She grabbed his arm with her gloved hand and led him into a black stone hut just off of the street, outside of the Ruin’s current path. It was empty inside, abandoned. Blood splashed the floor, turning Lorcan’s stomach. Whoever had lived here had been caught up in the fight. They had likely died fleeing from the enemy.
He turned to the shadow warriors, motioning them inside. For now, this hut was safe, but it might not be for long.
He took the cloaked fae to the back corner of the room where they could speak privately without being overheard. “I’m listening, Nollaig, but I don’t understand.”
“The streets ahead are packed to the brim with enemies. As soon as we round that corner, we will be swarmed by wood fae. Two hundred, at least. Against nine. We will surely die.”
Lorcan’s heart roared in his ears. “Then, we’ll stay here.”
“We can’t. The Ruin will come this way soon enough.”
He shook his head, gazing at the path ahead. “What are you suggesting then? We can’t just hide here like cowards until we die.”
“I would not suggest anything of the kind.” She pointed out the window, toward a distant alley. “Go right. We can get to the castle that way.”
A slithering unease unfurled in his gut. “The castle.”
“Where your father is hiding.”
Lorcan clenched his fingers around the hilt of his sword. “And why would we go to the castle to see my father, Nollaig?”
“So that we can take the throne from him and end his terrible reign.”
Lorcan’s throat was thick. “Take it from him? How?”
“I think you know how. There is only one way to take down a mad king like that.” She turned and nodded toward Segonax. “He will be locked up in the fortress, but he’ll allow Segonax inside. And us along with him.”
He shook his head. “I can’t believe what I am hearing. You plan for me to abandon the fight so that I can kill my own father. I wanted to help this kingdom as best I could, Nollaig, but not like this.”
“No,Iwill kill the king.”
He took a step back. “You?”
“It is the only way to save the realm. You can’t do it yourself. You’d be cursed.”
“And you’d be cursed, too!” Frustration raged through him, hot like a knife drenched in blood. He did not know what worried him more. That Nollaig wanted to kill the king, or that Lorcan did not know if he could let her do it.
“I’m already cursed, Your Highness.”
Mouth dry, he tried to speak. “How long have you been planning this?”
“For a very long time.” A pause. “Once the battle is over, we will not get a chance like this again. His assassins missed us once, but they might not miss again. This might be our only chance. The city is in chaos. We can use that to our advantage.”
“It sounds as though you’ve thought a lot about this.”
“Oh, I have, Your Highness,” she said, her voice sharp. “I have very much indeed.”
Lorcan could only stare at the cloaked fae he had known for so many years...except had he ever truly known her? He had never seen her face or even her hands. She had hidden herself from the rest of the court for as long as he had known her. She had never once shared a thing about her past. Nollaig had always been an enigma.
Aharmlessenigma, he realized. Perhaps that had been the point all along.
“My father will have guards with him,” Lorcan said.
“He will.” She nodded toward the warriors who were waiting for his signal. “A few, but no more than what we have here.”
“Segonax will never go along with it.”
She chuckled. “Segonax might feel quite a bit differently than you’d expect.”
