“No,” Mariel said hoarsely as her hands dropped heavily to her sides. “Please.”
Glencora smiled. “Tell me where the source is.”
Dammit.“If I tell you where it is, will you swear to leave the trees intact?”
“Hmm.” Glencora tapped her chin, and the fire vanished into smoke. “Very well. You have one chance to get it right.”
“It’s in the sap.” With a heavy sigh, Mariel shut her eyes. She couldn’t bear to watch Glencora take the sap. She knew it would lead to nothing good, and she doubted she would respect the spirit of the trees. But still, she couldn’t stop herself from asking. “What are you going to do with it?”
“I’m going to use it to make me stronger, of course.”
“For what?” Mariel whirled toward her. “What’s your aim here? Why do you want it so much?”
“It’s bold of you to ask.” With a glinting smile, Glencora strode forward. “I’m going to gather every scrap of power I can find, and then I’m going to Cleave the World.”
47
Eislyn
Eislyn rushed through the gates behind her sister. Fear pounded in her ears like war drums. She thought she was ready for this, but the sight of all the blood made her stomach turn. Gripping her dagger in her fist, she kept running forward. She couldn’t’ stop to look behind her or she might never keep going.
Nollaig, the strange, hooded fae who seemed to follow Reyna everywhere she went, suddenly yanked Eislyn to a stop and shoved a sword into her hands. “The dagger is nice and pretty, Princess, but you need a sword in a fight like this.” A pause. “Or should I call you Empress? How about Shieldmaiden? I know you don’t have training, but I respect your bravery in this fight.”
“Don’t worry about what to call me,” Eislyn said in a rush of breath. “Just worry about everyone getting through this alive.”
Nollaig stared at her. Or, at least, Eislyn thought she was staring at her. It was impossibly unnerving, that hood. “You know what? I like you very much already. Come now, Princess. Let’s keep up with the others.”
Eislyn lifted her foot to keep moving, but Nollaig suddenly stopped.
“Wait.” Nollaig tapped the shield. “You’re better off without one of those. It’ll only slow you down.”
Eislyn clutched the metal wall to her chest. “No, I want the shield. I’m going to be my own damn shield.”
Nollaig cocked her head. “Well, alright then. Come along.”
They raced after the others. Reyna and Thane were already at the end of the street, charging left up toward the tower. Eislyn huffed, running for all she was worth. This whole thing had not gone entirely to plan.
Eislyn had only returned to Tir Na Nog to save her sister, but she should have known her sister never needed saving. She’d been wrong about the Namhaid, just like Lir had been. The prophecies had gotten all mixed up in her head, and she’d convinced herself of a truth that didn’t exist. Hell, Eislyn probably wasn’t even the Ghaisgeach. Reyna was. It was clear as day to her now. Her brave, powerful sister. The Shieldmaiden who fought dark magic and won. Of course, she couldn’t be the Namhaid. She was the Hero of the Fallen. She’d save them all.
How could everyone have gotten it so wrong?
Because Unseelie wanted us to get it wrong. Because it was all a distraction from the truth. From the real Namhaid who hid in plain sight.
Frowning, Eislyn came to a sudden stop in the middle of the street. All the blood drained from her face as a horrible realization washed over her. Nollaig slowed and jogged back.
“We should catch up with the others,” the shadow fae said tensely. “Reyna doesn’t want you to stray too far, just in case something happens.”
“An ice princess,” Eislyn whispered, closing her eyes against the tears. “A transformation. An owl.”
“Yes, yes.” Nollaig grabbed her elbow, but Eislyn stayed rooted to the spot. “Wingallock and your familiar are waiting for you in the forest where it’s safe. Reyna didn’t want them to get shot down by wood fae arrows.”
“Glencora isn’t missing,” Eislyn said, flipping open her eyes. “No one took her. She didn’t get lost. She’s alive and well and stronger than she’s ever been.”
“Princess, I fear you’ve lost me.” Nollaig glanced over her shoulder where Reyna and the others had vanished around the corner. “And we’ve lost everyone else.”
“I know who the Namhaid is, and it isn’t Lorcan,” Eislyn said, shaking her head. She should have seen it sooner. It made far more sense than anything else ever had. “I need to get to her before she does something she’ll regret for the rest of her life.”
“Spill the king’s blood, you mean? She isn’t doing that because she thinks he’s the Namhaid. She has to stop the curse from spreading any further.”
