Fan’twar would possibly know, and that made my quest to free him even more dire. There was no other being alive who possessed as much knowledge as my stepfather. I couldn’t afford to lose him. The world couldn’t afford to lose him.
I’d never asked him before because I’d been too afraid to admit that a piece of Theht existed within me. But I realized now that hiding from the problem wouldn’t fix it. I had no choice but to ask for his help… after I freed him. And I would.
When I caught my breath, I sat up and stared around the small space, recognizing the room as one of the chambers in the Wult keep. Outside, I heard raised voices. I stood cautiously, feeling the characteristic dizziness as I tried to walk, but I managed to make it across the room and grab the doorframe for support.
I inched the door open and found I stood inside a broom closet that led into the dining hall where large wooden beams crisscrossed the cavernous ceiling. Inside, Kull and his mother stood arguing.
“I blame you,” Halla said. “Our keep was not breached once during your father’s reign. And now that you are king, this castle has become the gathering place for the entire continent. Elves and pixies alike frequent our halls, yet no one bothers to check if they are guests or enemies. Now look what has happened. The staff is gone with not a single guard able to tell us who took it. This would have never happened when your father was king.”
“Please don’t compare me to him. You know I am nothing like him.”
“Yes. I am well aware of it—I am reminded daily.”
I entered the room. Kull’s eyes locked with mine, and relief spread over his face. He crossed the room in two strides and caught me in his arms.
“Thank the gods,” he breathed in my ear. He pulled away to stare in my face. “You’re okay?”
“Yes, I’m well enough.” I tried to sound convincing, hoping he couldn’t see the turmoil in my eyes. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Being with him again was like breathing air after drowning. I never felt complete when we were apart, yet after his revelation that he was destined to kill me, he held me a little closer and with more gentleness, as if he would break me.
“You always worry me when you go on those quests,” he said.
“And you worry me more when I leave you behind.”
He grinned. “Very well. I suppose we’re even.” He took my hand and led me to where his mother stood.
Halla gave me a guarded smile. “Olive, your arrival is a surprise, especially considering you’ve arrived in our broom closet.”
“Yes, that’s the trouble with portals. They’re never very accurate, but at least I managed to make it inside the keep.”
“Yes,” she said with narrowed eyes. “What a convenient talent to have. Entering a place without needing to pass by guards or through doorways must be a handy ability.”
I met her gaze. “It is, and luckily, I can only travel places I’ve been before, and I’ve never traveled anywhere forbidden to me.”
“Tell me, do the other elves possess these same abilities?”
“No. I’m the only one who can travel from Earth Kingdom to Faythander and back and still retain my memories.”
She crossed her arms. “I see.”
Kull cleared his throat. “Much has happened since you left,” Kull said. “Our castle has been breached, and the staff was stolen. No one seems to have seen who took it.”
“I think I might know,” I said.
“You do?”
I nodded. “I did a spellcasting in Earth Kingdom on Mr. Zimmerman. As it turns out, the elves forced him to help them work on a rocket that transported the vachonette egg to their moon base.”
“The moon base is real?” he asked.
“Yes, but that’s not all. They recently brought the egg back to Faythander. I’m not sure where it is, but during the casting, I overheard the elves. They had sent out a squadron to steal the staff. It must have been them who took it, and they were working with someone here, but I don’t know who.”
“Elves,” Halla said with scorn, “I knew it. We’ve never been able to trust them.”
“But the question is,” Kull said, “who took the staff? And where are they taking it now?”
I shook my head. “During the spellcasting, I didn’t recognize the building we were in. But there were seven coffins inside, and I believe it may have been the seven tombs of the Madralorde brothers. I’ll have to do some research, but it’s very likely that the elves have found Tremulac.”
“Tremulac?” Halla questioned. “It doesn’t exist. That island is a fairy tale.”
“I thought so, too, until recently. But now I believe it is real because I’m fairly certain I saw it in the vision.”
“If that’s so,” the queen said, “then where is it?”
“I have no idea.”
She scowled. “Then I refuse to sanction any sort of expedition to find a lost island that doesn’t even exist—”
“Mother,” Kull said, “trust Olive on this. If the elves did indeed take the staff, then they would have brought it to that island—the same place where the egg is located. They would need both items to initiate their spell to recall Theht.”
“Assuming that is all true, then how do you find the island? Although there have been many expeditions, no one has ever found it. You’ll never find it.”
“I disagree,” I said.
“Why?”
“Because the elves took the staff, and all we need to do is track the elves.” I glanced at Kull. “Luckily for us, we’ve got him.”
He gave me a knowing smile, the one that made my heart flutter.
“She’s right, Mother. I will track the elves and find the staff. That I promise.”
“Don’t be so hasty. We’re not even sure it was the elves. No one saw a thing. I doubt you’ll even find their trail.”
“Where is your confidence, Mother? You know I can do this.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
“And kill yourself in the process, no doubt. What will the elves do to you once you find them?”
“We’ll worry about that once we reach the isle.”
She looked him in the eye, her face grim. “I know this is a quest that cannot be avoided, but I worry about you. I shall not get a moment’s rest while you are gone. Battling beasts in the wilds is not the same as confronting the elves. There are some in the capitol who want nothing more than our extermination. They’ll wipe us out the same way they did the goblins if we give them the chance.”
“What are you saying? Do you believe I shouldn’t stop the summoning?”
“No, but I am saying that tact is preferred to warfare. Don’t give them an excuse to murder us all.”
“I agree,” Kull said, “which is why I have been in constant negotiations with them since Father passed.”
Halla cupped her son’s cheeks. “I see him in your eyes. You’re all I have left of him. Please be safe on this quest.”
“I will return safely to you. I promise.”
She nodded, seeming satisfied. “Very well.”
“We will take your leave, if you’ve no objections.”
“No. You are free to go.”
Kull walked toward me and took my hand. We turned toward the tall double doors, walked outside the dining hall, and then into an open hallway. Windows lined either side as we turned toward a set of doors.
“I’m in need of some fresh air. Will you join me outside?” Kull asked.
“Yes. I could use some fresh air, too.”
Kull led me out the doors, into a courtyard, and over a bridge paved in cobblestones that led into the forest. The air smelled of rain, and water glistened as it dripped from leaves to puddles on the ground.
We followed a trail that led to the lake, to the same place where I’d seen Fan’twar not long ago. Sadness gripped me as I remembered how the sun had shimmered on his scales, or the way his eyes had glittered when he thought he’d said something mis
chievous. I missed him more than I thought possible. Kull squeezed my hand, bringing me out of my thoughts.
“What are you thinking about?” he asked.
I shrugged. “I’m thinking that I would like to have my stepfather back.”
“I agree. I think everyone agrees. Faythander is not the same without him.”
I nodded. “We’ll get him back,” I said, mostly to assure myself, although in truth, I feared I would never see him again.
The wind blew through the tree branches overhead, making the boughs sway and creak. Gray clouds blocked out the sun, causing the air to grow chill.
“Olive,” Kull said quietly. “I’m afraid there’s a traitor in our castle, and I’m afraid to admit who it might be.”
I looked up at him.
“Maveryck,” he said. “He conveniently led us into that desert and away from the keep, which happened to be during the time the staff was stolen. We were nearly killed by Jahr’ad, which was no accident. Maveryck is one of the only people who knew the staff’s location. Also, he dresses and acts like elven royalty, and as of yet, nobody seems to know anything about him. Someone tipped off those elves to the staff’s location. Given that he’s a professional thief, it doesn’t look good for him.”
“I agree. I overheard the elves talking in the castle on Tremulac. Someone betrayed us.”
“Do you believe it was Maveryck?”
“I can’t say for sure, but I agree. It doesn’t look good for him.”
Kull worked his jaw back and forth as he stared over the lake. “Then we’ll have to find him and ask a few questions. He won’t like it.”
“No, but it has to be done. What will you do if he is the traitor?”
Kull shook his head. “I’m not sure.”
“Heidel won’t like you interrogating him.”
“No. But even she has to admit he can’t be trusted. The only reason I’ve allowed him to stay with us is because your stepfather trusted him, but I’m afraid being in good graces with the sky king can only benefit him so much. His luck is about to run out.”
He took my hand and tugged me back toward the trail, and I followed him toward the castle. When we reached the gates, the sun sank toward the horizon, casting slanting rays of orange light over the paving stones and castle walls. Crickets chirped in the distance, announcing the impending arrival of night.
We entered through the back gates and into a large foyer, where we crossed a room that housed Kull’s stuffed beast collection. A giant burbonski—a creature resembling a polar bear with curved ram’s horns—stood near the room’s hearth. I also spotted a crocodile in one of the corners.
We crossed through the chamber and ascended a stone staircase.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“To find the thief. We need to have a word.”
“Where is he?”
Kull shook his head. “I thought my sister would know.”
We took the hallways leading to Heidel’s room, passing a few people along the way. Kull received a few formal greetings, and for the most part, the castle staff seemed pleased to see him. Although I knew his relationship with his people was strained, it seemed the servants, at least, didn’t hate him.
We reached the end of the hallway where a red rug led toward the door at the hall’s end. Kull knocked on the door several times with no response. As he turned the handle, the door was flung open from the inside, and a disheveled Heidel stood in the room. Her hair was down, which was odd as I’d never seen her without her hair in a braid or ponytail, and her cheeks were flushed and pink.
“Sister, is everything okay?”
“Yes, why wouldn’t it be? And what are you doing here?”
“I came to see if you knew where I could find the thief?”
She cleared her throat as her face visibly paled. “I have no idea.”
“Really?” he asked.
“Did you check the dining hall?”
Kull leaned against the doorframe to glance past his sister. She moved to block his line of sight. Kull exhaled.
“You might as well let me in so I can get this over with,” he said quietly.
“Are you going to send him away?” she whispered back.
“Most likely.”
She stood for a moment without speaking and then looked up at her brother with pain in her eyes. “Fine. Come in,” she said, then moved aside.
We entered a large suite with separate sitting and sleeping areas. I found a bed and some heavy wooden dressers on one end of the room, and on the other side were a pair of sofas decorated in animal skins and antlers. Swords and battle-axes cluttered the walls, and I wasn’t sure if I stood in a bedchamber or an armory. A large picture window took up the back wall of the room, and long, sweeping curtains partially hid the glass.
“You can come out,” Heidel called.
Maveryck moved away from the curtains and stepped into view.
Kull puffed out his chest as he approached the man. “Maveryck, as you have likely heard, the staff has gone missing, and since you are a professional thief, and because you are affiliated with the elves, we are forced to acknowledge that you may be involved in taking it.”
Maveryck narrowed his eyes. “I would never be involved in such a thing.”
“Yes, I realized you would say that. But as I have found you in my sister’s bedchamber, I can no longer pretend that you are our friend. I know the sky king trusted you, but I do not.”
“Yet I was invited by your sister into her room. Does that mean nothing?”
Kull glanced at Heidel. “Is this true?”
She crossed her arms. “Yes,” she answered quietly.
“But, why?”
“Must I give reasons for my actions?” she said. “This is my home as well as yours. I am entitled to invite visitors into my chambers, am I not?”
“Father would not have approved.”
“Father is not here. And he didn’t approve of Olive, either, yet you are not questioning her.”
“Yes, because Olive is not a professional thief.”
Heidel shrugged. “Have it your way. Accuse him of something he didn’t do. But I can tell you, he is not your traitor.”
“Even if he is not, he has earned my distrust. Maveryck, did you take the staff?”
“I did not take it, although I suspect that whoever has stolen the staff will have had a very good reason to do so. If you recall, I risked my own life to steal the staff from the witch’s castle, and then risked further injury by battling a goblin wraith in the Earth Kingdom to return it to the sky king. But it was not me who took—”
“Wait a minute,” Heidel said, “how could you know that we battled a goblin wraith in the Earth Kingdom?”
His face paled. “I don’t know. That is to say, I didn’t know until recently.”
“Recently?” I asked. “What does that mean?”
“A lie?” Kull asked.
“No, not a lie. I can only tell you that some of my memories have begun to return.”
“That’s not possible,” I said. “Memories don’t return for anyone. Ever.”
“This time they did.”
Kull sighed.
“It may be because of my unusual brain chemistry,” Maveryck said hastily. “I have the ability to recall certain events with unique clarity.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I can’t tell you why, but trust me when I say that I am not like you. I’m not like anyone.”
Heidel pressed her hands to her forehead. “Yes, I remember you told me this once before, didn’t you?”
“In the Earth Kingdom, yes. You remember?”
“Olive did the spellcasting, Maveryck. Yes, I remember.”
Maveryck swallowed as sweat beaded his brow. “You remember everything?” he asked quietly, as if he didn’t want anyone else to hear.
“I remember enough.”
Maveryck clutche
d at his chest, exhaling, and then pulled at a chain around his neck to reveal a crystal hanging from the bottom. “Then there is no use hiding this now,” he said.
I eyed the shard. It reminded me of another I’d seen before—one worn by the now elven queen. “Is that an Illumina crystal?” I asked.
He nodded. “Yes. This belonged to my elven grandmother. This may be partially to blame for my memories returning. Long ago, it was spellcasted to be used as a memory charm. And although the magic has faded quite a bit, it has slowly been returning my memories to me. Since you are accusing me of not being honest with you, I thought I should start here. Whatever it is you wish to know, you have but to ask.”
“What did you mean when you said you’re not like us?” I asked.
“Because I’m cursed.”
“How so?”
He paced the room, clenching and unclenching his hands in a nervous gesture. “If I tell you, you must all give me your word that you will not repeat what I say.”
“You are in the company of Wults,” Kull said. “You know we will keep our word. And you have them. That goes for all of us.”
“Very well,” Maveryck exhaled. “I should start from the beginning. My grandmother was elven but fell in love with a Wult man. Unfortunately, he didn’t care for a courtship with an elven woman, and so she thought it best to bewitch him, which resulted in the birth of my mother. The child was an embarrassment and cast away from the elves for a time to be raised by Wults. Although eventually, she was again accepted by her mother, though that is a long story. Needless to say, I was born to a Wult father and half-elven mother. They were killed before I was old enough to remember, and then I was adopted by a rather noble elven family. Relatives, actually. They took good care of me, but it seemed my lot in life was to be surrounded by death. Both my elven parents died of the lung sickness when I was thirteen, leaving me in the care of my elder brother. He was not so kind. In fact, Navarre was insane.”
“Insane?” I asked. “How so?”
“For one thing, he had a fascination for setting things on fire. Waking at night to find the furniture or tapestries ablaze became commonplace. Our servants made it a habit to sleep with buckets of water at their side.”
“Yes,” Kull said, “that doesn’t sound normal.”
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