The Forgotten Ones

sleep.”
    “All right,” I said slowly as I stood up. A horrible possibility occurred to me. “You could coerce me to do whatever you wanted?”
    He looked aghast. “I suppose I could, Allison, but I wouldn’t. I still have my humanity.”
    I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye. Did he? I sure hoped so.
    “Before we left, though, I found out a little more about the situation up here,” Liam said, changing the subject.
    I raised my eyebrows as I waited for him to continue.
    “Aodhan is staying at a motel adjacent to a nearby crime scene.” He pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and glanced up at me before continuing.
    “The entire area is on alert because of a suspected serial killer. There was a group of teenagers murdered on their way home from a concert Wednesday night. Then on Friday, a bartender and his girlfriend were found completely drained of blood not far from the spot where the teenagers’ bodies had been discovered.”
    I sucked in a breath. “That’s awful. ” The memory of the dream I'd had of the couple out walking played in my mind.
    “Yes. What they’re doing, this kind of magic, it taints them. Makes them wicked. And they don’t give a damn if they leave a mess behind.”
    “What do they actually use the blood for?” I asked, not positive I wanted to know the answer.
    “There are two kinds of magic the Danaans can use. One is mind magic. It is all about being able to control things with ones will. For instance, Eithne is a healer. She is able to use her mind to see what it is that ails you and reverse it. Niamh is able to use her mind to hear your thoughts and share hers.
    “The other is elemental magic. It involves using outside forces. Some aspects aren’t bad, but what it sounds like Aoife’s guards are doing has been forbidden by Saoirse for a very long time. They’re taking the blood of humans and harvesting the small levels of magic in it to increase their own abilities.”
    “So humans have magic in them too?”
    “That's right.”
    “Did Diarmuid and Tagdh tell you all this?”
    “After you walked out they told me that Tagdh’s brother, Niall, is one of the guards tracking Aodhan.”
    I nodded and went to get a cup of water from the tap. I took a sip and then glanced at myself in the mirror hanging by the bathroom. My hair was a disaster, and I had circles rimming my eyes. No surprise there.
    Once I pulled myself together, Liam took out his cell phone and opened the door. I watched him curiously but kept quiet as I followed him outside.
    The motel was like the dozens of others I’d seen in my life, with the lot butted up to a highway. We walked out to the sidewalk, and I looked around. Thunder Bay was a busy place. Cars were flying past and people rushed around, talking on cell phones or yelling to their friends. Across the street was a park littered with people playing Frisbee or walking their dogs. Beyond the park, I could see a marina that edged out into Lake Superior.
    Liam’s phone snapped shut, and I looked over at him. “That was Niall. He’s about three blocks away. Let’s go.”
    We walked past several businesses and apartment buildings until we came to a corner where one of the murders had taken place. Two buildings down, on the side-street, were three metal doors with mirrors on their surfaces. I looked at the reflective doors, and my jaw went slack.
    The doors from the dream I’d had on our way to Thunder Bay.
    A black sign above the door read Black Pirates Pub in curling, white letters .
    Liam stopped walking, not noticing my preoccupation. His lips curved into a little smile. Following his gaze to a bench, I saw a man with shoulder-length chestnut hair reading a newspaper. He put the paper down and turned. As soon as he recognized Liam, the man stood and walked over to greet us.
    “Liam,” he said, clapping him on the shoulder and glancing curiously at me.
    “Allison, this is Niall. Without his help I may have never escaped Aoife in the first place.”
    Niall smiled, clearly glad to see my father. “So, Liam, what news do you bring?”
    “I’m afraid I don’t bring good news. We’ve come to find Aodhan to seek aid.”
    “Good luck there, my friend,” Niall laughed.
    Liam made a face. “We must at least try.”
    “Have you found your lady, then?” Niall asked, looking at me.
    Liam cleared his throat. “Yes, but this is actually my...daughter.” The corner of his mouth lifted.
    Niall pursed his lips, as if trying not