"What does any of this have to do with why you won't access Delphine's memories, or us finding a way to rescue Teagan?"
"Since I locked away Delphine's memories, the nightmares have stopped."
Trása was silent for a moment as she let that sink in.
"You selfish prick," she said finally, disgusted at him. "You've let everyone rot here in this realm, you've left your brother stranded in another ... all because you don't want your sleep disturbed. You're unbelievable!"
Rónán glared at her, clearly annoyed by her anger. He stood up, shaking his head. "I knew you wouldn't be any help."
"You got that much right."
"Well, I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep," he said, heading for the door. "I'll not burden you again with my trivial, selfish problems."
Trása didn't bother to respond. She was glad to be rid of him. How could anybody do such a thing? How could he be so self-absorbed, so callous, so -
She jumped to her feet, staring at him in shock, as it suddenly occurred to her exactly what he was trying to tell her. "Oh, my God, it's the Sight! You're having a true dream, aren't you?"
He stopped, his hand on the door latch with his back to her. "Don't worry about it, Trása. It's not your problem."
In three strides she was across the room. Grabbing him by the arm she turned him around to face her. "You're afraid if you delve into Delphine's memories you'll change something and the dream will come back. And if it's a true dream then it has to happen someday."
"Selfish of me to fear that, I know," he said, shaking off her grasp. "I'll be sure to be more thoughtful in the future."
"Get over it, Rónán. I was just ..." She threw her hands up. This was much bigger than she imagined and she really didn't want to fight with Rónán. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was just so ... so ... She sighed, yet again. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said you were being selfish. I didn't understand."
"You meant it, though."
"Only because I wasn't thinking things through. You know me. I start yelling first, and then ask questions later. I said I was sorry."
He seemed unconvinced by her remorse.
" Please ."
Rónán studied her in the dim light, as if debating how much he could trust her, and then he shrugged. "Do you really understand, Trása? Because I do want to help Teagan, I truly do. And it's eating me up that I can't go back for Darragh, but do you really appreciate the risk?"
She nodded. "If you do anything to change the status quo, then the dream will come back and then one day you really will have to kill Darragh's children."
"It's more than that," he confessed. "You see, if that nightmare ever comes true and if I don't have the balls to do it, something even worse will happen, because if there is one thing about that dream that rings loud and clear, it's that a lot more people will die if I stay my hand."
Trása was silent for a moment as she found herself forced to reassess everything she had thought about Rónán and what fuelled his inaction these past three years.
"How can I help?" she asked in the end. Nothing else really mattered.
"Tell me how to get into Delphine's memories without going mad. Without her taking me over. And without making that dream come back."
"Maybe it's not her memories being locked away," Trása said, as it occurred to her that Rónán's fear, while legitimate, might be misplaced. "What if it was Delphine's death that caused the dreams to stop, not the Comhroinn or anything she might have known?"
"How does that work?"
"Well ... maybe she was going to do something in the future that meant one day those children would be born and you killed her, which stopped it from happening? If that's the case, it doesn't matter what she knew, because you're not her, so you can't do the same thing in the same way and cause the problem."
Rónán frowned. "That almost makes sense. But what could she do?"
"The Matrarchaí are in the business of making babies, Rónán. She probably had some floozy lined up
"Since I locked away Delphine's memories, the nightmares have stopped."
Trása was silent for a moment as she let that sink in.
"You selfish prick," she said finally, disgusted at him. "You've let everyone rot here in this realm, you've left your brother stranded in another ... all because you don't want your sleep disturbed. You're unbelievable!"
Rónán glared at her, clearly annoyed by her anger. He stood up, shaking his head. "I knew you wouldn't be any help."
"You got that much right."
"Well, I'm sorry I disturbed your sleep," he said, heading for the door. "I'll not burden you again with my trivial, selfish problems."
Trása didn't bother to respond. She was glad to be rid of him. How could anybody do such a thing? How could he be so self-absorbed, so callous, so -
She jumped to her feet, staring at him in shock, as it suddenly occurred to her exactly what he was trying to tell her. "Oh, my God, it's the Sight! You're having a true dream, aren't you?"
He stopped, his hand on the door latch with his back to her. "Don't worry about it, Trása. It's not your problem."
In three strides she was across the room. Grabbing him by the arm she turned him around to face her. "You're afraid if you delve into Delphine's memories you'll change something and the dream will come back. And if it's a true dream then it has to happen someday."
"Selfish of me to fear that, I know," he said, shaking off her grasp. "I'll be sure to be more thoughtful in the future."
"Get over it, Rónán. I was just ..." She threw her hands up. This was much bigger than she imagined and she really didn't want to fight with Rónán. Quite the opposite, in fact. He was just so ... so ... She sighed, yet again. "Okay, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said you were being selfish. I didn't understand."
"You meant it, though."
"Only because I wasn't thinking things through. You know me. I start yelling first, and then ask questions later. I said I was sorry."
He seemed unconvinced by her remorse.
" Please ."
Rónán studied her in the dim light, as if debating how much he could trust her, and then he shrugged. "Do you really understand, Trása? Because I do want to help Teagan, I truly do. And it's eating me up that I can't go back for Darragh, but do you really appreciate the risk?"
She nodded. "If you do anything to change the status quo, then the dream will come back and then one day you really will have to kill Darragh's children."
"It's more than that," he confessed. "You see, if that nightmare ever comes true and if I don't have the balls to do it, something even worse will happen, because if there is one thing about that dream that rings loud and clear, it's that a lot more people will die if I stay my hand."
Trása was silent for a moment as she found herself forced to reassess everything she had thought about Rónán and what fuelled his inaction these past three years.
"How can I help?" she asked in the end. Nothing else really mattered.
"Tell me how to get into Delphine's memories without going mad. Without her taking me over. And without making that dream come back."
"Maybe it's not her memories being locked away," Trása said, as it occurred to her that Rónán's fear, while legitimate, might be misplaced. "What if it was Delphine's death that caused the dreams to stop, not the Comhroinn or anything she might have known?"
"How does that work?"
"Well ... maybe she was going to do something in the future that meant one day those children would be born and you killed her, which stopped it from happening? If that's the case, it doesn't matter what she knew, because you're not her, so you can't do the same thing in the same way and cause the problem."
Rónán frowned. "That almost makes sense. But what could she do?"
"The Matrarchaí are in the business of making babies, Rónán. She probably had some floozy lined up
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