elder Wasutke. I won't be punished for it but they're anxious to see me transformed back into what I once was. If for no other reason than to see proof of the Goddess.”
“I imagine that there are now mixed feelings about witches visiting Fairy,” I offered.
“You could say that,” she grimaced. “Beckoning was not pleased to hear about our origins, nor were they happy to see what we could turn into by simply stepping foot into the Fairy Realm. But the other clans were satisfied with the discoveries, even Frederick's become a celebrity with his silly wings. The Coven elders are discussing sending representatives from the other clans into Fairy if the truce is signed.”
“That'll be interesting,” I blinked. “I'm glad I won't have to make that decision.”
“So am I,” Tristan agreed.
“For now, let's get you two back into Fairy,” I offered and they both nodded excitedly. Or maybe that was just their faces, damn those dullahan grins.
I led them through the halls of the castle, then up to a tall wooden door, bound with metal hinges. There were guards standing to either side of the door, each with a spear in one hand. They came to attention when we approached.
“Princess, Seren,” they spoke as one and bowed to me. Then one of them opened the door and let us through.
I had been to the Isle of Danu once before but I'd never gone through the rath which connected it to Ireland and so I wasn't prepared for the sight of the fairy mound nor of the room which contained it. The Isle rath of Ireland wasn't hidden in a basement or camouflaged by trees. It stood proudly in the middle of a flourishing garden, which the castle had obviously been built around. It was much larger than any of the other raths I'd seen. But then, this had been the very first rath, the one made by Anu himself, not the fey.
This was a rath built by a god.
Instead of a simple mound of earth, there was a large hill covered in blossoming olive trees. Creamy bunches of little flowers nestled among the silvery leaves and lay scattered across the vibrant grass that covered the mound. Gnarled, smokey-quartz roots spread out from the thick, twisted trunks, curling over each other and angling down around a huge gate set into the earth. There was an image of the Isle of Danu carved into the golden door. Over the gold island hung a silver star, to the right was a silver moon, and on its left was a gold sun.
I walked forward over a pristine stone path and stood before the door, staring up at the grove of olive trees. What a strange thing to find in Ireland. I looked around me at the garden full of fruit trees and fragrant blooms. Colors abounded everywhere; in the flowers, butterflies, and exotic birds which flew about without fear. The rath almost seemed muted amid all that vibrancy, only the gleam of precious metals made it stand out.
“Olive trees?” I turned to Tiernan as he approached.
“They are indigenous to Fairy,” he smiled as he explained. “A symbol of peace and plenty.”
“Of course they are.”
“The oil made from these olives is sacred,” Tiernan went on as Sarah, Tristan, Conri, and Cat joined us. “It can be used to heal almost any wound and just a single olive can fill an empty belly. If the Fairy Council had to withstand a siege, they could survive indefinitely on the olives alone.”
“Whoa,” Tristan breathed as he stared up into the trees.
“Are you ready to return to Fairy?” I asked him and he transferred his gaze to me, nodding vigorously. “Alright, you guys know the drill; stay on the path.”
“Right,” Sarah sighed. “Stay on the path. Like that helped so much before.”
“You'll be back to normal in no time,” I laid a hand on her shoulder and this time she didn't flinch, just nodded. “Alright then,” I looked down at Cat. “You ready to see Danu?”
She yipped excitedly and I stepped forward. The giant door of the gate swung inward before I could lay a hand on it but I didn't hesitate. I walked confidently into the darkness of the In-Between and straight down the short path which went through it. At the end, another gargantuan door swung open for us and we all emerged into a garden very similar to the one we'd left. Nearly identical actually. I glanced over my shoulder and saw the same blossoming olive trees covering the hill.
Then the gate swung closed behind us.
I gave the witches an encouraging smile and headed for the only door in the circular enclosure. The walls around us were just like those in the last garden; smooth all the way up to the open ceiling. Here, the sky was slightly lighter and littered with fluffy clouds as opposed to the deep, clear blue of Ireland.
I opened the door and two startled guards angled their spears towards me. Then they saw my face and lifted the weapons so they could bow. I nodded to them and passed into the halls of the High Council House of Fairy, Cat striding along happily beside me. Tiernan came up on my left and took my hand. I smiled at him, feeling better than I had in weeks.
We were so close to an end. I just had to take these witches to Danu and then we could return and hopefully witness the signing of the first truce between the Coven and the Councils. I even knew where I'd find Danu; in her temple, just outside the Council House. She had once assured me that it was the only place in Fairy where you could be certain to hear her voice.
Several fairies roamed the halls and all of them gave us surprised looks when we passed. But none tried to stop us. Generally, if you made it through the gates of Anu's rath, you were meant to be there. So we walked out of the castle and down the flower-bordered path to the towering crystal temple of Danu without any issues.
I heard the witches gasp and shared a smile with Tiernan. Danu's temple was something out of a dream, beyond even a fairy tale. Crystal spires towered so high into the sky that you couldn't see the end to them. They were connected by delicate crystal arches, angled upward in places so that you kept wanting to look higher and higher.
