CHAPTER 37
Erik wasn’t lying when he said he rode fast. Dawn was just peeking its head over the horizon by the time we’d reached the stables and acquired two horses. After that, it’d taken us less than an hour to follow the hoof marks through the woods and reach the outskirts of the goblin camp. But once we were actually there, peering out from behind a shrub as the familiar view of lopsided tents and rushed campfires stood before me, a gnawing feeling of worry nipped at my heels.
Despite the four pouches of Aethernite and sulphur that hung from my hips, I only had one chance to get this right. One chance to convince the goblins that I actually had immense power. One chance to prove to them that I wouldn’t hesitate to fill their entire camp with noxious smog unless they return to whatever disgusting mountain crevice they’d crawled out from. And of course, I knew it was an ambitious plan, but I had to try. Only I’d forgotten just how many goblins there were that scurried around the camp, and how easily their horrible little claws had pierced my skin…
“So, what now, Princess?” Erik spoke under his breath whilst kneeling beside me. Somehow he was still scowling – he hadn’t stopped since the moment we’d left Raena in the tower. I was tempted to order him to return to her just so I had a break from his glares.
“Now, I have to run in there,” I jabbed my finger towards the camp, keeping my voice low, “pretend I’m a faery, create a huge distraction with my smoke, and then hope that wherever Lukas is, he’s already found the King and Queen so he can get them out of here without getting caught.”
Erik raised an eyebrow. “I thought the plan was that I delivered you to the prince and then I went home?”
“That was your plan.” I said, my scowl matching his. “My plan is this.”
“Your plan is ridiculous,” he scoffed. “So what if they’re scared of a bit of fog. There’s hundreds of them, if not thousands. You go in there, you die.”
“I suppose we’ll see, won’t we.” I flashed him a grin, trying my best to mask my thundering heartbeat. “If something goes wrong, don’t be afraid to run back to Raena. She needs you more than I do.”
Erik blinked several times as if he didn’t recognise the girl staring back at him. Honestly, I couldn’t blame his reaction, as neither did I. The plan was completely reckless, completely unlike me. I was careful, cautious – sometimes a little too cautious – and yet, at that moment, I felt brave enough to run through a raging fire. When Lukas left early that morning, something deep in my chest shattered. And now all I could see was him dead, bleeding out, and the very thought made me want to scream into my pillow. So I had to help. Even if it was ridiculous and reckless.
“Wish me luck.” I shot Erik a wink as I leapt up from the hedges.
Thankfully, he didn’t try to stop me.
“GOBLINS!” I bellowed at the top of my lungs, shoving through the shrubs to march into the camp. Instantly, the dozen goblins that were babbling around the campfire all spun their little green heads towards me.
“O’oman?” A few of them hissed out. But their expressions were blank, as if they had no idea what to make of this bizarre woman who’d just strolled so confidently into a den of beasts.
“You’ve taken something from me!” I started, shooting my hand high into the air. The moment I had their attention, I began chanting something nonsensical and waving my hand in mysterious, completely made-up patterns. In hindsight, I really should’ve done a bit more research into what casting a spell actually looked like – if Arenn had seen me then, he’d probably take offence. Still, this whole thing was a distraction, something for them to gawk at while my other hand subtly emptied out two leather pouches onto the forest floor.
“O’oman no use magic!” One of the goblins jerked his spindly finger at my insane dance, but I could see him trembling slightly. This was going to work, it had to.
My hand hovered over the waterskin that hung from my belt. Any second now, there’ll be chaos.
“You are all foolish goblins!” I roared, continuing my performance. “Now you will feel my wrath!”
Then, I poured the water. A huge violet flame exploded from the ground, reaching almost as high as the treeline; even I jumped back in surprise at the sheer scale of it. Though, the small jolt of panic that I felt was nothing compared to the sudden terror that overwhelmed the camp. Goblins leapt from their log seats, squealing and yelping in fear.
“A fae! A fae!” one screamed. Another tumbled to the ground after bumping into five other panicking goblins. It was pure chaos, and thankfully, exactly what I’d hoped for. Squealing, they plunged in and out of their tents, gathering their belongings and the hands of other goblins to whisk them away from the danger. A few brave souls even dared to scamper off further into the camp, to warn their goblin friends of their impending doom.
Soon, glowing smoke began to billow out from the dying flame. Just like in my bedchamber, it roamed around the camp, swirling in tendrils of ghastly purple and ominous green. Any goblins that had remained either collapsed to the ground in fear or found their courage and darted off into the woods. Terrified screams sounded off in the distance as word quickly spread around the entire camp. If they were smart, they’d send a swarm of goblin soldiers to overwhelm me, but they weren’t smart – they were goblins. And this was just science.
I steadied my racing breath as only myself and the smog remained in this corner of the camp. A part of me couldn’t believe it’d actually worked. Although I knew I’d still need to march further in and do it all over again if I wanted this to be a proper distraction.
Swallowing down any residual fear, I pushed my way through the smog and wandered deeper into the goblin camp. Eventually, I’d find another good clearing – somewhere where they could all see my ‘power’. I couldn’t help the nervous chuckle that flew out of me as I walked. Now that the fear had faded from my rocking stomach, this could almost be considered fun. The Ancients know that the little beasts deserve it.
“Naria?”
My chest tightened. I recognised the voice, but it wasn’t Lukas’s. This voice was soft, like a little bell. Turning around, a feminine figure stood before me. Long, slightly curled blonde hair and a pinched nose sat in the centre of her pale, delicate face. The long sea blue robe that covered her shoulders was edged in purple ribbon, and with her familiar blue hood resting on her head, she looked no different to how she’d appeared when I saw her last in the forbidden library.
“Seraphina?” I breathed, relief flooding through me. “Oh, thank goodness! I’m looking for Lukas. Do you know where he is? Is he alright? Are you alright?” The desperate questions spilled out of my mouth faster than fifty galloping horses. “Sorry,” I blurted out, “I just… I need to know that he’s safe.”
Seraphina tilted her head. “The prince is fine.” Her tone was calm as ever, despite our strange situation. “I’m more confused as to why you’re here, and why the goblins are screaming that there’s a faery who’s terrorising the camp.” She narrowed her sharp eyes. “You didn’t tell me you could use magic.”
“Oh, I can’t,” I laughed, but for some reason, it came out as more of a nervous giggle. “I combined Aethernite and sulphur to make the smog. It’s science, not magic at all.”
My knees trembled. This was strange, and I knew I should be feeling relaxed by now. If Seraphina was there, that would mean that Lukas and his fellow soldiers were nearby and they could use my distraction to escape the camp. But oddly, there was no sign of him or any soldiers, and for some reason, all the fear had returned to my stomach.
“You should go home, Naria,” she cautioned, glancing around nervously. “Or take a horse to the willow and hide with the faeries, at least until this all settles over. It’s not safe here, and this isn’t your fight.”
Confusion tugged at my brow. “What? Why would you say that? I need to help Lukas. Didn’t you hear? Someone has sent his armies away? Drothmore is probably hours away from an invasion. I can’t just hide until this all finishes. There might not be a kingdom to go back to!”
“And the realm would be much better for it.” There was a quiet seething anger in her tone. Her annoyance caught me completely off guard, but before I had a chance to question it, she continued in a droning voice, “You’re right though… Or at least you were. In a few hours, there would have been an invasion on Drothmore, although now that will have to be postponed until tomorrow morning at least, considering the goblins will need to be rounded up again. Such pesky skittish things.” A frustrated sigh escaped her lips.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded, heartbeat quickening. “You’re the King’s healer.”
Her gaze snapped to mine. “That man is no king. He’s barely even a man.” The words were dripping in such intense venom that it made me flinch, but the second she noticed me bristling, her tone softened. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be angry at you. Corlixir is just as much a victim as the rest of us. And you… you’ve suffered just as much as I have, if not more.” She paused, then something like determination blazed across her features. “But mark my words, Princess, once Drothmore has fallen, I will make sure the last thing that disgusting man sees is his kingdom in ruins before we drag a knife through his coal heart, together.”
Seraphina was insane. That was the only possible explanation for all this. Maybe finding a cure for the King’s curse had driven her to the point of madness? Or maybe something dark and twisted had crept out from these woods and slowly consumed her instead. Either way, I wasn’t safe there anymore.
Gulping down any fear, I spoke in the calmest voice I could muster, “Thank you for finding me. This has been an… enlightening conversation, but I think I’ll be on my way now.” My lips forced themselves into an uncomfortable smile. “Though before I go, I really would like to check on Lukas. Do you happen to know where he is?”
Find Lukas. Warn him about the crazed healer. We both run back to Drothmore.That was the new plan.
Seraphina rolled her eyes. “I told you before, the prince is fine. I’m keeping him safe.”
“What do you mean – keeping him safe?” Fear rose to my throat, making my voice tremble. “Where is he, Seraphina?”
If she or her goblin ‘friends’ had hurt him…
Ignoring my question, she grunted and twisted her body away, moving to pace around the forest clearing. “Arenn will be furious… You being here wasn’t at all part of the plan.”
“What plan?” I asked nervously.
Seraphina huffed. “Well, while the goblins were swarming the Steel Palace, he was going to swoop in, find you cowering away in your bedchamber, and rescue you himself, all while fighting off a horde of angry goblins. He claimed it would be sure to make you fall in love with him at once. I said it was a ridiculous idea. If I’d known my father had raised such a dramatic son, I would’ve thought twice about coming home.”
My head was spinning. What was she talking about? I’ll admit the idea did sound like something Prince Arenn would come up with… But Seraphina was human, undeniably so. Her ears were round, her cheekbones were flat, and while her nose was a little sharp, she was clearly still completely, undeniably human.
“King Bevan can’t be your father,” I told her. “You’re not a faery.”
Seraphina took a step towards me. “I’m afraid I haven’t been completely honest with you, Naria,” she confessed as her small hands reached up to remove her hood. The moment the fabric slipped away from her head, so did any belief I held that she was actually just an insane human.
First, her ears grew to be long and pointed. Then, the softness of her face hardened into typical faery-like features, her jawline sharpening and her cheekbones becoming more pronounced. Even her eyes, once a pale blue, shifted to a more intense shade of sapphire. By the time the hood had been fully pulled back, any blonde in her long hair had completely faded away as her curls cascaded past her narrow shoulders in unnatural hues of lilac, green, and blue. There was something else too, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It was clear now that she was fae, but there was an unusual shimmer to her pale, creamy skin, and I could’ve sworn I saw a few scales on her neck before she swished an emerald lock over them.
“It’s such a relief to remove a glamour,” she sighed, tilting her sharp chin up to the sky. “I made it easier on myself by enchanting the hood, but still, it’s like taking off a tight gown after a long night of dancing. So freeing.”
After all this time, the King who hated faeries was being treated by one. My mouth fell open. So many thoughts were swirling in my mind.
“So it was you who cursed the King then?”
“Clever girl,” Seraphina chuckled.
“Why?” I asked breathlessly.
“All your questions will be answered in time, dear Naria.” She smiled, excitement brimming on her lips. “For now, I believe your fiancé has come to rescue you. Of course, it’s not exactly how he planned, but he’ll have to take what he can get.”
“What? Lukas is here?”
Seraphina chuckled again. “Your other fiancé.”
Any flicker of hope in my heart was immediately snuffed out by her tinkling laughter and the sound of dry leaves being crunched under someone’s boots behind me.
“Hello again, little human.”