She was … smiling. Even in her sleep, Eimear looked so serene. So at peace. It reminded Saoirse of the time she’d found her mother lounging in the sun, a forgotten cup of tea left on the side table as she napped with a stray strand of hair falling over her face. She remembered the way their father had approached slowly, then sat at her side, watching his mate rest in the garden he’d built just for her.
With trembling hands, Saoirse reached out and cupped her mother’s face, tears already blurring the edges of her vision. Alive.
Saoirse loosed a shaky breath and looked her over, trying to determine the best way she might extract her mother from the tree that had encompassed her body.
“Can you hear me?” Saoirse whispered, her tone soft and coaxing. Eimear didn’t move, not that Saoirse really expected her to.
Saoirse placed one hand on the thick trunk and fed her power into it, hoping to widen the hole so she could pull her mother free. The tree only drank in her magic, using it for its own purposes. Saoirse glanced toward the poisonous plants again. They remained still, but Saoirse was certain if she tried anything violent, those flowers would react accordingly.
Saoirse tried her magic again, pouring more and more until sweat trickled down her temple. “Let me have her,” she whispered.
Nothing.
Saoirse chewed her lip.
“Try a rune,” Zylah called from behind Eimear. She kept her voice soft, as if sensing how precarious their situation had become. Zylah’s eyes kept flickering toward those flowers, and Saoirse wondered if Zylah would attempt to intervene should they strike out.
“Which one?” Saoirse called back. She’d learned a few simple ones geared toward healing and opening locks.
“Any of them.”
Saoirse didn’t want to risk drawing a knife, just in case, so she bit the inside of her wrist and dabbed her fingers into the blood. Saoirse drew a rune meant to unlock a door first. Her blood smearing over the rough bark.
Nothing.
She drew another, this one a bit more complex. Still nothing. Saoirse switched to those meant for healing. She worked through three, then Zylah instructed her on another, this one far more complicated.
Frustration crawled through her, gnawing at what remained of her nerves. Frustration and desperation. They couldn’t stay here forever. There were Dark Fae right on the other side of this created forest. She didn’t know if her mother’s magic was still fighting them off or if the creatures were hacking through the trees, making their way closer. If Saoirse left her mother here, Eimear could very well be devoured. If she stayed, they might all die.
Saoirse studied her mother’s body. She glanced toward her outstretched arms, then dipped her fingers into her own blood again. This time, Saoirse traced a rune right over her mother’s right wrist. The lines were more delicate than the others, but it symbolized something more akin to release than unlock. She’d asked Sive about such a symbol, just in case they ever found themselves in iron.
The rune glowed blue, then her mother drew in a jagged breath and the thick branches holding her arms in place loosened their hold. Eimear’s eyelids fluttered and Saoirse had to move fast to prevent her mother’s head from falling forward.
The trunk around her mother’s body shifted and widened. Saoirse hauled Eimear free and sank to the forest floor, cradling her mother’s frail form in her arms. She quickly searched her mother’s body for wounds, but her magic hadn’t harmed her in any way. It didn’t appear as if the Dark Fae had reached her, either. Her breathing and heart rate were steady as well. Thank the gods.
Saoirse stood, still watching the surrounding vines. They crawled forward slightly, but not in a threatening way. It was as though the plants couldn’t help but be drawn to Eimear. Little sprouts emerged from the soil beneath them, reacting to the power still pouring from her mother as if she were a fountain.
Saoirse shifted Eimear onto her back and carefully stood. They needed to move. With any luck, the others had taken care of the vile creatures that remained on the other side. If they hadn’t, then she’d use her own power to get them home. Hope blossomed through Saoirse’s chest as she took her first step back toward Zylah. They were so close. She’d get her mother to safety. She’d return the High Lady of Brónach home.
Chapter Twenty
Rion
His mother’s magic was everywhere. It had blanketed the entire landscape. One moment, a second wave of Dark Fae had been marching straight toward them and he was trying to figure out how to convince Arianna to run to Nàdair’s borders. The next, a forest had erupted from the center of the field, spreading so rapidly it had swallowed both friend and foe.
They’d all paused in stunned silence, watching as the trees raced across the open plains. They’d crashed into the mountains on one side, rising up to become one with the ancient trees, then had exploded on the other side, stretching beyond his line of sight and effectively creating a barrier that separated them from the Dark Fae.
Even with the distraction, the creatures on their side hadn’t relented. They’d kept attacking, teeth snapping as if they didn’t realize they were now isolated from their comrades. Or didn’t care. It made sense, he supposed. They were mindless beings with a singular goal. Devour everything in sight. Rion vaguely wondered if they’d always been that way. Then again, the way this horde all seemed so unnatural made him think otherwise. These were likely just failed experiments, placed by Vairik to discard at a time he saw fit. Nothing more than fodder to fuel his war.
Even so, their line didn’t stop. Arianna didn’t stop, nor did Arianna’s father, who was still eliminating a large wave on the far side of the field. There were still too many, still civilians running for their lives. Rion whirled and snatched another set of creatures herding a group of younglings. He crushed them with his sand before wrapping the children in a protective cocoon.This group was just one of many. They screamed in fear, but he didn’t have time to console them. At least hidden, they’d be safe.
Rion searched the field for Saoirse, his heart rate quickening when he couldn’t locate her. He searched for Eimear too, even as the ache in his chest grew knowing exactly what she’d done.
She’d dropped the iron and let the magic consume her.
Did that mean his mother was—Rion swallowed a lump in his throat. He couldn’t break here. Not now. He had one mission. Stand by The Divine and ensure she survived.
Arianna’s magic was explosive and all-consuming. It eliminated the dark creatures as if they were the ones responsible for manipulating her mind. She hissed and even sank her fangs into one of the beast’s throats, ripping through flesh before plunging a blade through its heart.
