“Because it won’t free Tao. It’ll kill him.” She grimaced. “Trust me, I did think of that solution, but I’m afraid when Tao consumed the elemental, he forever changed his body chemistry. They are too intertwined now to separate. Kill one, and you kill the other.”
“So our only hope is praying that Tao wins the battle for control?”
“Or that, at the very least, they come to some sort of truce.”
I snorted. “It’s hard to imagine what sort of truce would work for two very different beings.”
“Yes.” There was sadness in her expression. She crossed her arms and said, “Who do you plan to give the spare bracelet to?”
“Uncle Rhoan. He adamantly refuses to retreat to safe ground, so this bracelet will at least afford him some protection.” I handed the bracelet to Azriel. “Could you please take it to him?”
“As long as you remain here, under the Brindle’s protection, while I am gone.”
“I will.”
He immediately disappeared. I took the remaining two, slipping one over my right wrist and shoving the other into a pocket to give it to Stane later. The Dušan reacted immediately to the presence of the bracelet on my wrist, slithering up my arm, across my shoulders, then down my right arm. It was a weird sensation, not unlike my skin crawling, but interspersed with needle-sharp pinpricks that were a result of the Dušan’s claws cutting into my skin—though she didn’t draw blood. As the Dušan reached the ribbon-and-stone bracelet, her tail lifted from my skin, curled around the bracelet, then returned to my flesh. The bracelet went with it, prickling and itching as it leached into my skin. After a few seconds, it was little more than a multicolored tattoo that encircled my right wrist. The Dušan then retreated to my left arm and entwined around the leafy charm Ilianna had given me earlier to protect—or at least mute—the force of any ordinary spell or geas used against me. Though Lucian—who’d placed one such geas on me—was no longer a problem, the sorceress was still out there, and who knew what kind of compulsion she might try if given half the chance.
I held out my wrist. “Is the magic still active?”
Ilianna ran a hand around my wrist, her expression thoughtful. Contemplative. “Definitely. I wonder if I can figure out how the Dušan does this. If I could, it could herald in a whole new era in spell protection.”
“And make you rich,” I said, with a grin.
She glanced up, expression cross. “I’m already rich. This is about—”
“Ilianna,” I said gently, “I was joking.”
She took a deep breath and slowly released it. “Sorry. As I said, the pregnancy is making me bitchy. Of course, it could also be the meeting we’ve planned with Carwyn tonight.”
Carwyn was the stallion whose herd Ilianna’s parents—who were unaware Ilianna was gay and already in a committed relationship with Mirri—were pushing her to join. Ilianna had been fighting against their wishes for a while now, but the truth was, mares rarely remained without a herd. They usually went from their father’s herd to their stallion’s, and quite often the match was chosen for political or monetary advantages rather than love.
“I hope he’s coming here—”
“He is,” she cut in. “I’m hoping the Brindle will make him see that I belong here, not with him.”
I frowned. “But you don’t belong here. You said that yourself, more times than I care to remember.”
“I know. It’s just—” She paused and rubbed her arms. “Ever since I came back here, it’s felt oddly right. It’s almost as if I’ve come home.”
A vague and definitely selfish sense of alarm ran through me. Things were changing—we were all changing—and no matter how much I might wish otherwise, there was no going back. Not to the way we were before my father, the Raziq, and Lucian stepped into my life, anyway. And while that might not necessarily be a bad thing, it nevertheless made me sad.
But all I said was, “Your mother was under the impression you could never return to the Brindle until Kiandra was gone.”
“She’s right—I couldn’t. At least, not until recently. Not until all this key business started. It made me realize however much I might have disagreed with what was done so long ago to maintain the safety of this place, there was a need for it.”
“And what was done?” I said softly.
Her gaze met mine. “Sacrifices. Blood sacrifices.”
I frowned. “But witches are against blood magic.”
“Yes, we are. It is the reason I swore never to return to the place while Kiandra was present. She was the instigator. She raised the magic and forever tainted the soul of this place. Or so I thought.” She took a deep breath and released it slowly, then gave me a quick, sharp smile. “Anyway, I’m hoping Carwyn will see this place, see my place in it, and make the only logical decision.”
“That being to walk away and not attempt to add you and Mirri to his herd?”
“No, because that would hurt both our families.” She shrugged. “The logical solution is to make it a joining in name only. That way, he gets the alliance he wants, and I get the protection of his brand.”
“And Mirri? What does she get out of the deal?”