Rituals (Cainsville 5)

"That was shortly after Liv's arrival," Ioan said. "Under the circumstances, you can't blame us. And may I point out that owls are as likely to scavenge as ravens?"

"But the melltithiwyd are not harmless?" Gabriel cut in.

"Definitely not." Ioan turned to me. "If you ever see them, even in a vision, do what Gabriel did. Hopefully, it will frighten them off."

"Otherwise...?" I said.

"You mentioned the teeth," Patrick said. "Did they remind you of anything? Another beast that normally lacks dentition?"

"Piranha," I said.

"Exactly. A single one won't do more than nip. But in a swarm?"

I shivered. "Feeding frenzy."

"They're like the Cwn Annwn's hounds," Patrick said.

"Our hounds do not eat--" Ioan began.

"I mean the killing part. The sluagh take souls. But to take a soul, you need to kill the host. Cwn kill. Melltithiwyd devour."

"Lovely." I looked at Ioan. "And to take that comparison further...Rose's folklore says the sluagh are a form of the Irish Wild Hunt. True?"

"That is a complete misunderstanding and misinterpretation."

Patrick cleared his throat.

Ioan glared at him. "If you suggest that those things are the same as Cwn Annwn--"

"No, but the misunderstanding is understandable. You both serve a similar purpose."

"We do not--"

Patrick raised his hand and turned to me. "Let's back up a step, and tackle the basic question. What are the sluagh? The word is Irish Celtic, but they exist in our lore as well, the same as the fae or the Hunt exist in other cultures. Think of it as the difference between the Welsh, the Irish, the Scottish, the French, the Germans...They're all humans, but with their own cultural identity, heritage, language, regional variations, and so on. Historically, our term for the sluagh is heb edifeirwch, which roughly translates to 'remorseless.' But we avoid saying it. Even fae can be superstitious, and some believe that to name them is to summon them. So we use the Celtic term instead."

"But what are the sluagh?"

"It's been said they're the third major branch of the fae. I say they're not, but for the sake of argument I'll admit they exist in the same basic realm. We are three types of supernatural beings, then. The first, which the Welsh call the Tylwyth Teg, encompasses all ordinary fae. The Cwn Annwn is one of the variations on the Wild Hunt. And finally, the heb edifeirwch, known as the sluagh."

"So why haven't I met a sluagh? Or have I, and just didn't realize it?"

Ioan shook his head. "You wouldn't have. While the Tylwyth Teg and Cwn Annwn use glamours to fit in with humans, you've seen their true forms, yes?"

I tried not to glance at Patrick. I'd seen his true form, but I knew better than to bring that up, so I just said, "They're humanoid."

"Exactly. The sluagh are different. They can appear human, but it's a manifestation, not a glamour."

Patrick said, "What you saw in your vision? That thing that looked like smoke or fog? That's the sluagh. The darkness. Which is why I don't consider them fae. Only the most powerful of the sluagh can manifest, so no, they just won't come around to chat you up."

"Would they have any reason to chat me up?" I said.

Gabriel added, "What is Matilda to them?"

Ioan looked at Patrick.

"I don't know if she's anything to them," Patrick said after a moment of silence. "But the fact you've had the vision must be significant."

"And the nature of the sluagh?" I said. "Are they confused with the Cwn Annwn because they also take souls?"