by Sam Ledel
“Leprechauns are shapeshifters, remember? I hear most of them prefer to walk in human form these days. Makes things easier.”
They walked side by side, careful to avoid eye contact, though most of the pub’s clientele had hardly noticed their arrival. Nearly every one of them, fae and otherwise, seemed unfazed by the new customers, even at this hour of night. The place vibrated with conversation, filling the warm air with a steady hum. The main room was larger than it appeared from the outside, no doubt a glamour used in order to fit more customers inside while remaining unassuming to the rest of the world. Torches lined the walls, and a wooden chandelier hung from the beamed ceiling, holding dozens of candles with wax dripping from their sides, creating a welcoming glow. Music drifted from a corner where a flute and lyre played unassisted near the fireplace.
They reached the bar, which was bookended by two large barrels dripping mead, and Jastyn leaned against it to scan the room. Coran pulled up beside her. He struggled to find a good spot for his elbow on the edge of the high bar. A toothless, bearded man with blue skin occupying the stool next to him eyed them curiously.
“Act natural,” Jastyn whispered.
“I’m trying.” He finally decided on a pose that left one hand on his hip so that he looked like a statue from the market square.
Jastyn shook her head. Scanning the dozens of fae enjoying their late-night socializing, Jastyn wondered if any of them had seen the princess or knew of her whereabouts. They were so deep in the Wood now, she doubted news of Aurelia’s kidnapping had even made it this far. But she was hungry, and maybe they could sleep for a few hours before continuing on their journey.
“Something to drink?”
The cheery question interrupted Jastyn’s thoughts. Behind the bar stood a tall, redheaded woman. Her arms and hands, covered in freckles, worked deftly to dry a series of mugs before laying two down on the bar for Jastyn and Coran. She smiled, and the candlelight lit her playful green eyes.
“Two meads, please.” Jastyn met Coran’s gaze. He shrugged as the woman poured frothy mead from a wooden pitcher.
“We couldn’t trouble you for a slice of bread, could we?” Coran asked, rummaging through a pouch in his tunic and pulling out three bronze coins. The woman pushed their drinks forward and wiped her hands on a rag. She glanced between them.
“You two from around here?”
Coran’s mouth fell open. Jastyn kicked him in the shin before responding. “Just passing through.”
The woman squinted for a second, then widened her smile. “Well, wanderers are always welcome. Especially those as handsome as you.” She winked at Jastyn before laying out a plate of freshly baked sliced bread between them. There was even a slab of butter melting into the fluffy dough. Jastyn’s mouth watered; Coran devoured two slices in less than a minute.
“Thanks,” she said, taking a long drink from her mug. When the bartender turned her attention to another customer, Coran shook his head.
“What is it with you? First the nymph, now her.”
Jastyn shrugged. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
He shoved another piece of bread into his mouth. “You gotta teach me whatever it is you do.”
“I’m not sure how Roisin would feel about that.”
“Oh, it’s her I would use it on.” Coran grinned into his mug, chugging the cool liquid and emptying half of it. He wiped his mouth on his tunic sleeve. “Gods, this is delicious. I’ll be back.” He hitched a thumb back to the front door. “Nature calls.”
“Don’t be too long,” Jastyn called as he swayed happily to the door.
She took another drink when the bartender appeared again. “Can I get you anything else?”
Jastyn licked droplets of mead from her lips, letting the bread and drink settle in her stomach. She hadn’t realized how hungry she was. The sustenance cleared her mind, and she thought of Aurelia.
“Actually,” she said, fingering the rim of her mug, “I’m looking for somebody. I wonder if anyone here might have seen her.”
The bartender leaned forward so that her forearms rested on the bar. Doing so exposed the V-cut of her dress. Briefly, Jastyn followed the trail of freckles that clustered between her breasts. Clearing her throat, she lifted her gaze to the fae’s.
“She’s been missing for almost a week.”
The woman reached one hand out, laying it on top of Jastyn’s. “I’m sorry to hear that. Anything I can do to help you feel better?”
Jastyn’s face warmed, and she wished Coran would hurry up. Swallowing, she said, “I’m flattered. But I’m not interested.”
Pouting, the woman straightened. Within seconds, her form shifted, and a dark-skinned man with curly black hair and beautiful dark brown eyes stood where the redhead had moments before. He wore a vest and loose pants hung low on his muscular hips.
Jastyn raised her mug and took another sip. “Impressive. But you were closer the first time.”
The man grinned, then shifted again. His wide shoulders shrank and moved closer together. His skin tone faded to a pale cream color, and his dark eyes became the brightest blue. A slim body fit snugly into a navy tunic and dark pants. Her hair turned long and brown and was pinned messily behind small ears. Jastyn’s heart felt as if it was being squeezed from her chest.
Aurelia stared back at her.
The fae grinned. “How about now?”
In one swift motion, Jastyn leapt from her side of the bar to the other, unsheathing her knife midair. She landed behind the bartender. With one hand, she gripped the fae’s waist while the other held the hunting blade against her throat.
The room surged with cries of confusion, then grew quiet as Jastyn held tight to the bartender.
“Where is she?”
The fae’s glamor was good. But it couldn’t master Aurelia’s voice when it spoke. “Where is who?”
Jastyn dug the blade’s point into the pulse of blood just below the pale flesh. She had to remind herself this wasn’t really Aurelia as she held the struggling fae against her. “Don’t play games with me. The Red One is the only leprechaun powerful enough to shapeshift into any human. The rest of you can only conjure people you’ve met. People you’ve seen.” The fae wriggled in Jastyn’s arms. “So, I’m going to ask you again, where is she?”
A few of the patrons were on their feet now. Several gripped the handles of knives saddled at their hips. Others cupped spell-fire, ready to be thrown. Even the music had stopped so that the whimpering of the fae in Jastyn’s arms was the only sound. Quickly, the fae shifted back to her original form.
The air was thick with tension when Coran walked back in. His cheerful face fell at the hushed room, and his eyes grew wide when he saw Jastyn behind the bar.
“What are you doin’? Are you mad?”
Jastyn spoke through clenched teeth. “She knows where Aurelia is.”
“Jastyn, the chances they know where the princess is aren’t worth a blade to the throat!”
She looked across the room. Coran’s eyes begged her to put the knife down. Her hand trembled next to the woman’s throat. She had even smelled like Aurelia. Her hair had been the same. Her face. The curve of her jaw. But it hadn’t been her.
“I’m going to ask you one more time.” The fae began to cry, but Jastyn held tight to her. “Where is the princess?”
A wave of voices washed over the pub. Jastyn tore her gaze from the glint of the blade aimed at the fae’s throat. Many of the spectators were pointing to a room adjacent to the fireplace.
“Jas,” Coran said quietly. “Put the knife down.” His gaze was fixed on a spot she couldn’t see.
Reluctantly, she lowered the blade.
“What, Coran. What is—”
“Jastyn?”
This time, there was no mistaking the voice that called out her name. Slowly, Jastyn turned to look in the doorway.
Aurelia.
Chapter Twenty
“Jastyn?”
Aurelia
stepped into the main room. Jastyn took in her dirty tunic, her pants torn at the knee. Even her shin-high boots were ragged. The scrapes and bruises that covered the princess’s face made her bones ache, and Jastyn longed to run to her.
Instead, she sheathed her knife and placed her hands on her hips. “You’re all right.” Jastyn glanced around the room. The number of fae wielding fists of spell-fire had diminished, but many of them still wore looks of disdain. Coran, on the other hand, looked as if he’d caught the biggest river trout in history.
“Your Highness!” He rushed to Aurelia and bulldozed her with a hug. “You’re okay! You’re alive!” Aurelia winced at the contact. Coran stepped back quickly.
“Apologies, m’lady. Oh, Roisin will be so glad to know you’re well!”
“Your Highness?” The bartender’s voice was raspy, and she rubbed the spot where Jastyn’s blade had been. “You told me you were an outcast from Gultero and needed safe passage.”
Aurelia nodded. Her voice was strong, and Jastyn realized she was addressing the room when she spoke. “I did come here seeking safe passage.” She paused, her gaze locking on Jastyn’s for only a second. “It is also true that I am the princess. My name is Aurelia Diarmaid, heir to the Diarmaid throne.”
The room erupted. Someone screamed. Half of the patrons rushed the door, leaving only a handful of curious fae, including the blue-skinned, bearded man at the bar. Aurelia’s voice was weaker when she added, “Please, I mean you no harm.”
The bartender placed a hand on her hip. “Wish your friend could say the same.” She glared at Jastyn.
“I didn’t mean to scare you. I…” Her words faltered. Part of her was scared but not at what she had done. Rather, because she knew she would have drawn the blade across that fae’s throat had she needed to. She would have done whatever it took to find Aurelia and keep her plan intact.
Jastyn shook her head. “I’m sorry.”
The fae sighed, her eyes wet. “Can’t say it’s the worst thing that’s ever happened in here.” She turned to Aurelia. “You’re welcome to stay. But only until you’re well enough to travel. My people respect the Fae-Diarmaid Treaty, but many have never ventured onto royal land. Many cling to the old ways. A lot of them are scared to even be in the same room as a human. Not to mention one of royal blood. So please, make haste.”
“Of course.” Aurelia smiled, then motioned for Coran and Jastyn to follow her. “My room is this way. I think it’s best we retire for the night.”
As the remaining patrons returned to their conversations, Jastyn and Coran trailed after Aurelia. Jastyn’s mind raced with questions while they followed her to a room around the corner of the bar, near the back of the rickety building. She wondered who had captured Aurelia in the first place. Was it somebody in the castle? Were fae involved? And how, Jastyn wondered most of all, did she get away?
The room’s earthen floor featured a worn bearskin rug in front of a stone fireplace piled high with logs already charred from a day’s burning. There was a bed of blankets in the far corner. Jastyn noticed the water bowl lying on a table next to the door. Rags crisp with dried blood sat beside it. She imagined Aurelia tending to her face and wrists, which were exposed briefly when she closed the door behind them. Jastyn hated whoever had done that to her. She worked to keep her face calm while the three of them stood alone in the quiet room.
Eventually, Coran spoke. “I am glad this place has taken care of you, Your Highness. We’ve been worried sick…the whole kingdom has! There’s a big search party out lookin’ for you. Your dad, er, the king organized several.” He wrung his hands. “We were with one party when…well, it’s a long story, but we got separated and found this place! What a stroke of luck that was.”
As Coran continued with his first impressions of the public house, Jastyn felt Aurelia’s eyes on her. She couldn’t help but notice how the princess stood a good five paces away, nearly on the other side of the room. Admittedly, holding a knife to another woman’s neck wasn’t exactly how Jastyn had hoped to see Aurelia again. At the memory of the princess’s shocked face, her throat went dry, and heat nipped at the nape of her neck. She rubbed her hand against it as if to ease the shame. Aurelia’s voice made her look up from the spot on the floor she’d been boring a hole into.
“I am grateful to both of you. You must be quite brave to venture into the Wood for days.” Aurelia’s bright eyes locked on Jastyn, and she thought she saw a glimmer of admiration but was too embarrassed to hang on to such a hope.
Jastyn shifted her weight. “The Wood is a second home to me. This was merely another day.”
As soon as she said it, she regretted it. Hurt poured from Aurelia’s gaze. The princess, seeming to realize this, lifted her chin. Coran coughed.
“What Jastyn means to say is that she and I know these woods like the back of our hands. Well, I know them okay, and she knows them like an old friend. We were happy to help the kingdom. It’s wonderful to know you’re well. Isn’t it, Jas?”
Jastyn had moved closer to the fire, standing with her back to the others. She feigned warming her hands even though the tiny space left her perspiring. Doubt crept inside her chest. How would she be able to go through with this? She wanted nothing more than to talk to the princess. She wanted to hear about everything that had happened to her. She wanted to make sure she slept safely through the night. Yet, if she was to make sure her plan worked, to ensure a sacrifice for Alanna’s cure, she couldn’t get too close.
“Jastyn?”
Taking a deep breath, Jastyn turned. “Forgive me.” She held Aurelia’s cautious gaze. “The journey has been long. I’m tired. As Coran said, we are glad you are safe.” She kept her voice cold when she added, “It will bring your parents great joy to see you again.”
Jastyn clenched her jaw, the heat from the fire adding a blush to her cheeks. Aurelia, if possible, was even more beautiful in the dim light. This was the closest they had been to one another since the prince’s Remembrance Day. Jastyn hadn’t noticed the deep shine of her hair and wanted to tuck the stray dark strands behind her ears. While Coran settled into a corner opposite them, laying his satchel down and stretching, Aurelia crossed her arms.
“You said you were tired. I myself am quite famished.”
“It’s the middle of the night.”
Aurelia shot her a look. “I wasn’t allotted much to eat while I was…there wasn’t much offered the last few days.”
Jastyn gestured to the door. “Of course.”
“Please excuse me while I find something to eat. Make yourselves comfortable in the meantime. It’s late, and you both should rest.”
Jastyn opened her mouth to protest but decided against it.
“Thanks, Your Highness,” Coran said. He slumped against the floor, his mouth wide in a yawn.
Aurelia headed for the door. “I’ll only be a moment.”
“Don’t stay up too late,” Jastyn called after her. “If you’re well enough, we should head out at first light.” Maybe then, Jastyn thought, there would be less time together in such close quarters. Less time for her to get to know the princess.
Aurelia paused only briefly to say, “Certainly. We will leave at dawn.”
When the princess was gone, Jastyn exhaled.
“I take it back,” Coran mumbled after a minute from the corner, his orange hair bright against the dull floor.
“What?”
“I could’ve sworn the princess was your type. But you two are like fire and ice. I felt cold just watchin’ you.” He gave a fake shudder.
“Hush, Coran. Go to sleep.”
He chuckled, but it was weak, and his breathing quickly grew slow and deep. Jastyn found a spot next to the pile of blankets. She sat, her eyes tracing the place where Aurelia had lain earlier. She stared at the indention where her head had rested. It wasn’t long before the exhilaration from the last hour hit her, and Jastyn’s body shrugged, and her mind fell into a deep slumber that she hadn’t had in weeks.
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Aurelia splashed her face at the water basin near the doorway. The room was quiet save for Coran’s soft snores in the corner. She rubbed her eyes. They were still tired and dry, but she had begun to feel more like herself in the last twelve hours. For the thousandth time, she replayed her escape. It had seemed certain she was going to be left to the wolves after fleeing the campsite. Fortunately, in her final moments of consciousness before the sleeping draught overtook her, she had managed to conjure her saol out of sheer desperation. It had glided to the public house and through a window. The barmaid sent a pair of customers outside to find the source. They had found her lying thirty yards away, exposed to the elements and covered in cuts under a cold night sky. Not recognizing her as the princess and instead as a weary, starved traveler, they brought her inside where she slept for three hours while the draught wore off. Since then, there had been no sign of the elves or Drest.
At least, not yet.
She extended a thanks to the gods for watching over her. Her first time in a fae public house had been a good one overall. Save for the tumult accompanying Jastyn’s arrival. She glanced over at her, curled up on the bare floor next to Aurelia’s blankets. Jastyn had one arm tucked under her head, which rested in the crook of her elbow. Aurelia’s eyes traced Jastyn’s braid down her side, then lingered on her narrow hips. She watched her chest rise and fall with sleep.
She wondered at the difference a couple of hours made. Jastyn had been the epitome of fear and fury behind the bar, her fist clutching the knife to the bartender’s throat. Now she was completely serene, her striking face blank as she lay sleeping.
Aurelia moved over to Jastyn. Her knees were still stiff, and she winced as she crouched. It was funny, she thought. Aurelia had ached to see Jastyn again. She smiled at the memory of gossiping with Roisin over dinner. Her head felt light at the idea of Jastyn risking her life to save hers. Perhaps she did care, Aurelia thought, reaching out a hand to run a quick finger down Jastyn’s jawline. She swallowed and pulled her hand back when Jastyn groaned and tucked her knees closer to her chest. Aurelia grabbed a nearby blanket and carefully laid it across her legs. She watched Jastyn sleep for a moment, then realized the snoring had stopped.