Beyond the Pale: A Thin Veil Novella (The Thin Veil Book 3) Page 9
“Good morning, Rohan,” Cedar replied, with only a slight roll of her eyes this time. Perhaps Riona was right, and she should just get used it. To her surprise, Rohan grinned at her. He’d become much more lighthearted now that they were back in his homeland and he wasn’t responsible for the lives of so many.
“Your father used to hate it too, you know,” he said. “He was my best friend, and had been for many years, and when we were alone, he insisted that I call him Brogan. But he deserved it—the title, that is. And so do you.”
Cedar smiled gratefully. “Thank you,” she said. “Any news?”
“Always. Do you want the good news or the bad news first?”
“Um…the bad news, I guess.”
“Deaglán is causing trouble again, even from behind bars.”
“What’s he doing now?”
“It’s not what he’s doing so much as what he’s saying. The people are curious about you, Your Majesty. Deaglán is encouraging the rumor that you are Maeve’s child, not Kier’s.”
“What?” Nevan exclaimed. “They still think she’s part human?”
“How could they think that?” Cedar asked. “The Lia Fáil chose me. They all heard it at the coronation.”
Rohan nodded. “Yes, but it will take some time to convince everyone that the humans are not our enemies. And everyone knows you grew up among them. Some think that you are the child of a human and a Danann, even though we all know that such a thing is impossible. They are concerned that the Lia Fáil was mistaken.”
Nevan looked disgusted, but Cedar slowly nodded. She, too, had heard the whispers. She noticed the conversations that were hushed the moment she entered the room, saw the sidelong, doubting looks. Even in the throne room she could sense it, when her lack of knowledge about the Tuatha Dé Danann was displayed by some question or topic she didn’t understand. She saw the glances the Council members exchanged when Gorman, whom she had chosen as her steward, had to whisper a correction or explanation in her ear. For a while she’d asked Nevan, who was on the Council, to explain things to her telepathically—but she just looked spaced out while she listened to Nevan’s explanations, so they had scrapped that idea after a few days.
“Let them talk,” she told Rohan. “I don’t want to address every little rumor about me. I’ll just have to win them over with time. What’s next?” She started walking again, with Rohan and Nevan beside her. She could think better when she was moving.
“Ah, that’s where my good news comes in. We’ve finished questioning the druids that were involved with the attacks on you at Tara and Edinburgh Castle. We used the goblet of Manannan mac Lir to ensure their truthfulness, and it appears that all of them were acting on Nuala’s direct orders. We found a starstone among Liam’s things that matches the one belonging to Nuala, so we assume the plan was for him to recruit the druids and for her to work her persuasive spell on them through the starstone. With your permission, we’ll release them.”
Cedar frowned and tried to shove her hands into her pockets, only then remembering that she was wearing a dress. “I don’t think so. Liam couldn’t have been working alone. At least some of them must have been helping of their own free will.”
“There’s something else you should know. We’ve been trying to answer that very question, and we came across something very interesting. Liam wasn’t working alone—not at the library, at any rate. His assistant there is also a druid. Her name is Helen Sullivan.”
Cedar and Nevan both stopped walking and stared at him. “Can you give us a minute?” she asked her guards, who fell back a few paces, out of earshot. “There’s another druid at Trinity College? He never mentioned that. Was he training her?”
“We’re not sure exactly what their relationship was,” Rohan said. “But Liam was more than just a librarian. He was Keeper of Manuscripts. It’s a very old and prestigious position. He was in charge of the Book of Kells and the other ancient manuscripts in the college’s library. Helen was the Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts, and since his ‘disappearance,’ she’s been promoted to the top job.”
“Where is she now?”
“Still at the college, as far as I know. I’d like to bring her in for questioning, but I wanted your permission first, and of course I’ll need a sidh to go and get her.”
Cedar exhaled loudly. “I knew he couldn’t be working alone. Of course you can bring her in. Let’s go right now!”
“What about the Council meeting?”
“That can wait,” Cedar said. “This is more important.” If Liam had someone helping him, she needed to find that person—now.
Thank you for reading! You can find the rest of the Thin Veil series here:
Through the Door (Book 1)
Into the Fire (Book 2)
Among the Unseen (Book 3)
Join the Club
Be the first to know about new releases from Jodi McIsaac. Newsletter subscribers have access to exclusive content, such as short stories, contests, and advance notice of upcoming books. Sign up here. http://www.jodimcisaac.com
Keep in touch!
www.jodimcisaac.com
Facebook
Twitter
Google+
YouTube
About the Author
Jodi McIsaac grew up in New Brunswick, Canada. After stints as a short track speed skater, a speechwriter, and a fundraising and marketing executive in the nonprofit sector, she started a boutique copywriting agency and began writing novels in the wee hours of the morning. Jodi lives in Calgary with her husband and two feisty daughters.
Contents
Title page
ALSO BY JODI MCISAAC
PRONUNCIATION GUIDE
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
AMONG THE UNSEEN
About the Author