"The mother and child?" The words tumbled out barely more than a whisper, but Aidan had heard them clearly enough, for they seemed to fill the entire room, "All that power. All that time. You didn't just trip over the house on the way to your great destinty, did you?"

The mask had slipped, and beneath it, an unmistakeable flicker of fear. Jake bristled, affording his friend a heartbeat to come clean. And then he moved. In two great purposeful strides he was in Aidan's face, and braced him against the wall with one hand clamped firmly upon his shoulder. This time his question became a demand.

"The mother and child!"