Page 137 of Throne of Dreams
“What?” An emotion Maeve had never witnessed before clouded his eyes.
“It’s High Princess Ceridwen.” The Summer warrior’s chest rose and fell in rapid breaths.
Tiernan paled.
Merrick gripped the fae, forcing him to face him. “What happened to her?”
“She’s gone, my lord.” His gaze darted back and forth between Merrick and Tiernan. “She’s been taken by Garvan. To Autumn.”
The storm came down upon them. Violet lightning slashed across the slate gray skies, thunder crashed, and the icicles fell from the trees like swords. Bitter gusts of wind ripped across the frozen landscape, kicking up snow so that it swirled around them violently, as though they were caught in a tormented snow globe.
Ciara rushed forward, her once calculating eyes now lit with panic.
“Go,” she urged. “Go now, Tiernan. I’ll ensure your army returns home.”
Tiernan nodded once.
Lir ran to Maeve, plucking her off the horse like she was nothing more than a fallen feather.
“Back to Niahvess,” Tiernan commanded. “The Furies, too. At once.”
In less time than it took for Maeve to catch her breath, theyfaded.
* * *
Chaos stormedthe outside of the Summer palace.
It was shrouded in smoke and debris. The dense scent of fading magic lingered in the air. Stifling. Blood smeared the ground, mingling with dirt and sand. Everywhere Maeve looked, fae warriors ran, their footfalls pounding with determination. Voices rang out from everywhere, bellowing orders. Some of the warriors moved more slowly, their injuries hampering their movements while others were dragged to safer locations, removed from the remnants of battle.
Lir’s hand locked around Maeve’s arm, his grip firm and his sword drawn. His silver gaze darkened, sweeping over the area surrounding them, seeking any potential threat.
“Search the grounds!” Tiernan shouted.
Merrick took off in one direction, yelling for his scouts to follow. Brynn had vanished completely. Tiernan whipped around and faced Lir. Maeve saw it then. All traces of the male she loved were gone. He was a High King. An Archfae. He was ready to destroy the realms.
“Do not, under any circumstances, leave Maeve’s side.”
He didn’t so much as look at her. He simplyfadedwithout another word.
Maeve gaped at the spot where Tiernan had been standing only seconds before. “He’s not seriously expecting me to stand here and do nothing.”
“It was a surprise attack, my lady.” Lir maintained his effortlessly calm demeanor, but his hold on her arm didn’t lessen. “We need to eliminate every threat.”
“Lir,” she pleaded. “I can fight just like the rest of you. I trained for battle since I was a child. I took out the Hagla, defeated Fearghal and the Scathing. I’m a warrior, damn it.”
She could do more than stand by like some helpless princess—she was a fucking fae. She was never meant to be shuffled away to a safe space, to be guarded and protected like her life was somehow more valuable than those around her. Here was where she belonged, amidst the madness, just like the rest of them.
“I know.” But the look Lir gave her was that of a male torn between duty and knowing the worth of the female who stood in front of him.
It was infuriating.
Frustrated, she turned and faced the Furies. “Balor, Tethra, and Dian.” They bowed at her command. “Secure the palace and the city. If you find any enemies hiding within the Summer Court, destroy them.”
Balor nodded swiftly. “Yes, Your Grace.”
They started to move away, but she had to add one more thing. “Oh, and boys?”
The Furies faced her at once.
