Those at the docks in Graystones spoke of a ship whose sails would change from black to white depending on the captain’s whims. According to every feckin’ record I’d been pouring over for the last two days, Captain Caden Merriweather didn’t exist. Meaning either he hadn’t been born in Tearmann or Airren, or he was using a false name. I’d gone back to Meranda’s, but the witch was nowhere to be found. So I sent word to Shona, a selkie I didn’t despise nearly as much as the others of her kind, asking for her to come to the castle. She knew these seas and the men who sailed them better than the merrow themselves. If anyone could uncover the truth about this Caden fellow, it would be Shona.
The only problem was that her wife was about to welcome her fifth child into the world and had “more important” things to do. You’d think by the fifth one, it wouldn’t be some big production.
The pirate wasn’t a rotting corpse, so I assumed he was a true immortal. Which meant he had magic. If he truly was able to change the color of his sails on a whim, then his magic presumably worked at sea. Put me on a dingy in the middle of a pond and I wouldn’t be able drum up a feckin’ spark. Meaning he must possess merrow or selkie blood.
Ruairi popped his head into the study. When his gaze met mine, his golden eyes narrowed into slits.
Maybe if I ignored him, he would go away.
“What did ye do to Aveen? She can’t feel her magic.”
Good. At least I didn’t have to worry about her reaching Tearmann until I’d found some way to destroy the Queen. “I don’t know what you’re going on about.”
“That’s total bollocks, and we both know it.”
I pushed away from the desk and gave the pooka a smile. “Maybe she just needs a better teacher.”
His nostrils flared. “Yer some bastard.”
“That is common knowledge, yes.”
“She’ll figure it out.”
Not without help. But that was neither here nor there. I shrugged. “If you say so.”
With that, I returned to my room and shifted a bottle.
9
TADHG
The blight had spread,consuming twelve acres of land bordering the Forest and killing everything in its path. Animals, trees, crops. Two colonies of faeries had been displaced from the trees they’d called home for centuries, and we’d relocated ten families to Tearmann’s western coast.
What were we going to do when there was no place left to go but into the merrow-riddled sea?
Rían rubbed the back of his neck as he glared down at the twisted black trees that, up until two days ago, had been lush and green. Although I’d never admit it, I was glad to have him out of his room. The castle had been all too quiet and congenial without his irritating presence.
Two sheep that must’ve wandered onto the blackened grass lay lifeless next to the fencepost, their mouths painted black from whatever poison infected the earth. The other day, the Franklin family had lost twelve head of cattle.
“It’s moving too fast,” Rían said.
“I know.” At this rate, the curse would reach the castle before Yule. Rían may be able to relocate the structure, but could I ask it of him? He’d already used so much magic helping the others. If Keelynn broke my curse, then maybe my latent power would allow me to do more than delegate.
Such pointless, fanciful thoughts.
I’d spent the last year yearning for her while she’d been asleep, my love only growing. When Keelynn woke tomorrow, she’d feel the same as she had when I’d killed her. When she’d found those bodies in the castle.
Angry. Horrified. Betrayed.
But that was a problem for tomorrow. This blight needed to be dealt with today. Oscar had taken samples of soil to one of his friends who studied such things in hopes that she could unravel whatever poison the Queen had used. So far, she hadn’t had any luck.
I could think of only one way to put an end to this. “We need to meet with the Queen.”
Rían’s shoulders stiffened, and his head swung toward me. “Youcan meet with the Queen. I like my heart right where it is.”
I understood his reluctance, really, I did. But after what had happened the last time the Queen had called over to the castle, the witch wouldn’t be foolish enough to meet with us if Rían wasn’t present the entire time.
“We could ask her to make a vow not to harm anyone within the castle walls before we let her through the wards.” At least that would give us some peace of mind.