Stone of Destiny(50)

“Allison,” Aodhan said, his expression solemn. “Be careful. I wish I could be there with you, but I’m sure Ethan will look after you.”

Ethan shifted from one foot to the other, but he nodded.

“I’ll be careful,” I said, laughing. I nudged Ethan in the side to be sure he realized Aodhan wasn’t trying to offend him. He gave me a lopsided grin and I knew he was fine.



Aoife’s portal was in her bedchamber. Niamh led us upstairs and past a series of closed doors until we reached the end of the hallway. She glanced at Liam quickly before opening the door. I wished I didn’t have to go in, it felt wrong to be in Aoife’s bedroom.

I took a breath and slowly walked in. The room was eerily quiet and I suppressed a shudder. A single fey light cast the room in a pale glow. Niamh flicked her wrist and dozens of the tiny lights came on around the room. It felt like a hotel room once it was lit up, everything in perfect order.

Niamh crossed the room to a crimson velvet curtain draped across the wall. She flicked her wrist and the curtains parted to reveal a magnificent mural painted on the stone. Whimsical swirls and flourishes came together to be a sort of map. Mountains, lakes and other landmarks were drawn in detail across the surface. In the center of the map was the artist’s rendition of the Bruidhean. And just above that was a handprint decorated with ancient markings like runes.

“Are you ready?” she asked.

Ethan and I nodded. “We are,” Liam said.

Niamh regarded the three of us and smiled. “To your safe return,” she whispered.

Liam held his palm flush against the handprint and a pure, concentrated white light enveloped the bedchamber. I threw my arm up to cover my eyes and stepped forward until the light dimmed.

When I reopened my eyes I saw crumbling stone walls surrounding us. A stone paved floor was covered in rubble and debris. This was Aoife’s home in Ireland?

Liam must have seen my surprise. “Welcome to Castle Tamhnach.”

“This is it?” I asked.

Liam blinked. “It’s glamoured. Look closer.”

Ethan came to my side, his forehead scrunched up with confusion. I tried to see past the glamour. Once I concentrated, the ruins melted away, leaving behind a room with a vaulted post and beam ceiling. The stone flooring was clear of the debris I thought I’d seen. In the center of the room was a dark pine table and benches with a lush oriental rug underneath. One small window near the ceiling allowed daylight to shine on an enormous stone fireplace, circa the Middle Ages,where a cooking pot and kettle were hung.

“This place is amazing,” I said, awestruck.

“It is?” Ethan said, arching a brow.

“I wish you could see it, it’s unbelievable,” I said as I walked to the table where a stoneware vase was filled with poufy white flowers.

“It’s kept glamoured to look like a ruin and marked as condemned by the Irish authorities,” Liam said.

Ethan nodded, but remained rooted to his spot.

A short, heavy woman bustled into the room. “Oh, Liam. Good to see you, love,” she said in a thick Irish brogue as she hurried over to him and grasped his cheeks with her plump hands.

“Ah, hello Maire,” Liam said warmly.

“And, who’ve we here?” the woman asked, turning toward Ethan and me.

“This is Allison,” Liam said looking at me. “My daughter. And this is her friend Ethan.”

“Daughter, you say? Well, the blessings of God be on you, aren't you a beauty,” Maire said with a

smile.

“This is Maire O’Reilly, caretaker of Tamhnach.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said, smiling.

“And, Ethan. What a lovely young man you are,” Maire said, fluttering her lashes at him.

I smirked at Ethan as he held out his hand to her. She made a delighted sound when he raised her hand to his lips. Always the charmer.

“We’ve come with an important errand this time,” Liam said.

Maire sighed. “Yes, the Lady told me to be expecting you,” she said.

“Oh?” Liam said, his brows shooting up.

“Yes, she isn’t here at the moment. But she said you’d be along shortly,” Maire said. “Now, why don’t you come home with me? Are you thirsty? You must be hungry.”

Liam glanced back at me, his jaw clenching. “We’re actually in quite a bit of a hurry, I’m sorry to say. So I thank you, but we’ll just be on our way.”

“What a pity. I’ll be getting on home to feed Mr. O’Reilly his lunch, anyway.”

She bustled toward the door and we followed her into a galley kitchen with the same stone walls and floors. There were no modern appliances or food to speak of, but it was as immaculate as a museum.