Page 203 of The Edge of Darkness

No. Neither of them know, and I want it to remain that way. If Fallon had seen the object, that would be a different story. But since he didn’t, it could be anything. Right now, I’m more concerned about the queen having the real amulet, and us not knowing about it.

There’s no way she could have it. She left the isles. She’s as good as dead to Torin. Why would she have it?

He was probably right, but I was still troubled by the thought. I needed to meet with the queen as soon as possible and make sure.

Let’s finish this, then you and I can talk privately, I said.

I blew out a breath. “Thank you for coming to tell us, Morah. I know you’re busy piecing together a court right now.”

“Of course. Fallon seemed bothered by it. We both thought it was best that you knew, sooner rather than later.”

“I’ll take the necessary precautions.” It was all I could say without setting everything up for further discussion and questioning. “How are things going, by the way?”

“Smoother than expected. Though, Ferhan is a real piece of work. I’ve nearly killed him three times now just for being an arrogant bastard and refusing to cooperate.”

I lifted a brow. “You have more restraint than me, then. I would have stabbed him in the heart with an iron blade and been done with it.”

“Trust me, if it weren’t for his knowledge about some of the wards and the magic that upholds them, I would gladly have rid the realm of his presence days ago. His time will come though.”

“I’m sure it will,” I said, trying my best to give her a genuine grin. “Are you staying, or headed back?”

“We need to return soon, but I could use a cup of coffee, or something with a lot of sugar.”

Auren reached out and grabbed her arm. “I can get you some of both!”

“While you two do that, I’m going to borrow Aremis for a moment,” I said. “If you need us, we’ll be in the war room.”

Aremis was right on my heels as I summoned Roirdan and Remic and headed toward the second floor of The Keep.

A headache was starting to build behind my eyes. I pressed my fingers to my temples, massaging rather harshly. The dark halls and flickering candlelight were a welcome reprieve.

I blamed my stress for the headache, but I knew the real cause was my power. The shadowfire was searching for a way out. A release. The stress of the recent weeks had only exacerbated it.

Shaking my head, I pushed back against the pain.

There was too much to be done right now.

Roirdan was already in the war room by the time we arrived. He was pacing, ready to receive his orders. Remic ported in a few minutes later, having come from the northern gate where he was checking in with our patrols.

After telling them about Fallon’s vision, I turned to Roirdan and said, “I’m sending Nivelle back to Neveshir to summon the Dionachs.”

He crossed his arms. “What does that have to do with⁠—”

“I’m sending you with her.”

He straightened and shifted his weight from one foot to the other. There was a hint of interest in his eyes, but he tried to cover it up with an exaggerated scoff. “Why do I have to be the one to go with her?”

“Because you’re the one most suited to tolerate her,” I answered with a smug grin on my face. “And I need you to exercise that commanding strength of yours when it comes to the Dionachs. They’ll need someone to look to for orders.”

“I’m more than certain Nivelle could give the orders and they’d obey,” he muttered. Remic lifted his brows as if in agreement.

“Rem, I need you and Silas to remain with Auren and Aremis. I’m heading to Elandrew to try to meet with the queen. I want to figure out where she fits into all of this.”

“What about Killian?” Remic asked. “Getting into his court will prove near impossible now that you’ve publicly shamed him.”

I paused in thought, suddenly wondering if perhaps I hadn’t run across Breck in Drastia by chance . . .

“Don’t worry. I have a plan for that,” I said.