The Sun Sídhe

14 - An Abandoned Cat

"Do you feel that?" I hissed, halting in my tracks.

Under Cael's guidance, we'd descended deep into the mists of Natír. Every time they rose up about us we emerged someplace different—a waterfall here, the ocean there. The sky never changed, perpetually cloaked in the shifting colours of sunset. At the moment, we stood in an open, endless field. The grass was soft beneath my feet, swaying in the breeze, and the sky above formed a beautiful expanse of colour. I lifted my hand, where I'd kept a fistful of flame to better illuminate our surroundings. I could see without them, but the extra light made me feel much better about life.

Cael paused beside me. We formed the fore of our little group, him and I, me watching while he navigated. "What is it?"

"It's you breathing down my neck." I whirled on him. "Is there a particular reason you're so close to me?"

He blinked. "I like your fire."

"That's... creepy." I wrinkled my nose, pulling my hand back.

"I like all fire," he went on, unfazed. "It's warm."

"Then wear a coat."

No response came. I'd swiftly learned that he wasn't a talker; silence wrapped him easily, and he moved with it like a shadow through smoke—comfortably, invisibly, and without disturbing the air. Somehow, it hadn't become an annoyance. It felt natural with him. I wouldn't expect an abandoned cat to be very talkative, either.

Cael pointed northwards and walked on. Mist pulled from the ground and enveloped us all as we followed, clearing to reveal another rolling field, this time with shorter grass. In the distance, I saw the vague outline of a castle or an abbey or some other human creation. Like Morrigan's cottage, it flitted in and out of sight, near yet distant. A small lake spanned the land between it and us, reflecting the scattered colours of the sky.

"Why are we visiting all these places? Are we not able to go to Shayne directly?" Ronan asked, cautiously polite. He lingered mere steps behind us, besides Morrigan. She'd been quiet as well, her red eyes slowly scanning each realm we passed into. I let my gaze linger on her for a moment. I'd torn off half of my shawl to help Ronan bandage the cut on her arm, which had let me see just how deeply that blade had cut her. She was obviously still unwell, clutching my brother's proffered arm for support. I gritted my teeth. She'd only been hurt saving Ronan because I'd been distracted. I'd need to keep a better eye on them both next time.

"There is a set path." Cael didn't turn, his focus on the land ahead of us. "Shayne has many barriers set around his territory in Natír. We must take this route or we will never find it."

His territory. Right. Unease prickled down my spine. This time, I would be the one intruding. It was no small matter, but there was more than reason enough to justify it. Shayne had taken Aeden, despite having no right to do so. Even if he was a Kaelte, driven mad by a force beyond his control, there would be consequences.

It took me a moment to realise Ronan had halted. His brows were furrowed in thought, and he was obviously chewing on something. I tugged Cael's sleeve so he'd also stop and turned, shooting my brother the best spit it out look I could muster. I already had a good idea of what he was going to ask, and unfortunately for him there was no polite way to do it.

Ronan sighed, likely at me. He shifted his attention to Cael. "May I be direct?"

The man nodded, his shaggy hair half-obscuring his face.

"I don't mean to cause insult, but how can we trust you?" I stood corrected. Ronan had found a way. An infuriatingly roundabout and wordy way, but a way.

"You don't," Cael said unhelpfully.

Ronan glanced at me, raising his eyebrows in an unspoken question. He's probably wondering why Morrigan and I are going along with it. I sighed, running a hand over my hair. This time, I hadn't bothered to braid it—I'd simply tied the mess up into a knot. It was less contained than usual, but I'd been in a hurry.