Radiant Shadows (Wicked Lovely 4)

Bananach’s head swiveled at an inhuman angle. “But she hears you, doesn’t she?”

Rae shrugged. “Sometimes.”

“And what does she dream, the mad queen?” Bananach’s hand lowered to the glass even as she stared at Rae. Absently, she scraped her talon-nails over the glass, making a screeching sound.

“Ask Devlin.”

Bananach’s wings flexed, opening so that the shadows blocked the scant light from the window. “He’s not here, child.”

“He will be.”

“Aaaah, he will be… do you suppose he and the Hound received my message then?” Bananach asked. “I left them a gift.”

“A gift?”

“Bloodied, but no longer screaming.” Bananach looked crestfallen for a moment. “If I could have saved the screams, I would’ve, but they died with the body.”

Rae didn’t know what to say or do.

Bananach shook her head. “I have faeries to kill before I speak to my brother, Dreamwalker, but I’ll be back soon.”

Even as she spoke, she brought both fists down on the glass. A large clang echoed throughout the hall, the sound loud enough that Rae winced and covered her ears. The walls seemed to shudder—but the glass was unbroken.

“Alas.” Bananach laid her cheek on the glass over Sorcha’s face. “I’ll slaughter them all while you rest. Well, not all”—she stroked the glass—“today. I needed a bit of discord to soothe me, to help me make ready to destroy the betrayer.”

She left as calmly as she had come, stepping through the window frame. As Rae stood helplessly, Bananach departed, resuming her slaughter as she went down the street—stabbing abdomens, twisting necks, and flinging bodies. She did not distinguish between the sleeping and the alert. The world of Faerie shifted around War. Fires for the dead flamed into existence; screams echoed long past the ends of lives; and a charnel scent rose in the air in a sickening cloud.

Come soon, Dev.

CHAPTER 28

Ani didn’t steer; at the speeds they traveled back to Hunts- dale, it would be impossible for her to try to direct her steed. Barry was currently in the form of a GT by Citroën; one beauty of being able to shift form at will was that the steed could be a car that wasn’t even in production. She knew that Barry had plucked the image from her mind to make her smile, but even the joy of rocketing across the country in a matte-black version of the gorgeous concept car didn’t cheer her.

The weight of the situation felt like it had settled atop Ani’s lungs, making breathing more difficult than it should be. Faerie was dissolving, and Devlin could be caught in that. Ani wasn’t sure if she could go to Faerie. Sorcha had ordered Ani’s death; Devlin had disobeyed her. Would she kill me if I went there? Would it be worse for him? Ani couldn’t figure out whether she would be a help or hindrance if she went.

Being in Huntsdale where Bananach was didn’t sound particularly appealing either. She’d fled to avoid War’s attention, but the only faeries she knew who were strong enough to stand against Bananach were in Huntsdale.

If I’m going to die either way, I’d rather stay with him. She was pretty certain that wasn’t a line of argument that would be useful in discussion with anyone. She glanced at Devlin. His eyes were closed, and his face was expressionless, but she felt his fear and anger. He wasn’t hiding his feelings.

“Why does Seth matter to Sorcha?” Ani asked. “I get that she made him a faery and all, but… what’s the big deal about him?”

“That’s a question I intend to ask the High Queen.” He reached out and laid his hand atop hers, entwining their fingers. “What I know right now is only what Rae told me.”

“And you’re not telling me everything, are you?”

“No. I’m not,” he admitted. Devlin pulled his hand away rather than hide his emotions. “The queen’s secrets aren’t mine to share, but… I can say that I need to bring Seth to her.”

“There are secrets about the queen and Seth?” she asked.

“Yes.”

They traveled in silence for a few moments until Devlin finally said, “She has Seth. Perhaps she will not oppose my being solitary.”

Ani stilled. “Could you do that?”

“Many faeries do so.” That wasn’t a real answer though: Devlin wasn’

t most faeries.