“Thank you.” I felt ill at ease in the bird’s presence and suddenly shy without Sibeal. Knowing Ciarán’s story did not mean I knew the man. He was Conor’s half-brother, born at Sevenwaters after Conor’s father, Lord Colum, took a second wife who proved to be more than she seemed. She had spirited Ciarán away as a small child, but his father had found him and brought him back to be raised in the protection of the nemetons. My sisters and I had never met Ciarán until four years ago, when he had come to the aid of my father and Johnny in the resolution of a feud with the Britons. That was quite odd, since Conor had more or less brought him up and Conor himself visited our home often. It was one of those subjects both my parents seemed reluctant to talk about; a part of our family history that held secrets.

“We spoke of talismans earlier,” my companion observed now. “I believe I was right about your presence being sufficient to protect Cathal. But it won’t hurt to take this as well.” He opened the bag and took out a simple strand of dark twine. On it was strung a small white stone with a hole in it.

“This is more precious to me than you could possibly imagine,” he said, following my gaze. “It belonged to your father’s sister Niamh.” His voice changed as he spoke this name, and in that moment the mystery became plain to me, so plain that I wondered how I had not seen it before. His eyes were just the same as my cousin Fainne’s, dark mulberry eyes, the legacy of the sorceress. We had been told that Fainne was Niamh’s daughter by an unnamed second husband, someone Father’s elder sister had met and wed far away from Sevenwaters. That was the official story. If Ciarán was Fainne’s father, there was a compelling reason to keep the fact quiet; his union with Niamh would have been forbidden by laws of kinship. If he was Fainne’s father, he had lost his only daughter to the Fair Folk four years ago. And long, long ago, he had lost Niamh. I said nothing.

“Take it,” Ciarán went on, handing the necklace to me. “I gave it once as a gift of the heart; it was all I had to offer. Niamh gave it to the daughter who was so precious to her. In time it made its way back to me. When you find Cathal, place it around his neck. It is a reminder that love outlasts the strongest enchantments.”

“Thank you,” I said. “It must be very hard for you to give this up. I’ll do my best to bring it back safely.” I motioned to the other item he had brought, a gray stone shaped like an egg. “Uncle Ciarán, what is that?”