Page 68 of The Vanishing Throne

And I feel it all. The keen sense of theirpowers within and around me, like smoke in my mouth, like cold air in my lungs. I would have savored it once. I would have basked in the kill, the vengeance.

Now, it’s simple necessity. It’s Aithinne and me screaming to the world – to Lonnrach – that we’re alive. That we can still fight and kill. That we’re not shattered. I battle like a declaration:I’m not running.

Then I seeher. The midnight black of her hair, flowing around a face so beautiful that it’s scarcely real. Those glittering green eyes meet mine and her lips curl into a smile.

Sorcha.

Time stops. It is only me and her. I feel her power, thick as blood on my tongue, forcing its way down and down.

She’s in my mind, controlling me against my will. She issues a single command:Stop. My sword hand pausesmidair, and the fae around me – except for Kiaran and Aithinne – halt too. As if we are all statues, still as stone. The battle has completely stalled in the wake of Sorcha’s influence.

She leaves a tantalizing pulse across my temple, as if to say:I have you.

I hate her.I hate her.I try to push her out, but she’s strong, so strong. I’m just like the others, unable to fight against her power no matter how hard I try.

When Kiaran sees her, his hand tightens on his blade. ‘Sorcha.’

Aithinne stops right beside him, breathing hard. ‘You.’ She exhales deeply. ‘I can’t recall if I mentioned it, but every time we meet, I quell an urge to punch you in the face.’

Kiaran casts a look at his sister, as if to say,Agreed.

Sorcha just smiles at Aithinne, revealingher sharp teeth. ‘Believe me, the feeling is mutual. But is that any way to treat someone who’s here to help you? Again?’ She glances at the other fae. ‘I only have a few minutes to cloud their memories, so don’t waste my time.’

‘Oh, this again. It’s even less convincing than it was the first time.’ Aithinne shakes her head, and finally notices I’m like the others, unable to speak.

She crooks a finger at me and her power is there, intertwining in a warm current that breaks through the icy control of Sorcha’s power. Aithinne tastes of smoke, of black powder and blood and flame.

Sorcha resists her, holding on so strongly that I have to bite my tongue so I don’t cry out. Aithinne’s power wraps tightly around Sorcha’s, overwhelming it. Burning through it.

Suddenly, I feel myself released from Sorcha’s powers so fast that I nearly pitch forward.

I gasp for breath and am finally able to lookaround. All the other fae are frozen. Their eyes are iced over, gazes fixed and unmoving – like statues in the snow.

Kiaran still has his blade out. I notice how his hand tightens around the hilt. ‘Why are youreallyhere, Sorcha?’

If I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have missed the way Sorcha’s gaze lingers on him. ‘What if I told you I was on your side, Kadamach? That I wanted you to defeat my brother?’

‘I wouldn’t believe a damn word you said.’

Sorcha tuts, but her eyes never leave him. ‘We were friends once.’ She looks at him from under her lashes. ‘More than that. You trusted me.’

Friends? They were friends? Even Aithinne makes a gagging sound at that.

Kiaran’s face shutters completely, that cold detached gaze dropping into place. ‘Is that what you thought? Or have you simply forgotten how skilled I am at pretending?’

Lonnrach’s words flash in my mind.He made you think he cared about you. Kadamach doesn’t give a damn about anyone.

Sorcha’s lip curls. She attacks with her power and I can taste it – overwhelming, nauseating. Kiaran blocks it with his hand, a thin slash of blood appearing across his palm. In the blink of an eye, it heals over.

‘You can’t deceive me, Kadamach,’ Sorcha says bitterly. ‘Not while you’re bound to me.’ Kiaran’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t say anything. ‘It’s because of our bond that I’m warning you. My brother seeks to take the Seelie and Unseelie thrones.’

‘Please. He doesn’t have that kind of power,’ Aithinne says. I hear the tightness in her voice, the fear not quite concealed bynonchalance. ‘And he’s not Seelie any more. He has no claim to—’

‘When he finds a way to steal the Falconer’s power’ – she gives me a small, arrogant smile – ‘he’ll be one step of the way there.’

Mine? How could my power possibly help him do that?

‘It won’t be difficult, since your little human friend can’t even access her power to fend him off.’

---