“Then we’ll have to wait for darkness and another low tide,” I said.

“That’ll give them time to find the temple and get their hands on the sword,” Mathi said.

“Except Vincentia didn’t see where the temple was located, and the island is large and mountainous,” Cynwrig said. “It’ll take them time to explore.”

“The other point in our favor is the fact she doesn’t know how to open the chest that holds the sword,” I said. “It can’t be pried open, and it can’t be stolen.”

Not unless they had a dark elf capable of stone manipulation on hand, and even then, it was more than possible it wouldn’t work. Whoever had hidden the sword would surely have catered for that situation.

“I don’t like the idea of lying low until darkness,” Lugh growled. “We can’t afford to lose another Claw.”

“We can’t afford to get killed either,” I said. “And remember, I’m the only one they need alive right now.”

He grunted, an unhappy sound if ever there was one. Cynwrig pulled his phone out and began scrolling. “There’s a pub with accommodation in Llyn Du—turn right at the roundabout about a kilometer ahead. The pub is about three klicks further along.”

Lugh obeyed, and it didn’t take us long to arrive at Llyn Du. It was a smallish village with a mix of stone and pebble-dash cottages. The pub was a two-story building in the center of the village, and had multiple Welsh flags hanging out the front. Lugh found a parking spot farther down the road, and we climbed out.

I drew in a deep breath, tasting the sea in the air despite the fact we were kilometers away from it. The storms that had plagued us in Ireland had swirled around this part of Swansea, and though the night was hours away yet, it promised to be still and cold. I wasn’t sure that was a good thing, given the wind was the one weapon in my arsenal that neither Vincentia nor the people she worked for knew about.

We headed into the hotel and booked three rooms—one each for Lugh and Mathi, and one for Cynwrig and me. Mathi didn’t look pleased about this situation but refrained from saying anything.

Color me totally surprised.

The manager happily escorted us to the rooms—it was off season, so room bookings were probably few and far between—then explained that though the bathroom was shared, there were two toilets, one for gents and one for ladies.

After telling us the kitchen was still open if we wanted to get something to eat, he handed us the keys and left.

“Food sounds like an excellent idea,” I said. “Don’t know about anyone else, but I’m absolutely starving.”

“We did skip breakfast,” Cynwrig said, in a way that implied we’d been too busy having sex to actually eat.

Mathi didn’t bite, but I knew him well enough to see the subtle shift in his expression indicating displeasure.

“Given sunset hits around four in these parts,” he said, “it’s probably wise to grab something now rather than wait for dinner service.”