“Did this quest force you to do so before you were ready?” he asked.
She pondered his question. “I was ready, but I needed a reason to take that leap again.”
“Well, I thank you for being willing. I could not bear the idea of losing Donella without having exhausted everyresource I have. And I could not accomplish this journey on my own. Beyond not knowing the location of the loch, I know very little of what we might encounter while we are out here. My knowledge of fairies and creatures is limited to a vague understanding of will-o’-the-wisp and an even less-specific knowledge of hobgoblins.”
“And I know very little of doctoring,” Sorcha said.
“It’s a fine thing for people to offer each other their expertise, is it not?”
His hand still held hers. He swung their arms between them. It was, perhaps, a childish gesture, but it lightened her heart and eased her mind.
“So, tell me,” he requested, “have you any idea what we might encounter at Loch Dreva?”
Quick as that, her heart grew heavy.
“I know precisely what we will find. Though I understand why Granny Winter is sending you there, I was terrified to hear her speak the destination.”
Her declaration did not appear to surprise him. “Is there a horrible monster at Loch Deva?”
“Not in the sense you are likely thinking. This particular creature has the appearance of a cantankerous old woman. She looks more human than monster.”
“But she is not human?”
Sorcha shook her head. “She is theBean-Nighe, the Washing Woman. She is often found at lakes and rivers, washing clothes.”
“What is terrifying about washing clothes?”
“Her laundry is the death shrouds of people who are soon to die. And anyone who comes upon her is doomed to wear the shroud she is washing. Death will soon claim him or her.”
“Granny Winter sent us to this bringer of death for answers?”
“TheBean-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. TheBean-Nigheis very clever. She answers questions in unexpected ways, tricking her capturers intoasking 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 shemustanswer 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.”