Chapter 20
Chapter
Twenty
Seraphina led Torin and me through the winding cobbled streets of the city. The gentle silver light of the moon threw shadows across the stone structures. The air carried hints of lavender and thyme.
It must have been past midnight or well into the night as pairs of fairies walked into their cottages.
Robert appeared out of nowhere, joining Torin’s side with a smile and a small nod. We turned down one last alley before Seraphina stopped in front of a small, ivy-covered cottage that appeared more like an abandoned hut.
"Here," she said softly, pushing open the door to reveal a dimly lit room.
She gestured for us to follow her inside and led us to the only bedroom tucked away in the back. A soft breeze from the open window rustled the sheer, worn-out curtains.
As we entered the room, I noticed a fairy man lying in a bed too small to accommodate his large frame, his face pale and drawn.
His eyes fluttered open, revealing a stormy gray gaze that seemed to cut right through me.
His body trembled as if he had a fever, even though he lay underneath a green blanket pulled all the way up to the man’s neck.
His grayish skin complexion and heaving chest told me he wasn’t receiving enough oxygen. The man’s pupils had become so small that the gray had almost taken over his entire eyes.
He looked like he had been through hell and back, but he still had an air of resilience.
"His name is Niall," Seraphina explained as we approached the bedside. "He's an exceptional warrior, one worth keeping alive."
Even though Niall was obviously weak, he managed to sit up slightly, propping himself on his elbows. His long, gray hair had lost its luster, falling limply around his face and pointy ears. Dark circles marred the skin beneath his eyes, and from time to time, his face would scrunch up in pain.
As he straightened up, the blanket rolled to his lap, revealing his bare chest glistening with sweat…and royal tribal lines. I sucked in a sharp breath, staring at him.
He couldn’t have been another half brother of Seraphina and Greyson. While Seraphina, Greyson, and Hayden were of similar ages, this man was probably twice their age.
His eyebrows rose as his gaze fell to my shoulders, studying my mating marks. The wrinkles around his eyes deepened as he squinted at me. Was it a good or a bad thing?
"Obviously, not everyone in this city agrees with me," Seraphina continued, glancing pointedly at Niall's exposed muscular shoulders. “One of my own warriors poisoned him after we captured Niall.”
I looked at the fairy woman. “I’m so confused. Is Niall a royal fairy?”
Seraphina nodded. “He is the fairy King’s second cousin, and after the King killed the last of his royal family, Niall ran away.
He was alone in the dark forest when we captured him.
Of course, we didn’t believe him when he said that he wanted to switch sides, and one of my men poisoned him once I brought Niall here,” she said.
“But no one came to rescue Niall, and there wasn’t a trap, so I believed his story. ”
This royal fairy man switched sides after witnessing his relative's cruelty, and Seraphina had given him a chance. Although she didn’t smile much, I started to believe the woman had a good heart.
I turned my attention to the man. “You are familiar with the fairy castle in the City of Fire, correct?”
“Very. I was the King’s most loyal subject and his right hand,” the man said in a strained voice and coughed, wheezing.
Hope sparked behind my chest. But would this man heal?
“Could you show us where to find the prison where the light witch is held?” I held my breath.
We needed a guide inside the castle, or we could be captured and thrown into the dungeons. And I didn’t believe Ashton was up to the task.
Niall’s eyes widened, and some realization flashed behind his gaze. He coughed again. He placed his hand over his mouth, but when he lowered it, blood covered his palm. Seraphina tossed him a towel, which he used to wipe his hand.
So perhaps he wasn’t healing. I let out the breath I was holding.
“I can take you to where the King holds Willa,” he said, tilting his head to the side. “You must be her child, then?”
“I am.”
The fairy man licked his cracked lips. “I understand you want to free your mother, but it’s very risky. The fairy King has been searching for you.”
Torin’s body tensed next to mine. My stomach hardened at the memory of the fairy assassin at the vampire castle—and his mission to kill me. The fairy King had been wanting to kill me all along. He knew Willa had a child.
My pulse accelerated as I tried to connect the events. Hayden had killed the fairy assassin, but Hayden was the fairy King’s son.
I looked at Niall again. “Why does the fairy King want me dead? I’ve never even met the man.”
“The King didn’t want to be reminded of a child his woman had with another man,” Niall said in a low voice.
His woman? My mother was the fairy King’s woman?
I sucked in a sharp breath, my hand flying to my chest, feeling my racing heart.
“I’m sure Willa doesn’t want to be with him. My father is her fated mate,” I said, rushing my words.
Niall nodded. “That’s why she’s imprisoned.”
Just like what Hayden had done to me.
A dull pain formed at the sides of my jaw from clenching and grinding my teeth. I would free Willa even if it cost me my life.
Niall sounded sincere, but I still didn’t trust him. He could be a spy even though he’d turned his back on the vicious King.
I looked at Seraphina. “Do you trust him? What if he leads you into a trap?”
But before she could answer, Niall opened his mouth.
"I want to live," he rasped, the words barely intelligible. "I want revenge. He took my entire family away from me."
"We need Niall because, as a royal, he has the power of illusion. I need him to get better to help me restore the wall around our city,” Seraphina added.
Then it struck me. “Wait a second. Then do I have the power of illusion too since I was mated to a royal fairy?”
Seraphina snorted. “No, you’re born with the power, and it doesn’t transfer through mating.”
Well, it could have been helpful.
"If you save my life, I'll help you find your mother." Niall’s dull gaze traveled to Seraphina. “And I’ll rebuild the wall of illusion, but the longer you stay here, the higher the chance he’ll find you.”
He gulped for air, his shoulders slouching.
After a moment, he could speak again. “You don’t have the numbers to go head-on against the King, but with my knowledge of the castle, we can advance enough and hopefully kill him.”
Having someone with such inside information could prove very useful, but Seraphina didn’t have enough men to declare war on the fairy King and his men.
Seraphina stood by the window, her gaze distant and thoughtful, as if she could see straight through the trees to the City of Fire. She remained silent for a long moment.
Niall’s face turned paler, and beads of sweat dotted his brow.
"Can you fight in your condition?" I asked.
"Once I'm healed, I'll be as strong as ever," he said and attempted a smile.
Seraphina scoffed. “He doesn’t have much time left. Saving Niall has proven to be difficult,” she said. “There is only one way to heal him.”
I nodded. “Was this the favor you were going to ask from me?”
“Yes, and if you save him, he’ll return the favor and will guide you to the King’s castle, to your mother,” she said. “You must travel to the Poison Garden and cut the bark from the Goddess Fairy Oak Tree. It is the only tree not corrupted by dark magic, and its bark holds the antidote."
“The Poison Garden sounds incredibly dangerous," Robert said.
"Indeed, it is," she said. "But you have a lot to lose if you don’t come back with a piece of the oak tree's bark."
She was right. We couldn’t march into the City of Fire or into the King’s fortress. I needed Niall’s help.
I immediately thought about the oak tree I’d planted close to the City of Earth, but that tree was just a sprout that would need time to develop into a large oak tree. I gave Seraphina the short version of how we’d pacified the dark earth fairies.
Shaking her head, she said, “The tree you planted is too young. Strength grows through time. The Goddess Oak Tree’s roots dig deep into the ground.
The only one of its size left uncorrupted by dark magic.
We have tried many times to get to the oak tree's bark, but none of my men returned, and we can’t afford to lose more people. ”
That didn’t sound promising. I took a deep breath.
When the earth fairies attacked, Ashton told us that the bark of an oak tree could heal the fairies.
The Uprising Guardians' numbers were dwindling since the injured couldn’t be saved without the medicinal tea from the oak tree.
This Goddess Oak Tree seemed like one of the last remaining threads of fairy life in this realm.
Torin, Robert, and I exchanged looks of understanding. I didn’t know exactly what our plan would be for breaking Willa from some magic prison in the King’s castle, but we had to take the first step—cure Niall.
"Do not touch anything in the garden," Seraphina warned as we prepared to leave the cottage, "or you'll be poisoned. And do not breathe the pollen from the mushrooms, or you may hallucinate and harm one another."
“I’m glad you told us this tiny detail,” Robert said and laughed, but his laughter sounded forced and hollow.
The Poison Garden promised nightmares and death, but it was our only hope of obtaining the healing bark from the Goddess Oak Tree.
Seraphina took the three of us to another cottage, where we spent the rest of the night. Since there were no beds inside, we slept on the blankets given to us by the fairy woman.
In the morning, Robert, Torin, and I walked out the door to find everyone already busy with their tasks. Some fairies worked in the fields, and others collected water at the giant well in the town square.
Glancing around, I didn’t see Seraphina.
We reached the spot, which led us through the tunnels to the burrow in the forest. We had a general idea of which direction to take, but according to the fairy woman, we wouldn’t miss the Poison Garden and the oak tree when we drew closer.
"Wait," Seraphina called out as we were about to enter the illusion wall. "Robert stays with us."
"What?" I asked, whipping around to face the woman. "Why?"
Her eyes locked onto mine with an intensity I couldn't ignore. She wouldn’t be convinced otherwise.
"I need to know you won't run away, and having him here ensures that."
I blinked. “But wouldn’t our chances of success increase if we have another person with us?”
Seraphina shook her head. “I’ve sent many people to the garden. Their numbers didn’t matter.” Her eyes moved side to side as if she were thinking. “Perhaps you and your man can overcome the danger together. I really hope so.”
"Didn't you say you gave people chances? I thought since you brought us here, you trusted us," I deadpanned. "We're risking our lives for your cause, too. You want the fairy King dead."
"I already gave you one chance," Seraphina said, her voice firm.
"Now you have to prove yourself. If I am to go into battle with you, fighting next to you, I must know you are capable and loyal.
Consider this your test. Not many return from the Poison Garden after they are tested physically and mentally. "
"Fine," I spat and tried to swallow the lump in my throat. "But if anything happens to him while we're gone…"
"Nothing will happen to him." Seraphina frowned.
"Do not touch anything or you'll be poisoned, and do not breathe in the pollen from the mushrooms. It will make you hallucinate, and you may start fighting each other or accidentally kill one another.
Your worst fears could come true, or your strongest desires that are impossible to reach might become reality—both will weaken you mentally.
Be strong, for you'll face something you're very afraid of or something you want but know you can't have. "
I blinked repeatedly at the woman. What had we gotten ourselves into?
With a deep breath, Torin and I stepped through the illusion wall, leaving Robert and Seraphina behind.