The Forgotten Ones

nodded.
    The blade made a wet, squishy sound as he pulled it out in one swift movement.
    “Now.”
    I applied the towel, holding the gaping wound together with as much pressure as I could.
    “Good, it will only take a few minutes for the bleeding to stop. It’s not as bad as I thought.”
    He walked over to the chair by the window and opened a duffel bag. Inside was a small first-aid kit.
    “Should we get him to a hospital?” I asked, biting my lip.
    Aodhan leveled me with his gunmetal eyes. “No, he’s just unconscious. His body is trying to heal itself.”
    He walked to the window, opening the heavy drape just a crack. The muscles in his jaw were tense as he scanned the night.
    “Aodhan—” I began.
    Aodhan held up his hand, effectively silencing me. He turned away from the window, eyeing both me and my father thoughtfully. His gaze rested on Liam.
    “I knew I recognized him…Aoife’s pet.”
    I didn’t know how to respond to that, but Aodhan wasn’t done.
    “I’ve grown accustomed to Niamh’s minions following me all these years. But,” he said narrowing his eyes, “for the life of me, I can’t imagine what Liam would want from me.”
    The way he spoke, so low and empty of emotion, filled me with cold fear. I could feel my heart pounding in the tips of my toes, like flames licking at ice.
    “It was me who wanted to find you,” I said, my voice taut.
    He slowly turned to me, and it was all I could do to keep from shrinking back. “What is it you want from me?”
    I closed my eyes and scrounged for every shred of courage I could find. “My name is Allison, I’m Liam’s daughter,” I began.
    “My mother was kidnapped by Breanh. I was hoping you could…could,” I stuttered. “ I was hoping you could help me get her back.”
    “ Breanh, ” Aodhan said, but it came out as a low growl.
    “Liam has Aoife imprisoned in a fey globe.” I stole a glance at Liam before launching into the full story.
    Aodhan leaned against the wall as I spoke, not interrupting, only nodding occasionally. I told him about Niamh and Liam showing up in Stoneville and the black birds that were everywhere, always watching. I told him about the night my mother had gone missing and that Niamh had gone back to Tír na n’Óg without us, effectively shutting us out. I even told him about the dreams I’d been having for months. There was something trustworthy about him.
    When I finished talking, Aodhan straightened and walked to the tiny table in the corner of the room. In one fluid motion, he pulled the dagger he’d held to Aengus’s throat from its sheath on his hip. Then, from a wooden box, he pulled a small square of red cloth with which he began to wipe the dagger.
    Without turning around, Aodhan spoke, his words clipped. “Do you know where he’s taken her?”
    “We’re assuming he’s taken her to Aoife’s home in Tír na n’Óg.”
    There was a knock at the door, and for a second Aodhan just stared at it. He walked over to open it. Niall stood there with a tall, black-haired woman I assumed was Bláithín, his partner. His eyes flickered in to me and then Liam before resting on Aodhan’s massive chest.
    “We wanted to see if Liam was okay,” Bláithín asked, running her fingers through her short, spiky hair. She, unlike Niall, obviously had no problem meeting Aodhan’s fierce look.
    Aodhan stepped aside, and let them into the motel room. Bláithín hurried over to the bed and placed her hand on Liam’s cheek.
    “Where’s Aengus’s dagger?” she asked, looking between Aodhan and me.
    “There on the floor, just under the bed,” I whispered.
    Aodhan had gone back to leaning against the wall, clearly uncomfortable with all the company.
    “This dagger is steel, just like I thought,” she said, toeing it with her boot. “It looks like the tip is broken off, too.”
    “Come on, Allison,” Niall said. “We’ll take you and your father back to Niamh's house in Wheelwright. He needs to see a healer to get the tip of the dagger out. Hopefully Eithne is still there.”
    All three Danaans looked at me expectantly. If I went with Niamh’s guards, I’d be expected to wait on Niamh’s whim. I needed Aodhan to come, too.
    I looked at him, silently praying. He hadn’t agreed to help yet.
    He met my gaze. “I’ll take her,” he told the guards simply.

    Bláithín walked to my motel with me to grab my bag, so that we could go back to Wheelwright. She didn’t say much; she only spoke when it