“A more welcome sight these eyes have never seen,” Finn said as they turned from the main road.

  The adjoining houses that comprised the MacSweeney home were awash in the glow of dawn. Its new light had yet to reach the ground or the waters of Ballyness Bay behind it. The cattle in the northern fields lowed to each other as the trio’s approach. Most of the sheep in the southern fields remained asleep. The right wheels inched from the side of the road, chasing a flock of crows hiding in the barley fields on the other side of the fence.

  “That’s fine and all,” Donal said to his brother, “but dya’know your eyes are closed?”

  “I’m picturing the bed I’m about to tumble into,” Finn said.

  “Keep this thing on the road,” Donal said. “It would be a sad thing to survive what we did just to die under a flipped wagon in the front yard. Besides, they won’t let you sleep all day.”

  Finn’s neck whipped his head in Donal’s direction. His brows dipped to match the shape of his incredulous grin. “Ah here, you of all people should be the one to judge others for sleeping through the day.”

  “Listen here, you melter," Donal said, his words interrupted by a chuckle, “they’re going to know we took shifts sleeping. Airgid’s tied up over there. Niall’s here and he’s going to ask for a report on what happened before Mrs. MacSweeney can hug Siobhan.”

  “They can wait two hours,” Finn said. “Two hours in a bed is better than an entire night sleeping in a wagon—and none of us got that last night. Speaking of—”

  Finn reached into the back of the wagon and shook Siobhan’s arm. “Shiv, we’re here. Finally.”

  Siobhan sat up and rubbed her eyes and then ran both hands through her hair. “I could do with some proper beauty sleep,” she said.

  Finn’s eyes narrowed as his grin widened. “Looks like you’ve had plenty.”

  Donal groaned. “Enough of this,” he said. “See you dopes inside.” He threw the reins in Finn’s lap and grabbed his spear. He hopped out of the wagon and stumbled from the change in momentum.

  “You couldn’t endure the final twenty yards?” Finn shouted over his shoulder as he guided Cáined to a place in front of the stables.

  “I can’t imagine many would,” Donal said. He walked toward the front door, allowing Finn and Siobhan to tie up the horse and unload the wagon.

  Finn and Siobhan together were happier than Donal had ever seen them alone, and they were a smart pair. With her around, the MacLaughlin house felt like a home for the first time since Donal's parents died. He simply needed space from their silliness now and then. It’s one reason he spent nearly the entirety of last autumn with Niall in Dunfanaghy, and again this past March.

  Donal waited for the pair near the front door so Siobhan could lead them through. They found Niall MacRannell squatting near the open hearth in the middle of the great room, his sun-worn face folded in frustration. An oversized glove covered his prosthetic silver hand which held an iron rod at the moment. “I told you it’d be them,” he said, jabbing at the embers under the fire.

  Dáirine MacSweeney and Siobhan’s brother, Ciarán, had been working at a table along the left wall of the room. Ciarán looked to his mother, and his mother looked to Siobhan with confusion.

  “You’re back?” the widow asked as she walked over to greet them. “A day early and looking absolutely knackered. What happened?”

  “Honestly, Mam, we just need some sleep,” Siobhan said. “Even two hours would do.”

  Mrs. MacSweeney pursed her lips and rested her hands on Siobhan’s shoulders. “You’re worrying me. At least have breakfast first.”

  Siobhan shook her head. “We’d rather not.”

  Dáirine pinched her lips before speaking. “You’d ‘rather not.’ And what could you mean by that?”

  “You know there’d be only one thing we’d be talking about while we eat,” Siobhan said. “Please, Mam, give us time to rest. We’ve been running all day and a half more.”

  “Yes, Dáirine,” Niall’s scuffed voice sounded from the hearth, “give ‘em a chance to get their stories straight before they tell us how it all went arseways.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  Siobhan sidestepped her mother and stepped toward the hearth. “Excuse me, sir?”

  “That’s it, isn’t it?” Niall asked. “Not a chance that you stopped the fuath, met with my man MacGinley and made it back in time for breakfast. So, tell me lass: what went wrong?”

  Finn excused himself past Mrs. MacSweeney and stepped even with Siobhan. “Oi, there’s no call for talking to her, or any of us, like that, is there?” he asked.

  Niall grinned out of the left side of his mouth. “You think so?” he asked. “Because I’m wrong?”

  Finn’s nostrils flared as the outsides of his brows pulled up on his eyelids. His face twitched for each comment he held back.

  “I didn’t think so,” Niall said. “So why don’t you tell us what happened.”

  Finn took one step forward. “Not until we—”

  Siobhan reached for Finn’s shoulder. “It’s fine,” she said.

  “It most certainly isn’t fine,” Finn said, his eyes studying Niall’s face.

  Siobhan sighed and nodded. “You’re right. But we’re going along with it anyway.”

  She explained the day spent going from tomb to tomb, looking for the portal and fighting any fuath they came upon. She recounted Donal’s tale about the one that switched forms to hunt the family north of town, and the misunderstanding that eventually chased them back to Ballyness and into a ambush at the hands of some bandits.

  “And you didn’t think of going to Donegal anyway?” Niall said.

  “Of course we did,” Siobhan said. “But I told you how quickly Killybóthan mobilized against us. If they sent messengers to Donegal—and there’s no reason to assume they wouldn’t—we weren’t getting into town, and we’d still be heading home as we speak, and that more the tired when the bandits came calling.”

  Niall cursed as he waved a hand at the fire and stood. “This was supposed to be a simple task. Run down there and tamp down that portal to stop any more of those things from getting through. Fuath are spiteful little things, sure, but nothing compared to what you three have beaten already.”

  “It’s not so easy when the information is shite, is it?” Finn said, his volume rising. “And you didn’t see that crowd either. If that innkeeper hadn’t kept the townsfolk calm, we might have had to fight our way out of there.”

  “I should have gone down,” Niall said. “This would never have gotten so far out of hand.”

  “But you weren’t there!” Finn yelled. He flicked his right hand backwards over his head. “Bah! I knew this would happen.” He looked at Siobhan. “It’s just like I told you—it doesn’t matter what news we came back with, himself there would find something to eat our heads off about.”

  “Didn’t have to look hard, did I, lad?” Niall said, his face reddening.

  “I don’t know what’s turned you sour over the last month, but it’s past tiresome, sir,” Finn said. “We can’t seem to do anything to please you. I get the feeling that if those bandits did us in, you’d have searched the otherworlds until you found us and scolded us for dying.”

  Mrs MacSweeney stepped quickly towards the middle of the room, arms raised. “Niall, don’t—”

  Niall gritted his teeth and shoved Finn’s left shoulder with his right hand, his crimson face inches from Finn’s. “Why would you say that to me? What did he tell you?”

  Donal had watched the argument unfold with his mouth agape. Niall’s shove shook Donal from his inaction. He jumped into the space between Niall and Finn.

  ”You’ve gone feral!” Finn said. “You told us this was a ‘simple’ hunt. Considering what we were up against, I’d have expected more understanding and gratitude from you, sir.”

  Niall tried to sidestep Donal to get at Finn. Donal was now forced to choose between his brother and his teacher, his uncle in everything but blood. He wrapped his arms around Niall and shook the man. “Niall, please,” Donal said. “Let’s take a moment. This isn’t yourself talking.”

  Niall never heard him. The elder extended his gloved hand over Donal’s shoulder. The hand rattled as he jabbed a finger in front of Finn and shook it. “‘Gratitude,’ he says! It was the simplest thing we could have given you. I thought I could trust you with it. Perhaps I was wrong about you—about the whole damn thing!”

  “Mr. MacRannell, if you please!” Mrs. MacSweeney shouted.

  Donal had never heard Mrs. MacSweeney raise her voice. Her hand hung at her hip with a finger pointed at the floor. Her eyes bored through Niall’s stormy exterior until his eyes locked with hers.

  Donal used the moment of distraction as his chance to move Niall away from Finn. Ciarán stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Donal to discourage any further physical escalation.

  “You will not speak to Finn in that manner,” Dáirine said. “How dare you make him pay penance for another man’s sins? Compose yourself, sir!”

  A dozen breaths were required to stop the heaving in Niall’s chest. The insides of his brows rose. Beads formed in the corner of his eyes as he looked back at Finn.

  Finn remained in a braced stance, his right fist clenched almost as tightly as his face. He studied Niall through his glassy eyes. He tilted his head as Niall’s expression changed.

  Niall touched his mouth with the index and middle fingers and shook his head. “I… Finn… I…” He reached between the men in front of him with an open palm. “I…”

  His arm and head sank. He turned for the door after a few seconds and left the house at a brisk pace. The people inside stared silently at the door as the sound of Airgid’s hoofbeats trailed into the east.

  A wave of regret washed over Finn’s face. “I shouldn’t have pushed him as hard as I did,” he said as he walked to the door. “I should apologize.”

  Dáirine intercepted Finn and cupped his cheeks in her hands. “The hell you will,” she said with a soft smile.

  Finn blushed at the rare moment of impropriety from the widow.

  Siobhan stood next to her mother and Finn. “What did you mean by ‘another man’s penance,’ Mam?”

  Dáirine dropped her hands and turned toward her daughter. “There’s something we’ve been meaning to tell you,” she said. “Once Niall gathers himself we’ll all sit down and have a chat. In the meantime, take the boys into the other house and rest while we wait for him to return.”

  She gave Finn another pat on his cheek before taking a seat at the table. “Ciarán, go do what you like for a bit. Breakfast will be late today.”