Through the Door (The Thin Veil) - By Jodi McIsaac Page 0,108

there was no doubt in her mind who was speaking. Finn, no, she thought frantically, lifting her unbroken arm to touch the amulet still around her neck, as if it could enable him to hear her thoughts. If he kills you, who will look after Eden?

Finn’s voice rang out, filled with passion. “What has become of our people, that you would believe such lies, that you would stand here and watch while this usurper to the throne murders an innocent child?”

Lorcan moved away from Cedar and stood on the edge of the dais. He seemed entirely self-possessed, as if this new interruption were almost expected.

“Is that you, Fionnbharr son of Ruadhan?” he said with a sneer. “Have all the traitors returned? Excellent. Now I can kill you all at once and save myself the trouble of hunting you down. Show yourself, coward!”

Cedar looked out again over the sea of faces. Every head was craned, searching for the subject of Lorcan’s demand. Where could Finn hide? He had to be in his true form in order to speak. She couldn’t see him anywhere, so she started to crawl awkwardly toward Eden, who was still standing immobilized.

“Listen, friends!” Finn was saying. “Your fear has betrayed you! You have believed his lies, because the alternative was certain death.” There was the sound of an explosion and falling marble, and then Cedar heard Finn’s voice coming from another direction.

“But where has this brought you? Tír na nÓg was a land of peace and beauty. Humans are not to blame for its destruction. This is something we have brought upon ourselves through war and violence.”

She reached Eden, ignoring Nuala, who was now standing at the back of the dais and watching everything with wide, frightened eyes. She wrapped her good arm around the girl, and then flinched in shock. Eden’s body was as cold and hard as the marble they were standing on. But her eyes moved and locked with Cedar’s.

“It’s going to be okay, my heart,” Cedar whispered to her. “I love you so much, and I’m going to save you. You’re going to be all right.” She kissed the cold, hard cheek.

She turned her attention back to the cat-and-mouse game between Finn and Lorcan. She could feel a wall of heat radiating from Lorcan. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a huge ball of fire shoot from his hands and into the assembly. He roared with rage and screamed, “Bring him to me!” Cedar realized that Finn must be taking his true form for only long enough to speak. She heard the movement of those gathered below, but no one brought Finn forward. Then she saw him briefly, landing as a tiny bird on the uppermost limb of one of the white birch trees encircling the courtyard. He flew down to a lower branch and transformed back into himself. “None of us are blameless, and yet you allow Lorcan, who has shed the blood of countless of our race, to rule you. You know he is not worthy of that task!”

Cedar could not see what shape he took next, but he disappeared just in time to avoid Lorcan’s sword, which sliced through the tree as if it were made of silk and then returned at once to its enraged owner.

She heard Finn’s voice again, and saw heads in the crowd swivel to search for him. “This child holds the gift of the sidh, and if you allow Lorcan to kill her, his power will be so great it will destroy us all! Now rise up with me!”

Then she could not help but see him, for he was once again the horrifying creature that had terrified her on the Irish beach. He rose from behind the farthest of the marble arches and started advancing toward the throne, a mass of tentacles and fangs and talons. The Danann all backed away from him, and Cedar heard several of them cry out in alarm. Lorcan had dropped his sword and was standing with his feet spread apart and his hands in the air. It was an odd posture, as if he meant to embrace the creature once it drew near. Cedar did not know what it meant, but it filled her with dread, and she knew she had lingered too long.

Finn came at Lorcan, intent on annihilation, and it seemed as though the usurper was going to do nothing to defend himself. The Finn-monster struck him, or seemed to strike him, but from