Blackbird Crowned (The Witch King's Crown #3) - Keri Arthur Page 0,21

her children, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren, on and on through the long centuries of her life as she aged only fractionally.

Tears stung my eyes and pain filled my heart. Not for me, not even for the future that might well await me, but for her. For everything she’d faced and the sacrifices she’d made as a guardian of this land.

She blinked and the echo was gone, even if it lingered within me. I took a deep, calming breath and then hurriedly stripped off. After emptying my wellies, I tossed the sword and my clothes into the footwell on top of the crown, then jumped in and pulled on the sweater Mo handed me. She’d knitted it out of chunky wool and it wasn’t only warm, but smelled of a mix of cinnamon and citrus. It was the smell of my childhood; the smell of safety. I put on the seat belt and then drew my knees up close to my chest and tugged the sweater over them in an effort to warm up more quickly.

Mo started the SUV, turned the heater up to full, and then drove back down the lane.

“When did you start to suspect?” I asked. “It wasn’t just now, was it?”

“No. It was in the shop, when you saw the shimmer of the wraith’s energy.”

I frowned. “Why would that make you suspect?”

“Because you were barefoot, and it was the earth’s reaction to the weight of darkness that allowed you to sense the wraith, even if you weren’t aware of it.”

“Why didn’t you say anything, then?”

“Because I hoped I was wrong.”

I scrubbed a hand across my eyes. “So if I have inherited the mage gene, what does that actually mean? Other than a life spanning centuries, that is?”

“Well, for one thing, it’d explain why you can now access Nex and Vita’s power without actually holding either knife. In fully accepting you, they must have unlocked that which was always within you.”

Given how utterly drained accessing that ability left me, there was at least a small part of me that wished it had remained locked.

“Could that be why I recovered faster after what happened at the dark altar? I mean, I should have been out of it for days, at the very least.”

“Probably. And if that is the case, then it is something of a relief. At least I don’t have to worry so much about you being torn apart by the lightning.”

“No, you just have to worry about me being erased by dark elves, demons, Elysian, and my brother.”

“I’ll ask you not to destroy my brief moment of respite, young lady.”

I smiled, though my heart wasn’t really in it. “So is it just your blood that’s making the connection with Elysian stronger?”

“I suspect not, as this is the first time since the sword’s creation that another important factor has come into being.”

“I take it you mean Vivienne’s declaration that Gwenhwyfar’s fate was tied to the sword, and that blood and destiny had converged in this timeline.”

She nodded. “Gwenhwyfar bore Aldred one son before she killed herself. That son had five daughters, all of whom went on to bear daughters. I have no idea if that continued down through the centuries, but I now suspect it might have. It wouldn’t be the first time an old god or goddess has interfered in the fertility of humans.”

“I hope she’s not playing that game these days,” I muttered. “I rather suspect Luc wants both daughters and sons.”

She smiled, though it was a rather pale imitation of its usual robust self. “If you are the culmination of Vivienne’s plans, then I daresay her interference will end here.”

“Unless of course, Luc follows the same path he has in countless other rebirths and chooses duty over love.”

“I can’t see that happening—not when all the various threads of Vivienne’s plans seem to be converging in this lifetime.” She grimaced. “Of course, it’s now pretty obvious there are quite a number of things I haven’t foreseen over the long years of my life.”

I reached across and gripped her thigh. “You’re a mage, not a goddess. You can’t be expected to see the invisible threads of destiny woven through time and multiple generations.” A smile tugged at my lips. “I will, however, admit that I did go through a phase of believing you were actually a goddess when I was younger.”

She laughed and placed her hand over mine, squeezing lightly. “You are a darling girl.”

“One who loves you dearly, just in case I haven’t said it