"Royden told me you're returning to Everleaf after you take Lizzy home. I know you feel like you have to pay for betraying Princess Chalcedony, but you don't belong with the weavers or in Everleaf. After you take Lizzy home, you should come back here."
"No, I have to make things right with Chalcedony."
Queen Isis grabbed Coal's hand and dug her nails into his palm. "You do not have anything to make up for. She should be apologizing to you and the girl she took."
"Ouch!" Coal pulled his hand away. "What was that for?"
"I know that you care for her, but you need to wake up. Consider this: Royden and I can't have children. We need an heir. Someone strong. Come back here and you can be a prince."
A prince? "That's not possible. I'm human."
"Telling me I can't do something will only make me want to do it more." Queen Isis's eyes sparkled. "Royden and I are going to change the fey realm. Return and help us."
Coal looked out towards the crowd of smiling and laughing fey and humans. Her offer was tempting. Very tempting. But just as he knew he had to take Elizabeth home, he knew he needed to come back and make things right with Chalcedony.
Queen Isis leaned back and asked, "You love her that much?"
"The Chalcedony tracking us is different than the Chalcedony I know."
She shrugged. "I used to be surrounded by advisors and ambassadors who constantly told me what I should do and how I should behave. But, at the end of the day, we all have to do what is right, not what others whisper into our ears.
"I hope you are at least comforted by the fact that you are doing what is right."
"You sound like Royden."
"He's right. Promise me that you will at least think about returning?" Queen Isis asked. "Please?"
Did they really want him? Grigory had offered him a home and an apprenticeship out of pity. But he didn't feel like anyone pitied him here. "I promise I'll think about it."
Chalcedony stood on the border of Queen Isis's land, forcing herself to stay still. When she'd left Coal and Royden in the forest, she'd had every intention of admitting defeat and leaving. But just as she'd reached her destroyed camp, a plan emerged. It was risky and full of holes, but still viable.
She had given her army a choice: stay and fight or go back home. All had eagerly agreed to stay, even though they'd be fighting against a queen.
Her scouts had found a clear, flat piece of land not far from Queen Isis's border, where she could see for miles, so it was no surprise when Royden appeared on the horizon. It looked like his entire army was with him. Good. They were taking her seriously. Her spy had told her that Queen Isis had stayed with Coal and Elizabeth, which worked out perfectly for her. Her army could take a human.
Royden dismounted and walked towards Chalcedony as if he had no other place to be. She estimated that he had two dozen more soldiers than she had, but a quarter of his soldiers were human. That evened the numbers. The strength of numbers had been on his side the last time they'd met. Now, she had almost as many soldiers, and with their numbers being even, she could squash this arrogant human.
Queen Isis had done what Chalcedony would never have had the courage to do: she'd taken on a human lover. And he was ruling beside her like he was as important as any fey. He wasn't. His pride would lose him this battle.
"Princess," Royden said as he approached. "Did you leave something? I thought you were heading home."
"You took something from me. I want it back," Chalcedony said.
"You talk about them as if they were pieces of property."
Damn him. "Technically, they are my property. They are under my protection."
"They came with me willingly." He didn't have the cockiness in his voice like their last encounter when he'd outnumbered her. One-on-one, she knew without a doubt she could best him. By his change in attitude, he knew it too.
"I have my full army with me now, so I ask you again: are you willing to go to war over them?" she asked.
"If standing up for two children means that we go to war, then yes."
"I need to hear that from Queen Isis," Chalcedony said as a formality. She didn't want to see Queen Isis any more than Royden wanted to see Chalcedony.
"I am her shadow," Royden replied as if he'd said it a hundred times. "I speak on her behalf."
"Are you doing this because they are humans like you?" Chalcedony asked, lowering her voice, truly curious.
"I am doing what's right. Why have you brought an entire army to my border to fight for two children that aren't supposed to be in this realm?"
Last night, Chalcedony had asked herself the same question. The answer was simple: Coal. At first, she went after him because she couldn't believe he would leave her. Now, it was vengeance. "He's gotten to you, too, hasn't he?" Chalcedony asked. "He pretends to be honest and loyal, but he will betray you just like he betrayed me."
Royden clicked his tongue at her as if she was a child. She fought the urge to pull out her sword and cut out his tongue.
"He is a charming boy. I am proud to know him, but I'm here because good is worth fighting for. What you're doing is wrong. And if your mother were here, she'd tell you the same."
She recoiled. His words felt like punches to her gut. "How the hell would you know what my mother would do?"
"You have more than a little bit of her in you. She was also self-righteous and stubborn. She kicked me out of the realm more than a few times. I hated her for being so ... exacting. I respected her because of her strength and intelligence. She would never have persecuted anyone that didn't deserve it, and she would never risk the lives of her soldiers on selfish pursuits."
Fighting the urge to claw his eyes out, she took a few deep breaths and fought back tears of anger and frustration. She felt heat rising in her cheeks as if she were about to explode. Enough waiting. It was time. Without another word, she stalked back to her soldiers.
Once she reached Djamel and Avonnah on the front line, she said, "Go ahead. Take him down."
The soldiers created a path for her and then closed it, allowing her to disappear within their ranks. She was only halfway through when the sounds of war began. Then she ran, the dead grass giving way beneath her feet. She hated leaving her soldiers to fight alone, but they had their job and she had hers. The sooner she completed her part, the sooner this would be over.
Chapter Eighteen
"I saw her!" Elizabeth breathed heavily. Coal had been so distracted by his conversation with Queen Isis that he'd forgotten to check on her.
"You saw who?" Queen Isis stood and rubbed Elizabeth's back in an attempt to calm her.
"Chalcedony. She had a different skin color, but it was her. Queen Isis, please don't let them take us back."
"How do you know it was her if she'd shape-shifted?" Coal asked.
"Her eyes," Elizabeth said, blinking rapidly. "They were still red. I was playing the video game, and when I looked up, I saw her."
Queen Isis took Elizabeth under her arm, embracing her. "I won't let her touch you." She took the device from her waist. "Royden, are you there?"
Royden's voice came through, but he was drowned out by shouting and the sound of fighting.
"Royden!" Queen Isis held onto the device so tightly that her knuckles had gone white. "Royden, what is going on?"
There was only silence as Queen Isis studied the device with exasperation. Elizabeth hung onto Queen Isis as tears fell from her closed eyes. Finally, Royden's voice crackled through the device.
"Babe, what's up? I'm in the middle of something right now."
"They had the nerve to attack? I'll be right there," Queen Isis said.
"No!" Royden shouted. "Make sure the kids make it home. I'll take care of this. I have to go. Get them home, Isis."
Queen Isis glanced nervously at Coal before she spoke. "I'll get them through the door, and then I'll be there to help you."
"Fine, but get them home first!"
Queen Isis placed the device back at her wais
t. She continued rubbing Elizabeth's back. "Princess Chalcedony won't take you. I promise." Her voice was soft and reassuring, but her eyes were cold. They had changed from soft reddish-brown to a fiery red. "Change of plans, let's get you two to the door now."
"What about Chalcedony?" Coal asked, looking out at the crowd. The sun was setting, and everyone had begun crowding around the hill where the door was supposed to be. "How is Chalcedony here when she is supposed to be fighting Royden?"
"She's probably using her army as a distraction," Queen Isis said. "She has no idea who she is messing with." Queen Isis flexed her hand open and closed. "Stupid girl. She would have been better off staying on the border. Royden is much more forgiving than I am."
"Where was she?" Queen Isis asked Elizabeth.
"She was by the market. Where you were talking to that guy for selling bad potions."
"Did she see you?" Coal asked.
"No, she wasn't looking my way." Elizabeth shook her head vigorously. "As soon as I saw her, I walked away so she wouldn't see me."
"That was brave," Queen Isis said. "The door should be opening soon. Let's go. If she says anything to you, she'll regret it."
Coal started to follow, but stopped and grasped Queen Isis's arm. "Wait. We have to get Haline first."
"My priority is getting you two through the door. Haline will be fine."
"No," Coal insisted. "We would never have gotten here without her."
Queen Isis's eyes were hard and fierce. "I don't have time for this. I have to help Royden."
"I'm not abandoning her," Coal repeated.
"Haline is our friend. I don't want to leave her, either." Elizabeth's voice shook.
Coal sighed, thankful that Elizabeth had backed him up. He understood Queen Isis was in a hurry to get them to the door so she could help Royden, but he couldn't leave without Haline.
Still grasping Elizabeth's hand, Queen Isis stomped towards Coal. While she approached, she grew. Coal thought he was imagining things, but she was now a foot taller than him.
"Fine." Queen Isis touched his shoulder. Everything exploded into light. He closed his eyes to shut it out, but the brightness pierced his eyelids. Just as suddenly as it began, the light receded, and he felt the ground underneath his feet.
"How the hell did you get here?"
Coal opened his eyes. Haline was sitting in bed with a book on her lap, her injured leg propped on pillows. Queen Isis had just done what he'd seen Tetrick do to Chalcedony dozens of times: she'd phased with him.
"Haline!" Elizabeth shouted, and ran towards the bed. "We came to get you."
"I see you're finally showing your true self," Haline said to Queen Isis.
Queen Isis removed her hand from Coal's shoulder and glared at Haline. The queen had shrunk a little, but she remained taller and wider than Coal.
"I think you're pretty," Elizabeth said, "and strong. I bet you can beat up Chalcedony's entire army."
Queen Isis's tight-lipped expression cracked into a thin smile. "I get excited and shift uncontrollably. Anyway," she said to Haline, "Chalcedony is here. We need to get them through the door, but they wanted to come and get you first."
"How do you propose to get out of here with me?" Haline pointed to her injured leg.
Coal licked his lips. "I can carry you."
"You can't carry me and watch after Lizzy."
"We have to do something." Coal panicked at the thought of having to do it alone.
"I'm not going. Besides, I never said I was going to the human realm. I only planned to take you to the door. Now, Queen Isis has that job covered. I'm perfectly content with eating Isis's food and abusing her staff until my leg gets better. "
"But--"
"No buts. I can't go," Haline said with a finality Coal knew he couldn't argue with. "Besides, I didn't bring Lizzy here. You did."
Elizabeth rubbed her eyes and said softly, "But you're supposed to show me how to be a warrior."
"Coal knows how to be a soldier. Just do what he tells you."
Elizabeth nodded and gave Haline a hug.
"Alright. Get out of here before Isis explodes." Haline's voice cracked, and her eyes were glistening.
"Let's go." Queen Isis's body shrank while she extended her hand to Elizabeth and Coal.
Chalcedony stood next to Tetrick in the heart of Queen Isis's land. She'd reluctantly put aside her pride and asked Tetrick for help. She'd told him her plan, and he'd silently listened without interrupting. After a long pause where she thought he'd say no, he'd agreed to help by phasing away from Queen Isis's border and into the human realm to get Coal and Elizabeth.
She felt like a coward for leaving her soldiers to fight alone, but they knew the plan. As soon as she had Coal and Elizabeth, she'd signal for her army to retreat.
"What is going on, Tetrick?" Chalcedony asked.
"I brought you here instead of straight to the human realm because I wanted to show you this." Tetrick looked out at the large crowd of humans and fey. There were hundreds of humans and fey at the base of the hill of Queen Isis's door, as well as vendors and musicians. "I believe most everyone here is preparing to go through the door. "I have heard Queen Isis was partial to humans," Tetrick said, "but I hadn't heard anything about this."
She inwardly cringed when Tetrick compared her to Queen Isis, but she kept her voice steady. "This must be why patrolling the human realm has become so difficult. She is letting everyone through her door."
Why didn't I know about this? Does Madoc know? She had been so focused on removing the fey from the human realm that she hadn't given much thought to how they were getting there.
They watched as a group of trolls directly in front of them used glamour to appear as humans. Tetrick stepped towards them with a hand on his sword.
Chalcedony grabbed his arm. "Not now. This isn't why we came. And," she stressed, "you're not supposed to be here."
There was a spark of anger in his eyes.
"Why are you helping me, Tetrick?" Chalcedony asked, out of curiosity and to distract him. She had been training with him for two years, but she barely knew him. He never talked about himself.
"My mother thinks that you are not fit to be a queen. But I've trained you. I know that's not true. I want her to eat her words for once, but if anyone finds out I've helped you, even if you succeed, you will lose. The victory would not be considered yours."
Chalcedony didn't know he disliked his mother so much. But how could she? He never talked about anything but patrolling the human realm. If anyone found out that Tetrick had helped bring Coal and Elizabeth back to Legacy, Tetrick would get all of the credit, and she'd still be thought of as weak. Weak. Just the thought of the word made her sick to her stomach. Yes, she was cheating, but if Coal could ask for help, why couldn't she?
"When we do find them, it will be almost impossible for me to phase all four of us at once if they don't come willingly," Tetrick said.
"That shouldn't be a problem.," Chalcedony said, "I'll knock them out if I have to."
Chapter Nineteen
"Where do you think Chalcedony is?" Coal asked after Queen Isis had phased them back to the festival.
"I don't have to think." While Coal and Elizabeth watched, Queen Isis's nose grew into the shape of a canine's muzzle. Her eyes turned from blazing red to deep yellow.
With a toothy grin, she sniffed the air. "I can smell her maliciousness from here."
"Wow!" Elizabeth's stared wide-eyed and amazed.
Queen Isis grinned and wiped a bit of saliva from her chin before she transformed her nose and eyes back into their elven shape. "I know exactly where she is."
She motioned towards the back of someone wearing a green coat standing in the middle of the crowd. Unlike Queen Isis, Chalcedony couldn't change her girth or height, so Coal knew her tall, lanky frame the instant he saw it.
"The door should be opening soon. I'm going to take Chalcedony out of the game while you take Elizabeth home. The crowd is large enough. It
should be easy for the two of you to blend in." Queen Isis spoke rapidly, her words coming out rushed and almost indecipherable. Her hands shook, and Coal didn't know if it was from apprehension or excitement.
Coal nodded, too nervous to speak.
Queen Isis towered over him. Her fine, shiny black hair, along with her red stripe, lost its gloss and became shaggy like dog hair. Coal realized Queen Isis wasn't apprehensive at all. She was excited, like a wolf anxious for its next kill.
He grasped Queen Isis before she stalked away.
"Don't kill her," Coal said without thinking. His mouth suddenly dry, he felt like he was in the presence of something malicious.
Her eyes sparkled mischievously. "I don't make promises I won't keep."
Coal tightened his grip on Queen Isis's arm. "Please, don't kill her."
She looked at his hand. "You make lots of demands, don't you? I was trying to make you feel comfortable here, but when Royden is in danger, my claws come out." She paused, looking a bit saner. "I can't promise I won't hurt her. But I will promise not to kill her."
Queen Isis shrunk and bent down to Elizabeth.
"It's okay," Elizabeth said. "I'm not scared of you like that."
Queen Isis changed back. "Good. You're a brave soldier." She kissed Elizabeth on the cheek with her muzzle and stood up.
"When I start talking to her," Queen Isis said to Coal, "that's your chance to go through the door, and don't look back. I think she left most of her soldiers on the border, but be prepared in case she brought someone with her."
Coal touched his sword and nodded.
"I've seen enough," Chalcedony said to Tetrick. "Let's go."
"Get your soldiers off my land now," a seething voice said.
Chalcedony turned, her heart pounding. She had met the small and quiet queen at her mother's funeral. Unlike Queen Tasla, she didn't wield her power around like a hammer. But the person Chalcedony had met at the funeral was not the same person standing before her. The power--and anger--emanating from this fey was unimaginable. This was not an elf, but a monster almost as tall as a giant, with the mouth and eyes of a rabid dog. If it was not for Queen Isis's famous red streak in the beast's hair, Chalcedony would not have known who it was.
Coal: Book One of the Everleaf Series Page 17