Page 100 of Immortal Game

“She’s not even sorry,” Shea added. “If you really want someone to blame for the path our lives took, it’s her.”

“I’m tired of this,” Aideen said to Fuamnach. “Aren’t you?”

Fuamnach did not reply, but her eyes shone with some emotion Shea couldn’t place.

“I thought about you a lot, in the years since I returned to Tír nAill. What would drive someone to this? That pain had to be unbearable to last you this long. Maybe it makes me naïve, but I’ve seen enough to think that maybe revenge isn’t worth it.” Aideen spoke quietly, almost self-consciously. She paused only to pull a key from her sleeve. She hesitated, staring down at the key cradled in her palm. Then, she blew out a breath and drew back her shoulders. She unlocked the door, then grabbed hold of the iron bars and wrenched them open.

Fuamnach emerged from the shadows; they parted like a curtain as she stepped out into the light. Shea’s breath hitched at the sight of her: cruelly, darkly beautiful in full glare of the sun.

Fuamnach took Aideen’s face in one hand, tilting up her chin to look her in the eye. Aideen did not shrink or cower, but Shea could hear the high, thready sound of her breaths. Her own heart roared in her ears. Aideen and Fuamnach stared at one another for what felt like an eternity. And then, Fuamnach let her go. It was as though she’d set down the weight of the world. Lowly, she said, “As much as I hate to admit it, I owe you a life-debt. What will you have of me?”

“Only that we lay this to rest. Let there be no more bad blood between us,” said Aideen. “That’s all.”

“You will have that softness beaten out of you eventually, child. I hope that day is far away.” Fuamnach brushed past Aideen and headed toward the window.

“Wait,” Aideen called.

Fuamnach paused and turned the sharp line of her profile to Aideen.

“Where will you go now?”

“I do not know. I think I will remain in Tír nAill. Return to my foster father’s house if he still lives. I have spent too long on the other side of the Veil. I tire of hiding. I tire of loss. I tire of mortals and their small, inconsequential problems—their inability to learn and their inability to surrender. You can only watch a society destroy and rebuild itself so many times.” Fuamnach pinned Shea with that ancient, wolfish stare. “You should know that a faerie lover is not an easy one to keep.”

I do not want unchanging beauty, Ciara had told her.I cannot become mortal, but I think you might make me human.

Shea shrugged. “I’ve never known a love that was easy.”

Fuamnach gave her a lingering, mysterious smile. Whether Shea pleased her or not, she couldn’t tell. She only said, “Good luck.”

“Goodbye.”

A breeze sighed through the ruined battlements, carrying with it the scents of brine and sweet decay. When she blinked, Fuamnach was gone. In the distance, Shea heard the mournful cry of a crow. She shivered at the feeling of profound and sudden desolation.

“Thank you,” Aideen whispered.

Shea glanced over at her. “For what?”

Aideen stood in a thin column of light. She carefully removed the crown from her head and traced its filigreed surface with a fingertip. “For giving me this chance.”

“Of course.” Her throat constricted. “I wish I could say it was entirely selfless, but I…”

“What is it?”

“My friends had wishes, too. I didn’t know how else to make it work for everyone. I should’ve asked before I—”

“No. Don’t feel guilty.” Aideen twirled the crown in her hands. Sunlight flashed across the engravings: interlocking patterns of waves and cranes. A smile played on her lips. “You don’t know how happy it makes me, to know you have friends who matter so much to you. I worried about you while I was gone, you know.”

“You don’t have to worry anymore. I think I’m going to be okay.”

For the first time, Shea believed her own words.

“Okay. Good.” Aideen’s voice wobbled. “Then, you have an audience with the Queen. What can I do for you?”

The Queen.Shea hadn’t been able to believe it as a child, when Midir first hailed her as such. She could hardly believe it now. But looking at her sister, ethereal and attentive in the soft glow of day, she knew that it would suit her.

“Daniil’s sister, Irina, is being kept in thrall by the Lord of Mag Mar.”

“I’ll have her released at once,” Aideen replied, without hesitation.