Page 97 of The Crown of Moonlight
“He’s using a rune to create a bubble of silence and darkness around us, and another to keep us from being noticed,” Chyr says.“You can speak normally as long as we stay close to him.”
Daire winks as though I should be impressed, but based on what was said back at the cavern, I imagine the runes are his sister’s magic and not his own.
I’m impressed, but not with Daire, so I only shrug.We set the horses into a canter and pass beneath the camp without any problems.The second picket is a bit more complicated.
The six human soldiers are spread along the track, and the Grey that accompanies them has climbed a few yards up the slope.The terrain around him is strewn with scree and boulders, and Daire shakes his head, gesturing for us to skirt the soldiers on the right, between the loch and the drovers’ track.
All the Riders veer off in that direction, but the gleam of moonlight catches on thin seams of dark water between hags of peat.
“Stop!”I shout, too loudly.
The Riders rein in, unconcerned—at least not about the noise.
“There’s no firm footing there for a horse.”I point to where the ground is treacherous.“I can make it stable, but you’ll need to ride single file behind me.”
Chyr nods, and I reach into the bog.Power rushes up to meet me.The peat is mostly solid, but deep water-filled troughs lie between hard banks, and the empty space goes deep.I push the banks together and use my magic to sense the areas that look solid even though they aren’t.The squelch beneath Eira’s hooves goes quiet, and the ground holds, creating a narrow bridge for us to pass.
We’re almost clear when Daire’s mare gives a ragged scream as an edge of the peat bank gives way.She drops to her hock in water and twists, and Daire falls with a splash, his head plunging under.
Lorcan shouts and dives off his horse, rushing back to help him.I push magic around Daire and pull him to the bridge.
“Heads up.Company’s coming, and Daire’s runes have failed,” says the blond who wears his hair cropped short.Niall, I think.
He and Cathal, the one with runes etched into the shaved scalp above his ears, both touch various runes on their own bodies.The runes glow brighter, and their magic ripples around us again.
The damage is done already, though.There’s shouting, and the soldiers are running.The Grey in the trees jumps down onto the drovers’ track and gestures to the loch.A wave of water rises and builds, sweeping towards us.Lorcan pushes both hands at it, and the wave breaks in sections instead of sweeping over us all at once.
And on the ridge above the camp, the signal beacon flares.I search for another way to smother it, but it’s too late.Another beacon answers farther down the ridge, and then another, and another, and another, an endless line of signals burning hill to hill, warning all of Ehrugael that the rebel king and the Riders have come.
The line of beacons flares too quickly for us to hope to reach the end of Loch Seil before Vheara’s patrols know to be on high alert—before we risk being caught in a trap.Now every second counts.
Lorcan pulls Daire up, and they throw themselves into their saddles.We drive the horses hard, staying off the track as much as we are able.There’s no sound of pursuit behind us, but the loch narrows ahead, with too many possible choke points.
Emotions swirl in my chest, a sour brew of guilt and too many other things to name.My heart tries to keep pace with the staccato beat of the horses running until fear exhausts itself.
Until we stop to rest the horses, none of us tries to speak.Then Sean throws himself off his black gelding before I’ve even managed to rein Eira in.
“What the fuck was that?”He stalks to my stirrup, stopping with his face red and twisted and close enough that I could kick him if I had a death wish.
I swing down beside him, feet splashing in the mud.“Back away and do not shout.Are you asking why Daire fell—or do you have a better question?”
“Why should anyone trust your magic?”
“My magic didn’t fail.”
Sean darts a glance at the long line of beacons burning behind us and ahead, then locks his eyes on mine.“If it wasn’t your magic, it was your judgement.Either way, your trail was too narrow.”
“That’s hardly fair.”Ronan comes to stand beside me.
Sean gives a humourless bark of laughter.“Adopting another wild thing, are you, Ronan?”
“Enough!”Chyr commands.“We’ll lead the horses on foot until they’re rested, but the stars are fading.We’re wasting time.Flora, do you sense anyone nearby?”
“Not yet, but we should cross to the other side of the loch.There’s an island a short way ahead.We can use it to break the distance the horses have to swim.”
Chyr is silent as he digests that.“Can we still make it to Castle Tchirum?”
My throat is dry as I shake my head.“We would need at least two more hours of darkness to have any chance of reaching it,” I admit.“We have to look for shelter somewhere closer.This puts us another day behind.”
