Reyna nodded. “Short and sweet. I like it.”
She clinked her chalice against his and then took a large gulp of the wine. Lorcan downed his in one go, hoping the wine would dull some of the pain. Reyna lifted a brow, watching him, and then she followed suit. When she finished it, she slammed her empty chalice on the table, and then moved back to her bag.
Blood thudded in Lorcan’s ears as he watched her. It would not take long for the poison to take effect. He braced his hand on the wall and held himself steady. There was nothing he could do now. The damage had already been done.
And, if he did not do this, Thane would surely die.
“Oh,” Reyna said, suddenly pressing her hand to her head. She stumbled to the side, grasping at her wooden bedpost. “I do not feel so well.”
Lorcan rushed to her side and wrapped his hands around her waist, holding her steady. “Perhaps you should lie down.”
“No,” she said, stubbornness shining through even as her words slurred in her mouth. “We must leave. Now. While we can.”
She slumped back toward him, her body trembling in his arms.
“Just lie down for a moment, Reyna. A dizziness has overcome you.”
He held her steady, hoping she did not fall from his arms and hurt herself. Even as he poisoned her, the last thing in the world he wanted was for Reyna to feel pain.
She twisted toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face into his chest. His heart pounded hard against her cheek, and it was all he could do not to tip back his head and shout his anger at the world.
“Lorcan,” she moaned. “Something is wrong...”
“Shh,” he whispered into the top of her head. “It is all right. I’ve got you. I won’t let you go.”
Then, her arms loosened around his neck as her body went slack. He tightened his grip around her and lifted her into his arms before she could fall. Unshed tears burned his eyes. Wingallock hooted at him, flapping angrily in the wind.
“Come along,” he said to the owl. “But don’t let yourself be seen.”
Lorcan grabbed Reyna’s satchel from the bed and strode over to the door where he kicked it open. He stepped out into the corridor, hoping no one would spot him. It was late at night—that was why they had chosen now to visit Thane’s mother. He should be able to sneak out through the tunnels easily enough.
The boat would only wait for an hour, and then it would be gone.
He took one last glance behind him, knowing it might be the last time he ever saw these halls. It was time for him to return to the Shadow Court.
67
Reyna
Time seemed to have no meaning. Hours or days passed in a blur, Reyna’s mind too numbed by a strange, intoxicating illness that left her weak and confused. She would only wake for moments at a time, long enough to see a crack of light or a shadowy face before she drifted back into darkness.
Sometimes, she hallucinated. She would hear the caw of seagulls and smell the scent of brine. The world seemed to tip beneath her like waves upon the sea. And sometimes, she awoke just to vomit on an unfamiliar floor and find herself in a strange bed of straw.
She swore Lorcan was nearby. His voice echoed inside her head, though nothing in his words made sense.
Southeasterly winds, he’d say.The captain is concerned.
But she could scarcely breathe, let alone hold onto her thoughts. And so, she drifted away like an unmoored boat across the sea.
* * *
She pried open her eyes and was momentarily blinded by a strange red light that speared across her face. Squinting, she pushed herself up from the bed and tried to shake the clouds out of her head.
What the hell is happening? How long has it been?What in the name of the Dagda has plagued me for so long?
Because it had been a very long time. Reyna wasn’t certain how she knew, but she did. Weeks, at least. Maybe more. Her body felt the days, along with her mind.
Finally, she managed to open her eyes long enough to see an unfamiliar room and an iron-barred window looking out at a very red sky. Frowning, she gingerly stepped out of the bed and moved closer to the window. And then grasped tight to the ledge to hold herself steady.
