Luathara - Book Three of the Otherworld Trilogy (28 page)

I turned around and arched an eyebrow at our host.  His smile was wide and his blue eyes sparkled silver with mischief.

The Dagda cleared his throat and turned towards the first door.  "This will be your room Meghan, and Cade, yours is the door opposite."

He opened each door as he spoke and I took a moment to glance inside.  The rooms were almost identical and richly furnished.  I stepped inside the room he'd designated as mine.  One, curved wall seemed to be covered in
circular
windows, their diamond-shaped panes glittering in the afternoon light.  I cast my eyes around the comfortable space, noting the fireplace, the desk and massive shelves filled with books.  The small room to the side I assumed was a bathroom.  The thick rug on the floor looked soft and the
large
, four poster bed even softer.

Suddenly, I was incredibly tired.  I had been through a lot that day and I really needed a nap, especially if there was to be a party later.  The Dagda's home always exuded welcome and warmth, and I felt so very safe here.  The faelah were gone, Lasair and Speirling were settled in the Dagda's famous stables, their wounds being tended to while Meridian and Fergus kept them company.  My own arm felt a hundred times better and I was the cleanest I'd been in weeks.  Enorah's makeshift shower was functional and lived up to its purpose, but there was just something about taking a hot bath with a variety of scented soaps to choose from that made a girl feel really refreshed.

I leaned back from the doorframe and attacked the Dagda with a fierce hug.  He let out a small noise of surprise before returning my gesture.

"Thank you," I murmured, my eyelids drooping sleepily as his beard scratched the side of my face.

Gently, he peeled me off and held me in front of him.  "You're always welcome here, darling girl."

I smiled and then glanced over at Cade.  He was watching me carefully, an expression of sheer admiration on his face.  I walked over to him and lifted up onto my toes, giving him a quick kiss.

"I'll see you when I wake up," I said.

Cade nodded, smoothing one hand lovingly over my hair.

I bit back a smile and slipped into my room, shutting the door behind me.  To my surprise, I found my backpack, bow
,
and
quiver of
arrows neatly tucked in
to
a corner.  Before retiring to the bed, I took a few more moments to examine the room.  It was shaped like a half dome, one wall traditionally straight, the other a sloping arc.  Through one of the windows I could see the wrap-around ledge the Dagda had been talking about and beyond that, a gorgeous, unobstructed view of the other hills and rolling countryside.

Sighing, I plopped down on the mattress and started taking off my shoes.  I was all ready to fall into bed when the soft murmur of voices caught my attention.  I glanced over towards the flat wall.  Ah, the
in
famous door that separated mine and Cade's room
s
.  On quiet feet, I padded over to the wall and pressed my ear to the crack where the door and wall met.

"Whom do you expect to make an appearance in Erintara?" the Dagda asked, his voice muffled and gruff.

Cade released a heavy sigh and
I
pressed myself even closer to the rough wood.

"Danua of course.  Lugh, Nuadu and Epona.  I spoke to Lugh and Epona in person, but I can't guarantee the rest.  For many of the Tuatha De I simply sent out a royal message in Danua's name, requesting their presence.  I can only hope they received the missive and will comply."

"And what of Donn?"

I froze where I stood, eager to hear what was said next and trying to remember who Donn was.  I knew the other names; they were all key figures in the battle of Maige Tuired
, the famous conflict that was the dominant subject of one of my Celtic mythology books
.

"I fear he may be the one aiding the Morrigan."

The Dagda swore and once again silence greeted me.

"The goddess of war and strife and the god of death and the afterlife," he murmured after a while.  "I was hoping it wasn't one of the Tuatha De, but I can't say I'm surprised.  We have much to discuss and prepare for then.  Now I regret the planned celebration later this evening.  We should be discussing strategy, not drinking mead and laughing over the slaughter of a handful of the Morrigan's mindl
ess minions.  Donn may keep to
himself most of the time, but his power is vast and he'll show no pity when it comes down to the final hour."

A heavy sigh worked its way through the thick wood of the door before the Dagda continued, "I'll leave you now.  You and your Meghan need to get some rest."

Cade was silent for a while and I was so tempted to knock on the door and demand to know every detail of what had just passed between them.  But something stopped me, a whispering voice against my conscious and the tiny, but sharp bite of my new magic.  A warning.  It was a warning from Cernunnos.  I
closed my eyes and
let some of the tension ease out of my shoulders.  The strange forest god may have insinuated I was on my own when it came to deciding the time to use his gift of magic, but this wasn't the first time he'd offered a hint.  I wasn't about to ignore these small
offerings
.

"Very well," Cade's voice drifted through the door.  "But don't regret the celebration, Dagda.  A party would do us some good; help get our minds off of negative thoughts.
  Besides," he continued, his voice taking on a lighter air, "it is the eve of Lughnasadh, and if Lugh were to learn we neglected to observe his holiday
we might have his wrath to contend with as well.
"

I listened as the Dagda moved towards the door, his heavy footfalls causing the boards in the floor to creak.  When the distinct click of a shutting door echoed in the circular hallway, I pushed away from the wall and crawled back into bed.

For fifteen minutes I waited for Cade to slip into my room and join me, but only bitter disappointment hit as exhaustion took over.  Before I fell asleep, I registered the quiet sounds of him climbing into his own bed through the door that separated us.  My wandering thoughts from earlier revisited me and again I wondered at his strange mood just after the battle.  Was he angry with me?  I bit my cheek and pushed against that idea.  Now was the absolute worst time to create a rift in our relationship.  With my recent epiphany about the fragility of life, I longed more than ever to have Cade close to me.  If we were going to war against the Morrigan and another powerful god, then I wanted every moment to count.

Stop it Meghan, you're going to work yourself up into an emotional frenzy and then you won't be able to function at all
.  For once, my subconscious was giving me some good advice.  I was tired of thinking; tired of analyzing and worrying.  And I was tired of the comfortable, proper distance Cade and I had been so careful to keep between us.  He had died for me and I would die for him if I had to, I was certain of it.  Growling into my pillow, I fell asleep telling myself that before the night was out, I would make sure Cade and I were okay.

* * *

When I woke up again it was dark out.  The fire in the hearth had died down to bright coals and I could hear the distant muffled
hum
of voices and laughter.  I climbed out of bed only to find a beautiful dress, in the style of the Otherworld, spread out over a chair.  Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I padded over and reached out to touch the
raspberry colored
material.  It was soft and cool; not too formal but not casual either.  Sticking out of one of the folds was a note.  Curious, I picked it up and started reading.

Meghan,

The Dagda has been saving this dress for you and would like you to wear it to tonight's celebration.  Sleep for as long as you need to, we had a harrowing afternoon and you deserve the rest.  I will meet you downstairs when you are ready.

Love,

Cade

Crinkling the note in my hands, I pressed it to my heart and glanced back at the dress, smirking.  I wondered when the Dagda had commissioned the dress for me and had a suspicious feeling that the wardrobe in the corner held all manner of clothing that happened to be just my size.

Smiling, I stripped out of the clothes I'd slept in and slipped into the dress.  To my great relief, I didn't require any extra help with buttons or ties.  For a small moment I simply stared into the mirror across the room, strangely reminded of the last time I'd been in this situation, dressing up for one of the Dagda's famous parties.  Shivering, I cast those thoughts aside.  I hoped that this night didn't end with Cade and I racing across the countryside to face down an evil goddess.  Fortunately, the faint sound of music decided to drift up the stairs at that moment and I quickly finished making myself presentable, taming my hair into some
thing other than a tangled mass of
dark
curls.  I quickly
slipp
ed
into a beautiful pair of
fuchsia
shoes
, then scooped up the
string of
pink topaz gemstones
with matching earrings
that had been left next to them.  S
uddenly I didn't feel so morose anymore.

Thirty minutes after waking up, I was weaving my way through party guests as I headed down the long hallway towards the dance hall.  Men and women alike were moving freely through the Dagda's house, laughing and wishing each other a good
Lughnasadh
as they toasted the successful battle against the faelah with various tankards of mead.  I ducked under most of them, smiling and returning their cheer as I searched for Cade.

The dance hall was even more crowded with people, and the murmur of lively voices and the joyous tempo of music mingled together in harmony.  A sudden burst of laughter drew my attention away from my general surveying and I grinned when I spotted the Dagda, hands on his hips and head thrown back as someone spoke animatedly
to him
.  He wore his finest, a beautiful green vest embroidered in gold, his beard braided in an intricate pattern that must have taken him (or more likely, some of the women of the house) the
entire afternoon to complete.

The Dagda was standing closer to the far wall, but centered in the great dance hall.  And next to him stood Cade.  I paused
where I was and just took a few minutes to drink him in.  Dressed in pale cream pants and black knee-length boots that accentuated his athletic figure, he was very hard to miss amidst the Dagda's guests. His dark auburn hair was brushed back neatly and his face was clean shaven.  A dark
mulberry hued
vest, made of the same
kind of
material as my dress, only made him look even more regal than he usually did. 
The effect hit my senses like a sledgehammer, and
I had to grab hold of the wall to keep from falling over.

A raucous bout of laughter snapped me out of my daze and I shot my eyes towards the noise, sucking in a breath of annoyance as I did.  Standing in the corner closest to the refreshment table was a familiar face.  Dark hair and grey eyes brought back the memories from the night the Morrigan tricked us, but I couldn
't remember the vile boy's name.

"
Drustan
!" a girl with dark hair shrieked.  "You promised a dance with me."

Ah.  That's right. 
Drustan
.  The little jerk who was too good to be within the same vicinity as me.

With a toss of her curls, the owner of the shrill voice marched over, shoving her way between the other young men and women gathered around the table, and grabbed
Drustan
's hand.  It was in that same moment that he glanced up and caught me watching him.  At first he started in surprise, then a sly smile curled at the corner of
his lips
.

He pulled the girl's ear up to his mouth and whispered something, then let go of her hand and headed in my direction.  Oh, wonderful, he'd found his source of amusement for the evening.

I straightened and crossed my arms, a look of disgust taking up residence on my face. 
Bring it on, pretty boy.

The couple in front of me moved to the side and
Drustan
, in all his conceited glory, leaned an arm above my head, rocking forward so that he came uncomfortably close.

"Well, well, well.  If it isn't the princess.  Nice fighting this afternoon, but did you happen to see me out there?  Took out ten faelah on my own."

He leered
at me and I blinked up in surprise.  Had he completely forgotten how he'd treated me the last time I was here?  Or was this some sort of trap?  Get the clueless little Meghan to gush and swoon at the attention so he can make a spectacle of her on the dance floor.

Oh, I don't think so . . .

"What do you want?" I snapped, crossing my arms and trying to lean away from him.

"I was hoping for a dance, then maybe afterwards we can find a nice little alcove and get comfortable.  What do you say?"

Ewww!  Not going to happen pal.