"Wait!" I call after Winter Mist. Too late. With a flutter of her cloak, she is gone, leaving me with the drowsing Ciara and a senile, dying member of the sidhe race locked in a cage.

"Ner! Ner!" he cries, rapping sharply on the wooden bars with his spidery fingers. I crumble the rest of the bannock and dole it out to him, being careful not to let our hands touch, while I try to think of what to do. Winter Mist's first suggestion returns to mind. Kill him? But what if Ciara's stolen child is still alive? His life would probably end then too. The only hope is to let Winter Mist take this one with her on Imbolc and try to barter for Conall's life - if he still lives.

Ciara stirs and yawns, waking from her nap. As soon as her eyes open, she looks for the cage and its unhappy resident. I decide that telling her the truth is better than trying to trick her into believing all is well. Besides, as the lost baby's father Aedan deserves to know too. I brace myself with a deep breath.

"This is not your child," I begin as gently as I can, knowing that there is no gentle way to tell it. Ciara stiffens defensively. She bites her lip. Maybe she has already suspected this. We all fear and respect the sidhe, and often they are blamed for things we cannot otherwise explain.

As I explain, she starts to cry and wring her hands. Her head shakes from side to side, denying the truth. "Winter Mist has offered to take him back to his home on Imbolc. If she can find Conall and persuade them to trade back -"

A shadow falls over the hearth. I don't know how long Aedan stood in the doorway listening before he entered the hut. Ciara throws herself into his arms, weeping. Seeking strength, my hand goes to the raven feathers that hang over my ear.

"She wants to take him?" Aedan snarls at me as he holds his sobbing wife. "Our son? Steal him into the Otherworld?"

"This is not your son! Look at him. Wake up, Aedan! This is not your Conall, they've put one of their own in his place. How could this be your baby?"

Ciara speaks up in a voice that is shattered with shock. "She speaks the truth, dear heart. We must trust the sidhe-woman. It was very kind and brave of her to offer to help us."

Aedan's turns his fiery glare on me. I stand very still and prepare for him to strike. For a long moment, our eyes are forged together, sizzling like fire and rain.

Then it all breaks. Aidan shrugs and looks away. "Tell her she can take him," he says quietly. "She did promise no harm. We've not much to lose, have we?"

I hug Ciara and leave the hut without another word.