Chapter 21 #2
“Very well. I warn you… The Wolf King is no pacifist. The outcome may be gruesome. But I see you are determined. If you follow this road to its end and take a right turn, follow that road down past the Wishing Tree Gardens and over the bridge. You will know it when you see it.” I give her a smile of thanks and leave the shop.
Right…Wishing Tree Garden, bridge, Palace.
The main street is crowded with carts and fae of all kinds busily going about their days or perhaps going home after a day’s work.
I’m not entirely sure what a day in the life of a regular fae folk would look like.
Do they have jobs? Do they go to school?
I am busy pondering to myself, keeping my pace quick when I accidentally trip over a boulder gnome.
“Oh! Please mistress, I beg your pardon!” The gnome bows its head low, nearly touching the ground.
Wait a second, wasn’t that my fault?
“You stupid little creature, get inside!” A fae man with a finely tailored green velvet suit and matching top hat waves a cane at the gnome before turning to me and removing his hat to give me a little bow of his head.
“Do accept my sincerest apologies. The good slaves are hard to come by these days. I’ve had to settle for gnomes!
” His tone is joking. I can’t help the look of disgust on my face that pulls my top lip up into a sneer.
The fae man just gives me a little bow, probably thinking I was scowling in agreement to his belief that having gnomes as servants is lowly, and follows his slave into one of the brick townhouses.
Of course the main city would be rife with fae who keep slaves, but actually witnessing it and the poor treatment of the creature makes my stomach roil.
I feel so helpless and small in the cause of freeing these beings, especially when I know those who are keeping the slaves have mighty powers that my silly mind reading abilities have no chance against. This makes freeing Oleander all the more important.
I look to the sky and can see the beginning shades of a sunset creeping in and quicken my pace down the cobbled road.
When I pass the outskirts of, what I assume, is Wishing Tree Garden, I have to resist stopping and entering to marvel at the largest fig tree I have ever seen.
The park looks to be the size of two city blocks and the entirety of it is this one tree.
Its roots sprawl over the ground like large tentacles, creating arches and benches and even little tables all throughout the park.
Fae seem to be milling about having picnics or leisurely strolls around the outskirts of the park but in the centre, at the main trunk, there are dozens of fae leaning in to lay hands upon it.
They look to be muttering to themselves and I wonder if they are sharing their wishes with the tree itself.
There are figs all over the ground and the many fae around the tree’s trunk seem to be scooping them up and eating them.
The blissful look on their faces makes it impossible to resist the urge to stop.
Figs are so rare to come by in the human realm, mostly originating in the south islands, but the pollinators needed to create fruit have been steadily declining.
So the marvel of such a large, abundant tree is enough to convince me to try for myself.
I lean down to grab a plump fig and take a bite as I keep walking towards the Palace.
The first bite is pure, unimaginable delight.
A tingling euphoria spreads from my lips down to my heart.
It feels like a happiness drug and I immediately want more.
I don’t remember them being this good! I bend down to fill my hands with them and take delicious bite after delicious bite, letting the juices roll down my cheeks and stain my cloak.
Before I know what I am doing, I find that I am sitting in a little alcove of the roots with a horde of figs piled in my lap.
How did I get here? What was I doing again?
My brain feels like it is floating in a cloud but I don’t seem to care because the joy I feel is mesmerizing.
I close my eyes for a moment, mid-bite, savouring the sweetness.
When I open my eyes again I have been transported into a dimly lit stone hallway with a solid metal door in front of me.
The sudden change in scenery is very sobering, a chill creeps up my spine. Where am I?
There is a little window, smaller than my head that is open in the door that I step up to, to peer inside. Oleander suddenly pops up on the other side of the window looking extremely pissed off.
“Embrys, I don’t care what you say, I won’t do it. That marriage would be the death of me. He would use me as a brood mare then dispose of me. That was what our father did to your mother, was it not?” She bares her teeth.
I don’t feel like I have control over Embrys’ body as he responds with a growl. “You know nothing of my mother, Ollie. The King will surely kill you for this, and I know it was not you who started the fire, but there is a witness! What can we do?” He presses his hands up against the door.
“Embrys’ mother was no brood mare. She could not contain his fire, my daughter.
” I turn and see Pyralis storming down the hallway, fuming at the ears.
“I did not use her as you claim. She was, regrettably, not strong enough to bear a child of fire and perished after birth. We mourned her loss but I was a new father and had to pull myself together for the sake of my child!” He clenches his jaw so hard I’m surprised it doesn’t break.
There is a silence as Oleander looks to Embrys with sadness in her eyes.
She did not know. How many poor women has Pyralis’ fire burned through?
Embrys has lost more than I could fathom to his father’s power, no wonder he fears his own, or perhaps he blames himself for her death.
“If you cared for both of our mothers then how could you possibly try and give me away to a man that will be nothing short of cruel?” Glowing handprints form on the metal door from where Oleander’s hands are placed on the other side. Pyralis steps in close to the window and lowers his voice.
“You will not have to suffer for long, my child. We just need the alliance with House of Wind and then you will be free to do as you wish. I have secured the House of Water and Embrys has secured the House of Ether… nearly. House of Earth are all bumbling fools that will follow whoever holds the power. I could not share this with you when you were younger because you would not have understood but perhaps you can see now. This is for you, this is for us! With three of the four houses in our allegiance we can take the throne. You can call in your rebel friends to our aid and we will have the power!” His usual steely expression has been traded for one of pure fanatical desire.
He truly thinks that this plan will work.
“You are mad to believe you can take the throne! You think you are a fit ruler? You abandoned us after my mother died. For years you were useless and now you’re an unpredictable despot.
You set The Heartwood aflame for Mother’s sake!
” Oleander’s voice rises to a shriek as she pounds on the door in exclamation.
“And you!” Her flaming gaze turns to Embrys, “how could you deign to use Nuria in that way? You best beg for her forgiveness when she finds out. You do not deserve her!” She pounds the door again.
“Lower your voice!” Pyralis pounds back. “I will not rule. I know I am not fit. I know I have failed you but your brother… He could rule! And with the hand of the Etherealist girl he will have legitimacy to the throne!”
Like heck he will! I barrel down our connection and Embrys gasps in response. I can feel his mind look inward and see what I am seeing through my eyes on the other end.
“Nuria!” Embrys calls out and it is the last thing I hear before darkness consumes me.