"That damn woman pushed me!" I shrieked once I'd regained my senses. I whirled around, as if she'd be standing behind me. She wasn't. There was only the field we stood in, plots of farmland and low, stone walls in the distance, and the collection of dirt roads and buildings that formed An Hainn. We were closer to the town than I'd thought, mere paces from one of the outlying streets. A ragged trio of children peered at us around the corner of the closest house, eyes wide open with curiosity and fear. I ignored them.

Unfortunately for him, Ronan was the closest and received the brunt of my outburst. He jumped. "Who... what?"

"Clídna pushed me," I repeated, huffing. "She's pettier than she lets on."

"Most people are." Aeden sat apart from the rest of us, crouched on his haunches to fiddle with a long stem of grass. His gaze shot about our surroundings, lingering on the town branching out before us. Unease sharpened his movements.

Morrigan released a long breath and buried her face in her palms. She looked a step away from fainting. "That could have been dangerous. It's a good thing that you were polite, Ronan, and you"—she glanced at Aeden— "were, ah, behaving, and"—her ruby eyes turned to me—"and-and that she really wanted you alive."

"Of course she did. Who else would do the hard work for her?" I grumbled.

"I'm not sure she'd be able to do it if she tried." Morri glanced at the onlooking children. A few townsfolk had joined them in openmouthed staring, their daily duties forgotten. She lowered her already feather-soft voice. "We are bean sídhe, tied to the moon and death. Our powers are not suited for combating darkness."

Ronan rubbed the back of his neck, weariness settling in his expression. "An Hainn... I've heard there are a lot of merchants that pass through this area. I'd like to try to trade for some supplies while we're here."

"With what, exactly?" I opened my own pack. Aside from a few scraps of food, cloth, and a water flask, I had nothing. I still wore the bracelet Orin and his mother had given me—it sat comfortably enough on my wrist that I forgot it was there if I didn't glance down—and the corded necklace Conor had made. Neither would be worth much, even if I had wanted to get rid of them.

Morrigan turned her hands over, examining her myriad of rings and bracelets. "Much of what I have are gifts," she murmured. "I cannot sell these."

"We'd be rich if you could." She had such a vast collection of silver—those cuffs on her shoulders, the bracelets, the rings, all of it. That could buy enough to feed the four of us for years. Whoever had showered her with such jewellery must have been quite powerful. Perhaps a king? Several? She'd been around for a long time, after all.

"Oi! Lass, what are you doing?" Aeden asked, rather startled. I turned. He'd stopped torturing the grass; one of the children now clung to the tattered edge of his cape, her little fingers curled tight about the wool.

The girl didn't let go. A brave one, her. "Are you monsters?"

Aeden stiffened and raised his hand. I jerked forward, afraid he'd strike the child. Instead, he patted her head and gave her one of his feigned smiles. A weary sadness laid behind it. "No, we're not monsters. Not even the mean one with the freckles," he added, jerking a thumb in my direction.

I flexed my fingers, flames flickering between them. "Care to repeat that?"

"Nope."

The lass was adamant. "Then are you highborn? I saw mist before you came. Da says only monsters and the fair folk come from it."

I grimaced. We hadn't been all that subtle with our arrival, had we?"

"It's a wee bit rude to interrogate travellers," Aeden said lightly, ruffling the kid's hair until she let out a squeal. He winked and stood, extracting her fingers from his cape. "Go off back to your friends, lass."

The child hesitated, but it seemed his grin was infectious. She scampered back to the other children, shouting something about the nice fair folk that had come to town. I resisted the urge to groan.

Aeden righted himself, his hand knocking against his thigh in a quick, impatient rhythm. He tossed his head towards the watching adults, who were now forming a small crowd as the child continued to blab about our identity. His breathing was quite shallow. "We're drawing attention. Do we need supplies that badly?"

Ronan shifted his pack over his shoulder and glanced down at it. "We could manage without them, but..."

My brother's voice was heavy, and as he looked back up I saw dark marks beneath his eyes. You're suffering, Clídna had said to him. I stepped closer, removing his pack from his hands and slinging it over my own back. "You're tired," I said, my voice clipped. "Aeden is, too. Most of us are injured and need real bandages. The Ándúr Nimh isn't a pressing matter, so sitting down for a meal might do us some good."

"I agree," Morrigan said. "You may not have realised, but we were in Natír for about two days in the mortal realm."

Ronan's eyes widened. Then he sighed. "That... feels about right, actually."

"You said it yourself, Mae. We don't have anything to buy food with," Aeden said, but defeat was scrawled across his face. He scrubbed at his face with one hand. "Eh... we'll have to trade something, or do work."

Ronan shifted his feet awkwardly. "Actually, most wouldn't dare deny a request from the aes sídhe. You three need only ask."

"Or they'll gather in secret and chase us off with iron weapons when we let our guard down." Aeden began to pace in a small circle. "Your coastal town is nicer to our kind than most, you know."

"Right, and I'm sure it has nothing to do with your habit of trampling about and carting off poor drunkards," I said dryly.

Morrigan cleared her throat. "I have visited this region before. If we don't stay long, we should be fine, but it would be best to avoid using our powers in front of humans."

"Don't tell me not to shift." Agitation swept across Aeden as he spun about to face her. His chest rose and fell sharply, and his hand fell to one of his wrists.

Morrigan flinched. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's not an order, it's common sense." I limped over, knocked my elbow into his side, and grabbed his hand. It caught his attention nicely, that. I was growing tired of keeping him from fiddling with his bandages. "Nobody's going to stop you, but if you shift here it'll cause a ruckus. Can you manage for a few hours? That way, there'll be food in it for you."

He blinked down at me, gold sparks fading from his forest green irises. His lips twitched. "I can't deny food."

"Tch. Predictable."

"I merely know my priorities, Mae."

As we spoke, a blond man had been edging cautiously towards our group. Considering the clump of adults restlessly whispering to each other behind him, I assumed he'd been nominated to address us. A woman gathered the three children into her arms and bundled them off, casting us nervous glances over her shoulder. I felt a few pricks of iron in the air, though nobody openly brandished a weapon.

I couldn't entirely blame them for their caution. If it had been Shayne, they would've needed it. We hadn't heard word of any incidents in Tirlagh, but he and Niamh couldn't have been the only ones driven mad enough to attack folk without reason.

"Pardon me," the man spoke up, looking between us all. He hesitated over his next words. "May I ask who you are?"

I scoffed. "What'll you do if we say no?"

"We're travellers," Ronan explained, raising his voice over mine. "This is my sister, and our... friends."

Unsurprisingly, that wasn't the answer the man seemed to be looking for. His gaze lingered on Morrigan, whose crimson hair and eyes didn't exactly disguise her identity. "Are you sídhe?"

"I'm not." Ronan glanced at the rest of us. "They are."

"We have no ill intentions," Morri soothed, lifting her hands in a graceful movement. Her silver links swung behind her, clinking and glittering away. I couldn't be sure, but I thought she batted her lashes at him. "All we need is some food and a place to rest for a few hours. We don't have much, but we'd be willing to offer something in exchange."

As Ronan and Morrigan plied the man with words, Aeden bent down to whisper in my ear. "Mae."

"Hmm?"

"You do realise you're still holding my hand, right?" He curled his fingers around my palm. They were quite warm.

"I can't grab your wrist now, can I?" I muttered, loosening my grip. Aeden held on to me a moment, a mischievous smirk lighting up his eyes. Then he let go. I glared up at him. That roguish spark of life was as annoying as ever, yet infinitely more better than his injured silence. "Don't."

"Don't say whatever you're thinking. I will not have it."

"Why, Mae, I wasn't thinking anything."

"You're always thinking of something. You're not stupid."

He raised his brows. "Are you saying I'm smart?"

"Not anymore, I'm not."

"Ah, I didn't know you thought so highly of me," he crowed, leaning on my shoulder. The man Ronan and Morrigan were speaking to jumped and cast him a strange look, which he waved away easily.

Aeden didn't put much weight onto me, but I still stumbled. Pain burned in my leg, a distant reminder that it was still healing. It wasn't nearly as bad as it had been, though. This was the ache of a fading scar, not the agony of a fresh wound. I made a note to check beneath my bandages once I had a moment to settle down. Perhaps Natír had done more to strengthen me than I realised.

Ducking down, I squirmed away from Aeden. "At least you're getting some energy back."

Surprise scrawled across his face, but he quickly hid it behind a grin. "Aw, Mae, are you worried about me?"

"Of course I am, you reckless eejit." I flicked his forehead. An unwelcoming thought entered my mind. He was reckless, so... "Tell me something."

"You are?" He cast me an odd look, rubbing the place I'd struck. "Nevermind. What?"

"Are you wanted in this town, too?"

His smile grew sheepish. "A black shapeshifter with gold eyes might be."

"Moon and sun, I knew it. What did you do?"

"Oh, I raided their stores of alcohol."

I stared at him, confusion clouding over my mind. "Do you drink?"

"No, but there was a luchorpán I really wanted a favour from who does." He scratched at his ear. "I was gathering information on Shayne and Niamh while avoiding them. By now, I've travelled across most of Ríenne doing things like that."

"Information?"

"Aye. Nothing much came of it. Morri didn't know about the Ándúr Nimh when I left, so I'm not sure why I thought anybody else would." He shook his head. "Maybe I just needed an excuse to get away from her. If I really wanted answers, I should've come back to her sooner."

He looked like a lost pup. I rolled my eyes. "You should have. She's smarter than she looks."

My attention wandered to her as I admitted it. Morrigan was regaling the townsfolk with our woes. She was all soft, sweet grace, undercut by a quiet wisdom that Ronan matched easily. He supplied some diplomacy to the conversation as well, polite yet firm. I could tell by the expressions of their recipients that the two of them were already becoming well liked.

"Anyways, I should've expected you to be a wanted man," I grumbled. "You really ought not to shift while we're here."

"Anything for y—"

I stomped on his foot. "Do not finish that sentence."

"As you wish," Aeden snickered.

Fuming, I turned to the others. Ronan must've been waiting, because he caught my eye as soon as I did and waved us closer. Most of the people began to drift, leaving only the man who'd come forward first and a woman who looked to be his wife.

"Bran here has offered us supplies and a place to stay in his tavern," Ronan explained, "provided you three will look upon An Hainn kindly in the future."

I folded my arms and inclined my head towards Bran, who watched our reactions nervously. "That's easy enough."

"I'm not going inside any taverns," Aeden said briskly. "But that's fine."

Ronan nodded. "I know. We're only staying long enough to get supplies."

That's for the best, I thought, glancing askance at Aeden. He looked like a normal human in this form—maybe his eyes were a bit too green, and they'd flash gold if he used his power, but nobody should recognize him as a púca.

"That said," Ronan continued, "we'll have to visit the tavern to do that. Would you like to wait out here?"

"Aye. Thank you." Aeden paused, a slight frown tugging at his lips. Without warning, he slung an arm over my shoulder and dragged me closer to him. "Could I keep Mae?"

"Eh?" I cried, stumbling into his side. Morrigan and I had him wash before we met Clídna, but the scent of blood lingered on him.

Ronan's eyes narrowed, and I got the feeling he hadn't forgotten the punching incident. "Don't ask me. It's her decision."

"What do you say, Mae?" Aeden asked, angling his head down at me. He was grinning, but there was the slightest hint of a plea in his eyes. It gave me pause—I frowned, swallowing the absolutely not that had risen to my tongue. Why would he need me? Was he worried about something, but couldn't say it aloud?

"Fine," I relented. "Fine. Ronan, Morri... mm, you'll be fine. Save us some food."

"But will you?" Morrigan asked quietly.

"I sense scepticism. Do you have that little faith in me?" I growled.

She shook her head, all supportive innocence. "You're very strong, Maeve."

"That's not..." I pinched the bridge of my nose. She had to be dodging the question on purpose. "We'll be fine. Ronan, vouch for me."

He pressed his lips together, as if holding back a smile. "You're very strong, Maeve."

"Alright, shut up. We're leaving." I snatched Aeden's hand—once again avoiding his wrist—and dragged him along past the others. "I'm an adult, damn it, I can stay out of trouble."

Aeden chuckled and cast a wave to the others. "We'll find you when you're done."

"How?" Ronan called.

"Trust me!" With that, he followed me down the street.

At the edge of An Hainn, there weren't many people walking about. The buildings grew denser to our left, while on the right rolling farms stretched into the distance before melding into forest. I glimpsed a silver band roping across the landscape. The Rene. I cast my eyes ahead of us, ignoring it for the time being. My leg itched, and I wanted to find a place to sit down.

"You should give Ronan one of your stupid nicknames. He deserves it," I muttered, glancing down an alley—if it could even be called that. The houses were loosely spaced out here, little gardens and tall grass filling the space between their stone walls. Beneath the grey sky, the green plants were startlingly vibrant.

"I'd try Roan, but it doesn't quite fit," Aeden replied. His feet dragged the further away we walked, and he tugged his hand from mine to rub his right shoulder.

"Do you want to tell me something?"

"What?"

"You asked me to come with you. What do you want?"

"Oh. It's just that—"

Aeden cut himself off, his head jerking to the side. He snatched my arm and wrenched me off the edge of the street, into a small gap between two houses. I nearly fell into the wall, but he didn't stop and dragged me into the tight space. It was hardly enough to fit us both; his arm pressed awkwardly against my side, and my knee jabbed into his shin.

I began to protest, but he clapped a hand over my mouth. He shook his head; he didn't seem scared, exactly, which settled my nerves. But there was a certain urgency to him that told me to listen.

"What is it?" I asked, keeping my voice hushed.

"Stay quiet," he murmured, pulling me into a seat amongst the tangled weeds and grass. Gold flooded his eyes, and his form melted into a small, dark rabbit. He hunkered down amongst the overgrown grass, his ears pricked as he listened to something I couldn't hear.

I exhaled, leaning into the wall. Rough stone pressed into my shoulders. "Alright, then."

Not long after, a clatter of movement came from the street. I put a hand on Aeden's soft fur to better hide him as four men passed by the little alley we'd shoved ourselves into. They wore leather armour, and had swords on their belts. Soldiers. Rowdy ones, I thought as they laughed and knocked each other about. The group passed without so much as glancing at us, concealed as we were in the shadow of the houses.

"Is that what you were worried about?" I asked, poking Aeden's side.

He ignored me, sneezed, and pawed at one of his ears. It was cuter than it should have been—he was so small. I infinitely preferred him like this. He was more bearable when he couldn't speak. Still, I prodded him again. "Oi."

After a few more moments of grooming his fire, he shifted back. He slumped onto his back with a long grown, sprawled haphazardly on the ground. There wasn't room for him to do it: my shin pressed right against his shoulder.

"One of those men saw me in my human form when I escaped," he explained. "I recognised his voice. Ugh, this is why I hate towns."

"It'd be easier if you didn't commit crimes, Aeden."

"Right. Laws." He hauled himself into a seat against the opposite wall, stretching his legs out before him. "I'm not going to follow the whims of human rulers. Even if I tried, they shift with every region and kingdom. There's far better things to worry over."

"You're hopeless."

He laughed, knocking his head against the wall. "Aye."

The silence that followed was tinged with awkwardness. I spoke first. "You didn't finish answering me."

He gave me a thoughtful look. "I'm tired, Maeve."

"I can tell. You've been less annoying than usual."

"Hah." Aeden threw his left arm over his face, hiding his eyes. "I didn't want to be alone. That's all. I can't tell when Shayne will come back, and that worries me."

"I did tell you that I tore a chunk out of the bastard's neck, right?"

"Aye, but he's a tough, old madman." His mouth twisted. "And I am so weak right now."

I scrutinised him carefully. He wasn't the type to admit weakness. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I don't know." Taking a deep breath, he dropped his arm and grinned wearily. "It's not as if you weren't already aware. I haven't been hiding it well."

"No, but still."

He shrugged. "Maybe it's because you're honest. I like that. You make things sound simple."

I lifted my eyes to the overcast sky. "Sometimes they are. If you're tired, Aeden, you should rest."

"Not here. Not now."

"We'll find someplace outside of An Hainn. Can you manage until then?"

"Of course," he said smoothly, rubbing his shoulder again. It might've been a lie. I couldn't tell.

"Good. What's wrong with your shoulder?"

Aeden glanced down at it. "Hmm... I think I broke it."

"You what? When?"

"I'm not sure. Probably when Shayne had me imprisoned."

"Moon and sun, Aeden, that was—how have you been walking about like nothing happened? Why didn't you tell us?"

"It's only pain. I can still use it." He clenched his right hand, raising his arm experimentally. "Mostly. I can't put much weight on it, or lift it higher than here."

"Put your arm back down, you fool." I snatched his forearm and hovered my fingers over his shoulder, not entirely sure what to do.

"It's not bad," he protested, blinking down at me. "I think I only cracked the bone—it's already begun to heal."

"We could've made you a sling."

"I'd rather have my arm free."

"Did I tell you you're hopeless?" I sighed and placed my hand on his chest, over his heart. "How many other wounds do you have? You must still have that cut on your side, and..."

Aeden flinched from my touch, as if burned. "Oi, oi! Was the first time not enough for you?"

"Relax. It won't hurt this time," I muttered, drawing a spool of energy from the sun. The clouds weakened it some, but it was enough. My palm warmed. "Probably."

"You make it hard to trust you, Mae."

Despite what he said, Aeden remained still as I transferred some of the sun's energy into his soul. I didn't need to be as gentle as I did with sick humans, but I took care to keep from hurting him. Best not to get punched a second time. It wouldn't do much to heal him, but he clearly needed something to keep himself from collapsing.

When I finished, I sank back and combed my hair back from my face. The bun I'd tied it into was, of course, coming loose. "Better?"

"Aye. Thank you." He pressed a hand to his chest, frowning. "What about you? Can you spare that much energy?"

"It's not mine, but the sun's. Enjoy." I stretched and stifled a yawn. Soreness had crept into my fingertips, but I hadn't given away enough strength to exhaust myself.

"Not bad, Mae." He cocked his head, his eyes wandering to the street. "The others have finished."

It was a wee bit scary, how good his hearing was. I stood up, relying on the wall to keep me steady. "Let's go before you get caught."

"It was only the one guard." Aeden poked his head out of the alley before leading me out. We followed the street deeper into An Hainn, where the buildings grew closer together and the road turned to cobblestone. "Or two. And some children, I suppose."

"Were you even trying to be stealthy?"

"I didn't think I'd need to come back."

"I imagine you weren't thinking much at all."

Aeden ruffled my hair, which earned him a tirade of curses. He fended me off with his good arm—he'd been favouring it the whole time, I realised—until we found Ronan and Morrigan in the street. The woman knelt beside a patch of flowers while two young girls played with her hair, twining shamrocks and their half-open buds into the curls. My brother stood apart, hiding his grin behind one first.

"Why am I surprised?" I huffed, limping over with Aeden in tow.

"Étaín insisted." Morrigan's laugh was akin to the ringing of a glass bell, light and beautiful. She cast one of the children—a wiry thing with braided, brown hair—a gentle smile. "You've done a wonderful job."

The girl accepted the dismissal with a giggle and fled, dragging her accomplice behind her. They disappeared inside the inn. Bran hovered by the door, watching. "Do you need anything else?" he called.

"You've given us more than enough." Ronan shook his hand as Morrigan stood up, brushing off her skirts.

"You look like a princess," I said, staring at her flowers.

She smiled. "Thank you."

"Not sure that was a compliment, Morri." Aeden clapped her shoulder. "At least coming from Mae."

"I'm not sure what it is."

He exchanged a glance with Morrigan, who now absently twined a strand of hair around a finger. "Well, I like your flowers. You almost look like a sídhe from the forest."

"Hardly," she said. "I'm too pale."

"Ah. True. They tend to look more natural."

"You look lovely, Morrigan," Ronan announced, cutting us off. Bran had vanished, leaving him with a far more abundant-looking pack in his arms. "Now. Shall we go?"

Aeden perked up. "There's a glade not far from here. It's large enough, and there's an outcrop we can use if it rains."

"And... why do you know that?"

"I've been around here before, and I have an excellent memory." His grin was painfully bright.

"He's a wanted man," I corrected. "Probably found it when he was running from the guards."

"Mae, you ruin all my fun."

"Good." I whacked the back of his head as we made our way out of the town, heading towards the distant outline of mountains in the west. The sun peeked through a gap between the clouds, allowing me a moment of relief as its heat coursed through my veins. Lake Draí wasn't near enough to be visible: we had a long way to go. "Your idea of fun only brings trouble."