Chapter 16

16

W e grabbed the books from Lugh's room—or at least what we could manage to carry in a single trip—and piled into the library. I couldn't bear to hang out in his actual living space. There were too many reminders of the king there. Even his scent still hung in the air. Instead, we spread our books across the ancient oak tables and got to work.

It didn't take long for me to realise these books were bloody dry. One waxed poetic about the trade routes of the 1500s, going into extreme detail about what ports various ships used and the crops they contained.

I tossed that book quickly into the ‘useless' pile.

Another talked about demon possession, going into great detail about how a mix of blood and herbs was the only way to complete an exorcism. Next up was a book that covered the War of the Roses. That one was a lot more interesting, but again, it had nothing to do with nightmare wraiths.

Sighing, I glanced up and peered at my fellow comrades through bleary eyes. "Anyone find something useful?"

A few tired murmurs spread through the room. No one was having any luck. With a sigh, I turned to stare out the window, only to see pink streaking across a morning sky.

"All right." I shut the War of the Roses book and stood, stretching. "It's morning. Lugh won't attack when there's daylight. You lot should get some rest before we try again in a few hours."

Saoirse nodded, but Boudica raised a brow. "And what about you, Moira?"

I frowned. "I'm not tired."

"You look like you're about to collapse," Warin argued. "Have you even fully healed from that vampire attack you endured the other night?"

Nope. I hadn't. In fact, I hadn't even slept since I'd fled the healing ward.

"You should get some rest," Saoirse said, staring at me with her bottomless eyes.

In any other situation, I would agree with her. But I couldn't sleep. Not when Lugh was out there, wandering the streets alone. I was still convinced that he was somewhere hidden inside his body, trapped in a cage inside the wraith's mind. He needed me. I couldn't let him down.

"Fine," I said, lying through my teeth. "I'll go upstairs and take a power nap. Let's meet back here in three hours? That'll give everyone time to get some shut-eye and have some food."

An audible sigh went through the room, and soon, everyone had shuffled out of the library to return to their quarters for a bit. I edged toward the stairs, pretending like I would do the same. But as soon as Uisnech disappeared through the door, I raced to the window to watch them wander out of the courtyard.

Cracking open the door, I ran across the cobblestones and flung myself into the Royal Palace. Inside, I tripped down the hallway and back into Lugh's quarters. I stopped short as soon as I spotted his familiar sofa and the tiny kitchen only used for housing books. Tears sprang into my eyes, the horror of the situation landing on top of me in a sudden avalanche.

Sobbing, I sank to my knees. I could still smell him in here, I could feel his presence, almost as if he were in the room himself. His arms were around me, at least in my mind. Those wicked eyes flashed with pure desire.

How was I going to do this? I was just a warrior, good with steel. My answer to every problem I'd ever encountered in my life was to swing my blade at anyone who ever crossed me. To charge in with swords. To shove those blades deep into an enemy's skin.

It had always worked for me, too. Swordplay had always won.

Until now. I needed to beat the wraith controlling Lugh without killing him. I had to stop him from bringing the apocalypse down on this world, but I couldn't slice his neck.

Because if I killed the wraith, I'd kill Lugh.

And it all had to happen before it was too late. The clock was ticking on the time we had. Soon, Lugh would leave Edinburgh. Saoirse and Uisnech thought it would take a few days, but what if he went to Faerie tomorrow?

And beyond all that, I needed him back. The ache I felt was already too much to bear. Lugh was the other half of my soul, the half I'd never known was missing until now. I wanted him by my side. I wanted to wake up in his arms every day. I wanted to see that wicked smile of his curl across his lips.

I wanted him, in every way imaginable.

Fate was a cruel beast indeed. Just when I'd realised the truth of how I felt, he'd been taken from me.

Sobs slowing, I pushed myself from the floor and padded into his room. I cast my gaze around, my eyes falling on where an indentation of his head still creased his pillow. I climbed beneath the covers, snuggling into where he'd slept. With another sob, I breathed him in and imagined how it would feel to have his arms around me once again…

T ap.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Something sharp and forceful knocked against my forehead, yanking me out of a dreamless sleep. I sucked in a sharp breath and sat up straight, my hands curling into fists.

Uisnech danced back and forth on the bed, his large ears flopping as he leapt. "The noble warrior has awakened from her slumber!"

Biting back a smile, I glanced around me. I hadn't meant to sleep; I'd wanted to spend hours poring over Lugh's books. But I must have passed out sometime between crawling into his bed and snuggling into his pillows. I'd crashed hard.

"What's going on, Uisnech?" I rubbed my eyes and tried to find a clock, but Lugh didn't keep one in his room. "What time is it?"

"It is the best time!" he crowed, grinning.

"Someone has had too much coffee," I muttered, but I didn't feel irritated in the least. In fact, the hobgoblin's energy fuelled my own. I jumped out of bed and grabbed the first book I saw, ready to get started again. We needed to find a lead. And fast. I glanced outside. The sun was high in the sky, so at least we hadn't wasted much of the day.

"Uisnech has slept. Uisnech is rejuvenated. And Uisnech read a book." He shoved a small tome into my hands, his own fingers shaking with anticipation.

Brow arched, I flipped open the cover. The first page showed a drawing of the cauldron, and words in a language I couldn't translate had been scribbled next to it. "This is just the cauldron, Uisnech. We already know about this thing."

"You did not read the information." He snatched the book out of my hands and began to read aloud in a strange monotonous tone. "Every eye that sees this cauldron will be drawn to it. Every hand that touches it will desire to never let it go. Every soul—"

"Uisnech," I said, leaning toward him. "Cut to the chase. We don't have much time."

"Anyone who sees the cauldron will want to keep it for themselves, even if they are mortal and do not understand what it is." He snapped the book shut and grinned. "I have found our answer."

Maybe I needed to get dosed on the coffee myself because my brain wasn't keeping up with the conversation. "Explain, please."

"The cauldron vanished from Mary King's Close, yes? When the city began to rebuild it? Who was involved in that?"

I frowned. "Humans. The Mayor. Some workers for the local council."

"As soon as the humans found it, they would not have returned it to Lugh. They would have kept it for themselves." He shrugged. "I do not blame them for it. The magic of the cauldron is far too strong for a human to resist. It is also too strong for a nightmare wraith to resist."

My heart thumped. "Wait a minute. You're suggesting that a human got his hands on the cauldron, and that we could take it back and then dangle it in front of Lugh? Draw him away from Faerie?"

Uisnech grinned broadly. "Exactly, my noble friend. He will not be able to resist the call of it. We can draw him to us, and trap him."

Sighing, I shook my head. "But that still won't work. He can just shadow shift away."

"Not if we do it during the daytime, away from shadows." Uisnech's smile stretched wide. "And then we can use the cauldron to bring back his soul, before the shadows come again at night."

I jumped to my feet, pacing back and forth on the hardwood. Hope was a strange emotion. At times, it was as elusive as the wind. But now, so much charged through me that I could scarcely draw the air into my lungs.

"Uisnech." I stopped suddenly in front of the hobgoblin, grabbing his head and dropping a kiss on his forehead. "You're a genius. You've found a way to win it all."

"Brilliant!" Uisnech clapped with glee and then jumped off the bed. "We must start on our plan immediately! Boudica! Warin! We must gather the noble warriors at once!"

I nodded, getting caught up in his enthusiasm. "Where do we start?"

"Why, we must break into the Mayor's office, of course. "

My smile died. Breaking into the Mayor's office was against every treaty we'd ever made with the humans. But we didn't have much of a choice. If Uisnech was right, the humans had the cauldron. This just might be the only way to save Lugh's life—and prevent the nightmare wraith from destroying the entire world.