CHAPTER 30
It hadn’t been easy to get away from there. After I’d collapsed, Luminessia erupted into a frenzy of panic. Everyone was concerned for the safety of the crown prince’s new bride, and although I’d been unconscious for mere seconds, Arenn had insisted on personally escorting me to the infirmary. Thankfully, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the second I was left alone, I darted out of the unguarded entrance and barreled out of the palace.
I needed time to think. I needed time away from all of this. Besides, surely Raena would know what to do. Together, we’d fix this.
Surely.
Loyal Theo was exactly where I’d left him, standing outside the entrance gates to the faery kingdom. Concern flashed across his features as he noticed me approaching, though his reaction was hardly surprising. After running all the way from the palace, my breathing was ragged and my pink cheeks dripped with sweat.
“Princess?” he muttered. “What happened to you?”
I was in no mood for stories.
“Please take me home, Theo. I want to go now.” Desperate tears were blurring my vision, but I swiped them aside.
“Of course.” He nodded. Theo wasn’t nosy. Or at least he knew when to not ask questions. Either way, thanks to his calm demeanour, I was able to hold it together as he led the way back to the spiral staircase, with me stumbling closely behind.
Outside, the cool air hit me like a calming wave, along with a welcome sprinkling of light rain. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky when we’d left, but after such a long night, I didn’t mind the drizzle. Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes and let the rain rinse the sweat from my face. Perhaps if I stood there long enough, it might wash away all the mistakes of the evening too, although I doubted the crystals embedded in my arm could be flushed out with a few drops of rainwater.
Beside me, Theo stiffened as he cursed something obscene under his breath. I’ll admit the chosen curse was a bit of an overreaction to the change in weather, but I assumed he just didn’t like getting wet.
It was only when he hissed my name in a panicked tone that I tilted my chin down and blinked the rain from my eyes. Then, the curse that flew from my lips was equally obscene.
“Prince Lukas and Lady Raena,” Theo said, bowing deeply. Suddenly, running back to my wicked faery prince didn’t seem like such a bad idea.
Just beyond the forest clearing, leaning against a tree with his arms folded, was my beloved fiancé. A thick cloak of green covered his shoulders, while his dark wavy hair stuck to his face, dripping with rainwater. He was completely soaked, but I doubted that was the reason for his stormy expression. Beside him, Raena trembled as she sniffled into her sleeve. When she noticed us approaching, her body shook with violent sobs.
“I’m so sorry, Naria!” she squeaked. “I tried to hide! When I heard he was searching for us, I hid in the library. But then he found me, and I couldn’t lie to him. He’s the Crown Prince! I’m so sorry! If you never forgive me, I’ll understand, please I—” Choking sobs overcame her and she fell to her knees.
My heart crumbled, and I almost sank with her. This was all my fault.
“Oh Raena.” I rushed over, throwing myself down to where she’d fallen. “Please don’t cry, you’ve done nothing wrong. This was all me!” I cupped her cheek, wiping away some of the wet mud that had dirtied her face. “It’s me who should be asking for your forgiveness. I never should’ve brought you into all this madness. If either you or Theo get punished because of me, I’ll—”
“Enough with this pitiful behaviour. No one is being punished.” Lukas’s cold voice sliced between us. He was so silent, I’d almost forgotten he was there. “Now get up, both of you.”
Hesitantly, Raena rose from the ground, and I soon followed. The mud had stained her skirts in a filthy brown hue, but for once, the dirt didn’t seem to bother her.
“Theo, escort Lady Raena back to the palace,” Lukas ordered with a scowl, “and see to it that she gets a bath. We’ve been waiting here a while, and I’d rather not be responsible for someone catching their death.”
“Of course, Your Highness.” Theo didn’t spare a moment before whisking Raena away. She tried to protest at first, but one stern look from Lukas sent her scurrying off to the horses.
Soon enough, the sound of galloping hooves faded into the distance, leaving just the furious prince and me alone amongst the trees. Though ‘furious’ wouldn’t even begin to describe the hurricane of anger sweeping across his face.
“I cannot believe what you’ve done.” He spoke first, each word thick with disdain. “Do you even understand the consequences of your actions? You have deliberately defied the orders of your king. You—”
“Your father is not my king,” I spat, already tired of this conversation. “I am the Princess of Corlixir, I answer only to myself.”
“You are a guest of his palace. You owe him,” he seethed as thunder rumbled in the distance. “He built the damned village your people live in! And now you conspire with his enemies – the fae. Of all the beasts in this world, Naria… Why them?”
“You left me with no choice.”
“You cannot blame this on me!”
“Can’t I?” The clouds above us darkened as rain began pouring down in buckets, soaking me to the bone. “If you’d just agreed that you’d help me with my kingdom, then I never would’ve come here. My people need a home, a permanent one! They can’t live in the woods forever, relying on food deliveries sent by Drothmore. What about when your father dies, hmm? Will that food stop? Will they starve because you do not care for them? I won’t let that happen. Ever. So yes, I visited the fae. Only to try and strike up some kind of alliance between us. And when they offered to help, you cannot blame me for accepting it.”
“You are a fool to trust them.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But I’ve heard the stories. I know that my parents were once allied with them. Am I really a fool for wanting to rebuild that connection?”
Lukas shook his head. “You really don’t know, do you?” The rain had lightened slightly, so I could just about make out his perplexed features. “I can’t believe my father never told you.”
“What are you talking about?” I huffed.
The prince paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. “Naria, you know that the fae…” His jaw tensed. “They were the reason for the Great Blaze. My father never hid the truth from me. It wasn’t an accident. It was them. They started the fire.”
The rain had stopped, but it was as though my ears were still full of water.
“What?” I could barely hear myself over the pounding of my heart.
“You heard me,” he snapped back. “It was the fae. I don’t know why they did it, only they know that. But I do know that they are the reason your parents are dead. So please, listen to me when I say you cannot trust them to help you.”
“No… You’re wrong…” Desperate confusion poured over my soaked face. “That doesn’t make any sense. You’re lying to me!”
“I’m not! I’ll swear to you, I swear on the Forges that I’m telling the truth,” Lukas insisted. “The faeries are liars; they always have been. Why do you think they’re stuck out here, forced to live underground, away from everyone else? After the Great Blaze, the rulers effectively banished them from the human kingdoms. The only reason this was all kept quiet from the people was because otherwise there would be a war. But that fire…” He blinked, straightening his shoulders. “I don’t know what the faeries have told you, but it was no accident. The fae killed your parents, Naria. Your kingdom is dead because of them, and now you run straight into their prison expecting them to help you?” He shook his head, laughing cruelly while my stomach sank to the forest floor.
His words seemed so sincere, but he had to be wrong. This couldn’t be true. Why would the fae be so willing to help my cause if they are the reason my kingdom doesn’t exist? Why would Arenn propose? A pounding headache threatened to overwhelm me as I tried to understand any of this at all.
“Listen to me, Naria. Come back to the palace, and I’ll take you to my father. I’m sure he’ll tell you himself. He can give you more information than he gave me.” He stepped closer, his hands squeezing my shoulders. “Just please, promise me that you won’t go back to the fae. They’re dangerous and you can’t trust them.” His voice wavered. “Please… please promise me that you won’t visit them again.”
Something lodged in my throat as his gaze searched mine. My thoughts were a swirling mess, but for some reason, when he looked at me like that, I had the strangest feeling that everything would be okay.
“I—” My breath caught. A sudden rustling stole my attention. “Wait… Did you hear that?”
Lukas tilted his head. “What?”
The rustling sounded again. This time it sounded like small footsteps, and they were closer. Much closer.
“That!” I hissed. Something – or someone – was definitely out there.
“I hear it too,” he whispered. Slowly, he lowered his hand to the sword sheathed at his belt. “Get behind me.”
In one smooth movement, Lukas spun away, tucking me safely behind his tall frame as he drew his sword. Now that the clouds had cleared, the metal blade glinted in the moonlight as he turned it naturally in his hands.
“I know you’re there!” he called out in a strong voice. “Come out now, and I give you my word that I won’t harm you.”
The footsteps quickened, drawing closer every second until suddenly, they stopped. All I could hear was our combined heavy breathing and the faint whisper of the wind in the trees. Except, when the whisper morphed into a cackle, I realised it wasn’t the wind at all.
Just then, a tiny figure darted out from the bushes and raced towards us. Its quick pace was a blur of movement, almost graceful, until it tripped on a twig and landed face-down in the dirt.
At first, I thought it might’ve been a child – a very peculiar green-skinned child. But when it scrambled to its feet and snarled, revealing a row of pointed yellow teeth, instead of feeling scared, I found myself gasping in bewilderment. Old rags covered the strange creature’s body, and although its petite arms seemed to be packed with muscle, the fact that he was barely two feet tall made it difficult to feel intimidated.
“What is a goblin doing this far from the mountains?” Lukas wondered out loud.
“That’s a goblin?” I’d never seen one before, only ever heard about them in history lessons.
The creature snarled again. “Ekka woo naga, o’oman!” In his hand, he held a sharpened stick and waved it around menacingly, as though warning us back.
“Woah there, calm down.” Lukas lowered his sword and raised his free hand. “It’s alright. We won’t hurt you.”
“Is it dangerous?” My fingers tightened around his sleeve.
Lukas shook his head with a soft chuckle. “Look at him. Even if I didn’t have a sword, he’d be no threat.”
Letting out a sigh of relief, I peered down at the snarling goblin from behind Lukas’s arm. He was right. This creature was no threat. A swift kick would send him flying into the trees.
Not that I would condone that sort of behaviour. He was harmless, after all.
“Let’s go home,” Lukas said, sheathing his sword. But the moment he did, more rustling sounded from the trees. Then, a dozen more footsteps followed by at least twenty cackles. Before we knew it, strange green creatures were popping out from every bush and swinging down from the tree branches above us.
“Stay behind me!” Lukas growled, holding me back. Whipping my head around, there were green-skinned creatures everywhere I looked. One goblin might be harmless, but what about thirty?
“Still no threat? Wumbah o’oman!” A goblin to our left howled, shaking his staff high in the air. The rest of the mob erupted into roaring cheers of stamping feet and high-pitched screeches.
As their cheering settled, the original goblin prowled closer, jabbing his stick towards us. “You come with us!”
“We’re not going anywhere with you,” Lukas snapped, keeping me tucked behind him.
“Wumbah o’oman,” the original goblin snarled. “You no come with us, we use grobba-bacci!” At those words, the mob turned into a wild frenzy.
I screamed as a goblin leapt onto me, his tiny claws piercing my skin as he scampered up my body. When I shoved him off, another two jumped onto my shoulders, yanking my hair. Even Lukas was struggling as I noticed five goblins clambering up his cloak.
I yelped again when a goblin with a particularly crooked nose jumped up to my face, gripping me by my hair. I tried to swat him off, but two other goblins were swinging from my arms. All I could do was watch as the crooked-nosed beast scooped some grey powder from a pouch, then brought his hand to his face. With a vicious smile, he blew. Hard. A thick puff of grey powder hit my cheeks as my chest broke into a coughing fit. When I could finally breathe, my eyes fluttered open. But for some reason, all I could see were stars and the goblin at my face seeming to shrink further and further away.
“Night night, o’oman,” he cackled.
And then, there was nothing.