Sergei has arranged for the council members to meet us at my townhouse while my roommates are out for the day, giving them some time to place protective wards around it to help keep me anonymous while I get my bearings in Galway. I'd already been nervous about my move so far from home to begin with and now knowing there were members of a dark unground group who had it out for me was wearing my nerves thin.
"Drink this, Erin, it will help soothe your nerves." Sergei hands me a cup and saucer while we're sitting at the table in the quaint little kitchen preparing to make our move back to the city.
"What is it? I don't want any kind of drugs or anything," I look at him sideways as I take the cup and saucer from him.
"Opposed to chamomile tea, are we?" he responds with a chuckle.
"Ohh, no, of course not," I reply bashfully, "I'm sorry I just didn't want anything that was going to take away my mental sharpness, I don't want to be any more vulnerable than I am as it is."
"Well, try not to be too worried, our people can sense emotions very well and if they know of your return, they will be seeking out anyone who is unusually anxious," Sergei proffered, which did not soothe my anxiety at all.
I finished drinking the lovely tea, and the calming herbs did wonders for my mood. I felt slightly euphoric for the first time since I'd landed on my ass in the Salthill Market yesterday. Sergei had been a complete gentleman and allowed me to sleep in the guest room while he took the couch-- though the old, cozy couch next to the fireplace was awfully inviting on its own.
Sergei's Irish aunt, Matilda was a regular human, but she did know of our kind. She left us on our own to discuss everything that I had discovered about myself and about the world last night, and I was eternally grateful that she was not overbearing and allowed me the personal space I needed.
When I'd laid down on the bed last night with the book, a flurry of emotions overcame me. It was certainly surprising and overwhelming to learn that there was so much more to the world than I had previously understood. The grimoire, however, had a way of giving me solace and understanding as it revealed tales of my mother. I had grown proud to be her daughter, and the heir to such a respected position as I learned of the way she had protected the magical realm from those who wanted to abuse it, and the vulnerable people she kept from being exploited. In a million years I could never have imagined that I would come to Ireland to learn that I was some kind of secret royalty.
The legends and tales in the book were now ingrained in me and the history and memories that I'd absorbed from it were now entwining themselves in my own history. It was a very strange feeling to have someone else's memories become as familiar as my own. I knew that with everything happening to me, though, this was probably one of the easier tasks I would face. I had read until the words became a jumbled mess and eventually closed my eyes and drifted off to a dreamless sleep. I needed that in order to recover and was grateful my body had given me that respite after such eventful days had passed.
"Erin, it is time for us to go now. I have word that your roommates have left home for the day," Sergei relayed to me brightly.
With that, I rinsed out my teacup and thanked Sergei's aunt for her gracious hospitality. "Blessings on the both of ye'" she said while hugging me in a warm embrace. "I can feel in your soul you're a good person, and any time you need a break from the city life, you're welcome to come visit."
"Thank you so much," I told her and turned to Sergei. He had told me that we would need to open the portal outside today, since he had notice he promised that it wouldn't be as unnerving as the previous, impromptu ports had been, but I wasn't holding my breath. We walked out of the cabin and waved goodbye to Sergei's aunt and just seconds later, Sergei opened the portal and we stepped through.
This journey was much smoother, as Sergei had promised and it didn't feel like I was being vacuum sealed while on a roller coaster. We simply stepped through the portal he'd cast, which just looked transparent but you could see the disruption in the air around the edges-- similar to when a heat mirage distorts the clear sky. When we walked out, there was no one around to notice us step from nothingness--thankfully Sergei had planned our portal to open into the back garden just to be certain. As we stepped into the garden, a flash of darkness raced past us.
"Oh my, what is that?" I asked with a deep inhale.
"Erin, it was just a cat!" Sergei chuckled as he told me. We made our way back around to the front of the house where I opened the door with the key on my lanyard. It was strange--I'd only spent one night here but my relief was palpable when I entered my home.