‘You know, we have always been told that all those criminals are safe within the walls of St Marnox, haven’t we?’
There’s a general murmur of agreement.
‘The Hunters wield a great deal of power in being able to essentially pardon the guilty, allowing them to live out their lives in peace, while we are left behind, dealing with the aftermaths of their crimes. They visit them, ensure their safety, provide for them.
‘I don’t have the power to pardon anyone. They have to reach sanctuary, if they weren’t meant to?—’
‘In fact,’ she continues, ignoring me, ‘the man who murdered my brother is also there, living each day of his life while Chris rots in his grave, the line of inheritance of this Court forever altered. A guilty man caught by the Huntsman, and subsequently allowed to go free and reach sanctuary. Very convenient, don’t you think? After all, Christopher’s death opened his path to become king.’
‘That’s not—’ I begin, but a sharp gasp beside me stops me in my tracks. I turn to face Rose, a look of utter betrayal on her face. A look that will haunt me for the rest of my life.
‘Cillian?’ she whispers.
‘You have to understand, Rose. I couldn’t tell you. He?—’
But Rose turns and runs from the chamber before I can finish.
Vittoria preens.
‘Poor Huntsman, all alone with no allies. No family, no fiancée and no future.’
She turns the apple towards me, using magic to make it appear much larger than it is. Reflected in the surface I see a scene at St Marnox. The seven monks stand around the stone altar in the old church, and on it, deathly pale, her chest unmoving, lies Niamh.
Chapter27
Cillian
The one advantage of finding out about Niamh’s fate in the Court chamber is that from here there is direct access to the thin place in St Marnox. The only way for the seekers to leave there, also allows the Hunters, but no one else, to enter. Grateful to not have to take the time to drive to the monastery, I’m out of my seat and passing through the thin place as fast as I can, arriving in the centre of a small side chapel that overlooks the altar.
Some time has passed since the vision in the apple, and the seven monks are no longer gathered around Niamh, keeping watch. Only Matt sits beside her, holding her wrist, his fingers on her pulse. He looks over at me.
‘Let her go.’ Now that Niamh is mine I’m not going to tolerate any other man touching her.
‘You took your time,’ he says, dropping her hand as I hurry across the chapel.
My stomach drops. ‘How long has it been?’ I ask, cursing the unpredictability of time when using thin places.
‘Eight days,’ he says.
I swallow as I take the last few steps towards her slowly.
‘She’s not breathing?’
‘No, she’s… stuck. Trapped between life and death. We’ve tried everything we can think of to wake her, but—’ He gestures at her body. She’s so still that it feels as if the chapel itself is holding its breath along with her.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
He shrugs, ‘We’ve been trying. Check your phone.’
‘Tell me exactly what happened,’ I say, but he shakes his head.
He swallows. ‘She should have been safe. She didn’t leave the monastery. She’s barely been outside alone. We had a delivery, just the usual two guys who bring the supplies to St Marnox every week.’ He looks down at her. ‘They often bring fresh fruit and veg for the kitchen with them but someone had already taken it in. None of us thought anything of it. We had no idea that there was someone else there.’
‘Who?’ I ask, even though I already have the answer.
‘Vittoria. She must have followed the delivery truck in her car. All Kinfolk can reach St Marnox in the human world, which is how the deliveries arrive.’
My fists clench as I curse myself for not dealing with Vittoria before I left the chamber. Rage burns as the snake on my wrist tightens its coils.
