Page 106 of In Your Light

Ciaran rushed to the jetty and stepped straight into the water.

Hadeom took Fyn’s face in his hands and kissed him. “Remember what I said.”

Fyn nodded, and Hadeom turned and ran. He dove in after the other two men, his four shadows shooting straight up and then bulleting down like kestrels into the water.

Cern smiled and handed his pipe to Tobin. “Keep this safe for me,” he said. Then he began to walk to the pier.

He shook off his old coat, and his body seemed to get bigger, his feet becoming hooves and his magnificent horns growing out through his grey hair. He was a sight to behold.

He turned to give them one last look in all his faun glory. Then he grinned, and with a final wave, he went headfirst into the water.

Everyone rushed over to the pier to see. The water was darker, swirling and pulsing with an energy Fray couldn’t understand. No one dared go in there.

“What happened?” Fray asked. Then he turned to Fyn. “What the hell happened?”

Fyn swallowed hard, and his chin wobbled. “He told me to trust him. He told me to trust Cern. He said it over and over.”

“Sawyer can’t hold his breath that long,” Hudson said, looking at the water like he just might dare go in.

Kellan held his arm. “Don’t. No one goes in there.”

Fyn sniffed. “Hadeom can’t either,” he said, wiping a tear from his cheek. “Hold his breath that long. He’s down there too.”

“Hey,” Tobin said gently. “He’ll be fine. He’s not human.”

Fyn looked at him then. “Oh.” He wiped away another tear. “Of course.”

“He’ll be okay,” Tobin said.

“What happened?” Kellan asked. “Where did you go?”

“To his place,” Fyn said.

Fray gasped. “To the underworld?”

“No. He called it Hobart.”

Fray snorted out a relieved laugh. “Oh. Okay.”

Fyn nodded. “It was high up and very big. All the furniture was very nice, and I think Hadeom has a lot of money.”

“I’m sure he does,” Kellan said. “What else happened?”

“Sawyer was sick. He vomited, and he didn’t look right. Hadeom said it was because humans couldn’t survive travelling with him like we did.”

“He knew it would kill him?” Hendrix asked. “He knew it would kill Sawyer, and he did it anyway. I’m gonna⁠—”

“No,” Kellan said, his hand on Hendrix’s arm. He shook his head and smiled at Fyn. “It was Cern’s plan all along, wasn’t it?”

“I think so,” Fyn said. “Hadeom said to trust them and that Sawyer would be fine. He said he’d be better, even. I don’t know what that means, but Hadeom pressed a vial of some liquid into Sawyer’s heart and told Ciaran to do everything he says.”

Everyone stared at Fyn, mouths open, stunned and silent.

Everyone but Áine. She was looking into the water. “Uncle Sawyer will be one of us,” she said with her cute little smile.

What?

“What?”