With a deep breath, Eislyn explained everything. She told Reyna how she had escaped from Aengus. Vreis helped her stow away on a ship and sail for the safety of her icy homeland…only it wasn’t so safe, after all. After she escaped yet another enemy, she went to Fomor. The people there thought she was the Namhaid, and so she married a bloody Emperor!
By the time she was done with her tale, Reyna’s dropped jaw was a permanent fixture of her face. Not only had she married theEmperor of Fomor, she’d journeyed to Inishfall and had spoken with the gods, too.
“I have to admit, it’s going to take awhile for all of this to sink in,” Reyna said with a shake of her head. “I thought you were hiding out in an ice cave, not galavanting around marrying random strangers in foreign lands. I thought the Fomorians killed fae who showed up on their shores?”
“The Emperor didn’t want to kill me. He was convinced I was either the Namhaid or the Ghaisgeach.”
“The Ghaisgeach,” Reyna repeated.
“The hero of the world.”
“I’ve heard the name.” Reyna closed her eyes. “And so you came here to warn me because you think I’m the Namhaid. You wanted to stop me from becoming the destroyer of everything.”
“I’m sorry,” Eislyn whispered. “You fit the prophecy. I didn’t want you to be the Namhaid, but I couldn’t help but worry you were.”
“Well, it’s not me,” Reyna said with a heavy smile. “For a long time, I thought I was, but I believe that title belongs to someone else.”
“Who?” Eislyn asked, brows furrowed. “The prophecy doesn’t fit anyone else. There has to be a—”
“Eislyn?” Thane’s shocked voice ripped through their conversation.
Eislyn’s cheeks blanched. “Is…Thane here?”
“He is. And by the way,” Reyna whispered as they turned toward the approaching air king, “you’re not the only one who got married while you were gone.”
Reyna left them to it. She didn’t want to intrude on their reunion, and there was much to think about.Her sister. Reyna shook her head with a grin. Who would have thought?
Thoughts of Glencora flooded her mind. Where the hell had she gone?
With a sigh, she paced through the forest, thinking of everything that had happened and everything that was to come. Eislyn had fought hard to find Reyna in hopes of saving her from herself.
Her heart swelled at the thought of the emotion-fuelled words of her sister. She believed in Reyna like no one else did. She wanted to remind her of her strength, of what she was fighting for. Reyna came a stop, her eyelids fluttering shut. She had taken so much of this personally. She’d let her mind fill with troubled thoughts and self-doubt. But this wasn’t about her. It was bigger than that, and it always had been.
She thought of her homeland, the Ice Court. All those innocents who would die if she did not succeed. Her Shieldmaidens, who fought so bravely beside her against any enemy. They had not taught her everything they knew for Reyna to give up on herself now.
She opened her eyes and pressed her ice glass ring to her cheek. Her kingdom needed her strength.
* * *
When dusk settled over the city like a cloud, they headed for the gates. They’d spent all day searching the woods for Glencora, but not even a scrap of silver arrived to announce hope. Eislyn had quickly caught up with the situation and their plan. And she wanted to help.
Reyna didn’t try to stop her. Her little sister had spent the past several months fighting for herself, and she’d even picked up swordplay. Nollaig would battle by her side in case they ran into any trouble, and Thane would stay close. Even though they’d never married, he’d protect her with his life.
When they reached the gates, the guards were waiting for them. Arrows nocked, they stared down their aims at Reyna and her companions. Several more guards squatted in the battlements, ready for attack.
Thane stepped forward, smiling at the guard he’d worked with the previous morning. “I’m here to see your High King.”
“You know she’s a traitor, don’t you?” The guard pointed his sword right at Reyna’s heart. “The High King has warned us not to let her inside. If she tries to fly over, we’re to shoot her out of the sky.”
Reyna pressed her lips together. She hadn’t expected Lorcan to armor up like this. He wanted to fight her. He wanted to watch her break. Sending his guards to the wall prevented that from happening.
Strange.
“She’s no traitor,” Thane said easily. “And she has a meeting with the king this night.”
“We’re not letting you inside,” the guard grunted.
Sighing, Thane stepped back.
