Her own consciousness slipped away as she tried to make sense of the goddess’ last words.
After endless darkness, something nuzzled her elbow. Clíodhna shifted to her side, and the seeker latched onto her breast, hard. She yelped and her eyes flew wide. Memory of the difficult birth, Brighid’s help, and her Rumann returned, and her expression softened to pure love. While cradling the soft skull with downy fuzz with her hand, she took a deep breath, smelling the sweet scent of baby.
Such a simple pleasure, forgotten as the child grew from milky fragrance to the odors of an active child.
A sprite flitted into the roundhouse and out again. It must have been keeping watch as Adhna appeared shortly thereafter. “Are you rested, Clíodhna? What can I get you?”
“You can help me stand, Adhna. My bladder is about to burst!”
With a chuckle, he took Rumann from her arms and helped her to the basket of sand, steadying her when her knees wobbled. It must have been a while since she’d stood. Thus relieved, she hobbled back to the bed, but didn’t want to lie down again. Yes, she remained tired, but she must get up and do things to regain her strength. She’d done so after each child, and she meant to repeat the habit.
Rumann grunted, searching Adhna’s léine for milk. She laughed as Adhna’s expression turned to alarm and confusion, his eyes growing wide. “Here, let me take him back. You can hold him after he’s fed and been changed.”
With great reluctance, he surrendered his son. His smile grew so sweet, her heart ached for him. This must be his first child, to be so entranced, but then she remembered her dream, the Fae who claimed to be Adhna’s daughter. “Have you never had a child, Adhna?”
He let out a deep sigh. “Not that I know of. Most Fae have a very difficult time with it, though we live very long lives compared to mortals. Maybe once in five hundred of your winters, we’ll sire a child.”
This time her eyes grew wide. “Five hundred winters! Adhna, how old are you?”
He laughed, stroking her hair, which only made her realize how badly she wanted to bathe. “Not so long, love. Merely a hundred for me so far. I’m but a child by Fae standards.”
A hundred winters. Clíodhna only numbered a few over thirty, and she felt wise in the ways of the world. Her world, perhaps. But Faerie worked in strange ways, and their ways remained alien. If she would thrive here, she’d have to learn those ways. More so, she must master them.
She glanced at Rumann. “As my son grows, we will both have to teach him. Can we teach him the Fae magic, do you think?”
“It depends on if he has the aptitude, but the odds are great. He’s more than half-blood. Even if he shows no affinity for the wild magic, his children might.”
Clíodhna remembered Brighid’s words about Rumann not being a hero and pressed her lips together. She’d prove the goddess wrong and teach her son everything he needed to be a great man. First, she needed to learn. “You can begin by teaching me, then.”
He gave her a half-smile, melting her heart. “You? What would you like to know?”
“I want to meet the different sorts of Fae. Talk to them. Work with them. I want to learn air magic as you’ve taught me earth magic. Fire magic. Water magic. Spirit magic. I want to be in command of my powers, not subject to their whims.”
“Slow down, Clíodhna. That’s a tall order. Why have you not asked for this before?”
She patted her still distended belly. “I had other priorities. Now the babe is born and healthy, I must move forward. For his sake and my own.”
With a chuckle, Adhna hugged her around the shoulders, planting a kiss on Rumann’s forehead. The boy gurgled but didn’t stop feeding. “Very well. I shall invite some marsh Fae here and we will learn what we can of their ways. There are many types of wild Fae that would be your friend, and many others you must approach with extreme caution. Their loyalties may not always rely on the type of Fae, but the influence of a particular Fae Lord.”
Clíodhna’s blood chilled. “Like Bodach?”
“Exactly like Bodach. He exerts a great deal of influence throughout the Fae communities, and with the Queen’s court.”
Curiosity burst within Clíodhna’s imagination. “What is Queen Áine like? What is her court like?”
Adhna held out his hands, palms down. “Not yet. We don’t dare approach the Queen until Rumann is older. We must ensure his safety before all else, do you not agree?”
The idea of meeting the Queen both terrified and excited her. “But how can I protect myself from Bodach if I don’t have the Queen’s help?”
“There is no true protection from Bodach, Clíodhna”
She gave a reluctant nod. Rumann must be safe. But how could meeting the Queen be so dangerous? Would Adhna even be able to arrange a meeting?
Whenever Rumann fell asleep, Adhna summoned another Fae to meet Clíodhna. A series of sprites, pukis, grugachann; spirits of the pond, the grasses, the rolling hills, and the roundhouse itself. Each one came to her and told her their story, their hopes and dreams. She shared with them her own tale and made many friends.
Some frightened her by their grotesque appearances. Others took her breath away with sheer splendor. Each one possessed unique powers, personalities, and loyalties.
She worked to gain the trust of the marsh Fae and some wild Fae. Clíodhna enjoyed having more friends than she’d ever had in
