Clearly not. The blight hadn’t moved back so much as a feckin’ inch. It had burrowed beneath me, outlining my legs and feet where I knelt. The more magic I sent, the farther it spread.
Let anyone who passed see that I was willing to give it all to save this land. Every last drop of magic in my veins. And when I died, I would return only to do the same.
A hand landed on my shoulder. “Ye’ve too much darkness in ye,” Eava said. “We all do.”
I tore my hands from the earth, my body shuddering and vision swimming. “Then how do we stop it?”
Her crinkled lips pursed as she gazed out over our dying land. “Not sure we can.”
* * *
Brogan’s tiny fists battered the air like he wanted to fight the entire world. I understood the sentiment. After spending all afternoon holed up inside my bedroom with the little lad, Ihadto escape. Since I couldn’t leave the castle, the family room had to do. I’d nearly turned around when I found Rían draped across his chair by the fireplace, staring down at a book. But even my infernal brother’s company seemed preferable to my own.
Rían flipped the page with such force, I was shocked he didn’t tear the thing clean out.“Does that child ever shut up?”
“No. Just like his Uncle Rían.”
My brother rolled his eyes, casting a wary glance in my direction. “What does it want?”
First off, referring to mysonas “it” made me want to strangle him. But since I didn’t want to subject my boy to violence at such an early age, I settled for pulling on my hair until my scalp ached. How the hell did you get a child to stop crying? I’d changed his nappy, given him his bottle. He’d napped and played around with the rattle Eava had left for him this afternoon before disappearing again.
What else was there? “Don’t you think that if I knew I would’ve given it to him by now?”
All the wailing muted Rían’s response. “I’m not entirely sure. You’ve always been a bit of a masochist.” He checked his pocket watch, which looked suspiciously like the pocket watch I’d stolen from Robert Trench, before sighing and pushing to his feet. Instead of leaving the room, he folded his arms over his chest and glowered down at my son where he flapped his arms and kicked his legs like a chicken trying to fly. That look had cowed more than a few full-grown men, and yet Brogan didn’t seem to care.
“Maybe it doesn’t like you,” Rían said matter-of-factly.
“He, notit. And I’m his father. Of course he likes me.”
“You sure about that? I didn’t like our father.”
Maybe he had a point. This baby hadn’t known me from the beginning—he’d never gotten the chance considering Anwen had kept his existence a secret. Not that I could blame her. Still, if I’d known the child was mine, maybe we could’ve bonded earlier instead of me trying to play catch-up with an angry little devil.
“Here.” I thrust Brogan into my brother’s unsuspecting arms.
Rían yipped like a dog whose tail had been stomped on, the child bobbling against his chest. “What’re you—I’m not going to—dammit, Tadhg. Take it back.” He swung my son toward me.
“Shhhhhh.” I pressed my fingers to my lips. For the first time inhours, Brogan had stopped crying. He blinked up at my brother through wide, watery eyes, his lips wobbling as if he were about to screech at any moment. But he didn’t make a peep.
“It stopped,” Rían mouthed, still holding the boy awkwardly out from his own chest.
I took one backward step toward the settee, and then another. Rían’s expression turned stormy as he watched my retreat. “All I need is one hour,” I whispered. One blessed hour to close my eyes and switch off my brain without having to listen for Brogan’s cries. “Please. I haven’t slept since she…” Tears blurred my vision, choking me. “Since she left. I just need an hour.” After that, maybe I’d be able to think of a solution to this blight.
Although Rían groaned, he didn’t attempt to give the child back. Instead, he scanned the room, his gaze landing on the rug. With his elbow, he knocked one of the throw pillows onto the ground.
“I’ll just put it down,” he murmured to himself. The moment the boy’s head met the pillow, he let loose. Rían cursed and grabbed him back off the pillow. The boy instantly quieted.
“Come on, Rían. It’ll be easy.” I sank onto the sofa, my eyes already drifting closed. “Just treat him like your favorite waistcoat,” I muttered, letting sleep steer me toward darkness. I thought my brother said something about too many wrinkles, but I was too far gone to respond.
* * *
Sun peeked from between the curtains. Birdsong and silence greeted me as I pushed myself upright. There was no sign of Rían or Brogan. I felt like a new man as I stretched my stiff arms over my head. What time was it? I shifted my pocket watch back from my thieving brother. Half five? Had I really slept for eight hours?
I kicked off the blanket someone had draped over me, my body stiff as a feckin’ board as I stumbled toward the door, eventually finding my brother in the study, his back to the doorway as he selected a book from one of the shelves. No sign of Brogan anywhere. Had he forgotten he was to mind the child? Had he pawned my son off on someone else? What if something happened to him?
“Rían—”
“Quiet!” he hissed, twisting to glower at me.