Chapter 36 Bandages & Blossoms #2
“They’ve found something,” said the faerie king. If I expected Antenor to react, I was disappointed. He remained still as ever, his good eye closed.
“Do you need me?” I asked, and Oberon nodded, then stepped aside to allow one of his guards into the room—a watchman to ensure Antenor did not throw himself off the balcony while we were gone.
I washed my hands over the stove quickly and removed the apron I’d been wearing while Oberon and Simeon waited for me on the landing.
One more time, I peeked over Antenor’s shoulder, but his eye was still shut tight.
“Take care of him,” I told Sir Toby, scratching the hound behind one ear before closing the door behind me.
After a quick stop to retrieve my moth cloak, I met Oberon and Simeon at the base of the tower.
Since I did not know where we were going, I had to hold onto Oberon as we traveled by magyk through the Arden.
I wasn’t sure I’d ever get used to the unbalanced feeling it gave me, but at least Devil’s face was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes again.
He gave me a faint smile, but I could tell something was wrong.
Hippolyta and her soldiers were there too, looking far more serious than usual, which was truly a feat.
We were all crowded together on a rocky outcropping, at the spot where the forest gave way to the foothills toward the southern edge of the forest. Beneath us stretched a large swath of Rot, choking the trees and the land.
Without any cover, the wind was savage, and it quickly whipped my hair into a frenzy.
Only when I pulled my cloak tighter and moved into the lee of a large boulder did I finally notice the cave.
Its entrance was wide and gaping, but cleverly disguised beneath a jagged promontory over our heads.
Devil came to stand beside me and the others joined us, since the wind was so furious we could barely hear one another speak.
“I was on my way to meet with Antenor when he was attacked,” said Simeon. “He had sent word that he had an update on his investigation, and I believe he might have been referring to this cave, which Puck discovered this morning.”
“Devil,” I said automatically, and everyone stared at me.
“My…my apologies,” Simeon muttered, throwing a glance between us. “Some light, if you please…Devil.”
“Do not step inside,” Devil warned as he conjured up two large orbs and sent them bobbing forward.
My eyes adjusted quickly, but I could not understand what I was seeing.
The inside of the cave appeared to be blanketed in plants with a deep, rich violet color, but it had also been infected by the Rot.
I could smell it on the air, but it had mixed with the sweet, sickly scent of the purple flowers.
The effect opened up a pit of inexplicable horror in my chest.
“Rot,” said Oberon quietly. “But, how has it not killed the Archer’s Cup?”
“We are not sure,” Simeon answered. “Archer’s Cup is not normally a cave-dwelling species either, so we suspect…that someone has been growing it here.”
I covered my mouth and met Devil’s eyes. “Whoever supplied a human with the Archer’s Cup that infected Helena…”
Simeon nodded. “And now, they’ve been infected.”
“Isn’t that good though? Their supply has been destroyed.”
“Let us not jump to conclusions,” said Oberon. “Look around you. There is no trace of the Rot anywhere near this cave, and it typically does not extend outside the boundaries of the Arden anyway. Someone made this happen.”
“It was introduced to the cave intentionally,” said Simeon, his jaw clenching.
An uneasy silence spread between us, and Devil took my hand. If anyone noticed, they did not comment.
“Hippolyta, you will keep a guard here at all times,” Oberon said firmly. “At least four soldiers. We have no idea who might be responsible for this, or what their motive is.”
“Yes, my lord,” said the Commander. “And…Titania?”
“Keep her informed, but do not allow her access to the cave.”
A small burst of anger flared in my chest, but I held my tongue and buried it. I would dig it back out later, when the time was right.
“We can do no more here. Meet us back in the library,” Oberon said, looking between me and Devil.
He vanished in a swirl of shadow, and Simeon followed a split-second later, leaving a few feathers drifting on the air.
I was about to pull up my own thread of magyk when Hippolyta put a hand on my arm.
“Does he suspect Titania’s involvement?” she hissed.
“If he does, he hasn’t told me of it,” I replied. “But I cannot imagine she would do something like this. What reason could she have for providing Archer’s Cup to anyone in Nottingham?”
“None whatsoever,” Hippolyta snorted. “Please, Marina, if Oberon becomes suspicious, you must take her part. He will listen to you. I swear, she is not at fault for any of it, especially not the attack on Antenor.”
I attempted a soft smile. “I promise, I won’t let her be accused of anything.”
Hippolyta leaned in to kiss me on the forehead. “Thank you, little one.”
I returned to where Devil was standing with his back to the wind, attempting to block it with his wings. He pulled me into the pocket of stillness and held my face in his hands, with no care as to who might be watching.
“You are too trusting, Mayhem.”
“You really think Titania might be involved?”
“There are only a handful of people in the Arden I could say for sure are not involved, and none of them were here with us just now.”
I frowned at him. “You do not even trust Oberon? How can you all be so mistrustful of one another when it is impossible for you to lie?”
“Even when you first arrived here, you understood that the Fair Folk have other ways of being untruthful besides outright lies. All I ask is that you not be so quick to believe what they say. Everyone in this damn forest has secrets.”
I just smirked. “Including you?”
“The only thing I am keeping secret right now is how badly I want to kiss you,” he replied, hooking his fingers into my belt and pulling me into him.
“You are a terribly ineffective keeper of secrets,” I laughed under my breath. “Remind me not to share any of mine with you again.”
“I only want you to be careful,” he whispered, planting a gentle kiss on the frigid tip of my nose. “Now, go back to the Bower and warm up. See to Antenor. But when you are free, I need you to meet me in the Hollow, at Aliena’s.”
“Why? What’s happened?”
“Nothing that Oberon or Simeon need be privy to. Make any excuse, and if you can, bring Ceres along with you.”
“Could you be a little less mysterious, please?”
“I’m afraid I cannot,” Devil said with a wink. He stepped away from me, toward the edge of the outcropping, and threw himself into the air with a loud whoop. I watched him plummet toward the Rot-infested forest, then throw his wings out just above the treetops and soar away.
“Idiot,” I muttered with a stupid grin on my face.