Through the Door (The Thin Veil) - By Jodi McIsaac Page 0,57
persona. “There are other reasons, of course. It’s complicated. But one of them is because Ireland would be the first place Lorcan would look for us if he found a way to open another sidh. It was best to stay hidden, somewhere he wouldn’t think to look for us.”
Cedar saw Oscar waving at her, and she waved back. Felix went over to speak with Riona, and Oscar came over to stand next to her. “Hey,” he said. “Ready to meet the Merrow?”
Cedar shrugged, trying to act more casual than she felt. “Oh, you know, I meet magical creatures every day. Mermaids are no big deal.”
“Ha!” Oscar laughed. “I’ve never met them either. Mother has a few choice names for them, none of which are fit to be said in the presence of a lady,” he said with a mock bow.
Cedar raised her eyebrows. “All that matters is that they can help us,” she said. “How do we find them?”
“You’ll be doin’ no such thing, I’m afraid.” Felix had rejoined them, Riona by his side.
“The Merrow are on even worse terms with humans than they are with us,” Riona clarified. “They won’t talk to us if you’re with us. I’m afraid you’ll have to stay up here while the others go down and talk to Deardra. It will take some careful diplomacy to convince her to give us the picture. Having a human among us won’t do us any favors.”
Cedar’s stomach twisted painfully. “No way. What if that car really does belong to Nuala? What if Eden is down there? I have to go,” she protested.
“We can handle it, Miss Cedar,” Felix said, his voice gruff and accented once more. “If your wee one is there, we’ll bring her back, but you’ll be best helpin’ us by stayin’ out of the way, if you don’t mind me sayin’ so.”
“But Eden won’t even know who you are!” she said. “If there’s any chance of her being down there, I need to be there too.”
“Cedar, listen to me,” Riona said. “I hate to put it so bluntly, but if Eden has been here, she’s probably already seen the painting, and they’ll be gone. There’s nothing you can do. And if she hasn’t been here yet, we need to get that painting before she sees it. The Merrow won’t even show themselves if they sense a human’s presence. If you want to help Eden, you have to keep out of sight.”
Cedar closed her mouth tightly and stared out over the ocean. Riona placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. “We might not be too late,” she said. “I’ll stay up here with you. Let’s just wait and see what happens.”
Finn came over and kissed his mother on the cheek. He gave Cedar a long look and then joined the others, who were already climbing down a golden rope that led over the edge of the cliff.
The vegetation was sparse and there was no place to hide, so Cedar settled down on her stomach and peered over the edge, her heart racing. She watched as the others descended one by one and gathered in a small knot at the base of the cliff. Riona lay beside her. Together, they looked on in silence.
The Tuatha Dé Danann approached the water slowly and stopped at its edge. Anya and Rohan stood side by side in front. Behind Anya stood Murdoch and Oscar, and behind Rohan were Felix, Finn, and Molly. Cedar glanced over at Riona and saw that her eyes were trained on her daughter.
“Why are Oscar and Molly here?” she whispered. “Aren’t they a bit young?”
Riona’s forehead creased, but she didn’t take her eyes off the group below. “When you live forever, or for centuries, at any rate, ‘young’ doesn’t mean quite the same thing. Once you pass thirteen of your years in our world, you are expected to shoulder the responsibilities of an adult, but you may also partake in the pleasures. Besides, if there is to be another war, they will need to know how to gain allies. Now watch,” she whispered.
Cedar looked back down at the shore. Anya knelt and placed her hand in the water, and then stepped back and stood beside Rohan. For a moment, it seemed like nothing was happening. Then there was a disturbance beneath the waves and a large bubble floated out of the water and hung in the air before them. The bubble appeared to be empty, but a voice came from it, clear enough for Cedar