“So the humanity left in you prompted your dragon to fight them with everything it had,” Declán exclaimed as Aodh's dragon did just that. “He urged his love to flee and stood as a wall betwixt them and her.”
“A wall that made King’s Fall what it is today,” Shannon murmured as Constance fled and Aodh's dragon fought the Unnamed Ones, destroying everything in his path. He thrashed and roared fire, burning away the wooden castle. Yet still, they fought him, and he fought back.
He wanted to buy her time to get to safety, wherever that might be.
Cliffs that had stood for ages crumbled when he crashed against them. The waterfall burst free from the rock and poured into the pond, leaving an opening that would someday allow people to walk to the caves behind. He continued battling them, thrashing about until the rocks formed a crown to remind them of the kings who had given them to the druids. Thrashed until bits of cave ceiling fell and created a hole for a tree to someday grow through.
“Siobhán’s gone.” Madison noted that she’d vanished in the midst of the battle. “She’s going after Constance.”
“I know,” Aodh said moments before his dragon roared and scrambled after her. When he did, he caved in most of what was once the great hall, as well as the window and tunnel to the entranceway.
“She’s heading south,” Shannon realized before the memory swirled away, only to reappear in their very location.
Everyone backed away and shook their heads in confusion.
“’Tis gone.” Liam gestured at where King’s Heart had stood moments before. “Our tree isgone.”
“You mean not here yet,” Constance murmured. She felt her other self’s sense of cowardice as she magically covered ground in record time. As she raced through the forest of Ulster one moment only to end up nearly to the border of Munster.
“What am I doing?” her incarnate gasped, skidding to a stop where King’s Heart would someday be. She bit back tears. “I amnocoward.” She shook her head. “I will not leave ye any more than ye left me, my love.” Her voice dropped to a pained whisper. “I never should have fled so that ye could save me when I do not want to be here without ye.”
There was noherewithout him.
Never had been.
Never would be.
So she spun back only to hear a roaring wind overhead. Seconds later, his dragon crashed down, flattening several trees before his great body slid to a stop at her feet.
“Siobhán did that.” Cian sounded upset for his brother. “She made you, so she was finally able to control you. Cripple you.”
“Ta, but only so much,” Aodh growled, feeling his dragon’s rage as he dragged himself to his feet and faced off with Siobhán, who had arrived before their fellow druids.
That’s when things happened far too quickly.
When horror unfolded in the blink of an eye.
Heat warmed their faces as Aodh roared fire at Siobhán, only for her to yank Constance in front of her, so he incinerated both women at once. Aodh’s dragon barely had a moment to process what he’d done before the Unnamed Ones caught up with them and threw fire at him.
The same magical fire that had taken their siblings before them.
Even though she knew what was coming, a tear slipped down Constance’s cheek when Aodh’s great dragon roared in pain and crashed down beside where her former incarnate just stood. His sad eyes only had a moment to lock on her ashes before his dragon shuddered, breathed his last breath, and turned to ash as well.
“Oh, myGod.” Shannon rested her hand on Constance’s shoulder, emotional. “This is so sad. Truly heartbreaking.”
“It is.” Another tear rolled down Constance’s cheek as she rested her hand over her sister’s. “But it leads to good things.”
It did, too, when the head druidess, who had been so kind to her years before, stepped forward and turned to her fellow Unnamed Ones. “As we foresaw, great darkness came with great light.” Anger flared in her eyes. “That it was one of our own is unfortunate, but we will fight her alongside those who have already met their noble death.” She met the gazes of her fellow druidesses. “For change is upon us, and more sisters will turn from their devout ways. Sisters not here with us now.”
Her gaze fell to the ash before she continued. “Now the gods call upon us to help our sisters and their kings. Help them because the evil they face is far too great, and the future must go on as ‘tis meant to.”
“So many Unnamed Ones are here,” Riona murmured. “Almost all of them.” Her eyes darted to Constance. “This can’t mean what I think it does?” She shook her head in denial. “I mean, seriously, how powerful can Siobhán be?”
“If she were born of the gods to be a cancer to the Unnamed Ones,” Liam said, “it could be boundless, could it not?”
“Why would the gods do that, though?” Madison frowned. “Why would they want to end the Unnamed Ones?” Her brows drew together. “And please don’t tell me it’s as simple as evolution.”
“But itisjust that, isn’t it?” Riona said softly, seeing things clearly enough. “Because not all of the Unnamed Ones are here. The ones left are obviously going to become infected with love as well.”
