Page 109 of The Falconer

‘Kam!’

Kiaran grabs me from behind, spins me to face him. I nearly lurch into his body, so drunk with power that nausea is beginning to cramp my stomach.

He puts his hands on my face and forces me to look at him. ‘Now,’ he says. ‘We’ve killed enough of them that the shield will hold a little longer. You have to go and activate the seal now.’

‘Now?’ I shake my head, trying to comprehend his words. The urge to fight is pulling me back into the fray again.

I briefly scan the meadow. Kiaran pulled me away just as the remaining fae were retreating to regroup, while those injured are still healing from their many wounds. Scraps of bloodied armour glint in the darkness. Kiaran and I cut through and slaughtered so many, their bodies litter the meadow.

God help me, but Ilovedit. What kind of person does that make me?

‘Kam?’

‘I can kill the rest,’ I tell him, dismissing the horror over what I’ve done. Now isn’t the time for guilt. ‘I can.’

‘No, you can’t.’ Kiaran’s eyes hold mine, so intense I don’t think I could look away if I wanted to. ‘My powers weren’t meant for you. If you hold them too long, they’ll destroy you.’

‘But—but what about—’

You. What about you?My throat closes.

‘Don’t,’ he says. ‘You have to let me go.’

That’s what stops me cold, suppresses the urge to kill again. I can’t help myself. I pull him to me and kiss him desperately.

‘I’m sorry,’ I say. It’s all I can manage. ‘I’m so sorry.’ I kiss him again so hard, I think my lips will be bruised.

He takes hold of my shoulders, breathing hard as a flash of anguish, of regret, crosses his beautiful face. That look will haunt me for the rest of my days. ‘Go, Kam.’

‘But—’

‘Damn it, I saidgo!’

He pushes me away, his expression carefully composed again, battle-ready. I’ll always remember him this way. Strong, unyielding to the very end.

Against all of my instincts, I turn away and leave him there.

Chapter 38

Iwon’t be fast enough, not with the faeries pursuing me on horseback. I sprint to the locomotive again, running so swiftly that I can barely breathe. I crash through puddles that soak through my boots. Rain slaps against my skin, cold and relentless. I leap over the bodies of fallen fae soldiers and try not to think about Kiaran’s fate if I manage to activate the seal.

Out of the corner of my eye, something dark and gleaming leaps at me. I hit the ground rolling. Thecù sìthvaults above me and lands in the grass. Instinct takes me over. Blades I don’t remember drawing are already in my hands as I throw myself at the hound, slashing.

I don’t even pause to enjoy the kill. I’m on my feet and running through the meadow again. I hear galloping horses behind me and know I haven’t much time. The fae are beginning to recover.

Not much further to the locomotive. Every part of me aches with the effort to keep running. My legs burn. My throat is dry and every breath is agony.

I yank open the door and hop inside, already flipping the switches to start the engine before the door slams shut. ‘Quickly now,’ I whisper to myself, twisting the dial to enable the highest possible speed.

The engine purrs to life. Only then do I look back and see the fae on horseback heading straight towards me. I draw a blade, ready to fight again if I need to. But Kiaran is already there, leaping and cutting through the fae.

I return my attention to operating the locomotive, but it stalls. ‘Come on,’ I mutter, pushing the pedals with my feet.

‘Hurry, Kam!’

Kiaran’s power thunders around us. Power crackles across the meadow, a blinding, searing light that scorches my cheeks. I pump the lever, but again the engine stalls.

‘Kam!’

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