Page 123 of Throne of Dreams
He threw his hands up in innocence. “I only mean that you haven’t extended yourself to such lengths before. There’s no way of knowing how you’ll respond or react. There’s always a give and take with magic, my lady. That kind of power comes with a price.”
“Then I’ll pay it.” Her chin jutted upward, to an angle of obstinance. “Whatever it is, I’ll pay it.” Her gaze slid to Saoirse and the vibrancy that shone so clearly shifted to something else entirely. Pain.
Saoirse stepped closer and took Maeve’s hand. “Why?”
“Because…” When Maeve spoke, her voice cracked. “Because this used to be my home. Because it was vibrant and full of life. Despite everything, I loved it here. I grew up here. Pieces of me are here and because if I leave it looking like this, I’m not sure if I’d ever be able to forgive myself.” She lifted her gaze to Saoirse. “And because I know you’re not going to come back with us. Are you?”
The warrior ducked her head, her silver hair clinging to the sweat and filth on her face. She dragged her boot through the decrepit earth. “It’s not that I don’t want to, believe me I do, but—”
“But Kells is your home,” Maeve finished for her, a sheen of tears in her eyes.
“Yes.” Saoirse held her gaze. “And Faeven is yours.”
“Yes. Faeven is mine. It’s where I belong, and it calls to my soul. It’s the part of me I never knew existed.” Maeve threw her arms around Saoirse, locking her into a tight embrace. One tear slipped from the corner of her eye. “And besides, I’m a fucking fae now.”
“Yeah, you are.” Saoirse pulled back, cupping Maeve’s cheeks with her hands. Her answering smile was lit from within. “Your soul is as brilliant as a thousand suns, Maeve.”
“And you are a warrior with the heart of a poet, Saoirse.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I don’t want to be without you.”
“You never will.”
Saoirse released her and Maeve knelt on the ground. “Maeve, no—”
“Let me do this for you. For this land. For this place I once loved.” Then softer, in her mind…for myself. She splayed her hands wide, pressing into the earth, and her gaze lifted to the Moors. To her haven. “Just promise me you’ll build yourself a new castle.”
Saoirse laughed, but her eyes were glassy with unshed tears. “I’ll see what I can do.”
Maeve closed her eyes and poured her magic into the earth. Power sifted and stirred around them, a well of love and creation. It ebbed and flowed like the tide, rising and falling, restoring life back to the world around them. The ground healed and blades of green grass burst through the surface. Flowers blossomed, trees bloomed as the decay and rot of the land vanished. Powerful waves of magic flowed around them, rebuilding the fallen city, saving it from its cursed state. The skies cleared, the sun kissed the Cliffs of Morrigan, and in the distance, even the Moors returned to their former glory. Everything was lush. Everything was beautiful. And a tiny shred of Maeve’s heart healed.
The pulse of magic diminished, and Maeve swayed. Her stomach clenched, threatening to heave. Sweat prickled along her brow, and beads of it slid down her neck. Tiernan had been right, as usual, though she would never admit as much to him. Kells was draining her. She’d gone too far.
“Let go, Maeve,” Tiernan commanded softly. “Let go.”
She saw him dive for her, catching her up in his arms as she succumbed to oblivion.
* * *
“Fuck.”Tiernan scooped Maeve into his arms, cradling her against him.
“Maeve!” Saoirse cried, grabbing her limp hand. “What happened? What’s wrong with her?”
“She’ll be fine, she just needs to rest. To sleep.” Tiernan glanced down at her, unconscious in his arms. Though he knew she would recover without issue, it didn’t make it any less unnerving to see her so vulnerable, so delicate. “She expended too much, if not all of her magic.”
But in doing so, she brought Kells back to life. An astounding feat unto itself.
Saoirse gnawed on her bottom lip. “So, what now?”
“We wait for her to wake up.” Tiernan glanced over at the Furies. They would need to get back to Faeven as soon as possible. It wouldn’t be long before Parisa launched her attack on the Winter Court. “We must return to Niahvess. But it’s not safe for me tofadewith her in this condition.”
“Why?”
“When a faeriefades, there’s a rise in magic. Almost like the crushing swell of a wave. The amount of stress it puts on a body is intense, even for a fae who is fully conscious.” Her brow furrowed at his explanation, so he tried again. “Tofadewith Maeve like this would pose a great risk to her health. It could take her even longer to recover.”
“I see. Sofadingis out of the question.” Saoirse shielded her eyes from the sunlight and looked up at the castle. “What about horseback?”
“A fine idea,” Tiernan said with a nod, “but there’s still the Eirelan Pass to consider.”
“Aran, then?”
