Tír na nÓg Trilogy, Book III: Tír na nÓg

City from the Other World

He was difficult to read in the immediate aftermath of her words, his eyes brightening from within, and Emery became anxious for his response. But then he put his arms around her and drew her near, spoke warmly against her cheek, "Lady, I loved you even before I knew you, and I will die loving you still."

And in that embrace, Emery gave him whatever small parts of her heart she'd held back, fearing deeply the possibility of hurting him as the poison within her strengthened.

They took their time returning to the camp on the cliffs, keeping the horses at a walk for much of the distance so they could speak freely with one another. Cullen told her that he'd left Emain Macha largely because he didn't know what else to do with himself after she'd told him she was with Charlie. But once he'd arrived in Dun-Dealgan, he'd been too agitated to stay there and had been about to return to Emain Macha anyway when Cathbad had arrived, telling him about Tess's predicament. After speaking with Cullen, the druid had sent a raven to Naoise merely with the message that Conchobar was after them. Unfortunately, Éogan had managed to follow the bird and track down the brothers, who weren't very far north at all, and he and his men had taken Deirdre first in order to draw the brothers along. By the time Emery had seen them in Emain Macha they had, as she'd thought, been already brutalized. When Cathbad had heard from his returning raven what had happened, he'd gone back to Tess, with Cullen promising to follow as soon as he could, for he'd been detained by the sighting of a Dearg-Due, a woman sucking the blood of anyone she could lure into the forest, as well as by some infighting amongst the residents of the hillfort. As soon as he'd been able, though, he'd rushed back with Liath Macha and Great Fury, desirous of pleasing Emery on his return.

"I do a disservice to my people, to have been away for so long. These are restless times, and I am needed. At the very least, I must appoint a reliable chieftain in my stead," he told her as they rode back to the cliffside campsite, and Emery agreed, rather remorseful for having taken up so much of his time.

As for the brothers, Cullen was sorry for their deaths, though he wasn't particularly surprised by them. Emery knew he didn't share the depths of his anger with her--anger toward Conchobar, toward his inability to help men he considered his Knights. And again, she felt guilt for her part in detaining him. He tried to explain the warriors' oath of fealty, what the Red Branch Knights had sworn to the King, what all warriors swore to their king. As much as Cullen disliked what had become of Naoisie and his brothers, they'd sworn fealty, and their responsibility had been to return to Conchobar when he'd called them, no matter their feelings; to do otherwise was indeed treachery. Cullen said that he himself had done much for the King that he wouldn't have done had he not sworn his oath. Emery didn't mention the way she'd seen her husband speak to Conchobar. She knew the King was frightened of his nephew, and that was probably the only reason Cullen was still alive.

When Emery had fallen ill on their way to meet the others who'd gone ahead in hopes of saving Deirdre, Cullen had left her in Cathbad's care. The minute the druid had seen the marks on Emery's neck and wrist, he'd spoken with Cullen, and they'd determined that Cathbad must attempt to contact Lir. It'd been Cullen's idea; he knew that Emery was keeping secrets, and he knew, too (with his knowledge of weaponry), that the God possessed a magical sword that forced answers from anyone to whose throat it was held. Fortunately for all of them, Lir had been on the lookout for Emery anyway, and despite Cathbad's waning abilities, he'd been able to make contact with Lir with relative ease.

While Cathbad had been working on his divination, Cullen had ridden with Keltar and Cearnach to hunt down Éogan. They couldn't kill their King just yet, but they could at least exact vengeance on the man who had actually murdered the brothers. Éogan had been easy enough to find, and Cearnach had done the honors, decapitating the villain with one blow. It was Éogan's head which he'd placed at Deirdre's pyre. The other Knights--Lóegaire and Fergus mac Roy and Cethern mac Fintan--had returned to Emain Macha with the King, while Cearnach and Keltar and Bricriu had stayed behind with him. Cullen didn't have to say it for Emery to know that was an ill sign--the Red Branch splitting, forced to take sides.