Page 184 of A Legacy of the Light

“I’m alive, Elsie.”

A sob escapes me. “Where . . .” I sob again, and blow out a breath before trying to form the words, “Where are you? What happened?”

Tears streak down her own cheeks.

“They found me,” Granny winces in pain, as though talking is too much for her.

“They found me, and your mother, and they . . .”

My heart shatters when a sob escapes her and she wraps her savaged arms around herself.

“They held me while they butchered her.”

Sadness grips me in a vice and anger burns through my gut. I knew in my heart that they would be responsible for the sorrow and misery my family have endured, but hearing it confirmed sets an animal roaring in my soul that’s screaming to be unleashed on the world. I want to rage and cry and lash out at the cruelty of it all. I want them to pay. I want every Dorche to suffer for what they have done to me and mine. And for what they continue to do to countless other families.

I fold Granny into my arms and she cries against my chest, loosening the grief that she has held onto for almost two years on her own.

“Granny, have the Dorche had you this entire time?”

She pulls back to look at me, her pale green eyes swimming with pain and devastation. “You know? About the Dorche?”

I nod. “I’m in Elfayne. I know everything, Your Majesty.” My lips lift into a small smile.

Panic crosses her face. “Do you have the Craobh?”

I nod again, and lift the pendant from under my shirt and show her.

She sags in relief and rests her head against the tree. “Good. That will protect you. At least you have that.”

She sighs. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’m so sorry you had to find out this way. You must have so many questions. I will answer them all, I promise.”

“Where are you? How do I find you? I can take you home. I can take you to Grandpa.”

She cups my cheek and wipes the tears that haven’t stopped since I knew who was laying beneath the massive oak tree. “You can’t reach me here. It’s not safe. You must go home. You need to get your Grandpa and run.”

I stare down at her bloody and bruised face. “I can’t. Not now that I know you’re alive.”

Granny sits up, one arm bracing across her waist and she hisses through her teeth before settling again. “Elsie, you need to get out of here. You aren’t safe. I escaped. And they’re hunting for me. If they find you . . .” She closes her eyes and more tears cut a path through the dirt on her skin. “If they find you, what they did to your mother will seem a kindness compared to what they will do to you. You have to live.”

“Where are you?” I ask again. “Are you safe?”

“For now. This is the Lagan Naomh, the sacred hollow.” She gestures around the space that I assumed was some dream meeting place. “No one will find me.”

I take her hand in mine.

“We don’t have much time. I can feel myself slipping from here,” she whispers. “Promise me, Elsie. Promise me that you’ll get out of here. Promise me you will get home to your Grandpa and run.” She squeezes my hand and beseeches me with her eyes.

“I promise,” I choke.

“I will find you, sweetheart. I will find you and explain everything.”

She pulls my face to hers and kisses my forehead gently.

I screw my eyes shut tight.

“Tell your Grandpa . . . that I love him.”

I nod and she wipes the tears from my cheeks a final time. “I love you, Elsie.”