Cathal wasn’t at all happy about that connection, but he couldn’t ignore it either. “She doesn’t appear to be going anywhere for the moment. Let’s split up. See what you can find around the isle.”
Aisling twisted her lips. “I think it’s a good plan, but we should be careful. After what Usaeil did, Fae won’t be welcome here.”
“They can’t stop any from coming. Besides, we aren’t Fae anymore. We’re Reapers.”
She cocked a brow at him. “That doesn’t make things better. No Fae can know about us. That means Halflings, too.”
“Some have known about us.”
“Do you really want to push that? Now? After everything we’ve been through?” Aisling asked.
Cathal thought about that for a moment before he shook his head. “You’re right. I wouldn’t even know what to say to her anyway. I don’t even know her name.”
“I’ll go check around the isle. You stay here. You might find something.”
In a blink, Aisling was gone. Cathal didn’t immediately return inside the cottage. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was supposed to find the Halfling for some reason. But why? And more importantly, why him?
Those weren’t answers he was likely to get anytime soon. Cathal wasn’t the most patient Fae, but being a Reaper had made him…adjust. This was different, though. He could feel it in his gut. He wasn’t sure that he liked whatever it was that kept drawing him to the Halfling. It could only mean bad things.
Cathal could stand it no more. He teleported inside the house, making sure his veil was in place. The Halfling still lay on the sofa. She had such a forlorn look on her face that he nearly asked her what was wrong. He couldn’t believe himself. He never got involved in anyone’s business, and yet, that’s precisely what he was doing now. Or at least what he wanted to do.
He could tell himself that it was because of the new Fae group that had formed and the Reapers’ interest in that, but he knew that for the shite it was. He could even say that it was because Death had sent him. The truth was that he would’ve come no matter what. Even if Erith had told him to stay away.
Cathal narrowed his gaze on the Halfling. He wondered if she had done some kind of spell that had drawn him to her. It felt as if she were pulling on a cord that she had wrapped around him. But no Halfling—or any Fae for that matter—could have that kind of control over a Reaper.
He gave himself a shake and used the opportunity to walk around the cottage. There were three bedrooms and one bath. Two of the rooms held furniture, but they didn’t appear to have been used in some time. The third was obviously the Halfling’s. The bed was unmade, and a pile of dirty clothes lay near the door. Other than that, the space was in meticulous order, just like the rest of the house.
Since her room was at the back, he was able to rifle through a few things without making any noise. He didn’t particularly like going through someone’s things like this, but he wasn’t given much choice. They knew nothing about the Halfling, other than where she lived and that she might very well be a Druid.
That still took him aback. The Fae had always come to Skye because of the Fairy Pools, but they tended not to mess with any of the Druids who called the isle home. As far as Cathal knew, there was no direct order from either the King of the Dark or the Queen of the Light instructing them to keep their distance. It was more like something all Fae simply knew.
He stilled when he saw her small purse. It would be easy to open it and find the identification that humans carried so he could learn her name. But he didn’t. He didn’t know why, but he wanted her to tell him.
“What the fek is wrong with me?” he whispered as he turned away and walked from the room.
He halted in the hallway when he saw that she now sat up on the couch. After a moment, she pushed to her feet, wobbling slightly as she tried not to put too much weight on her injured ankle. He wasn’t sure why she hadn’t used magic to heal it. Whether she used Druid magic or Fae, she could heal herself. Yet, she had chosen not to. The longer he was around the Halfling, the more confused he became.
For the next few hours, the woman moved around very little. She ate lunch, went back to the sofa to lie down, got up again an hour later for some tea, then was back on the couch. She put on headphones and listened to an audiobook for about forty-five minutes before she gave up on that with a loud sigh. Then she was back to staring at the ceiling.
Aisling returned to the cottage, and Cathal went outside to talk to her. He jerked his chin. “Find out anything?”
“That meeting we listened to in Ireland? The Druids are going to have one here.”
His brows snapped together. “What?”
“The new head of the Druids, Rhona, doesn’t want it, but others are calling for it. Appears she realizes that she needs to hold the meeting—if only to try and dissuade the Druids from wanting to create such a group.”
Cathal nodded. “Good for her.”
“On another note, there seems to be some kind of ritual at the Fairy Pools taking place soon.”
His frown deepened. “Ritual? What for?”
“Something to do with a certain family here. Rhona is part of it. It seems she’s trying to get someone to the ritual, who hasn’t been for some time. A woman by the name of Sorcha. Their mothers were sisters.”
Cathal found himself looking at the house.
“Did you discover the Halfling’s name?” Aisling asked.
He shook his head. “No.”
“Did you look?”
“I did.” He swung his head back to her and met her gaze and raised a brow.
She stared at him for a long minute before she nodded. “Got it. The ritual is supposed to take place in a couple of days.”
“I know of nothing that would cause the Druids here to do anything for the Fae.”
Aisling rolled her eyes. “They’re fekking humans. I don’t care if they have magic or not, they do some really stupid shite.”
He couldn’t stop the smile from pulling at his lips. “You’re not wrong.”
“I didn’t see anything else around the isle. Most notably missing were the Fae.”
“Part of me isn’t surprised. After what Usaeil did—”
“Most Fae don’t even know about that.”
Cathal blew out a breath as he nodded. “Do you remember how the Fairy Pools came to be?”
Aisling shook her head of long, black and silver braids. “No. Do you?”
“I don’t. There is obviously a connection to the Fae here. There are the Fairy Pools, the Fairy Bridge, Fairy Glen, and Fairy Knoll. Our people played a big part here.”
“But for all of that, the Fae don’t come here very often.”
Cathal shrugged. “That we know of.”
“Perhaps it’s time we dug into the legends to find the truth.”
He grinned at her. “You wouldn’t be having fun now, would you?”
She cut her red eyes to him. “If you tell anyone, I’ll have to hurt you.”
“I wouldn’t dare,” he said as he held up his hands in front of him.
Aisling’s lips softened into a smile. “I’m glad you helped the Halfling. And I’m glad I’m here helping you.”