25. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Astaroth
I awoke slightly less sluggish than when I fell asleep and felt hotter than sitting in front of a fire. A softness filled my palm. I flexed my fingers and went to stretch when something wiggled against me. Cracking my eyes open, I looked down to find Calista lying nearly atop me with the blanket between us, her leg tossed over my groin and an arm over my middle where her head rested. My arm was wrapped around her, hand gripping her bottom. I dropped my head on the pillow and smiled. Calista would break every single digit if she knew where I was touching her. This would be an every morning thing in the future… sans clothing.
The image of her sleeping, naked form pressed against mine burned the back of my eyelids and stirred another part of me that wasn’t sluggish in the least. It had been too long since I’d bedded a woman, and every single one I chose to prepare me for Calista and reminded me of her in some way or another. If I’d had my way, I would have waited, but she didn’t. I was confident when we’d made our bargain, she would be too afraid to act on her desires out of fear she would become pregnant. Then I would come for her, and we would finally be together, each of us the other’s only partner. How disillusioned I was.
My eyes flicked open and stared at the stone ceiling as I shuffled through all the faces of the men who touched, kissed, tasted… fucked… her. I gritted my teeth and pressed her tighter to my side. Her knee brushed my erection, and I quivered with the oddest mix of carnal rage and lust. If Calista continued doing that, I’d roll her over and bury myself inside her until I erased the names and faces of all who came before me. I smirked. I planned to do that anyway.
Not becoming a goblin seemed to be her biggest concern at the moment. Calista’s lack of knowledge of the labyrinth would work well in my favor moving forward. However, hindsight was what concerned me—when she learns the truth and the rules of the realm. I needed to find a way to make the decision her own. I will handle the ramifications of my previous actions later.
A light tap on the door was a stark reminder of the duties I pushed aside while tending to her the last several days. Mergle had kept me updated on the search for the soon-to-be-slaughtered redcap and the continued hunt for the pixie. Although he insisted that I join the futile search and allow one of the maids to sit with Calista, I couldn’t bring myself to leave her side in case she took a turn, or he attempted to finish the job while I was gone. Now that she was conscious, I needed to return to my brethren and lead them in finding answers.
Sleeping had renewed my energy and replenished my magic to an extent. It would take several more sleeps before I would be back to full capacity. Continuously using my magic on Calista to help her heal and grow stronger nearly incapacitated me. I feared what would have happened to me and the realm had I emptied myself entirely. I glanced down at her, listening to her light snores, and knew I would’ve done it, regardless of the outcome.
The tapping started again; this time, it was more persistent. I sighed, cradled Calista to me, giving her luscious bottom one more squeeze, and kissed the top of her head. She hummed and rubbed against me in a way I’d only ever dreamt of. It took some maneuvering to get out from under her without waking her, but when I did, she rolled to her other side. The flush of the fever was finally gone from her cheeks. I straightened the blanket, then went to the door.
“How is she?” Mergle whispered, peeking around my leg.
I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent the scowl forming on my face and moved to block his view, cracking the door behind me. “She will be back to her usual defiant self soon.”
“Wonderful news.” He fidgeted. Mergle was not one to fidget. “Will you be joining us today?”
“I will.” I cocked my head. “You have news?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
I glanced down at my stained clothes from Calista’s last bout of vomiting. “Wait here. I will dress.”
Mergle stepped to the side and stood at attention by the door while I quickly readied myself. A bath would have to wait. As I dressed, I watched Calista’s eyes flutter and quieted my movements until they stopped. I gave her one final kiss on the head and joined Mergle in the hall, opening a portal that we took to the throne room.
The moment we stepped foot inside, I went to my throne and said, “Inform me of what you’ve found.”
“Some of our brethren came forward when they learned of our future queen’s plight. They feared retribution from the redcap, but knowing Calista was on her dea—” Mergle stopped when I glowered at him. “When they heard she was very ill, they feared you more.”
The chair creaked beneath my hands as they squeezed the armrests. “As they should.”
“Pearce.”
Shocked, I repeated him. “Pearce! They must be mistaken.”
“No, Your Highness. Several witnesses were next to him. And one swears Calista’s claim was accurate. There was a pixie in the jar.”
Not only did one of my personal guards attempt to steal the pendant, almost killing my beloved in the process, he hid pixies from me. For what use? To what end? We had to find him and learn what knowledge he had been hiding.
“You know what this means?”
Mergle nodded. “The pixies are immune to our greatest weapon. We have to find him.”
I couldn’t leave Calista alone with Pearce on the loose. “Where is Jessandra now?”
“Hunting. She is furious this happened on her watch and is determined to bring back his head.”
“I will deal with her later. As for now, she must return and guard Calista if we are to bring Pearce back to answer for his crimes.”
Mergle went to the door to instruct a group of goblins to send word for Jessandra’s return.
As he came back, I said, “We will await her arrival. I will not entrust Calista’s safety to the staff.”
“There is one more thing,” Mergle said.
“What?” I growled.
“Last night, an influx of pixies were spotted darting around the realm.”
I pushed to my feet and picked him up by the front of his shirt. “You’re just now telling me this?”
He winced. “I tried to wake you. You were dead to the realm. I’d never seen you sleep so heavily.”
I dropped him to his feet where he wobbled and nearly toppled over. “Frack!” I bellowed, running a rough hand through my hair. “This cannot wait.”
“No. The toxins are still working their way out of Calista. She will sleep most of the day. We must go.”
Mergle was right. Her human body would take longer to recoup. Sleep was a necessity and a side effect that aided in purging the poison. She may have seemed lucid and healthier last night, but it wasn’t done wreaking havoc. The room was warded. She would be fine until I returned.
I spun a portal and retrieved my weapon from the back of my throne. “Make haste. I must return quickly.”
Our brethren shivered when we appeared in the north end of the labyrinth in front of them, the portal whipping up a gust that made their cloaks billow out behind them. They clutched the fabric to them and dropped to a knee. Ever since Calista appeared in my tapestry, sections of the labyrinth began to morph. They had become more Earth-like as I aged, with changing climates and weather I only experienced when I visited her realm. The northern pathways were colder, spotted with snow and ice. Very few goblins called this area their home anymore. Most of them found it uninhabitable and relocated or now lived in the thickening circle surrounding the castle.
A plume of fog formed in the air as I spoke. “Rise.”
They shuffled to their feet and brushed the snow from their breeches. It was colder here since I last visited before Calista’s recent return. The only explanation I could drum up was my magic being with her for so long that the two realms were now stitched together and blending.
Mergle stepped forward. “We are looking for Pearce.”
One of the goblins lowered his hood, revealing one of my playmates from childhood.
“Thacher.” I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing him in ages.
“Sire.” He inclined his head. That dreadful reminder that we were no longer equals of sorts. “We have not seen Pearce for some time. I would be more than happy to relay a message if we encounter him.”
“That won’t be necessary. If you see him, do not let him know we were asking.”
He bowed. “Yes, sire.”
“Have you encountered any pixies?” Mergle asked.
Thacher shook his head. “Not here, but in the East. We tried to capture them to bring them to you, but they were too fast and flew over our heads.”
“Carry on.”
The group clambered away, tightening their cloaks around their tiny bodies. I wondered what they were doing in this frozen waste of land. Probably hunting one of the beasts for dinner. That sounded like a fun way to exert some pent-up frustration when all was said and done and add another skull to my collection.
“How are you feeling?” Mergle asked as we walked the pathways. He breathed into his calloused palms and rubbed them together.
My lip quirked up when I thought about Calista’s description the night before. “Like I drank a gallon of booze.”
“Eh?” Mergle glanced up at me and went to say something when I heard it.
“Shh!” I held my hand out silencing him.
A faint buzzing tickled my ears on the breeze. I angled my head to determine which way it came from. The east, precisely as Thacher had said. I pointed and Mergle followed, our soft leather boots barely making any noise in the thin remnant of snow.
We crossed onto another path through an opening in the wall, entering a warmer section of the labyrinth and thawing out. My clothes dampened from the melting snow and clung to me. The buzzing intensified, and I homed in on its whereabouts. Ahead of us, in a cluster of bloodsuckles, several pixies flitted about. The vines extended, dancing about in front of them as if entranced, but didn’t attempt to eat them. This was swiftly becoming curiouser and curiouser.
My energy levels were still low. Portaling reduced them greatly, and we still needed to return quickly. I could reserve some energy by shadow walking and sneak alongside them. I could only grab two, though. The other three would immediately flee.
Mergle remained statuesque as I drew the shadows to me with aching slowness. The moment they covered me from head to toe, I made my move. In the blink of an eye, I stood behind them. This was a first. Usually, the pixies were alone. I watched them to determine what they were here for, maybe hear them speak to one another and learn how they communicate, but all I heard was their incessant buzzing. It was almost tune-like with each one playing a different chord, and it vibrated in my ears, nearly driving me mad.
I broke from the shadows, snatching the two nearest me from the air. The vines drooped when their buzzing stopped. They shook as the lingering effects wore off then stretched taught, their teeth gnashing in search of their next meal. The other pixies took to the sky, and more joined them from other corridors. I watched from above as they spun a circle over my head. I could feel the magic building before I could see it. The hairs on my body tingled and rose above my skin.
“Roth!”
My head snapped in Mergle’s direction as a sheer bubble formed around me.
One after the other, the pixies dropped from the sky and bobbed up and down as they circled. Energy pricked the skin through my glove when I neared its perimeter. This was beyond my experience.
I raised the pixies to eye level. Terror and satisfaction filled their expressions. “What happens if I breach the ward?”
They remained silent, except for the tips of their wings trying to flutter.
“Why are you here!”
They fluttered harder.
“What do you want from us?” I seethed. Still nothing. My attention went to the pixies outside the ward. Orbs formed in my palms, encasing the two I captured. “Release me. We will discuss why you are here, and I will set them free.” I had no intention of allowing them to remain free if I didn’t like their response. I tossed them up and down awaiting their reaction. They didn’t like it in the slightest.
The bubble brightened, energy crackled along the membrane, and they came together on the outside touching the spot in front of me. It caused a ripple effect that ebbed along the surface. White light blazed around me and almost brought me to my knees. I pulled back my arm and launched the orb at them. Simultaneously, the orb incinerated on impact and the ward burst, sending a wave of energy in all directions. I fell back on the sandy bricks as the pixie exploded into a mist of fine pink dust. I covered my face with the neck of my shirt, uncertain if they were as toxic as the pollen of the Bluebell.
The other pixies were gone, save the one clutched against my chest.
“Astaroth!” Mergle skidded to a halt at my hip and looked me over. “Are you alright?”
I pushed myself up and gauged my reflexes. Whatever it was those damn pixies did, it replenished me. I felt more alive and stronger than I ever had before.
The pixie watched me as I hung it from a vine. It beat on the orb, its wings blurring here and there as they moved.
“You had your chance,” I said, then turned to Mergle. “We will catch them. Every last one of them.”