Page 89 of The Fallen Kingdom

Then she presses a palm to the mirror and disappears. A portal opens along the wall, and I see the fire of Aithinne’s camp, my friends around it. Derrick is sitting on Gavin’s shoulder.

“Derrick,” I breathe. It takes all of my effort just to say it. “Derrick.”

He looks up as if he hears me. “Aileana?”

The others don’t notice when he flies past the fire, closer to the edges of the portal. He must see it as soon as he goes through the trees, because his eyes widen. “Aileana?” Disbelief, as if he doesn’t understand what he’s seeing.

I project the thought because it’s all I’m capable of.I need you.

“Bloody hell.” Derrick zooms past the trees and through the portal just a moment before it closes. He comes to a sudden stop as he takes in what’s happening. Me on the floor. Kiaran at my neck. My hand grasping Kiaran’s shirt as if that could make him stop. It can’t.

Help.

Derrick yanks a wicked wee blade out of his sheath. “Get thehellaway from her, you filthy—” He darts forward in a flurry of wings and slices Kiaran across the back. Kiaran lifts his head with a vicious snarl full of razor-sharp teeth. When his eyes meet mine, they’re pitch black. Not a single part of Kiaran is in that gaze.

Then, with horror, I watch as his irises lighten to a bright, pure sapphire blue.

I freeze.The Morrigan. She’s taking advantage of his lack of control to possess his body.

I’ll make you say yes.

I only have a moment. I gather my powers and slam Kiaran across the room. I try to stand. Derrick is at my side, breathing hard. “What was he doing? What the bloody hell is going on?”

“Not. Him.” I can barely form the words. Between my powers and the energy Kiaran took, I’m drained. My nose and neck are both bleeding. My skin feels sticky and hot and wet.

Derrick looks at me with alarm. “Oh, god,” he says. “Aileana.”

A wave of dizziness rolls over me and I have to lean on the mirror for a moment until my vision clears. I watch Kiaran get to his feet and fear knots my stomach. “MacKay, you have to fight her. I know you can.”

“You want me to stop?” The Morrigan’s voice threads with his. “Say yes.”

“No,” I snarl.

“Then I’ll sacrifice my first pawn.”

Kiaran comes at me in a running leap that I dodge just in time. I spin to face him, pulling my blade from its sheath. “Goddamn it, MacKay, don’t make me do this.”

Derrick lands on my shoulder. “Are you mad? You can’t fight him. You can barely stand.”

I don’t have time to reply. Kiaran comes at me again, his sword swinging in an arc. My blade crashes against his with a hard smack of metal against metal. The force of it sends a painful jolt through my body that drives me to my knees.

Get up!

“MacKay, fight her!”

Sapphire-blue eyes flash as he lunges for me. He attacks me with his blade, each swing lightning quick. God, he’s fast. His movements are smooth, elegant. Like a dancer with a sword, all graceful slashes and kicks and blocks. His blade sings. Its song is destruction.

He drives me back toward the mirrors. If I end up against one, I’m done. The Morrigan is trying to force me to kill him.

I don’t sacrifice my pawns until I’m certain I’m about to win.

“You’re losing,” Derrick hisses in my ear. “If you went any slower, you’d have a limb chopped off.”

“You’re not helping.”

Kiaran doesn’t move before Derrick says, “Swing left!”

For once, I listen to him—just before Kiaran swipes with his sword. Our blades scrape together and I dart out of the way.

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