“We’re not going to kill him,” Warin interjected. “We haven’t gone to all this trouble for that. If we wanted to take him down, we’d just go after him with as many swords as wehave.”
Instead, we’d come with staffs. Long, wooden poles meant to bruise, not to kill. It would be impossible to defeat him with such simple weapons, but that was kind of the point. We didn’t want to defeat him. All we had to do was distract him long enough for Uisnech to work hismagic.
I turned to the hobgoblin. “Are you sure you can do this? The cauldron needs a sacrifice. We don’t have something as powerful as Lugh’sspear.”
“There are some rituals I will try,” he said with an eager nod. “I...I will do mybest.”
That was all we could ask for,really.
“Okay,” I said with a nod. “Let’s go. And make sure to stick with thegroup.”
Quietly, we minced across the lawn and approached an archway that would lead into the depths of the castle ruins. I flicked on my enhanced fae hearing, hoping that we could hear Lugh way before we ever saw him. I didn’t know much about nightmare wraiths. Did they sleep? If they did, now would be the perfect time to catch Wraith Lugh in the middle of some shut-eye.
We crept through the archway and found ourselves in a grassy courtyard. Green stretched out before us, leading to another set of castle walls, topped with battlements. The thick metal doors leading into the interior were still in place and shut tight for theevening.
Footsteps soft on the ground, we dashed toward the doors. One had been left open a crack. I glanced at Boudica and Warin, uneasy. Cracked doors that shouldn’t be cracked were never goodsigns.
“Be ready for a fight,” I whispered to the others before pushing against the metal door and craning my head around the edge ofit.
No one was inside. Instead, we were only met by an ancient twisting tree whose leaves glowed green. We’d entered another square or courtyard of some sort, walls rising high on every side. The lower portions were mostly intact, though the upper floors rose in jagged peaks, roof nowhere to be seen. Rectangular holes stood empty, where the windows had once providedviews.
“Um,” Boudica said, pointing to a dark corner. “Axel was right. Lugh isn’talone.”
We all turned in the direction she pointed. A blood-soaked body lay on the ground, limbs twisted beneath him. I winced and glanced away, bile rising in my throat. The dead man was Quentin. He must have come here looking for the cauldron,and...
Well, it was clear what hadhappened.
“Lugh’s here. Which way should we go?” I askedUisnech.
He pointed at one of the open doorways. I let him lead the way, and we entered a room with a sign designating that it had once been the castle’s kitchen. Along one wall sat a massive fireplace, large enough for ten men to standinside.
Uisnech frowned. “This would have been quite a good spot for Lugh to hide, or for him to stash his cauldron. It provides some shelter from the rain, yousee.”
“Iwasin there. Unfortunately, this castle seems to have far too many visitors for my liking,” a deep voice growled from the darkness. I whirled on my feet, heart hammering. Lugh stood before us, a dark cloak obscuring his body and his face. He pulsed with power, shadows oozing from hisskin.
I took a step back. “Lugh. We’re just here to talk toyou.”
“Do not call me Lugh,” he sneered, his hands curling into fists. “I am not that ridiculous male, and I never will beagain.”
“Okay.” I shot a glance at Uisnech, who merely shrugged. “What shall we call youthen?”
“Nothing!” He shouted the word and stormed toward me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Warin nock his bow. It was the only true weapon we’d brought, just in case. “You are not welcome here. Get out. Get out before I eat every last drop of yoursoul.”
I shivered, despite myself. His dark power washed over me, threatening to drown me in the depths of his nightmares. Shaking him off, I took a step back. “Calm down. We’re not here to cause anytrouble.”
“Why else would you behere?”
I wet my lips, hoping his gaze would stay focused on me instead of the little hobgoblin now creeping out of the room so that he could search the castle. My role in this was merely to distract Lugh long enough for Uisnech to find the cauldron. With the other warriors surrounding me and adding to the distraction, we’d have our hands on the bloody cup before he even knew what hadhappened.
“Like I said, we just want to talk.” I held up my hands in a display ofsurrender.
“Then, why is this bloke pointing his arrowhead at me?” Lugh jerked his thumb atWarin.
“A very reasonable question,” I said quickly. “He’s just being protective. We weren’t sure how you’d react to our presence in your...newhome?”
Lugh scowled. “You think I would choose a crumbling castle for my permanent new home? The King of the Wraiths is owed far better thanthat.”
“Oh, right. I guess you have somewhere better inmind?”
