Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,89
to speak about my past with anyone.”
“I don’t give a single toss about your bloody past,” he said, his voice rising despite his intention to present a calm, kingly aura to everyone else. Inside, he was falling apart. With a sigh, he straightened his shoulders and tried again. “I know you have things to hide. You don’t have to share any of that with me. Just tell me what you know. It’s important, Nollaig. It might be the only way to save Reyna’s life.”
Silence whispered out from the depths of Nollaig’s cloak. She turned toward the other male in the room. “What’s the druid for?”
“Knowledge of the Dagda,” he muttered. “I thought he might be able to explain why Seelie’s powers are so destructive.”
Druid Annic frowned. He was a small, bowed fae, almost as hidden in his robes as Nollaig was. His voice was like the rustle of parchment in the wind. “I’m afraid I don’t know anything about Seelie. I didn’t even know there was a god with that name. It makes sense, of course. But all I know are the teachings of the Dagda, and none of those tomes mentions this.”
Lorcan scowled and turned back to his old friend. “That leaves you, Nollaig. What do you know?”
Sighing, she leaned back against the table. “I don’t know as much as you’re hoping. In my lifetime, I’ve heard many prophecies about the future of this world. Some of them are steeped in truth. Others seem to be nothing more than fantastical nonsense.”
“And this whole Namhaid business?” Lorcan asked with a raised brow.
“I never put much stock in it.” She shrugged. “It relies heavily on Motcha’s Axe, a weapon that has long been lost in the flames of the Fire Court. For someone to get their hands on it, they would have to go in search of it in those ruins. But there’s nothing there. The realm is flames and ash.”
Lorcan shifted on his feet, and the timber floorboards creaked. “So, you’re saying the Dagda was wrong? That he created this magical storm all for nothing?”
“I’m saying that I don’t necessarily believe everything a magical storm whispers into someone’s mind.”
“That’s not helpful.”
“It might not be helpful, but it’s the truth. Prophecies mean nothing. There’s the one from the Sea Court that speaks of the Ghaisgeach, the hero of the world, who rides in when the ice melts and the seas overflow. There’s the other from some old books I once read in the Wood Court. They speak of two sisters, one a hero, the other an enemy. None of this has yet to happen. Who’s to say any of it is true?”
“Forget the prophecies then,” Lorcan said, trying to ignore the knowledge that Nollaig had once wandered the entire continent. “What can we do to get this thing out of Reyna’s body?”
Nollaig was silent for a long while before answering. “You’re not going to want to hear this.”
“Just tell me.”
“I’m afraid she might be the only one who can release it. She controls it, remember? It’s a part of her. If she wants it gone, then she has to let it go.”
“You’re right,” he said through gritted teeth. “That isn’t what I want to hear at all. She’ll never let it go, Nollaig. She’d let it kill her first.”
Nollaig sighed. “I know. The only way she’d ever let it go is if we find a way to destroy it once it leaves her body.”
Lorcan’s heart twisted in his chest. “Any ideas on how we can do that?”
“My only idea is to search Findius for answers. That’s where the Ruin was made. And that’s where Seelie said it must be undone.”
Lorcan growled, his hands fisting. “There has to be a way to stop this. Reyna Darragh does not have to die in order to save this godforsaken world.”
He could not see Nollaig’s eyes, but he swore he could feel the sadness in them. “Forgive me, Your Highness, but maybe she does.”
“We’ll send our warriors back to Findius with you,” Lord Maddox announced at the breakfast table the next morning. Lorcan had gotten very little sleep while he held Reyna tightly against his chest. She’d felt as hot as flames until waking. Now, she could do nothing more than poke at her fried fish, her eyes rimmed in red.
But she perked up at the lord’s words. With a smile, she flicked her gaze toward Lorcan. The pure joy on her face melted through his fear at losing her to the gods forever. “Well,