A Battle of Blood and Stone (Chronicles of the Stone Veil 4)

Even more amazing was that up through their huddled mass, a filmy shield erupted—clearly Finley’s magic—and it covered them as the top part of the tree crashed down. It bounced harmlessly against the shield before it rolled away.

Carrick was certain they were safe, and he could only hope they stayed under the shield.

Whirling back on Micah, who tossed the other half of the tree away furiously, Carrick had a sharp image of his brother sinking into the Crimson River. He welcomed the rush of fury through his body that he had not allowed himself to feel before.

It overwhelmed him for a moment, but then he centered it. Micah started to rush, bellowing curses, and Carrick conjured a spear with a large iron tip. It appeared in his right hand and he cocked his arm back, holding securely to the Blood Stone chalice in the other.

The spear flew swiftly from his grasp, straight at Micah, and, with utter precision, pierced his breastbone covering his heart. The minute iron touched the heart or brain, a fae should die.

But Micah did not.

At least not immediately.

He snarled in pain as he fell to his knees and attempted to remove the spear, but it had gone all the way through his body and out below his shoulder blade. When he pulled on it, the flared end caught against bone, and he threw his head back and brayed in frustration.

“Just die already,” Pyke muttered as they watched a weakened Micah fall forward, catching himself with one hand before he face-planted into the dirt.

He lifted his head with difficulty to glare at Carrick through a fall of dirty, matted hair that had fallen over one eye. The beast had no clue who Carrick was or why he wanted the cup. He didn’t know his brother was the one he had sent into the Crimson River.

But he did know enough to taunt, “At least Lucien and Charmeine got what was coming to them.”

Micah’s arm supporting him started shaking and his eyes drooping as his heart finally succumbed to the poison of iron. Knowing it wouldn’t do much of anything, he threw his other arm out—one last-ditch effort to hurt Carrick.

A blast of icy magic slammed into Carrick, who had not been expecting it, and tossed him back several feet, where he went down hard on his back. The impact once again knocked the chalice from his hand, but he didn’t worry about it.

Because as he lifted his head, he saw Micah finally collapse forward onto the ground. He gave one last heaving, shuddering breath and went still.

It was only once his body immediately turned black and started smoking that Carrick could let out a sigh of relief. As the ashes started to rise and float away, he let his head drop back down to the ground and heaved out all the air in his lungs.

He didn’t get respite, though, as he heard running feet. Finley flung herself on top of him, hugging him fiercely as he laid on the ground. He chuckled, wrapping his arms around her, and they just held each other.

When Finley finally let Carrick up, they rose to their feet as everyone else started to draw inward. Pyke walked over, picked the chalice up, and examined it before tossing it to Carrick. “Hope it was worth it.”

Carrick easily caught the cup just as Finley asked, “Where’s Lucien?”

Looking back to the rip in the veil that was still hanging open, Carrick closed it with his magic before telling the group, “Lucien didn’t make it.”

“What?” Finley exclaimed in horror, taking his hand in hers.

Carrick pulled his hand free from hers. Instead, he wrapped it around her shoulders to pull her in close. He bent, placing a kiss on her head. “Let’s head home. I’ll tell you all about it.”

CHAPTER 18

Finley

“It’s ugly,” Rainey says thoughtfully, but not with mean intent. Just observation. “The whole of this is called the Blood Stone? Even though it’s a cup?”

My eyes drift from the Blood Stone over to my friend. She’s sitting opposite me at the library table. Forearms crossed on the table with her chin resting on top. It’s brought her eye level to the chalice.

I mimic her posture, my own chin on my arms and my gaze going back to the cup we’d taken from Micah two days ago. “I don’t think it has an official title, but it’s definitely one object now. We’ve just been calling it the Blood Stone.”

Carrick had attempted to remove the gem from the cup when we got back to the condo, but he didn’t try too hard as he was fearful of destroying it. While it had once been a singular chalice carved from meteor stone, and a singular stone jewel turned ruby-like after dipped into the Crimson River, it was now one.

Blood Stone seemed better than just calling it the Cup.