Chapter 16 #2
Ziven frowns at us. “You two should really talk, you know?”
I glare at him. “We are talking.”
“No, you’re arguing.”
“Let’s go,” Renel says. “We don’t want to get there too late.”
The steps are steep and narrow, with no guardrail, and I imagine that this would be a great place to murder someone. At least both Renel and Mirella have a deal preventing them from harming each other and I don’t need to fear any dead travel companions.
As I climb the steps, dread slowly fills my chest as I wonder whether this is truly a friendly court and if this queen will betray us.
I wish I was in the safety of the island, but at the same time, Renel has a point that if we can get to this old library, at least we can try to do something.
I suppose my safety isn’t his priority—which is fair, and yet still stings.
The path widens and we come to an open door which seems to lead to the inside of the hill. Six fae guards with spears stand on the other side, then two more jump down in front of us.
“Renel from the Crystal Court,” one of the guards says, “Queen Berta welcomes you.” His tone isn’t welcoming at all.
The next thing I notice is that two of these guards are holding me by both arms.
My first thought is to slack my body, bring these guards to the floor with me, then try to escape, but then Renel mutters, “Stand down.”
He’s looking at Ziven, I guess because he’s the only one of us with magic. His tone is calm, so I trust him and don’t try anything. And then, it’s true that escaping through those narrow, thin steps, would be almost impossible.
The guards pull us into the inside of the castle, which looks like a cave with mossy stone walls, then take us to the back and down a flight of steps, to a sort of hallway.
There, they tie some rope around my feet, making tight knots around both my ankles.
I could fight back when they’re doing it.
Perhaps I should, and yet what gives me pause is Renel’s calm.
Finally, we’re pushed into some kind of wooden stall.
Renel shuts his eyes tight. “Shit.”
The hint of panic in his tone chills my body. We’ve crossed the Shadow Lands together and I know that it takes a lot to rattle him.
Whatever it is, it’s bad.
AZUR
The Witch King is calling me, his pull stronger than ever. In the milliseconds it took me to transcend, shadows encircled me, pulled me, took me. Had the aim and will in my heart been a little weaker, I’d be a tool of that horrific old fae now.
But no. I resisted, resisted and now I’m diving into the ocean, led by a sliver of unwavering faith—Lidiane’s faith—except that it’s mine now.
My magic is drained from this simple transcending, just from fighting that ghastly pull. I can’t pass out from fatigue, I can’t. If I do, I’ll die here.
Still, I have to use most of my remaining magic to conjure a bubble of air and keep it around me as my body submerges in the Grand Ocean, near the Golden Sea.
The air wants to rise and escape, and yet I keep it.
Maybe I’m delirious. Perhaps fear has tainted my mind, but this is the only solution I could find.
The Pearl of Healing. Just a tale, perhaps, but tales come from somewhere. I need to try. I won’t let Lidiane face the same fate as me.
It’s a huge gamble. Most of the Sea Court will likely be hostile to me, especially the prince, after I humiliated him when he attacked us on that boat.
He sent the kraken after us, then came on board looking for a sea fae, while I hid Lidiane, sensing it had something to do with her.
Still, the king told him to leave us, and it’s what I’m counting on, even if there’s no guarantee that they have that pearl or that they’ll even allow me to use it. And yet I have to try it.
That day, when I was with Lidiane on that boat, the Sea King himself came to us and told his son to leave us alone. He saw Lidiane, or sensed her, at least, even though she was glamoured. Perhaps all he wanted was to avoid conflict with another court, but then…
It could be something else. The memory of that day has come to my mind a few times, and then I mix that with what she told me about her childhood.
She had to hide, was told to stay away from the sea, and her mother was killed by the Sea Court.
Together, those pieces start form an intriguing picture.
I never pressed her about it, never tried to ask more than she was willing to share, unsure if it was worth it to dig into her memories and cause more harm than help, unsure if my theories made any sense.
I figured time would reveal the whole story—except that we no longer have time.
Still, one thing that’s absolutely certain is that many, if not most fae in the sea court would want Lidiane dead. And here I am, trying to find them, hoping their king will save her.
A thin, thin hope, resting on a mountain of assumptions—and yet it’s all I have.
Unlike what I expected, no sea fae comes to attack me.
The Sea Court is renowned for its secrecy, so that no land fae knows their location, not even fae like me, born and raised by the shore. If they decide to ignore me, I’ll never find them.
My body sinks deeper and deeper as I struggle to keep that air bubble around me, aware that it’s not going to last long, afraid that I might get lost in the sea, too weak to transcend.
Lidiane comes to mind, serene, cheerful, and fierce.
For her, I’ll turn the ocean around, if that’s what it takes.
MARLAK
Ihold Astra tight as I consider my options.
I could keep going south and maybe hope to meet some giants.
Another option would be to go west and try to reach the ocean.
I’m too far from the Northern Tip now, but I could get to the eastern shore.
There would be no boats and no assurance that we’d be able to escape.
I don’t even know if the Sea Court would cause trouble.
The other option is to wait, of course, and trust that Krat is coming before nightfall. I sigh. What if he never comes? What if we’ve been abandoned to our fates? Fear and anxiety take hold of my chest like a vice, tightening it and making it hard to breathe.
I glance at Astra, now asleep, her face so peaceful, and feel unsure if I should try to wake her and ask for her opinion or let her rest.
My failure weighs on me. If I hadn’t made a mistake, if I had burned the Witch King, Astra wouldn’t have come to the Shadow Lands, and both of us wouldn’t be in this predicament.
I’m about to get up and walk to the shore, when I see something in the distance, lifting the weight in my chest. A giant. No, two.
As they approach us, I notice that neither of them is Krat.
They’re both dark-haired men, and their faces are gruff.
One of them takes both me and Astra, and I’m glad we don’t have to be separated for this journey.
I sit on his shoulder, where there’s even a latch for me to hold.
I keep Astra in my arms with one hand and hold on to the giant with the other.
“Is Kratnovil all right?” I ask.
The only reply I get is a grunt, but it’s fine. They’re running south, carrying us, and that’s what matters.
After some time, the giant enters the forest. I suppose there’s no time to get near the Charmed River before the night falls, so they’re taking us to one of their dwellings, but I’d still like to understand what’s going on. “Where are we going?”
No answer, not even a grunt, and all I can surmise is that these giants don’t understand me.
I’m surprised that they can walk among trees, and notice that there is a path for them, just wide enough for one giant to walk, with no branches on the way.
When I think we’re walking further into the forest, something changes, and I realize we just walked through a glamour curtain.
Beyond it lies a city with enormous wooden huts.
We should be safe here—I hope.
The giant places a hand by his shoulder where I climb, and then he lowers us to the ground, where I step onto something metallic. As soon as we do that, another giant places a cover over it. A cover with bars made of magic dulling dark metal.
This is a cell, unless their standards of hospitality are really terrible.
“Hello? What’s happening?” I ask.
The giants who brought us step away, and I’m left with a thousand questions. Most of all, I’m wondering if they’re allies or enemies, and if this city will keep us safe from the dangers of the Shadow Lands.
My heart wants to jump and run and explode, and yet none of that will get us out of this cell.