Page 107 of What Fools These Immortals Be
“I know that.”
“He cannot be seen as weak, not right now, not after—”
“I know!”
Njáll’s shout surprises me, and he looks stricken when I flinch, though I do not feel any fear. No. I want to help him, to soothe him.
This is not about Quinn, really.
“They’re looking for you,” I say. “And when they find out where you are and what happened, they won’t think you weak.”
Njáll scoffs. “No? I’ve been captured twice in little more than six months. I am injured and hungry, and I have no idea how to get out of here, let alone get everyoneelseout. And now, avampire will kill a wolf—whether he is part of the clan or not matters very little—and I will be luckyifI make it out of here, to avoid a full-blown war.”
“A war?”
“The treaty, Maurice,” Njáll says, and he sounds tired now. “The treaty holds that we cannot kill each other, and sanctioned challenge or not… Quinn isyoung. Wolves are a community. At best, our relationships will be damaged beyond repair. It is more likely that wolves will start killing us, and I cannot pretend that a war between all of us would end in a victory for vampires.”
Isthatwhy Meilyr wants Augustine with him? He mentioned the Guardians before, and they are of course the most immediate threat to high fae, but they are limited in their scope, as they have to stay where the veil is thinnest and ensure there are no breaches.
The Wild Hunt would be the threat after that. And then… And then every other supernatural creature, I suppose, because Meilyr does not understand nearly enough about humans to grasp the threat they could be, too.
Regardless, it is a logical next step. I shake my head.
“Meilyr wants this,” I say. “That’s why… The vampires. Samantha, she attacked that hunter, but nothing came of that, so he’s moved on. That’s why he was after you in the alley. He wants war. He wants an easy path to power.”
“He’ll have it then,” Njáll says and sighs. He sways slightly where he stands, and I reach for him without thinking. He does not object when I guide him back over to the wall and down again.
“You really think that’s what he’s trying to do?” Reijo asks. Fear pinches his expression, and when I look around the room, all the other fae look as though they feel the same.
“Yes. He can’t take the Unseelie throne, so he’ll seize power here instead.”
“Fuck.” Reijo tips his head back against the wall. He tugs at one of the cuffs holding him in place, but we both know they’re iron, seeping his magic away. Eventually, the cuffs alone could kill him, though that would take far more time than I believe any of us have.
If I get Njáll out of here… Meilyr might hesitate, but the information he wants from me is more important than Augustine starting a war tonight. It is easier for me to tell him than him to torture Njáll until I give in.
And Njáll will be able to come back. To contact Asher, at least, because Deacon will have a way of getting in touch with him, and the Hunt can come here and—
Free the fae, at least. As soon as I tell Meilyr what I know, he will kill me.
I crouch again and Njáll frowns at the look on my face. “What are you going to do?”
“Something stupid, no doubt,” I say and kiss him, quick and hard, before he can protest. “Wait here.”
“Maurice—”
I make my way up the stairs, pausing where I know the barrier sits. I run my fingers over it, then shout, “I want to see Meilyr!”
Chair legs scrape across the floor. Footsteps recede. And when I look back down, Njáll glares up at me, betrayal on his face.
Chapter Thirty
Njáll
Icannotbelieveheisdoing this. Giving himself up—giving the Hunt up—and for what?
“What are you doing?” I hiss, though I think we all know.
Maurice comes back down the stairs and crouches beside me again. My lips tingle from our earlier kiss. I don’t want it to be the last one we share.
