Page 134 of Promise of Darkness
Sorcerers. Magi. Witches. None of them can break the curse. None of them even know what the spell is, or who cast it. Baylor thought it was Unseelie work, which definitely means dark magic, though how my mother got her hands on such a spell, I’ll never know.
“So, there’s no hope then.” It’s starting to hit me. I’m going to lose him. I’m going to lose myself.
Thiago takes so long to reply that I almost suspect he’s not going to.
“There’s someone we can ask,” Thiago finally says.
“Why does it sound like you’d rather gouge your eyes out with a spoon?”
He grimaces, his biceps flexing as he rolls his head toward me. “Because it involves going deep into Unseelie territory and seeking out one of its most dangerous members. There’s a reason I’ve not taken this path in the past. And I can’t help you. I can’t protect you.”
Deep into the heart of Unseelie. He’s not the only one who hesitates. The Unseelie kingdoms are filled with creatures that would eat you alive. And that’s probably one of the more merciful deaths.
“Who?”
“The Morai.”
It’s not a name I know.
“They’re three ancient Unseelie,” he tells me, “who can grant you answers to any three questions you ask. You just have to be careful that you’re asking the right questions.”
I draw my knees up to my chest, my hair tumbling over my shoulders.
Unseelie. The answer lies there. It has to.
I glance at him. “You don’t need to protect me. You’ve spent thirteen years trying to be my shield. Maybe it’s time I became yours.”
His face darkens, but I press my finger to his lips to stall him.
“Let me be your queen. Let me do this.”
Thiago bites my finger. “You know not what you’re facing.”
“It can’t be worse than my mother.” I toss the blankets aside, slipping from the bed. “And we have no time to lose. Get out of bed. Let’s rouse the others. We have a trip to plan.”
33
“Does anyone else not see the problem with this?” Eris demands, as we gather at the Hallow in Valerian.
Cold wind bites through my cloak. Whatever magic wards the city doesn’t quite cover the Hallow. Snow dusts its marble floors, covering the ancient bronze symbols that help channel its power. The Valerian Hallow lies directly along the ley line that runs to the Unseelie Hallow we want to arrive at.
“Come,” Finn declares, “it will be a glorious death. They’ll sing of us in the ballads as the Unseelie drink their wine from our skulls.”
“See,” she points out. “Even he agrees with me.”
Thiago remains quiet by my side.
He’s been quiet ever since he announced our plans to venture into the Unseelie territories. Eris, Finn, and Thalia have filled the void with their incessant chatter, but beneath their brightness I can hear the faintest undercurrent of nerves.
I can’t forget he left Baylor behind “just in case.”
If we all fall, then someone needs to hold the Kingdom of Evernight together. Someone needs to hold my mother at bay and speak for the Alliance. Whilst Baylor’s Unseelie born, he’s the only one my mother might fear enough to restrain her worst impulses.
“This is madness,” Eris says.
“What would you suggest?” Thiago demands, locking gazes with her. “The Morai are the only step we haven’t explored in the past.”
As much as Eris rubs me the wrong way, I don’t doubt her loyalty to Thiago. Her lips firm. “There’s a reason for that.”
