Tadhg never faltered, his words and tone resolute. “The humans aren’t the problem. You are. You’ve been giving names to the officials; you’ve been orchestrating the massacres in Airren.”
The men next to the Queen traded looks, and the crowd behind us let out a collective gasp.
The Queen’s smile faltered, but only for a moment. “On this day, you will draw your final breath, Tadhg Alexander O’Clereigh. And when you do, I want you to remember: You brought this upon yourself.” With a flick of her wrist, the first wave of guards raised their weapons in unison and charged.
Tadhg twisted toward Aveen, his emerald eyes searching. “You’re with Keelynn. If at any point she’s in danger, take her away.”
He pressed a quick kiss to my lips, crossed the wards, and vanished. With my heart in my throat, I scoured the field, searching for my love. Tadhg reappeared in the center of the horde, swinging his sword and cutting down anyone who came close.
Rían winked at Aveen and crossed the wards as well.
My sister grabbed my hand, squeezing tight.
Rían appeared to Tadhg’s right, stabbing and slicing, cleaving heads from bodies. The rest of the Danú leapt into action with a piercing battle cry, sprinting through the wards and evanescing closer, weapons swinging at the charging guards and the few who’d chosen the Queen’s side. The humans followed after them, running on mortal legs toward a fight we had no hope of winning.
Ruairi left without a word, his broad shoulders easy to spot among the mele as he rushed in, sword swinging.
Bodies fell to the ground, most of them belonging to the guards. Rían had been right. They fought, but not well, swinging haphazardly, while even the smallest of the Danú darted this way and that, evanescing behind and beside to cut them down.
Three guards rushed Rían all at once, surrounding him. Aveen sucked in a breath, her hand flying to her chest. Rían spun, taking them all out in one fell swoop.
“I should be down there too,” she murmured.
“To do what? Distract him?” As much as I hated being behind these wards with the other women and children, Tadhg had been right to leave us behind. Watching them fight, I knew I wouldn’t have a hope of taking even one guard, let alone fighting multiple at once.
More guards fell. None turned away. With the Queen controlling them like puppets, they couldn’t have even if they’d wanted to. Our side fought with such ferocity, and if they continued, perhaps we would leave this field victorious after all.
Then Aveen gasped. I checked Tadhg and Rían, but the brothers seemed well able for the guards. But when my gaze flew to Ruairi, my stomach bottomed out. Four guards swarmed over him, and he went down hard and did not rise again.
My heartbeat thundered in my ears. He may not be able to die, but if he didn’t make it to the Queen, he couldn’t stab her with that dagger. She could leave to build an army stronger than this one, slaughter more humans for their hearts, convince more Danú to fight on her side. If we had any hope at all of winning, it had to be today.
The guards who’d attacked Ruairi moved forward. His body remained on the ground.
I turned to my sister, her grim expression matching my own. “We need to get the dagger,” I whispered.
Although her lips pressed flat, she nodded. “If you stay close, I might be able to create a ward around us both. But I won’t be able to hold it and my glamour at the same time.”
If she dropped her glamour, the Queen would know she lived. I hated putting her at risk, but with all the Danú out fighting, I couldn’t see a way around it.
Tadhg and Rían had almost reached the Queen. Once they broke through whatever protective barrier she likely had around herself, there would only be a short window where she’d be powerless enough for us to kill her.
“Are you sure you can evanesce with me in tow?” I asked. She’d barely mastered evanescing on her own.
She glanced back at the field. “I can at least get us close.”
Close would have to do.
I held out my hand, and Aveen laced our fingers together. “I can’t lose you,” she said, her gaze piercing mine.
“You won’t. I can do this. I know I can.” I hadn’t been put on this island to become some rich lord’s wife, pandering to his every whim. I’d been born to be a Princess of Tearmann, and I would save these people and this land from the Phantom Queen once and for all.
I’d killed Fiadh, hadn’t I? This witch would be no different.
The wards tickled my face when my sister and I stepped through together. A soft breeze cooled the sweat collecting on my neck. I closed my eyes, and the world fell out from beneath my feet. My stomach dropped, and when my boots connected with solid earth once more, the shrill sounds of clashing metal and scent of coppery blood consumed my senses.
Ruairi’s body lay between two guards, face-down in the grass. My limbs locked in place as I took in the devastation around us. Bodies coated the hillside, Danú, humans, and guards, all still in eternal sleep.
Aveen knelt beside Ruairi and retrieved the dagger from his belt. The emerald glowed as she stood, tears streaming down her cheeks when she handed it to me.