Page 95 of The Crown of Moonlight

What she’s doing now is different from what I’ve seen her do before, and I’m not the only one intrigued.

Daire, Lorcan, and Ronan all stare at her with varying degrees of awe.

And hunger.

Siorai are creatures of magic and lust, and one begets the other.Whatever Flora is becoming, there’s no denying her effect.Watching her makes me hard, and I would bet the Sun King’s bloody throne I’m not alone.

The thought raises a growl in my throat.

It’s primal, this tie between sex and magic and battle.Caught deep within it, all four of us lose the one rule by which every Rider lives or dies.

Never, ever, let down your guard.

The air still hums with her power when the first hoofbeats reach us.Before we notice them, the four horsemen approaching at a gallop are close enough that the Shadehounds turn with their hackles raised.

Chapter 35

Illicit Magic

Chyr

H

oofbeats pound the earth, coming fast.The four of us wait—blades ready, magic primed—for whatever comes galloping from the darkness.A half-second later, I recognise Niall with Sean, Cathal, and Fergal riding hard behind him.

The pressure in my chest unwinds, releasing more completely than it has since I asked the four of them to lay a trail towards Eireen while the rest of us went south.It’s a relief to see them—and an added worry.

Niall and Fergal vault off before their horses have fully stopped.We hurry to meet them, clasping hands, forearms, and shoulders.

“Thank the Light,” Niall says.“Sean’s had us chasing after your magic across half of Alba Scoria.We assume that means you have the Hollow Crown?But how?And what about the Raven witch?”

Niall looks worse than the rest of us, unshaven and haggard as if he’s been running for days.The dark shadows under his eyes make the grey almost as pale as the new silver-gold of Flora’s.Fergal looks even worse.Without a doubt, he’ll have been insisting on sharing the food rations equally with the others despite his extra bulk.

Even Cathal is unusually quiet, his dark skin paled to an undertone of ash.His attention has already slipped past the four of us to the dead Grey and then to Flora.

Then there’s Sean.I know it isn’t fair for me to treat him any differently because of General Mora’s accusations.Sean doesn’t deserve that—or at least I hope he doesn’t.

I grip his forearm and clasp his shoulder briefly, and he does the same.But I see a flicker of disappointment in his eyes, which means I didn’t manage to hide my hesitation.

“Unfortunately, we don’t have either the crown or Vheara,” I say.

“Not that crown at least,” Daire says with relish.

Ronan flicks him a look, then shifts his attention back to Niall.“What made you think we had it?”

“That.”Sean points at Flora, who’s still working in the bog to anchor the bodies of the soldiers we killed.“She has our magic corrupted with something else.And what’s that on her forehead?It looks like the Crown of Flame.”

I’m teetering on the edge of exploding at Sean’s words and the way they all stare at Flora with alarm and distaste, as if Sean’s accusation of corruption makes her no different than the Greys.I force myself to exhale because grabbing Sean by the throat will do none of us any good.

The crown shines on Flora’s brow, and her hair blows lightly around her face.Her magic feels nothing like the Greys, and I still can’t feel anything of Tirnaeve in the power she’s using.But Sean’s magic-sense is legendary—innately clearer than mine and further enhanced by one of the power runes on his temples.What he senses from Flora may be different.

I open my mouth to explain, diplomatically—but Ronan beats me to it.

“That’s Flora, and yes, that’s the Crown of Flame, so don’t be disrespectful.”Ronan’s voice carries a quiet threat.

Niall casts him a sideways glance.“What’s she trying to do in the bog?”

“That’s your first concern?”Cathal throws Niall a scornful glance.“‘Where did you find the future Cailleach Queen?’ is the better question.”Cathal sounds bemused.“Assuming one of us will have her and she’s willing to make the sacrifice.”His expression is fascinated as he watches Flora, as though she’s an intriguing puzzle he needs to study.