“Thank you, Councilman,” Conri swallowed hard, looking a little shook up by the praise, and went to stand back beside Tiernan.
We hadn't been able to bring more guards into the room and frankly, my Guard deserved a break anyway. It wasn't like I was in any danger in the basement council chambers. So it was just Conri and Tiernan watching over me. I looked back at Conri, caught his eye, and winked. His serious expression disappeared and he smiled brightly.
“Is everyone else in agreement with Sir Conri's plan?” Greer asked and received complete approval. “Excellent. Now we just need to decide who will be on the rescue mission.”
“Besides myself, you mean,” Lord Raza said.
“Yes, Lord Raza,” Greer's voice had an undercurrent of sarcasm. “Besides yourself.”
“And me,” Wasutke added.
“I would like to volunteer as well,” Sarah said and I looked over to her with a bemused smile.
Was she volunteering because of Raza, because she wanted to see Fairy, or just because she wanted to see this thing through? She looked over and smiled back at me. I chuckled; maybe it was all of the above.
“Are witches able to glamour themselves into invisibility?” Greer asked.
“Since I was a little girl,” Sarah grinned.
“It's not a problem,” Wasutke huffed.
“Then you're both most welcome,” Councilman Lorcan declared. “All of us here in the High Councils hope that this mission will help to forge a bond between our people so that we may move forward with establishing a truce.”
“We in the Coven understand that what the dullahans did was beyond your control and we hold no grudges for it,” Elder Gabriel's voice came from the speaker attached to Sarah's cellphone. “We too hope that this will go far in establishing common ground between us.”
“Great,” Tiernan whispered. “Now, it's not just about rescuing people, it's about fighting a common enemy to establish a bond.”
“The dullahans are screwed,” I sighed.
Chapter Forty-Seven
The rescue team was to consist of Lord Raza, myself, Tiernan, Sarah, my Star's Guard, Frederick, Aidan, Elder Wasutke, Tristan, Lord Eadan, and his team of hunters. The other witches would return to Ireland to await the results of the rescue mission and hopefully witness the signing of a truce. As far as the extinguishers, they couldn't use glamour, so it was decided that it would be better for them to remain behind.
When I told the Fairy Council that I needed to speak to my father before I brought fairies into our kingdom, the Council informed me that I wouldn't be taking them into Twilight at all. Dathadair, the dullahan village, was in the Unseelie Kingdom, and King Uisdean, the Unseelie monarch, had been contacted as soon as we'd come to a decision. He had freely given his consent to our mission.
Part of me was grateful that Uisdean had given his consent but another part of me wondered why he'd acquiesced so easily. My Uncle could be nefarious and it wouldn't surprise me in the least to find that he'd allowed us to enter his kingdom just so he could set us up with the dullahans. He couldn't kill me himself but he could trick a dullahan into doing it, thus keeping himself out of the path of the Sluagh.
But my evil Uncle Uisdean wasn't my only concern.
“We're going where?” I blinked at the speaker box.
“Dathadair is alligned with Papa New Guinea but there are no raths which lead directly to the island. So you will have to fly to Australia and then use the Australian rath to cross into Unseelie, where you will have a days journey to the village.”
“Yeah, that's what I thought you said,” I sighed.
“Quake has a large group in Australia,” Elder Jared Turner's voice came through the other speaker. “Perhaps you should go along, Al. Just in case they need some help down under.”
Al was Albert Fremond, Quake witch and all around timid guy. He had sad, lackluster hair, even sadder gray eyes, and pale skin prone to blotchy redness. He was thin-limbed, weak-chinned, and had a tendency to address the ground when he spoke. He was not my first choice in a team mate.
“Yes, Sir,” Al's milquetoast monotone had everyone staring at him dubiously but he didn't notice since he kept his gaze fastened on the floor.
“Excellent,” Jared declared like he'd just given us the key to defeating the dullahans. “May the Goddess guide you.”
I couldn't help rolling my eyes a little. I was someone who had never put a lot of stock in religion until I had heard the Goddess' voice. But there was no way these witches had ever spoken to Danu, much less seen her, and it annoyed me that they would presume to have relationships with her when I knew it was impossible. On top of that, it shocked me a little that a race who was so familiar with magic, who saw the proof of it constantly, would believe in a divine being whom they had no evidence of.
But perhaps I was being too harsh on them. People needed something to believe in. Even witches. Who was I to dispute their claims and destroy their faith? It wasn't my place or my concern. They had the right to believe in whatever divinity they chose. I'd do something smart for once and keep my big mouth shut.
“Did he just sayGoddess?” A hushed tone came through the speaker box connected to the Councils and I nearly laughed.
