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“Can she be healed enough to live?”
Yseult looked back at Shana and the midwife.
“She has lost much blood,” the midwife said, “and the birthing caused much damage. I can do only so much alone. With help she may live, but… it will take time, my lord Odran. And much work.”
“I wish her to live, for a time. See that she does.”
As he stepped back, Yseult hurried to him. “My lord, my liege, my all, of what use can she be to you now, barren and mad?”
“She has uses in her madness. Make her strong in body, Yseult.”
“I will do what you ask, but it may take weeks. She is very near death.”
“Make her strong, and find a way, when she is, to send her back to Talamh.”
“All that you wish, all my powers can give, but—”
He closed a hand over her throat as she had done with the midwife. Red glinted, just for an instant, in the gray of his eyes.
“Did you cause her to grow this thing I hold, to die birthing it?”
“My lord, I would never harm what is yours. I brought her to you.I will do all in my power to do what you ask of me. I will always serve you, and only you.”
“Then make her strong. She has entertained me these past months and been of use. So I will grant her fondest wish. A final wish.”
“My lord.”
“She will go back and kill the one who turned from her. The one who betrayed her. She will kill the taoiseach. And with his death, the child of my child will come to me.”
He looked down at the small, twisted thing in his hand. “Its blood is dark, weak, and without power.”
He cast it into the fire, and left while Shana lay giggling.
In the cottage, Breen took a step back, then another, another, until she found the side of the bed. She lowered herself slowly.
“Oh God. Oh God.” When Bollocks planted his feet beside her, she buried her face in his fur. “He—he threw it into the fire like, like a brick of peat.”
“Stay with her.” He went out while she clutched the dog and trembled.
When he came back, he pushed a glass of wine in her hand.
“Whiskey would serve better, but you don’t have a taste for it.” Since he did, he drank from the glass of whiskey in his hand.
“You saw? You saw all of it?”
“Aye, and heard. I’ve managed to avoid witnessing any birthings, but I think if that was the way, there would be no second child for any.”
“I’ve only seen one—Kelly’s—and only part of it, but I can say, absolutely, that’s not the way.”
“You said before what was in Shana was wrong and dark and damaged.”
“Yes.”
“You had the right of that, and from what we saw, I think it wasn’t the first of his to be so wrong.”
Her body shook, and the heart inside it trembled.
“He only wanted it for the power. He had no feelings for it.”
