Keeper of Storms (The Fallen Fae #3) - Jenna Wolfhart Page 0,99
to. Confronted with her looming mortality, Reyna could not just curl up and die. She had to fight. She had to do something to help. That meant gathering this army. That meant doing whatever she could to ensure Lorcan’s survival and his victory against Ulaid Molt.
She couldn’t stay still even when she was falling apart.
The Ruin wanted her to give up, which meant she had to try.
Reyna whistled for Wingallock as she whipped her dagger out from its sheath. Her owl swept down from the skies and landed on her shoulder. His talons pierced her skin; his beak nuzzled her cheek. Sparks of life shot through her body, rejuvenating her.
An arrow shot out of the mists and punched the ground by Reyna’s feet. Frowning, Reyna grabbed her blanket and tossed it over the flames. The light vanished within seconds, plunging her into darkness. Nollaig cursed beneath her breath.
“Move away from the dying embers,” she muttered. “There’s still enough of a glow for them to spot us.”
Nodding, Reyna stepped away and cocked her head, listening for any sound of footsteps. None came. It was as silent and as dark as the belly of a great beast.
Suddenly, the whistle of an arrow shot through the night. Gritting her teeth, Reyna tried to listen, letting her body move instinctively. She steeled herself and stepped to the left. The arrow thunked into the ground, coming nowhere near her face.
Reyna’s heart thumped. Wingallock’s talons tightened on her shoulder. She sucked in a breath and ducked down. An arrow whizzed over her head.
Heart shaking in her chest, she rose once more. “Thanks, Wingallock. You okay out there, Nollaig?”
There was no answer. Reyna’s stomach turned over itself. The shadow fae had blended in with the darkness after they’d doused the flames, her cloak transforming her into the night itself. Reyna hadn’t heard a peep from her since.
“Nollaig?” Reyna hissed, clenching her dagger tighter.
Surely she hadn’t been hit. She couldn’t have been. Reyna did not understand the shadow fae’s true nature, but she was too strong, too powerful, too Nollaig to go down from a single arrow shot from the shadows.
Reyna reached up and ruffled Wingallock’s feathers before slowly edging forward into the darkness. Her footsteps were silent, but her ragged breath spilled from her lungs so loudly that she swore the sound echoed across the Misty Wastes. Smoke filled her nose, choking her throat. It burned her eyes as it whorled through the ashen fields.
Suddenly, footsteps thundered to her right. She whirled toward them, her dagger raised. A figure loomed out of the shadows. Green-dyed armor flashed in her vision, and a sword arced through the air toward her head.
Growling, she ducked down, her heart lurching into her throat. Wingallock’s talons tightened on her shoulder as he barked out an agitated hoot. Reyna wrapped her arm around him and pulled him to her chest, and her dagger slipped from her fingers.
The wood fae swung his sword once more. The blade whistled in the night air. She stumbled back, clutching her familiar to her chest. Her body felt slow and sluggish, even with his feathers pressing against her skin.
“Nollaig!” she shouted, hating that she had to call for help.
The wood fae’s lips curled as she stalked toward Reyna. “Your little friend is busy. You’ll be coming with me.”
Reyna narrowed her eyes. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
The wood fae smiled. “You don’t have much of a choice.” She knelt and grabbed Reyna’s dagger from the dirt before pocketing it in her waistband.
“That was a mistake,” Reyna said through gritted teeth. “You have no idea who you’re fighting against. I don’t need a dagger to take you on.”
Meaningless lies. Reyna was in no shape to fight someone who had a sword when she had nothing at all. But the wood fae didn’t know that. Maybe if she showed enough bravado, the enemy would think twice about going up against the bloody hero of the Battle of Fomorian Square.
“I know exactly who you are, Princess Reyna Darragh,” the wood fae hissed as she stalked forward. “Which means I also know your weaknesses. You may have once had powers, but you don’t have them now. And your stupid familiar can do nothing to save you. If he could, you wouldn’t be holding on to him like he’s life itself.”
Reyna’s heart thundered. She cut her gaze left and then right, hoping against all hope to spot Nollaig looming out of the shadows to take down the enemy. But there was nothing there other than