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I didn’t know what that meant, but I was too weak to fully process it. Too close to death. My heart was barely beating anymore, and blood coated my throat, choking me, cutting off my breath.
“Choose, Bridged al Dagda Tuath,” Ankou said. “I have your name. Ogma whispers it to me as we speak. She has already crossed it out of her book. I order you to choose your fate.”
I wanted to see it. I wanted to see her die, to be sure she was really gone. I forced my failing body to cling on, even as the King of Boars’ hoof ground down into my chest.
“I am not—willing to die,” the Brid wheezed.
“The cusith, then.” Ankou lifted his hand from the hound’s head, and the great beast darted forward to snatch up the Brid’s leg.
“No,” she shrieked, eyes darting frantically before they fixed on me. “Take him—”
She cut off with another shriek as the cusith dragged her away. The room had faded into nothing, I belatedly realised—we were floating in darkness. The King of Boars was gone, but I could still feel his hoof crushing my insides.
My vision winked in and out as I watched the cusith drag the Brid away, melting into the darkness until only her shrieks remained—and then they abruptly stopped.
As Ankou turned to face me, something winked out of the darkness where they’d vanished. It sped towards me, a huge ball of orange fire, and as I sucked in what I knew was my final breath, it forced its way into my mouth and down my throat.
I was on fire. It was burning me from the inside out. I couldn’t breathe—I struggled weakly, trying to lift my hands to claw at my throat as the fire raced through every inch of me. The crushing pressure on my chest eased, then vanished. As the searing heat dimmed, my chest inflated with a huge, shaky breath.
Ankou eased down to his haunches beside me, and one pale green hand reached out to cup my cheek. It was ice cold.
“I told you we’d meet again, Ash.”
“I—” I choked and coughed weakly.
“Take a second. You’ll be very busy when you return.”
His white eyes glowed, fixed on me, and I suddenly realised I could see his face. His skin was sickly green, and his features were fae-sharp. When he saw me staring, he smiled, revealing pointed white teeth.
“You’ll remember my face, but we won’t meet again for many years. Is there anything you wish to ask me before you go back?”
“I—H-how?”
With his help, I managed to sit up—somehow. I looked down at my chest, seeing it whole again. Undamaged. I sucked in another huge breath just to convince myself that I could.
“You are lucky she died before you. Just a second before.”
“Wh-what difference did that make?” I rasped, my throat sore from the fire that had invaded it.
“The power transferred to you when she died, bringing you back. You are the Seelie King.”
I froze, staring up at him. “Wh-what? But Nua—”
“Not Nua. You.” Ankou rose, but his smile was kind as he looked down at me. “Congratulations, Ash. Until we meet again.”
He turned his head and whistled. The cusith emerged from the darkness, bounding over. I stared as it wagged its braided tail, panting at Ankou. The death fae chuckled and stroked its head.
“Good boy.” He glanced back down at me. “Don’t trust the King of Boars, Ash. He is as bad as she was. He will try and wheedle his way into your good graces. We will wait here for him.”
I let out a slow breath and nodded. Ankou raised a pale, long-fingered hand in goodbye, and then he was gone. The throne room was suddenly back in the space of a blink, and I panted wildly as I stared around at it, shaking on the ground.
The King of Boars was pacing in front of the Brid’s lifeless body, snorting and grunting and nudging her hip with his snout. As I grabbed my bow and rose unsteadily to my feet, his head whipped towards me.
His huge body shivered. He took a single step closer. “My king—”
I raised my bow and nocked an arrow, firing it between his eyes before he could even finish his sentence. The ground trembled as his mammoth body crashed to the floor, crushing the Brid.
In the ensuing silence, I looked around again. Then down at myself. I looked the same. But I was king. I was the Seelie King.
I put away my bow and walked unsteadily to the throne. But I didn’t sit in it. I reached out with a trembling hand and picked up the Brid’s little bell for summoning staff.
A hysterical laugh threatened to leave me as I rang it. Moments later I heard the doors being heaved open, and I whipped around, my branch fingers twitching to reach for my bow again.
The fae who entered stared at me before her eyes slowly drifted to the two bodies on the floor. She let out a choked sound, hands flying up to cover her mouth.
“Get rid of the bodies,” I rasped, my voice hoarse. “Tell the others. I’ll be back.”
Then I strode across the room, past the frozen fae, and out of the palace.
I was going to get my brother, and then I was going to find Lonan.
