Page 57 of The Darkest Knight

Three sets of eyes looked to Tristan who seemed to be voted the spokesperson for the group. The Laird clenched his jaw, but when he looked at Niall, his expression softened.

“Niall, your enchantment has been broken. You are free. You are here in modern-day Scotland with us.”

Padriag interrupted, a wide grin splitting his face. “You did it, you’re free.”

Liam and Gavin both smiled at him, but he saw wariness in Liam’s eyes. Trouble ahead?

“No.” He didn’t want to say it, but they had to know the truth. “I cannot be totally free. There is something else holding me to the alter-world …” he began.

“Devina, yes we know,” Tristan interrupted him. “She insinuated to Padriag that you had been her victim for many years.”

Niall nodded mutely.

“Devina is dead,” Liam told him.

“Valor attacked Devina,” Padriag said, referring to his horse. “It was as if the horse was more powerful than her magic. No matter what she tried to throw at him, nothing affected him.”

“It was like nothing we’ve ever seen,” Liam added. “There was nothing left of her, but a pile of flesh and black blood.”

A ringing began in his ears, and trembling took over his body, darkness threatened as the room began to spin, but he held on, took a deep breath and blew the air out.

“I think he’s hyperventilating,” Padriag told the group.

Someone placed something on his face and told him to take deep breaths. He batted the object away.

“I am fine. What happened to Valor?”

“We brought him with us,” Padriag told him.

The men continued to watch him as the information sunk in.

He was free.

A violent storm of emotions swirl in his chest as he fought to breathe normally. The air didn’t settle in his lungs as scenarios flew through his mind. Devina was dead. Somehow he was free.

“How?”

“You have been asleep for a week, err, sennight,” Tristan told him. “Tamara continually chanted a spell over you.”

“Tamara?” He searched the men’s faces. “What about the terms of my curse. A sacrifice of fate? What of family? I do not understand.”

“We are your family, dumbass,” Padriag said, leaning over him and helping him drink more water. “About fate, that part, I believe has to do with Tamara.”

He’d said terrible things to Tamara. She would never forgive him. Another thought struck, and he inhaled sharply at the pang in his chest.

“What did she do?’ Niall managed to croak out. “Tell me.”

“She willingly gave up all her magical powers,” Liam said. “She claimed it wasn’t a huge sacrifice in comparison to you being free.”

“And she’s gone back to her home, across the ocean,” Gavin added.

Niall closed his eyes, unable to absorb everything.

He was free.

Tamara was gone.