"I will—but only when we’ve searched every damn book in the Brindle and done everything possible to help him."
There was no arguing with her. As much as we both knew Kiandra would use this to draw Ilianna back into the fold, if that was a price Ilianna was willing to pay, then there was nothing I could do to gainsay her. I wanted Tao whole as much as she did, but she was the one who’d be affected. If this was her decision—if this is what she was willing to do—then I could only support her—both now, and later, when the Brindle extracted its payment.
I squeezed her hand and said, "If you’re sure, then let’s call them."
"I already have." She grimaced and glanced past me. "That’s them coming up the road now."
I turned around. My ribs—which I’d forgotten about in the agony of changing from Aedh to human form—sent me another sharp reminder that they weren’t yet healed. I winced, blinking back tears as I studied the road below us. Two lights speared the darkness, and the sound of a car engine suddenly rode the night.
I met Ilianna’s gaze again. "Who’s coming?"
She shrugged. "I asked for people versed in healing, just in case his condition worsened on the trip down."
"So not your mother or Kiandra?"
She smiled slightly. "No. Mom’s in season, so dad’s keeping her busy, and Kiandra rarely ventures out of the Brindle’s confines."
I said, "Isn’t your mom a little old to still be coming into season?"
She laughed and pulled her hands from mine. "A mare is never too old to come into season, and a stallion never too old to impregnate her. Thankfully, my father has accepted Mom’s desire not to have more children."
"No doubt because he still has a whole stableful of mares to cater to his breeding instincts."
"Ten of them," she said cheerfully. "Some stallions never lose their virility, it seems."
I snorted softly. At last count, she’d had around thirty-five half siblings. It sounded like that figure was still increasing.
A long, ambulance-like van drove into the clearing and stopped beside Ilianna’s four-wheel drive. She rose and strode over to talk to them. I blew out a breath, then pushed somewhat shakily to my feet and walked over to Azriel.