“What did you want to talk to me about?”
I cleared my throat. “Yes, okay. So, shall I explain everything in a nutshell?”
He gestured for me to go on.
I tapped my finger against my chin. “It started after I left here,” I said. “I was sent to Lepidus, the dark fae court, when I returned.” My lip twitched when I mentioned Blaise’s home.
“Yes. I heard about the wedding that never happened.”
“Well, then, you heard the official story.” I let out a long exhale. “My father used the wedding as a ruse to bring his deadliest assassins and guards into the castle. He planned on killing King Azrael with the Sword of Impervius.”
“An object of kai.” His expression darkened, and his eyebrows furrowed. “Was he insane? It would have started a war.”
“I think he believed the fae would give themselves to him once he killed their leader.”
He scoffed. “Right… anyway, then what happened?”
“I ran out. He was going to let me get married. You can’t undo a marriage,” I stated. “My father didn’t care what happened to me. He wanted to attack after the nuptials, when everyone’s guard was down. I was frightened and ran. It put the court on high alert. King Azrael was surrounded by guards, and my father’s chance to attack was jeopardized. We were kicked out of the kingdom.”
He blew out a tense breath. “Yikes. That wasn’t in any paper. Also, you can end a marriage,” he advised. “At least, here you can.”
“Perhaps. But not in Magaelor.” I interlocked my fingers and rested my forehead against my hands. “Anyway, my father was angry, and when we returned, he brought my cousin to the castle. He planned on changing the line of succession. I was convinced he planned on having me killed. So I went back to the only person I knew who could help me. Blaise.”
“Mmhmm.”
I regarded his expression carefully. His jaw clenched at the mention of Blaise’s name. “I found out he was going to start a war to kill my father for what he had planned, so I had to stop him. He promised to protect me, but I wasn’t about to give up my crown.”
“Naturally.”
“Right? Well, I couldn’t let my people die in a needless war, so I tried to get home, but I was captured by the feral fae who live in rundown villages in the outskirts. They attempted hanging me at the gallows and broke my staff.”
Cedric’s eyes were wider than I’d ever seen them. “That took a turn.”
“You can’t make this up.” I put my index finger in the air. “Then Aquarius saved me. He was close by, looking for mugroot. I was really lucky. He and Bella took me back to Imperia. From there, I found my friend and seer, Morgana. She cloaked us from any foresight, then made me a new staff. We went back to the castle.” I paused for a second to catch my breath. “She sent word of my return to the king directly, which, of course, my father wanted to remedy immediately. Luckily, only he was told of my being back. We kept to the shadows see. Morgana snuck me inside.” I cast my eyes downward. “He came to my old room, and there, we got into a fight. Things were said.” I scratched the back of my neck. “I pulled the Ring of Immortalem from his finger, and he died.”
Cedric’s eyebrows were slightly raised, and his lips were parted. “You weren’t lying. You have had quite the year so far.”
“Yes. There’s more.”
He leaned back in his chair, then placed his hands on the back of his head and extended his elbows out. “I’m glad you’re opening up more.”
I smiled. “I’ve learned who I can trust.”
His eyes glistened. “What else happened?”
“Edgar has taken the throne, as you have probably heard.” I shook my head. “My people think I’m dead. I plan on returning to reclaim my throne once any possible suspicion of my involvement won’t be thought of. If I were to be found guilty of regicide, I’ll be executed—monarch or not.” I gulped. “I have to eliminate any possibility I was in Magaelor when it happened. I will return with another tale of survival, and Edgar will be forced to hand the crown over to me, the rightful heir.”
“He could challenge you, no?”
“He could, but my people loved my father.”
“Are you sure about that?”
My lip trembled. “Not really, but they do care about our religion. The ancestors appointed him, therefore me as his heir. They will back me as the rightful queen.”
“What change will you bring? Your father’s rule was tyrannical.”
“Of course I want to change the way he did things, but I’m never going to be Edgar. I’m proud to be a Mangalorean and a luna. King Xenos would have us all swear to practice elemental magic. Our connection to our ancestors is the most sacred part of our rule.” I scowled. “Edgar does not practice our beliefs; he doesn’t use ancestral magic.” My mouth twisted in disgust. “He has made who knows what deal with Xenos in exchange for peace. I saw in the newspapers. I have to return before the end of the month before he can make any real changes.”
“You have no army.”
“I…” I hesitated. “I don’t need one… Do I?”
He nodded slowly. “Absolutely. I doubt your cousin will just hand over his crown to you, especially with you saying he doesn’t believe the same things you and your people do. He will want to change things and do what he believes is right.”
I raised my eyebrows. “I want to do what’s right too, and that includes keeping our connection with our ancestors."
He fell silent. “Trust my words, Winter. You will need backup.”
“Where am I going to find one of those?”
“Surely you have people you can rely on back home.”
I thought of Morgana. I could trust her, but she was imprisoned for treason. There was Adius, head guard and loyal to my family. So was Ashur. He’d been my father’s right-hand man. Could I get close enough to persuade them to use their power to back me? Even so, there were only two of them. “I might need a different plan.” I felt like the world was weighing on my shoulders, slowly crushing my spirit.
“You have me.” His lips curved at the corners. “I’ll help you.”
Warmth rushed through me. “It’s dangerous. I can’t ask that of you.”
He shrugged. “I’ve always gone against the grain. My loyalty lies with people, not titles.”
I secretly envied his outlook. Perhaps if I were a sunnier person like him, more carefree, then I would have more people to rely on in moments of need. “There’s something you should know first.” My stomach dipped. I felt the color drain from my face. “No secrets.”
“What is it?”
“You’re not going to like me for this next part.” I fumbled my fingers and crossed my legs. “I told my father where the elves’ village was and how they were hiding forest nymphs. He always wanted one. So, he sent in a small army of assassins. I’ve been nervous to go back to the forest and find them. To know if my friend is…” I trailed off.
He rubbed his temples, then looked at me flatly. “I don’t know what to say. I mean, at least you were honest with me.” He curled his bottom lip between his teeth.
“Like I said before, I trust you,” I said simply. “You could have given me away when you found out who I was, but you didn’t.”
“Perhaps I should have.”
I ran cold. “What?”
He looked at me incredulously. “You told them where to find the elves and nymphs. People could have died, or got hurt.”
I pressed my lips together. A tear escaped my eyes. I brushed it away. “Yes.”
“Why betray them? You told me they helped you.”
“My father made me believe it was for the good of Magaelor, acquiring a forest nymph, and he promised he wouldn’t hurt them.”
“Did you truly believe that?”
I looked down at the patterns in the wood. “At the time, yes.”
He clenched his jaw. “Were you so desperate for his attention?”
I swallowed thickly. “I made a mistak
e. One I deeply regret and will never happen again.”
He shook his head slowly. “No one knows for sure if they are dead. They’re so far out and hide from outsiders, mostly.”
I cast my eyes downward.
He shook his head. “You must be careful not to be so easily manipulated in future. What about loyalty to the people who have been friends to you? Is that how you repay them? Because if so, then I may rethink my position on helping you.”
I sat on my hands, attempting to stop them from shaking. I didn’t look at him. I couldn’t. “I know what I did, but believe me, I didn’t want them to die or get hurt.” I cried. “It changed me, made me see things differently. I won’t be so trusting of people who have proven to be untrustworthy again. I love my kingdom. Growing up, I would go to the local towns with my mother, and the people were so hardworking. They made the most beautiful things and always stood by their faith. They were strong in the face of adversity. I respected them, and even though I was taught to fear some of the lower classes, I see I was misled. I can’t abandon them. Our faith and land are everything to us. I will not have Edgar, or anyone, take it away from them.” Tears ran down my cheeks. “I’m the only one who can stop it. I know I can bring the fae and lunas together too. It didn’t work before, but in time, Blaise will come around. I believe in uniting the kingdom for the first time in history.”
He remained silent. My breaths quickened.
I placed my hand over my heart. “I was stupid to trust him.”
His expression changed. The corners of his eyes softened, and his tight lips relaxed. He regarded me with a compassion I definitely didn’t deserve, but it was calming to see him look at me with anything other than the disappointment he’d had a couple of minutes ago.
“I shouldn’t be so hard on you. You were misguided.” He blew out a long breath. “Before we do anything else, we should go to elves, to make sure they’re alive, so you can explain.”
I looked down. “I know.”
“We will go to the Forest of Tranquillium. We’ll leave in the morning.”
FIVE
I felt like I was drowning once we ducked under the canopy. Raindrops were caught on leaves, glistening under dappled sunlight. Dense foliage touched my legs and bare arms. It was claustrophobic. It was far more difficult this time, without Birch navigating. I pulled the map from my pocket and traced my finger along the X I’d made to mark the spot I thought the elves were. “It’s, um, south. I think.”
“Give me the map.” He extended his hand and gripped the edge. “Where you marked is to the east.”
“I’ve never been great with map-reading,” I admitted.
He arched a dark-blonde eyebrow. “You think?”
His gold hair reflected the light. Each shade was brighter than the next. He’d taken his ridiculous crown off, with some persuasion, but instead he had brought a huge bag packed with things we didn’t need. I patted my small bag and smiled. I’d always been practical, and as we maneuvered through thick vegetation, I could see Cedric was not. Sweat glistened on his skin. He rolled the sleeves of his shirt up and fought through the large leaves and vines.
The air smelled like rain and damp moss. However, the lingering scent of rotting plants took a moment to adjust to. The backs of my legs ached, and the heat became intolerable at times. I stopped to drink, but somehow it never felt like enough water.
Holding onto my staff, which I’d uncloaked once we’d reached the forest, I pointed it at the impassable overgrowth and pulled the life from them until they wilted and died, easing the path ahead for us.
“Don’t do that,” he berated.
“Why not?”
“We need leaves, Winter. They’re alive. Just don’t.”
I could see it bothered him, so I made a note not to do it again while with him. He was similar to Birch in a way, caring for nature.
The sun was low in the sky when we finally reached a walkway resembling a path. It took us twice as long as it could’ve if he’d have let me used my staff, but I didn’t dare bring it up. He was right, and I supposed, the leaves were alive. Feeding back into the soil and ground, giving us life.
He dropped his bag onto the mossy mattress below and sighed.
I rolled my eyes. “You shouldn’t have brought so much. I did tell you.”
“I’m fine.”
“And stubborn,” I mumbled.
“I heard that.” He still managed a grin, despite looking exhausted. He wasn’t the only one. It felt like we’d walked for hours, yet we’d barely moved according to the map. I swear it had been faster with Birch, but then we had talked so much. It passed the time.
“Here.” I grabbed my staff and pointed it at the bag, remembering a spell I used when I was younger, one I’d learned at the academy. I would unburden the loads from servants. My father used to get so mad when he found out I was using magic to aid them. I mumbled a spell of weightlessness. “Try now.”
He lifted the bag, and his eyes widened. “How?”
My lips curved up. “I’ve always loved that spell. It lightens the heaviest loads. Sorry I didn’t do it before. I honestly forgot all about it.”
“Very handy.” He looked impressed. We were surrounded by millions of hues of greens, yet my eyes kept drifting back to the brightest thing in the forest. Cedric. He was athletic but not too muscular. His smile was the most infectious thing about him. He flashed his pearly whites my way, and the lines at the corners of his eyes creased. He had a chiseled jaw and strong features, but they softened when he laughed. His eyes were like deep pools of honey, matching his vibrant personality. The imperfections were what made him look human though: a couple of freckles dotted above his nose, his untamed eyebrows, and laugh lines that wrinkled into his dimples. He was the epitome of the sun in every sense, brightening everyone’s day.
“What’re you thinking about, princess?”
I blushed. “Nothing. Um, I’m actually quite hungry. Aren’t you?”
He searched my expression, then looked to my right. “Yes, and lucky for you, I spotted these. They’re called honeybarrels. I used to love finding them when I was a young faery.” He kneeled on the ground and plucked a flower from the mud. Its gold petals curled to close. Carefully, he peeled two down and tipped it up as if he were drinking from a cup. Out of the flower poured a thick, yellow liquid. It oozed out, and a drip landed on Cedric’s chin. “It’s very sweet.” He picked another and handed it to me.
I peeled back a petal but didn’t tip it in time. The liquid oozed onto my hand. Quickly, I licked it off my palm. The taste was cloying. I scrunched my nose and placed the flower next to me. “A little too sweet for me.”
“You’re already sweet enough,” he replied.
I chuckled. “So inane.”
“It made you laugh though,” he said before drinking another honeybarrel. “I did pack some tarts just in case.”
My mouth filled with saliva. “I loved the ones you made before. I swear, I haven’t found confectionaries as good as you baked since then.”
“Stop.” He laughed. “You’re too kind, but really, I made them this morning before we left.” He pulled out a silver tray of strawberry tarts, lightly dusted with sugar. “First, admit you’re glad I brought a bigger bag.”
I grumbled. “Still, it wasn’t practical and—”
“Fine, don’t have any then.” He grinned.
“Okay, yes, yes. I’m so happy you brought the overly large bag full of things we don’t need. Now please.”
“That wasn’t… never mind.” He chuckled, and I took the tarts from him.
***
The sun was slowly setting, and I remembered what Daisy had told me the last time I was in there about black-spotted lizards coming out at night. I looked around nervously, when Cedric grabbed my wrist.
“Careful.” He pulled me back as something green slithered at my feet, then disappeared into the underbrush. “We’re almost there,” he promised, looking at the map again.
We walked a little further, then I saw it. A small stream I had seen when Birch and I trekked to Woodbarrow. It was less than half an hour from the village.
The stream was darker than I remembered. It bubbled a deep mossy green. I looked around at the trees. Bark was stripped from their trunks, curling down to the roots that had erupted through the hard mud. Everything was slowly dying. “Something bad happened here,” I stated.
A clearing had been made. They were indeed cutting down the forests. I kneeled and touched a charred log. I wiped the soot between my fingers and sighed. “Solises. This was elemental magic. They must have used it to frighten away any animals or—”
“Elves,” he said. “That’s why everything looks so dead. I had no idea the solises were doing this. I—”
“How could you know?” I looked around at the insects crawling over darkened roots to the wilting undergrowth. “Birch told me they were cutting into the forest. She thinks it was to find forest nymphs.”
“Then why wouldn’t they just go directly to the elves?”
I placed my hands on my knees, leaning over. “They don’t know where the elves are or where they’re hiding them, I imagine.”
A dead tree caught my eye. On the ground, something white glistened under the setting sun. Reds and purples poured through the leaves, illuminating the carnage left behind. I turned toward Cedric, but he was staring behind me.
I looked back. My hand shot up to my mouth. Flies buzzed around what was left of a unicorn. The creature’s purple blood had reached the stream, poisoning it. Death lurked in the air, and as we drew closer, I noticed it had been skinned. Its horn had been removed too. I felt the color drain from my face. Cedric hurried to my side, knotting his hand with mine. He guided me around the rotting carcass. I pinched my nose at the stench of rotting flesh. It stung the back of my throat and made my eyes water.
“What did that?” I asked, focusing on the path ahead.
He glanced back and sucked in a deep breath. “Something human. Animals don’t steal horns.”
“You don’t think an elf would have?”
The Fate of Crowns: The Complete Trilogy: A YA Epic Fantasy Boxset Page 30