Page 41 of The Dark Will Fall (Twilight Lake #5)

Shay Mac Eoin

“I trust that Shay remembers the story.”

Nymphs loved stories. They loved myths, legends, gossip, and arguments when one of the elders forgot an important detail. He had grown up listening to the stories of the Tuatha Dé Danann, of the Shining Ones who built the Aos Sí from flesh and blood.

Shay was ashamed to admit it, but his mind had been on saving Maeve and escaping Cruinn—even if it meant Balor was allowed to live.

The Oilliphéist was a creature spoken about in whispers.

Fearsome, and without equal. Even a mention of its name made the Nymphs knit their fingers together in prayer—thanking the gods that such a creature as long extinct.

One of his favorite stories was ' The Swallowed Piper' , a tale about a Fae who was swallowed by the Oilliphéist—a dragon serpent so large that its body stretched the length of a river.

End-to-end. When the piper was swallowed by the beast, he played and played until the dragon could no longer stand his music and spat him out.

His father had said that Shay was much like the Swallowed Piper. Persistent, though he didn’t have a musical bone in his body.

Balor did not follow them, as their cadre was led out of the dining hall without so much as a backward wave. It seemed the dark god had been determined to separate them from Maeve and was content to prolong their deaths if it meant one of her beasts would be fed.

He hadn’t expected the addition of Liam Cruinn, though.

Balor had not blinked when Maeve had asked for Liam’s freedom as well.

It seemed she did not care if her only son was fed to the Oilliphéist as well.

At least the Undine male was familiar with the city's layout.

He would know the best path to take to evade the beast.

Liam Cruinn lagged behind, fiddling with his clothes as he hesitated to join them.

Cormac Illfinn carried Nuada over his shoulder, unburdened by her limp weight. The Siren Queen would slow them down, but they had no intention of leaving her.

Shay Mac Eoin knew enough about Nuada Airgetlám—the first ruler of the Tuatha Dé Danann to know that they would not be easily killed. If Nuada died, she would undoubtedly be waiting for them in the afterlife to enact all manner of revenge.

The courtyard outside the castle was littered with bright colored glass. Some sort of aesthetic design that made no sense to Shay. The abyss loomed in the distance, the finish line of a race to the city limits.

“Do we have a plan?” Rainn asked, stretching his arm in front of his chest.

“It’s a bit late to be asking, gobshite.” Cormac snapped, adjusting his weight to account for the unconscious siren on his shoulder. “Run fast and don’t look back, I suppose.”

“Run and leave Maeve to Balor, you mean.” Tormalugh frowned, clenching his fists. “I can’t transform with this damn bridle.”

“I trust Maeve,” Shay said, chin jutting as he met their gaze. “Do any of you remember the story of the Swallowed Piper?”

Liam Cruinn startled, pulling his hands from his pockets. His fingertips were stained black. “Huh?” He said. “Maeve thinks we should sing to the beast?”

“The Oilliphéist hates music.” Shay countered. “It will avoid it at any cost.”

“Shit timing.” Cormac’s lips mashed together. “We could have used Arden.”

They took a moment to mourn the siren, though it didn’t feel quite real.

Only Nuada’s actions had confirmed what they knew. Balor had turned Arden to foam with little more than a thought, and any of them could be next if they didn’t play along with her games.

The window above the courtyard opened, and Balor stepped onto the balcony without fanfare.

She held a simple flute in her hand, with a bubble charm on the end.

An instrument he had never seen before. She did not announce the beast, but instead, played a single note that made no sound until the bubble popped with delayed timing.

The castle was almost silent, as if the building had been gutted from the inside.

A moment passed and then another, before a roar echoed from behind the castle.

Cormac cursed and took off in a burst of red scales, swimming away as fast as he was able. At least he had the sense to stay low, hidden by the buildings. If he rose above the city, the beast would swallow him in one bite.

Shay Mac Eoin swallowed whatever witty retort he had considered making as the sea-dragon reared its head. Leaving him wondering how such a beast could earn the name dragon at all. Rainn’s mouth popped open, and they froze, studying the beast when they should have been running.

Tor, Rainn, and Shay took off, swimming over the bridge to the city as fast as they could. Rainn’s body twisted, mid-kick, as he took his seal form.

The Oilliphéist unfurled its body; each coil of its monstrous body was larger than the entirety of the castle. It was not like the dragons painted in his storybooks. It had no eyes, just a mouth within a mouth. Teeth upon teeth, jagged and facing all directions.

The staff in his pocket grew warm. Maeve’s gift, though she had given him little instruction as she had pressed it into his pocket.

Liam Cruinn stood in the courtyard, seemingly unaware of the beast readying itself to attack behind him. Liam looked down at the fishing wire in his blackened fingers, wholly engrossed in his task.

“Cruinn!” Shay called out, drawing the Oilliphéist ’s attention. “Move your fecking arse!”

Liam Cruinn startled, eyes widening as he looked up, noticing the giant worm's rounded head. He let out a squeak and took off after them as the worm lunged—the teeth snapping closed in a series of disjointed cracks.

“Head in the game, Cruinn!” Shay barked as the Undine caught up with them. The fecker was fast, he had to admit. “What’s more important than running for your life ?!”

“The weapon!” Liam did not look back when he spoke, his back straight as he sliced through the water. He‘d had training.

“We need to sing. Lure the beast away from the populated areas. It will try to eat us, to stop the music.” Tor’s gait was slower than usual. No doubt from the days of malnutrition, and possibly more.

“Then what?” Liam argued. “We just let it eat us.”

“I’ll take care of that,” Shay assured them, though his words held more confidence than he felt.

“What’s this weapon?” Tor asked, never missing a step.

“Iron and Balor’s bloodline.” Liam glanced over his shoulder as the beast let out another roar. Stones flew and screams echoed through the streets as the wyrm chased them. Liam gestured to the left. “That way!” he barked. “Away from the houses!”

They followed his direction.

“You’re a weaver?” Tor asked.

“Stop asking questions, and flee!” Cormac shouted from in front of them, his head start proved fruitless with the heavy weight of the queen on his shoulders.

They followed his command, swimming as fast as they were able. The abyss grew taller the closer they got, but the beast no longer followed.

They slowed, turning as a group, as the wyrm cleared a street of stone houses with the swipe of its tail.

So much blood in the water.

Shay opened his mouth and began to sing, pulling the staff from his pocket and clutching it to his chest.

Two pillars of the hill,

Where two worlds meet,

The darkness cast a shadow,

Walking on clawed feet,

The Sídhe fight for glory,

The gods, they fight for fame,

But when the world is dead,

And gone,

Only the gods remain.

Cormac eyed the staff, and understanding lit his features. The beast reared its neck, ready to swallow him whole. The others stood behind him, and the staff grew warm.

He brought it to his mouth and whispered.

“Please,” Shay asked, making a bargain with the twisted wood, before light stole his vision and blood filled the water.