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

There’s Arwen’s table and chair, fully intact, but it doesn’t stay that way.

From out of range of the crystal, Arwen comes flying through the air and lands hard on the table, causing it to crack and fold in.

My blood turns to ice as I realize she set this crystal to record her last moments. And I believe Zaid is right… she keyed it to my lock of hair so only I could activate it.

I hold my breath as I watch.

From the left of the hologram, someone flies across the room, past the crystal recording this moment, and straight at Arwen.

I gasp as I realize it’s Pyke. Arwen tries to pull herself up from the wreckage of her desk when Pyke grabs the chair and brings it down on her back so viciously it splinters apart.

While, logically, I know Arwen is a Light Fae and strong as steel, I can’t help but gasp at the violence against her.

Pyke reaches down, grabs Arwen by her hair, and hauls her up to her feet. I bite down hard into my lower lip as he brings a dagger that’s surely made of iron to her throat. Putting his lips near her ear, he snarls, “I’m only going to ask you one more time, cousin… what did you see of Finley’s past or future?”

My head whips toward Zaid, who is staring back at me, aghast. We must be watching the moments after Carrick and I left from my meeting with her. We clearly missed the beginning of this confrontation, but she somehow made it to the crystal and my lock of hair to start recording the memory.

“Oh my God.” My entire body starts to shake, but I hold the crystal tight. “This was right after the first time we met her. She told me about my twin being taken and a changeling left behind. She’s the one who confirmed I had some type of light power inside of me.”

“And Pyke wanted that information for some reason,” Zaid growls.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Arwen says to Pyke, her voice trembling with fear. Zaid and I bring our attention back to the holographic memory playing out. “I didn’t see anything. She was unreadable.”

“You’re lying,” he yells. The hologram is so lifelike that I can see spittle fly from his mouth. “Now tell me or I’m going to kill you.”

For a moment, I can sense the intense fear she’s feeling, but then it disappears and Arwen’s face smooths out. Her voice turns calm as she smiles at Pyke. “I’m not going to tell you anything.”

Pyke leans in closer to Arwen, studies her face. His lips tighten and he grits out, “You know… I actually believe you.”

Without giving her a second chance, he drags her across the hut by her hair. She struggles and kicks, but she doesn’t cry out. I can feel the acceptance of her fate.

“No,” I whisper, knowing what’s coming.

Pyke throws Arwen forward. She stumbles and lands on her hands and knees near the side of the hut where the bloodstain lingers. With his boot at her rear, Pyke gives her a hard push and she sprawls forward, only to immediately roll to face him, ending in a sitting position. When he advances on her, she crab walks backward until her back comes to rest against the hut wall.

Right at the bloodstain.

I avert my eyes, but only for a second because Arwen taunts, “I’ll never tell you what I saw about Finley, but I’ll tell you what I saw about you.”

Pyke looks absolutely horrified at the suggestion.

“At the October new moon—” Arwen says.

She’s cut off, though, as Pyke bellows, “No.”

He lunges forward without hesitation, one hand to her throat and the other holding the dagger plunging it straight into her heart. Pyke pulls the dagger free, and Arwen falls back to sag against the leather hide wall.

And then, Arwen slumps with pain and impending death. Her head turns my way and while her eyes are covered with skin, I know she can still see. She stares right where the crystal is on the table and she murmurs words that make no sound, but they sound prayerful.

Then her head falls back against the tent and the crystal goes black, the holographic image disappearing.

Arwen had died.

Slowly, I look at Zaid, whose expression, I’m sure, mirrors my own.

Holy fuck.

Pyke killed Arwen, but why would he do that? They were family.

And why was he so interested in what she saw about me?

An uneasy feeling settles deep in my stomach. I drop the crystal in the bowl, urgently telling Zaid, “We need to leave Faere now.”

“Agreed,” he says, and we both start for the bed to grab the backpack and the satchel.

My heart slams against my chest as I’m brought to a halt by a male voice taunting from outside the tent, “Finley… I know you’re here… come on out.”