If only he had such glad tidings to bring her. As it was, they were perhaps worse off than when they had first started. “We are ringed in.”
Slaíne nodded. “And their weakness? Any insights?”
Aidan shook his head. “You said that they heal quickly.”
“Right.”
“I’m afraid we’ll have to stay here awhile longer and observe them.”
If the look on the girl’s face was anything to go by, Slaíne hated the plan as much as he did. Still, what else could they do?
“You think we can reason with ’em?”
Aidan thought. “We can try.”
“Perhaps there’s been a misunderstandin’.” It was obvious from the way she said it that she didn’t believe the words coming out of her own mouth. She said as much in her next breath. “Coming on us like that in the middle of the night. They must’ve been following us.”
“Or were drawn to us by the great racket the goblins were making.”
Slaíne cocked her head to the side, and her brow puckered. “Goblins? What goblins?”
Amazed, Aidan told her what had transpired, not pausing to answer the questions he could see forming on her lips.
She listened, the pucker only deepening. “I don’t remember no goblins, sir.”
“What do you remember?”
Her eyes squinted and her gaze became distant. “The light creatures – nymphs, as you call ’em – pounced on me. They kept saying ‘Give us.’ I thought them rightly mad, and told them so. That’s all I remember. Well, that is, not before….” She hesitated, and looked at Aidan sideways, her face draining of color.
“Before what?”
She shook her head, as though she thought she’d already said too much. Why, Aidan couldn’t imagine.
This wouldn’t do. “Slaíne, if there’s anything that might give us an edge against the creatures, please tell me.”
She opened her mouth and closed it again.
Aidan pulled at his shirt, which clung to him with sweat. Upon seeing the girl regarding the motion with abject horror, he ceased. She must be remembering that which he would rather she forgot. After clearing his throat, Aidan pressed the matter further. “Consider carefully. We don’t know what they intend for us. You don’t know—”
She clenched her teeth. “What they want? ’Course I know what they want. ’Tis plain as day. ’Tis plain as the fact that you are hiding something yourself.” The pointed look she gave him sent chills down his spine.
Just the same, Aidan waved away her accusations. Hiding something? What was he hiding? Other than the fact that he’d been communicating with the woman Slaíne so obviously wanted to murder with that silver sword. “Please don’t change the subject.”
Slaíne growled at him as he inched in closer. “You can stay over there.”
“Not if I don’t want to be overheard.”
The look she gave him could’ve taken the courage of lesser men. There was something about Slaíne…yes, something powerful – especially when her anger was aroused. It went beyond her Pull, whose strength still remained a mystery; what was it? Aidan could not place a finger on it. They both had their secrets. She was talking again. He’d best clear his mind and attend to her words.
“You want to know what they want.”
Shoulder to shoulder, he nodded and leaned in for the answer. “What?”
“It ain’t no secret. They’re traders.”
“Traders?”
Her face had grown dark and hardened, though her eyes flitted about in panic. “Slave traders.”
Aidan thought on it for a moment. “But why would they be saying ‘Give us.’ They must think we have something of value.”
Slaíne’s shoulders heaved. “Could mean anything. Could mean—”
“The goblins.”
“I told you, I don’t remember the goblins. Must’ve been knocked out before then.”
Aidan shook his head. “No, I mean the goblins kept demanding that I give them something, too. Perhaps they think we still have the Warring Goblet.”
That had been the wrong thing to say. Slaíne’s spine went rigid and her steely gaze locked on to him. “What makes you think you had the Warring Goblet?”
Meraude had told him, that’s why he knew. He’d been a fool. Was there any excuse to make? Lucky guess? “I thought you said it was the Warring Goblet,” he lied, hating himself very much for such base behavior toward her.
His words did not satisfy. She huffed. “You know I told you no such thing. I knew no such thing. What aren’t you tellin’ me, Ai—Mr. Aidan?”
Was there harm in telling her? Well, he thought, she might try to murder Meraude before I can hold Meraude to her promise of bringing my family back. On the other hand, there was no proof that the mage could or would do that. Whom could he trust?
Slaíne scented in on the truth. “You’ve been talking to someone, haven’t you?”
“Hmm? When?”
“When you’re sleepin’.”
It was his turn to stiffen. “What? What are you talking about?”
She scoffed. “Don’ play wi’ me. You’ve been muttering strange things in your sleep. Someone’s using something to….” Her eyes widened and then narrowed. “You’ve been in the Seeing Pool.”
Was that what brought him to that strange realm in his dreams? He needed to know more. “Slaíne, I have been having strange dreams.”
Slaíne waited as one braced for the worst news they could expect to hear. When he didn’t continue she turned away from him and whispered. “Did she send for you? Please don’t play with me. Tell me the truth.”
The truth was fragile on his lips. How to let it break? It mattered not; the look on her face told him that it had already been broken: Slaíne knew that he had been communicating with someone, and that that someone was Meraude, her most hated enemy. Aidan opened his mouth, scrambling for something to excuse himself and put her at ease.
With an exasperated sigh, the girl threw her head back and shouted. It was a quick burst of sound and, quite like her laughter, it raised the hairs on his arms. “Sir, you don’t know what you’re messin’ with.” She swore under her breath and closed her eyes, as one would whilst dealing with a rowdy child.
“Slaíne, I know she kills all magical beings. But— No, please listen. What if we could outsmart her? Snare her in the very traps she’s setting for us. Think about it.” Why did he have to explain himself to her? He almost said as much, but remembered that afternoon where she’d deliberately provoked the wrath of her own curse and bore the consequences. He bit his tongue.
When she spoke again, Slaíne’s voice was ragged and her eyes were the eyes of a woman who had seen too much in her short lifespan. “Perhaps it’s time to tell you about the curse.”
“You don’t have to.”
She laughed without humor. “Oh, but I think I have to. And not jus’ that, we need ter lay out all our information.” Slaíne squinted at him. “First, tell me what she offered you.”
It was too personal. It was indecent of her to ask. He sat there, warring with his temper and impatience.
Slaíne’s patience broke first. “Fine. I’ll start.” When she began, her gaze flickered off into the distance, and her whole body tensed. “I was not six years of age.” Her voice was a millstone, weighting Aidan down as he listened. “The curse, as you may have guessed, is tied to a person.”
Aidan nodded. “I gathered as much.”
“Whoever takes on the role of master or mistress is the one to which I’m tied. Can only go so far a distance from the person before it takes me. There’s only one way out, ’ccording to hearsay, but I won’t be puttin’ much stake in them rumors.”
Aidan frowned. If she wanted to remove the curse, why had she not tried every available route? She was still hiding things.
/> “Anyway,” she continued, scowling at him, “as you’ll have guessed, Meraude was a family friend.”
“And she did this to you?” he asked, his voice low.
She gave him a quick nod, then shook her head. “She killed my parents. Couldn’t do curses back then, I believe. Not powerful enough. Not yet, anyway.”
“But she didn’t kill you either.”
“No, didn’t have the chance.”
Fighting confusion, Aidan rubbed his brow. “So she didn’t put the curse on you?”
“Good as done,” she snapped. “Six years old, running on me own. Elves found me ’fore she. They had me cursed, yes, but I’d naught’ve run afoul of ’em if I’d not been forced to flee myself, see?” The longer she talked, the faster she talked, and the more pronounced her accent became.
Aidan needed to calm her down so he could understand her clearly. “I’m sorry, but please take a moment to collect yourself.”
She shook her head. “Nay, if I don’ tell you now, I might never have a chance. Mr. Aidan, she murdered me parents. But I was her true target.” Despite what she’d said, Slaíne paused and drew in a few deep breaths before continuing. “You wanted to know why the nymphs think me more a threat than you?”
He nodded, his brow furrowing. “I thought it was because you attacked.”
“An’ you know how I attacked?”
Aidan swallowed. “I assume by lunging—”
She opened her mouth, and he presumed she was going to tell him what she had done, but they were quite rudely interrupted by a loud bang and a blast of light. It would seem the camp was under attack.
Chapter Eight
Aidan moved without thinking as the ground shook. He felt for the iron chains and tried Dismissing any part of them that wasn’t made of the metal, and when that did not work and shouts were taken up in the distance, he explored the Pull of the lock itself. He felt into every corner, every crevice, and smiled when he discovered a lighter, softer metal inside the mechanism. Aidan Dismissed that, and the lock sprung open. “Hurry,” he urged, freeing Slaíne from the manacles.
Slaíne crawled out after him as crying filled the air. The landscape grew dimmer for that brief moment when they stepped out into the middle of the clearing. But moments later, the light came flooding back, nearly blinding both of them.
“It serves him right,” shouted one of the sprites, her voice an eerie pitch. “He was careless.”
The two prisoners exchanged looks. They were surrounded, so there was nowhere to run. Nowhere they could hide where they could not be found. They would have to fight their way out.
As if sensing more trouble, the creatures turned and faced Aidan’s way, their eyes flaming in their pale sockets. As one they yelled out a war cry and charged.
“Whatever you did before, care to try again?” Aidan shouted. “Slaíne?” He looked over at the girl to find her shaking her head.
“No good. Can’t carry you, now can I?”
Carry him? What did she mean by that? Well, whatever it meant, it was too late now. Their ‘hosts’ had them ringed in rightly, their iron weapons drawn.
A woman wreathed in blue light pushed through the crush, and the others took a few stooped steps backward. They were bowing to the lady, who wore a circlet of blue ivy on her head. “The mighty slayer of goblins.” She turned her gaze from Aidan and sneered at Slaíne. “And his pet.”
As if to accentuate the nymph’s point, Slaíne actually growled.
“Who are you?” Aidan asked after giving Slaíne a warning glare.
The leader, for that is what Aidan assumed she must be, smirked at him and the girl, the light in her eyes flashing. But she did not answer his question. “Now that you’ve had some time to gather your wits, tell me, where is it?”
Aidan frowned and glanced at Slaíne, who narrowed her eyes at him. “Where is what?”
Before Aidan could step away, the queen reached out and struck him across the face with the back of her hand, causing him to stagger. “Where have you hidden it?”
He righted himself and ignored the blood gushing out of his nostrils. Aidan felt for a Pull, any Pull. As he had expected, there was none. None from her, her people, or their possessions, that is. The only tangible things were himself, Slaíne, and the firewood. There might be an answer in that, but he would hold that trick up his sleeve as long as he could.
“Mortal, I grow weary of your arrogance. Tell me—”
Aidan spat at her feet.
She struck him again, this time with enough force to knock him off his feet entirely and send him flying a few yards back. He landed with a great thump at Slaíne’s feet.
Slaíne reacted like a lightning bolt, jumping at the nymph with a powerful strike from a height. She missed, because the queen was faster and stepped aside. Slaíne recovered with a graceful roll and landed in a crouch.
Aidan didn’t have time to wonder at his traveling partner’s fighting skills. “Tell us what you want, and perhaps we can come to some arrangement….”
One of the nymphs reached out with an iron rod, meaning to beat Slaíne on the back with it. But before the creature could, or Aidan could warn her for that matter, the girl rolled to the right, then to the left, agilely dodging her attacker’s strikes. Her luck couldn’t last, Aidan knew, so he intervened. “No, your quarrel is not with her. You want something, yes? Then talk to us. We can behave like rational creatures, or continue to—”
The queen raised a hand, and the attacks on Slaíne stopped.
Panting, Slaíne leapt to her feet and ran out of the creatures’ reach, behind Aidan’s back. He wondered at her sudden cowardice, until he felt her back pressed against his. Aidan fought a smile; she meant to guard his back.
“We seek what the goblins sought, knowledge.”
Aidan took a moment to swipe at his nose. “Knowledge of…?”
The queen’s eyes flashed. “You know of what I speak, Aidan Ingledark the Blest. And you can tell your pet that if I wanted to kill both of you, I would’ve done it ages ago, despite her…blood.”
He tilted his head to the side, and his eyes darted about. “Her blood?”
“Tainted.”
“With?”
The queen tried to look casual, but Aidan could see that Slaíne had her rattled. With a sniff, the nymph pretended to dust something off of the blue-white collar of her gown. “What? She hasn’t told you?”
Behind his back, Slaíne’s spine grew rigid. “It don’t matter.”
The queen leaned in, a cruel smile forming on her lips. “Wizard’s blood.”
Aidan’s brows knit together, but he allowed the expression to clear from his face. His thoughts began to race. Wizard’s blood? Was it true? If Slaíne was descended from a wizard, then why hadn’t she displayed any signs of magic? This made no sense. “She doesn’t even believe in them. What makes you think—”
“You’ve distracted me long enough, milord. Tell me, what have you done with the Summoning Goblet?”
“He don’t have it.”
“Don’t be foolish, witch.” She raised her hand again, only to lower it when Aidan didn’t flinch. The light in her eyes waned and she sighed. “Tell me, then, Lord Ingledark, where is the Warring Goblet?”
This was getting them nowhere. He couldn’t tell her what he didn’t know. And he didn’t know what the Goblets together were capable of, but if she were to get her hands on them all, let alone one…. Now Aidan did shudder. “As my traveling companion has already told you, we do not have it.”
Again she struck out, though not as hard as the last time. “Where is it?” She struck again. And again. And again, knocking Aidan off his feet.
Stars swam before his eyes. He tasted blood. Aidan pushed himself up again and again, only to be at once kicked back down.
“Oh, for pity’s sake!” Slaíne said
, coming between the two.
For whatever reason, the nymph hesitated before striking Slaíne, who struck back.
“Slaíne, get out of the way,” Aidan growled. When she did not, he grabbed hold of her Pull and sent her sailing farther than he’d meant to Push her.
Though inactive to this point, the nymphs surrounding him, grabbed Slaíne and subdued her. She looked murder at him.
Aidan shook his head. He would apologize later…if they weren’t both slaughtered first. “What makes you think we have the Goblet?”
“It belongs to your family. You are Blest. Where else would the Goblet be?”
Aidan laughed without humor as he tried pulling himself to his feet. However, he was exhausted and sore and still recovering from vomiting the contents of his stomach, so he contented himself with sitting. “Only recently did I discover anything about the Goblets. I have been a nomad for the majority of my life, thanks to my uncle. If you want answers about what happened to the Goblet that allegedly belonged to my family, I would suggest you start asking different people, for I am the last who would know.”
The nymph queen regarded him for a moment, and nodded. “It would seem that we have been wasting our time. Take him away…but leave the girl. We must have a talk.”
Aidan wasn’t having any of that. He would not leave Slaíne alone with them, not after the way their queen had kicked and struck him. “You can’t have anything to ask of her. She knows nothing more than I know, and certainly less than even you do.” That earned him another kick in the shins. Pain shot up his legs, and he held a grimace in check.
The nymph shook her head, and her guards advanced and seized him by the arms. They were strong, too strong to resist as they hoisted him to his feet.
Aidan reached out, feeling for their Pulls. Still nothing but Slaíne and the firewood.
“Take him away.” She sounded bored, but the tone belied another: frustration.
Aidan dug in his heels. “Why do you need the Goblets? Hold on a moment.”
The queen signaled to her inferiors that they were to stop. “Do you wish to tell me now?”
The Goblets Immortal Page 10