Page 55 of The Dark Will Rise

“You can try.” Cormac spat, his eyes darkening with my every word.

“Is Liam alive, Cormac?” I bared my teeth. “Or did you take him back to Tarsainn and put a knife through his throat after you tried to kill me?”

Cormac’s eyes twitched. “You think so little of me?”

“I think nothing of you.” I spat.

Rainn and Tor did not speak of my midnight sojourn, though they were awake when I returned. Tor had pulled the playing cards from his pack and laid them out on the cot.

I had seen Tor’s playing cards before, though I hadn’t paid much interest to the game then. The cards held an enchantment that made them impervious to water—an expensive spell, to be sure.

Rainn had a stack of cards in his hand, and if his sulking expression was anything to go by, he appeared to be losing.

I sat beside Tor, craning my neck to look over his shoulder. “What game are you playing?”

Tor shot me an indulgent smile. “We’re playing Usurper.”

My brow furrowed. My confusion was evident as Tor continued, showing me his hand.

“The cards with the crowns represent a royal family. The swords represent their guards. The scrolls are their advisors. The usurper is the card placed face down in the middle of the deck. The betrayer. The deck is shuffled each time. You must discard cards, guessing if they belong to the same class as the usurper.”

“It all sounds very complicated.” My nose wrinkled. “I prefer Pebbles.”

“The children’s game?” Tor cocked his head to the same.

Rainn threw down his hand. “After being beaten several times by Tormalugh, I’d say I prefer Pebbles too.”

Tor looked down at his card before reaching down and flipping over the Usurper card. He studied the cards in his hand and then Rainn’s discarded deck. “You would have won this time.” Tor pointed out in a dry tone.

Rainn growled before turning to me. “Did you find Shay?”

“Drowning in his cups,” I said, picking up the Usurper card. A king with a hooked nose. I placed the card face down. “I didn’t tell him about the mark.”

Tor gathered the cards and began to shuffle them. “It might be for the best. I think we should return to the Reeds soon.”

“Not the Skala Beach?” There was something in Rainn’s voice I couldn’t identify.

“River might have been a symptom of a bigger problem amongst the selkies.” Tor dipped his head, his voice the essence of diplomacy. “River might have more supporters than you think.”

“Not more than my mother.” Rainn shot me a look. “And she adored Maeve. She told me so.”

“Even so,” Tor shrugged.

“Is that our plan?” I tugged my fingers through my hair. “To hide away?”

“Perhaps.” Tor conceded. “There is no shame in letting others squabble.”

“Cormac told me we were even,” I said, keeping my emotions from my voice. “That he bears no ill will for my actions.”

Rainn spluttered, the sound halfway between a laugh and a cough. “He stabbed you, and he thinks you’re even. Like you’re playing a game.” Rainn gestured to the cards on the cot.

I nodded, my smile a grim line. “I’m not sure if I should take the amnesty.”

“It chafes that Cormac believes he is granting you a boon and simultaneously justifying his actions as revenge,” Tor said thoughtfully. “His head is so far up his own arse that I truly believe he thinks himself a benevolent king for such a statement.”

“Up his own tail.” Rainn corrected with a snicker. “Let’s hope he returns to Tarsainn soon to polish his fins or whatever it is Merfolk do in their spare time.”

Chapter Twelve

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