Page 98 of Drawn in Blood
“I had other things to worry about,” Aoife replied with a wave of her hand. “He was able to communicate with Gaelen, and she could tell me anything important. That’s all that mattered.”
“And if I say no?” she asked, crossing her arm defiantly over her chest, hoping she looked stronger than she felt.
“The spell requires cooperation—the blood must be given willingly,” Aoife replied looking uneasy. “But I will say, they have ways ofmakingyou become willing. It would be easier if you just said yes. Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
Ember suddenly felt like an animal caught in a snare—the harder she fought, the more stuck she seemed to become.
“What happens to me after?” she whispered.
“Your magical core will be weakened for a while. It’s not a one-time thing. It will take a while to have the amount we need, at the potency we need it.” Aoife didn’t look that least bit sorry, just matter of fact.
Ember knew what that meant, she didn’t have to say it. Her magical core was her life blood—without it she would…
No.
“Will I die?” Ember asked quietly, suddenly feeling very afraid.
“Of course not, love,” Aoife chided. “If you die, we can’t keep him alive now, can we?”
“And the children in the dungeon?” she asked. “If I say yes, what happens to them?” Maeve's face lit up every corner of her mind.
“They will become servants,” Aoife said softly, like she didn’t have her own young child asleep in the room above her. “Either, in the castle or to noble men and women in town. The ones who are too old to be bent will be disposed of in whatever measure your granda’ sees fit. They can’t be sent home, as no one can know this place exists—it is our only upper hand.”
“Upper hand?” Ember scoffed. “You act like we’re on the brink of war.”
“In some ways, we are,” Aoife replied.
Ember swallowed dryly. “And after he’s healed?” she asked, fear gripping her lungs, making it harder and harder for her to breathe. “What happens when he’s back to normal?”
“Those are plans we can discuss later,” Aoife coddled her, like a child she was trying to console, “but after his time on the throne is over, you are the heir. This island will be yours.”
I am destined for darkness.
“Not you?” Ember narrowed her eyes.
“I was never meant to rule. I abdicated,” Aoife replied, shaking her head. Something like regret shadowed her face, like maybe that wasn’t a decision she made willingly. “I much prefer to work behind the scenes.”
Ember’s chest shook. She had to get out of there, out of that room and away from the woman in front of her—the woman who felt more like a stranger now than she ever did before. She stalked toward the door of the study, gripping the handle as she struggled to breath. She turned back around, tears streaking down her face.
“Is that the reason you finally came for me?” she whispered, chest shaking.
Aoife’s face was a mask—unreadable. “I love you so much, Mo Stór,” she replied, “but he is the future of the island. This is our only hope.”
It wasn’t an answer, but suddenly, Ember wasn’t sure if she really wanted to know.
She stormed out the door, running as fast as she could up the steps to her room. She slammed the door behind her and cried—truly cried, unable to fully grasp what was going on. And then something flickered through her mind, a small piece of their conversation.
We tried so hard to find another Wildling with enough power for what we needed, but you are his last hope.
AnotherWildling.
That meant she wasn’t the only one.
Ember didn’t leaveher room the next day—didn’t have any desire to be in the same room as her mother—and by the time the sun was beginning to set outside her bedroom window, she was starving. She read through her father’s journal, anything to feel close to him again, and waited for the hours to creep slowly by. A few hours later, Theo tiptoed into the bedroom and laid a sandwich on the desk by one of her windows. She devoured it so quickly, she almost thought she had imagined it. Theo laughed as she ate and laid on the floor with a book and a notebook where he was meticulously practicing his writing. He looked up at her and wrinkled his nose in a grin as she licked the crumbs off the plate.
“Thank you so much.” Ember grinned, forgetting to sign. “I was famished.”
Theo shrugged his shoulders and smiled, and Ember furrowed her brow.
