“I can read it!” Glencora exclaimed.
They all turned her way. Reyna’s gaze sharpened on her sister’s face. Glencora pursed her lips, looked at Thane, and then shifted toward Reyna. “It does say there is a curse, but it doesn’t say how to cure it.”
“Dammit.” Cos punched the nearest tree. Bark splintered beneath the force of his fist, echoing through the forest. “We already signed the damn treaty.”
Relief shook through Reyna, even as irritation bubbled up within her. Her father had doubted her from the very beginning. He’d let Lorcan lock her up. It wasn’t until Glencora took her side that he truly wanted to listen.
But at least she finally had his attention.
“I’ll fix this.” Reyna cast a glance up at the tower, hulking on the distant cliff. “Once I undo the curse, it won’t matter that you signed the treaty. Hell, it will be a good thing. Tir Na Nog will finally know peace without anything at all hanging over them. No battles. No curses. No kings driven mad by blood and bone.”
Cos shook his head, his silver hair rustling around his shoulders. “We can’t risk that.”
Reyna’s heart thumped. “What do you mean?”
“We can’t risk it,” he insisted. “You said this curse will spread north now that we’ve attached ourselves to Lorcan. There’s no way to undo that. We gave our word. The only way we can save ourselves is to kill High King Lorcan before the curse spreads into our lands.”
Reyna drew herself up tall, sucking in a rattling breath. “No. You can’t do that.”
“I can, and I will. You aren’t the High King. You’re not even a queen. This is my decision, Reyna, and I will hear no argument against it.”
“At least give me a chance,” she said quickly, twisting her hands together. “I’m certain I can curse this curse, but I need a little time to do it.”
A beat passed before he spoke. “How much time?”
She glanced at Thane for an answer, but he only shrugged. He didn’t know any more than she did.
“A month. Maybe two.” She shook her head. “No, perhaps longer. I don’t know where I’ll have to travel to find the answer to this. Six months?”
If she had to return to Inishfall—and she just might—that alone could take several months, depending on how they got there. Unless they could steal one of Lorcan’s ships, they’d have to go on foot.
“Absolutely not,” Cos said through gritted teeth. “Six months could be enough time for the curse to drown the entire continent. I’ll give you a month and no longer.”
Reyna’s breath rattled in her lungs. “But that might not be enough.”
“You’re right. It might not be,” he said firmly. “But think of the Ice Court, Reyna. What will happen to your people if we do not put a stop to this? You fought the Ruin will all your heart, just to protect them. This is not the fight you want now, but it’s the one you have. It’s a month. I’ll pull my army back across the mountains and wait there. Send a bird by dawn in one month’s time, or we will launch an assault on these lands. And Lorcan Rothach will die.”
17
Lorcan
Lorcan awoke with fury burning in his veins. The cool floor whispered across his forehead as he rolled onto his back. Blinking, he tried to make sense of his surroundings. Vines overhead. Blood pounding in his ears. The scent of blooming flowers on the warm wind.
Ah, he thought grimly. That was right. He was inside the Wood Court, having taken the throne. Molt had cursed him, and he was only in control of his own mind and body in small snippets scattered throughout the day.
Groaning, he pushed up to his feet and gazed around. He remembered clearly now. Reyna had returned from her flight into the forest, and she’d brought with her accusations and anger. She’d found out about the curse and had tried to stop Thane and Cos from signing the treaty.
And she’d failed.
A slight smile ghosted his lips. He’d tried to lock her up, but he should have known nothing would stop Reyna Darragh from doing something once she set her mind to it. She’d blasted him with ice. It had been one of the sexiest things he’d ever seen.
The other version of himself certainly didn’t think so. The Cursed One, Lorcan was beginning to call him.
Lorcan’s smile vanished. It wouldn’t take long for that part of him to take over again. He was only in control now because the magic had knocked him out.
He needed to warn the others before it was too late. Cos and Thane needed to leave Murias as quickly as possible. The cursed monster within him wanted to kill them all. They could still survive this, but they had to gonow.
Lorcan strode out of his chambers, squaring his shoulders. He would put a stop to this. As he stormed down the corridor, his mind began to blur. His vision went dark. Blood rushed through his ears. The curse flared to life and Lorcan vanished back into the depths of his soul.
