“Or the Court of Death,” Rhain replied.
“Molt would never make it into the Court of Death. Only the followers of the Dagda end up there.” There was little known about the afterlife, where Dagda had travelled oh so long ago, to live out eternal life in peace. But it was believed to be the home of the souls of his followers, taken there after death. Once, a fae had returned from the Court of Death and lived to tell the tale. Many had believed him. Others had been convinced he’d found a way to lie.
Rhain sighed and settled his forearms on the table. “I will believe nothing about the afterlife until I see it with my own eyes. Until then, we can never truly know what happened to Ulaid Molt or where he is.”
A shiver bolted down Reyna’s spine. “That’s not at all terrifying. Are you saying you think he’ll come back?”
“No.” Rhain shook his head. “Maybe. Most likely not, but who am I to truly know? All I can say for certainty is that no one is everfullygone. He’s here in this kingdom. If anything, his memory lingers on. He’s in the minds of the wood fae. He’s in the blood that drenches that dirt. And if he lives on, then there will always be a way to stop him. Nothing is ever impossible.”
Reyna palmed the table and leaned forward. “Buthow, Rhain? How do we stop this?”
“I don’t know.” He sighed. “But what I do know is you’re going to have to stop that treaty from getting signed, at least for now. If your father makes a vow to Lorcan Rothach, your entire kingdom could fall.”
* * *
Reyna stayed at the tavern for the night, though she didn’t manage to sleep any better than she had in the wilderness. Her mind whirred with a thousand different scenarios. She imagined darkness spreading through the ice lands, transforming the snow into dust. The silver eyes wide and unseeing as they sought out fresh blood. Crimson staining the frost.
It was nightmarish.
Rhain was right. She had to stop it, even if that meant telling her father about the curse. She shuddered to think of his reaction. The war had gone on for so long. The dirt itself was weary of battle. Tir Na Nog needed this treaty, just as they needed air to breathe and water to drink and food on their tables.
She left the next morning at dawn and trekked through the forest, taking the same path she’d already walked. Rhain came with her. They’d made it half a day from Craobhan when a familiar form stepped from the shadows of the forest with an arrow aimed right at Reyna’s chest. Steel whistled through the air as Rhain drew his sword.
Reyna held out a hand, her eyes locked on the cloaked form that stood before her. “No need. This is Nollaig. She’s a friend, not an enemy.”
“Friends don’t aim arrows at each other, Princess,” Rhain said in a low growl.
“This one does,” Reyna said, frowning. “Apparently. Nollaig, what are you doing?”
“You fled with the High King’s property. He wants it back, and he wanted me to ensure that you never return to the Tower of Thorns.”
Pain stabbed Reyna’s gut, but she gritted her teeth against it. These were not Lorcan’s words. She could not let them hurt her. “So, you thought killing me was the answer?”
“He believes you’re committing treason,” Nollaig said slowly. “So, yes. It seems so.”
Reyna merely stayed rooted to the spot, staring calmly at Nollaig’s darkened hood. The shadow fae was loyal to her High King, but she’d also once stood by Bolg Rothach’s side. Before stabbing him to death.
“And you think that’s normal, do you?” Reyna finally asked. “That Lorcan would want me dead?”
Nollaig cleared her throat. “You’ve betrayed him.”
She arched a brow. “Have I truly?”
“You stole Molt’s book.”
“Yes, so that I could read it,” Reyna said. “And do you want to know what it says? It includes instructions for a curse, one cast upon anyone who killed the wielder. It’s a curse of darkness, of Unseelie. It’s inside of Lorcan, and it’s spreading through the kingdom. Through the Wood Courtandthe Shadow Court.”
“We all know you can lie, Shieldmaiden,” Nollaig said in a low voice. “In fact, I was the first to figure it out.”
“I wouldn’t lie about this. You know it, too. Or you would have already shot that arrow into my chest.”
Nollaig snorted. “I haven’t shot it because I know you’d just dodge it.”
Reyna’s lips tipped up in the corners. “Then why’d you choose a bow and arrow to begin with?”
Nollaig sighed and lowered the bow. The arrow clattered onto the ground. “Because I never intended to kill you, Shieldmaiden, and you know it. I just…”
“You’re loyal to Lorcan,” Reyna said, taking a step closer to the shadow fae. “I am, too, you know. I’m not your enemy, no matter what he’s said.”
