Page 177 of Brimstone

It was the warriors from Irrín.

They had abandoned their temporary camp and marched on Cahlish, ten thousand strong, and Lorreth of the Broken Spire rode at their head.

42

BLACK DAWN

SAERIS

“I FUCKING KNEWit! Iknewthat witch was up to no good. What did I say?” Lorreth’s hair was wet. It had started to rain as the warriors made their final approach to the estate, and both Lorreth and Danya were soaked down to their skin. Both left puddles of water on the floorboards as they prowled around Cahlish’s formal reception room.

All the furniture was draped in white sheets. Dust motes eddied on the air, captured in the beams of cold light that lanced in through the windows and outlined Fisher where he stood, leaning against a table. He groaned, pressing his fingertips into the space between his brows. “I don’t think anyone really wants to hear ‘I told you so’ right now, brother,” he rumbled.

Lorreth’s nostrils flared, his hands in fists at his sides, knuckles white . . . but he inclined his head. “You’re right. That’s an asshole move. Sorry, I just . . . they’rewitches,” he said, as if that explained everything.

“I know. I know.” Fisher sounded so tired. “We’ll deal with Iseabail later. Right now, I’m far more concerned with what you just told me. Run through what you saw again, would you?”

“Danya’s the one who saw it,” Lorreth answered. “You’re better off hearing it from her.”

The female warrior shivered a little as she stepped forward and began recounting what Lorreth had just told us in greater detail. “Some of the fighters noticed it two days ago. The northwestern slope of Omnamerrin is streaked with black veins. The rot has formed channels, cutting through the snow. It made it down the mountain in a day and reached the camp shortly after. We tried to scorch the ground ahead of time to pen it in, but that didn’t work. When Lorreth showed up yesterday, we tried to come back through the shadow gate to tell you what was happening, but we were too late. It had already closed. We set off immediately to warn everyone here, but we lost another twenty-three warriors to the rot along the way. It’s moving fast now. Way faster than before.”

“And it’ll reach Cahlish in how long?” Fisher asked.

Danya shook her head. “Twelve hours? Sixteen max.”

“Gods a-fucking-live.” Fisher hissed between his teeth.

Lorreth stepped forward, tucking his thumbs into his belt. He seemed reluctant to speak but summoned the courage to do so. “We know about the book, Saeris. Perhaps now would be a good time to see if Lady Edina had any sage advice for us, given how dire the situation is.”

The book. Of course. I’d brought it downstairs with me for this exact reason, but the tension in the room had made me forget about it momentarily. I drew it out from inside my leathers—

“By all means, check it, Osha,” Fisher said. “But make sure that it’s your decision to do so. I have a feeling that my mother’s guidance was designed specifically for you and you alone.” My mate looked to Lorreth. “I know you don’t mean any harm by the suggestion, but she shouldn’t be compelled.”

The warrior ducked his head. “Of course.”

“It’s fine. If there was any time we could use a little advice, I think it’s now.” I held my breath as I opened the book, flipping through the pages until I reached where I had left off.

Consider a sixth. Only the golden-toothed wolf can be trusted.

I turned the page, and the words written there swam as I tried to focus.

Read on after Evenlight.

Damn it! I hadn’t even thought to check the next page after the ball. I hadn’t considered how Edina might have communicated when I was supposed to receive guidance from her in the past. It turned out there were direct cues, and I’d already missed an entry. My palms broke out in a cold sweat as I turned the page.

Do not undo Zareth’s work. You are as you are for a reason. Do not drink from the vial. Do not let your new Lord drink. The time will come, but not yet.

Gods. A shock wave of adrenaline traveled from the crown of my head to my feet. I’d thought about it just hours ago. Being Fae andonlyFae was an appealing prospect, but I needed my half-vampiric blood, at least for the time being. Foley needed his, too. To what end, I could only guess, but Edina had foreseen a reason to tell us not to take Iseabail’s cure. I’d nearly missed her warning. This was a lot to take in. Too much, maybe, but I couldn’t afford the time to process. Again, the paper rustled as I quickly turned the page.

Read on at the white cliffs.

I stared at Edina’s handwriting, desperately trying to make the elegant, slanted script say something else. Something that would be useful to usright now.

“What is it?” Lorreth asked. “What does it say?”

Frustrated, I snapped the book closed. “It says that I can only read on at the white cliffs, wherever that is. There’s nothing in there about how to deal with the rot.”

Lorreth’s attention immediately swung back to Fisher. “There we have it then,” he said.