“Mend the stone.”
As she struggled to stand, Chloe reached a hand down to help her. She was grateful for her sister’s strength as she swayed a little on her feet.
“Let’s go get that knife,” Evie said.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Evie led theway out of the tapestry room, Chloe on her heels and Brianna bringing up the rear. She couldn’t stop thinking about Jamie and what the potential outcome of the siege would be if they didn’t mend the stone. The thought of him dying at the hands of their enemy—albeit an enemy she had never laid eyes on—made her sick to her stomach.
As they entered the great hall, the sound of the battering ram bashing against the wood gate echoed through the keep. The sound was followed by the shouts of men and agonizing cries of pain. It was so close. Too close for her liking. She halted a moment, peering at the door, with her heart in her throat. It sounded as though any moment the oak door would crack and splinter and then they would be upon them.
Jamie.
What of Jamie? She tried to imagine him fighting, holding his own as he brandished his claymore and tried to keep his balance on the leg that pained him.
“Bri, come on!” Evie was at the foot of the stairs, ready to dash up them.
She glanced down at the piece of stone in her hand. The lines were glowing and it was faintly humming. The thrumming sound pulsed through her, vibrating through her hand and up her arm.
“My stone is humming.”
“Mine, too,” Evie said. “We need that knife.” She turned, ready to dash up the stairs, but something stopped her. She winced, pitched forward with her hand on her belly.
“I’ll get it. You stay.” Without waiting for her reply, Chloe dashed up the stairs.
Brianna moved to her sister, taking her by the arm and leading her to the nearest chair at the great hall table. Reluctantly, Evie lowered herself down.
“Are you all right? Is it the baby?”
“I felt a… twinge,” she said, her voice hitching.
“You’ve been pushing yourself too hard. Maybe this blood magic thing isn’t a good idea.” Brianna’s voice trembled, giving her second thoughts. Worry punched through her as she placed a hand on her sister’s shoulder. “It will weaken you.”
“We have to do it.” Her dark brown eyes lifted to meet hers. “You said it yourself. We have to mend the stone.”
“But at what cost?”
Chloe returned at that moment, panting, her face pink from exertion. Sweat dotted her forehead. She thrust the knife into Evie’s hands.
“Here, Eve. It’s the only one I could find.”
“It will do.”
“I don’t know about this,” Brianna said, suddenly getting cold feet. “What if this is a mistake?”
With an intensity that made her heart pound, the twins’ gazes lifted to hers, their eyes blazing with a fierce and unwavering determination. Chloe held up her stone, the hum thrumming through the air, the lines pulsing and glowing. The bandage was already gone from her other hand, likely discarded while she retrieved the knife in preparation for what was to come. A faint pinkish line cut across the middle of her palm, bisecting the brand of the stone.
“We don’t have a choice,” she said.
“We don’t,” her sister agreed. She placed her pieceof the stone on the table along with the dagger. Then she removed the bandage from her hand. She had the same pink scar across her branded palm.
Brianna knew without looking that hers would be the same. She pocketed her piece of the stone and then unwound the bandage Jamie had wrapped around her hand. The pale scar was there, just as she knew it would be.
“If you’re sure,” Brianna said, breathing the words.
But she was unsure even as Evie reached for the dagger and slashed her hand open. Chloe took the blade and did the same, then handed it to her. Brianna, taking a deep breath, cut her hand and watched the swell of blood in her palm.
Evie got to her feet, holding out her piece of the stone. Chloe pressed her piece to hers. Brianna slipped her third piece into place. Thatclicksounded. The fully formed lines glowed and the humming increased.
