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The townspeople there could not have been any worse than they were in Ifreann.

Dangerous thoughts, she knew, but she wondered what her life would have been like had her father not taken her from her birthplace.

No one had ever said a word about where she was from except that it was one of the last few strongholds to defy the king. That in and of itself was blasphemy to her aunt, so anything outside of Drystan Territory did not exist for her.

She smiled at thinking of what her father must have looked like when he stepped foot into Ifreann for the first time. The shock that must have taken the entire town into a stranglehold. She liked to visualize her father showing up in his underclothes having been unused to the heat, with a young, bedraggled daughter in tow, and seeking refuge.

Her father would talk about their home before Ifreann on very rare occasions. Mostly it was about how he didn’t miss the cold as much as he thought, but he did miss the mountains. Other than that, he never spoke of her mother or her homeland.

“It’s beautiful there,” Callum said from behind her, and she wondered again if he could read her mind. “If you’re looking to the north in thought, I’d assume it would be for the land of your birth.”

She nodded.

“I was. I know nothing of it.” Turning to Callum, his eyes were not the blue of every day, but the swirling flecks of gold and silver, a galaxy within him.

“It is beautiful, and I can only hope the king never manages to squash the rebellion there. They are amazing people who are fierce. You remind me so much of them.”

Looking away, she swiped the rogue tear that escaped from hearing his words. Taking a deep breath, finding her inner strength, she turned back to Callum. There was no point in speaking on a place that was no longer hers to call home.

“How do I use my powers?” she asked, and he shook his head.

“It is not on and off as such. These are ingrained in you, but I will work with you to recall as much as you can. Most of the rest is instinctual, and you can call upon them when you’re ready.”

Cyerra landed on a dead tree branch near them.

“And if you can’t figure it out, everyone dies. No pressure, Phantom Queen.”

“I think the crow is being snarky with me.”

Callum laughed a genuine belly laugh.

“Yes, I imagine she is quite frustrated you did not wake up with all the memories you left with. She never had patience, even when you were the Morrigan.”

Bryn tried not to let the words bother her even if she knew the others were far ahead of her in their memories, or at least in control of their powers, returning. They may not remember who they were as a god, but they were working with their powers and finding new ways to make their lives easier.

Which was why it was difficult to be around them. She could admit she was jealous.

She still did not have a grasp on the visions she’d dealt withbeforeDanu had given her that damn stone.

“We are going to Faerie?”the crow asked as she tilted her avian head, and Bryn looked back at the crow. Those words were the most excited she’d ever heard from Cyerra, her voice usually bordering between exasperated and sarcastic.

“Correct, and we will need your help crossing for the first time, Cyerra.”

Bryn snapped her head to look at Callum.

“You can hear her?” she asked, feeling a little less special that her familiar could speak to other people.

Mature? No. Not at all.

“Only when she pushes her words into other’s minds can they hear her,” he explained as he sat, crossing his legs, and gesturing for Bryn to do the same.

“Since this is her first time, you can act as a tether for her while I make sure nothing happens to her physical form,” he said out loud to Cyerra, the crow flying over and landing on Bryn’s shoulder.

“Can I say how weird this is?” she thought aloud as Cyerra hit her in the face with her tail feathers.

“Bryn, release yourself from your mortal form and walk to the other plane,” Callum ordered, folding his hands in front of him as he waited. “Once you’ve grown in your power, you will be able to take your physical body, but until then, let’s focus on your mind.”

“Uh...” She looked from Callum to Cyerra. “How?”