Page 57 of The Sacred and the Tormented

“What if he can’t break the bond?” Raevina asked. “What’s his plan then?”

Conall sighed. “We believe that’s what the Dark Fae are for. He’s never let them roam free like this. We fear he might be giving up on his initial quest which would lead to the next unfortunate stage of his plans.”

“Which is?” Raevina pressed.

“Genocide,” Gavin whispered. They all turned to him again, but he still didn’t look up. “It’s why I left to get help. I overheard him speaking with Niall and—” Gavin clenched his fists. “I’ve stood by long enough. I can’t keep blindly following him.”

Saoirse cleared her throat. “Well, clearly he’s not taken that route yet so what’s the alternative?”

“Capturing them,” Conall said, nodding toward Arianna and Rion. “And seeing if he can break the bond from its source. We believe it’s the reason he took your sister, to lure you in.”

“Does he plan to kill himself too?” Saoirse asked. “Just rid Fae from the world entirely?”

“No,” Gavin said again. “He’ll kill everyone outside the Pádraigín bloodline. The Divine only comes from the Móirín bloodline, right? And,” his gaze drifted to Rion, “his only comes from Brónach’s. If those two are wiped out—”

“Even with the Dark Fae, he can’t possibly take on three countries at once,” Raevina declared. “None of them would stand for it.”

“No?” Conall questioned. “You’re telling me if Levea fell then Fiadh’s High Lord would rush to their aid? And what if Fiadh fell, would either Móirín or Brónach come together to avenge them? He’s already divided us, all that’s left is to conquer.”

“He’ll target Levea first,” Talon said. “Levea and Nàdair are allies. They’d rally to stand against him, but if one is wiped out first, then the other wouldn’t be as strong.”

“And Levea doesn’t have an entire mountain range to protect it,” Raevina said.

“If he releases all the Dark Fae, how does he plan to control them?” Saoirse asked.

“He doesn’t. He’ll move to the western continent and start over as its ruler.”

“You’d think after all these years, he’d just fade already.”

“Maybe he will, but by then, it’ll be too late.”

Silence fell over them. There was still so much to learn, so many questions to be had. Arianna’s destiny claimed she was to bring peace, but she’d been envisioning it all wrong. It wasn’t just about peace between nations, it was peace from this monster and the abominations he’d created.

“We have to get her out,” Arianna said. “I won’t leave my sister in the hands of that monster.”

“We can help,” Conall offered again. “We’ve been inside before.”

“Ashling isn’t a port city, isn’t it?” Talon asked.

“It is, but the maps of its location are wrong.”

“Surprise, surprise,” Saoirse said, leaning back in her chair.

“So where is it, exactly?” Talon asked.

“Just a little north of here on a small peninsula.”

“So we infiltrate, kill him, and end this once and for all,” Raevina said, flipping a knife in her hand.

“No,” Conall said. “If we go through with this, we don’t engage with Vairik whatsoever.”

They all exchanged uncertain glances. “If we’re already there, why wouldn’t we bring him down?” Arianna asked.

“Because we’re not capable. We’ve tried.”

“You haven’t tried with me,” Rion said.

“We can’t risk you.” Conall’s gaze moved to Arianna. “Either of you.”

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