Bricrui (The Forgotten: Book 2) (27 page)

Eventually, Sir Ruawn sat back on his heels,
abandoning his efforts. Lord Morven’s head lolled slowly to the
side, his eyes growing listless and finally lifeless as he drew one
last shuddering breath.

Natalya looked at Alina in horrified
surprise. Her sister had just murdered Lord Morven!

Alina tore her gaze away from the dead man
and met her eyes. They were dull. “I thought it would feel better
than that,” she whispered. Then she looked down at her bloodied
hands, and fainted. She fell neatly to the ground, crumpling in a
soft heap, and Natalya couldn’t even move to catch her.

All of the Knights were staring at her, and
Natalya looked around in alarm. It was one thing for them to kill
people and monsters who were attacking them, but Alina had killed a
man who was surrendering to them. She had
murdered
him. What
would happen to Alina now?

“It’s a good thing the young lady was quick
enough to draw that knife when he attacked her,” Sir Ruawn said
softly, not meeting Natalya’s gaze. Tears sprung to her eyes. She
knew how much it cost him to abandon his moral code, but she was
overwhelmingly grateful. She looked around and saw that all of the
Knights were nodding in agreement. Most in the room were those she
had ridden with. Jeremy was among them and he caught her eye to
give her a brief sad smile. They weren’t happy about what Alina
did, but they understood the pain that had driven her there.
Natalya vowed to make sure that Alina healed, and did not turn into
someone who could ever kill again.

She rushed forward and hugged Sir Ruawn,
forgetting about being embarrassed in front of the Knights, and
then moved to the next, until she had hugged every single one of
them. Then she went back to Alina, who was still out cold on the
floor. Her poor little sister had definitely been damaged. It would
be up to her to put her back together again.

Perhaps when they had discovered the cure for
the Bricrui and the curse was broken so they no longer had to stay
at the palace, they could return to their home in Hardonia. As they
rebuilt the town, Natalya could work on rebuilding Alina’s heart.
And her own.

*

Sir Ruawn’s face flickered in the mirror.

“We have taken Lord Farthen into custody, and
subdued Lord Morven,” he reported.

“Subdued?” Layna inquired, her tone asking
for clarity.

“There was a scuffle and he ended up being
stabbed,” he said regretfully, though he wouldn’t meet her eye. She
could tell that there was something he was not saying, but she did
not pry further. Sir Ruawn had proved to be an honorable and
trustworthy man, and if there was something he thought was best to
keep from her, she would trust him. He continued, “Lord Farthen has
offered to provide you with any knowledge you desire in return for
his release. However, we did find a secret vault with mountains of
information on the experiments they were doing. No doubt they will
be helpful in finding a way to stop Alina from turning into a
Bricrui without the need to stoop to negotiating with
criminals.”

Layna noticed the affectionate use of the
girl’s name and deduced that both sisters had claimed a place in
the Knight’s heart. It was tough not to become attached to those
two little girls.

“That is excellent news, and very welcome,”
Layna said. “With Farthen accounted for, I believe we have finally
rounded up the last of the renegades, and hopefully that will put
an end to the Order and the Faithful once and for all. With the
notes, I agree we should be able to find a cure for Alina. Thank
you Sir Ruawn, please have a safe journey home.”

He bowed his head to her and the connection
ended abruptly.

Layna stared at the mirror, which was now
only her reflection. She turned and held out her hand to Gryffon.
He stepped forward and took it in his own, swallowing it up and
filling her with warmth.

“Everything is under control,” he stated
firmly. “The containment bubble has been erected, the Council is
back taking care of everyday activities, and now we have the means
to cure Alina. Everyone is working around the clock to determine
how to break the curse. It is only a matter of time. And we now
have time on our side.”

“I know,” Layna sighed, “but what do
we
do now?”

“We wait.” He settled his arms around her in
a comforting embrace and the two of them looked out the window.
Beyond the city limits, they could make out the translucent bubble
that protected the outside world from the spread of the curse. Now,
they just needed to find out how to protect themselves.

* * *

Continue the story in:

Light the Reign: The Forgotten (Book 3)

BOOKS BY LAURA R COLE

The Eleventh World Saga:

BloodRunes Trilogy

Unleashed Fury

Those Who Fear the Darkness

Leoht

The Forgotten Trilogy

Serpent’s Lair

Bricrui

Light the Reign

Connect with the author:
www.laurarcole.com