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I watch Dugald’s back as he climbs the stairs in silence, waiting for him to accept or reject my invitation to speak. We finish another flight before he says anything.
“She was…” he starts then stops. He takes a deep breath and shakes his head before continuing. “Brilliant. Like you.”
“I barely got to know her. Tell me more,” I encourage.
“She could be so contrary. I often thought she would do things just to do the opposite of what I would say, or she knew I would think.”
“Like joining the Unseelie?” I ask.
“Exactly,” he huffs. “She knew I was opposed to the Court. Many nights we argued for hours about order versus magic. I tried to change her mind, but she was… determined.”
“I can see that,” I say.
“She loved you,” he whispers.
I don’t know what to say, and even if I did I couldn’t. My throat clenches and I couldn’t push the words out if I had them. A tear trails down my cheek and for a moment the grief threatens to pull me into its depths, but then I hear Duncan scream.
The sound echoes off the stone walls, bouncing around us, but it still sounds distant. As if we’re not any closer than when we began. It jerks me away from despair and into anger. The power I’m discovering inside myself surges along with it as I ball my hands into fists.
“Damn these stairs,” I curse. “How can they keep going? We need to be there now.”
“Quinn, stay calm,” Dugald says, looking over his shoulder. “We’re getting closer.”
“Are we? How do you know? Is there some sign I’m missing?”
Anger is so much nicer than grief. It’s warm and welcoming and gives me something to focus on. Something to attack instead of wanting to curl up in a ball and cry over my loss.
“No, but anger will not—”
“Will not what?” I cut him off.
He stops and turns around.
“It won’t bring her back.”
“You think I don’t know that? Do I look stupid to you? I can’t save Moira and if we don’t hurry up then her sacrifice will have been for nothing!”
“Quinn, calm down,” he says reaching towards me.
I jerk away, then feel the emptiness behind me as I come too close to the edge of the stairs. There is no railing and as far as we’ve climbed it’s a long drop. My stomach clenches tight and I step away.
“I’m not going to calm down,” I say, breathing heavily. “This is nuts. None of this is the way it’s supposed to be.”
“I know, Quinn,” he says. “More than you. I’ve never seen this. It’s worse than I ever imagined, but we must continue.”
“We must find a way to end this,” I shout.
Power is surging in my guts. Tingles race across my skin as the energy crackles. Dugald’s eyes widen, and he opens his mouth to speak but all my emotions roil in my head out of control. I’m being swept away by them. It’s all too much.
“Quinn, don’t—”
My power is too much to contain. I look up at what I can see is the continuing stairs that won’t stop and anger overrides everything. Duncan is up there being tortured and I can’t reach him. I couldn’t save Moira and now I can’t save him either?
Hands balled into fists, I raise them into the air and let it all out. All the loss, all the anger, all my burning rage explodes. I’m going to destroy this entire place if that’s what it takes. I will save him.
Dugald is tossed back towards the wall as power races out in waves. His hair is blowing in the strong winds. I try to focus it, give the power some form, but it’s nebulous at best. The tower shakes violently, swaying, and I stumble, forcing myself away from the edge of the stairs.
“Duncan!” I scream.
