Chapter 14
14
CAT
T he morning sun streamed through the high windows and cast rays of light across the polished wood. The formal dining room was a blend of old-world elegance and a certain austere grandeur, with heavy drapes framing the windows. I was about to eat breakfast with my doppelg?nger’s family.
“You caused quite a commotion last night,” Lord Zacharia said as he sat with his two daughters at the dining table. It was the first time that we’d sat down for a meal together since I arrived in this insane world.
“I could hear you screaming from my courtyard.” Gianna shuddered and sipped her freshly squeezed orange juice.
I snorted. “Let’s not be so dramatic. I just had a bad nightmare.”
I didn’t know why I lied. When the guards burst into my room, I was standing in the middle of the room with blood in my mouth. But if I told them Damien had paid me a visit, it would cause more trouble than I needed in my life, as well as trouble for Damien since he wasn’t supposed to be off the island. I didn’t know why I was protecting him, but I was.
“If you’re not well, sister, I know of a witch who concocts astounding remedies—”
“No thanks,” I cut off Gianna quickly, holding up a hand. “I believe in western medicine.”
“Western medicine?” she repeated with a frown. “I don’t believe I’ve heard of that.”
“Yeah, well, Dr. Oz is much better than Sabrina the teenage witch, so I’d rather take my chances.” I took a bite of hideously under seasoned food and tried to pretend I was at my favorite restaurant back home.
Gianna furrowed her brows. “What?” she murmured in confusion.
“Are you unwell, Arya?” Lord Zacharia asked cautiously, his eyes volleying between me and Gianna.
I chuckled. “I’m perfectly fine, Father.” I took a sip of my orange juice and winced at the sour taste. I swear, if it wasn’t because I was starving, I would refuse to eat the food here. I wanted McDonalds so damn bad. I never thought I’d ever say that, but Jesus Christ I even missed fast food.
“Father… about the luncheon…” Gianna started, but Lord Zacharia stopped her with a raised hand.
“Enough, Gianna,” he said. “I don’t want to hear anything else about it. His Majesty made himself extremely clear. He does not want you involved with the third prince.”
“But—”
“But nothing,” he cut her off. “We cannot afford to upset the emperor. Not in our family’s current situation. We need to stay in his good graces. You must stay away from Prince Damien.”
“Father, it’s not his fault!” Gianna pleaded. “Prince Damien is merely a victim of—”
“It doesn’t matter!” Lord Zacharia shouted, slamming a fist on the table hard enough to make the table rattle.
Not expecting the normally mild-mannered man’s vehement reaction, I jumped and peered at Gianna, whose golden eyes were wide in fear.
“Prince Damien has offended the emperor. As such, we cannot side with him on this matter,” Lord Zacharia said plainly. “It’s also my understanding that he ended things with you, which means there is nothing to discuss.”
“But I—”
“But nothing !” A prominent vein twitched in his forehead.
“Gianna,” I whispered, reaching for her clenched hand under the table. She fisted her dress with trembling fingers and met my eyes. “Stop,” I murmured.
Lord Zacharia shook his head and tossed his napkin on the table before pushing his chair back and storming out of the dining hall. Gianna and I stared at his retreating back in bewilderment.
Gianna pulled her hand out of my grasp. “Why did you stop me?”
“Because he was obviously agitated and not ready to listen to reason. You don’t want to be on his bad side,” I said carefully. I didn’t know much about him, but I knew my own father had a temper. If they were anything alike, it was best if she didn’t push his buttons.
Her angelic face crumpled. “Arya, it’s not fair!” she cried. “No one says anything about your relationship with Prince Julian. I don’t understand why it’s such a problem for me to be with Prince Damien!”
I grimaced. “God, don’t mention me and Prince Julian. I don’t want anything to do with that bastard.”
Gianna gasped. “Arya!” she scolded. “You can’t say that about a prince!”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, okay, my bad. Anyway, me and Prince Julian are not a thing.”
She furrowed her brows. “Really?”
“Really,” I repeated.
“But still… Prince Damien is—”
“Prince Damien is complicated,” I finished for her. “He has a complicated history. On this, Father is right. It’s best if you don’t involve yourself with him so you don’t get yourself and the family into trouble.”
Gianna frowned. “I can’t believe you , of all people, are being so… reasonable.”
I chuckled. “Call me a new woman. I’ve been reborn.”
She eyed me suspiciously. “I can see that.”
I tossed my napkin on the table and stood. “Look, I gotta go. Will you be okay?”
“Yes… I’ll be fine.”
“Don’t do anything crazy, okay?”
She nodded, but her silence spoke volumes. Cataloguing her troubled expression to dissect later, I left the dining room, the echoes of our conversation and the unsatisfying meal lingering in my mind.
I walked back to my room and found Maeve waiting for me with an anxious expression. She rushed to the door and quickly closed it behind me before slipping a piece of paper into my hand.
“A raven arrived for you this morning,” she nervously whispered. “From Garrick.”
My eyes widened. “Really? Sweet!” I hurriedly unrolled the paper to read his message.
Have a lead. Meet at the tavern at noon. G.
I snapped my fingers. “Yes!” Walking over to a lit candle, I burned the letter to remove any evidence.
Maeve rushed toward me with a quizzical expression. “Why are you burning it?”
“I’m not leaving any clues behind for someone to stumble on. You never know who’s watching,” I muttered. After last night’s intrusion, I was nervous. Even now, Damien could be watching my every move.
“Who are you worried about?” Maeve questioned. “The vampires?”
I’d forgotten all about them. That was another problem I needed to solve if I was going to be stuck here much longer. Unless Garrick was about to send me back home, in which case I’d leave it for Arya to clean up her own mess.
“It’s not important. Will you help me get ready? We need to get to the Southern District to meet Garrick by noon.” I went to the dresser to pick out clothing. “And I don’t want to be late.”
Breezily offering an excuse of meeting up with a few ladies from the Northern District, Maeve convinced Lord Zacharia to arrange a carriage for us. But instead of visiting Arya’s normal haunts in the genteel sector, we headed south to The Broken Tankard. This time, I didn’t marvel at the scenery, the marketplace, or the people. Instead, I anxiously sat in the carriage, twiddling my thumbs and wiping sweat from my palms.
Maeve furrowed her brows from where she sat across from me. “Are you okay?”
I nodded. “Yeah, just nervous. I really want to go home. While it’s been nice kicking it with you, this world just isn’t for me.”
Maeve bit her lower lip and nodded. “I can imagine. What is your world like?”
I blew out a breath and leaned back against the cushioned seat. “Well, it’s much more modern than Elaria. We have a device called a television that shows movies and shows, sort of like the plays here, but everyone has this device in their homes where they can watch whenever and whatever they like. We also have these little machines called phones where instead of using ravens, you can call other people or send messages instantly. Honestly, I’m starting to realize how much we take for granted,” I murmured the last part.
Maeve’s mouth fell open. “Wow, that sounds… marvelous! I can’t imagine having that kind of power here. Do you know how these… machines are made? Maybe we can—”
I shook my head and burst her bubble. “I don’t. Really smart people produce those things. But I wish I did know how to make them. I’d make a killing here!”
“Oh,” Maeve muttered, disappointed. “I wonder how my lady is doing in your world. She must be so scared, seeing all those fantastical things.”
I shrugged. “Maybe… maybe not. She could be having a blast. We also have this thing called the internet. It’s a fascinating place, and I imagine your Lady Arya would be an amazing internet troll.”
“A troll?” Maeve gasped.
I laughed and tried to wave away her dismay. “Oh, Maeve, please ignore me. I’m just talking shit.”
Maeve nodded slowly, certain she was talking to a madwoman.
The carriage rolled to a stop on Main Street and the driver shouted that we’d arrived. Bouncing down from his seat up front, he unfurled a small set of stairs for us to descend. Maeve went first and held out her hand to help me down. My feet touched the dusty ground and I looked up at The Broken Tankard.
The rickety tavern was situated just down the street from The Gilded Serpent. In the daytime, it appeared derelict and downtrodden, with its crooked sign creaking in the breeze and the smell of stale ale wafting out into the street. The last time we were here, it was evening and the place was packed, but now only a few stragglers darkened the interior, which made it easy to spot Garrick.
With my head high, I walked across the sticky floor and sat across from him, while Maeve sat between us. I pulled back the hood of my cloak and gave the warlock a smirk and a wave. “Hello there, friend.”
He offered a quick nod. His leather eye patch sat crookedly on his face. “My lady,” he said stiffly. “Thank you for meeting me so quickly.”
“I should be thanking you,” I said anxiously. “Especially if you have good news for me.”
“Don’t thank me yet.” He looked around the tavern and nervously leaned forward.
I frowned. “You don’t have good news?”
He coughed into his hand and looked between me and Maeve. “I have news, I just don’t know if it’s good or not.”
“Well…” I started, “let’s have it. What is it?”
Garrick cleared his throat and fiddled with the hem of his threadbare tunic. “Well… I traced the origin of the songs. The ones I mentioned that talk of travelers from another world.”
I raised a brow. “Oh… so the songs are not from here?”
“Yes… and no.”
I groaned. “Come on, Garrick. Get to the damn point! The suspense is seriously killing me,” I deadpanned.
“They come from the fae,” he said quickly.
“No!” Maeve said adamantly. “Absolutely not!”
Garrick sighed. “That’s what I thought.” He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest. “But either way, this is as far as I go. I will not go into Faelight Forest.”
“And you expect her to go instead?” Maeve shrieked and jabbed a thumb toward me.
Garrick shrugged. “I didn’t say that. All I said is that the songs originate from the fae. If she wants to learn more about it, that’s who she needs to seek. Other than that…”
“There are no other clues?” I nibbled my lower lip. I didn’t know much about the fae, but from what Maeve hinted, they didn’t seem like people I should fuck around with.
Garrick shook his head. “Sorry, my lady, none so far. If you had more information, perhaps I could investigate further but honestly, I don’t have much to go on.”
I sighed. He was right, but unfortunately I didn’t know much. The only thing I knew for certain was that the entrance was through the River Elara. Unless the river was just a fluke, but that didn’t make any sense.
“I’m sorry, Garrick. I wish I knew more, but I don’t understand how I got here, either,” I murmured.
He narrowed his eyes on me before sliding Maeve a cautious look and fixing his attention back on me. “My lady, if I may be so bold, I know your servant is hesitant, but if finding your way back is so important, then maybe paying a visit to the fae isn’t such a bad idea… If you’re desperate enough, that is.”
I winced. “How bad are they?”
Garrick grimaced, but it was Maeve who responded. “Really bad, my lady! You don’t have the faintest knowledge of their customs, and with your wayward tongue you might end up indebted to them or worse, in servitude!”
My eyes widened. “Say what now?”
“They have a way of speaking that can ensnare you if you aren’t careful.” Garrick leaned forward and whispered so only we could hear him. “You cannot thank them or apologize. You cannot accept any food from them. And whatever you do, never, and I mean never , make a deal with a fae.”
“This all seems quite complicated,” I murmured. “So you’re telling me I just need to be hella rude to them?”
Maeve vigorously shook her head. “No, my lady. They could take offense to that as well. It’s a delicate balance. Honestly, you should just stay away. You could get stuck there for an eternity and not even Lord Zacharia would be able to free you from them!”
I raised a brow. “What about the emperor?”
Maeve shook her head again. “Not even the emperor. Faelight Forest has its own set of rules. That’s why the fae are sequestered there and don’t venture outside its borders.”
This was a long shot, and I wasn’t one to gamble. However, Garrick said that the folk songs about travelers from another world originated from the fae, which meant there might be a glimmer of truth to them. I had to take the risk and see if the fae knew more about otherworldly travelers. If they could tell me how to get back home, it would be worth it. I just had to be careful. Very careful.
Garrick looked at me curiously. “What are you going to do, my lady?”
I blew out a breath. “What else can I do? I’m going to Faelight Forest.”
“My lady!” Maeve shouted, catching the attention of the few patrons mingling in the tavern.
“Shh!” I swatted her arm and turned to Garrick. “Look, I’m not stupid. I know this is a serious risk. Is there any protection you could give me? I don’t know, like an amulet, a talisman, a funky potion? Shit, anything . I don’t know how magic here works.”
Garrick’s eye gleamed. “Are you sure, my lady?”
I nodded. “Positive.”
“Very well,” he sighed. “I can cloak your body with a protection spell. Any malicious magic will bounce off it… but there’s a catch.”
“What is it?”
“It’ll only work once,” he answered with a grimace. “If they attempt to hurt you again, they will succeed.”
I sucked in a breath. It made sense that even magic had its limits. “Okay, fine. That’s better than nothing, I suppose.”
“How is that fine ?” Maeve yelled again.
“Shh!” I glanced around the tavern and whispered, “You’re drawing attention to us!”
“I don’t care, my lady,” she gritted. “You’re willingly walking into danger. I don’t understand how you can possibly be okay with this!”
“Because this is the only way I can get home and possibly bring Lady Arya back to you,” I argued. “Isn’t that what you want?”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “Yes, but…”
“There are no buts, Maeve. We have no other options. This is our only chance. We have to take it.”