Hereditary Power by Emma L. Adams

Author:Emma L. Adams [Adams, Emma L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-15T16:00:00+00:00

14

Once we’d waded out of the loch—luckily without running into any of the resident kelpies—we began the long walk home.

“We’re clean of swamp water now,” said Hazel. “Look on the bright side.”

“The not-so-bright side is that our nemesis is alive. Or not dead enough,” I said.

“It’s not possible for her to come back,” said River.

“I don’t understand either.” My vision was splotchy, and my head pounded. “She’s there, but not on this side. Yet. I don’t know what she’s doing, but she still had her power when I banished her.”

And she was waiting for me. Whether she was behind what was going on in the Courts or not, I had no idea. But her survival meant things were seriously messed up with the Vale.

Wait—had I somehow been responsible for bringing her back, considering all the times I’d used the book? The necromancers were clear about the limits of accessing the realm of the dead, especially on the Ley Line. But I had no choice in the matter. The others would be dead if I hadn’t used it, and more would die if I didn’t stand between the Winter Gatekeeper and this realm.

Just putting one foot in front of the other was tiring enough. I stumbled forwards, and River put a hand on my shoulder to steady me. His green eyes were concerned. “Ilsa. Are you hurt?”

“No. I think the gate took something out of me.” I fell against him, and Hazel caught my arm from behind.

“Don’t overdo it. C’mon, we’ll get back home.”

“I’m fine.”

“Now you know how we feel with you mothering us all the time,” Morgan said.

“Someone has to,” I mumbled. “The Winter Gatekeeper… not just her. How did the Seelie Queen end up being the villain?”

“Of all people, I can’t believe it was her,” Hazel said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never met her before. But she has power, prestige… there’s nothing she can gain from working with the outcasts. We never even found out who died.”

“She can gain immortality,” I said. “For some, I’d guess anything is worth that. And if they kill their rivals, they don’t come back and tell tales. They stay dead.”

“It sounds like they’ve known for a while,” River said. “Maybe most of them wouldn’t agree with her approach. Some might want their lives to end after so long.”

“I think you’re being overly optimistic about the Sidhe’s attachment to being alive,” I said. “Not to mention their magic. Though most of them probably wouldn’t ally with outcasts because they’d end up losing their magic if they were caught. That’s worse than death for them.”

River nodded. “I think you’re exactly right.”

“But some of them would take the risk,” said Hazel. “Nobody’s going to question the Seelie Queen’s loyalty, are they? It’s the perfect setup. She hides behind her status while the others accuse one another.”

“But she’s not after the book,” I added. “Otherwise she’d have tried to take it from me. She’d also have known I could use it against her.”

Which made little sense.

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