32 Zarev
After giving Raymundo the shortest update of my life, we make quick work the next day getting to The Missing Shoe. He’s already stressing about all the dead surging to Tressa, and the only good thing about the dead King purging the kingdom is there are no living left to struggle in the dead-infested land. We’ll have to deal with the madness Midas unleashed, but I won’t give up Rapunzel’s safety to deal with the souls already waiting. She is my top priority, reaping be damned.
I have enough magic this morning to shadow hop the rest of the way to The Missing Shoe and not completely exhaust my reserves. We don’t stop for berries and chance running into any troops or flowerborne this time, and although rushed, the journey is much more peaceful this time around.
Last night I took too many risks fucking her the way I did, but I have no regrets. I needed to feel her after nearly losing her, and watching her wield my scythe like it’s made for her is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever seen a woman do.
I needed her as much as she needed me. With her golden hair tangled around her and the way those blue eyes sparkle with a ring of gold, she’s like no one I’ve ever met before. Nor anyone I will find again. She’s headstrong and a little careless with herself at times, but her passion and commitment is unrivaled. Being dispatched to kill the threat in Tressa is the greatest thing that’s happened to me since I came back to Mystica half alive.
My heart might not beat the same way as the living, but it pulses for only her.
The tavern, thankfully, isn’t in shambles when we arrive. I feel the relief in her shoulders when we reach the front, her fingers smoothing out her hair as people crowd around to greet us. According to Genny, most of the guards who stormed through when we were last here had no interest in the guests when there was no Golden Princess to apprehend on King Arthur’s behalf.
The reality of her new life sets in when I hand her a pint of ale, skipping over Thomas’ suggestion to try a new blend as we take a corner table in the tavern. I go for one of the staples she likes, sliding it across the table for her, and take my place at her side.
Half of Dorah’s children gather in a circle around us, along with a couple travelers that I see on occasion. News of Tressa is already spreading. Those with seeing stones are gossiping across the land, and I wouldn’t be surprised if everyone knows within the next day.
There’s rumors about the Mad Queen, but none that match what happened. Wild conspiracies fly around about Midas, and this is something we’ll have to deal with in the coming days.
“But did you die?” Trey asks. He’s one of Ray’s youngest siblings. “You don’t look any deader than you did last time I saw ya.”
“That’s rude,” Elsie snaps, shaking her head at him. For all her standoffish attitude, she’s as eager as the others to ask questions. “Did you hear about the Kraken that struck down 100 ships from Arthur’s fleet?”
The conspiracies are wild indeed. Rapunzel chokes on her drink, pulling the foaming mug back to slam her fist against her chest. I pat her back, winking when she glances up at me.
There’s sadness surrounding her today, and the reality that both her parents are gone is setting in. The life she knew is over, and she has to learn to adjust to whatever comes next. But she’s trained to keep up appearances, and when she flashes a smile at the gathered audience, the facade falls into place. “A lot of things happened. I can’t say I saw everything that happened in Tressa.”
“But there is no Tressa anymore,” Thomas says, handing out drinks around the table. The tavern isn’t all that crowded at this hour, though that, too, could be because of the news of Tressa. “I saw some travelers early this morning claiming to go to the City of Gold to find their riches now that the wall has fallen. They are going to reap the benefits of the dead King’s fortune.”
I exchange glances with Rapunzel. We didn’t go back through the castle to see if the rest of the gold disappeared when Midas died, but there’s a chance it did. The poor people trekking all the way across Mystica hoping to get rich will be sorely disappointed. The only gold might be in the bodies of the dead, if nothing’s happened to them since Midas passed. That kingdom that once teamed with life is all but abandoned now. I didn’t even see anyone swim in from the fallen ships.
“There are no benefits,” Rapunzel says quietly, looking back at the group. “Only sadness. Good or evil, Midas’ downfall led to the demise of the kingdom. So many are dead who needn’t be. Most of the civilians would be alive if things went differently, if my father didn’t make selfish decisions in the end.”
I press a hand to her shoulder, stopping her before she rambles. Some of the secrets from Tressa shouldn’t be shared, and we haven’t had enough time to process what happened in the kingdom. We certainly haven’t discussed anything about what to say to everyone.
There’s no hiding her. People will know soon enough the golden princess came down from her tower, and there will be questions and cruel accusations when people meet her. I doubt she’s mentally ready to deal with that after yesterday.
“So are you a princess anymore if you don’t have a kingdom,” Trey asks and I’ve never had such an urge to smack a child in the back of the head. He knows exactly what he’s doing from the mischievous glint in his eye. He just wants the juiciest rumor so he has something to hold over his brother’s and sisters.
“Trey,” Thomas chastises, and better he said something than me. My protective instincts burn at every question, and despite her strength I just want to shield Rapunzel for now. Adjusting to life without a kingdom and two dead parents will be hard.
That doesn’t even cover the long-lost possibly-still-dead sister.
Genny appears as Trey rattles on, and one of the hunters in the group asks Rapunzel if Tressa has any good game in the woods surrounding the castle. That sliver of Sherwood that disappeared behind the wall for many years could have different animals, but I seriously doubt it.
From the look on her face she has no idea what that means. But Genny pushes her way through until she reaches me, her gaze hard when she touches my shoulder. It distracts Rapunzel who doesn’t bother with an answer. “Ray needs you.”
My brow twitches, already prepared to say no since Rapunzel is being swarmed by vultures. But the princess grasps my hand, and I glance over at her again.
She offers me a tight smile. “Go ahead. There’s not much left to say anyhow. They all want an epic tale, but I don’t think anything too curious happened.”
“Nothing curious?” Saul asks, distracting everyone. “Your freaking palace exploded! That’s pretty cool.”
“Cool isn’t the right word,” Genny snaps. Her brother shrugs, and when she tugs on my arm I give in, glancing back at Rapunzel.
“You come get me for any reason at all, even if you just need to escape,” I tell her, tapping her chin. Rapunzel nods, her fingers going to comb through her knotted hair, and Genny tugs me out of the way to take my seat.
Outside, Ray is leaning against the tavern wall. He glances up at me, twirling an arrow between his fingers as he slouches in place. This is the first time we’re chatting since arriving, and I half expected to see Dahlia out here too. “You made quite a mess.”
I hold up my hands. “I didn’t kill anyone.” When he stops spinning the weapon to glare at me, I try again. “I didn't kill anyone that important.”
“There’s thousands of spirits loitering in Tressa and you claim you didn’t kill anyone. There’s unrest amongst the spirits. Can’t you feel it?”
“Of course I can feel it,” I snap, “but I couldn’t take on that many dead alone and get Rapunzel away from Tressa. Even with my powers at full strength I would never be able to reap so many souls all at once.”
He nods. “I know. It’s too much, But they will cause a lot of problems if we don’t do something soon.”
“We can go back together and reap some,” I suggest. “But two of us won’t be enough, either. To get through all of them we probably need a day or two.”
His brow twitches before he finally nods. Neither of us like the sound of that. The longer the souls sit together, stewing in whatever traumas hold them to this world, the more likely it is that they will become vicious and volatile in their rage. I haven’t seen Modred since The Barrens, and I’m certain his soul is dark and twisted with rage by now.
Looking down at the arrow, Ray blows out a breath. “So, you want to tell me the real story about the Mad Queen? Because I’m pretty sure she didn't arrive in Tressa to offer an alliance with Rapunzel.”
“That’s what people think?”
“It’s the most popular rumor,” he replies with a shrug. “That, or Rapunzel crisped her up like a snack and cooked the Queen alive before running.”
“If that were the truth, everyone in Mystica would know already.”
“I know,” Ray replies, glancing up at me. “So do you plan on telling the truth?”
Glancing back at the doors, I debate just going back inside. I feel bad leaving Rapunzel on her own, but she needs to know there are other people who care about her too. Not just me. She needs to know she isn’t alone anymore.
But we have things to discuss. The Field of Thorns and Rapunzel’s supposed twin, the possible betrayal from Ban, and the whispers of the shadow man.
Briefly, I wonder where that cat went. Something is off about Cyrus, though I had thought his presence was unusual from the start. A Cheshire cat on the other side of Mystica, not living in Wonderland? It’s unheard of.
Just one more curiosity on my long list of questions.
Glancing through the window, I see Genny and Elsie sitting on either side of my princess, Elsie pointing a finger at one of the tradesmen with a fierce look on her face. The siblings are loyal, and even if they ask too many questions, none of them will let them harass or harm Rapunzel while she grieves.
So, while almost all of Ray’s siblings swarm her, I slide down the wall and start to tell him about the journey.
“You really have to go again?”
Her lips barely leave mine before we’re stumbling backward into a tree, her hands swiping across my shoulders as she finishes the question. We’ve barely been back for a few days at the tavern, yet it seems like we never manage to get to a bed before jumping each other. Her kisses are ferocious as she lets her lips linger on my skin, her hands searching for the waistband of my pants and I growl low in my throat.
Raymundo’s voice carries through the trees. “For the love of God, don’t bone her. We’ll be back by the evening.”
She whimpers low in her throat, and I click my tongue as our noses brush together. “Patience, little Life. It’s just a check-in at Tressa.” I raise my voice to Raymundo. “You best head back towards the tavern! If you hear her moans I’ll send my shadows after you.”
He scoffs in the distance, but I hear his steps retreating. We need longer than a day, but there’s something stirring in the trees. Could be the soldiers that disappeared around the time Tressa fell. Camelot is eerily silent, and despite talking to Legs last night, there’s no news from the Red Woods or Wonderland.
I don’t know what’s happening, but Ray and I have decided to head to the fallen kingdom. The dead linger there, the souls that Midas’ power called to the lands.
That’s still a mystery too. He called the souls of Tressa to serve his selfish needs, and all that spiritual energy sent spirits barreling to Tressa. But the King had no way to control spirits who didn’t consume the gold from his curse. Those souls would never surrender to his power.
So what was the point of calling them all to the kingdom? The Mad Queen appeared, but he didn’t seem all that prepared for her arrival.
Something is missing, and it’s impossible to put together the pieces when we don’t know what the big picture is.
Rapunzel huffs, her tongue darting out to drag across my skin. “Hurry back. Don’t stay the night, okay? Make time to return?”
It’s a request. All the time since she left her tower we’ve spent the evenings together in the same place. When the Flowerborne found her, when we were last at the tavern, even in the gardens. It’s been almost two months.
Grasping her chin, I capture her lips again. My shadows rise, teasing up her covered legs and sliding beneath the loose tunic. With the changing winds she’ll appreciate the clothing as the weather dips. We’re away from the coast, and Sherwood gets cold in the fall and winter.
She whimpers again, and I let my shadows trace her lips, nipples, over her collarbones and anywhere else I can so easily tease.
“Zarev!”
I sigh, kissing her once more. I’ll have to work twice as hard to make it happen, but I refuse to break the promise to her. Enough people did that, and I can’t fuck her halfway across the continent. “Tonight.”
“Tonight,” she agrees, pulling back with a pout. Her fingers reach up, tracing over my chest. The gold didn’t even leave scarring, despite being in my skin for weeks.
Tressa might be leveled, but the secrets remain. I doubt going back will do much except save some souls, but with everything else going on in Mystica we can’t both be away for that long. We can go to the fallen kingdom and decide what to do from there.