“One more thing,” Ciarán said. “I have never met this Lord of the Oak, but his arrival in these parts has interested me. I have made a study of him over the last few years. Clodagh, this is extremely dangerous for you. Do not attempt it unless you are fully aware of what the consequences could be, not only for Cathal, but for you as well. Your father will be appalled that I did not prevent you from going.”

“I know that I could die. Just as Cathal knew, when he chose to come with me, that he was at risk of losing his future in the human world. The stakes are very high.”

“You could die. Or you could suffer a different fate. Mac Dara likes women. Has it occurred to you that he may decide to take you for himself?”

“I don’t think he would do that,” I said, shuddering in disgust at the very idea. “He did make a comment along those lines, but he was just saying it to goad Cathal. I shouldn’t think I am the type to interest him in that way.”

“Maybe not,” Ciarán said. “But he could have other motives. From what you tell me, he’s spent years trying to lure his son back to the Otherworld. To the extent that his kind can love, he loves this only boy of his. He might assault you as a demonstration of power or to punish Cathal in some way. He’s devious.”

A plan had begun to form itself in my mind as he spoke, a plan that just might win me some time alone with Cathal, if I could bring myself to try it. I found myself reluctant to speak of it. To put such an outrageous idea into words might cause me to lose my courage. “Is it true that the Fair Folk can’t understand selfless love?” I asked him.

“Indeed,” Ciarán said, and his face was a very image of sorrow. “They don’t see the point of it. For them love is tied up with power and influence. Mac Dara prizes his son because through him he can exert control over his realm for generations to come. He values Cathal as another self, a younger, fresher, more energetic one. Such a parent works hard to impart his own knowledge and his own skills; to impose his own view of the world on his child. I know it from experience. It can be hard to resist, especially with promises of untold power held out as reward. But it comes at a most terrible cost.”

“And so,” I breathed, frightened by the speed with which my plan was taking shape in my head, “having a son to carry on after him is what Mac Dara values most of all. He would expect Cathal, in his turn, to father sons.”