“We, though all ages, protected our world, and through it all the others. We chose to live as we live, from the land, from the sea, from the Fey, honoring all. Once more we have peace, once more we will prosper, until the time comes round again for blood and sacrifice.”

In the Prologue, Marg delivers a speech to those gathered for the choosing of the new Taoiseach. This provides a quick sketch of the setting of Talamh, which introduces the two worlds of the novel. Marg establishes the values of Talamh, which include living from the land in peace and communion with all things. Her speech also hints at the need for protection from Odran, which Breen will encounter later.

“You know what I think’s irresponsible? Slogging through a job you hate day after day. Covering up who you are, or who you may be given the chance to be, because your mother’s made you feel inadequate.”

Breen’s confrontation with her mother is her first step in breaking away from the life her mother has tried to impose on her toward the life she wants. Her mother has used responsibility to guide Breen in a way that has left her feeling inferior. This contrasts with the sense of responsibility Breen will learn from Marg, who supports who Breen is as well as who she wants to be.

“She’d be on her own, really on her own, for the first time in her life.”

Breen’s choice to go to Ireland to find her father is a quest to discover not only her father, but who she is. Initially, she finds her independence frightening, but she will rise to the challenge and separate from her Philadelphia life so that she can rediscover Talamh.