Page 52 of My Eternal Light

Kincaid rubbed his chin. “Yes and no. Every warrior would fight and die, willingly, for their brothers. I hear in Lycaonia they prank each other to show affection. In Noctem Falls, they maintain a commissary, stocking it with whatever their brothers may need, it’s not as hands on as we are, but up until recently Noctem Falls adhered more to social rankings. I hear they are now a mix of how we operate along with some shenanigans they learned from Meryn.”

“I can’t believe there are whole other cities. Are they cold like here?” she asked. She immediately regretted her question when Kincaid’s smiling face fell.

“It wasn’t always like this,” he admitted quietly. “Just a few short weeks ago, it was sunny all the time and warm. The street shone like milk and honey, all white marble and gold sand. Éire Danu is called the Land of Eternal Sun.”

Zadie was surprised. That sounded nothing like the bleak, grey city she saw coming through the portal. “What happened?”

“Fae came up missing. We were sent to warehouses and found them dead, stacked…” he swallowed hard. “I didn’t know they were bodies at first, I thought it was just clothes. But, our enemy stacked them up in piles. That was when the queen began to lose heart. She is fading and all of Éire Danu feels it.”

Zadie stood and taking a cue from Meryn, sat down in Kincaid’s lap. Smiling softly, he scooted his chair back so he could hold her properly. “Thank you, this helps.”

“Why were they killed?”

“As I explain things, please remember that I will do everything in my power to keep you safe,” he said squeezing her tight.

She nodded.

Over the next hour, just when she thought she heard the worst of it, he would share a different horror. When he was done, they sat in silence just holding each other.

“Meryn thinks that everything is out of Storm Keep?”

“She does.”

“I’m glad your family is here now.”

“Me too. But there are many witch brothers who serve in the other pillar cities whose families are still in Storm Keep. I can only pray that Caiden brings them in too.”

“Kendrick is a king,” she’ll whisper.

He nodded.

She banged her head on his shoulder. “I called him a pompous asshole,” she said, wanting to take it all back.

“Thane calls him that all the time.”

“And as you explained, Thane is literally older than Christ, I think that earns him a pass.” Zadie stopped. “That’s what he meant when he said, ‘welcome to the club’ isn’t it?”

Kincaid’s chest shook as he laughed. “I think so. You and he are the only ones who have dared insult him in over three thousand years.”

“Oh my god,” she buried her face in his neck.

“Don’t worry hun, I think he actually enjoyed it, it being such a rare occurrence.”

She lifted her face from his neck. “Meryn has never called him an asshole?”

“Nope. Those two actually get along really well for the most part. They’re eerily similar.”

“And she has empathy too?”

“Yes, she gets these images that represent how she sees people.”

“What has she seen for you?”

“She hasn’t said yet.”

She looked over her shoulder. They picked at dinner while he told her everything. She started out hungry but lost her appetite as more unfolded. “Do you think Cord will get mad to see so much uneaten?”

“No, he’ll understand.”