Page 112 of Broken Veil
“I guess” —Carys stared at her father’s handkerchief— “I have to believe you?”
“Youdon’thave to. All of this is a choice.”
“Is it?”
“Yes.” Joshua shrugged. “You have a passport. You have money. You could get on a plane today and fly away from here.”
She let out a slow breath. “I could run away.”
“Yes, you could. Take Laura with you. Cadell would follow. Duncan would too.”
“And leave all the consequences of letting the Morrígan into the Brightlands for someone else to clean up?” Carys felt a pit form in her stomach.
“It’s a choice,” Joshua said. “I’m not going to tell you what the right thing to do is because you have to decide that for yourself.”
Carys sat back on the sofa and thought hard.
She could run.
She would be safe. Maybe forever.
But Naida and Godrik wouldn’t be safe.
Her uncle wouldn’t be safe.
Cadell’s children, his whole horde, would be in danger.
Winnie and Elanor and Eamer. Lachlan and Angus and every human born into the Shadowlands.
They would all be caught in whatever chaos the Morrígan had planned.
“I have to defeat the Morrígan. I let her out of the Shadowlands—I have to figure out a way to get her back.”
“Then I will help you.” Joshua’s face was encouraging. “I have faith in you, Carys Morgan. Faith in Gareth’s daughter.”
Carys looked at Angus, slightly amazed that he was still frozen. “Are you more powerful than Angus?”
“I currently have more faithful in this place, so right now?” Joshua nodded. “Jibril and I are two of the most powerful gods in Briton even though we are not the oldest.”
“Right.” So what did that mean for the Morrígan? Did she have enough followers to be a major power yet? Was that her aim? How would she gather followers, and could Carys take them away?
Was that how she could defeat the goddess?
“You need to reframe what victory means,” Joshua said. “You have been told that you cannot kill a god.”
“Dru—Diarmuid. The fae king,” she said. “I’m not sure if you…”
Joshua nodded. “I know the fae of old.”
“He told me that if even one person believes in a god, they exist.”
“He is not wrong, but that is not the whole story.” Joshua spread his hands, and the world around Carys came alive.
Laura leaned toward Cadell.Jibril finished his sip of tea, shooting a side glance at Joshua, and Lachlan and Duncan leaned against the cottage wall like twin sentries with solemn expressions.
“We’re going to talk later, young man,” Angus muttered.
Joshua continued speaking as if he hadn’t literally frozen time while Carys had an emotional breakdown. “Youcannotkill a god, nor should you want to.”
