Page 80 of The Shadow Path
Naida leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. “I do not care for your form of address, wolf. We risked ourselves trying to help you today.”
“My love.” Dru reached out his hand toward Naida. “I did nothing but connect with the ground, Godrik. The old one was already waking up. I might have sped up the process when he felt my father’s magic, but he would have woken up eventually. Sooner rather than later.”
“So is that because of something the fae are doing?” Godrik persisted. “Is this part of Cian and Orla’s plan? Or is it something else entirely?”
Dru raised one eyebrow. “An excellent question.”
“Yer not fucking giving us many answers though, are you?” Duncan sat across from Godrik, nursing a whiskey and a foul expression. “I’ve spent a decade working out some kind of defense against the fae in this damn place, but I don’t have any defenses against a fucking god.”
Dru frowned. “That old one wasn’t harming anyone. He’s unique. He only cares for that patch of ground.”
“Are they comin’ after the humans?” Duncan persisted. “The wolves? Why did the earth trap Carys this morning? I swearto you, those rocks wereholdingher. Every time I dug around them, they just gripped tighter. And I was digging with steel.”
Naida shuddered, but Dru only shrugged. “The old gods care nothing about iron. They exist on both sides of the gates. It was theBrightlandsthat birthed them. They just retained more of their magic in the Shadows. Steel and iron are nothing to them.”
Laura spoke from the corner. “Where Carys and I come from, the old gods are still alive and moving. The salmon never lost his power. The crow still flies and we honor all of them, human and magical creatures both. Do the gods hide here?”
“Not exactly,” Naida said. “But they’re not active.”
“Something is waking up old magic.” Dru looked at Laura. “That is what you’re feeling. In Briton, the old gods retreated as humans stopped honoring them. They allowed the fae to take their place.”
“But there are still cults that honor the old gods,” Carys said. “And most of the magical creatures do as well.”
“Yes, but most humans don’t,” Duncan said. “To most humans here, the fae are the higher power.”
“And fae are not gods.” Dru shook his head. “Even though they may act it at times.”
“So where does that leave us?” Godrik asked. “What am I supposed to tell Harold?”
Dru stared at the fire for a long moment. “Tell Harold that making offerings to Tamis and the other river gods in the city would be wise right now. If the old gods still sleep, it will be seen as a nod to tradition. If they are waking—for some reason—then it will appease them.”
Godrik nodded. “Not a bad idea. I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
I told you we needed fae allies.Carys thought it, but only Cadell, sitting outside in beast form, heard her.
It’s not polite to brag, Nêrys.
Naida added, “And it will put the fae in their place. Remind Orla and Cian that they’re not deities. They’re magical creatures like the rest of us.”
“Should I tell the king and Winnie about the forest god?” Godrik asked.
Dru and Naida exchanged a look, and some unspoken conversation happened between them.
“That would probably be wise,” Naida finally said. “Harold should have all the information he needs. I don’t believe in coincidence. The fae gates, the forest god” —Naida looked at Carys— “the Crow Mother asking for passage to the Brightlands. Some greater plan is in the works, and all of us must be ready.”
Carys staredat the ceiling in her room, watching the flickering light from the fire as it cast shadows across the painted beams.
Shadow. Light.
Old gods. Fae.
What was magic? What was elemental?
And what was Queen Orla planning?
Was Queen Orla behind any of this? Or was it Prince Cian?
Her bed was massive and cold. Her body ached from so many hours in a coracle and the multiple jolts of surprise. Her leg ached a little bit, but it had accepted Naida’s healing.
