The Crystal Grid

Chapter Twelve

The library was a big, stone building with a copper roof and modern, glass doors. There were tables towards the back of the building and large, floor-to-ceiling windows looking out onto a park. Once she had asked a librarian where to find the Irish folklore section and selected a few tomes from the shelf, Dahlia sat down at a table and began reading.

Now that she had actually been there, the first thing she looked up in the index of a book titled "Irish Folklore and Myths" was the land of Tír na nÓg. She read about the beautiful forests and rivers, which glisten in the ever-present sun and are always flowing with fresh, clear water. Another section described the strange, intoxicating music the fairies play and the way they dance and make merry all night long. Dahlia smiled as she remembered her night there and how unreal it had seemed; it was just a distant dream now that she was reading a book about it in the Turnerville library.

She flipped through the pages, looking for something to catch her eye. The pages were mostly in black and white text, but illustrations were scattered throughout the volume. Her fingers stopped flipping through the crinkly, yellowed paper when she spotted a full-page drawing of the forest. The illustration showed deer, dragonflies, white horses and sparrows perched on the fir trees, and a plaque at the bottom read, "The Sacred Animals of Tír na nÓg." The panel opposite the illustration explained that some animals were sacred to the land and held strong magical powers. They helped to keep the manifestation powers of the fairies sharp and the land abundant with vegetation. As such, they were meant to be guarded and protected at all costs.

Dahlia thought that guarding these animals must be part of Foster's job. Just as he entered her thoughts, her phone lit up with a text from him.

"R we still having dinner with your father? How about tonight?" It read.

She smiled at his gentlemanliness and texted him back, "Of course, I'll let him know. Let's meet at the Bull at 7."

She put her phone away and read a few more pages before heading home. Paul was in his study when she arrived, so she poked her head in and told him about dinner.

"Didn't you just meet this guy?" He asked. "I mean, I'd love to meet him. I just didn't know you guys were that serious yet."

"Well, I really like him. And he specifically said he wanted to meet you," Dahlia said, leaning against the doorway. "It's not a big deal."

"That's pretty upstanding of him. More than I can say for Miles," he laughed.

"Okay, dad," she rolled her eyes. "We're meeting him at seven."

"Alright, alright." As Dahlia turned to go upstairs, Paul said with a mischievous smile, "Hey, have you been making good on that agreement we had?"

"Oh, yeah, I meant to tell you. I was just at the library," she said, retracing her steps.

"And? Did you find anything interesting?"

"Yeah, lots," she smiled before running up the stairs to her room.

The short slot of time Dahlia had to get ready for dinner was over in what felt like minutes, and she was still applying her mascara at five to seven. Once she was finished, she ran downstairs and knocked on Paul's study door.

"Ready to go?" She said as he closed his laptop.

"Yes, let's."

Foster was already waiting at the restaurant when they arrived; he was wearing a white collared shirt and jeans with a mega-watt smile spread across his shimmering face. He looked proper and clean, like he was ready for a job interview.

"Mr. Green, pleasure to meet you," he said, holding out his strong, steady hand.

"You, too," Paul said, shaking his hand and looking up at him with a firm smile.