Read Online Beyond the Pale: A Thin Veil Novella (The Thin Veil Book 3) by Jodi McIsaac - Free Book Online Page B

I’m counting on you—we all are.
    With enduring affection,
    Lorcan
     
    Kier read the letter through twice, her hands trembling. Then she ripped it into shreds and tossed them into the fire that burned in the grate. Lorcan was right about one thing: it was up to her. She could bring peace to them all. But not in the way he thought. She knew Brogan would die before he would cede power to Lorcan, and she would never ask him to do such a thing. If they could just hold out a while longer, until the baby was born, she could put her plan into action.
    She had spent countless hours in the library, poring over the ancient texts and studying the spell books the druids had left behind when they left Tír na nÓg for Ériu. She had found the spell to turn a Danann into a human—or the closest thing to it. It was quite clever really. The druid would take away her fire-gift, giving her the gift of humanity instead. Then she would be the dyad, and she would rid the land of Lorcan’s poison. There was still the problem of finding a druid, but she was certain she would be able to convince Brogan to open a sidh just long enough for her to slip through to Ériu. Once the transformation was complete, she would contact him using her starstone, and he’d bring her back to Tír na nÓg. She looked out of the window again. Somewhere out there, Brogan and so many of their friends were fighting. The baby kicked hard, and Kier gasped. “Calm down, little one. You just get here safely, and then we will end this madness.”
    Two days later, Kier was still in her room. For her own safety, she had been confined to the Hall once the fighting had reached a certain point. She missed her trips to the library, but Eolas had sent her a large stack of books to help her pass the time. Riona would occasionally stop in for a visit, but she had her two young children to worry about while Ruadhan fought by the king’s side. And so it was with delight that she heard a knock on the door, followed by the sound of her brother’s voice on the other side.
    “Brion!” she cried, flinging her arms around him when he came in. He untangled himself from her embrace and kissed her cheek.
    “How are you, sister?” he asked, his eyes on her round belly.
    “I’m going mad, to be honest,” she answered. “Tell me what’s happening, I want to know everything.”
    “There will be time for that later,” he said. “I need you to come with me.”
    “Why? What has happened? Is it Brogan? Is he—?” She felt her heart plummet like a stone, and she doubled over in pain as the baby started to kick in panic.
    “Brogan is fine,” Brion assured her. “But he summoned me to move you. He received information that an attack on the Hall is imminent.”
    “What about the servants?” Kier asked, her eyes wide with alarm.
    “I’ve given instructions that they are free to flee to wherever they can find safety. We suspect that Lorcan himself is coming to lead the attack. He has become very powerful, Kier. Each new death has infused him with more abilities. I do not think we could withstand him.”
    “Where is Brogan?” Kier asked.
    “I do not know,” he answered. “I received word via a messenger, bearing his seal. But we must move quickly.”
    Kier clutched the starstone around her neck and began to sing the song that activated it, but Brion stopped her. “We don’t have time, Kier. And you must not distract the king while he is in battle.”
    She dropped the stone and grabbed a cloak from her wardrobe before following her brother. A group of guards stood ready as they exited the Hall. They formed a circle around Kier, so that she was hidden in their ranks. “Where are we going?” she asked Brion, but he just shook his head, and she fell silent.
    They walked for several minutes, until they came to edge of a dark forest. Kier tried to peer through the trees, but she could not make out any discernible path. Leaving the guards behind, Brion led her into the woods,