Page 73 of The Shadow Path

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Duncan said, “But Dru was determined. If he couldn’t have Naida, he didn’t want anything to do with any of them.”

Lachlan said, “So Finola married another fae consort so she wouldn’t age, but rumors say she’s still bitter about the whole thing.”

“And now Naida is saying that Dru has to be a part of” —Duncan waved his hands— “whatever it is we’re doing to keep the peace in Briton and keep the Queens’ Pact alive.”

“Except Dru being involved is more likely to disrupt the peace.” Laura wrinkled her nose. “I have to say I’m seeing their point, Carys.”

Lachlan turned sad eyes on Carys. “It’s not that we don’t sympathize,” he said. “I know what it’s like to feel like your relationship is doomed, but Carys…”

Carys crossed her arms over her chest. “What?”

“It reallyisdoomed.” Lachlan kept his voice low.

“If Dru claims the crown,” Duncan said, “which Cian knows hecoulddo, there would be war among the fae. The reason Dru left for the Brightlands was because he wanted to avoid that.”

“Would Dru be a better fae ruler than Cian?” Carys looked between Duncan and Lachlan.

Lachlan nodded. “Probably.”

“But is Cian so bad that it’s worth starting a war?” Duncan shrugged. “That’s the real question.”

“Agreed,” Lachlan said. “Having Dru helping us will make Cian think that the humans of Briton are siding with Dru against him.”

“Whatever he and Orla might be planning, it would jump-start it, not stop it,” Duncan said.

Lachlan continued, “Wemustleave Dru out of this if we’re trying for peace.”

Carys felt her cheeks heating. “But Naida won’t help us without Dru.”

“So we leave Naida out of it,” Lachlan said. “We don’t need her.”

“What other fae do you trust?” Carys looked at Duncan.

Duncan shook his head. “No one.”

She looked at Lachlan. “You?”

He folded his arms over his chest. “I don’t trustDru, and I don’t know why you would.”

“I don’t trust him,” Carys said. “But I trust Naida, and Naida wants him. That’s the point.”

Laura frowned. “Are the fae that devious here? I’m suddenly feeling very thankful for the Kheta Inwe.”

“You two think we can actually find out what is going on with Orla and Cian without any fae help?” Carys looked between the two men again. “We don’t think the way they do. We don’t understand their magic and the extent of it. If we want to know what the fae are planning, we need to know what they want, what they can do, and what this offering to the Crow Mother might be.”

Lachlan sighed. “Fine. We need fae knowledge. But not Naida and Dru.”

Laura nodded. “Okay, so who do you two suggest?”

Neither Duncan nor Lachlan spoke.

“Helpful,” Laura said. “So helpful. That’s amazing.”

Carys grimaced and grabbed the basket from Laura’s hands. “Naida is the only fae that either Cadell or I trust.” She and Laura started toward the kitchen. “And Naida wants Dru to help. If you two brilliant strategists come up with a better idea, feel free to let us know.”

Laura cleareda space in the center of Dafydd’s garden after Cadell returned, burning the four sacred herbs in an earthenware bowl placed on the bare ground. She wafted the smoke over stones etched with ancient symbols from various parts of North America.

The song Laura sang was in Yurok, but the symbols on the runes were used across the Pacific Northwest. The scent of tobacco, sage, sweetgrass, and cedar were all familiar; however, the song Laura sang under her breath was not for Carys’s ears, so she tried to keep her distance.