Arianna limped a little closer and sank to the floor beside him. She still watched the entrance, praying Sive had succeeded in locking the creatures out. Runes. They were everywhere. It was clear the Weavers had had a large part in forming it to begin with. Weavers and Fae. Had the two traveled from the northern continent together? Was that another piece that had been deleted from their history books?
“We’re safe.” Arianna jolted at the sound of Sive’s raw voice. The woman still had her eyes closed.
“You’re sure?” Raevina asked, flames sparking around clenched fists.
“I’m sure,” she sighed. “It’ll hold for a while yet. Years, if we’re lucky.”
Tension melted from Arianna’s shoulders. Years. It wouldn’t take years to defeat Vairik. And years gave them time to find another way to eradicate the creatures and discover exactly how they’d broken through.
“What the hell was that?” Saoirse exclaimed.
“Vairik,” Sive answered, as if it were obvious. She still hadn’t moved.
“I thought he couldn’t get in.”
“It seems he prepared for the day it might open.”
“Is it permanently sealed? Can we try creating a new path?” Zylah asked.
“No,” another woman answered. “If we lift the runes, the Dark Fae will break through. They’re not all dead, just contained.”
“I hope they starve,” Saoirse said, glaring at the door.
“But that leaves us right back where we started,” Zylah said. Saoirse rested a hand on the female’s shoulder. Arianna’s own heart sank like a stone. The whole reason they’d gone down at all was to gather information. Find a weapon. Anything that might give them an advantage.
And they’d come back with absolutely nothing.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Arianna
Alec stationed guards near the door despite Sive’s assurances. All were armed and equipped with runes to alert the High Lords should anything go amiss. Sive and Ellie were transferred to the infirmary. Arianna had ensured her sister was tucked in safely before wandering down the corridor, seeking … well, she didn’t really know what she was seeking at this point.
They’d lost everything.
Saoirse had left to speak to Eimear, but from what Arianna had gathered, the information was dismal at best. Eimear had been so sure they’d find something in the library, and now their hopes were buried beneath tons of stone. If Vairik chose to attack now, it would be the end. There were Dark Fae under them and more just on the other side of the mountain pass. Another horde was likely fighting through Eimear’s forest. That put enemy forces on three sides, and it didn’t even account for the renegade groups making their way through the smaller villages. She didn’t need to be a brilliant strategist to understand their chances of survival were fading by the day.
And there was absolutely nothing anyone could do about it.
Her body shook from exhaustion, but Arianna couldn’t bring herself to stay in her room. She’d showered and changed, then wandered the dark halls, taking in the scenery. She might never get to lay eyes on something so beautiful ever again.
Defeat settled over her. They were going to lose. Vairik would get what he wanted and either continue to rule the monster-riddled land, or move on and start over somewhere new. His cycle of revenge would finally come to an end. Arianna wondered how he’d feel once it was all over. Would he find thevictory bittersweet? She shook her head. He probably wasn’t even capable of emotion anymore.
Arianna rounded a familiar corner and caught a faint trace of Talon’s scent. Curious, she followed it to one of the rooms that connected to an open balcony. The palace was riddled with them. She stepped inside, glad to find it empty. Solitude was exactly what she needed right now. The guards, thankfully, didn’t accompany her inside.
A plush sage loveseat with a light brown blanket draped over the arm beckoned her forward. She could probably lie there and sleep for days. Maybe she’d just accept their fate and wait for Vairik to come and end her himself. If only he’d allow it to be so painless. No, a male like him would make her suffer just for his own twisted enjoyment.
A solid wooden table stood before the loveseat, with an armchair directly across from it that was the source of Talon’s scent. She wondered how often he’d come here. How often had her friend sat with thoughts just as dismal as her own?
Arianna scanned the vines, the flowers, the decorations, then gave them little mind as her gaze settled on a table in the back. She prowled forward, studying the various shades of amber liquid in the assorted bottles. Arianna already knew they’d taste terrible, but what had Talon told her once? That one didn’t drink for the taste?
She could use a little numbness right now.
Arianna reached for an empty glass, pulled off the stopper on a random bottle, and filled her cup to the brim. She studied it, then downed the whole thing in one gulp the way she’d seen so many others do. Arianna doubled over the table, coughing from the burn searing her throat. Her stomach knotted, threatening to send the foul liquid right back up, but she gritted her teeth, fighting it back.
Disgusting, but warmth was already spreading through her stomach and chest.
“Did you just drink an entire glass of that stuff?”
