“How do we stop her?” Lord Illernan asked.
“She’s run off into the forest. She can’t have gone far yet.” Lorcan frowned. “My scouts say that the northern armies are retreating to the border, but there was no sign of her amongst them. That means she’s either gone south, to the shadow lands, or she’s still here.”
“Why would she still be here? Where could she have gone?”
“That is what we must find out,” he said firmly. “We need to find some trackers, and we must hunt her down. Once we do, I’ll take her on myself. This is my fight. I’ll do it alone. Because if I don’t kill her first, she’ll destroy every hope of forging a new world the way Ulaid Molt wanted.”
22
Reyna
“Wait, I think I’ve found something.”
They all huddled around the tavern’s table, digging into a rabbit stew that Suse had whipped up for them while they translated each page of the book to increasing disappointment. Reyna took another bite and rescanned the words, hope popping up like a meerkat.
Rhain’s fork clattered as he leaned forward with an eager furrow of his brows. “Like, actually found something? Or is it another false alarm?”
They’d gone through at least half of the book. A lot of the information was interesting, and she’d learned a great deal about the beginnings of Tir Na Nog. The Dagda had been no one important to the Fomorians. He’d brought his magic onto the continent as a gift to the fae. Once, those who lived on Tir Na Nog had been human.
It was a lot unpack, but they didn’t have time for that now.
“No, I think this is actually important,” she whispered with a smile. She punched the crinkling page with her finger. “It turns out Dagda chose six locations throughout the continent to infuse his power. One of those places received more power than the others because of this ley line business the book keeps harping on about. It’s where the ley line is the thinnest. Or the strongest. This bit is difficult to translate.”
“Let me see.” Rhain spun the book around and peered down at the words. He shook his head after a moment. “You’re right. It’s hard to make sense of it. There’s something about a ley line and a thinness, like a veil.”
“The ley line,” Nollaig intoned, cocking her head. “There’s something familiar about that term. I think it’s important. You should pay attention to this bit.”
“Do you know what it means?” Reyna asked.
Nollaig sighed. “Nope. All I know is that’s not where I got my Buntata recipe.”
“WhatisBuntata anyway?” Thane asked, pointing at her tankard. “Can I try some?”
Nollaig snickered. “You couldn’t handle Buntata.”
“Back to the important bit,” Reyna said, shooting at a scowl at the both of them. “This place, the thin ley line place, it’s in the middle of the Wood Court.”
“Where the Dryads live,” Rhain said with a nod. “This is all starting to make sense. The Dryads have always been protective of their homeland, and they don’t often mix with the rest of us. And most of them were never fans of Ulaid Molt.”
“I’m sorry,” Glencora whispered, leaning forward from her spot at the end of the table. After her rest, she’d joined them to research. “What does this ley line business have to do with the curse?”
“It says that fae can gain additional power here.” Rhain drummed his fingers on the table. “And it specifically mentions the power to cast a curse.”
Thane’s eyes went wide. “Oh. You think Molt went there to gain power?”
“He had this book. He performed the curse.” Rhain gave a solemn nod. “I would say it’s more likely than not.”
“But surely the Dryads wouldn’t let him do something like that,” Reyna argued. “Like you said, they weren’t loyal to him.”
“He might not have given them much of a chance.”
“So, you think this place has the power toundoa curse, too?” Glencora asked. “Not just cast one?”
Reyna met her eyes and shrugged. “I don’t know, Glencora, but it’s the only hope we’ve got right now.”
“I’ll keep reading the book,” Rhain announced. “The rest of you get some sleep. Unless I find someone else by first light, we’ll leave for the Dryads tomorrow. Do you know how to wield a blade, Glencora? Sometimes, that lot ain’t friendly.”
* * *
