I heard him hiss and tense as murmurs rose around us. But I kept my mind on creating a tunnel of light through me for the queen’s power to flow like liquid fire. I tried to use as little effort as possible, but it was still physically draining to facilitate such immense magic. All my limbs grew heavy, my nerves began to fray under all the strain, and I suddenly tasted blood. I heard a shrill scream like when that infernal kettle in Amira’s cabin boiled.
Amira.
I was not sure why she suddenly came to mind at that moment, but I suddenly felt a sharp stab of regret.
“I have got you,” whispered Sage, and I realized that he was keeping me upright and healing me as quickly as he could to minimize the damage done to me. “I will not let this take you from me,” he added raggedly enough that it made me worry about how much magichewas using. My mind went to Ciaran,but he was healing Rian…
And then I felt the shield that Rian had erected begin to waver as he lost his ability to control it. The shadows began to tug at us, trying to consume everything around them with a ravenous hunger. I heard the Draugr shuffle back from us but could not pull my attention from Caelan long enough to even consider what to do.
Thankfully, Darragh was ready, using Sage’s light to shield everyone once the shadows finally imploded with a deafening roar. My eyes stayed closed, but I could tell the world was flashing black and white as the light devoured the shadow before darkness could consume us.
I had just accepted that this was going to kill me when everything went numb and quiet. It happened so suddenly that I thought I really had died for a moment…
Then I felt my knees hit the ground before Sage pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly.
“You are alright,” he said so frantically that I knew he was trying to reassure himself as well as me. His fingers trembled as they lightly traced my face from my temple to the tip of my chin. I tried to focus on his touch rather than the numbness and ringing in my ears.
Is it done?I asked down the bond because I could not bring myself to open my eyes or speak aloud.
“It is done. You did it,” Sage whispered aloud into my hair just before I succumbed to oblivion.
Chapter fifty-two
WE ARE ALLIES
Rian
Aoibheal finally disintegrated into a pile of rotten leaves in my hands, and I slumped to the ground with Ciaran’s hand still on my shoulder. He had given me as much of his power to heal me as he could without hurting himself, and thank the gods, it was enough to keep me alive.
My head snapped up at that thought, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Sage cradling Ornella. She had lost consciousness, but I could still feel her in the bond. They were both completely exhausted but alive.
I wanted nothing more than to put my head back down on the ground and sleep, but I put my hands under me and forced my aching body up again. I left Ciaran and gritted my teeth through the agony as I crawled over to Nuala, pulling her into my arms. Just touching her seemed to ease the dread that had been eating at me since I realized that transferring Aoibheal’s magic might kill me.
I wanted to relieve her pain and consume the magic wreaking havoc on her mortal body, but I didn’t have the strength left to help her. She had risked everything for us, and I wasn’t even able to stop her suffering. I glanced up at the other riders in the hopes that someone could heal me enough to help her, but we had exhausted ourselves. Even Darragh had used up his power in his light shield, which had protected all of us from my shadows.
The thought that Nuala would be forced to suffer until weregained our strength made me sick.
“I am sorry,” I whispered into her hair and held her more tightly as tears stung my eyes. “I am so sorry.”
“Rian,” breathed Darragh who had remained kneeling in front of me with a hand on Nuala’s arm. He redirected my attention over my shoulder toward Sage and Ornella, only this time it was Caelan who drew my eye.
The former prince standing over Sage and Ornella had become luminescent. His skin had gone from sickly grey to more of a bruised burgundy colour, and his wings were spread wide with veins of pure fire running through them. But the most breathtaking change were his horns that had been set ablaze like a crown of fire. Every Draugr behind him was on their knees, but I also saw that our army had moved closer, and those fey were on their knees too.
Caelan was not looking at any of them. He seemed thoughtful as he turned his hands over as if curious about the new power in his veins. He was perfectly comfortable with all that magic that nearly killed every member of the Wild Hunt just to move from one vessel to another.
Caelan finally raised his head with his lip curled as if in discomfort. It was midmorning now, so I could tell that his attention was on the blackened trees that had appeared at the edge of the southern forest. The Rot had spread greatly after so many fey had died the night before.
And Caelan could feel its decay.
My heart began to pound with excitement as he knelt to touch the ground. I felt him unleashing his magic into the earth in a comforting pulse of warmth that spread through the soil and foliage. Tears stung my eyes again as the grass and shrubs around us brightened with a renewed vigour and vibrancy. I heard birdsong erupting, and the air grew fresh and crisp with the scent of ripe apples and goldenrod. I could even feel our king’s power soothing my aching body, as if his presence were as much a balm to us as he was to Ahnnaòin.
But it was when I saw the effect of his magic upon the Rot in the distance that tears began falling from my eyes.Ahnnaòin was healing.The blight that had been slowly suffocating our court was finally receding.
“Thank the gods,” I heard Ciaran hiss through a sigh, and it felt like my heart would explode in joy as a cheer went up from our army.
I was so emotional that it took me a moment to realize that Caelan was walking toward me. I looked up as my new king knelt next to me with his curious eyes on Nuala before he met my gaze.
“The Wild Hunt has my thanks and the gratitude of all of Ahnnaòin,” he began, but I quickly shook my head.
