And Reyna didn’t have time to dwell on it.
“Anyway, that’s not why I’ve come here,” Reyna said quickly, casting a glance over her shoulder at the closed door. When Lorcan awoke, he would likely think to check Thane’s quarters for her. He knew she’d do whatever it took to stop the treaty. “I know you want to trust Lorcan. You have all your life. But you have to believe me on this, Thane, he’s not himself. He’s been cursed. If you sign that treaty, all of Tir Na Nog will fall.”
Thane pursed his lips. “You escaped from your quarters to put a stop to the treaty.”
“Of course.” She threw up her hands. “Why else would I have done it?”
“I’ve already signed the treaty, Reyna,” he said quietly. “We signed it as soon as Lorcan escorted you back to your chambers.”
All the blood drained from Reyna’s face. Her hands dropped heavily to her sides as the full weight of his words crashed down upon her. “You can’t have already signed it.”
“I can, and I did,” he said firmly. “Reyna, I know you believe that you’re saving us all somehow, but can’t you see that the Ruin has twisted your mind and made you see things that aren’t—”
“Thane.” Reyna squared her shoulders and stood tall, the way she’d learned in her Shieldmaiden training. “Look at me and tell me you think I’m not myself. Forget Lorcan’s words and really look at me. I know I wasn’t your choice as a bride, but we became friends along the way. You know me. Youseeme. Am I not the same fae you met all those months ago?”
Thane let out a heavy sigh, and his eyelids fluttered shut, lashes splashed across his pale cheeks. “You do seem yourself, but you also seem haunted. The Ruin did touch you, Reyna, whether you want to admit it or not. Is that driving you to madness?” His eyes flipped open. “I don’t think so. I truly don’t. But it’s hard for me to imagine that Lorcan is who you say he is.”
“Cursed,” Reyna said.
He nodded. “If he truly is cursed, then we’re all doomed.”
“You shouldn’t have signed the treaty,” she whispered. “Refusing to sign it wouldn’t have stopped the curse from spreading eventually, but it would have given us more time.”
“More time to what, Reyna?” Glencora asked gently, edging up to Thane’s side. The two stood together, facing Reyna, like a shield or a wall that she could not breach.
“I need to undo Lorcan’s curse,” she said. “And we all need to leave here before he decides to turn his knives your way. At the moment, he’s still reasonable enough not to murder you. I don’t know how long that will last.”
Thane snorted. “You can’t be serious. Lorcan would never murder us.”
“I also thought he’d never have his guards knock me out and lock me up. But that happened. You saw it with your own eyes.”
Thane sighed, turning to Glencora. “Lorcan did make a threat. I wasn’t sure I heard him right when he said it, but…you heard him, didn’t you?”
Glencora pressed her lips together. “When he said you needed to reverse the exile? I thought it was a joke.”
“What did he say?” Reyna asked.
Thane winced. “He said that if I didn’t return to Tairngire and undo the exile on the shadow fae, then he would burn the treaty.”
Reyna’s heart pulsed. “And he made that threat againstyou. Don’t you see, Thane? Could you ever imagine Lorcan saying something like that to you?”
Silence was his only answer.
“So, now you understand the gravity of our situation,” Reyna whispered. “Grab your things. Quickly if you can. We need to find my father and tell him to flee this place. I’m sure you’ll want to warn your grandfather, too.”
“And then what?” Thane asked.
“You’ll go north. Don’t undo the exile right away. I’ll send you a letter when it’s safe, but hopefully by the time you’ve returned home, I’ll have found a way to cure him.”
“Absolutely not.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I want to help you.”
“Youwillbe helping me, especially if we get out of the Tower of Thorns as soon as possible.” Reyna wet her lips and glanced at the door again. “I may have knocked him out during my escape. It won’t be long before he wakes.”
It was risky, sharing this information with Thane. But she had no other choice.
“I wish you wouldn’t have done that.” Thane let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t want to go north. I want to stay here and help you with the curse. Do you have any idea where to start?”
“Yes.” Reyna nodded. “The book I found the curse inside, I’m hoping it will detail some kind of cure. I’ve left it in a safe place. We just need to get there.”
