But it had. There was no way that had been a dream.
“Shieldmaiden,” Nollaig said slowly, holding Reyna’s elbow to steady her. “You’ve been through quite the ordeal. You should sit back down.”
Reyna whirled on her, her heart hammering. Nollaig probably had no idea what had happened to her. Did Lorcan drain her blood and then leave her to rot by the waterfall? Had he left her there to die?
Was she alive only because they’d gone looking for her, hunting the forest when she’d never come back?
“An ordeal?” Reyna’s laugh was as bitter as herbs. “Lorcan wanted to murder me. I’m guessing he didn’t succeed but it wasn’t for lack of trying.”
Thane winced. “You’re right. He did try to kill you.”
She rubbed her neck. “How am I alive? Where is the wound? Did I get cursed?”
“I used some herbs on you, Shieldmaiden. You healed too fast for the curse to get to you. There’s great magic in these lands. I have a feeling it has something to do with how close we are to the Dryads and that ley line thing.”
“Magic.” Reyna’s stomach twisted. “Dark magic. The kind that has transformed Lorcan into what he is now.”
“Bothkinds of magic,” Nollaig said. “Where there is light, there is dark. They don’t exist apart.”
Reyna’s fingers trembled at her neck. Her eyes fluttered shut as memories replayed over in her mind. Lorcan had almost killed her. The need she’d heard in his throat, it had sounded like an animal. And all because she’d been idiot enough to trust the words spilling out of his gorgeous mouth. Her love for Lorcan had made her blind to the truth.
“You’re alright now, sister,” Glencora whispered. “We’re survivors, you and me. It will take more than a cursed fae to kill you.”
“Where is he?” Reyna glanced up, meeting Thane’s dark gaze. “Did you see him?”
Thane glanced uneasily at the others. “I’m not sure where he went. Wingallock flew back hooting in distress, so I followed him in search of you. You were lying still on the ground when I collected you. And your clothes were by the waterfall. Lorcan wasn’t there.”
Reyna’s eyes narrowed. Something about the way he’d phrased how he’d found her felt off to her. Thane had always been good at mincing his words. She wanted to demand that he explain what he meant, but something in his expression stopped her. He kept glancing at the others. Did he not want them to hear it? Maybe he would explain things to her later.
“Well, I suppose that settles it then. We’re back on a quest to find the curse. Let’s go find the Dryads.”
* * *
Magic hummed in the air. Silver droplets of suspended rain hung before them like a shimmering wall. With her breath in her throat, Reyna reached out and skimmed her fingers along the specks of water. Power reverberated through her bones, a deep, dark melodic sound that made her teeth ache.
The forest squeezed tight around them where they stood at the edge of Ionad, home of the Wood Court’s Dryads. It had taken their party several more days to reach this place. The end of their month-long quest was coming up fast. But for the first time since Lorcan had attacked her, Reyna felt the bright bloom of hope in her chest.
“Has it always been like this?” Reyna whispered in awe. “This magic?”
“Yes,” Nollaig said.
Reyna’s brows winged upward. “You sure do seem to know a lot more than you let on earlier. I thought your memory had been wiped or something.”
Nollaig had led the charge through the forest. She’d known exactly which path to take to reach Ionad, when Rhain had only known the general direction. It was curious indeed.
“Don’t pry, Shieldmaiden. It’s not polite.”
“It’s also not polite to hide things from people.”
“Do you trust me, Shieldmaiden?”
“I don’t trust anyone. Not anymore,” she muttered.
“I don’t blame you,” Nollaig whispered. “But you know you can trust me.”
Reyna sighed, the steel wall around her heart melting just a little. “Fine. I won’t force the issue. Right now. But one day, you need to finally explain everything to me.”
“Oh, one day I surely will, my friend. But today is not that day. We have a curse to fix first. And only the Dryads can help us do that.”
