Chapter 5
Chapter Five
To Finnick’s credit, it’s not a murder hole, just a cleverly disguised entrance to a tunnel.
At first, I thought it was a small cave.
It’s not anything spectacular, just a room inside a rock.
When Finnick leads me to the back, though, there is another small entrance.
Since I didn’t die the first time, I go through this one as well.
It opens to a larger tunnel. It has a path that is easier to navigate.
It’s dimly lit by a couple of sconces, one only appearing far after the previous one isn’t lighting the way anymore, and it takes a moment for my eyes to adjust to something other than the moonlight.
The further into it we go, the colder I get.
The skin on my arms prickles, and I shiver.
This dress is absolutely not suitable for the temperature or any of the things that I’ve dealt with so far.
Finnick must notice I’m shaking because I feel his warm cloak sliding over my shoulders.
“Aren’t you going to be cold now?” I ask.
“I’m used to the temperature in here. It’s the only way to get a reprieve from the castle without being noticed, so I frequent it often.”
That makes sense. I look up at him as we pass under another sconce and truly see him for the first time.
As accurate to him as my paintings have been, there is one thing that I got very, very wrong.
I stop walking and just stare at his form, continuing ahead, talking for a moment before noticing I’m not right behind him.
He turns to me and tilts his head in curiosity.
“Claudia? Are you hurt? Do you need a rest? We can stop, of course, but we are very close to the end.” He walks back to me and reaches out for my hand.
“You’re green.” I don’t phrase it like a question, because it’s not. I’m not sure why my dream has made him green.
He stands in front of me, not shocked by the revelation at all.
“Well, yes.”
That’s all he says, as though everyone is green. How have I not noticed? It must have been because the moonlight washes everything out.
“Why?” It's the only thing I can manage.
He sighs and motions with his hand, obviously urging me to take it and continue walking. “I can explain everything when we are in the castle,” he promises.
I believe him. Again. It feels unnatural even to consider not believing him. I trust him implicitly, and I have no idea why.
He’s right, though. We were right around the corner from the door.
It groans loudly as he pushes it open, and beyond it is an enormous fireplace, already crackling and roaring.
The warmth that hits my skin is a relief, and I’m instantly more at ease.
He closes the door behind us and leads me to a large, cozy-looking chair that I lower myself into immediately.
I haven’t felt this tired in who knows how long, and I didn’t even know you could be exhausted in your dreams.
Finnick is back, and he covers me with one of the softest blankets I’ve ever felt. I overlooked Veyra in the room with us, but she’s in front of me now, extending a steaming mug.
“Tea, my lady?”
I accept it graciously. “Claudia, please.”
She gives a single nod before taking a seat across from me, and when Finnick sits in a chair next to me, I immediately miss the proximity.
“Welcome home, Claudia,” Veyra beams. I take a sip of the tea and stare at the two of them, waiting for an explanation, wondering what my subconscious cooks up this time.
“This isn’t my home,” I state plainly. “I’ve never been here before.”
“You have,” Veyra tells me gently. “You just don’t remember it. You were very small.”
Finnick relaxes back in his chair, the embodiment of ease. He’s so comfortable, not on edge or overly insistent about anything going on, and it makes me feel like they’re not acting or trying to trick me.
“Okay,” I concede. “Then explain.”
“You are a mirror child,” Veyra says casually, like I would know what that is.
“I’m sorry, I’m a what now?”
Finnick leans forward and rolls the cuffs of his sleeves up to his elbows before resting them on his knees. “A child born between realms,” he explains. “A mortal mother, and a goblin father.”
I can’t help but laugh. A belly laugh. “Finn. That sounds like the start of a horrible fairytale.”
“You’re right, and it was. And it stayed terrible until someone broke the rules.”
The more Veyra talks, the more I start to realize I may not be dreaming.
She tells me of the queen of the realm, Wren.
Wren’s father had been the king until his untimely passing.
As his only heir, Wren took over. Over time, the only realm that would trade with the goblins - the fae realm - stopped all imports and exports.
A new queen had taken over their realm, too. Queen Miryn.
Queen Miryn wanted control of all of the lands. She knew that her exports were valuable, and without them, the goblin realm would suffer. She was right. She strung Wren along, making promises and threats, but Wren was determined to stay with her citizens. To be their voice.
The decline came quickly, though. Soon, the goblin realm started to look barren - shops had to close, farms were struggling, and children were hungry.
Wren swallowed her pride and went to Miryn, who was pleased.
She gave Wren the conditions of the deal, and Wren went back to the goblin realm, where a vote was held.
In exchange for her help and wealth, Miryn would require every goblin of adult age to work for her for a period of four years.
Compared to the human world, it was a draft of sorts.
The goblins looked around at their starving children, their sick family members, and the vote was almost unanimous. Nothing seemed out of place, and it seemed easy enough. Anything was worth saving them.
After the agreement and after Miryn took over the realm, she began her draft.
Goblins of age would be sent through the mirror portals to the human world.
She even relished watching the spark leave Wren’s face as she, too, had to work for her.
Their task was to lure humans back to the realm with them and hand them over to her, where she would drain them of their beauty and their lives.
The goblins, of course, didn’t know what the end result was, just that they were bringing the humans to Miryn.
They were free to lure the humans in however they felt was necessary. Kindness. Friendship. The promise of wealth and health, seduction, even kidnapping.
The one rule, however, was that they were not to fall in love with, nor breed with, a human. If they did, they would be held to the greatest extent of punishment.
Death.
At first, it seemed simple enough. Goblins were somewhat disgusted by the humans, but the humans were entranced by the goblins.
They always assumed the goblins were small, ugly little creatures, but they weren’t.
Goblins were some of the most beautiful beings they had seen.
Their skin varied in shades of green, and they had beauty marks and freckles the color of shining moonstones.
They came in all body shapes and sizes, and were a sight to behold in general.
It was easy for the humans to be lured back to the realm.
Slowly, though, some goblins started returning the advances from humans. They would draw out the task given to them, craving time with those they had started developing feelings for. Some even committed the ultimate betrayal to Miryn.
It started with one pregnancy. The one that threw Miryn over the edge and was the catalyst for what would follow.
When the queen overheard Thalaric, her favorite consort to play with, telling another that a mortal had his child, she went mad.
She found goblins willing to do a deeper dive and secretly find out how many of these children had been created, and started “taking care” of the situation.
When she confronted Thalaric, he refused to give up the name of his lover or his child. She killed Thalaric herself.
“Thalaric knew that something was going on. He begged Evara to take their baby and run. He feared they would be killed. When Miryn tracked Evara down, there was no infant to be found.”
I’m on the edge of my seat at this point, completely entranced by this entire story, still stuck between this being reality or a dream, and wondering what it has to do with me. “Where was the baby?” I ask breathlessly, wanting to know the ending.
“Evara had found a trusted person whom Thalaric told her to seek out. Evara begged her to take the infant and hide her in the human realm, somewhere far away, where Miryn wouldn’t find her.”
“Did she take her?” I’m impatient for Veyra to get to the point.
“Yes. I took her to the mortal realm, where I found an orphanage. I left her with no name, no identifying information, and no way to trace her back to the goblin realm.”
“Wait- you took her? You’re the trusted source? And to an orphanage of all fucking places?” Veyra flinches at my anger. My mind is going a hundred miles an hour, worried for the baby because I know what it’s like to grow up in an orphanage. “Well? What happened to Evara?”
“Miryn tortured her. For days. Asking her every hour where the baby was. Evara told the truth each time- she didn’t know. She never told Miryn I took the baby, and I never told Evara where I had taken her.”
My heart breaks for Evara. Losing her love, her baby, and being tortured all at the same time. Veyra continues.
“Miryn finally understood she wasn’t going to tell her where the child was. She killed Evara, swearing she would find the baby one day, bring her back to the goblin realm, and make her pay for the sins of her parents.”
“Did she find her?”
“No, dear Claudia. Instead, you found us.”
My mug hits the floor and shatters into a million pieces, right next to my heart.