Page 174 of Curse of Darkness
“From ruin comes a seed of hope,” Baylor suddenly rumbles. “The fae are already broken, Vi. And the prophecy doesn’t state you’ll destroy us all. It states that you’ll break apart Seelie and Unseelie. What are those terms? Two courts of people? The pure seelie? The monstrous unseelie? Look around, Vi. Evernight is a seelie court. But we’re all monsters here. We’ve spent years hiding our true selves so Adaia would have no ammunition to hurt our prince. Maybe we’re not the only court who’s hiding monsters within their midst? Maybe our old constructs need to be broken. Break us, Vi. And then let’s build something better.”
Everyone stares at him.
My heart starts to tick a little faster.
Because maybe he’s right.
“I’m impressed,” Finn says. “That’s the longest speech I’ve ever heard you speak.”
Baylor scowls. “You do enough talking for the both of us. I only bother to speak when the words need to be said.”
Lifting onto my toes, I kiss Baylor’s forehead. “Thank you.”
He smiles at me and it’s like watching the sun break over his countenance.
“Merciless Dark,” I whisper. “You’d better put that smile away, Baylor, or you’re going to break hearts all across the southern kingdoms.”
The scowl returns.
Finn laughs, clapping a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Are we ready?”
“Ready,” Thalia says with a shaky voice. I can see her endless lists spread all over the table. She’s been getting the healers set up in their tents, but she’ll be leaving as soon as we say our goodbyes.
Someone has to survive in order to protect Amaya.
“Ready,” I tell them, exhaling the breath I’ve been holding.
Baylor looks toward the north, an arrested look on his face. “I swear I can sense Lysander.”
“He’s coming back?” I ask quickly. “Is my sister with him?”
Baylor scowls and shakes his head. “Lost him. He’s busy doing whatever he’s doing. But he’s definitely getting closer.”
Hope bleeds through me, mingled with fear. There are two armies of goblins, after all. If Lysander and Edain rescued Andraste, then maybe they’re riding ahead of those two columns. Maybe they can make it to us in time.
“Then let’s go and find my husband,” I tell them. “One army has been neutralized. It’s time to end the others.”
* * *
Dark clouds roilover the battlefields of Eidyn. Two armies pour toward us from the north, lightning flickering in their depths.
Unnatural clouds.
I swear I see a hint of horns within them, and my stomach drops toward my feet as though it’s full of lead. He’s coming. The Horned One is coming.
Within that gloom travels the full might of the unseelie armies. Morwenna of Isenbold’s riders and Angharad’s fierce warriors. They’re a dark tide that stretches across the entire horizon.
Even with the Asturian, Ravenal and Stormlight forces at our backs, we’ll never hold them off. We desperately needed Aska to join us.
I turn toward my husband. “No word from Muraid?”
“No. And there’s no time for the Askan army to stage. If they were going to be here, then they’d already be here.”
“Thi—”
“We always knew the numbers were against us,” Thiago says in his Prince of Evernight voice, staring at the approaching storm. Then the coldness sloughs away. He’s once again my Thiago, the prince who captured my heart. His voice becomes soft as he looks at me. “You know what you need to do.”
“I need to get to the Hallow.” My voice comes out as a whisper as I stare across the field to where our armies clash. It’s always been the plan. Set the Mother of Night free and use the Eidyn Hallow to ascend. If I add the other Old Ones into the bargain…. “I just need time.”
