Page 140 of Bane of the Wild Hunt

“Yes, and I will when you are well enough to help me make them suffer. But for now, we require the sacrifice of one fire witch, and I feel it should be one of them. It is something I… do. I consume things,” I tried to explain.

She was thoughtful, and I knew she was attempting to decide whether she wanted to make this decision.

“My brother.”

“Your…” I hesitated, disgust warring with a hot rage. “Was he one of the ones who was assaulting—”

“He hurt me the most,” she assured me unflinchingly. “He loathed me for taking from him what he always felt was his birthright. For making our father kill our mother when she tried to defend me. He thought I tried to divert attention from him by feigning visions, and he wanted to put me in my place.”

Fire rumbled through my veins, my rage winning out briefly and igniting as swift as a bolt of lightning striking. I was able to quickly get it back under control with only a few wisps of smoke and shadow escaping. My skin still felt stretched and my bones creaked from the pressure of so much power swelling and being forcefully contained.

“Are you sure about this? You want to use his remains to restore your body?”

“I will consume him. The way you said you would do. The way he always feared I would,” she declared, and I could not help the sharp but pleased smile from spreading across my face.

“Then I only need to know if you wish to be the one to take from him what you need,” I told her because there was no way I would take this decision from her. I would wait for her to be ready to make it on her own if I had to, but Iwould nottake this from her. No more than I would take away her right to be the one to unleash her wrath upon her oppressors.

I could tell that she was playing the scenario out in her mind as she considered. I watched her imagine becoming the knife and the bruising hand and saw a familiar gleam of vengeful greed in her expression.

“I want to do it.”

“That’s my good girl,” I breathed, resisting the urge to stroke her arm in proud approval. “But I will not have him contaminate this space for you so we will go to him.”

“Okay,” she agreed.

“Wait here,” I commanded, and she inclined her head when I turned to go back into the main room. “We have some business to attend to, Uncle. We will be back soon,” I assured Carrick who had wandered over to my model of the Tithriall.

He wanted to ask for clarification, but I could tell he was reluctant to get involved in my personal affairs again, so he merely nodded. Oddly, I was not sure whether I preferred that to his relentless questions or not.

I went to the anteroom of my tent to retrieve a long, heavy cloak for Nuala. I also grabbed several of my finest carving knives from the trunk under my war table and slipped their sheaths onto my belt on my way back to the sleeping chamber. I could feel Carrick’s eyes on me as I opened the curtains to invite Nuala out into the main room where I would have enough space to form a portal.

I am returning to Uile Breithà. I will be back shortly.

As expected, my announcement merely bounced off of Sage’s firm shields, but both Ciaran and Darragh blared in my head with their disapproval.

Not alone, Rian!Ciaran snarled.There is no way for us to communicate with you if you need assistance.

I ignored them, insulted once again that they thought I’d require assistance against witches. There were indeed some very powerful blood witches who could bring even demigods like King Riordan to heel.

But I was no demigod.

The thought of a mortal witch attempting to take my power made me want to laugh. I would shove it down their throats if they wanted and then laugh when it burned them up from the inside.

Connecting with a place that I’d already gone was far easier to do than tracking Nuala’s fading scent between the worlds. Butestablishing a connection from so great a distance was still an immense task, so it took a moment.

The glare of a portal shone upon my closed eyes, and I groaned when I looked up knowingly.

I am here and will go with him,Darragh thought down the bond even as he met my gaze sternly.

This seemed to put Ciaran at ease, and he muted our connection again. I glowered at the silver dragon, but he merely clasped his hands behind his back. Perfectly at ease and prepared to wait for me to make my move.

“Has it occurred to you that this might be a personal and sensitive mission?” I demanded.

“It has,” Darragh responded, his eyes slipping to Nuala to whom he inclined his head respectfully. “But this is the Wild Hunt. We share burdens, we do not face them alone. And that includes you.”

“Oh, very well!” I sighed in exasperation when he used my own damn words against me. I did not look at Carrick, but I could almostfeelhis approval from behind me.

Turning away from them, I focused again on sinking my magic through the veils like an anchor to the place from which I’d taken Nuala. Then I used that connection to pull us toward it, forming a portal through which the three of us stepped at the same time.

---