I’m not sure why I said that rather than tell her about my father’s proclamation, but it wasn’t really a lie given Ihaddreamed of that knife last night. Only difference now was, I knew the truth of who it was.
She frowned. “Which dream? You have enough of them.”
“The one about a red-haired woman on a sacrifice table and a knife flashing down. It wasn’t a stranger. It was me, Darby. I saw my death.”
Her grip on my arm tightened. “Prophetic dreams are visions of a future not yet set in stone. What you saw may not come to pass.”
“That’s not the worst of it.”
“How the fuck can death not be the worst of it?”
“There’s a countdown. Nine months.”
“Well, we’ll just make damn sure you get to ten months, and kick that fucking dream back to the hell it came from.”
The determined outrage in her voice made me smile. “I like this plan. But, on the off chance it does come true, is it possible to revive someone who has been stabbed through the heart?”
“Anything is possible. It just depends on the time between death and healing. A heart is easy enough, but not even the best healer on this planet can revive a brain deprived of oxygen for too long. Not without dire consequences.”
“But there are drugs that can help extend brain survival, aren’t there?”
“Yes but?—”
“Can you research it? It needs to be something I can use if I’m restrained. Something that is fast acting.”
She hesitated. “I think we need to talk to Lugh and Mathi about?—”
“I will,” I cut in. “Once we’ve explored all the options. As you said, it’s a dream, not a certainty, and I don’t want to worry them just yet.”
“You should at least tell them about the game being over in nine months, even if you don’t go into the whole death thing.”
“That I can do.” And it did make sense not to keep them completely in the dark.
“Tonight?”
I rolled my eyes. “Fine. Tonight.”
“Then, on the proviso we tell them the full truth once we have the answer, I shall start researching. In the meantime, you need to start using a tracer. Extending the timeframe of life between body and brain death will be useless if we have no means of finding you quickly.”
“Tracers have range limits.”
“Magical tracers don’t; given this latest dream, I think it’s way past time you got one. Promise me you will, or I’ll ask Mathi to get you one.”
Another eye roll. “Please don’t. Cynwrig’s already demanded he protect me; I don’t need you adding more weight onto his shoulders.”
“Cynwrig did that, huh?”
“Yes, but I’m not reading all that much into it, and neither should you.”
“Way too late for that, my friend.” She paused. “Even if you don’t want to mention this dream to your brother or Mathi, you need to tell Cynwrig about it. He was the one who found and rescued you from your aunt. He’s the likeliest to find you with or without aid of a tracer.”
I wrinkled my nose. “What if he decides to end our relationship there and then? It might ultimately be the sensible thing for us both, but I’m not sure my hormones would be pleased.”
Her eyebrows rose. “These would be the same hormones that didn’t jump that man’s bones when they had the chance?”
“The hormones wanted to,” I replied glumly. “But fear and common sense held them hostage.”
She laughed. “Dark elves are renowned for hanging on to relationships until they’re good and ready to leave, and that man is far from finished with you yet. However, knowing about the dream might mean he’ll keep a more vigilant eye on you.”
