He growled, “But you weren’t making progress! You had made no gains. Your magic still lay dormant. I determined that the risk was necessary. And so did you.”
I gritted my teeth, refusing to acknowledge that he was right—that I had agreed to the exercise. Instead, I focused on finding out more answers. I knew that, given our linked hands, he’d seen what I had when I was lying on the carlin stone, seen the tree under that pool. “That tree was my spark, wasn’t it?”
He nodded.
“Why couldn’t I touch it? I was so close.”
“You were denied. Deemed unworthy.”
My breath caught at his soft words, a sharp stab of pain in my chest. I pushed it down. “Why?”
He held my gaze as he confessed, “I don’t know.”
I’d never expected those words to leave his mouth. He sounded defeated.
Oh no, we were not playing this game! I refused to succumb to his position. Someone had to carry hope. If he’d given up, there was no way in hell I wasn’t. If the pendant hadn’t sung to me and welcomed my presence, if I hadn’t seen my spark on the carlin stone, I would have agreed with him. But I couldn’t. Not now. I knew it was there inside me; there was just something preventing me from that final acceptance. I was close, closer than I’d ever been.
“What about Ian?” I demanded. “Surely, he’s found something in the Lore Book by now?”
Gage rubbed his hand down the side of his face. He looked tired and drawn in the light of the lamp. “He’s been working on it since you fell unconscious. He’s found nothing as of yet.”
I refused to lose hope. There had to be another way. My mind scrambled furiously. “What about The Oaken Tree? Ian said he stole the book from them. Why would they have let him keep it? Especially if they’ve protected it for generations?”
Gage suddenly froze, his eyes narrowing on mine. “Fuck! You’re right! They hold those books sacred above all else.” A fierce look crossed his face as he muttered, “They would have known if he’d stolen it. They would have come after him—"
“Except they didn’t,” I finished for him. “Because he only took a copy.”
Gage’s eyes glittered. He pushed himself to his feet in a blur of motion. “Stay here. Rest!”
He was gone before I could respond.
“Brydie.”
The voice was soft and gentle, rousing me from my slumber. I was surprised to find I had drifted off again. Ian sat in the chair Gage had last occupied. He also looked drawn, his eyes sunken.
“Gage told me you were awake.”
“Yes.” I narrowed my gaze on his face. “Have you had any sleep?”
He gave a wan smile. “Not as much as you.”
The light banter had gone from his voice. It sounded unnatural coming from him. “How are you feeling?”
“I’m okay. Just bruised and tired—even after two days of sleep.” I still couldn’t get over how I’d been out that long. Gage had told me he put my body into a healing sleep in order to reduce the activity in my brain. A precaution in case of the worst. But he was surprised because when he probed around in my head after I’d fallen unconscious on the carlin stone, because he’d found I hadn’t done any damage.
“It was wrong to put your life at risk like that. You could have died!”
I was touched that he cared, but at the same time aware that this might put him at odds with Gage. I didn’t want to be responsible for causing a rift between the two. “But I didn’t,” I reminded him softly. “And I agreed to the exercise. Given my lack of progress, Gage was right to propose it.”
His lips tightened. Hoping to distract him, I asked, “Did Gage talk to you about the Lore Book?”
Ian gave a curt nod. “It’s logical. I’m kicking myself as I should have realized it before you did. It makes sense given we have so little information about the prophecy, your magic, and the pendant. The original Lore Book must contain all the answers we need.”
“Even how I can tap into my magic?”
“Yes.”
Relief coursed through me. It was a lead, more than what we’d had before, especially since the exercise on the carlin stone had failed.
Ian moved to sit down on the bed next to me. Reaching out, he took hold of my hand. His was soft and warm—writer’s hands. “Gage is in touch with the leader of The Oaken Tree now. He’s hoping to make a deal in exchange for Cailleach’s original Lore Book.”
“Good. What are we bargaining in return?”
He shrugged. “I’m not sure, but Gage won’t promise something we can’t provide.”
I bit my lip, not so sure about that statement. Gage thought logically, without emotion. He often made decisions that others wouldn’t. But I pushed the thought aside; there was nothing I could do to influence his decision, not if he was talking to The Oaken Tree now. “How are McKenzie and Aiden?”
He grimaced. “We had an incident yesterday.”
“When? What happened?”
“The groundskeeper attacked Aiden.”
I stared at Ian incredulously, understanding how McKenzie would be feeling. “Charles? How?”
“The afternoon you fell unconscious, Charles came to the Estate looking for you. Said that he’d found something of your father’s in one of the garden sheds. Aiden met him at the door. McKenzie had told him she’d dreamed the night before that Charles might attack him and that they should be prepared. When Aiden denied him permission to enter the castle, Charles threw the rake he was carrying at the boy.”
My stomach dropped. “Was Aiden hurt?”
“No. Gage was just behind him. He’d promised McKenzie to look out for him, given what she’d seen, and put up a shield just in time. It saved Aiden, but Charles escaped.”
I felt sick at a nine-year-old boy being threatened because of me. “What happened to Charles?”
“Gage found him.” Ian looked uncomfortable as he added, “He dealt with him.”
I didn’t ask, but I had an idea of what that meant. “How’s Aiden?”
“He’s a tough kid. He’s seen worse.”
“Worse than being attacked?” I questioned.
Ian’s face tightened. “His father was a bully. Thankfully, McKenzie left before it made a permanent impression on him. As a result, it’s taken Aiden a long time to trust us.”
My heart squeezed at the admission. Ian’s response meant that Gage wasn’t the father. I didn’t give myself time to consider what I felt about that. The kid’s bristly attitude also made a lot of sense now; so did McKenzie’s.
In the silence, a throat cleared.
Gage stood in the doorway, tall and imposing, but it was his hands that caught my attention. They were curled into tight fists by his side. I raised my eyes to his face to find his gaze glued to the bed. My first response was to wrench my hand from Ian’s grasp, but I fought it, ignoring Gage’s fixed glare.
“Oh, you’re back!” Ian exclaimed, having noticed my attention diverting to something behind him. “Do they have Cailleach’s original Lore Book? Were we right?”
“Yes.” His voice was curt. “And I managed to make a deal.”
Ian didn’t seem to notice the undercurrent in Gage’s tone. “Is the demand reasonable?”
“That depends on what you think is reasonable.” He looked straight at me as he said, “They want Brydie.”
My breath froze at the admission.
Ian shook his head. “No! She’s the descendant. Brydie stays with us. Besides, she can’t leave—the Institute’s not secure.”
“It appears that neither is the Estate,” Gage reminded him softly. “Not after what happened with Charles.”
“It’s better than the Institute,” Ian counteracted shortly. “What do they want with her, anyway?”