“C’mere to me Maura,” Donal said over his shoulder. “What are the chances that your mam walked this same path before?”

  Maura broke from her conversation with Brigid in the back of the group to flash a furrowed look.

  Brendan grinned. “Not to speak for the lass, but this is the only path for mortals between Tír na nóg and Tír Tairnigire, is it not? The chances are good.”

  “I suppose so,” Donal said. “I meant nothing by it. It dawned on me, and I thought she might find it encouraging.”

  “It’s fine, Donal,” Maura said. “It had dawned on me as well. Perhaps if I were coming to visit instead of searching for her I’d take more heart from it.”

  “Can’t beat the scenery, though,” Brigid said.

  Donal had to agree. The broad-leafed plants blanketing the forest floor held a jade hue so vibrant it nearly illuminated his feet. Squirrels with entirely too much fur chased each other up and down oak trees with trunks of a deep, warm brown. Individual birdsongs echoed with faint harmonies through the misty blue air under the forest canopy.

  The trees’ consistent spacing provided the group with its only reassurance that they remained on track, yet there were no stumps to stumble over or knots from pruned branches weathered by time. It was as if someone had pried a pathway into the woods by pure will.

  “With all due respect to present company,” Donal said, “I wouldn’t mind my brother being here right now to explain some things to me.”

  “What things do you need explaining?” Brendan asked. “I’m not without my own wisdom, you know.”

  Donal nodded. “I do know it. This place confounds me. Finn and Uncle talk about the Four Cities of the Tuatha Dé, of Tír na nóg. We’ve been walking several hours now and I haven’t seen spire nor wall.”

  Brendan shrugged. “I suppose if Tír na nóg was nothing but four cities crammed together we’d speak about it differently. Since the tales get specific about each town, I have to think they each have their own territory.”

  “Which territory do you think we’re in now?” Donal asked.

  Brendan stopped and surveyed the surrounding woods with a circular turn. “Murias,” he said. “The unspoiled nature of it makes me think so.”

  Donal bobbed his head. “Siobhan?”

  “I doubt it’s Findias, I can tell you that,” she said. She pursed her lips. “I can imagine this being Murias. Too bad we already have its treasure.”

  “I’ve been meaning to ask,” Brigid said. “What did you do with the Dagda’s Cauldron? Surely you didn’t just stick it right back in the abbey under Gartan.”

  “Murrough, my mam, Finn and myself spent two months trying to figure out the best place to hide and protect it,” Siobhan said. “Breaslin would have to tear apart Ulster and Connaught mountain from mountain to find it.”

  “You know he wouldn’t think twice about doing so,” Ciara said. “After having his plans thwarted by those he deems lesser than himself? He might enjoy it.”

  “All the more reason to get the job done,” Brendan said.

  “But why you lot?” Maura asked.

  “Sorry?” Donal asked.

  “Why were you the ones chosen for this fight?” Maura asked. “You handled yourselves well in the pass back there, truly, but are you the best of your people?”

  “Siobhan and our friend Maeve are,” Donal said.

  “Nobody chose us, Maura,” Siobhan said, her cheeks providing the only sign that she heard Donal's compliment. “It needed to be done. No other sílrad felt moved to do anything about Breaslin. We asked for help and got Brigid, Brendan, Ciara and their friend Fergal.”

  “How many of you remain in íriu?” Maura asked.

  Brigid scoffed. “Too many to leave the responsibility to us few, if that’s what you’re gettin’ at.”

  Maura pursed her lips and looked down. “It was,” she said. “Still, I—”

  Something barked from the woods behind the group. The forest music of tweets and chitters stopped at once.

  “I knew this leg of the trip was going too smoothly,” Brendan said.

  “From the south side of the trail,” Brigid said.

  “Brigid, Ciara, watch in the direction we were heading,” Siobhan said. “Donal, Maura, you’re in front facing the way we came. Brendan, watch the north side. I’ve got the south. Call out the crones as soon as you see them; it’s them I’m worried about.”

  Donal stayed a step ahead of Maura on her right. The crunch of his next ten steps carried over the silence now blanketing the woods. The next noise he heard wasn’t a bark but a hollow growl.

  “Have you ever known the Cú Sidhe to growl like that before attacking?” he whispered to Maura.

  “No,” she whispered, “but in fairness I hadn’t met one until tonight. I’m just going by the stories told by the aul’ ones.”

  The growl grew louder as it shifted closer to the trail.

  “Hold,” Donal whispered.

  Siobhan’s footsteps ceased eight yards behind them. “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “I have no idea,” Donal said. “Just you call out if you see anyone else.”

  “Yes, boss,” Siobhan said, her tone as sarcastic as it was uneasy.

  The hound’s silhouette emerged from the treeline on Donal’s right, forty yards in front of him. The moon had ducked behind a bank of clouds yet the beast’s shadow hid its features as if it were backlit.

  The hound’s growl faded into a soft vibration of its throat as it approached Donal and Maura. The full growl returned as Donal spoke.

  “Anything?” Donal asked as he raised his shield to glance back at Siobhan. The three comrades behind him shook their heads.

  “Did we find a wild one?” he asked.

  “I’m thinkin’ he found us,” Maura said, her eyes fixed on the hound.

  “You know what I mean,” he said.

  “Fine, here’s the plan,” Siobhan said. “Brendan and Ci—”

  “Hang on,” Donal said.

  “—Sorry?”

  “Please, Siobhan, wait a moment,” he said.

  “We might not have that moment,” Siobhan said. “Dya’forget already the entire pack of ‘em that tried to kill us?”

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  “Not all of them,” Donal said.

  “And what would you mean by that?” Siobhan asked, her voice raised. The beast’s growling grew louder in kind.

  “I clobbered one in the head and came back to it after we felled its master.”

  “I’m not going to like this,” Siobhan said. “Tell me the basics before that thing up ahead eats you.”

  “I was right there face-to-face with it on the ground,” Donal said. “I waited, but it made no move against me, so I let it limp off into the hills.”

  “A buck eejit you are,” Maura said. “I couldn’t have been thirty yards away from your nonsense when it happened.” She gave Donal a small shove with her right elbow.

  The hound barked a second time, causing both Donal and Maura to flinch. It, too, stopped for a moment and then resumed its approach.

  Attack it, Shadow said from the back of his mind. Now!

  “Donal?” Siobhan said.

  Look at the way it’s walking, Donal thought. That doesn’t seem odd to you?

  The only odd thing here is you risking yours and Siobhan’s lives, Shadow told him. For what? What are you playing at?

  “Brigid,” Siobhan said, “maybe you should line up with Donal and Maura.”

  “Please, Shiv,” Donal said. “Give me a moment.”

  The hound was twenty yards from him. Its gate was tentative. Its path meandered. It stepped in a staggered rhythm. It’s limping. Impossible.

  “Donal, that thing is upon you,” Siobhan said. “No time for one of your arguments.”

  “You’re right,” Donal said. “Maura, back away, toward Siobhan.”

  “Right,” she said, stepping backward. “We’re going to flank this one, too?”

  “Not this time,” Donal said.

  Maura stopped her retreat. “You’re going to have to use more of your words, then.”

  “Leave me to it,” Donal said. “It will all be grand in a moment, you’ll see.”

  Maura scoffed. “More words than that, if you please.”

  He heard Siobhan make one step toward him. “Siobhan, if you’ve ever trusted me with anything, trust me right now.” He shrugged. “Besides even if it goes wrong for me, there’s still five of you left to deal with it.”

  “You unbelievable arse,” Siobhan muttered. The hound took two more steps toward Donal as she mulled over his request. She gave a deep sigh and stepped away from him. “Slowly, everyone, back away and let’s hope this gobdaw didn’t just volunteer to be that beast’s dinner.”

  Maura retreated from his periphery. As his group distanced themselves from him the hound slowed its approach. It was close enough for Donal to see its eyes. Its snout wrinkled with every twitch of Donal’s body. Its eyes darted up to his spearhead every time he jostled his weapon. The beast was five yards away.

  How is this going to work? Donal asked himself.

  Simple, Shadow interrupted. Stick the pointy end into the animal and be on your way.

  I need to free up a hand, Donal thought, ignoring Shadow.

  Donal turned his body to the side, presenting the Cú Sidhe nothing but his face, his buckler and the outside of his left leg. He contemplated jabbing the spear into the ground but decided against sudden movements. Donal squatted so slowly that the tops of his thighs burned. He turned his spear parallel to the ground and laid it on the forest floor without it making a sound.

  Donal rose to a ready position and squared his body to face the hound. He shifted the buckler away from his body, exposing more of his torso to the beast. He extended his right hand and took the next step toward it.

  The creature’s growl grew quieter and louder based on how close Donal’s hand came to it. It bared no teeth and stopped three feet short of Donal’s reach.

  Now what?

  It eats you, much to the amusement of everyone else.

  Dry up, Shadow.

  “Food,” Donal said. “I left my pack in the pile when we formed up. Can one of you grab some food from mine?”

  Ciara’s hand dove into the bag and pulled something round from it. “Ready?”

  Donal gave the hound a halting motion with his open hand and twisted his body away from the animal. Don’t tell me she grabbed the—

  Donal caught the apple and looked at it in disbelief. “Fruit? I’m supposed to sway him with fruit?”

  “We shouldn’t waste the good supplies on wild animals,” Ciara said. She shrugged. “Besides, if he doesn’t like it, he’s got a giant slab of dumb meat in front of him.”

  “Do dogs even like apples?” Donal asked.

  “No idea,” Brigid said. “We should find out the next time we see a dog.”

  Donal sighed and turned away from the group. He held the apple in his hand and looked at the hound. It had stopped growling at some point during the conversation. Now what?

  Donal held the apple in full view of the hound. The animal’s eyes followed him—with its snout pointed at the ground—as he brought the apple to his mouth and took a small bite. After he had swallowed the last bit, he sunk his teeth back into the apple and tore off a bigger chunk. He pulled the piece out of his mouth and tossed it on the ground in front of the beast. It stepped toward the food and sniffed without setting down its front left paw before pulling its nose away.

  “Well?” Donal asked. “Dya’catch some real food between the spring and here?”

  “Hang on,” Maura said. “Are you saying that this is—”

  “—I am,” said Donal, looking back at her. “He still has a bit of stagger in him from when I clattered him with my shield.”

  Donal turned back to the hound. The piece of apple was gone. The animal stood a foot closer to him, acting as if it hadn’t moved at all.

  “Maybe you were hungry after all,” he said, smiling. Donal pulled the stem from the apple with his teeth and showed it to the hound. He dropped it by his hip and, with an exaggerated wind-up, tossed the apple. He aimed for the ground in front of the beast but it jumped forward to snatch it out of the air. It sniffed the ground where the apple would have landed and looked up at Donal. Its only expression came from its tail, still hung low, as it swung once from right to left.

  “S’all I had, sir,” Donal said, twisting his free hand back and forth. “Unless one of you can toss me more food.”

  “I’ll offer you one better,” Maura said as she walked back to the pile of sacks dropped between the other five people. The hound watched without a growl. She pulled an apple out of her bag and twisted off the stem. “Step aside, if you please.”

  Donal complied, allowing a clear line of sight between Maura and the animal.

  “It’s worth minding that these apples came from the trees near enchanted pond,” Maura said as she rolled the apple toward the hound. “Not only did they taste good, they made us feel unnaturally better.”

  The apple wobbled and hopped as it neared Donal. The animal stepped forward and snagged the fruit twelve inches from Donal's feet. He could reach out and pet the hound had he no worries about losing his hand.

  “Well, fella?” Donal asked. He lowered his hand slowly toward the beast. A single whimper escaped from it as its head jerked twice towards the ground. Donal brought his hand up, took two steps backward and dropped to a knee.

  Siobhan’s voice wavered. “Donal…”

  “S’alright,” Donal said for both Siobhan’s and the beast’s benefit. He raised his hand to shoulder height. “I thought we had an understanding, you and I,” he told the hound. “What happened to going our separate ways?”

  The animal took two steps forward and whined as it sniffed the area in front of Donal’s hand. Its nose drew within three inches of Donal’s outstretched fingers. It sniffed and then stepped back and turned toward Maura.

  Maura knelt with another apple in her outstretched hand. She beckoned the hound with her other hand and a soft, “c’mon.” It stepped one paw at a time as it made its way into the middle of the group.

  “This is really happening?” Brendan asked.

  “Why shouldn’t it?” Donal asked. “We could use another friend out here.”

  Brigid laughed. “A ‘friend’ is he, now?”

  The animal stopped as it drew even with Siobhan and raised its head to meet her eyes.

  Siobhan’s shoulders sank as she sighed. “Dammit,” she said. “I know where this is heading.”

  The beast turned back to Maura and walked with more ease until it reached her. She dipped her chin and eyed it through the bottom of her eyebrows. “You take my hand and it’ll be the last bit o’ food you ever get.” She opened her hand so that the apple rested in her palm. The hound gave a cursory sniff and then grabbed the fruit from her hand. As the beast chewed the apple, Maura ran her left hand down the side of its neck. “Fast friends, right?” she asked it. It turned its head to look at Brendan and remained unfazed by Maura’s additional pets. She smiled and looked at Donal. “Was that so hard?” she asked him with a wink.

  “Always easier when you cheat,” he said, unable to stifle a grin.

  “So we’re feeding this thing now?” Brigid asked. “Am I expected to give it food from my sack?”

  “If you want,” Donal said. “Or we can let it do its own hunting. Who knows how long this thing will follow us?”

  “Quite long, if we’re giving it food,” Siobhan said.

  “You can give him another from my bag, Maura,” Donal said. “I imagine Siobhan’s ready to get us moving again.”

  Siobhan nodded. “So I am. I merely hope for the sake of the rest of us that this thing is better at listening than you are, Donal.”

  “I’m sure he is,” he said.

  The group collected themselves and resumed their trek westward. The hound walked between the two columns of travelers—sometimes alongside Maura, a quarter-mile next to Siobhan, mostly next to Donal.

  “Are we all going to get a turn?” Brendan asked.

  “Hopefully not,” Brigid said. “I mean, Ciara’s already had her fair share of time around beasts, hasn’t she?” Her smile faded after catching Siobhan’s reaction. “What?”

  “Is that supposed to be a joke?” Siobhan said. “You know, nevermind. There’s no suitable answer to that for you, is there?”

  “Donal, I’m sorry,” Brigid said. “I lost myself for a moment.”

  “It happens,” he said. “I’m thinkin’ I’m not the only one that needed an apology, though.”

  Brigid knited her brow and then widened her eyes. “You’re serious?”

  “And why not?” he asked.

  “Because I’m not the one who was, or should be, offended,” Ciara said. Her eyes dropped to the ground and remained there long enough for Donal to doubt she spoke the truth.