A form stepped out of the shadows into moonlight which revealed it as Ollgaeth. «The hour is met if you would see the Hill of the Sidhe, Mac Shea,» he said.
«Want to come along, kid?» said Shea. «This might be useful for both of us.»
«Not I,» said Belphebe. «I’m for bed — geas and all.» She lifted a hand to stifle an imaginary yawn.
Shea said, «May I.» and stopped. He hated to leave Belphebe alone in her present mood, no matter how really unjustified it was. But it occurred to him that if he wanted to get any cooperation out of the vain druid, he would have to play along and butter him up. And it was distinctly important to learn about the system of magic here.
«All right,» he said. «See you later, dear.»
He turned to follow Ollgaeth through the dark streets. The guards at the gate were awake, a tribute to Maev’s management, but they passed the druid and his companion through readily enough. Ollgaeth, stumbling along the track, said, «The Sidhe, now, they have the four great treasures of Ireland — Dagda’s cauldron that will never let a man go foodless, the stone of Fal that strikes every man it is aimed at, Lugh’s spear and Nuada’s great manslaying sword that is death to all before it but protection to the bearer.»
«Indeed,» said Shea. «At the table you were saying.»
«Will you never let a man finish his tale?» said Ollgaeth. «The way of it is this: The Sidhethemselves may not use the treasures — there is a geas on them that they can be handled only by a man of Milesian blood. Nor will they give them up, for fear the treasures may be used against them. And all who come into their land, they use hardly.»
«I should think.» began Shea.
«I do call to mind there was a man named Goll tried it,» said Ollgaeth. «But the Sidhe cut off both his ears and fed them to the pigs, and he was never the same man after. Ah, it’s a queer race they are, and a good man one must be to sit at table with them»