Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,34
his ration book and scribbled a few notes on the page. “The numbers are dire, Your Grace. With our current supplies and the rate at which the city is going through food now, we’ll run out by the month’s end.”
His words dropped like a scythe. Lorcan’s frown deepened. If he did not do something, Ulaid Molt’s siege would be the most successful battle in all the history of Tir Na Nog. He wouldn’t have to raise a single sword or loose a single arrow. Findius would fall.
“If I might make a suggestion, Your Grace,” Commander Segonax cut in.
Lorcan gave him a nod.
“It isn’t safe to have the entire city pack up and move out until we know what awaits us on the other side of that tunnel. We need to send scouts first, to ensure there are no hidden wood fae guarding the exit.”
“Yes, of course,” Lorcan said, sighing in relief. In the end, his advisors had backed his wild plan. This might just work, after all. “Pick out a small team. I’d like you to lead this mission yourself. And I’m coming with you.”
“Lorcan, you can’t do this,” Nollaig hissed at him as she followed Segonax and his three warriors to the entrance into the tunnels. She scurried after him, almost tripping over her cloak’s frayed edges, while her familiar clung tightly to her shoulder. Lorcan just ignored her, checking the steel he’d armed himself with. One sword, two hidden daggers, and a poisonous dart dipped in iron.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him to a stop. “Listen to me. You can’t.”
“I’m the High King of the Shadow Court, Nollaig. I can do what I wish.”
She heaved out a sigh and fell into step beside him as he continued toward the tunnels. “You could get killed.”
“And so could Segonax and the other warriors.” He shot her a quick glance. “How am I any better than my father if I do not take up my sword myself? If I sit inside that castle and let others stride into danger? If I don’t fight beside my people?”
“Because you’re the High King. Your safety is paramount. If you die…”
“Then someone else will take my place.”
“Yes,” she hissed. “And it could be someone who—”
“Nollaig.” He stopped, turned to her, and took her arms in his. She almost flinched away from his touch. Beneath her cloak, her body felt firm, strong, powerful. It almost caught him off guard. Her cloak made her look frail, like she was hiding a weakness she did not want anyone to know she had. Maybe she was hiding her strength instead. But why?
“I understand your worry, but I have to do this,” he said quietly as the mists swirled around them. “It is my plan, and my burden. You stay and keep the court running smoothly. I won’t be gone long.”
“That sounds like the kind of thing someone says when he is walking straight toward his death.”
“I have the Seat of Power to protect me,” he murmured. That and something else, the thing he had never been able to understand. Lorcan had the shadows on his side. They often came to him when he needed them the most. Sometimes, they even came when he wanted them to hide. They’d given him away to Reyna, when she’d thought of him as nothing more than an honorable air fae warrior. But they’d also come to him when he’d been trying to save her life, protecting them both from the Ruin’s terrible storm.
“That power doesn’t make you invincible,” she hissed.
“No, it doesn’t. Which is why you and I will both starve along with the rest of this city if I don’t find a way for us to get out of here.” He patted her shoulder. “I’m going, Nollaig. I know you’re worried about me, but there’s nothing you can say that will change my mind. I’ll see you in a few days.”
The tunnels were dark and quiet, stretching beneath the city in a maze of twisting pathways. Segonax led the way. He knew this place almost better than anyone else. Once they’d passed beneath the wall, the exit loomed large. Light spilled through the cracks of a wooden door, seering the shadows.
Lorcan made a step toward it, but Segonax threw out an arm to hold him back. “You should not go first, Your Highness.”
He scowled. “I truly wish everyone would stop trying to wrap me in hoarfrost silk. I am your king, and I am a trained sword.”