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I couldn’t bear to think about that day, so I simply didn’t think of it at all.

The third ring, though, did not belong to our family and never had. The third ring Ma carried was one Da had been paid to protect during his lifetime. His magick from The Dagda hadn’t blossomed fully in the same way his mother’s and mine had, but Da’s pure heart and kind soul had qualified him for a holy task few walking the Earth were ever deemed worthy of doing.

Ma, whose greatest magickal gift was laying curses, was still in awe of the being who carried the original of the ring Da guarded. She always said ring’s true keeper was an angel come to Earth for this one purpose. Angel or not, I knew someone powerful came to Da shortly after I was born and asked that he protect the ring’s twin.

It lay inert and had remained so all the years Da had worn it. There was no doubt in my mind, though, that the ring had latent power. Nor did I doubt that a magickal transference would occur if anything ever happened to the original. My instincts alone informed me of this, but I also saw the shining white light of its aura.

No matter what belief system ya followed on this planet, there were objects that were holy and those that were a threat to mankind. Both had to be respected and I took that wisdom to heart.

Ma unfastened the chain and removed two of the three rings. “I’ve been meaning to give ya Mother O’Malley’s ring for years. She meant for ya to one day have it, but I didn’t trust yer husband not to talk ya out of it. That’s yet another thing I suppose I should have told ya sooner. Maybe I should have sent the ring to ya by Fiona when she visited ya in prison.”

I put my hand over one of mother’s. “Let me save ya from uttering apologies every time ya tell me something ya’ve kept from me. I’m grateful ya kept our family stuff from Jack. I’m sorry I didn’t see his true self sooner. Just say yer piece when ya need to and I promise not to get offended. Every story simply reminds me that I’m human and can be fooled.”

“Goddess, Aran... no one is ever going to be harder on ya than ya are on yerself. The man was yer husband. Of course, ya wanted to trust him. Now hush yer self-effacing diatribe and put on yer grandmother’s ring.”

I took the ring from Ma’s outstretched fingers and slipped it onto the ring finger of my left hand. It filled the spot where my wedding ring used to sit. The delicate band sized itself to my finger as I watched. The cluster of stones vibrated against me in recognition.

“Look at it glowing on ya. I know how ya love shortcuts, Aran, but don’t use any harsh jewelry cleaner on those stones. They’re natural. Just use water for the dirt and cleanse it on a cluster of amethyst once in a while.”

“Yes, Ma,” I answered. There was no reason to fuss back.

The day Bridget O’Malley stopped fussing at me would be the day she passed on. With my luck, her ghost would stand beside me for the rest of my life complaining about how I did things wrong or didn’t do something right.

“Are ya sure about giving me this ring, Ma? Ya’ve had it a long time. I know how bereft ya can feel without something ya’ve had for a lifetime.”

“Yes, I’m sure,” she said softly. “But thank ya for asking. It never glowed for me, which is a sure sign of a rightful owner.”

She held out the other ring and shook it until I finally took it. “Maybe if ya wear this for a while, the angels will come to stop ya. Then we’ll both be freed of the responsibility.”

I laughed at her teasing. “Are ya saying they might fear I will be a bad influence on the ring?”

Ma laughed at my words and shrugged. “I would never say that to yer face because I’m yer mother, but an angel would probably tell ya the truth. I hear they’re brutal.”

My grin was wide as I slipped the quiet twin of King Solomon’s Seal onto my right hand. Like my Grandmother O’Malley’s ring, it also sized itself to fit my finger, though my hands were much smaller than Da’s. As the metal warmed to my skin, I felt a bolt of unfamiliar energy shoot through my hand and travel up my arm. Once that energy rested on both my shoulders, the energy traveled up to my head and also across my chest until it settled around my heart.

I didn’t feel more powerful after all that movement, but I felt like it was talking to me. The message seemed to be one of relief. Had it not felt safe hanging around Ma’s neck? Or had it been worried for her?

Conn’s mantle of power had always felt sentient to me. I definitely could command it, but it also advised me in ways I couldn’t explain. Finding out King Solomon’s second ring possessed its own sentience was a surprise I hadn’t anticipated.

Rather than sensing the hibernation of its power, I felt it striving to accomplish something and knew I was a means to an end for that goal. I could hardly be mad since I was planning to use the ring to scare the demons into answering my questions, but I was too tired to consider all the moral implications tonight.

Bending to kiss my mother’s cheek, I hugged her to me. “Thank ya for loaning me the ring Da guarded. I promise I’ll be careful with it. Do ya know what Grandmother O’Malley’s ring does?”

“No. It was only a pretty bauble on my hand,” Ma said, patting my cheek. “I’m sure ya will learn its intention one day. Be safe going back.”

“I will. I’ll be taking one of the taxis in front of the hotel. The boys are waiting up for me. Conn sent a text that they were watching sports on TV.”

“Conn missed ya something fierce, Aran.”

I nodded as she walked me to the door. “I missed him too, but I’d do it again to keep Jack away from him.”

“Jack’s magickal arrow wouldn’t have killed Conn, but he would have had to kill Jack to get away. Being widowed in that manner would have created a much worse situation than yer divorce has. Ya made the right decision in waiting for Fiona to grow up some. I’m proud of ya for doing the harder thing.”

“Thanks, Ma. It helps to hear ya say it.”

Ma held the door open for me while she said the rest of her goodbye. “Stop looking back and wondering what might have been different. I swear on Goddess Danu’s good name that Jack Derringer was leading ya to yer current dilemma since the day the two of ya met. Turn loose being angry that he disappointed ya and do the spell to call yer powers back before ya tackle the demons. It will improve yer clarity.”

“Okay, Ma. I’ll do the spell before I face them. I promise.”