“The Bean-Nighe’s expertise is the realm of death. She knows the answers to many things about life, healing, death, fate. She will know how to cure Donella.”

“How do I speak to her without seeing her?”

“There is a way,” she said. “But it is difficult and dangerous.”

“All the more reason for you to explain it to me. I need to be as prepared as possible to undertake whatever task is required of me.”

His courage warmed her and impressed her. “The first thing to remember is that once you see her, you must not look away. If you do, the shroud will be yours. Further, if she sees you, the shroud will be yours. You must come up behind her, never looking away, making no noise that might give you away. You must snatch her up off the ground before she knows you are there.

“Once you’ve done this, you will have power to prevent her from declaring you the next to die. While you have her, she will ask you what you require of her to secure her release. Tell her you require that she answer three questions of your posing.”

He nodded. “So if I manage to lift her off the ground without looking away from her, and without being seen by her, and, in response to her asking what my demands are for releasing her, I say she is to answer three questions of my posing, then I may ask her how I can cure Donella?”

Sorcha nodded once more. “She must answer all three of your questions, and you must be very careful how you ask them. The Bean-Nighe is very clever. She answers questions in unexpected ways, tricking her capturers into asking questions which will not give them the answers they seek.”

He did not seem discouraged but also did not seem to be taking the task lightly.

“There is more,” Sorcha said. “While you do have power over her and she must answer your questions, the laws of such interactions require you to answer three of her questions in return.”

“This is quite an ask,” he said, looking wary but just as determined as ever.

“Do you feel equal to it?” she asked. “For if you don’t, I will undertake this in your place, though I will not necessarily know what to ask, especially if she proves as clever as legend says she is.”

“Could we not help each other navigate her tricky questions?”

Sorcha shook her head. “Only one of us can approach her, else the other, having been seen by her, will die.”

He took a deep breath. “Then it is something I must do alone.”

“There is no other way.”

“How am I to approach quietly? Even as we have been talking, I’ve been able to hear my own footsteps. I will not have the cover of conversation to hide the sound.”