Chapter 23 #3
Mirella, he means. I’m not even sure why he’s mentioning that. “I said she helped rescue Tarlia, and it’s true.” I’m tired of avoiding saying things, skirting around and around stuffed words, and decide to be direct. “I don’t need your pity, and you don’t have to be upset on my behalf.”
He raises an eyebrow. “It’s not… being upset on your behalf. It’s recognizing cruelty.”
“It doesn’t even make sense. If you hate me. You should rejoice in seeing people being cruel to me.”
“I don’t hate you. I hated our bond. Perhaps hated the way you ruled, how you always bent over for Zorwal. But I don’t hate you. I think, in your way, you truly believed we were friends.”
I roll my eyes. “Yes, how silly of me.”
“Not silly. You couldn’t look past your own privilege, that’s all. But you tried to be my friend.”
“And failed, obviously.” I don’t know if he’s saying these things to poke or soothe me, and maybe I don’t care. I shouldn’t care. I want to change the subject, and look around. “Where are we?”
“Clare Beach.”
A chuckle leaves my lips. “You never told me you had a fancy beach house.”
“I never told you quite a few things. I couldn’t. Not that you ever bothered to ask. Now let’s go inside. We need to discuss what to do.”
“Do they even care what a fae with no magic has to say?”
He rolls his eyes. “Don’t be obtuse. Come. Also, let me remind you that the only reason I brought the little evil king’s spawn was because you asked me to. So I listen to you.”
“Am I supposed to be flattered?”
“No,” he says flatly.
The door of the house opens again, and Marlak is standing there. “Renel?”
“We’re coming,” I say.
Azur pats me on the back in a gesture that feels more patronizing than friendly, and we walk inside.
At least this house has a sitting area with comfortable chairs, settees, and sofas.
Tarlia smiles at me and I sit beside her, on a sofa that I realize too late is fluffier than it looks, and I sink deep in its cushion.
She kisses my cheek, and in a second, the world tilts, and I realize I’m the luckiest fae in the world. And she’s here. Safe. My heart is warm and full of joy.
Astra and Marlak take the other half of the sofa, sinking to unknown depths when they sit down.
Across from me, Azur takes an armchair with Lidiane sitting in front of him, his arms around her.
It doesn’t take a genius to notice that he’s dying to take her to his bedroom.
I recall his obnoxious behavior in the Desert Keep, and think it’s a fair punishment for him to have to wait now.
Ferer and Nelsin sit at the sofa in front of us, holding hands, beside Ziven and Mirella.
My head’s buzzing as Astra tells everyone that Otavio was in the heart of magic, and might be more powerful now. Tarlia then tells them that he and Zorwal are connected to the Witch King. She also recounts how she escaped, and that Ziven froze Zorwal.
I convey what I read in the Misty library, that they’re anchors and need to be killed before the Witch King
Marlak leans forward. “You were in the Misty Court?”
I try not to glare too hard at him. “Yes. Which reminds me; did you have any trouble there?”
“A little.” He grimaces. “But it seems you had no issues, right?”
“The queen hung us upside down!” Mirella says. “She wants you to kiss her feet and suck her toes.”
Marlak makes a disgusted face. “Oh. Did you make a deal?”
“No.” I shake my head. “She agreed to help us in the end, and we saw her books, like I was mentioning earlier, but then the ghouls and the Witch King came—”
“What?” Everyone’s faces are horrified, except for Tarlia, Ziven, and Mirella.
I explain what happened, how we fought the ghouls,that Ziven froze the Witch King, and that he’s being kept in a magical cell.
“You think he’s still there?” Astra Asks.
An eerie feeling comes to my chest. “We can hope.”
Lidiane looks up, puzzled. “How did he come so far south? I mean, the Misty Court is still in the fae lands, but it’s far from the cave.”
“I know.” Marlak takes a deep breath. “Crisine, the Court of Spiders Princess, she was in the sanctuary, when I went there to kill him. She is—was—a powerful transcender. The Witch King must have taken her magic.”
Azur covers his face with his hand. “Meaning he can go anywhere.”
“I suppose,” Marlak says. “Not anywhere. I think she can use old, weak circles, but not go anywhere, like you.”
“Almost anywhere, then,” Ziven says. “Phew. What a relief.” I’m sure he’s the only one who thinks he said anything funny.
“Is this house really warded?” I ask, unable to shake the image of a horde of ghouls encircling us.
“Yes,” Azur replies in his usual superior tone. “It’s hidden.”
“What happened to the island?” Astra asks.
Azur tells everyone that the Sea Court queen and prince imprisoned Lidiane, but that the king is on their side, and gave them some seawater to heal the magic poisoning. He explains that the queen came to the island on carriages pulled by moths.
“Like Zorwal!” Tarlia says. “He had those too. And at first, he took us to an island.”
I look at her. “You didn’t tell me.”
She shrugs. “Well…”
I turn to everyone. “Dark moths are associated with the Witch King, who enchanted and enslaved some animals, like the dark unicorns.”
Astra narrows her eyes, as if confused. “Like Cherry Cake?”
“Yes,” I say. “He resisted, though. And survived.”
Azur taps on the arm of his chair. “So the Sea Queen could have some dealings with Zorwal, or maybe even with the Witch King himself.”
Beside me, Marlak says, “Lots of royal families swore loyalty to him, sometimes because they had no choice.”
“Her family wasn’t royal,” Lidiane says. “Regardless, she might be dead now.” She looks down, her eyes sad. “Or the Sea King might be dead, in which case, the Sea Court is going to be a problem.”
I point outside. “Why are we this close to the ocean, then?”
Azur raises an eyebrow. “Like I said, the house is warded. We needed a safe place to convene and plan.”
“Fair,” I say, even if I’m not sure I trust any wards, but there’s nothing I can do.
“The first thing we need to do is get rid of Zorwal and Otavio. Only then can we try to tackle the Witch King, but we can’t wait.
I’m not sure exactly how long we have, but I doubt it can be more than a day after Zorwal and Otavio are killed. ”
As soon as I finish my sentence, I realize this is an almost impossible task. How can we find the three of them in such a short time? I think everyone feels that, as their expressions turn gloomy.
Astra then says, “I know where they are.”
“You do?” Marlak asks her.
“Yes!” She smiles in triumph. “I took some of Otavio’s blood. Zorwal’s and the Witch King’s too, and I can… sense them. It’s murky, but I think I can locate them.”
“I can go where they are,” Azur says.
Astra turns to Marlak. “Ready to kill them?”
He stares at her, looks down, swallows, then says, “No.”
I’m not sure I understand anything anymore.