“Wait,” I said. “It’s not enough to just stop her. We have to get the amulet and destroy it.”
Liam stared at me a moment, then nodded. “Whatever it takes.”
“How much time has passed in our world?” I asked.
“Just under a week,” Liam said.
“It’s still September. Halloween isn’t for six more weeks,” I said, thinking. “What if we could find Aoife in the meantime?”
“You can try,” Saoirse said. “Although, if she doesn’t want to be found, you may not be very successful.”
“What about Dublin? If she has a portal that leads there, wouldn’t that be the first place we should look?”
“If it were me, and I was hiding, I know I wouldn’t go to the most obvious place,” Ethan said, shrugging.
“That’s a good point,” Liam said.
“What else do we have to go on?” I asked.
“Maybe she’s still in Thunder Bay,” Samantha said.
“Hmm, I didn’t even think of that,” I said. “There’s no one there to get in her way, either. Her guards and Niamh’s are all here.”
“I think you’d be wasting your time,” Saoirse said. “Stay here for another day or two and make plans. Then leave for Dublin and it will be the end of October.”
I looked at Saoirse, puzzled. “One day would be equal to a month?” I asked.
“Yes, one more day. The sun must rise and set three times in this world to equal one moon cycle in yours.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. A month there would be three days here. As much as I hated to admit it, it would make sense to wait the extra day. I didn’t think I could make it six more weeks out there, knowing what the future held. After all, Saoirse said that the visions in Danu’s Basin were absolute. So even if we went running all over the globe, we’d still end up in Tara on Halloween.
“Okay. We’ll come up with a plan here. I wasn’t taking the time difference into account.”
Liam’s jaw hardened, but he nodded. “Very well.”
“She’s planning on channeling power from the Stone of Destiny, right?” I asked Saoirse.
Saoirse inclined her head.
“I couldn’t see her in the vision, but I could hear her. I’m guessing that means she was glamoured.”
“We’ll be able to see through that. It won’t be a problem,” Liam said quietly.
“Do you think she’ll be expecting us?” I asked.
“Even I don’t know the answer to that,” Saoirse said.
“Is it possible for us to sneak up on her?” Samantha said.
“No,” Liam said. “She’ll be able to sense me and probably you girls, too.”
“But not me?” Ethan asked.
Liam shook his head, his brows furrowing. “No, she won’t be able to sense anything from you.”
“So, it might be possible for Ethan to sneak up behind her and subdue her?”
Saoirse got that far off look in her eyes again. Everyone at the table stared at her while she was lost in her vision.
When her eyes refocused, she shook her head. “I’m having a hard time seeing Aoife’s future. It could be the iron in her system, I just don’t know.”
“Iron blocks your visions?” Samantha said, cocking her head to the side.
Saoirse looked at Samantha. “It’s possible.”
I never knew iron was so dangerous, Samantha projected into my mind.
I gave her a sympathetic smile. How could you have known?
I thought of Liam, weakened by the steel dagger while we were in Thunder Bay. Aodhan had brought Aengus, the one who stabbed Liam, to his knees with steel chains.
“That’s it,” I said and everyone looked at me. “If Liam and Samantha distract Aoife, Ethan and I can trap her with steel chains.”
Saoirse pressed her lips together and Liam looked like he was considering my idea.
“Yeah,” Ethan said. “I’ll do whatever you need.”
“Once she’s immobilized, we take the amulet and destroy it,” I said.
Liam nodded. “It could work,” he said.
“I recognize she’s done wrong. But I must ask you not to harm Aoife,” Saoirse said.
“Niamh asked the same, and I understand,” I said, glancing at Liam. He looked like he wanted to disagree. I could understand that, too.
For the next few hours, we worked out the logistics of our plan. Aoife’s portal would bring us to a castle in the outskirts of Dublin. If we left tomorrow evening, we would be in Ireland with plenty of time for Halloween. After we picked up the supplies we needed, we would head north to the Hill of Tara.
Throughout the day, serving men and women brought food and drinks to the table. I marveled at how much the Danaan’s lives revolved around eating and drinking. I also knew there was another piece, but I had a feeling it had been tamped down while the humans were visiting. Danaans were an amorous people. Where humans liked to show their affection for those they cared about, at least some of the time, Danaans were all about pleasure. Giving pleasure, receiving pleasure either by food or drink or sex, it didn’t matter.