“Because there’s something wrong with him,” Nollaig hissed. She shook her head, the folds of her cloak rustling around her hidden face. “I didn’t want to believe it, but it’s true, isn’t it? I heard Molt talking about a curse. Just before Lorcan killed him. I knew there was more to it. I just knew it. I should have stopped the High King before he—”
“Don’t go down that road,” Reyna said in a rush of words. “Trust me. We’ll get lost in the weeds if we do. It doesn’t matter what we could have done. What matters is what happens now.” Reyna filled Nollaig in on the full implications of the curse and what it meant for the rest of the kingdoms of Tir Na Nog. When she was finished, Nollaig cursed.
“So, you’re saying we need to stop the alliance? The High King will not react well to that.”
“Oh, I have no doubt he’s doing to lose his goddamn mind, but we don’t have much of a choice,” Rhain said. “Until we find a way to undo this curse, that treaty cannot be signed. We can’t let the curse spread out of these lands. If we do, it will only get worse.”
“So, then what?” Nollaig asked. “After we stop the treaty, what do we do next?”
Reyna blew out a weighted breath. Rhain fumbled with the hilt of his sword.
“You don’t know, do you?” Nollaig asked suspiciously.
“We don’t know how to undo it,” Reyna said quietly. “Not yet. After we stop the treaty, we’ll figure it out.”
“The High King will never let you do this. He’ll end up killing us all.”
* * *
They stopped to camp halfway through the night. The forest was thick and full of darkness and shadows. It was impossible to see where they were going with the dense canopy blocking the moons and stars from view. They built a small fire and clustered around it in a circle, watching the rabbit meat crackle over the flames.
As they ate, a scream echoed through the forest. Reyna stopped chewing and glanced at Nollaig. “You hear that?”
“It would be impossible to miss it, Shieldmaiden.”
“I heard screams like that my entire journey to Craobhan,” Reyna said. “A few times, I went after them. Wood fae and shadow fae were killing each other and drinking their blood.”
Rhain nodded. “It’s already spreading then.”
“I heard some, too,” Nollaig whispered. “Last night, when I camped.”
Reyna dropped her meal and stood, brushing the dirt from her trousers. “This one was nearby. I’m going to go put a stop to it.”
Nollaig hesitated for only a moment before standing by her side. Rhain jumped up as well, and together, the three of them stalked through the forest toward the piercing sound.
After several moments, they reached the edge of a clearing where several fae stood around a blazing fire. They danced and whorled around the flames, hands linked, eyes turned up to the canopy above. Blood painted their faces. Their eyes were black and hollow. A shiver went through Reyna as they watched.
Several bodies littered the ground. Necks torn open. Eyes wide and unseeing. Chests still. Death had already come to this place, and there was nothing they could do to stop it now.
Reyna motioned for the others to follow her away from the clearing. When they were well out of earshot of the blood worshippers, Reyna let out a harsh hiss. “What should we do? If we let them live, they’ll only kill more people.”
Rhain’s eyes slid shut. “They’re not in their right minds. They don’t know what they’re doing.”
“But we can’t just let them roam through the forest night after night, killing everyone they meet.”
“They likely killed others just like them. So many fae already seem affected by this curse,” Nollaig muttered.
“Not us,” Reyna pointed out with a frown. “Not the citizens of Craobhan.”
“They have protection,” Rhain said. “Ancient magic, built into the bedrock of the city. Nothing can cross the wall that means them harm. That’s likely what’s stopping them from getting sick.”
Reyna’s heart thumped. “But that doesn’t explainus.”
“You’re an ice princess,” Rhain pointed out. “You have not pledged fealty to our High King. Besides, the curse won’t spread through the lands that quickly. It will take time.”
Tears filled Reyna’s eyes, hot and full of nettles. She’d kept a secret close to her chest for days. She hadn’t told a single soul, and it appeared he hadn’t either.
“I have pledged fealty to him,” she finally whispered. “I joined his Shadow Court. I’m one of you now.”
