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Voices rang out from another part of the house, the library, or perhaps the drawing room. Pádraig’s lilting tenor rose above everyone else’s, bringing a smile and erasing the sadness weighing down my soul. I would have given anything to join them.

If only.

I left the shadows and approached my father’s casket. I rested my fingers on his great shoulders—the shoulders I would ride upon as a child. I would not see him again, not in that realm or the other. His soul journeyed elsewhere and would not return. I pressed my lips against his forehead and whispered my last goodbye: “ Codladh sámh , Da. Sleep well.”

“I’ve never thought of it that way before. To think of them sleeping. A peaceful, dreamy sleep.” Her voice broke the everlasting silence I had endured for the past seven years. I looked up, drawn to the glow in her eyes. Her entrance into the room appeared ghostlike, just like mine.

“This is my fault. So much of this is my fault.” I admonished, admitting my guilt, which felt freeing. I looked at my father. He was just as dead to them as I was. It was better that way. The family deserved peace.

“Don’t think that.” Full of warmth, her words flowed into me, reminding me of what I once was—flesh and bone, not the shade I was now.

“Who are you?” I studied her, unsure of her standing within the Faerie realm. It was unlike them to follow me. I had, after all, earned the privilege of moving freely within the mortal plane concealed beneath the enchantment they had imposed upon me.

“Calla, Calla Sweet. I’m sorry for your loss.” She bent her head in sympathy. Her eyes were familiar, the same as Themselves. They were luminous, reflecting all the light in the world.

“How interesting.” I rubbed my chin, lost in the possibilities. A Faerie girl living in the mortal realm? Was that what she was? My experience with Faeries told me one thing—beware.

“Excuse me?” Curiosity flickered in those uncommon eyes.

“I saw you at the pub last night.” I studied her, debating the pros and cons of sharing my soul with a being such as her. To ask anything of Them came with inherent risks.

“Yes, I remember. Do you know Saoirse?” She lowered her eyelashes, her gaze calculating. So like Them.

I stood my ground—now was not the time to falter.

“Yes, I know, Saoirse.”

The icy breath of winter brushed my face, the chill paralyzing. Suspicions confirmed. Magic emanated from her—Faerie magic. I exhaled through my nose, allowing my limbs to lengthen and my joints to relax. There were no wards against her kind. I had learned long ago to submit.

I opened my mind and gave her what she sought—the truth. After so many years, I had nothing to hide. I allowed my thoughts to drift, showing her Saoirse lying in my arms, her hair flowing over her shoulders. She was mine, and I was hers. There would never be another. I lived in those lost moments. They were all I had left.

Saoirse and I had a future—‘had’ being the operative word. I bear the blame. Could I change the past and undo that moment? For them to know I lived? What horrors would it put them through? Maybe she would help, if not for me, then for Saoirse.

“Not without divine intervention,” I murmured under my breath—seven years lost because of my arrogance.

The icy hand released me, replaced by the sounds and smells of my father’s house. My knees buckled.

“What’s that?” She tilted her head and touched the casket’s edge with her fingers, drawing the shadows to her. I watched as they clung to her, becoming part of her. I realized one thing. She was neither of the mortal realm nor entirely of the other.

The clouds shifted, and an imperceptible mist crept through the open window and slithered across the floor. My return to the Other Realm drew near. There was a time when I believed escape could be achieved.

I joined the dance, leaving my beautiful Saoirse behind. I walked across the realms of my own volition without thinking about the repercussions. Any fool knew the consequences of mixing with the Faerie folk. I trusted those I thought were friends, arrogant in my confidence. I learned too late who and what they truly were.

“Have you ever made a poor decision?” I debated asking that strange being for what? Redemption?

“Yeah…lots.” She laughed. “Have you spoken to them? I mean, most things can be fixed, one way or the other. Tit for tat, if you know what I mean.” She spoke in melodic, enchanting tones.

I pitied the mortal who fell under her spell.

“No. It goes way beyond.” I pressed my hands flat against the wall.

I glanced for the last time at my father, finding solace in one truth. His spirit had found its way to a better place. I could only hope for the same grace.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” Her angel voice channeled darkness into light. My heart leaped, filled with an emotion I had for so long refused to entertain.

She was not like Them. She was something more.

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