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Authors: Jennifer Fallon
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her honestly. She truly didn’t. She’d known ever since coming to court that she was destined to bear the sons of the next generation of rulers, but she’d expected a husband, and a little more fanfare. The blunt announcement caught her by surprise.
‘Gods … you’re not still a virgin are you?’
‘Of course not.’ Brydie had happily surrendered her innocence at last year’s Lughnasadh , almost a year ago.
‘Well, that’s a start, I suppose,’ the queen remarked, a little sourly. ‘Are you going to ask me why?’
‘If it’s the will of the goddess …’
‘Oh, don’t give me that,’ the queen scoffed. ‘I saw the look you gave me this morning in the grove, when I suggested Ethna and Morann were blessed by Danú . You didn’t believe it for a moment.’
‘Do you believe, an Bhantiarna ?’ Brydie felt compelled to ask, a little bothered to learn the queen could read her so easily.
‘I believe Danú gave our people a gift, Brydie,’ the queen told her, lowering her voice as she leant forward. ‘It’s a gift wrappedin a package we might not have chosen for ourselves, but it is a gift nonetheless. A precious gift, but one that can all too easily be taken from us, if we loosen our grip on it. We believe it is Danú ’s will that we use the wit she gave us, to hold onto it.’
Brydie wished she understood what the queen was telling her, but Álmhath really wasn’t making much sense.
‘I’m not sure I understand of which gift you speak, an Bhantiarna. ’
‘I speak of the gift of Tuatha magic,’ the queen said, leaning back in her seat.
Brydie frowned. ‘But that is a gift bestowed on the Druids through the Undivided, my lady. Not mere mortals like you and I.’
Álmhath’s brow furrowed with irritation. ‘The Druids are us, you foolish girl,’ she said. ‘As I say, the gift comes in a package I would not have chosen, but the Undivided are human, just like you and me, as are the Druids who channel the magic because of their link to the twins. If we lose their bloodline, we lose the magic. You may not think that would make much difference to you, but consider for a moment what our world would be like if we lost the ability to travel instantly through the stone circles, from one place to another. If rift runners couldn’t visit other realms to warn of dangers facing this one. Think of the famines we would have suffered, if we hadn’t been warned in advance and known to stockpile food? The lives that might have been lost in a flood, had we not seen it coming in another realm so we could evacuate people and livestock to higher ground. Imagine if our healers were forced to heal people with nothing but herbs and dubious surgical tools rather than with magic.’ She shook her head, sighing. ‘If you’ve ever seen the aftermath of a battle where there was no magically gifted Liaig to heal men’s wounds, Brydie Ni’Seanan, you’d not so lightly dismiss Danú ’s gift to us.’
Brydie had truly never thought of the Undivided in that waybefore. Or the Druids. But one thing puzzled her about the queen’s impassioned speech. ‘You said the bloodline needed to be preserved, my lady. I didn’t think the Undivided were related to their predecessors. I thought psychic twins were something random that happened at Danú ’s whim?’
‘ Danú ’s whim and the will of the Matrarchaí ,’ the queen said, frowning.
‘The Matrarchaí ?’ Brydie asked, puzzled by the queen’s comment.
‘The Matrarchaí are the reason the line has never been broken, Brydie. The reason why, after sixty-six generations, humans still occupy Sí an Bhrú. ’
Brydie stared at the queen as she realised what Álmhath was telling her. ‘The Matrarchaí know the secret of producing the psychic twins needed to preserve the Treaty of Tír Na nÓg .’
The queen nodded, smiling grimly. ‘Your father said you were a bright girl.’
‘That’s what you meant about my mother’s line.’
‘There is more than
‘Gods … you’re not still a virgin are you?’
‘Of course not.’ Brydie had happily surrendered her innocence at last year’s Lughnasadh , almost a year ago.
‘Well, that’s a start, I suppose,’ the queen remarked, a little sourly. ‘Are you going to ask me why?’
‘If it’s the will of the goddess …’
‘Oh, don’t give me that,’ the queen scoffed. ‘I saw the look you gave me this morning in the grove, when I suggested Ethna and Morann were blessed by Danú . You didn’t believe it for a moment.’
‘Do you believe, an Bhantiarna ?’ Brydie felt compelled to ask, a little bothered to learn the queen could read her so easily.
‘I believe Danú gave our people a gift, Brydie,’ the queen told her, lowering her voice as she leant forward. ‘It’s a gift wrappedin a package we might not have chosen for ourselves, but it is a gift nonetheless. A precious gift, but one that can all too easily be taken from us, if we loosen our grip on it. We believe it is Danú ’s will that we use the wit she gave us, to hold onto it.’
Brydie wished she understood what the queen was telling her, but Álmhath really wasn’t making much sense.
‘I’m not sure I understand of which gift you speak, an Bhantiarna. ’
‘I speak of the gift of Tuatha magic,’ the queen said, leaning back in her seat.
Brydie frowned. ‘But that is a gift bestowed on the Druids through the Undivided, my lady. Not mere mortals like you and I.’
Álmhath’s brow furrowed with irritation. ‘The Druids are us, you foolish girl,’ she said. ‘As I say, the gift comes in a package I would not have chosen, but the Undivided are human, just like you and me, as are the Druids who channel the magic because of their link to the twins. If we lose their bloodline, we lose the magic. You may not think that would make much difference to you, but consider for a moment what our world would be like if we lost the ability to travel instantly through the stone circles, from one place to another. If rift runners couldn’t visit other realms to warn of dangers facing this one. Think of the famines we would have suffered, if we hadn’t been warned in advance and known to stockpile food? The lives that might have been lost in a flood, had we not seen it coming in another realm so we could evacuate people and livestock to higher ground. Imagine if our healers were forced to heal people with nothing but herbs and dubious surgical tools rather than with magic.’ She shook her head, sighing. ‘If you’ve ever seen the aftermath of a battle where there was no magically gifted Liaig to heal men’s wounds, Brydie Ni’Seanan, you’d not so lightly dismiss Danú ’s gift to us.’
Brydie had truly never thought of the Undivided in that waybefore. Or the Druids. But one thing puzzled her about the queen’s impassioned speech. ‘You said the bloodline needed to be preserved, my lady. I didn’t think the Undivided were related to their predecessors. I thought psychic twins were something random that happened at Danú ’s whim?’
‘ Danú ’s whim and the will of the Matrarchaí ,’ the queen said, frowning.
‘The Matrarchaí ?’ Brydie asked, puzzled by the queen’s comment.
‘The Matrarchaí are the reason the line has never been broken, Brydie. The reason why, after sixty-six generations, humans still occupy Sí an Bhrú. ’
Brydie stared at the queen as she realised what Álmhath was telling her. ‘The Matrarchaí know the secret of producing the psychic twins needed to preserve the Treaty of Tír Na nÓg .’
The queen nodded, smiling grimly. ‘Your father said you were a bright girl.’
‘That’s what you meant about my mother’s line.’
‘There is more than
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