Aislinn’s heart screamed in protest. All the pain she’d buried when Tara walked into the vortex hadn’t really gone anywhere. It was still inside her, waiting to chew her up and spit her out in little, jagged pieces. Being so exhausted that she was worn to a nubbin didn’t help.
At least this time, I got to tell her goodbye…
So what? I’m still an orphan.
Only children are orphans. I haven’t been one of them for a long time.
“Call Rune.” Compulsion ran beneath Fionn’s words.
Once, she would have been angry, but she understood the wisdom behind his action. She was dangerously close to falling apart, and he knew it.
“Rune. Rune. Did you find them?”
“Yes, both. All are on their way outside. The humans who were awake found them about the same time I did. I was just on my way back to you.” The wolf hesitated a beat. “I tried to tell you that, but you didn’t answer.”
“I’m sorry. No excuses. Where are you?”
Rune shot an image into her mind. She didn’t recognize it. “Tell me how you got there—”
“I will find you.”
Fionn had obviously been listening. He jumped into their conversation. “Good. We’ll wait here.”
Aislinn pushed her mother’s face out of the center of her mind’s eye. There’d be time to grieve when it didn’t hurt so much. She dribbled power into her mage light to crank it up a notch and then turned to face Fionn. “It appears Slototh targeted you. Is he the one you tangled with? The one who ripped you up the middle like a slab of meat.”
“Aye, lass. He hated me.”
“Why? What did you do to him?”
“What else?” A crooked smile lit his eyes. “I stole a maid he valued and made her love me, not him.”
“What happened to her?”
“She was a Selkie. She returned to the sea.” Fionn spread his hands wide. “Doona be looking at me like that. Slototh had stolen her skin. He forced her to remain in human form. I freed her, returned the skin, and gave her a choice.”
“How long was she with you?”
“And why does that matter?” He tipped her chin so her gaze met his. “’Tis you I love.”
His words warmed her soul. Tired as she was, Aislinn vibrated with longing for him. She wanted to believe him, had never wanted anything quite so badly, but they needed to talk. She had a lot of questions that needed answers before she could fall into his arms. He reached for her, but she shook her head and retreated a few steps.
Rune slipped out of a shadowed hallway, looking very pleased.
“We’re all present, then.” Fionn smiled, but it held a sad edge. “Let us leave this place.” He eyed Aislinn. “Ye’ve been quite the question girl. I’ve a few of my own once ye’ve had a bit of a rest.”
“I don’t know if I have enough magic left to get us out of here.”
“I do.” He settled the wolf between them and put an arm around her.
Power zinged through the air when he called it. She wondered why he couldn’t have rescued himself.
“’Twas a tradeoff,” he said, eying her as he held onto his spell easily. “I couldna leave even the slightest chink, or Slototh would have followed me through. Once one like me winds himself into our special place in the Dreaming, only another can unravel the magic. I was working on finding a way round that, though.”
“If that’s the only place you are truly safe,” she said with a frown, “it seems like a flawed system. You put yourself there, but can’t get yourself out.”
He favored her with half a grin. “I was verra near to blowing a hole in my shelter, especially after I heard you calling me.”
“Do you mean to tell me I could have gotten you out of there?” She looked askance at him. “It sure didn’t feel like it. That magic Gwydion used...” She blew out a weary breath. “No matter how many years I practiced, I could never, never—”
“Ye doona know what ye’ll be able to do. Your magic is still growing, lass. If I’d trained you, ye might have been able to free me.”
“Yes, too bad you couldn’t have foreseen every single thing I might have needed to know.” Her sarcasm left a bitter taste. “Don’t mind me,” she muttered. “I just felt so fucking helpless. Didn’t like it much.”
“No one does.” He had such a tender look on his face that a part inside her melted. “Are ye wanting to use the magic I called up for us? Or would ye rather stand here trying to sort things out?”
“I want out of here.”