Page 67 of The Fallen Kingdom

Aithinne looks confused. “You only fell through that hole a few minutes ago, how could—”

“Don’t be a idiot, Aithinne,” Sorcha says in irritation. “Time works differently here, depending on where you are. It’s the same as in theSìth-bhrùth.”

Wherever he is, Kiaran is injured, tired, and losing control. He could be in trouble.

I buckle my sword sheath to my waist and head for the trees. “If you’re coming, hurry up.”

They glance at each other, but follow. Aithinne matches my stride, looking askance at me. “You don’t even know where you’re going, do you? You’re not walking into a fight, you’re running into it at full speed with a blindfold on and your ears lopped off and—”

“Thank you,” I say. “That metaphor did not need to be extended.”

I risk using a small pulse of power, a searching stroke in the trees around us.Find Kiaran.

Nothing. Not a stir, not a breath, not a whisper.

Aithinne waves a dismissive hand. “You know what I mean.”

I shake my head once. “None of us knows where we’re going,” I counter. “Doyou?” I glance at Sorcha, who is eyeing me warily—no doubt because I look half-crazed. “Doesshe?”

Find Kiaran. Find the Book. Kill the Morrigan. Focus on those three things with the iron will of someone who has everything to lose. Someone who may only have hours left.

If I worry too much about what’s happening to Kiaran, I’ll do something reckless. But I need him. To quiet my doubts. To tell me that I can do this, my final battle. It’s my last attempt to make things right.

“Falconer.” Aithinne’s voice is patient. “We should plan our next—”

“I don’t have time for that and you know it.”

Aithinne grasps my arm to stop me. “Do you realize how you sound right now?” she says sharply. “Mar theine beumach. Like you’re on a path of destruction. You’re not thinking clearly.”

“She’s human,” Sorcha counters. “Do they ever think clearly?”

I whirl on Sorcha, unsheathing my blade. The metal whistles in an arc, the tip pressing against her throat. “You know how to find the Book, don’t you?”

“Aileana.”

I ignore Aithinne, my gaze utterly focused on Sorcha. “Answer me.”

Sorcha’s green eyes gleam. “I don’t like talking with a blade to my throat.”

Her skin breaks beneath my sword and a small trickle of blood slides down her chest. It seeps into the red brocade of her dress, a perfect match. “And I don’t like being manipulated. Did you find the Book?”

Nothing. Not a hint of an answer. Aithinne’s gaze catches mine and I know she sees the question there.

She nods once.Do it.

I slice Sorcha across the arm. She cries out and backs away, but I’m too fast. My fingers close around her throat, pressing into the skin. “You seem to be under the mistaken impression that between Kiaran and me, I’m the weak one. Let me assure you, that isn’t true.” I squeeze harder for emphasis and she gasps for breath.

“Aileana...” Aithinne says uncertainly.

“Talk or I’ll tear through your memories like gauze.” Sorcha murmurs something, but it’s too low to hear. “Louder. Before my hand slips and I crush your windpipe.”

“Aye,” she wheezes. “I found the damn Book.”

“How? Where is it?”

Sorcha bares her fangs. “I don’t remember.”

A straight statement, no room for a lie—

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