Cresent Prophecy

replied. “The hawthorn trees shield us from the bad guys, I’ve got a magical dagger, and we have Boone.”
Mairead glanced at him and frowned. “Are you…”
“Nay,” he said, shaking his head. “I’m somethin’ else entirely.” He’d returned with the tea and biscuits and set them on the coffee table.
“Here,” I said, handing her the cup of tea. “Have this and a couple of chocolate bickies. It’ll warm you up, and a sugar hit never hurt anyone.”
Standing, I gestured for Boone to follow me into the kitchen so we could talk.
“What a mess,” I said.
“Aye, to be sure.” He glanced back at Mairead, clearly worried.
“It’s the prophecy,” I whispered. “It’s coming true. The spell will be broken. The blood of the golden one will crack the chains, and she will return.”
“It’s only true if they manage to take the right person,” he replied. “We thought they might try somethin’ like this.”
“Yeah, but not against Mairead!” I seethed and began grinding my teeth.
“Calm down,” Boone murmured. “She’s all right, Skye. While she’s with us, they won’t be able to touch her again. The hawthorns will protect her.”
“They shouldn’t have touched her in the first place. Did you see how scared she is?” I jabbed a finger toward the lounge room. “All because I gave her that talisman.”
“You couldn’t have known. You were tryin’ to help.”
“I feel like I shouldn’t have.” I rubbed my eyes, the weight on my shoulders feeling heavier than ever.
Boone wrapped his arms around me and squeezed. His touch was reassuring, but I couldn’t shake Mairead’s expression.
I shook my head. “It’s happening. I didn’t think it would be so soon…”
“It’ll be all right.”
“Carman is already trying to sink her claws into me,” I went on. “She knows I’m here, and she knows I’m the last. She has to if she was brazen enough to snatch Mairead off the street.”
“There’s no way she could know how powerful you are,” Boone said. “You need to mask your magic until the right moment.”
I nodded, glancing back to where Mairead was sipping her tea.
“When you unleashed on that craglorn,” Boone whispered into my ear. “It was incredible. You were brighter than Aileen. I know it’s a big ask, fightin’ for us, especially after what Lucy told you about the witches, but I believe in you. And now so does Mairead. Did you see the look in her eyes when you healed her hand? That girl idolizes you.”
I snorted. “It’s hard to take the high road when I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Neither of us chose our paths, Skye, but we’re on them all the same.”
Boone was always right. I didn’t know why I fought against him anymore. It was just my own insecurities talking, and the fear of the unknown. I suppose that was how I knew I was human.
I untangled myself from Boone’s arms and straightened my jumper. “Right. I better get Mairead set up in the spare room.”
He let me go, but I felt his eyes on my back. I could wield my sword of sass all I wanted, but when it came down to the crunch, my one-liners wouldn’t save me. It was time to grow up. Hashtag adulting.
Taking the empty cup of tea from Mairead, I smiled. “It’s late, and you look exhausted. I have a spare bed upstairs if you want to stay.”
She nodded.
“Then tomorrow, we’ll figure out what to tell your parents.”
“I won’t tell,” she exclaimed. “I won’t tell anyone what happened. I promise.”
“I know. I trust you.”
She smiled, the color returning to her cheeks.
Standing, I coaxed her to follow. “Let’s get you to bed.”
As I tucked Mairead in—which was a strange sensation considering our relationship—I felt a pang of rage twisting my gut.
I’d expected Carman to go after me, what with her craglorns and trickster fae, but now she’d messed with an innocent girl. There was no way I was letting that scrag get away with it.
If I doubted my abilities before today, then I didn’t anymore. I couldn’t waver. I had to believe one hundred percent. It was as simple as that.
One way or another, Carman was going to pay.

Chapter 16
The next morning, I took Mairead home to her parents.
I’d seen Beth and Gregory around the village from time to time, but I’d never developed a close friendship with the pair like I had with their daughter. So it came as no surprise that Mairead had run to me before she went to them.
Sitting on their couch, I nursed a cup of tea while Gregory sat in an armchair rolling his eyes while we heard the docile tones of Beth screaming her displeasure to her daughter.
There was something about dropping out of Trinity, then her fashion choices, and squandering her one chance at a decent future. I rolled my eyes, knowing plenty of people didn’t know what they wanted to do at eighteen, and university wasn’t a onetime deal. Mairead could always go back.
As for her fashion choices, there were worse hues out there than black. Like poo brown. And beige. Beige was pretty woeful.
“Mum!” Mairead wailed, following Beth back into the sitting room.
Gregory gave me a sympathetic look, which was a precursor to the roasting I was about to get.
“It’s you McKinney’s always leadin’ her astray,” the older woman declared.
I gasped dramatically and held my hand to my chest like I was wounded.
“You’re just the same as Aileen, puttin’ nonsense in her head.”
“Beth, darlin’,” Gregory began but was immediately shut down.
“Me daughter drops out of school in the middle of the night and goes straight to you!”
Setting down the cup and saucer, I resisted the urge to turn her into a toad with disgusting warts on her private parts.
“Mum!”
“You keep quiet, Mairead.”
Gregory was silent, proving it was the women of the household who wore the pants.
“If she won’t go back to Trinity, then I can’t have her under me roof!” Beth exclaimed. “I can’t have it!”
I could just tell them what happened to their daughter, but it would make things worse. It would