Especially if the man had indeed been Betty’s target; the wizard who was sacrificing women to the unseelie in return for magical gifts. “I’m pretty sure he’s the man Betty has been trying to find. Do you think you could describe him?”
“Maybe.” Kevin sounded less than certain. “But he had a big hooded cloak on, so I didn’t get a good look at his face. There was something strange about his eyes though. They seemed to glow a bit, like the high sidhe’s do sometimes when they’re doing magic.”
Cathy wondered if that meant the mysterious wizard was fae, or part-fae. She’d have to ask Betty later. “I’m sure anything you can remember will help the Wild Hunt. But don’t worry about that now. What did the man say?”
“He told me that I was special.” Kevin bit his lip, guilt shadowing his face. “That I had a secret power inside, just like he did. He said that if I stepped into the stone circle, I could talk to his friend Lady Maeve. That she’d show me where I really belonged. I thought he was just making fun of me, but I couldn’t help wondering if maybe he really was magic. So I… I…”
“You went through the portal,” Cathy breathed, heart twisting in pain for him. “Oh, Kevin.”
Tears welled in Kevin’s eyes. Despite his pre-teen ranginess, he suddenly looked very young. “I didn’t mean to go permanently! I just, just always felt like I was different, and, and I thought maybe, maybe he was telling the truth—and I’m sorry, Mom! I’m so sorry!”
He burst into racking sobs. Cathy folded her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.
“Oh, my love.” She rocked him, like she had when he was very small. “You are different, and he was telling the truth. You have magic in you, just like I do. Of course you were drawn to the stones. You don’t have to be sorry for anything.”
He leaned against her, forehead pressing into her shoulder. She’d carried him like this, long ago; asleep in her arms, his small, hot body relaxed against her in total trust. The hollow place in her heart that had ached for so long filled, overflowing.
“You’re not mad?” he mumbled against her neck.
“Of course not.” She stroked his soft hair. “I would have done the same thing at your age.”
Kevin pulled away, knuckling at his red-rimmed eyes. “Really?”
“Cross my heart.” She traced an X over her chest. “Even after I grew up, part of me still hoped to find Narnia every time I opened a wardrobe.”
Kevin huffed a laugh, his tears drying. “Guess you finally did, huh? And you got magic armor and a sword and everything. You even met a Talking Beast.”
Her own smile froze. She had to turn away, smoothing out the blankets on the bed as an excuse to hide her face.
“It’s getting late, and you’ve had a busy day,” she said. “You get some sleep. If you need anything, send Noodle to find me. I’ll come straight away.”
“I know.” With a yawn, Kevin climbed into the bed. He snuggled down, eyelids already drifting closed. “Night, Mom.”
She kissed his forehead. “Good night.”
Cathy had no idea how to turn off the magical lights, but the tree must have picked up her hesitation. The floating spheres dimmed, winking out, leaving only one still hovering by the trunk.
Cathy had almost reached it when Kevin spoke again. “Mom?”
She turned, though she couldn’t see more than a shadowy lump in the moonlight. “Yes?”
“Do you think Aodhan would agree to teach me magic?”
Her heart twisted again. “We can talk about that in the morning. Go to sleep, Kevin. And no asking the tree to make a light so you can read under the covers, okay?”
The only response was a sleepy, indistinct grumble.
Cathy put her hand on the rough tree bark, but before she could say anything the trunk split open. She trailed her fingers along the wood in silent thanks as she went through the doorway.
She’d expected it to take her to Aodhan’s workshop, but instead she found herself stepping out onto a wooden platform. Above and below, shelves of books disappeared into darkness. A single floating light cast a soft golden glow, illuminating row after row of leather-bound volumes.
Cathy didn’t need to look round to know which way to go. This close, Aodhan’s presence tugged at her mind like a magnet, drawing her on. She headed around the arcing interior of the trunk, past ranks of enigmatic, rune-stamped spines. Lights flicked on as she approached, fading away again once she’d gone past.
She found him halfway up a ladder to the next level, books tucked under his elbow. More volumes lay strewn about the base of the ladder, pages and covers splayed. Even as she watched, Aodhan cursed and dropped another book, letting it fall without so much as a glance down.
She caught the book before it hit the others. “Aodhan? What are you doing?”
He cast her a thin, humorless smile. “Packing.”