Page 66 of Shadow Master
Orion looked thoughtful. “No, I believe I’ll stay here a while.” He bared his teeth at Lugh, looking surprisingly feral for a cultured Tuatha. “I believe I will fight.”
I led Lugh away from the tech magnate, grabbing Kash on my way off camp. The sun was making an arc toward the ground as we made our way toward the Academy.
Hope simmered in my heart. Please, let the weavers have a solution.
Please.
* * *
Latrou and Helsethconferred in a corner while Lugh paced the ballroom in agitation. I’d promised him freedom. I just hoped the weavers could deliver.
Kash sat on the podium, legs dangling, hands gripping the edge of the platform. He met my gaze for a moment, his expression somber. He was worried the weavers would fail, and honestly, from the murmurs and tone of the conversation the two weavers were having, things didn’t look good for us.
If the weavers couldn’t help, what then? How could I get Brady back? I’d have to wait until it was safe to go out into the mortal world and search for the rest of the talisman. But what if the mortal world was never safe again?
No. Don’t think about it. Don’t panic.
Lugh stopped pacing and crossed his arms over his chest in a pose that was so Brady it made my chest ache with longing for my mate.
“Do you have an answer?” he demanded. “Can you free me or not?”
Latrou and Helseth turned to look at him in annoyance.
“What do you think we’re discussing, young man?” Helseth chided. “The weather? Hmm? Now hush, and let us confer.”
Lugh looked taken aback by the dressing down. I guess kings didn’t get told off very often.
I bit back a smile, my gaze flicking to Kash to see him doing the same.
“Yes,” Latrou said to Helseth. “That may work.”
My ears pricked up, and I turned to face them, eager to know more.
“For now,” Helseth added. “I’ll begin work.” She hurried out of the room.
Latrou faced us, hands clasped in front of her. “We can’t free you,” she said to Lugh.
His face hardened as he looked to me. “You said you could help me.”
“You think I want you here?”
We glared at each other.
“But,” Latrou continued. “We can get Brady back.”
“What?” both Lugh and I said at the same time.
“A conduit.” Kash hopped off the podium, his eyes bright. “You’re going to create a conduit to allow Brady to surface.”
Panic etched itself across Lugh’s features. “You want to trap me. To put me to sleep in this body?” He bared his teeth and took a step back. “You will not touch me, witch.”
Latrou pursed her lips. “And yet you have no qualms about keeping Brady, the true owner of this body, suppressed.”
Lugh’s eyes narrowed.
“They tell me you’re a king,” Latrou said. “The question is, are you an honorable one?”
Lugh growled in exasperation. “Damn you, witch.”
