Among the Unseen by Jodi McIsaac Page A

“Um…it’s kind of weird…”
    Helen indicated the bed in the corner. “Why don’t you sit down?” Her voice had become gentler. “You gave me quite a fright, but I’m very pleased to meet you. And believe me, I’ve seen plenty of ‘weird’ things in my life. You don’t have to worry.”
    Eden took a seat on the edge of the bed. Now that she was here, she wasn’t sure how to explain it. She glanced nervously at the door, wondering if the guards would burst through. “Um…well, I’ve only been a Tuatha Dé Danann for a little bit. I mean, I haven’t known about it for very long. We’re new here, my mum and I.”
    “Who is your mother?”
    “Well…she’s the queen. Her name is Cedar.”
    Helen’s eyebrows shot up, but her voice was steady when she said, “I see. And did she tell you to come see me?”
    Eden felt her cheeks growing warm. “No,” she muttered, looking at her knees. “She doesn’t know I’m here. It was someone…inside me.” She glanced up at Helen to see her reaction, but the older woman was still watching her calmly, so she continued, her words tumbling out in a sudden rush. “She’s real! She’s like an older version of me. And I guess she helped me fight off Nuala a couple of times, though I don’t really remember that because I was asleep. Once it was just me and Nuala, and the other time it was me and Nuala and my mum. She attacked my mum, but then I was able to save her by turning into older Eden.” She lifted her chin with pride. Helen looked suitably impressed.
    “But you don’t remember this?” the druid asked.
    “No,” Eden admitted. “My mum just told me about it, and I guess Nuala said something about the first time it happened, when it was just her and me. But I can feel her sometimes, the older me,” she added eagerly, as though to prove she was telling the truth. “It’s like an imaginary friend, but she’s inside of me. And last night she actually talked to me. She told me to come and find you.”
    “Did she, now? What else did she tell you?”
    Eden was relieved that Helen didn’t seem to think she was crazy or a liar. “It was really cool! She told me that you could teach me how to control my power, so I can become older Eden sooner.”
    “Fascinating,” Helen said in a whisper. She stood up and started to walk slowly around the room, her forehead creased. Then she stopped and looked back at Eden. “Tell me, Eden, what is it like, living in Tír na nÓg and being one of the Tuatha Dé Danann? Are you happy here?”
    “Oh yeah!” Eden exclaimed. “It’s awesome. It’s just…” Her voice faltered slightly.
    “Just what, dear?” Helen encouraged.
    “It’s just…well, there aren’t very many kids in Tír na nÓg, and the grown-ups think they have to keep an eye on me all the time.” She rolled her eyes. “There’s nothing dangerous here, but they still think I can’t take care of myself. I mean, what’s the point of being a princess if you can’t do anything?”
    Helen made a sympathetic sound. “I understand. That must be really difficult.”
    “Yeah,” Eden continued. “I mean, it’s not that I want to run the place, but I don’t want to have someone with me all the time. It’s totally impossible for me to get lost—I can come home whenever I want. It’s like they don’t trust me. They think I’m this little kid who doesn’t know anything, but I know lots of stuff.”
    “I’m sure you do,” Helen said. “In time, they’ll see that you’re not a little kid anymore.”
    “That’s what I want!” Eden exclaimed. “I want to help do things, and protect the kingdom, and make sure no one hurts my family again!”
    A strange expression passed over Helen’s face, but then she said, “Those are all very good reasons, Eden.”
    “So…you’ll teach me?”
    “Yes, I’ll teach you. But I need you to promise me something first.”
    “What?”
    “Once I’ve taught you how to control and access your power, once