Deirdre accepted. After taking a sip, she swallowed and lowered her head for a moment. Her hair hung like a curtain around her face. When she raised her grey eyes again, they were full of tears.
“I had a sister. Bir-Gidha was her name and she was fair. To look upon her was to see a spring day walking. She was a joy to behold and gentle of heart. She thought the best of all she met and brought such joy to my heart.” Brendan found himself being lulled by her words. Deirdre’s voice took on the cadence that he had heard at the concert. He had to try hard to hang on to his anger.
“She had many suitors, for she was beautiful and fair. She could have chosen anyone to be her mate, but as fate would have it, she fell in love with an Ancient One whose heart was dark and troubled. She was a Healer, and she was gifted in those arts so perhaps she thought she might heal the darkness in his heart. His name was Briach Morn.
“He was a Prince of the Elder Times, a Lord of the Skyclan who believed that this world had been stolen from us by the People of Metal. He wanted to shatter the Truce and take back this Earth for the Faerie Folk. He was powerful in his Art, and many followed him. Together with his sister, Orcadia, he led the dark faction that would see the war renewed between the Humans and the Fair Folk.”
At the mention of Orcadia, Brendan shivered. “Hold it,” he interrupted, drawing a dark glare from Deirdre. He tried to ignore her. “You lost me. An Ancient One? Elder Times? Skyclan?”
Ariel spoke. “The Elder Times are what we call the age before the Truce, when we held the upper hand in the world. Briach Morn was old indeed and very powerful. In those days, he was worshipped by the People of Metal as a god of War and Destruction. We were often seen as such by ignorant Humans who didn’t know us. They set us up as gods.” Ariel smiled sadly. “You might even know one of my names from those times. I was called Apollo.”
Brendan had learned about the gods of Greek mythology from his father, who had read him stories of their deeds. Was he actually looking at Apollo, god of the sun? He could hardly believe it. “So this Orcadia is his sister?”
“Yes. And your aunt.”
Deirdre continued her tale. “Their love was fated. They were wed despite the wishes of both their clans. All the Oracles foretold doom for them and much unhappiness, but such was the depth and the power of their love that they chose to ignore the future. My sister seemed to soothe his raging spirit. It was her dream that one day Human and Faerie might live together in harmony, as in the time before the rift between our peoples. Briach Morn listened to her, and we had hope that he might abandon his desire to bring war upon the Human world. Then word came that she was with child.
“We rejoiced at the news,” Deirdre said, her voice warming with remembered joy. “You see, Breandan, among our kind, children are a rare blessing. We looked upon the news as a sign that the Oracles might be wrong. A child was certainly a sign of great happiness to come. But we were wrong.
“My sister took to her birthing bed and her labour was long. In the end, her heart failed her. She lived only long enough to see your tiny face and she named you. Then she crossed over. A great light went out of the world.”
Brendan felt his eyes prickle with tears. There was a lump in his throat. He longed to see her, his mother. He would never know her. He sensed the sadness of all in the room, watching and listening in the smoky darkness. The crackle of the fire was the only sound. At last, he said, “What about my father? Where is he?”
“Ah,” Deirdre breathed. “There is the strand that completes the tapestry. Briach Morn was overwhelmed with grief. His heart was utterly broken. Despite efforts to stop him, he took you from your mother’s deathbed, and he worked a powerful Ward upon you. Secretly, he left you among the Humans and then he disappeared. Some say he destroyed himself in his grief. Some say he went off in search of deep magic into the Other Lands that border on our world, that would allow him to destroy the Humans once and for all.”
“So he might still be alive?” Brendan asked.
“Those who travel in the Other Lands forget themselves. They rarely return. If he is alive in those dire places, he will not be coming back.”
Brendan couldn’t help feeling sad. Both of his birth parents were gone. He’d never known them but he still felt the loss somehow.
“Whatever the case may be,” Deirdre said, oblivious to his mood, “he left you hidden in the care of Humans, disguised as one of them. No one understands why he did what he did. He loathed Humans, so why would he hide you among them? But he was grieving and who knows the state of his mind.
“No one knew where you were or even what you might look like. We searched for long years. Briach’s Ward was extremely well wrought but, at last, we found you. Ki-Mata was sent to observe and subtly watch over you…”
“And you had to stick your big nose in and blow it,” Kim said suddenly. “Thanks for that!”
Deirdre’s eyes flashed with anger. “I was doing what I thought was right.”
“What about what we all agreed was right, you arrogant cow?”
Deirdre’s hands gripped the table in fury. Kim’s fingers curled around the handle of her stick. They glared at each other across the flat surface, and the crowd held its collective breath. Suddenly Og staggered over, jarring the tabletop and upsetting all the drinks. Instantly, the dark atmosphere was expelled as Kim and Deirdre tried to avoid getting ale and mulled wine on their laps.
“Sorry,” Og slurred, a wounded and contrite expression on his ruddy face. “There is no greater tragedy than a spilled drink. It breaks the heart.” He raised his own tankard, brimming with foamy beer, and said cheerily, “Still, my pint was saved. Be grateful for small mercies.” Unseen by the women, Og winked at Brendan and staggered away, leaving Brendan with the impression that the spillage had not been entirely an accident. He decided to take the opportunity to speak.
“Listen,” he said. “This is all really interesting and everything, but I really just want to go back to my parents. I don’t want anything to do with any trouble. I just want to be a normal kid, go to school, and hang out with my friends, you know? So thanks for the story but I’m going home. Put the Ward back on me and make it stick this time.”
His speech was greeted by uncomfortable silence. He looked at Kim, but she was inordinately concerned with mopping up beer. Deirdre was silent too. She looked at him sadly.
Ariel broke the silence. “I’m afraid that isn’t possible, Breandan.”
“Why not?”
“Orcadia and others like her know where you are now. They would never leave you in peace. They see you as the rebirth of their hero, Briach Morn. They will either turn you to their purposes or kill you.”
“That’s crazy!” Brendan cried. “Kill me? Turn me? I didn’t even know this guy Morn existed until today!”
“It doesn’t matter to them,” Kim interjected. “Your family would be in danger from them, too. Your Human family, I mean. A Ward of the type Morn wrought cannot be renewed. We have not the Art. Your Human parents will see that you have changed. You are Faerie now, and it will become more and more obvious that you are not like them. Certainly, you could disguise yourself using glamours but sooner or later, they would learn of your true nature.”
Ariel nodded agreement. “The best choice you have is to join your true people. Only we can protect you and keep you safe.”
Brendan sat in stunned silence. How was this possible? Only two days ago, everything was fine. He was a nerd in Nerd School with an annoying sister and his kooky parents and everything was completely normal. He hadn’t realized how happy he’d been. He felt an overwhelming sadness numb his soul. He wanted to cry, partly from sadness and partly from frustration. He hadn’t asked for any of this. What right did they have to completely destroy his life?
“Never mind them,” Deirdre said lightly. “I promise you, you won’t miss them once you get to know your true family. You will come and live with me. I’ll teach you my Art. We’ll have such a good time together.”
Her tone was so glib and heartless that it made Brendan furious. He felt a rage swell in his chest. He glared at Deirdre and pointed a finger, quivering with emotion, saying in a harsh voice he hardly recognized, “You. Shut. Up.”
Deirdre D’Anaan’s face went rigid. She tried to open her mouth, but it was as though her lips were glued shut. Her eyes went wide. Her face flushed with fury. Fith, sitting on her shoulder, mirrored her distress and anger. He opened his mouth and keened loudly.
