The Forgotten Ones

Magliaro.”
    I hung up and looked over at Aodhan. “They think Ethan’s with me. I think Breanh really has taken him.”
    “Eithne and Diarmuid went back through the portal a few hours before we arrived. Your father needs a healer immediately, so I’ve arranged to go with him to Tír na n’Óg to find Eithne. We’ll find your friend and bring him home, too.”
    He stood and gestured for me to follow him. I exhaled, and swallowed back my fears. I had to be stronger than that. “And what am I supposed to do? Just sit here and wait?”
    Aodhan didn’t answer. Instead, he led me outside, where Tagdh was opening the weathered wooden door of a flat-stoned entryway. The structure was dug into a low hillside, assembled with moss-covered stones held firmly in place by the earth surrounding them. A still unconscious Liam lay in the grass just to the left of the hill. Niall was talking in a low voice to Bláithín just a few feet away.
    Tagdh turned around as we approached. He nodded respectfully at Aodhan.
    Niall bent to gather Liam in his arms again, and he and Bláithín joined us at the door.
    “We ready?” she asked.
    “Let’s go.” Aodhan said. He nodded at me. Okay, I guess that’s my answer.
    Bláithín went in first, glancing back at us as she walked. Niall ducked through next, walking sideways to keep Liam’s limbs from hitting the frame.
    Inside the door, crumbling stone steps led down to a dim root cellar. The arched ceiling was made entirely of rock, and old wooden shelves lined the stone walls. Each one held dusty glass jars and bottles, some broken and lying on their sides.
    An acute sense of dèja vu struck me as I looked around. This room was from one of my dreams, too. The only difference was that in my dream, Liam had been leading the way.
    I turned and looked at Aodhan. He also was from my dream—the gigantic man, I was positive. He looked back at me blankly.
    The room was only about fifteen feet long. At the far end, Bláithín placed her hand on the stones and blinding light filled the space. I reflexively turned away, but Niall and Bláithín walked into to the light and disappeared.
    Squinting and averting my eyes to the floor, I took a deep breath and followed.
    The light swallowed itself, and we appeared in a gathering room of sorts. In the center of the room was a wooden table long enough to seat ten. The edges were carved with spiraling flowers that matched the scrollwork on the chairs. The whitewashed ceiling arched up, supported by thick, knobby roots. The room itself felt wild, like a part of nature.
    As I examined it, I realized that the tree that was attached had actually grown to form the room’s frame. Windows showed hints of trailing flowers in a multitude of colors just outside, and on the wall was a little alcove that held a sphere similar to the one I’d seen in my dream. I walked toward it, looking at the little shimmering ball. Inside were only bubbles that sparkled in the light.
    Niall and Bláithín disappeared through a hallway in search of Eithne. No one had said it in quite as many words, but it was clearly urgent to remove the iron from his body. And judging by the pallor of his skin, the sooner the better.
    Aodhan ran his finger along the flowers and looked up at me. “We need to be armed.”
    I laughed, not because the need for weapons was funny, but the idea of me using a weapon was ridiculous.
    “I don’t really know how to use any weapons.”
    My face flared at the look he gave me, as though what I said was the most preposterous thing he’d ever heard. He smoothed his hands over his buzz-cut and gestured for me to follow him.
    He led me down the same hallway the others had gone through. As I walked, I felt disoriented, as if I went through too quickly and hadn’t taken enough steps. I shook my head and looked back. The length of the hallway didn’t match the amount of time it took to get through.
    We entered a room similar in size and shape to the gathering room, but instead of a table, the room had couches and cushions arranged in a circle. Against the back wall, a stone staircase curved up to a second floor. As I followed Aodhan up, I lost my equilibrium and had to hold tight to the wooden railing to stay upright. He looked back at me, his eyebrows drawn together.
    I laughed at myself, but it came out more like a shaky breath. “Give me a minute, I just got a little dizzy.”
    “Time and space are different in this realm,” he explained. “Your