Page 205 of The Chains You Defy

At last—because I didn’t trust the clouds to hold—I busied myself erecting a canopy over her sleeping berth. Not a single raindrop would disturb her, not today nor ever again. Not as long as I still drew breath.

During my seventh attempt to unglue myself to join the others—number one to six had failed after a few steps, because I’d been compelled to check on Nayana another time—I succeeded in leaving her side and sulked as I lowered myself next to my comrades a few paces aside. Although I was able to observe my female—even how her chest rose and fell—the distance felt like the deepest chasm I’d ever encountered.

“Dion. About time.”

A grunt had to suffice as communication.

Obviously, Antas didn’t agree.

“Please enlighten us. What in Kalag’s name happened?” My uncle stared at me, and I glowered right back at him.

My patience was nonexistent. One wrong word, and I’d explode without even batting an eyelash in warning. “Courtlings broke our binding. Didn’t you notice the scars around Nayana’s neck?” Tearing off the band-aid, I lifted my sleeve, unclasped my bracelet, and presented the matching marred landscape on my skin. “I have no idea exactly how they dissolved the divine magic, but a fucking Seadan, drugs, and a ritual by the Graigh are to blame without a doubt.”

“Go on.”

“Antas, do we really have to—”

“Yes. What did you do?”

Sneering, Ibared my teeth at my uncle. If he preached about his restraint bullshit again, I’d silence him forever. I was already in a fitting mood. “If you consider that the Courtlings infected her with a fucking deadly parasite, something much too merciful.”

“Dionadair.”

“All right, since you insist. I did what everyone else would have done in my position and killed them all. And I don’t regret my actions. Even considering the fallout, I’d repeat bringing forth their extinction again and again.”

Antas sighed. “Just so I understand you correctly—you annihilated a tribe of ancients on top of the entirety of the Cuirt an Ghra?”

“Yes. Well, almost.” Side-eyeing Thain, I snarled at the redhead, who faced me with a surprisingly thoughtful expression, showing no reaction to my barb.

“Down to the last member of the Graigh?”

“Yes. Each of their light faded away as their power submitted to the superiority of my darkness.”

“Fuck, Dion. Did you not consider the possibility that this reaction was precisely what my brother wanted? Think about this. He sent you into the Breocharn before—so you would eliminate another ancient tribe.”

“The Doitean didn’t hurt what’s mine. But the Graigh—they did.”

Antas took a deep breath, and his left hand raked through his hair. “You should have used your brain for just one minute. But no, you had to go feral again.”

“I don’t give a shit, Antas. And you’d better listen closely. If Nayana isn’t making it through this, you’ll see how much of a fuck I’ll give about anything. Then you should really put medown—if you can—or darkness will reign until nothing else remains.” The possibility alone had my eyes darken. “And I swear, this tear over there…will appear like faeling’s play compared to my wrath.”

“Nayana is stable,” Ireas interfered. “I just checked on her. Her condition looks so bad because the Seadan is putting a strain on her, but her magical signature is still strong. But there’s something else. Usually, only young parasites infect hosts, because only then are they small enough to enter someone’s system unnoticed. Between ingestion and the first measurable effects, several weeks to months pass. But Nayana has been given an adult specimen. This is why I can’t predict how much time remains until the pest has consumed enough Potential to reach its desired destination.”

“What do you mean?”

“They only devour magic or Potential—well, have you ever heard of the hypothesis that our powers are layered around our life force? Because that’s what a Seadan is after.”

“How do you know so much about this?”

“The Seadan originates in Tocsaineach. And I spent a few winters there during my coming-of-age pilgrimage. One day, I stumbled over an injured Ainmhi and helped her return home to her tribe. As a token of gratitude, the ancients let me stay for a while and introduced me to their medical insights. That started my training as a medic. And well, since Seadans aren’t uncommon in swampy areas, we had a few cases during my apprenticeship.”

The Ainmhi, fuck. Another one of those forefathers of our people. The original earth Wielder, and the bunch hating me most of all. Now, most likely even more,considering what crimes I’d committed against their light brethren. But we had to grasp at straws here. “Means we’ll pay them a visit so they can treat Nayana.”

Ireas opened his mouth, then closed it again.

“What?”

“Even the best Ainmhi healers can’t cure a Seadan infection, Dion. Yes, we attempted to extract every parasite back then, but the fae hosts never survived. According to the priests, no mortal ever did.”