Page 182 of A Courage of the Chosen

I ignore the sentiment. “I love you, too.”

For a single moment, I soak in this victory. I knew there was a reason for me possessing both kinds of Seelie magic, and if I can do this for Rach, I can do it for others, too.

“Where are we?” she asks, shifting on her feet and avoiding my gaze.

Linking our arms together, we examine our surroundings. A cavern half-open to the elements, tall grass that sways on an unfelt breeze, a giant oak tree with a shallow pool at its feet, a stream running off it.

“The Lagan Naomh.”

“What?” Rachel scans the area more carefully. “How do you know?”

“Because I’ve been here before,” I tell her, as a figure obscured by dazzling blue takes shape beneath the branches. “And we’re not alone.”

Rach rounds on the lithe woman, a gasp falling from her lips as she drops to her knees. “Dhia.”

I stay rooted to the spot as Dhia walks in our direction on near-silent feet. Power emanates from her like a beacon, and just as it was the last time I was in her presence, it humbles me.

We can’t make out her face, and all the statues and images I’ve seen of her make sense. Anyone who has looked upon Dhia has been dazzled by the light that burns if you stare for too long.

Rach’s forehead is almost touching the ground as she speaks. “My Goddess, why are we here?”

“Because you nearly went beyond, and it is not your time. The spirits brought you here so that we may talk.”

I finally find my voice. “Talk about what?”

Her attention fixes on me, and the weight of it compels me to offer her the same genuflection as Rach, my Seelie instincts bowing before her. “The past. The present. The future. Balance must be restored.”

Apprehension locks my shoulders and we wait for Dhia to explain.

“Let us walk.” She turns and glides away, toward the thick body of the tree.

“Where are we going?” I breathe.

Dhia reaches out a glowing hand and places it onto the bark of the tree. Runes, like the ones marking the Druids, ripple up from the bottom until the entire trunk is alight and dancing with her magic.

“It’s time you learned the whole truth, an taghadh.”

The center of the giant oak becomes an undulating portal of iridescence that makes the magic in my chest squirm. Part of me drawn to it, the rest scrambling in the opposite direction.

Dhia steps through, and a look is shared between me and Rachel. “Well, if the Seelie goddess says we go into the giant magic tree, then we’re going into the giant magic tree,” my friend quips, far too upbeat.

“Really? Jokes? Now?”

“You know it’s my coping strategy. Dhia just appeared in front of me, and then walked into a fucking tree. What am I supposed to do?” she whisper-shouts.

“Nothing is perfectly acceptable.”

Rach rolls her eyes. “That’s boring.” Then offers me her hand. “Let’s get some answers.”

Slipping my palm into hers, we hesitate before stepping through the gateway. Rachel goes first, since we can only pass one at a time, but she keeps a firm grip on me as I follow.

I squint against the brightness that blinds me, and only the hold I have on Rachel keeps me from feeling like I’m back to drifting through a vast nothing.

The light around us begins to shift and warp until we’re no longer sightless, but standing in a large domed cave, surrounded by twelve bodies on altars, their chests brutally cleaved open.

Rachel gags. “What the fuck?”

“I’ve seen this before,” I tell her quietly.