by K. M. Shea
“I was careless with the goblins.” Quinn frowned as she recalled the battle. “I concentrated too much on the wraith when I should have been more aware of what was going on around me.”
“That’s not what I meant, or rather it’s partially what I meant.” Emerys shook his head, nearly making himself spill off Quinn’s wrist. “You did great during the battle. But I think you ought to prepare yourself. Since you are now tied directly to me through our friendship, and with the elves being in this…situation…if the goblins really are being led by someone and they learn of it, you may be targeted as well.”
Quinn hesitated. That’s right…Emerys is the Elf King. Of course, whoever is responsible for the curse wishes for his demise. “I will do my best to move with more care.”
Emerys rustled his wings. “Thank you.” He hopped up her arm, coming to a stop on her shoulder. He tapped the curve of his wing against the back of her head in a strange sort of hug. “There, there.”
Quinn grinned. “I hardly need comfort, Emerys.”
“I know. I’m trying to comfort myself.”
Quinn laughed, and eventually Emerys joined in—breaking off only when his chuckle turned into a caw, and he got mad at himself.
I was wrong about the elves. I was wrong to assume they would act stuffy and superior Quinn decided. Or maybe it was that I was afraid of them and afraid of what their purity might reveal about me.
Chapter 8
Of Kings and Queens
Quinn breathed deeply and tried to loosen her already awkward tongue.
I'm going to meet the King of Farset. The thought made her nervous, which was slightly ridiculous given she'd spent the last two days escorting the King of the Elves around. But I haven't seen him in his real form. Thinking back to the night she and Roy had followed the princesses, she shook her head. Or rather, I probably have. He must've been that elf who sat on the throne in a mask. But I've never talked to him and interacted with him when he's in his usual form.
“Roy,” Kenneth said.
Surprised, Quinn jerked her gaze up and saw Roy trotting down the hallway. “I thought you said I was the only one to meet the king this evening?” she asked Band Gallant’s leader.
“The king changed his mind. He thought it best to speak to both of you since you were the first people who have managed to uncover the princesses’ nightly activities.” Kenneth nodded when Roy offered him a salute.
“Kenneth, Midnight!” Roy smiled cheerfully. “This is just wonderful, isn't it? We're soldiers, and we're about to have an audience with the king himself!”
“And the queen,” Kenneth reminded him.
Quinn pasted on her easy-going smile. “It will certainly be a tale to tell our families. Is it time to go in?”
Kenneth nodded. “This way.”
The king and queen had elected to meet them in a royal receiving room. Though they were the monarchs of Farset, they often met with officers of various importance. Kenneth, in fact, had spoken to them on more than one occasion since the infestation of wraiths and trolls began.
Soldiers were posted outside the door, though they opened it up after Kenneth flashed the badge that marked him as the leader of Band Gallant. He turned around and nodded at Quinn and Roy, then stepped into the receiving room.
The room was rather sparse and was filled mostly with meticulously organized desks and bookshelves, though one wall was painted with a giant map of Farset and spotted with gobs of wax. Going by their colors and locations, Quinn guessed they probably marked all the spots where wraiths and trolls had been seen.
In the center of the room, seated on two straight-backed chairs covered in comfortable cushions, were the King and Queen of Farset. King Dirth was well groomed with not a seam of his clothes or a hair on his head out of place, and he sat on his throne as if he had been carved there. Queen Orsina, on the other hand, was dressed in a slightly wrinkled gown and leaned in her chair as she studied chipped nails. She was younger than her husband, but not drastically so.
Objectively, Quinn knew they were both good-looking, but after staring at Alastryn all day, they did not seem impressive.
In sync, Kenneth, Quinn, and Roy bowed. “Your Majesties,” Kenneth said.
“Band leader Kenneth, you may approach.” King Dirth beckoned them forward, then addressed the row of scribes seated in desks at his right side. “Record everything, and take more care with your penmanship this time.”
Queen Orsina raised a dark eyebrow and studied Roy and Quinn. “You are the two soldiers who managed to outsmart my beautiful daughters and finally uncover their mystery?”
Roy and Quinn bowed together. “It was our honor, Your Majesty,” Roy said.
The queen snorted. “I highly doubt that.”
The king spoke again. “Kenneth has given me a full report on your activities. You, Roy of Green Scale Hills, have been posing as a gardener’s apprentice to watch my daughters—a cover I fully endorsed when you first approached me.”
Roy stood with his hands tucked behind his back. “That is correct, Your Majesty.”
The king nodded, then swiveled his gaze to Quinn. “And somehow in the scuffle of it all, you, Quinn of Midnight Lake, encountered an elf and have already been labeled an elf-friend.”
Quinn let a very slight smile settled on the corners of her lips. “Yes, Your Majesty.”
The king squinted at her. “Did you uncover more today?”
Quinn swallowed and forced herself to speak. “Yes. The elf I befriended was rather curious about the sudden appearance of goblins in Farset. He guessed that the goblin attacks are not chance encounters, but perhaps were sent by whoever cursed them to watch the elves.”
“You were not able to discern who it was who cursed the elves?” Queen Orsina asked.
Quinn shook her head. “I'm afraid not, Your Majesty. The elves are forbidden—and physically unable—to reveal any particulars of their curse through either spoken or written words.”
“What did you discover with your elf friend?” The king asked.
“The goblins are indeed watching the elves. My friend believes they have been sent to make sure the elves do not escape their curse, and if they do, the goblins will likely attempt to wipe them out.”
“Wipe them out?” The king asked sharply.
Quinn swallowed and glanced at Kenneth, who gave her an encouraging nod. “The curse has weakened the elves. Emerys says that if the goblins were to attack, they would be in no position to defend themselves. The magic that protects the borders will fail, and it is likely they would be slaughtered.”
King Dirth furrowed his eyebrows. “That is troubling news indeed.” Muttering under his breath, he slipped a pair of spectacles on and started paging through a report. “Scribes! This report is incorrectly organized,” he stated.
“You mentioned your friend. He is an elven soldier, is he not?” Queen Orsina asked.
It took all of Quinn's training as a soldier to keep from cringing. “That was my initial assumption based on his manners and way of speaking. Unfortunately, I was wrong.”
The king was too busy frowning over the goblin report to respond, but Queen Orsina gamely tilted her head. “Oh? Who is your elf friend?”
“His Majesty Themerysaldi, the King of the Elves.”
King Dirth flung his report aside, and even Kenneth and Roy dropped their respectful stances to gape at Quinn.
“What?” the king asked.
Quinn lifted her chin but kept her gaze on the monarch's feet. “I apologize for my misleading and ill-advised assumption. I shall strive to do better in the future.”
King Dirth shook his head and flicked his hand through the air. “Your guess may be forgiven. But, Themerysaldi? You met the King of the Elves himself, and he called you his friend?”
Quinn nodded. “Yes, your Majesty.”
Queen Orsina picked at her nails. “Even you have never received an audience with King Themerysaldi, dear husband.”
King Dirth frowned at her. “It is ra
re for any humans to meet with elf royalty.” He shifted his gaze back to Quinn. “Have you anything more to report?”
“Yes, though I'm not sure how important this additional information is.” Quinn straightened her spine and rolled her shoulders back. “Today King Themerysaldi brought me to Sideralis, where I met his cousin Lady Alastryn. They both mentioned being particularly excited about my presence and what it meant. I suspect there is some particular thing about me that may possibly abate or break their curse. I had thought it was because I was an elf-friend, but King Themerysaldi indicated that was not why.”
“How very odd.” The king leaned back in his chair, then glanced at his wife. “Stop picking your nails.”
“It helps me think,” she said.
“You do it just to annoy me.”
“That is an added bonus.” Queen Orsina brushed her bangs out of her eyes. “Returning to your thoughts, Quinn of Midnight Lake, I must ask for clarification. When King Themerysaldi spoke the ceremonial words of friendship, did he call you an elf-friend, or his elf-friend?”
Quinn raised her eyes to the ceiling as she tried to recall his exact phrasing. “His elf-friend.”
“Perhaps it is that,” the queen said.
“That is...a real possibility, actually,” King Dirth said. “It is extremely rare for an Elf King to declare a human his particular friend. Even if he has many good acquaintances among humans, there is a set of strict rules that must be met in order to be the friend of the ruling elf. Most importantly, it is required that you save his or her life—an extremely rare occurrence. In fact, the only royal elf-friend I ever recall hearing of is the missing Lord Enchanter Evariste. He is—or perhaps was—great friends with King Themerysaldi.” The king smoothed his perfectly trimmed goatee. “Anything else to report, soldier?”
“No, Your Majesty.”
King Dirth nodded. “And you, Roy. Have you anything new to report? Any suspicions on how my daughters came to share—at least partially so—in the elves’ curse?”
“No, Your Majesty.” Roy bowed his head. “I believe they are bound to the same silence as the elves.”
King Dirth grunted. “We need more information. I want all of Band Gallant to follow my daughters to the elven celebration. Tomorrow.”
Kenneth bowed. “As Your Majesty wishes.”
The queen snorted. “Are you certain that’s feasible? I should like to watch when you explain to darling Alena that five soldiers will be camping in the maid’s room.”
“We will do nothing of the sort,” King Dirth said. “Only Roy will sleep in the maid’s room, keeping his front as the gardener’s boy. The rest can wait in the hall. Roy can knock on the door to signal when the princesses have left, and then they can join them. I will have someone inform the guards so they will allow it.”
Roy bowed. “We shall do our best to save your precious daughters, Your Majesty.”
The king smoothed his goatee again. “While I appreciate the sentiment, I'm afraid you have misunderstood me. I am very concerned for my daughters; however, I believe it is the elves who are in far more dire straits and need of our help.”
For the briefest moment, Quinn saw a look of shock flash across Roy's face. He opened his mouth to speak before his training set in, and he clamped his jaw shut with a click.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Kenneth said on Roy's behalf.
“It is not that I am callous or not worried for my daughters. I am.” The king sighed and rubbed the dark circles under his eyes “But I am also concerned for the state of the continent. For the past five years, nearly every country has been plagued, and many royal and noble families have been attacked. The princes of Loire believe all of these attacks have been plotted out by an ancient organization of dark magic users: The Chosen.”
Quinn blinked, but the slight smile on her lips did not fade at the name of darkness.
King Dirth stared at Kenneth, Quinn, and Roy, seeming to expect some kind of reply.
“It makes sense,” Kenneth said. “We've confirmed the elves are cursed, a feat no one would be able to achieve as an impulse attack.”
“Yes. It also likely means the Chosen are more powerful than was initially estimated,” King Dirth agreed. “What disturbs me most, however, is that the elves were silenced and cursed directly at the beginning of these troubles—shortly after Lord Enchanter Evariste disappeared, in fact. However, everything we have encountered compared to the attack on the elves has been on a much smaller scale.”
“Smaller scale?” Queen Orsina frowned. “The Princess of Sole slept an entire year and woke only a short time ago. A witch nearly ruined Arcainia, and goblins thrive in Erlauf. How can you say such events are small?”
“As a race, the elves have the best warriors and most skilled magic users. Only the most talented enchanters and enchantresses can match them. To be able to subdue every elf in Alabaster Forest to the point where they cannot leave their woods?” He shook his head. “That must have taken an incredible amount of power, and I find it worrisome that we have not seen such a show of power since.”
“For it indicates that they still have more power on reserve and are merely waiting to make their move?” the queen guessed.
King Dirth nodded and took her hand. “Considering you profess the most important thing in the country is the latest dress pattern, you understand tactics quite well, my dear.”
“What I understand is honor,” Queen Orsina, once a countess from Sole, stated proudly. “The enemy we face has not a lick of it.”
Quinn listened to the conversation, attempting to piece everything together. It's a sobering realization, but they are right. If they were so easily able to subdue the elves, what has kept them from sweeping the continent? Moreover, what could possibly be powerful enough to break a spell that has incapacitated the elves? Quinn briefly curled her fingers into fists to keep from scratching the back of her neck. Perhaps...I should seek out Angelique? She may know, or at the very least will be able to help. I'm a fool for not thinking of it earlier—I should've mentioned her to Emerys when I first met him.
“So you see, soldiers, I am trusting you with much more than my daughters’ lives,” the king said. “I'm asking you to uncover what possibly may be the continent's saving grace. Weakened or not, elves are a great force. We will need them if we hope to stand against the Chosen.”
Quinn, Kenneth, and Roy bowed. “Yes, your Majesty,” they murmured.
King Dirth nodded. “I will await your report on tomorrow night's venture. Be certain to write it up in an orderly manner—preferably in an alphabetical arrangement, or at the very least according to time.”
Queen Orsina rolled her eyes. “You can speak of ancient evils and attacks that have been planned for centuries, and then demand an alphabetized report? My King, your priorities frustrate me.”
“And your wrinkled dress frustrates me,” the king said.
“At least I do not require my footmen to stand in order of their age.” The queen rolled her eyes.
“It's an understandable request!”
Queen Orsina looked as if she didn't agree and wore an irritated expression with high eyebrows and a slight sneer to her lips, but Quinn did not miss the way that their little squabble seemed to perk the king up and take the worry out of his shoulders. “It is no more understandable than your demands to name all your children alphabetical names!” She motioned to Quinn and her companions. “You are dismissed. Thank you for your report.”
Quinn, Kenneth, and Roy bowed, then headed for the door.
“Naming them in order of the alphabet was a brilliant idea,” the king sniffed. “I still fail to understand why you refused to name Isudora and Isotta proper names starting with H.”
“Because the only appropriate names that begin with H from Sole are for men!” the queen said.
Quinn followed Kenneth and Roy out of the receiving room. She nodded to the guards as they shut the door behind them. “The king and queen are...” she said.
&nbs
p; Roy nodded. “Yeah.”
“I will inform Guy and Leigh of our new orders,” Kenneth said. “Though you, Roy, should continue with your gardener’s deception and you, Quinn, should still visit Alabaster Forest, I would like you both to report in after lunch so we may strategize our plan for the evening.”
Quinn and Roy simultaneously saluted Kenneth. “Yes, sir.”
Kenneth nodded at them. “You did well.” He turned on his heels and strode away before they could thank him.
Roy slightly nudged Quinn. “He’s right, you know. That calm-and-unflappable smile of yours made you fit right in with Their Majesties!”
She knew it was supposed to be a compliment, but after Emerys’ emphatic desire to see the “true” version of her, she wondered what her band mates would think if she didn’t smile as much. Probably start fighting. Smiling is a good diffuser when tensions are high, and no one else feels like being calm.
“The meeting did serve to remind me I have no wish to reach a leadership position,” Quinn said dryly.
“Come, now. You must have some ambition!” Roy laughed. “I know I would take a more respected position if one were offered to me!”
She rolled her left shoulder, testing it for pain. Alastryn wasn't jesting when she said the medicine was potent. I still feel very little pain, and it's been hours!
“Want to go grab some grub at the mess hall, Midnight?” Roy asked as he folded his hands behind his head.
Quinn shook her head. “I ate with the elves, though I thank you for the offer.”
Roy pushed his eyebrows together in a slightly puzzled expression. “What else is there for you to do for the rest of tonight?”
“I was thinking I would seek out Bridget. As the Red Rider, she heard Rider Neera's report on the summit that took place earlier this year. If what the king says is true, learning of the curses and calamities that have befallen other countries and how they were thwarted might lead to some new information on the elves.”
“Good luck. Sure you don't want to come with me for a bit?” Roy asked.
“Positive. Good evening, Roy.”
Roy winked at her. “Take care, Midnight.”