“We’ve managed to find a few answers ourselves. There’s a book…” Reyna glanced at Thane. He’d been keeping it safe all this time. But Thane blanched and shook his head.
“In all the excitement, I forgot to get it from the tree trunk where I hid it a few nights back. We’ll have to collect it on our return journey.”
Reyna let out a huff of frustration. “No matter. We got what we needed from it. The text mentioned a great power here. One strong enough create a curse. It made me wonder if Molt came here. Maybe this place is where he got enough power to cast a curse on whoever sat on the Wood Court throne after his death. I always wondered where his magic came from. Obviously, Unseelie gifted some to him, but he had to start somewhere. We’re all fallen. Magic doesn’t come from thin air. Not until recently, anyway.”
A smile whispered across Queen Morgan’s lips. “That’s an interesting theory.”
“Is it a right one?” Reyna asked, holding her breath tight in her throat.
Queen Morgan sighed and leaned back against the rough bark of the tree behind her. She glanced over at her followers, who were all listening nearby with their spears still clutched in every hand.
“Molt came here. But he already had a measure of magic. Unseelie got to him a very long time ago. He has long been twisted by dark power.” Queen Morgan glanced at her followers again. “So, when he came threatening to burn Ionad down, we had no choice but to give him everything he wanted. More power. More magic. More knowledge. He left here knowing exactly how to leave a curse as his greatest gift to his successor. And he had enough power to make it permanent.”
“Permanent,” Reyna whispered, her heart skipping a beat. “Please tell me that doesn’t mean there’s no way to undo it. If we can’t cure this curse, every soul in Tir Na Nog will be lost to the darkness of Unseelie’s madness. That doesn’t just mean us. It means you, too. Spears will not hold against a horde of cursed fae.”
“You’re right. They won’t,” Queen Morgan said bluntly. “Which is why I’m glad you came here, seeking answers. There is a way to undo this curse, Reyna Darragh.”
Hope bloomed in Reyna’s chest. She sat forward, eager anticipation tripping through her veins. “What is it?”
“It all goes back to the source, the first fae who was cursed. The one who sat on the throne. It’s all bound to him. He holds the power of it all. Without him, the curse doesn’t exist.”
Reyna sat back. All the blood drained from her face. In fact, she swore her heart stopped completely.
Suddenly, she no longer wanted to hear the answer.
“The only way to save us all is to spill the cursed one’s blood.”
30
Reyna
Reyna stood. Her heart seemed to have stopped beating. Voices echoed in the distance, but she couldn’t make out their words. The lush forest surrounding them dulled to a muted grey. Nothing felt real anymore.
“Spill his blood,” she finally choked out. “You can’t mean that we have to kill him.”
“Seelie isn’t often clear when he speaks to me,” Queen Morgan said in a disaffected voice that scraped against Reyna’s eardrums. “When I asked him what must be done, he simply said that the cursed one’s blood must spill.”
The world rushed in around Reyna at once. The greens filled her vision. The gurgling sound of the nearby stream filled her head with noise. She shuddered as her heart restarted in her chest.
“So, he doesn’t have to die.” Should she dare hope? It was the only choice she had.
“That’s not what I said,” the Queen said, frowning. “I just don’t know. Perhaps not. Maybe a drop of blood is all you need.”
“That I could do,” Reyna said, nodding and turning toward the others. “We could return to Murias and find him in the night. If I could just scratch his arm with the edge of my blade, we could undo this with only a little blood.”
Thane didn’t so convinced. “And what if that’s not enough?”
“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.”
“Shieldmaiden, if I may,” Nollaig said, clearing her throat. “I worry you’re underestimating Our Highness. He has been drinking deeply for weeks now. His strength will be close to Ulaid Molt’s. And I daresay you haven’t forgotten what it was like to go up against him.”
Reyna would never forget. He’d been the most dangerous foe she’d ever faced. She rarely lost a sword fight. And he’d shattered her completely. If it hadn’t been for Seelie’s power burning through her veins, she likely would have died from it.
“Queen Morgan said that Molt spent years gathering his power,” Reyna argued. “Lorcan will be nowhere near that, not after a couple of weeks. Besides, I know your strength. You’re the best of us.”
Nollaig snorted. “I’d hardly call me that. And I can’t fight this battle for you.”
“Why not?” Reyna demanded.
