Page 9 of Broken Veil
“That part.” Laura pointed at Duncan. “Pretty sure you nailed it.”
“Breaking down the fae gates would mean she’s no longer an obscure goddess on a few small islands,” Cadell said. “With human communication the way it is now, she could gain acolytes all over the world.”
Carys put a hand over her eyes and groaned.
“What?” Duncan grabbed her hand.
“I just had an image of the Morrígan going viral.”
“Oh, that would be…” Laura’s eyes grew wide. “That would be bad.”
“I don’t know what going viral means,” Godrik said. “But the dragon is correct. More acolytes means a larger cult means more power. Gods only gain power when mortals believe in them.
“We have to stop the Morrígan before she tears down the gates between the Shadowlands and the Brightlands.” Carys looked around the table. “And I don’t think we have much time.”
“Okay, mythology prof.” Laura set her empty coffee cup down. “This is your area of expertise, isn’t it? How can a group of humans with a few magical friends stop an ancient goddess who wants to take over the world?”
Carys sat back with a lump in her throat and a sick feeling in her stomach. “I’m going to need a laptop and a really big library.”
CHAPTER THREE
Carys, Cadell, and Duncan sat at a small table in the garden outside a café in Oxford, killing time and waiting for Godrik, Laura, and Naida to reach them by car.
“Do you think she’ll be sick again?” Duncan asked. “Randall is a good driver, but all cars have steel.”
“Hopefully it won’t be too bad,” Cadell said. “Perhaps the heightened magic the Morrígan is cultivating in the Brightlands will help Naida while she’s here.”
“It would be one nice side effect from all this,” Carys said.
They were meeting a colleague of Carys’s in Oxford—a professor she’d consulted with on her doctoral thesis—and while it only took an hour by train, with London traffic, it was likely going to be closer to two hours for Randall to reach them in the car.
But the train was far too much metal for Naida’s comfort. She could just barely handle the Audi in Duncan’s mother’s garage, so Laura had bundled her in as much wool clothing as possible and packed her in the back seat like a large woolen burrito, ignoring Randall’s curious stares.
“What time do we meet your friend?” Duncan glanced at his watch.
“It’s another half hour or so,” Carys said. “I’m just glad Dr. Beck was able to meet with me on such short notice.”
Luna Beck was a mythology professor at Oxford who specialized in early Celtic mythology, which had come in handy when Carys was doing her thesis research.
“And I’m so excited to meet her in person.” Carys smiled. “We’ve had video chats but never actually met.”
“At least you know what she looks like,” Duncan said.
Cadell was perched stiffly on the wooden bench that overlooked the lawn stretching out from the café located on the back side of a church off High Street.
It was summer in Oxford, and there appeared to be more tourists than students. Carys heard plenty of American accents around her along with languages from around the world.
Duncan poured her a refill of Earl Grey tea from the Brown Betty teapot on their table, glancing at Cadell as he poured. “Try not to look like you’re hunting for rabbits, old man.”
Carys pressed her lips together so she didn’t laugh.
Even when her dragon was in human form, Cadell still looked somewhat raptor-like. His angular cheekbones and prominent brow gave him the look of a fierce bird of prey. The piercing golden eyes didn’t help.
“I’m not hunting rabbits,” Cadell said. “I’m waiting for Laura and Naida.”
“You look ready to eat that stray cat, man.” Duncan refilled Cadell’s cup as well. “Have some tea.”
“I prefer coffee.”
