Iris sat next to me and clasped her hands to her chest. “What’ll we do? Will he die?”
“He’s not going to die.” I wasn’t totally against Rickard dying, but I could tell that Iris was already attached to her master secretary, nasty as he was. “He’ll be fine. I’ll fix him.”
“What about his feet?” asked Gledit.
“Feet?”
“His feet hurt,” said Leanna. “I calmed him earlier this morning, but something’s wrong.”
Fidelé wrapped his tail around my neck and purred. I stroked his tail and Rufus started getting hot on my other shoulder. “I’m fine.”
Gledit straightened up. “Is something wrong, Your Highness?”
“No, I was talking to my sidekicks,” I said.
“I’m your sidekick,” said Gerald.
“No, you’re not,” said Iris. “I am.”
Gerald got all haughty. “You’re the sister.”
“I am the sidekick,” said Horc. “I am sweet and adorable. And I have the most teeth.” Horc showed his rows of teeth, filled with bits of pork and who knows what. It wasn’t adorable.
They started squabbling and I looked out the window. The dimly lit station had concrete walls and felt moist. It was a lot smaller than I expected for a capital city. Vienna and Paris’s stations were huge. I started to get the strangest feeling, sort of itchy and odd. A tourist passed our carriage, bumping into elegant men wearing suits and sunglasses. What I didn’t see was any other fairies. No trolls. No dryads. No nothing. I thought Rome was fairy central for Italy, like Paris, only not quite so many species.
The carriage slowed down and an American couple stopped next to us. The woman’s earring sparkled in the light, dim as it was. Horc climbed into my lap and tried to leap out of the window. I pulled him back by the collar of his paper bag shirt. “What is your problem?” I asked.
“Do you not see those diamonds?” He tapped his greenish-brown lips. “It is a simple hook and clasp system. Not a wise choice, but it is good for us.”
“You can’t have that earring.”
“Why not? She is a human and she has two.”
“That’s beside the point. Wood fairies don’t steal.”
Horc got thoughtful. “I may not be completely wood fairy.”
Great.
“This is not the time to be an American-type spriggan. We have to make a good impression at the Vatican. No stealing.”
He nodded. “I will borrow it.”
The woman tucked a stray hair behind her ear and Horc about jumped out of his skin. “Rings.”
“Stop it,” I said, struggling with his rotund body.
The woman looked our way, puzzled, as if she’d heard us. We froze, but then she just shook her head and laughed. “I must be exhausted. I’m starting to hear things.”
“Like what?” asked the man next to her.
“Oh, nothing. I’m crazy.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “You’re perfect.”
“I’m perfectly happy,” she said. “I can’t believe we’re here. The most romantic place on Earth.”
I looked at Horc. “I thought Paris was the most romantic.”
A dollop of drool fell off Horc’s lip and went splat on my knee. “Diamonds.”
I pried him off the window and gave him to Leanna, who was frowning at me.
“Don’t worry,” I said. “He won’t really steal stuff.”
“Yes, I will,” said Horc.
Iris patted his head. “No, you won’t. You’re a good wood fairy.”
Horc got all shifty-eyed.
“Your Highness,” said Leanna. “Rickard is gagging. I think he needs help.”
Iris clapped her hands on her rosy cheeks. “Oh no. My master secretary. I wasn’t paying attention.” She flung open the door and flew out. Fantastic.
“I guess I’m going to help Rickard.” I picked up my traveling bag.
“Shall I do it?” asked Gledit. “I can fly and follow your instructions.”
I would’ve loved to say yes. The stink coming off Gledit was so strong and noxious, it was like being fumigated, but I needed to see Rickard for myself. “No, thanks. I’ll just climb up.” At least I’d be outside.
Iris darted down to the door. “Stuff’s coming out of his face.
Ew. What a way to start the day. Good thing we didn’t have breakfast. I climbed out the door and up onto the top of the carriage. Iris fluttered in front of me, wringing her hands. “What’ll we do?”
“We’re not doing anything.”
Rickard glared at me, spasmed, and horked up what looked like a blue tube. It inched across his cheek and fell onto the stretcher. “You’re trying to kill me,” he wheezed.
“Give me a break. You got this in prison. If I wanted you dead, you’d be a pile of ash.” I opened my bag and rummaged around for Grandma Vi’s quick reference. I hadn’t looked at it in ages. Once upon a time, she made me memorize it, but I’d started to forget her lessons. I had so many new things to know, the old things like “If your patient has a ratio of five red slugs to seven blue slugs, what color ear wax will his mother have on Tuesday?” The answer was seven, but Grandma Vi died before she could tell me what this meant. As a kid, I kinda assumed she’d hit her head. Luckily, more practical things were in the quick reference. The cure for slug cough was three drops of Calendula twice a day and hot Eucalyptus compresses on the chest at night.
I found the Calendula and sucked up the required amount. “Open up.”
Rickard raised an eyebrow at me. “Why don’t you want me dead?”
“I can always kill you later.”
“Matilda!” exclaimed Iris. “Rickard’s my master secretary and I love him.”
“You would,” I said. “Open up, Rickard.”
He did open up and three more slugs came out. They were blue and extra sticky.
“What do they taste like?” asked Iris with a wrinkled nose.
“A troll’s backside,” said Rickard and he brought up a yellow one. It squished over his chin and landed on his throat. He flung it away and it landed on the earring woman’s lip. She licked her lip and it disappeared.
“Ew…gross,” said Iris. “Can humans get slug cough?”
“I hope not.” I dropped the Calendula drops on Rickard’s tongue and he shivered. “Tastes bad.”
“Worse than backside?”
He frowned. “It’s a draw. Where are we?”
“Rome,” I said.
He took a sniff. “Smells like the sea.”
“It is the sea.”
“Rome isn’t on the sea.” Rickard struggled to sit up. He wouldn’t have made it if Iris hadn’t helped him.
“It must be,” I said. “We’re here.
“Why do the signs say Venezia?”
I’d seen that word, too, but I hadn’t thought much about it. There wasn’t room in my head. “Maybe it means welcome.”
“Maybe,” said Rickard.
I stood up on the roof and called to Lorenzo. “Hey! What does Venezia mean?”
Lorenzo started to answer, but the gargoyles chose that moment to go nuts. They ran all over Luca’s face, hissing and lashing their tails. Luca loved it. He flailed his chubby arms and belly-laughed.
“They’re acting weird,” said Iris.
Rickard hacked up a green slug and said, “They’re gargoyles.” He gave me a snooty look.
“Don’t look at me,” I said.
“You made—” He spewed six slugs at once and they came with goo.
“That’s disgusting,” said Iris. “Make it stop.”
“I am. The Calendula’s working.” I picked up a slug and tossed it at my little sister, who didn’t have the strongest stomach. It landed on her forearm and she darted straight up, screeching. I laughed as she grossed out until Lorenzo looked back, struggling to control his laughing son. “Stay close. It can be confusing.”
The earring woman heard him and looked at the space where we were. Lorenzo was
talking to air in her view and she held back to get away from him. That made me laugh more. Humans. So blind to the obvious.
Up ahead, Lorenzo squeezed past a tour group to the open end of the station. The sky was a brilliant turquoise blue and the smell of the sea got stronger. Lorenzo stepped outside and paused for Gianna to catch up with Alessia. The damumoto stopped next to Lorenzo’s head and stamped their hooves, creating a glittery cloud around them. The cloud blocked my view for a second and I stood up to see a row of four-story buildings across a canal. It couldn’t be more different than Vienna. A church stood in the row and had none of St. Stephen’s gothic beauty, being perfectly square with an over-sized, bulbous great dome on top. Seagulls swooped down over tourists, who were snapping pictures of everything, although the buildings weren’t that exciting. If they could’ve seen, the dragons were putting on a show worthy of a picture. They chased the birds, snapping their jaws and shooting fire at them.
“Get in the carriage,” I said to Iris.
“I like seagulls. They’re beautiful.”
“Like them from where it’s safe.”
She made a face. “Seagulls don’t eat fairies.”
“Who told you that?” I asked.
“Nobody. They’re too pretty to attack us.”
Iris’s logic couldn’t be attacked with logic. She simply wouldn’t hear it. Pretty things were good. So were ugly things until they proved to be bad. I could’ve pointed out that the horen were beautiful and they attacked us plenty, but I’d already tried it. Iris was love. Love knows no logic.
“Fine, but don’t come crying to me if you get eaten.”
Lorenzo started down the stairs to a wide brick area with a geometric white stone design in it. I turned, looking for the city I expected. I didn’t find it. Lorenzo stopped and asked Gianna if she remembered which boat to take. She didn’t and they got out their phones.
“It’s a lot smaller than I thought,” I said.
“I wouldn’t think anything would be small to a fairy,” said Gianna.
A seagull swept by, missing the carriage by inches. I ducked and Rickard spat out two more slugs. “For a capital city, I mean. Human capitals are usually big, aren’t they?”
“This isn’t our capital.”
“Rome isn’t your capital?”
“This isn’t Rome,” she said, genuinely puzzled.
Rickard straightened up, spat out a fat red slug, and said, “I knew it. Idiot. Rome isn’t on the sea.”
“Why aren’t we in Rome? We’re going to Rome,” I said.
Lorenzo looked up from his phone. “I’ve got it. We take the ‘C’ to St. Mark’s.”
“We’re not going to St. Mark’s, whatever that is. We’re going to the Vatican,” I said.
The humans looked at me. “The Vatican is in Rome.”
I threw up my hands. “I know.”
“Gledit said this will take only three or four days and then we will go to Florence,” said Gianna.
I stomped on the roof. “Gledit, get out here!”
Gledit darted up beside me. “Yes, Your Highness?”
“What are we doing here in…in…”
“Venice,” he said helpfully.
“Venice. We’re supposed to be in Rome,” I sputtered.
He bowed. “And we will be, after we follow royal protocol.”
“I told you we weren’t doing that stuff. Straight to Rome. That’s what we’re doing.”
My master secretary avoided my eyes. “I didn’t think you were serious about that. You are the princess royal. We can’t pass through other principalities without being received by the ruling families.”
“Why not?” I asked. “What’s going to happen?”
“They would be terribly insulted to be snubbed in such a way,” said Gledit and the humans nodded in agreement. Huge help.
“What they don’t know won’t hurt them. We’ll just go back into the train station and leave. How much longer to Rome, Gianna?”
“About four hours on a high-speed train.”
“Perfect. Let’s do that,” I said. “Turn around, Volotora.”
The damumoto turned his head but didn’t move.
“What is happening?” I asked.
“We can’t leave,” said Rickard. “It would be a terrible insult.”
“To who? Nobody knows we’re here. We’re barely here.”
Gledit looked at the ground.
“What did you do?”
“I may have sent a messenger ahead.”
“Did you or didn’t you?” I asked through clenched teeth.
“I did. I apologize, but it’s my job to make sure you behave properly. It’s very important to the empress.”
I groaned. “Fine. I’ll make an appearance, but that’s it.”
“Excellent,” said Gledit. “We should have time to go shopping for a ball gown.”
“No ball gowns. Let’s get this over with.”
“That’s the royal spirit,” said Rickard with scorn. “You’re completely suited to the role.”
Gledit smacked him upside the head and six slugs popped out. “Volotora, to the boat.”
Lorenzo led us to a dock with a line. The closer we got, the wilder Luca got. The gargoyles were running all over his head.
“What’s wrong with them?” asked Gianna.
“I don’t know,” I said.
The gargoyles were all pointed in my direction, frantically looking for a way to jump to me, but it was too far. They leapt from Luca’s head to Lorenzo’s shoulder and ran over his head to the other shoulder. Lorenzo shivered and Gianna asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m well, but they feel weird, like bugs.”
The gargoyles were like bugs, in my opinion. And something was up with my bugs. They were absolutely frantic to get back to the carriage.
I grabbed Iris’s wrist. “Do you feel something?”
My sister went stock still. “Yes…something. It’s not very nice.”
“That’s a good way to put it.”
Lorenzo merged into the line of humans waiting and I took Iris’s hand. The feeling got stronger and stronger. Rickard grabbed my ankle. “What is it?”
“I don’t know. I don’t—” That’s when the boat came into view. It was squat and white with a wide roof. The roof was covered with sea serpents. At least fifty of the nastiest creatures this side of the horen.
Chapter Eight
“TURN AROUND! TURN around!” I yelled.
“What’s happening?” asked Gianna.
“Sea serpents.” I pointed at the boat.
She squinted. “Oh, I see them. There are a lot.”
“Turn around!”
“They aren’t that big,” said Lorenzo.
“Neither are horen.”
Both humans stiffened. “They’re like horen?”
“They’re evil. We have to get out of here, protocol or no protocol.”
“Your Highness, please calm down,” said Gledit.
Gerald flew up beside me in a huff. “I knew you didn’t read it. You promised and you didn’t.”
“Read what?” I yelled. “Turn around, Volotora!”
Nothing happened, except some snorting of fire.
“I’m supposed to be in charge of you! Turn around!”
Gerald blocked my view of the writhing sea serpents. “You didn’t read my dossier. You promised.”
“Huh? Yeah, yeah. I read it,” I said, dodging to look past him.
“If you did, you’d know that the Republic of Venice is ruled by sea serpents,” said Gerald.
“How could you not tell me that?”
“I did!”
“Well, we’re not staying here. I don’t care what the empress says.”
Gledit landed on the roof. “Your Highness.”
“I’ll deal with you later. Turn around, Volotora!”
“Your Highness.”
I pushed past Gledit. “Don’t make me fly up there!”
Gledit go
t in front of me and hissed, “Your Highness.”
“Knock it off. This is all your fault.”
Then he grabbed me. I was so surprised I didn’t react to the touching. Max made a big deal about how nobody was supposed to touch me, but Gledit spun me around roughly to face another carriage. Actually, it was more of a chariot, being pulled by fish, of all things. They were glowing silver with long fins they used like wings. Water continually dripped off them and the chariot. Inside the wet chariot were two very angry-looking sea serpents.
“Problema, Principessa?” The sea serpent slithered up, showing off his long tube-like body over the edge of the chariot. He was red with multiple lacy orange fins, especially around his large face that resembled a lion with a mane. He had an extra set of legs in the middle of his body and he tapped one of those long, golden claws on the chariot. “Principessa?”
I wanted to scream, but instead, I said, “Yes.”
“Sei Matilda, Principessa Reale?”
That sounded about right. “I guess. Who are you?”
The other sea serpent, a less fancy version of the first, leaned over and spoke. His face was turned, but I was able to make out something about Americans. It wasn’t flattering.
“Your Highness, your presence is requested in the Doge’s Palace by the doge himself,” said the first serpent.
Gerald darted up and said to me, “The doge is their leader. He gets elected and—”
“Okay. I got it.”
“No, you don’t.”
“Close enough,” I said, returning to the sea serpents. “You still haven’t introduced yourselves.”
The first serpent hissed. His forked tongue had a gold stud earring in it and I wondered if he lisped. I couldn’t tell. “I am Tiepolo, first counselor to His Serenity. This is my first counselor, Lepanto.”
His Serenity?
“So you’re kind of like a master secretary,” I said. “This is my master secretary, Gledit. You can…uh…deal with him.” I had bigger things to worry about. Percy and Penelope had flown under the overhang and were perched on a rafter. They’d been known to snap sea serpents in half and from the way they were flexing their claws, they were about ready to give Tiepolo that treatment. “I’ll be right back.”
“While you’re at it, Your Highness, inform your dragons that they will not be allowed into La Serenissima,” said Tiepolo with a tongue flick.
To the Eternal (Away From Whipplethorn Book Five) Page 11