I let his words sink in but they do nothing to allay my fears. “It would say you didn’t give a rat’s ass about the cleansing or blessing. It would mean my life is in danger.” I swing the poker around in my hand.
“I told you, I don’t want to hurt you.”
Casteel is a beast of a man. Everything about him is imposing. He’s the perfect foe for my Guardians and it’s no surprise they’ve clashed more than once, and by the end of the day, I suspect they’ll battle it out again. But I don’t doubt his loyalty to this kingdom and the look on his face is honest—sincere.
“Then what do you want?”
“To end the binding ceremony and Anand’s quest for destruction.”
I glance at Nevis, who looks as confused as I must. The use of her first name, the familiarity is the most disconcerting.
“You want to stop all of that.”
“Yes.” He lowers his hand, no longer threatening to pull his sword. “I’ve been by her side since the beginning. Since she used the name Anand. Before she was the Morrigan. I fought with her after Cu’s betrayal. I felt her anger and regret and I would do anything to ease her pain, even if it meant destroying the world we lived in. And together, we burned this land to the ground. She did it out of rage. I did it out of the desire to please her.”
I frown. “You love her.”
He nods. “Always.”
“Does she know?”
“She’s been unable to see anything but war since that day.” He walks across the room and looks out the window. Completely vulnerable. “I want the gates closed. Forever. I want Anand to live a full life—a real one. Not this power-hungry quest that never ends.” He turns to look at me. The pain and desperation in his eyes is unmistakable. “I need her to fail tonight. And I need you to win, to close the gate and never return.”
“And what about the Morrigan?”
“Leave her alive, that’s all I ask and I promise we will never meet again.”
I’m stunned by Casteel’s revelation and as much as I believe him, I do not trust him. “How am I to do all of this? Stop the ceremony and get the gates closed. I could barely get here in the first place.” I don’t mention the Ravens and the warriors I know they’re bringing to me now. Players are in motion—there’s no going back.
“I tried to hurt you when you first came. My plan wasn’t to actually harm you—but to scare you. Get you out of here for good.” He raises his disfigured arm. “I paid for that—although to be fair, the Raven a
nd I had a score to settle. There’s a way to turn all of this around, but it has to be done by you. You’re the only one strong enough to do it.”
“I’m not sure I am. Her darkness? It’s consuming—I’m no match for her.”
Nevis makes a small sound and we both look over. In a soft voice she says, “There’s one way to get you to the Morrigan’s level.”
“How is that?” I ask.
The resolution in her eyes says it all, and the way Casteel nods at me makes me know he’s aware as well. There’s one way for me to become stronger than the Morrigan—a way to beat the Darkness—and change the fate of all of our worlds.
They want me to close the circle with Bunny.
25
Bunny
The star in the far right corner of the sky needs a little more shimmer. Using the end of my paintbrush, not the side with the hair, I dab a little silver and the feeling of completion settles in my bones.
I’ve spent the last three days, other than the time with Morgan, working on the mural. The content came to me as I worked—more muse than anything else. But now that it’s laid before me, the full story of why I’m here and what I’m to be used for clicks into place.
I need to go to the underground and then…
My eyes wander over the painting. It’s the entire story, from the Morrigan’s creation to the death of Cu. Then the gods forming the ravens, plagues, death and war. All of that comes to the current day. Morgan as a child. The ravens in the treetops. The cat, the prince, even the loss of my arm. That, I realize now, was intentional. They’d never wanted to kill me. I was weakened physically and mentally. To get her here. To set things in motion. But another player is on the board. A shadow from the past that now pushes the pieces.
I tear off my smock and grab my things.
The clock is ticking, but the painting, it shows me that I have time.