Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,52

air fae to slaughter our warriors.”

Molt waved his hand dismissively. “Our fae have feasted on blood this night. They will not lose.”

Unease twisted like a snake around Reyna’s heart. She’d not considered that. If the wood fae gained power from blood, they would be high on it now. The air fae didn’t understand what they were up against. Reyna glanced at the flickering orange light of the bonfire against the sky, torn. She needed to stay by this tent so that she could kill the king. But she needed to warn the air fae, too.

“And then once we win this ridiculous battle, we will walk right into Findius,” Molt said, snapping Reyna out of her thoughts. “The Shadow Court’s king is opening the gates as we speak.”

She gasped and stepped back.

What?!

Reyna’s heart thudded painfully in her chest. Lorcan had opened the gates to Findius? For the wood king? He couldn’t. He wouldn’t. He’d seen exactly what kind of monster Ulaid Molt was. It was impossible to fathom he would lay down arms, open his gates, and welcome him inside.

Aengus’s words rose up in her memory like a powerful wave, rushing toward the shore to drag her under. He’ll surrender.

But Lorcan wouldn’t surrender. He just wouldn’t.

Her heart pulsed against her ribs. Would he?

“Seems the bastard has run out of food.” Ulaid’s laughter boomed. “Looks like this damn siege is over sooner than we thought. A pity, really. It was just becoming a hell of a lot more fun.”

Reyna sucked a whistling breath in through her nose and stumbled away from the tent’s entrance. She couldn’t let Molt get into that city. If he did, he would drag every shadow fae alive into his spell. She’d seen what he’d done to the wood fae. She couldn’t let him to do that the shadow fae, to Lorcan.

Lorcan. Her gut twisted. Molt would kill him. All for that damn throne. The power of the seat.

“Come, let’s see how our army is faring.” The High King’s wooden seat creaked as he released it from his weight. “Then, we will take that damn city for our own, and I will finally hold that Seat of Power in my hands.”

He turned toward the tent’s flap. The king was coming. He was surrounded by his guards and several other advisors who were armed to the teeth. She stepped back into the shadows, heart raging like an out-of-control bonfire. If she had access to her Seelie magic, she could take them all out in a heartbeat.

Where the hell is Wingallock?

She tipped back her head to search the skies, but her familiar owl with his snow white wings was nowhere to be seen.

The king and his advisors would step out of the tent at any moment. She only had two options. Rush him and try to kill them all with her ice dagger. Or hurry toward Lorcan and hope she could outrun anyone who spotted her hasty rush to the wall.

She could warn him of what was coming.

But if she killed the king, the threat would never darken his door.

You’ll never be able to stop this. You’re too weak. The Ruin sprang out from the darkest parts of her mind, hissing words she was too afraid to think. Because they might very well be true. Without Seelie’s magic, how could she hope to win?

You father had the right idea, binding you to your role as princess. You were never meant to be a Shieldmaiden, were you? You’re too weak. You’re too cowardly. You’re too much of a failure to do anything but smile prettily at lords.

Reyna ground her teeth and shoved the Ruin back into the furthest corners of her mind. His magic pulsed beneath her skin, beckoning her to use it. A wild thought flew through her mind. She could use the Ruin. She could throw it all out of her and be done with it, right here and now. The storm would sweep across this war camp, destroying everyone and everything in sight. And the king would never get his hands on Lorcan Rothach.

For far too long, she stood in the shadows considering unleashing the destruction upon them all, knowing it would make her exactly what the Ruin feared.

The Namhaid.

Had it been right this whole time? Would her love for Lorcan be the undoing of them all?

“No.” The word scraped out of her throat, a guttural noise. “I won’t do it.”

A shudder shook her chest. It took every ounce of her concentration to block out the Ruin’s taunts,