Chapter 4

4

I f it'd been just me and Calum traveling south, we would have shifted into our wolf forms and been there in a day’s time. Tenebris, however, added a complication. Since neither Calum nor I fancied carrying him the entire way on our backs (and let's be honest, he wouldn't have been up for it even if we did), that meant horses were in order. Fortunately, the town of Bremen located at the base of our hillside had a sizable stable of mounts for lease, and I was able to secure three of them in trade for updating the wards on the city walls. Ironically, those wards were used to keep the pack out of the city during the full moon, when the moon madness could turn us into vicious beasts. Something that'd been less of a problem since Tenebris's cursed influence had been sealed two years ago. The full moon still had an effect on us, but it mostly just made us surly.

Thank gods that was still a fortnight away.

We spent the day traveling south, arriving outside the gates of the royal castle shortly after sunset. Gretchen flew out to greet us with her husband—the goblin king—following at a more sedate pace. Tenebris tensed beside me, undoubtedly nervous about their reaction to his presence (he did, technically, kidnap Gretchen and hold her in an underground bunker for months), but Gretchen's smile never wavered while she greeted us. In fact, she seemed legitimately happy to see him as she wrapped him in a tight hug that he hesitantly returned. None of this was surprising to me, however. I'd long since learned that Gretchen was nothing if not forgiving.

She was also annoyingly observant and impossible to lie to (literally—she had an innate power that compelled people to speak the truth), so I knew there was no point in hiding the reason for our visit when she cornered me in the castle library after dinner.

“Two nights of Mariana in a row.” She sat on the other end of the window seat I was ensconced in. “I can't remember the last time you left the hilltop this often. Rapunzel and I had to practically drag you down for girls’ night, and then you disappeared before dawn.” She left the unasked question dangling.

“Just running an errand for my abuela. Witch stuff, you know how it is…”

“I think you’re confusing me with Evander,” Gretchen said. “I’m the non-magic twin, remember?”

“You know plenty, Queen Gretchen,” I retorted.

“Yeah, yeah. So what kind of witchy stuff are we talking? Don’t tell me it involves Tenebris’s curse. Is that why you brought him along? Has it shown signs of returning?”

“Not at all. Ten-Ten remains as weak and powerless as a lamb. His bleats are just as annoying too. No, this ‘quest’ or whatever you want to call it is far more intriguing. Here.” I pulled out Abuela’s letter. “See for yourself.”

Gretchen threw me a quizzical look while she unfolded the paper, but the missive soon secured her full attention. I bit back a laugh as her expression morphed the further she read. If her eyes grew any larger, I suspected they’d pop right out of her head.

“Holy…” Her jaw fell open as she looked up. “Are you telling me you’re planning to climb the beanstalk? That half-rotten monstrosity down in Mondue? Redcap and I traveled there after my coronation, and black rot riddled its entire trunk. You couldn’t pay me to touch that thing, much less climb it, and that’s not even taking into consideration the crazy, purple death-storm lurking above it. Are you out of your mind?”

“It’s not like I have a choice,” I pointed out. “Abuela is the grand-alpha of all the werewolves. If she says jump, you jump. If she tells you to climb a beanstalk and trust that a tiny, magic bean will protect you from being eviscerated at the top? Then that’s what you do.”

“Geez,” Gretchen muttered. “She must be seriously pissed about you not visiting to come up with a punishment like this.”

“You definitely don’t want to get on Abuela’s bad side.” I laughed, shaking my head. “But honestly, I think she’s serious about this. Whoever reached out to her must have really struck a chord. Who knows? Maybe it’s someone she knew when she was a kid. I mean, the storm didn’t set in until she was twelve. It’s possible someone she was acquainted with could have been visiting the Sky Castle when it did. ” I shrugged. “Either that, or she was so desperate to get Ten-Ten out of her hair that she made the whole thing up.”

“She wouldn’t,” Gretchen gasped.

“Nah, probably not. But just to be safe, I’ll send him up first,” I added with a wink.

Gretchen snorted. “Good thinking.” She handed back the letter, her expression brightening. “The Sky Castle, though—it might just be worth the risk to see that. The stories always make it out to be the most magical place in the forest. Or, above the forest, anyway. And the giants…” Her eyes widened. “Mariana, you could meet actual giants.”

Be ye alive or be ye dead, they’ll grind your bones to make their bread.

I pushed the image of Raz’s glowing white eyes as she recited the ominous words from my mind. The giants and the forest dwellers had a long-standing truce. There was no reason to think that would have changed. “If they’re even alive. No one’s heard anything from the Sky Castle since the barrier formed. For all we know, the storm that took over the clouds could have killed them.”

“With a sole survivor,” Gretchen added eagerly. “Who only now found a way to get a message through via Abuela’s whispers!”

“I mean, maybe.” I shrugged. “I guess we’ll find out soon enough.” I hopped to my feet before our conversation inevitably turned toward Mondue, and Gretchen’s power had me spilling my entire history there. Someday I’d tell her about Jack, but it wouldn’t be today if I could help it. I grabbed her hand and pulled her away from the window seat. “Come on, let's find the boys and make sure they aren’t tearing each other to pieces.”

“They're only playing billiards,” Gretchen laughed, allowing me to drag her along.

“Which wouldn't be so concerning if two of the players weren't Redcap and Calum, who are arguably the most competitive people in the forest.” I smirked. “Gods help Tenebris if he finds himself in the middle of that testosterone-fueled shit storm.”

Gretchen shrugged. “Eh. He deserves whatever he gets.”

I let out a mock gasp. “Why Gretchen, I thought you'd forgiven the poor boy for his past transgressions. You were so welcoming earlier.”

She blew me a kiss as she sashayed through the door ahead of me. “I'm a queen, Mariana. Not a saint.”

And that's why we make such good friends. I laughed all the way down the hall.