Page 114 of Why Broken Wings Fray

“The King barters peace with the Prince? We will barter with you.”

Killian’s spine straightened as he finally found the ability to look at Rory.

“You are all wasting your time,” I sighed. Though for a moment I might have thought otherwise, I now knew the truth – Raegan would not surrender his kingdom. Not for anyone or anything, and certainly not for the meek prize of me. He had warned me of such, and had chased me away from him because deep down, he knew he would always need to pick a side.

“He let you walk free, Olivia,” Rory said, his eyes alight with hope. “He would not dare hurt you.”

“Our spies have watched you. Both of you. What has formed between the two of you, it is something more than what any of us could have expected. More than love itself. I do not know how much you know about us, about our kind, but understand one thing, Olivia: None of this matters to him if you are the price he must pay,” Brian added.

There was an agony within Killian as his eyes fell from me and he stared at nothing on the ground as he sifted through what had been said. I felt nothing but agony for him as I realized that, contrary to our conversation, Killian had held on to some hope. Some hope that I would find my way back to him.

I offered the words to the room, yet again. “You are all wrong. He was eager and willing to send me away.”

“He’s complicated…” Killian muttered to no one in particular, still lost in his thoughts.

“But he cares for you?” Rory grimaced as he asked.

I wanted to shrug, but Killian answered for me, “Like none other.”

That was the dozenth knife in my already damaged heart.

“Then you will have to do,” Rory declared, narrowing his eyes at everyone. “The King will do no harm if he thinks she will fall victim to it.”

I wanted to explain to them that they had it wrong, that all this time of knowing Raegan had cemented one thing, and one thing only — nothing mattered more than his people. Not himself, not his friends, and certainly not me. But there was no point in trying to explain that to them.

Killian knew, though. That’s why he looked at me with creased brows and doubt in his eyes. All I did was sigh as I ran a hand over the scar of two fang-marks on my neck.

51

____________________

All in all, the Rachainn’s plan was incredibly stupid and I was prepared for the untimely death of each and every single one of us.

But I went along with it. I went along with it not because I thought I could make a difference in the quickly shifting atmosphere of Saoghal, nor because I thought that their plan was going to work or end up successful in any variation of the word.

I went along with it because if I didn’t, if I chose not to, then they wouldn’t try to reason with Raegan. They planned on using me to appeal to some sort of side of him that didn’t exist, to hopefully convince him to stand down once and for all, and I preferred that to the alternative.

Because we travelled with a party.

Not just the handful of Rachainn that had been in the basement while we plotted. Not even a whole pub’s worth. No, we travelled with hundreds. They marched behind us as if it wasn’t a negotiation they were moving towards but a war.

The damning thing was that after the previous fight, where thousands of them had died, the group that travelled behind us still didn’t represent the full extent of the Rachainn’s numbers. The pixies that had been cast out of Saoghal and sent across the country were vast in their numbers and clever in their hiding. Even Rory admitted that he didn’t know how many were loyal to their cause. All that he could tell me was that it was a lot. As in, more than what resided in Cluaineach. Which meant that if Raegan didn’t comply with their demands…

Well, let’s just say my immediate slaughter would be nothing compared to what would unfold across Saoghal. Again.

Bringer of Evil was starting to sound a lot more plausible.

“You’re shaking,” Killian whispered as he walked closer to me, his shoulder brushing mine and making Urram squeal and launch forward with his beak.

“I think we’re all going to die.”

“Aren’t you a ball of positivity,” Killian tried to joke, but I couldn’t bring even the smallest of smiles to my face for him.

“I don’t disagree,” he ended up saying after a sigh. “But you know what? I don’t think that’s the worst of fates. I think that living in this world, forcing yourself to fit into someone who you are not, believing something that you do not believe – I think that is a far crueler life to live.”

I shrugged.

“I would be most honoured to enter Mag Mell at your side today, Olivia, if that is what lays before us.”