Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,126
We actually won.”
49
Eislyn
“Beltane has come and gone, and the world still stands.” Emperor Lir gazed out the windows at the purple-pink sunset splashing its colors on the white stone buildings of his city. He reached out a hand and motioned for Eislyn to join him.
She stepped up to his side, her heart trembling. Relief and fear tangled in her gut. “Would we know this soon? If the world was ending?”
“I believe so,” he murmured. “If the Namhaid cleaves the world, the ripple of it will be felt through all the lands. No one knows what will happen after that. How long will it take for the world to fall? How many will survive it? The prophecies aren’t clear on that.”
“It sounds like these prophecies aren’t clear on much.”
“You’re right.” Lir turned to her then, his bronze chest gleaming beneath the dying light. Eislyn had quickly realized he rarely wore a tunic. It was very distracting, even now when the fate of the world was on both their minds.
“I have a proposal I want to make,” he said.
Heat shot up Eislyn’s neck. “Don’t tell me you want to marry me for real.”
Lir chuckled. “We’re already married for real, Eislyn.”
“You know what I mean.”
“Do I?” He arched a brow.
“I mean, saying the vows and meaning them.” Eislyn pressed her lips together. She really shouldn’t have said that out loud. Right now would be a great time for the marble floor to yawn wide and swallow her whole.
“I thought you hated me.” A wicked smile curled his lips. “Has something changed?”
“No.” Her face and neck felt hot. Dammit, this entire conversation had gotten away from her. “I was just saying…nevermind. Forget about that. What’s your proposal?”
She held her breath, desperately hoping he’d move on from her dumb marriage comment. The whole thing was mortifying, particularly because she did hate him. Mostly.
“Beltane will return quicker than you think,” he said, turning once again to gaze out at the sunset sky. “I can’t sit inside this palace and wait around not knowing what’s coming. You are something, Eislyn, whether you believe it or not. We need to know if you’re a hero or an enemy.”
Her heart shuddered to a stop. “But how can we figure it out?”
“There’s an island across the sea that holds the power of the gods. That’s where Dagda first had his visions.” Emperor Lir turned to her with flashing eyes. “You and I will go there. We’ll present you before Seelie and ask him for his help. If any power in the world can tell us what you are, it’s his.”
Fear tumbled through her gut. “You want to take me to a god and ask him if I’m the enemy he tried to warn the world about?”
“That’s right.”
“But if I am…won’t he kill me?”
“The gods don’t kill.” He held out a hand. “You say you want to save the world. If you’re the Namhaid, we need to make sure you never escape these walls. And if you’re the Ghaisgeach, that means the real enemy lurks in your lands. We have a year until Beltane. If the Namhaid out there, we need to find her first.”
Eislyn took a breath and reached for his hand.
50
Thane
Thane curled his hands around the ancient vines as he leaned back in his throne. The seat hummed beneath him, content. It damn well better be, he thought. He’d sacrificed far too much to return to its side. His hands were covered in blood. They would never scrub clean.
Sighing, he pushed up from the seat and lumbered out of the Great Hall. His guards pulled open the doors, moving in silence. They all kept their heads bowed, their eyes low to the ground. He did not blame them. He’d become the very thing he’d hoped he never would.
His father.
Instead of love, Thane now inspired fear.
With a heavy sigh, he strode through the corridors, down the winding stairs, and through the dungeons until he found the cell. Mariel crouched inside the dank darkness, blinking up at him with red-lined eyes. She made no move to get up when he stopped outside her cell. Instead, she glared up at him.
“Good evening, Mariel.”
She rolled her eyes and leaned back against the dirt-caked wall. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to make certain you’re as comfortable as you can be, given the circumstances,” he said tightly.
She choked out a laugh. “You’ve thrown me in a dungeon cell. What do you expect from me, Thane?”