The fire was spreading, consuming every bit of dry rubbish it could find. The heat and the smoke didn’t affect Brendan, though. Morn seemed to have cast a protective ring about them.
His Faerie father reached out and took Brendan’s face in his long, elegant hands. The skin felt cool on Brendan’s cheeks. Briach Morn looked into his son’s face and smiled a sad smile. “You look so much like her. Your smile especially.”
Brendan felt like crying but he swallowed his tears. “What was my mother like?”
His father’s eyes clouded as if he were looking into another time. “She was kind… like you. Such a generous heart. Her people couldn’t understand why she would give herself to me. I understood. She was a Healer, you see, and I was sick. I was sick in my very soul. She gave me a reason to think the world might be a wonderful place. She gave me you.” He smiled down at his son, and this time Brendan did begin to cry. “I didn’t understand what a wonderful gift that was until now.”
“Why did you leave me, then? Why did you go to the Other Lands and leave me alone in the world?”
Briach’s fingers brushed away Brendan’s tears. “I am truly sorry for that now. I couldn’t bear to live in a world where your mother didn’t exist, just as I couldn’t bear to look in your face and see her there. I chose to take myself away. I didn’t want to leave you under the influence of my sister, and your mother’s people hated me. They blamed me for her death. So I left you in the care of Humans because I believed that was what your mother would have wanted. She thought that our future in the world lay with Faeries and Humans coming to an understanding and accepting one another. I tried to make it start with her own child.”
The fire surrounded them. Even through Briach’s magical barrier, Brendan began to feel the heat. His father’s tone became urgent. “I haven’t much time. You have found your token. Do you wish me to initiate you into your birthright?”
Brendan gaped. “You could do that?”
His father nodded.
Brendan thought quickly. He wanted to be a part of the Faerie World but he didn’t want to abandon his Human family. He loved them. He thought about the mother he’d never known and what she would have wanted him to do. He made a decision. “Yes. Do it!”
Briach smiled and closed his eyes. He laid a hand on Brendan’s chest, resting his palm on the amulet.
“Welcome,” Briach Morn said softly. “Welcome, Breandan.”
Brendan felt a shock of tingling warmth spread through his chest. The warmth raced outward from Briach Morn’s hand and radiated quickly through Brendan’s entire body. For an endless instant, he was aglow. Then the sensation dissipated, leaving a slight tingling in its wake.
His father held him close then and whispered a single word into Brendan’s ear: his secret name. Brendan’s eyes opened wide and he smiled.
“Keep it safe,” his father said. Morn dropped his hand. “It is done. You must go now and so must I.”
Brendan blinked away tears. “Can’t you stay? Please? Just a little longer?”
Briach Morn smiled sadly and shook his head. “I’ve stayed too long as it is. Even my will has its limits. The Other Side would have me back. I love you, my dear Breandan. I will think of you always.”
With a final wave, Briach Morn turned away and stepped into the heart of the flames. He disappeared from sight.
The heat and roar of the flames immediately assaulted Brendan. He put his hand over his mouth and staggered for the stairs. His feet weighed a ton. He was completely exhausted. Through slitted lids he tried to find his way, feeling along the wall as he climbed the rickety staircase.
He emerged onto the ground floor to find the smoke completely surrounding him. He staggered a few steps in the direction he thought the door might be. He ran into a wall. Panicking, he realized he was completely disoriented. He had no idea how to get out. He could hardly breathe.
You make it this far so you can die in a house fire? What a rip-off!
He felt a tug on his sleeve. He squinted through the smoke and was delighted to see BLT pulling him by the arm.
“C’mon, use your Sight.” She coughed. “You can do it!” Brendan wiped his tearing eyes and tried to concentrate. Forcing aside his panic and fatigue, he imagined that the smoke was no longer there. He blinked and it seemed as though he could focus. He saw BLT fluttering ahead of him. Beyond her, clear as day, he saw a patch of light ahead. He dashed toward it and emerged into the sun.
He staggered through the mud until he reached the fence. Finbar grabbed Brendan by the collar and hauled him through.
“We have to get away from here.” He heard Greenleaf’s urgent voice. “The fire crews will be coming soon.”
Titi spiralled around him and gave BLT a high five. Greenleaf’s Lesser Faeries winked at Brendan and said “Well done!”
Brendan raised his head to see the old brick building engulfed in flames. I got out of there? It’s a miracle, he thought. Then he passed out.
83 A Shout is a telekinetic attack generated by a Faerie’s voice, capable of physically damaging opponents. The power of the Shout is directly linked to the concentrating and will of the Shouter. It only works for Faeries. Don’t try Shouting at people to knock them down. You’ll only get a sore throat and a few weird looks.
ARRANGEMENTS
Brendan opened his eyes to find that BLT seemed to have grown to Human-sized proportions. Then he realized she was straddling the end of his nose.
“Hallo, Breandan!” She smiled, raising a tiny cup. “Slainte!” 84
“Cheers,” Brendan answered. “What is that?”
“Hot chocolate,” she said, grinning. “With marshmallows.” BLT’s wings whirred, and she rose into the air to hover above him.
Brendan looked past her at what appeared to be a tangle of vines. He didn’t know where he was. Did I fall asleep under a tree? He looked at the vines more closely and realized they were not alive. Rather they were carved in loving detail out of wood.
“You’re awake,” Kim said. Brendan turned his head to find her leaning against the wall in a chair by the side of his bed, her tattooed arms crossed over her chest. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt. Her field hockey stick leaned against the wall within easy reach. “You were really out of it.”
Brendan pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked around. He was in a snug room that contained little in the way of furniture. Besides the bed and the chair, there was a compact, ornately carved wooden bedside table and a full-length mirror hanging on the back of the door. The walls were panelled in wood, polished to a warm glow. A fire burned in the tiny fireplace, making the room comfortably cozy.
“Where am I?” Brendan asked, groggily. He snapped fully awake. “Delia!”
Kim laid a hand on his shoulder, calming him. “She’s fine. Greenleaf took her home and Compelled her to forget. She’ll be fine.”
Brendan relaxed. “Where are we?”
“The Swan,” Kim said. “Greenleaf brought you back. You were a little the worse for wear. The Healers worked on you and you slept through the night.”
“Through the night?”
“And the day,” BLT piped, her high voice filled with excitement. She fluttered down to rest on Brendan’s shoulder.
“Like I said, you were out of it,” Kim repeated.
Brendan stretched. “I don’t feel so bad now.”
“We heal quickly,” Kim said in an offhand way. “One of the benefits of being one of us.”
He reached for the amulet. It was gone.
“It’s inside of you now,” Kim said, seeing his confusion. “You are initiated. No one knows how you managed it, but you’re one of us.”
