Page 80 of Queen of the Shadow

Cuchulainn nodded. She was coming with him! He would not be alone. He would have more time with her. The joy that thought gave him flushed through his body, invigorating him. He realized she’d asked him a question, but he’d been standing there smiling like a dolt and hadn’t answered.

“No! I mean, yes. Yes, it would be counterproductive to die to retrieve the spear. I can’t believe—” His words broke off as he went to Scáthach, picked her up, and twirled her around. “Thank you!” he said after he put her down.

Tabiti covered a laugh with a cough. Uathach made no attempt to cover her giggles.

Scáthach cupped his cheek with her palm. “I’m glad I’m going with you. But you should know if you pick me up like that again, I will knock you on your ass.”

“Noted,” said Cuchulainn, still grinning.

“Good,” she said. “Then let’s go.” Scáthach bent to kiss Leannan on her muzzle. She held the dog’s face in her hands. “Be good while I’m gone. Take care of our Little Fry and do not worry Tabiti too much.” Then she turned to Tabiti. “I would ask that you guard my daughter and my castle.”

Tabiti bowed formally to her queen. “With my last breath.”

Scáthach stood before Uathach. “Remember that time passes differently in the Underworld. To me it may seem as if I’ve only been there for one week, but when we return to the land of the living, one month or even one year may have passed.”

Uathach nodded. “I will remember.”

Scáthach pulled her daughter into her arms. “I know you’ll teach the students well. I know you’ll care for Dunscáith as if it is yours, which it is while I am gone.”

“Yes, Mama.”

“But do not forget to care for yourself. Be kind to yourself. If you become overwhelmed, ask Tabiti for help, just as I ask her and you when I am overwhelmed.”

Tabiti snorted. “You’re never overwhelmed.”

“If that is true, it is only because you and Uathach are always at my side. So be there for each other and for our students.” She wiped a tear from her daughter’s cheek. “I love you, Little Fry. Always.”

“And I love you, Mama. Always.”

Scáthach and Cuchulainn stepped into the boat. Tabiti and Uathach untied it, and then they pointed the bow into the west. The wind caught the sail, and they skimmed over the water as Cuchulainn watched Dunscáith fade away from them.

Chapter 19

It wasn’t just that Scáthach was beautiful—though she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. It wasn’t just that Scáthach was strong and skilled—though she was the most powerful warrior he’d ever known.

It was her laugh.

It was her compassion.

It was her intelligence.

It was everything about her.

Sentanta loved Scáthach.

He knew they could never truly be together. But as he watched her with the sturgeons and bears and even the strange stone snake, Sentanta knew that for the rest of his life he would only need to think of the Queen of Shadow to feel, if only for a sweet, brief moment, the warmth and acceptance of home.

* * *

At first they didn’t talk. They just sailed. The day was spectacular. The sky was the perfect shade of cornflower blue, the sea a glistening sapphire. It was neither too hot, nor too cold, and there was just enough wind to keep pushing the little boat across the placid sea.

Scáthach had learned to sail from her mother. Béfionn had taught her daughter how to use the wind and the currents and how to navigate by the sun and stars. She loved being out on the water and, she admitted to herself, it felt delightfully freeing to be away from the castle and the unending mound of responsibilities that came with being the Queen of Shadow.

In truth, Scáthach hadn’t felt this relaxed since Cuchulainn had collected his boon and she’d taken him to the beach. Of course, the last part of that day when they’d been ambushed hadn’t been relaxing. She very much hoped this day would prove to have a happier ending. The Queen of Shadow did not know what they would face in their quest for the Gáe Bulg, but she did not fear the Underworld. Scáthach had felt comfortable in the spirit realm from the time she was a child.

“They are but people who have crossed from the mortal realm to the next. They should be feared no more than the living.”

Her mother had explained that to her before the first time she’d taken her young daughter with her to the Underworld. The child Scáthach had not feared the spirits of the dead. In turn the spirits and the Underworld had shown her the same deference and respect they did her mother. Scáthach always looked forward to visits to the Summerlands. As the sea breeze blew through her hair and the steady slap of the waves against the side of the boat soothed her like a lullaby, she thought about how many years had passed since she’d been that child who had taken her mother’s hand and descended through the mortal veil into the next world. Scáthach smiled. She was glad she’d come with Cuchulainn. She’d missed the Underworld.