“Okay,” I managed. “That’s... handy.”
Damn. I hadn’t been too far off with my Legolas comments when we’d first met. His presence still grated against my nerves, but it was clear that for the first time, I was seeing Albigard as he was meant to be seen—not as his kind tried to present themselves to fit in on Earth.
“Come.” He took me by the upper arm, ignoring the way I stiffened, and pulled me to stand on the exposed dirt.
I clamped my jaw against my need for him not to be touching me, knowing he didn’t mean anything untoward by the gesture. Indeed, once I was where he wanted me, he let go as if he were no more pleased by the contact than I was.
He crouched next to me, placing one palm flat on the damp earth. A faint glow spread outward from the contact until it surrounded both of us. With a few murmured words, our surroundings faded out, leaving blackness shot through with streaks of color that hurt my eyes until I closed them.
It was like stepping through one of his portals, but... worse. Or rather, it was more, somehow. I wasn’t really falling, but I felt like I should be. I desperately wanted something to hang onto, but there was nothing, and I refused to grab for Albigard’s arm like a frightened child. The sensation of blinding movement lasted way, way too long. But then I was... elsewhere... staggering in surroundings even more dimly lit than the hospital basement had been.
“Where—?” I gasped, catching one hand against a damp stone wall.
Evidently our tentative agreement hadn’t given Albigard any more patience with me than he’d had before, because he only growled, “Where do you think?” and led the way deeper into the darkened tunnel.
I tried to remember what Rans had said about the gateway between Earth and Dhuinne. It was in County Meath, on the Hill of Tara, in the Mound of... something or the other?
So, this was Ireland, then. Apparently. It was too bad I wouldn’t get a chance to see other parts of it that were less... underground. I tried to focus on my surroundings, because the alternative was to focus on how close I was to the point of no return with a plan that would most likely end in my death.
Albigard stopped in front of what appeared to be a dead end. The light filtering through from the tunnel entrance behind us barely illuminated primitive symbols marked on the wall. I saw spirals and simple line drawings, the whole thing giving me a vaguely Celtic vibe.
I swallowed against the dryness in my throat, trying hard not to think of Rans and how he would react when he woke to find me gone.
“What will the Fae do to me?” I asked. “I mean, exactly? Do you know?”
“I’ve no idea,” he said, placing a hand on the central symbol. “These days the Court can barely come to agreement on the simplest issues. No doubt the Unseelie wish you dead, while the Seelie may well prefer to study you first in hopes of determining how you came to be.”
I clenched my fists to hold in a shudder. “How do they execute people in Dhuinne?”
Albigard shrugged. “Beheading, generally. It is quick and relatively painless when performed skillfully.” He paused in whatever he was doing to glance down at me, his green eyes luminous in the low light. “I must say, your decision to pursue this course surprises me, demonkin.”
I tried to ignore the way my heart was pounding like a drum. “Yeah? It shouldn’t. I’m not a fool. Your people are going to catch up to me sooner or later. Probably sooner. This way, Rans won’t be standing in front of me when it happens, and I have a chance of helping my father. It’s only logical.”
“That is the part which surprises me,” Albigard said, still studying me like I was a bug who’d stood up on its hind legs and started doing calculus.
I glowered at him. “Could you maybe not insult me when I’m preparing to go to my doom?”
He flickered an eyebrow and returned his attention to the symbols. “My apologies.” A glow began to spread out from his hand where it pressed against the wall, similar to what had happened at the old hospital. “In case it isn’t clear,” he continued, “as soon as the gate opens, you will be my prisoner. I will take you to wherever your father is being kept, unless someone with more authority stops me. At some point, you will be taken away from me, but you have my word that I will attempt to leverage your capture to gain your father’s release.”
“And how much authority do you have, exactly?” I couldn’t keep the wariness from my tone.
Green eyes flashed at me. “That, unfortunately, is a very complicated question these days.”
I nodded, trying not to think about Rans’ words earlier.
There are areas in which I trust Albigard, and areas in which I don’t. Sending him to deal with the Court face-to-face on your behalf falls firmly into the latter category.
“What’s in this for you?” I asked.
“Renewed standing with the Court,” he said without hesitation. “Access to people who may be of use to me in the future.”
“And that’s worth making an enemy of Rans?”
I was stalling now, and I knew it. But I’d still feel more confident going into this if I could get a better understanding of Albigard’s motives up front.
He paused for the barest of moments. “That remains to be seen. It is... a calculated risk, given current events. We are embroiled in a dynamic situation, in which unexpected developments require immediate responses.” He shot me a final look. “You are correct, though, that the Fae would have found you in fairly short order. And, from what little I have seen, you are also
