Chase shook his head. “No worries there, big brother. Torquil’s dead. He isn’t going to bother us again.”
Hall’s look of skepticism wasn’t the expression Chase had expected.
“How did he meet his demise, that you can be so sure of his death?”
“The bastard is toast. Literally.” Chase inclinedhis head toward the still-smoldering ruin. “He was in there with no way to escape but the front door. And I made sure nobody came out the front door.”
“He is not dead. He will be back, and it would be wise for us to be long gone before he returns.” Hall held up a hand, continuing with his explanation. “I know what you think, Chase Noble, but in this you are wrong. Fire cannot kill him. Only the Sword of the Ancients has the power to end his life now.”
“My father spoke of that weapon.” Christiana looked hopefully from one of them to the other. “I believe from the things he said, it may be here at Tordenet.”
“It was here, my lady, of that I have no doubt. But it is here no longer, and until we have it in our possession, we cannot hope to defeat Torquil and the beast that lives within him.”
“Wait. What beast? What are you talking about?” Chase felt as if he’d slipped from the History Channel to Sci-Fi Central. “Are you trying to say that Torquil is possessed?”
“Call it what you will. But whatever you call it, we should be putting distance between us and this place while you do.”
“Okay. Fine.” It was pretty damn clear to Chase that the Faeries had meant him to be with Christiana, and wherever she was, that was where he needed to be. “Let’s find some horses and figure out where to go.”
“South to Castle MacGahan, to carry warning toMalcolm and Patrick. Ella!” Christiana called out to a servant girl running past them. “Find Rauf. Send him here to me.”
The girl’s eyes were enormous saucers of fright, but she nodded her agreement before running away.
“Castle MacGahan it is,” Hall agreed.
OceanofPDF.com
Thirty-eight
ASMALL, COLD HANDcovered his, drawing Chase’s attention from the distance into which he stared.
“Rauf assures me Castle MacGahan lies just over the next rise.” Christiana peered out from the depths of her cloak, her nose red from the cold.
Chase captured her hand in his, rubbing it to restore some warmth. A cold front had hit overnight, bringing temperatures too low for traveling safely outside as they did.
“He’d better be right, or we’ll need to stop and build a fire before you turn into an ice cube.”
“Pfft,” she scoffed. “I’m stronger than you credit me.” Her chattering teeth belied the confidence of her assertion.
“It’s there,” Rauf called out, standing in his stirrups to point into the distance. “There upon that hill, do you see?”
“I do,” Chase answered, relieved that their journey’s end was at last in sight.
Rauf had been their saving grace in their preparationsfor a hasty exit from Tordenet. He’d gathered food, found a horse for Christiana, and, thankfully, had been to Castle MacGahan before, so that at least one of them knew the way.
He was also totally devoted to Christiana, which had quickly won Chase over to his side, even if he did look like a classic movie bad guy.
“I for one shall be glad of a fire and a hot meal.” Hall drew his horse alongside Chase.
Chase nodded. Not to mention the relief of being able to close his eyes at night without worry that some mythological wolf-monster was about to attack them.
Rauf spurred his mount, riding on ahead of them to alert the castle to their arrival. By the time they reached the open gates, a small cluster of people had gathered in front of the main keep.
Family, waiting to welcome a loved one back into the fold. Chase had seen this sort of gathering too many times not to recognize that. The excited, hopeful expressions these people wore were no different than any he’d seen as he’d stepped off an airplane and back onto home soil.
And just like all those times, the familiar odd-man-out feeling gripped him, urging him to hang back out of the way while those who belonged gathered together.
“Welcome home, little sister.” The dark-haired man at the center of the group held up his arms to assist Christiana when she dismounted. “You cannaimagine how often I’ve pictured this moment in my thoughts.”
