19. Kit Returning to the Hunt
Kit: Returning to the Hunt
Several weeks passed, but not much changed.
Nelle spent most of her time in the library, looking for the transfiguration magic on which she might have based the spell she’d cast on Kit.
At first, he’d been hopeful. After all, he’d only found a few books on transfiguration magic, so she would have been able to get through them quickly.
However, he quickly realized that the books would not be much help. “I’m sorry,” Nelle wailed one morning over breakfast. “I’ve found several new spells that I’m eager to learn, but I have found no spells that came anywhere close to helping us.”
“How come?” Kit asked, before taking a bite of the fluffy omelet she’d made that morning. “How hard is it to find one spell?”
“Extremely hard,” Kemma said, giving him a dirty look. “Most of the books recommend against using transfiguration magic on living creatures, which meant that they have nothing to offer us.”
Nelle nodded. “Apparently, the magic I used is illegal in five of the seven kingdoms. And the only reason it’s not illegal in Zaffyre is that apparently there have been no transfiguration spellcasters living there for almost three centuries.”
“What other kingdom is it not illegal in?” Kit wondered.
Kemma and Nelle shared a glance. “Coleur,” the sorceress said after a moment’s hesitation. “No magic type is illegal in Coleur.”
Kit nodded after thinking about this new information. “Well…that would make sense.”
Nelle put her head down on the table. “Maybe I should just go ask the Cracked Mirror how to break that spell.”
“No.” Kemma and Kit spoke the word as one. After sharing a look of surprise, Kit continued, “If its magic is as dark as Kemma thinks it is, then asking for its help might be dangerous. It could require a price you’re not ready to pay.”
Nelle objected, “But if it helps us break your spell?—”
“It’s not worth it,” Kit insisted, pushing back from the table, leaving his food uneaten.
Nelle and Kemma stared at him. “What’s wrong?” the sorceress asked softly.
“Nothing,” Kit growled. “I’m going to look for more clues about where to find Robin. I’ll be back late.” With those words, he stormed out of the castle.
Since Nelle’s arrival, he left most days to search for clues about his brother’s whereabouts. Every day Robin was missing was another day that pricked at his heart. Where was his little brother?
High in the trees, Ember’s haunting call floated down to him. Kit smiled, despite his irritation, and lifted his arm. Immediately, the phoenix swooped down and perched on it, preening a little as he did so.
“Good boy,” Kit murmured, rubbing his index finger along the bird’s bright plumage. “Are you going to keep me company during my search again today?”
Ember trilled and moved to his shoulder, and, once he was certain the bird had settled, Kit forged into the woods.
Once he was out of sight of the castle, Kit closed his eyes and murmured a tracking spell.
It was a new spell that Nelle had discovered while she was searching through her books, so he wasn’t sure what to expect.
For a moment, he regretted he had nothing of Robin’s—according to Nelle’s book, it would have been stronger if he’d had something—but there was nothing he could do.
There was no way to sneak into the Hopkan palace to steal something that belonged to the younger prince, and there was little chance that he’d get through the first round of guards at the Sherwood Company’s camp.
For a second, nothing happened, and Kit was afraid he’d made a mistake with the spell.
Then, suddenly, a golden ball of magic appeared in his palm and throbbed with slow, pulsing beats of energy.
The pulsation felt familiar, like the embodiment of a friendly smile.
But, he reflected as he familiarized himself with the feeling, he was certain he should have gotten more of a reaction.
The beat was weak, almost nonexistent. It was almost like some magic was hiding the prince from Kit’s spell.
Which was possible, he admitted. From the few times Nelle had slipped under her mother’s control over the past few weeks, he was certain Queen Snow White had Robin, and if she could control her daughter from such a long distance, her magic had to be extremely powerful.
It wouldn’t be difficult for her to hide Robin from his tracking spells.
“Well, time to stop wasting time,” Kit muttered to Ember, who gave another mournful trill. “Let’s follow the signal.”
Kit trekked through the force, the pulse in his hand getting minimally stronger as he walked.
As he went deeper into the forest, he kept his eyes on the ground, searching for any sign that Robin had been in the area.
Not that he was expecting there to be. It had been almost a month since the young prince had gone missing, and, between animal tracks and storms, almost any evidence that his brother might have left behind was certain to be gone by now.
Suddenly, the magic in his hand gave a strong pulse, a clear sign Robin was or had been nearby.
Kit’s eyes widened. “Did you feel that, Ember?” he murmured.
Ember trilled in his ear. Kit gave a grim smile.
“We’re getting somewhere.” He murmured the tracking spell again and let the magic guide him toward a small opening in the hillside.
Kit frowned. “How long has that been there?” Slowly, he stepped closer to the opening and peered inside. From what he could see, it was a small cave, but he couldn’t see how deep it went. Even with his dragon-sharpened eyesight, he couldn’t see more than a few feet into the darkness.
He glanced at Ember. “What do you think, Em? Should we go inside?”
The phoenix cooed and took flight, abandoning Kit to the cave’s embrace.
Kit blinked in surprise. Since Nelle had arrived, Ember had been his companion on all of his treks through the forest. He hadn’t left his side once, so why had the phoenix suddenly abandoned him?
Kit shuddered, and, for a second, he considered turning back. But, as he contemplated that option, he immediately rejected it. This was one of the few leads he’d found in his search for his brother. He couldn’t turn back now.
When he took the first step into the cave, he felt a ripple of fear pass through him as the temperature suddenly dropped, the way it did when Queen Snow White took over Nelle’s body.
The smell of chemicals and rot invaded Kit’s nostrils, and he paused as he struggled to steel himself against it.
He swallowed hard, not sure what he was about to see.
The magic ball in his hand pulsed again, comforting him despite his anxiousness. Instinctively, he squeezed the ball, and it sent a jolt of pleasure through him while also brightening his surroundings. He took a deep breath and continued further into the cave.
Shadows danced along the ceiling as he walked. Kit’s heart pounded in his chest, but he shook his head. Stop jumping at shadows, Christopher, he told himself sternly. There’s no one in here but you.
Suddenly, somewhere deeper in the cave, something clattered against the stone. Kit cursed aloud and demanded, “Who’s there?” Unearthly silence answered him.
He swallowed hard and took another tentative step forward, where he tripped on something in the darkness. He stumbled, struggling to regain his balance, and slipped on a thin sheen of ice. Then, he fell hard onto the cold, hard stone. The golden ball of magic in his hand flickered and went out.
What the — Kit felt along the stone floor of the cave, trying to figure out what he’d tripped on.
His hand connected with something long and slim.
As his fingers curled around it, an eerie laugh echoed from the deepest part of the cavern.
“What did you find in the dark, princeling? Did you find a souvenir of your precious brother?”
Kit’s heartbeat hammered in his ears. “Who’s there?
” It wasn’t Queen Snow White, he was certain.
The queen’s voice had been soft and seductive, as if she were calculating just how to snare her prey.
This voice boomed with authority, reminding him faintly of thunder.
He was certain he’d never heard it before, yet it was captivatingly familiar.
“Just a memory, little prince. Not to worry, I can’t hurt you.” The unseen speaker cackled. “Tell me, how did you like the spell we made for you?”
Kit’s eyes widened. “What do you mean, ‘the spell you made for me?’ Who is ‘we?’”
“Uh-uh, that would be telling,” the speaker said, releasing another unearthly cackle. “Rest assured, though, you already know the answer, even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself.”
“What are you talking about? Stop speaking in riddles.” Kit growled.
At the back of the cave, a bolt of energy crackled to life. “As you wish, little prince. One of my allies crafted that spell for you. Just to bring you to me, so that I can help you.”
“You want to help me?” Kit demanded.
“Why, of course. I could be a powerful ally, Christopher. All you’d have to do is give me a chance to prove it to you,” the voice crooned.
“Not even for all the jewels in Afeyra,” Kit growled. “If I learned one thing from my mother’s tricks, it’s to never trust in something that sounds too good to be true.”
The speaker sighed heavily. “Very well, Christopher. But, remember, without me, you’ll only have yourself to blame when you fall victim to the temptress’s machinations.”
“Temptress. What are you talking about?” Kit wondered, squinting against the darkness. In the dim light, he could see tendrils of ice reaching for him like cruel, pinching fingers. Slowly, he backed up a few inches, just enough that he was out of their grip.
“Don’t be afraid of my touch. I told you, Christopher, I only want to help you.” The ice advanced on him, bringing the temperature of the cave down even further. “And, as I told you, I’m only a memory. I have no real power in your world. Which is why we need each other.”
“You might only be a memory, but from the ice that’s trying to catch up to me, I’m going to guess that you’ve got more power than you want to admit,” Kit said, retreating to the mouth of the cave. “Or maybe you’re using people like Queen Snow White to do your bidding.”
“You’re smarter than you look, princeling.
I admit, Queen Snow White is a formidable ally of mine.
” The voice paused as the tiniest sliver of ice touched Kit’s foot.
A strange veil fell over his vision, and the voice continued, “But we both know that there’s someone else who I need more than some poor, aging beauty.
Someone whose magic is so powerful, it puts even you in danger. ”
Lolienna. Kit tried to shake away the thought, but it wasn’t possible. Who had put the curse on him, dooming him to a life of misery? Lolienna. Who had drawn Prince Robert away from the Sherwood Company in his search for answers? Lolienna. And who had repeatedly given him reasons not to trust her?
“You’re thinking about it, aren’t you, princeling?” the booming voice sneered. “You don’t want to admit it to yourself, but young Lolienna is a danger to herself and others. Believe me, you can’t keep her around you any longer, not if you want to stay alive long enough to find your little brother.”
Kit looked down at the object in his hand, the one that he had tripped on. He swallowed hard as he recognized it. Robert’s bow.
“Now you see, don’t you?” the voice cackeled. “You see the truth. Nelle is a danger to you. Bring her to me, and we’ll put an end to her dangerous magic, once and for all. And then you and your brother will at last be safe.”
Kit felt himself nod and began walking jerkily through the forest, his actions no longer his own.