The man had a point. Liam’s gift, which had come down to him through his mother, had awakened just recently. He could draw power from the branch of fire easily enough, but he still wasn’t adept at controlling it or extinguishing what he’d created.

Before this could turn into a pissing contest that would, most likely, burn down part of the Old Place if it didn’t kill someone outright, she lowered the bow, chose a new target, and released the arrow. Having an arrow go to ground between his feet startled Lucian.

Breanna took that moment to snatch the burning arrow out of Liam’s hand. Using her own connection to the branch of fire, she banked the flames as she drove the arrow into the earth, doing it so smoothly that not so much as a blade of grass caught fire.

When she straightened up, she noticed how warily Lucian watched her.

Not so sure of yourself now, are you? she thought. Well, she’d give him more reason to think twice about her.

“The House of Gaian created Tir Alainn out of dreams and will. We created the shining roads that anchor that land to the human world. If you, or any other Fae, try to force or seduce or remove any of my kin from Willowsbrook, I will gather the rest of my kin, both here and in the Mother’s Hills, and we will turn Tir Alainn into a wasteland. And then we will close the shining roads and leave you there.”

Lucian paled, staggered back a step. There was fear in his eyes now. “You couldn’t.”

“Oh, but we could. As I will…” Breanna let the words hang in the air. “I suggest you go back to your own world, Fae Lord, and let us be.”

“I’ll make sure he gets there,” Liam said quietly. Turning away, he mounted Oakdancer and waited.

Lucian stared at Falco, his expression cold and bitter. “You’ve made your choice, Falco. Don’t come crawling back to us when she turns on you. Her kind will always turn on you.”

He walked back into the woods, Liam following on Oakdancer.

Breanna watched them disappear into the trees. If the Lightbringer turned on Liam, would her brother be able to protect himself? Had she been a fool to make an enemy of so powerful a Fae Lord?

“Breanna?” Falco said softly. “Breanna, you’re shaking.”

“It’s not every day I threaten the Lightbringer,” Breanna snapped. “I’m entitled to shake.” But facing down the Lord of Fire wasn’t the reason she was shaking. If something happened to Liam because of it, how could she expect Elinore to understand and forgive her? How would she be able to forgive herself?

Falco cautiously reached over and tugged the bow from her hand. “Come sit down on the bench under the tree. Can you walk that far?”