I turned, but did not sheath my blade across my back.
The Suriel was standing a few feet away, clad not in the cloak I had given it months ago, but a different oneโheavier and darker, the fabric already torn and shredded. As if the wind it traveled on had ripped through it with invisible talons.
Only a few months since I had last seen itโwhen it had told me that Rhys was my mate. It might as well have been a lifetime ago.
Its over-large teeth clacked faintly. โThrice now, we have met. Thrice now, you have hunted for me. This time, you sent the trembling fawn to find me. I did not expect to see those doe-eyes peering at me from across the world.โ
โIโm sorry if it was a violation,โ I said as steadily as I could. โBut itโs an urgent matter.โ
โYou wish to know where Hybern is hiding its army.โ โYes. And other things. But letโs start with that.โ
A hideous, horrific smile. โEven I cannot see it.โ
My stomach tightened. โYou can see everything but that?โ
The Suriel angled its head in a way that reminded me it was indeed a predator. And there was no snare this time to hold it back.
โHe uses magic to cloak itโmagic far older than I.โ โThe Cauldron.โ
Another awful smile. โYes. That mighty, wicked thing. That bowl of death and life.โ It shivered with what I could have sworn was delight. โYou have one already who can find Hybern.โ
โElain says she cannot see itโsee past his magic.โ โThen use the other to track it.โ
โNesta. Useย Nestaย to track the Cauldron?โ
โLike calls to like. The King of Hybern does not travel without the Cauldron. So where it is, he and his army shall be. Tell the beautiful thief to find it.โ
The hair on my arms rose. โHow?โ
It angled its head, as if listening. โIf she is unskilled โฆ bones will do the talking for her.โ
โScryingโyou mean scrying with bones?โ
โYes.โ Those tattered robes flitted in a phantom wind. โBones and stones.โ I swallowed again. โWhy did the Cauldron not react when I joined the
Book and spoke the spell to nullify its power?โ โBecause you did not hold on for long enough.โ โIt was killing me.โ
โDid you think you could leash its power without a cost?โ My heart stuttered. โI need toโto die for it to be stopped?โ
โSo dramatic, human-heart. But yesโyes, that spell would have drained the life from you.โ
โIs thereโis there another spell to use instead? To nullify its powers.โ
โIf there were such a thing, you would still have to get close enough to the Cauldron to do it. Hybern will not make that mistake twice.โ
I swallowed. โEven if we nullify the Cauldron โฆ will it be enough to stop Hybern?โ
โIt depends on your allies. If they survive long enough to battle afterward.โ โWould the Bone Carver make a difference?โย And Bryaxis.
The Suriel had no eyelids. But its milky eyes flared with surprise. โI cannot seeโnot him. He is not โฆ born of this earth. His thread has not been woven in.โ Its twisted mouth tightened. โYou wish to save Prythian so much that you would risk unleashing him.โ
โYes.โ The moment I located that army, Iโd unleash Bryaxis upon it. But as for the Carver โฆ โHe wanted aโgift. In exchange. The Ouroboros.โ
The Suriel let out a sound that might have been a gaspโdelight or horror, I did not know. โThe Mirror of Beginnings and Endings.โ
โYesโbut โฆ I cannot retrieve it.โ
โYou are afraid to look. To see what is within.โ โWill it drive meโmad? Break me?โ
It was an effort not to flinch at that monstrous face, at the milky eyes and lipless mouth. All focused upon me. โOnly you can decide what breaks you, Cursebreaker. Only you.โ Not an answerโnot really. Certainly not enough to
risk retrieving the mirror. The Suriel again listened to that phantom wind. โTell the silver-eyed messenger that the answer lies on the second and penultimate pages of the Book. Together they hold the key.โ
โThe key toย what?โ
The Suriel clicked its bony fingers together, like the many-jointed limbs of a crustacean, tip-tapping against each other. โThe answer to what you need to stop Hyโโ
It took me a heartbeat to register what happened.
To identify the wooden thing that burst through the Surielโs throat as an ash arrow. To realize that what sprayed in my face, landing on my tongue and tasting like soil, was black blood.
To realize that the thudding before the Suriel could even scream โฆ more arrows.
The Suriel stumbled to its knees, a choking sound coming out of that mouth.
It had been afraid of the naga that day in the woods. Had known it could be killed.
I surged toward it, palming a knife with my left hand, sword angling up. Another arrow fired, and I ducked behind a gnarled tree.
The Suriel let out a scream at the impact. Birds scattered into flight, and my ears rangโ
And then its labored, wet breathing filled the wood. Until a lilting female voice crooned, โWhy does it talk to you, Feyre, when it would not even deign to speak with me?โ
I knew that voice. That laughter beneath the words. Ianthe.
Ianthe was here. With two Hybern soldiers behind her.