We made our way through the dimly lit corridors, each one getting progressively smaller and darker, and eventually stepped into a room that appeared little more than an antechamber. The air was rich with such a riot of scents that my nose twitched and I didn't even bother trying to sort them all out. There was power here, too, and the force of it made my skin itch and tingle.
"Wait here," Kiandra murmured, waving an elegant hand toward the two small chairs that were positioned on either side of the doorway. "You are not an initiate and therefore cannot follow me into the next room. I will see what magic there is to be found."
"It won't feel like human magic," I said. "Because it isn't."
She didn't ask what type of magic it could be, but then, given she appeared to know all about my key quest and the forces that fought for control of both me and them, maybe she didn't need to.
Without further comment, she turned and walked into the next room. The door closed behind her with a heavy click, leaving me alone in the silent shadows. I sat for all of three seconds, then got up and began to pace. I couldn't help it. So much of what we could do next depended on the information Kiandra did—or didn't—find for us.
It seemed to take forever. I didn't have my watch or phone, but I guess the reality was closer to ten minutes. I spun around as the door opened and she reappeared, a slight haze of smoke and magic accompanying her as she walked toward me. Her expression gave little away, so it was with some trepidation that I asked, "Did you find her?"
She stopped and clasped her hands in front of her. Her expression held an odd sort of excitement. "Ilianna is with child?"
I closed my eyes for a moment and swore internally. If Kiandra knew, then Ilianna's mother would more than likely find out sooner rather than later. Given her desire to see Ilianna join Carwyn's herd, I wasn't entirely sure how'd she react. Or, indeed, how Carwyn would.
"It's more than possible. The man who holds her is an Aedh—"
"And her child will be as you are: born of two worlds, powerful in magic, and gifted with foresight."
I frowned. "I'm not—"
"Just because you do not acknowledge such things does not mean they do not exist or that you are not capable." She paused, her gray eyes glowing molten silver with the shadows that held the room hostage. There was more than just power in her gaze now. There was excitement. "The old ritual site on Mount Macedon would not have acknowledged you in the manner that it did if it were not so."
The site had acknowledged me? When? Then I remembered the odd sense of watchfulness and the feeling that the trees themselves were sentient. Remembered that I'd been able to become Aedh when the magic of that place barred all such beings entry.
"Ilianna may not choose to keep—"
"She will," Kiandra said, with a certainty I couldn't help but believe. "Because she knows, as I know, that this child has been a long time coming, and a long time needed."