Relics and Runes Anthology

by Heather Marie Adkins

  “We are taking you back to the fairy city.”

  “I am going to find the assassin.”

  Cornelius rides off on a black horse.

  “Where is the fairy prince?” another soldier asks. He keeps his face hidden by keeping his head low.

  “He is tracking an assassin.”

  “Carry on.” He remains still while everyone else moves about to check on the dead. He gets on his horse and rides off. Takes off his helmet. Wesley cringes a little from the old wound he suffered. “You are not going to be the hero, Cornelius.” He kicks the horse into a gallop.

  Emily and Krill are a good distance away from the goblin city. “I will set you free now.”

  “Will you get into trouble for losing me? If you mean to impress this Linus, perhaps you should bring me in.”

  “I do not want to impress Linus. I want to show them that I can succeed even with only a few days training.”

  “You’re still new? I never would have guessed it. Your attacks are very fluid. You’re very comfortable with your role.”

  She goes to undo his cuffs. He jerks away. “Fine.”

  “Thank you for being generous towards me.”

  She listens. “Someone is coming.” She pulls Krill off the road and they hide inside a section of the land that is full of bright colors.

  “I really hate this place.”

  “What is it?”

  “It’s where the fairies get their magic from.”

  “Really?” She is very interested.

  He brings her face back around. “Don’t mess around with fairy magic.”

  The touch of him sends shivers down her spine.

  The rider passes them.

  “A lone human rider. Has something happened at the goblin city?”

  Wesley stops the horse. He pulls it back around, rides back.

  Emily keeps Krill down. “There’s no way he saw us.”

  Wesley stops right next to where Emily and Krill are.

  “Oh, my, it’s Wesley.”

  Wesley gets off his horse.

  “Why is he dressed in human armor?”

  “He is a strange fellow. Having Cornelius here where he should be.”

  “Shh… he will hear us.”

  Wesley approaches the spot where the assassin and the goblin remain hidden. He shakes his head and gets back on the horse. Emily sighs relief. Then hands are on her.

  “You think I wouldn’t smell a goblin on fairy soil?”

  He pulls her out and then grabs Krill.

  “Wesley, I am taking him to Kell.”

  “Then why conceal yourselves?”

  “One never knows who may be travelling the road.”

  Wesley grins. “An assassin, huh?” He stops grinning. “Emily, you’re lying. This goblin may be bound but you do not regard him as your prisoner. Your eyes betray you. You are worried that I will kill him. And kill him I should.” He raises his sword to Krill’s heart.

  Krill breathes in and holds it.

  “Please don’t.”

  “Why not? Have you made some agreement with him?”

  Wesley doesn’t see it but Emily begs Krill to understand her next action. He doesn’t let on that he reads her eyes well.

  “He is being taken to Kell for questioning. I wanted to keep him safe so that he can survive long enough to be so. I am prepared to cut down anyone that stands in the way of saving Kell.” She prays this works.

  “Okay. Then we will all go to Kell.”

  Andrea comes before her parents. “I am sorry that I went after Cornelius.”

  “You saw Jegorgon on a red dragon?” her father says.

  “I didn’t know we had dragons in our land.”

  “Not in the Vale, but in the other vales, yes,” her mother says.

  Wesley and Noah come in behind Andrea but are soft with their footsteps.

  “It wasn’t entirely my idea. Noah was quick to lead me into battle. Thanks to him though I was able to sneak into the goblin city and at least be able to follow Jegorgon to see that he was riding on a red dragon.”

  Wesley looks at Noah. His eyes squinted and his lips curled. Noah shrugs and nods.

  “Let us ask Noah why then,” the king says. “Noah, come forward.”

  Andrea turns around. Sees Wesley and Noah. The two men walk past Andrea with only Wesley looking at her.

  “So much happens without our knowledge,” the queen says.

  “Melanie, I would not put your daughter in harm’s way.”

  “You will address me as Queen or your Majesty.”

  “But we are old friends.”

  “Oh, Mel, leave it be. Look, Noah, while your intentions were honorable, since you were out to save a fellow fairy, our daughter is known for disobeying and putting herself in danger when it concerns your prince. Wesley has managed to fail continuously in protecting her. I will appoint you as her new protector.”

  “What? You have to be kidding,” Wesley says.

  “We will of course get Thomas and Arianna’s approval. I feel that you Noah can keep our daughter safer than Wesley can.”

  “Wesley isn’t supposed to be here,” the queen says.

  “Mother, Father, we need to send someone deep into the land to find the core of the Vale.”

  Her mother nearly faints at the sound of that.

  “Andrea, no one goes to the core of the Vale. No one even knows where it is.”

  “The man we met does. I am sure of it. I will go and find him again and talk to him.”

  The door opens. “No more disruptions,” the king says.

  “It is me, Emily.”

  The king smiles. “Emily.” He steps down to meet her. “You aren’t supposed to say your name. You’re an assassin now.”

  “It’s just my friends present.”

  “You’re still new. I’ll excuse it this time.”

  “Let Emily come with me. She can protect me.”

  “No.”

  “Then let Noah come with me since he is my new protector.”

  “Can’t you tell, Andrea, that your father doesn’t want you going around getting into trouble?”

  “Wesley, you don’t belong here. Why don’t you go home?”

  “You’d like that. Free up your time for Cornelius. Maybe one day I will give up on you. And when Cornelius is no longer around, you’re going to regret pushing me away.”

  “I only regret ever meeting you.”

  “You didn’t have a choice. We were born at the same time.”

  “Not in the same place.”

  “I didn’t ask to be brought to the human kingdom.”

  Noah and Emily smile at each other. The banter between these two tells them what they already know.

  “Why were you brought to my kingdom?”

  “Oh, now you want to play the part of a princess? Okay, we can act like royals. Princess Andrea, when I am king, I am going to dissolve every single agreement that our two kingdoms have made.”

  “Fine with me. I will do well, when I am queen, to make sure that no fairy is allowed to step foot in my kingdom again.”

  “You’ll find that hard when you realize how much trade we do together.”

  “If we are dissolving agreements, then that includes the trade agreements as well.”

  “She’s insane. Cornelius has polluted her mind.”

  The king and queen remain silent.

  “No one here is going to take your side. No one here wants you.”

  “You two need to just get together already,” Noah says.

  Andrea and Wesley give Noah a vicious look.

  “Your Majesties, I can go in search of this man that Andrea speaks of,” Emily says.

  “We aren’t sending a woman to do this quest,” Noah says.

  “Watch your tongue, Noah.”

  Noah looks behind him. “Linus.”

  Linus bows before the king and queen. “Assign both myself and Emily. Together we will comb every part of this land until we find the man
you seek.”

  “No. This is our fault and we shall share the burden. Me and Wesley.”

  “If we send your daughter and the fairy prince off together, we are going to either be sending a search party or a gurney to pick up the bodies,” Linus says.

  Noah laughs.

  “Andrea, let me take care of this,” Wesley says. “And we don’t need the help of assassins.”

  As her parents and her friends continue to argue about who is best to take this on, Andrea slips away. “No one wants to hear me, so I’ll just do it myself.”

  Andrea goes down into the dungeon and the guards move out of her way. She walks up to Krill’s cell. “I have a question for you, goblin.”

  Krill comes out from under the scrap of a blanket he was given. “Yes? Ask it.”

  “Where can I find a tunnel that takes me to the core of the Vale?”

  Krill moves closer to the iron bars. “You want the digger Drevil.”

  “Where can I find him?”

  “He has holes all over the land. He can be in any one of them at any given time.”

  “Will you help me find him? You’re a goblin. He’s a goblin, right?”

  “Yes to both.”

  “I will come back here tonight. You may go wherever you like after you show me. My only interest is in getting to the core.”

  “You want the man that is connected to the Vale? It’s risky.”

  The guards start their way over.

  “Thank you, goblin.”

  Andrea walks upstairs.

  The king and queen give a party to diffuse the tension and the brink of war with other kingdoms that have sided with the goblin king. Also to lighten the sour mood that their daughter and future son-in-law have bestowed upon everyone. The throne room is attached to the ballroom but most of the guests are eager to look upon the throne chairs since they are made from pure gold.

  Andrea is not in the mood for a party. Wesley walks over to her. “I’m sorry about before. If they think you have a solution, they’ll think you are running off to execute it.”

  “Go on and enjoy the party.”

  “You are upset that Cornelius went home. He had to. But you two will be happy one day, together.”

  “I don’t need any man to be happy.” She walks away.

  “Guests! Guests!” the king says.

  Everyone turns their attention to the king. Andrea makes her way to the door to leave.

  “Wesley come up here.”

  Andrea stops. “Now what are they going to do?”

  Wesley joins the king on the stage where the throne chairs sit. “I want to announce something that is very heartwarming.”

  Andrea slowly walks back to the crowd.

  “I have talked with King Thomas and Queen Arianna and we have both agreed that it is time to join the human and fairy kingdom. We need each other, now more than ever. Our children will bring stability to the kingdoms. So I am pleased to announce that you see here your future king, Prince Wesley.”

  Andrea gasps.

  Wesley is unsure if he should look happy or concerned.

  Noah knew this was the wish of both kingdoms, but he doesn’t believe it is the right time.

  “Andrea, where are you?” the king says.

  The crowd turns and looks around.

  Andrea is not there.

  Andrea makes haste for the dungeon. “Unbelievable. To hell with all men.” The changing of the guards takes place. They congratulate themselves on the victory made on the goblin city. During their jolliness, she sneaks past and grabs the iron keyring. She finds the key that fits Krill’s cage.

  “Goblin?”

  “My name is Krill.”

  “Let us go.” She sneaks past the guards again with Krill close to her.

  She grabs a backpack by the bushes. She slips on a brown poncho and throws a detachable brown hood over her head. She puts two daggers into their sheaths on either side of her belt.

  “You can change your mind.”

  “Lead the way, Krill.”

  “As you say, m’lady.”

  They hurry to the back of the castle and take cover behind the thick bushes that line the castle grounds. They spot Wesley and Noah searching. Guards are on alert.

  “Your beloved will find you.”

  “Don’t put much faith in Wesley. Hurry.”

  Wesley and Noah come to the front of the castle. “I hope she is just sitting somewhere crying over the fact that we will be married.”

  A guard comes over to Wesley. “The goblin is gone.”

  “Andrea, what have you done?”

  The king and queen walk with the guards. “Is the goblin city secured?” the king asks one of the generals.

  “Yes, sire.”

  “How soon before we take it completely?”

  “We will have it by dawn. We will seal off their tunnels so they cannot sneak back in.”

  “Jegorgon can use magic to take back the city.”

  “With the fairies united with us, we will not need to worry about that.”

  “Jegorgon is more powerful than the fairies. Take care in your small victories. The war is not won.”

  Wesley joins the king. “The goblin king escaped. It’s obvious he took with him some goblins. I killed his general. He will elect a new one. And Andrea just broke out the goblin.”

  “Wonderful,” the queen says.

  “We can send our assassins to find the goblin king and at least kill any remaining goblins,” the king says.

  “We can’t exterminate the entire race. They serve a purpose,” the queen says.

  “And Jegorgon only needs to have one goblin alive to make more,” Wesley says.

  Wesley brings Queen Melanie away from the soldiers and the king. “We basically just ruined all trade agreements that were made with the goblins by invading their city and killing nearly all of them.”

  “I will talk with my husband. Right now, we need to find Andrea. She freed that goblin for some reason. We need to find out what and why.”

  “I think I know.”

  Andrea and Krill run along the main road. Heading south.

  “The weather is colder in the north. Drevil should have moved south where the dirt is easier to dig through and the hole will be less likely to freeze over.”

  “You are sure that you can sense him when we are close?”

  “Our noses never fail.”

  Emily comes out of the bushes. Linus is behind her.

  “What would you do?” he asks.

  “I’d smack her.”

  “If she does find a way into the core of the Vale, what do you think will happen?”

  “I think being that no one has set foot in it, we shouldn’t let Andrea be the one who does.”

  “We better stay far behind them.”

  Krill looks back and smiles. He gives a little wave to Emily.

  “That goblin is sweet on you.”

  “Don’t be silly. Let’s go before we lose sight of them.”

  “We won’t.” He takes out a spyglass.

  The two assassins start their walk.

  “I feel like this is going to be some adventure with you.”

  “Remember, if we are caught, we are not on a mission commissioned by the king and queen of Kell. We do not work for them.”

  “Got it.”

  “And remember, that if we are caught and I must choose one of us to sacrifice, I’ll choose the fellow next to me.” He winks at her. He runs ahead of her.

  She smiles and blushes. She wipes her cheek as if wiping away the blushing.

  Wesley enters the assassin’s training area. He finds the female and male trainers. “Did you dispatch two assassins?”

  They bow.

  “Answer him,” Noah says, coming up behind him. “Where’s Emily?”

  “She is reading some books that we need her finish before she takes the trials to become a master assassin,” the female trainer says.

  Wesley grins then grabs the trainer by
her collar. “Tell me where they are.”

  “Let her go. I have another way of finding out.”

  Wesley and Noah leave the training area.

  Noah pushes Wesley behind a tree. “Just wait.”

  The trainers come out of the training area and head out of the city.

  “There. Where could they be going so suddenly?”

  “Let’s go.”

  “You’re too crazy. Let me go and I’ll get the information we seek. Go and hang out by the bathing pools.” Noah runs off after the trainers.

  Wesley finds a tree stump and sits down on it. He closes his eyes. “Cornelius, can you hear me?”

  Cornelius looks over the swords that were recovered from the goblin assault. He sees a red one. “This is interesting.”

  “Cornelius? Stop with the swords and listen.”

  Cornelius walks away from the table. “Wesley. What do you want?”

  “It is time that we end this deception. Not just for Andrea’s sake but because it’s become too dangerous. And it’s wrong.”

  “I can handle the pain and torture.”

  “I can’t.” Wesley senses someone near. “We need to end this.” Wesley opens his eyes. An assassin recruit is there. “Yes?”

  “I know where Emily and Linus went.”

  Krill and Andrea pass a valley that shimmers. “This is where we got the idea for one of our dungeon cages. Cornelius was meant to be tortured by it but Jegorgon changed his mind.”

  She looks at the valley. “There is a shimmering.”

  “It’s the valley of the dancing needles. They vibrate so fast that they appear to be dancing. They create the shimmering effect.”

  “Who would ever go there?”

  “There is a great treasure somewhere in there. But the needles are so close together that you can’t even enter to attempt to find the treasure. There is said to be a maze that will take you safely to the treasure. No one is brave enough to find out. We only extracted a few of the needles because we couldn’t risk more goblins being killed.”