Page 160 of The Shadow Path
The dragon would be forced to live with the death of twelve Éiren cavalry commanders and their mounts. As would Carys. It had been her plan to begin with. It had stopped the war, but it had come at a price.
Cadell had wanted to face Princess Finola and offer his apologies in person.
He said, “I have offered blood price to their families from the horde, but Finola would not accept.”
Duncan’s voice was solemn. “She knows the deaths were unavoidable, Cadell.”
He nodded but said nothing else.
They continued along Oswulf’s Embankment, but though the humans and magical folk of London celebrated, Carys, Cadell, Duncan, and Laura walked in silence.
Peace had come, but peace always came with a price.
Dafydd foundCarys in the library that night, reading by the fire. He sat across from her, and she set down the book she was reading by fae lantern.
“Hey.” She smiled. “How’s Harold?”
“The young man is rising to the occasion,” her uncle said. “Your aunt would approve.”
Carys could tell that Dafydd was missing his wife. “How’s Eamer feeling about her mother?”
“She has flown to Áth Cliath—that’s Dublin in your world—to be with her. Queen Orla was removed from Temris to Áth Cliath when King Diarmuid appeared.”
“How is that going?” The new king of the fae would have to create a new relationship with the humans of Éire now that his brother was no longer the prince consort.
“It appears that King Diarmuid has his hands full bringing the light fae court under his rule,” Dafydd said. “I don’t think he has much time for human queens. Even those once married to his brother.”
“So that’s… a good thing?”
Dafydd smiled sadly. “Orla will be dead within months without Cian keeping her alive.”
“So the children were all?—”
“You said once that the Crow Mother mentioned a sacrifice,” Dafydd said. “It is possible that Orla thought a very ancient fae might want children as that sacrifice.”
And the Crow Mother wasn’t even fae. Carys wondered if Orla had known.
“So twisted.” Carys flashed back to her last meeting with the Crow Mother in the Shadowlands. She was a very different woman than the nubile goddess who had become Macha in the Brightlands.
“The queen will bring me her offering, and then everything will fall into place.”
“What offering?”
“I take offerings of all kinds. Magic. Blood. Babies.”
“You might be right,” Carys said. “Thank God all the children were recovered.” She leaned forward. “Right? All of them were recovered from the fae?”
“Every one,” Dafydd said. “I promise. The only blood spilled was the blood on Saris Plain. All the children are fine.”
Carys sat back and breathed a sigh of relief. The only blood spilled was the blood on Saris Plain. And despite Rhiannon’s warning, they had averted a greater war.
The only blood spilled was on Saris Plain.
Carys blinked. Threads of memory began to weave together.
“The queen will bring me her offering… Magic, blood, babies.”
She sat up straight in her chair. Magic. Blood.
