muttered, sounding pissed. I’m going to try to take it out.
Be careful, brother.
Knowing I’d done all I could for him, I skimmed the stadium for Morgan. But there was no way to spot a single person in the masses gathered to watch the show.
Slipping away from the box where the other tournament officials were watching the final battle, I put my strategic training to use. I might not have access to all of my magic, but I still had my brain.
To gain the best advantage of the battle, the most logical place to go was up. Pushing through my fatigue, I sprinted for the stairs. There was no time to waste. Flynn was still standing, but I doubted he could hang on for much longer.
My brother—a man who I’d finally realized was more suited than any of us to rule—was fighting for our kingdom.
I dug deep, searching for the power that I’d always had at my fingertips. It was there—banked from the battle I’d fought and lost—but I could use it.
I just had to be creative. The problem was, among our brothers, I was the logical one. The creative one was battling Culann.
I had to do this.
Morgan had killed my father, caused us to lock Imogen away from us for a year, and nearly stolen my sanity.
Now she was trying to do the same to my little brother.
I couldn’t let her.
I skirted the edges of the amphitheater, winding my way higher and higher until I reached the top row. Now and again, I would make eye contact with spectators. Their eyes would widen in surprise and mouths open as if ready to call out.
The clang of swords echoed through the arena, spurring me on. But I couldn’t find her.
Pausing, I redirected my attention to the battle and cringed when Flynn took a swipe at the crow, opening himself up to an attack from Culann. But, for whatever reason, the famed warrior missed his opportunity.
The crow cawed from high up in the sky, and I stared at it, as if it could give me the answers. Where the hell was Morgan? As Culann’s sponsor, her absence was noticeable. So, why wasn’t she here?
As I stood at the top, scanning the arena, the crow cawed again and I stopped.
The crow was her eyes and ears. She didn’t need to be here if the crow was a conduit for her power.
I was looking in the wrong place.
Her plan hadn’t yet come to fruition. She wanted me dead—I wasn’t. And she hadn’t counted on Flynn, which she should have, because anyone who discounted his strength and skill was an idiot.
I didn’t want to give her any credit, but some of her plan had worked. I was out of the tournament, and so was Ronan.
But that didn’t mean Culann was immediately in. Her mental torture had taken a month to wear me down. She didn't have that time with Flynn, so there was every possibility her chosen champion wouldn’t win in this fight.
I drummed my fingers on the railing as I stared at the crow. If I was Morgan, I’d want to be close enough to Culann that I could be here for the moment he was crowned king of Tuatha, but far enough away that I could make a quick escape if I needed it.
I knew this land. I knew every inch of it. So, where would be the perfect place to wait?
The amphitheater was built like a half circle, with Flynn and Culann battling on the dirt below all the spectators. Beyond them, close enough that whoever won could wash off the dirt and sweat and blood of his enemy, was the loch.
It hit me.
The loch. It was so close. Morgan could observe the battle from there, but the details would be lost. It would be hard to see those tiny signs that gave away who was flagging. Unless you had a bird’s eye view.
The more I thought about it, the more my hunch felt right. It was the perfect spot. There was something magical about the loch, surrounded by ancient hawthorns and oaks that led to a forest I rarely braved. In all of the books I’d made myself read about the tournament, there were stories about those trees. And while I’d never tapped into their power, the tales sometimes centered around other Folk who had.
In Tuatha, legend and fact were often confused.
Decision made, I sprinted out of the arena, pushing past spectators and shoving open doors. Urgency spurred me on. Flynn