Page 13 of Throne of Dreams
She hated to admit it, but she rather enjoyed it when he used that term to address her. It made her knees soften.
Maeve detoured the conversation back to its original objective. She tore off some of her biscuit, chewed quickly, then swallowed. “Well, why did you leave then?”
The High King’s gaze drifted to her, and his voice was calm when he said, “Merrick returned.”
Her heart pitched and she bolted forward, closer to him. She had the utmost faith in Merrick. He was Tiernan’s top scout. A highly trained hunter who could track down anything and anyone. His magic was incomparable. He was clever and stealthy, and he wasverygood at his occupation.
She couldn’t disguise the tremble in her voice. “And?”
His eyes held hers, refusing to let go. “Saoirse lives.”
“That’s…that’s good.” Words were useless. Maeve pressed her lips together, but it was futile. Tears slipped from the corner of her eyes, and she hastily wiped them away. Saoirse,herSaoirse, was alive. The guards in Kells hadn’t killed her. The relief in her heart was immense and swelled with each breath like a welcomed reprieve. She sniffled and her nose burned, and when Tiernan offered her a tissue, she didn’t refuse him.
“It is,” he agreed. His steady, unwavering gaze roved over her face. He waited until she composed herself and then said, “There’s more.”
All the muscles in her body tightened. “Oh?”
“First, the Furies have not yet been located, and it would seem the Scathing isn’t what we originally thought. The extent of rot and decay has stopped, but Merrick reported it has become some kind of portal.” He took another drink of his coffee, slowly. “I don’t know what that means for us. I’ve never heard of anything like this in all of my two hundred and seventy-eight years.”
Now it was Maeve’s turn to choke.
His dark brow quirked in amusement. “What? Did you think I was older?”
She shook her head. “No. Of course not. I mean, you look great for your age.”
Tiernan grinned and her heart shattered. His smile, hisrealsmile, was breathtaking. It carved its way into her soul, and she knew right then she’d commit it to her memory forever. Shadows stole into the High King’s eyes, but he blinked them away just as quickly.
Heat coasted over her skin, and she took a keen interest in her breakfast, opting to pluck a piece of bacon from the tray in front of her instead of looking up at him.
“If what you’re saying about the Scathing is true,” she spoke offhandedly and didn’t meet his eye, “then are we still certain Parisa’s death will end it?”
“I think that depends.”
Maeve stole a look at him. “On?”
“On the exact words the will o’ wisp spoke to you.”
“The exact words,” Maeve repeated. She transported herself back to that night deep within the Autumn woods, when she was cold. Afraid. Alone. When the forest floor soothed her, cradled her like a babe, because it recognized her as its own. She recalled the dancing faerie lights, the explosion of stars created by Lianan. Glancing down, she looked at the Strand in the shape of a constellation that encircled her thumb. She could hear the will o’ wisp’s voice in her mind like a tinkling of bells.
“The only way to save your kingdom…is by destroying the magic source of the Scathing.”
The magic source. She’d assumed Lianan meant Parisa was the magic source. It had been the only thing to make sense at the time. But now…
“Oh no.” Maeve raked her hands through her curls. “I must’ve misinterpreted her. Parisa might not be the cause of the Scathing at all.”
“No.”
“It’s something else completely.”
Not a question, but Tiernan answered, “Yes.”
She stared down at the plate of food in front of her. Her appetite had vanished. “How do we destroy it?”
“That’s what we need to find out.”
Maeve considered his words. She may not be human, maybe never was, but Saoirse was still mortal, and she wouldn’t allow her best friend to suffer. Or any other soul, for that matter, even if they now despised her because she was fae. If she could save even one life, she would.
“I have to go back. Not only to save Saoirse, but to destroy the Scathing once and for all. I can’t sit idly by and let the human lands suffer. They won’t stand a chance on their own.”
