I shudder. ‘Yeah, and possibly as crows. But even if those birdswerethe Morrigan, they’re still only birds. I think they want to communicate with me, but they’re limited. Nanny Bet…’ A swell of hurt silences me for a moment, but I push it aside. ‘She was surprised that I’ve seen them at all. It never happened to her. And there’s no way Dad could see the goddess here.’ I point at the image of him as a child, then at the one of the teenage girl. ‘And same here. Whoever this girl is, she can’t see the Morrigan either.’
Meg nods. ‘She can hear her though.’
It’s true. I remember the moment of fear I saw in the girl just before the shadow – the Morrigan – pulsed and enveloped her. ‘Maybe not consciously. You said they did that, right? That they got people angry.’
Her eyes light up. ‘Yes! She spoke to warriors before a battle.’
‘The battle furies.’
‘Huh?’
‘That’s what my nan called them. One of their names.’
‘So this is a warrior,’ says Meg.
The young woman’s shoulders are back, chin raised, her hands in tight fists. She’s ready to fight.
‘Who is she?’ I ask.
A crow calls out from somewhere outside.
Meg turns her head. ‘That’s super clear, thank you.’
I groan. ‘Please don’t actually speak to the crows.’
‘Did you recognise those men?’ Meg asks, taking down the photo.
I think back. I’d been more focused on the girl. ‘They were early twenties. Much older than her.’
Meg grimaces. ‘Like, actualmenmen? Were they…?’
‘What?’ She raises an eyebrow and my cheeks burn. ‘No! They were being really serious, whispering. I didn’t recognise them.’
‘We need to know who they are,’ says Meg. ‘Could we ask anyone else? What about your mum? She grew up here too, right? Maybe she knows something.’ She pauses as I frown. ‘I’m not saying your mum is keeping anything from you, but maybe she knew this girl?’
I’d hoped I could get the answers from Nanny Bet, but maybe Mum could help. Except… ‘I don’t know how I’d bring it up. You saw how she bolted from the house when we mentioned Dad the other day. She won’t talk about him.’
Meg chews her lip. ‘It must be hard.’
I’m not sure if she means for Mum or for me. ‘It is, yeah.’
We sit in silence for a bit. It’s not an awkward one, kind of the opposite. Like we’re comfortable enough not to have to speak.
‘So, I have an idea.’ Meg plays with her hair.
‘Yeah?’
‘I’ve been doing some research and I think I found a way to talk to her. To the Morrigan.’
I wince as the dark smile from my dream fills my mind. ‘Are you fucking kidding me?’
‘Look, you said yourself, the filí báis would talk to her. Like, that’s their whole duty.’
I tilt my head. ‘Actually, we’re here to listen to her. Watch her visions and tell her stories. Not call her for a chat.’
She rolls her eyes. ‘Just hear me out. I’ve been reading up about a ritual for talking to a god, to the Tuatha Dé Danann. It’s called the Imbas Forosnai. Followers would use it to connect to their god, and the god would tell them the message they wanted them to spread.’
I point at the photos. ‘But I don’t need to do that, do I? They’re connecting with me every five minutes!’
