“Ruari predicted this.” Lara’s voice was soft and careful. “A couple of days ago. He cast the bones … and told me an unpaid debt had to be settled.”
Alar looked at Fern. Her head was bowed, shoulders shaking. She hadn’t heard, for she was too lost in grief.
An unpaid debt.
He remembered his father’s words then.You’re not to blame for any of this, son … I am.
Alar’s throat started to ache. Sablebane had given his life to save his. Aye, the debt was well and truly paid, yet it didn’t fill him with relief, or vindication.
Pain pulsed in his shoulder—bone-deep. Each heartbeat sent fire through the joint. His vision blurred at the edges. He closed his eyes.
Fuck being stoic. He needed—
The world tilted, and then he was falling.
Or maybe just, finally, letting go.
35: YOU KNOW THE WAY
“NEARLY DONE.” LARA gently packed the last of the woundwort into the deep cut on Alar’s shoulder. “I just need to secure this with a bandage.”
“Take your time.” His voice was husky with pain and exhaustion. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“None of us are,” Annis agreed.
Looking up, Lara cast a glance over at where the counselor sat, shoulders slumped, a few feet away. The rest of their companions—except for Fern, who knelt beside her father’s corpse by the loch—surrounded them. They’d all descended from The Shattered Crown.Roth and Cailean had helped Fern bring her father’s body down as well. The moon was setting now. Not long until the sky lightened to the east. Lara worked by the light of a torch that Roth had lit. It gilded Alar’s pale skin.
Now that the rift had sealed, what spirits still lingered in this place—those that had escaped being sucked back into Threshold—had fled. The powries and trows had disappeared too, following the Shee.
The silence was almost deafening.
In the aftermath of their success, Lara had expected jubilation to thrill through her. Aye, she was relieved the rift was mended and that balance had been restored, but Mor’s betrayal had left a sour taste in her mouth. And viewing the expressions of those around her, she wasn’t alone.
Stepping back, Lara busied herself with ripping off long strips from her undertunic. The material was tough, and she had to use her dagger. Then, she began to tie the strips diagonally across Alar’s chest and shoulder, securing them under one arm.
“It’s not the best of bandages,” she admitted. “And your wound will need to be dressed properly … but it’ll do … for now.”
“Thank you,” Alar replied.
“So, the satchel of healing herbs Ruari brought from Crask came in useful?” Roth asked then, his voice thick with fatigue and other emotions.
Lara nodded, even as her throat constricted.
Ruari.
A dull, dragging sensation settled in the pit of her belly as her gaze went to the glassy surface of the loch.Gods. She couldn’t believe he was gone.The young seer had been with her since just a couple of turns after she’d taken the throne. He’d always shown great talent, but over the years, he’d grown in confidence. In courage.
She’d watched, helpless, as the Fuath had dragged him into the deep. He’d had a terrifying end.
“You should never have listened to me,” Bree’s voice, low and rough, drew Lara’s attention then. Her friend sat nearby, her hazel eyes dark in the torchlight. “I counseled you to trust Mor.” She pulled a face. “Gregor was right.”
Lara heaved a deep sigh. “She took usallin, Bree,” she replied softly. “Don’t blame yourself.”
“And it doesn’t change the fact Gregor is a worthless shitbag,” Cailean added. “If our paths ever cross again, I’m killing him.”
Silence fell at these blunt words. Lara had no doubt the chief-enforcer would make good on his threat.
Moments later, Roth cleared his throat. “What are we going to do aboutthat?”
