Among the Unseen Read Online Free PDF Page B

now. It hadn’t been so long since his last visit that they would have forgotten him, so it was unlikely they’d mistake him for a mere human. “Faelon?” he called again. He stopped and looked around. Had he gone the wrong way? No, he was sure this was it. The tall oak to his right was where Faelon held court, and the bushes that came up to his knees were the ones the pixies often decked out with glowing lights for evening soirees. But the place was empty and void of any sign of life. “Hello? Is anyone here? Faelon! Caldes! Dathel!”
    Just then he heard a rustling in the leaves, and his body relaxed. But instead of the flutter of wings and the sound of high-pitched voices, the sounds that emerged were distinctly human. An old woman with long white hair that fell to her waist walked out of the forest. She was bent over, carrying a basket filled with herbs and plants and chunks of bark. Her hands were dirty, and one nail was bleeding.
    “They’re all gone,” she said.
    The woman was obviously human, and Irial’s instinct was to turn and run. But she spoke as though she had answers.
    She let out a dry laugh. “Don’t you worry about me, boy. I’m far too old to be attracted to the likes of you, though I’ll still keep my distance, if you don’t mind. As long as you don’t lay your hands on me I think I can resist.”
    “Who are you?” he asked.
    “My name is Maggie,” she answered. Then she narrowed her eyes and looked closer at him. “You don’t look too good.” She scowled. “Another one. I was afraid of this.”
    “Another one?” he repeated. “Who else?”
    She waved a hand at the forest around them. “The pixies. They left the day before yesterday. Thought it was maybe a curse on the land. I don’t know where they were heading or how far they’ll get—some of them could barely fly anymore.”
    “How do you know? You’re a human…Did they let you see them?”
    “I am human, yes, but I am also one of the fili,” she answered. “So some of your kind—the magical kind, that is—show themselves to me from time to time. You might as well come with me. I’ve been collecting more herbs for Martin; perhaps they’ll help you.”
    “Martin?” Irial didn’t move.
    “You’d know him as Logheryman, if you know him at all.”
    “The leprechaun. He’s sick as well?”
    Maggie nodded tersely, and then headed back through the woods. At another time he would have been able to race ahead of her, but now he struggled to keep up. The forest was dense, and he moved slowly, leaning on tree trunks for support and climbing awkwardly over fallen logs. Every once in a while Maggie would veer from her path and stoop down to collect a handful of some type of plant or flower—they all looked the same to him, but she examined each leaf, petal, and stem closely before adding it to her basket. Finally, when he thought he could go no farther, they emerged into another clearing, this one with a small house at its center.
    “Is this where you live?” he asked, leaning heavily against the closest tree trunk.
    “No,” she answered. “ ’Tis Martin’s house. Come inside and I’ll do what I can for you.”
    He made his way through the front door and collapsed on the sofa in the front room, unable to keep a moan from escaping his lips. Maggie clicked her tongue in concern and tossed him a blanket from across the room. He knew she didn’t want to get too close, and he was glad for it. He needed her help, and she wouldn’t be able to give it to him if she were driven mad with desire, which could very well happen even though she was old enough to be a grandmother.
    “I’ll be right back,” she said. “I’m going to check on Martin.” Then she disappeared into the back of the house.
    Irial stared at the white ceiling of the simple cottage. They were all sick—the selkies, the púka, the pixies, and now the leprechauns—or at least a leprechaun. Even if he did make it to the Merrow, he suspected that