9. CHAPTER 9

CHAPTER 9

DANIELLA

“Ow.” I wiggled my jaw from side to side and massaged it. Placing my fingers on each side of my face, I slowly allowed healing magic to seep in and take away the dull ache.

“I’m sorry I had to do that,” Arabis said, “but you lost it.”

“Did you have to sock me? You could have Susurro me instead.”

“I don’t do that to my friends.”

“You do it to Kalyll all the time when he loses it.”

“He asked me to. I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” I sighed as the pain dissolved. “I deserved it.”

More than ever, I was sure that the Envoy was a trickster demon. True, I had been desperate to learn where Cardian was keeping Kalyll, but there had been more to it, some sort of compulsion caused by the creature, something I had been unable to control.

While I was unconscious, Arabis and the others brought me back to Cylea’s room in the Vine Tower, and so we were back right where we’d started, with no idea of where to begin our search.

“What are our options now?” I slumped on an armchair by the fireplace and looked to the others for answers.

Larina was sitting at the edge of a table. Cylea lounged on the bed, her posture unconcerned, although her pinched face revealed the opposite. Jeondar, Kryn, and Silver stood close to the open window, while Arabis paced by the door.

“I still can’t get over the Envoy’s trickery,” Silver said, running a hand through his platinum-colored hair. Moonlight came down in shafts through the window, making the short strands shine. “They always warn you about going over two questions, but they could have been more specific about what would happen if you did.”

“No kidding,” Cylea rolled onto her stomach, kicking her feet up. “Maybe no one ever got out of there alive to share the details.”

“Very likely,” Jeondar put in.

“How do we find him now?” I insisted.

I didn’t care about the Envoy anymore. That avenue was shot. If I lost more than two days of a very long life, I didn’t care anymore. I only wanted to figure out where to find Kalyll.

“Word is being spread out across the kingdom,” Jeondar said. “Everyone—soldiers, dignitaries, guards, spies—they all have instructions to keep an eye out. Sooner or later, we’ll hear something.” I knew he was trying, but there was no confidence in his voice. He didn’t believe what he was saying.

“Sooner or later isn’t good enough,” I said. “What about Shadow? Has anyone talked to her? Was she able to find out anything?”

“I wouldn’t put your hopes on a sprite,” Kryn said.

The way he said sprite sounded dismissive as if nothing could ever be expected from someone so tiny and inconsequential in his view. On the table, Larina shifted uncomfortably from side to side.

“Don’t be an ass, Kryn,” I snapped.

“I’m not being an ass. I’m just…” At a sidelong look from Arabis, he seemed to shift gears. “I… I’m just trying to say that we should think of something we can do other than waiting.”

I knew that wasn’t what he’d been about to say, but I couldn’t disagree with him and had to give him credit for amending his attitude. It was more than he would’ve done when I first met him.

Halfway to opening my mouth to say something, a tiny knock came at the door. Arabis opened it, and as if I’d conjured the sprite with my words and thoughts, Shadow flew in on translucent wings, a determined expression on her fierce face.

Cylea jumped off the bed, reclined on one of the posts, and crossed her arms. “We were just talking about you. Any news?”

Shadow inclined her head in the affirmative.

I jumped to my feet, too. “What have you learned?”

The sprite looked down at me from where she hovered a couple of feet above my head. Due to her all-black eyes, it was impossible to judge what she was thinking. How much did she know about me? Had Queen Eithne told her who I really was?

“I know where King Kalyll is,” she said, turning her full attention to Jeondar, the highest ranking of all of us.

“Where?” the Summer Prince demanded.

“He is in Nerethien.”

Jeondar narrowed his eyes.

I shook my head. “No, he’s not there.”

Shadow turned her face in my direction, her movements slow and calculated. A shiver went across my back, and a slash of fear stabbed my gut. It was ridiculous. How could I feel afraid of someone so tiny? And yet, I did. Some instinct told me this was the kind of person with whom you needed to tread carefully.

“My source is trustworthy. King Kalyll is in Nerethien,” she reiterated.

“I don’t know who provided your information,” Kryn stepped forward and placed his closed fists on his hips, “but ours comes from the Envoy.”

Shadow scoffed. “That trickster? Then I know for a fact you are mistaken.”

“I’m sorry, Shadow,” Arabis said, “but we have all visited the Envoy and received accurate information, including the king.”

“That may be so, but you cannot deny that she isn’t necessarily forthcoming. The King is being held in Highmire at this very moment. We shouldn’t waste time. We should make plans to go immediately.”

“We, huh?” Kryn said. “And how do we know we can trust you?”

“I was loyal to Queen Eithne for a long time. How can you doubt me?” Shadow sounded injured at the suggestion that she was being anything but honest and loyal to the crown.

“Queen Eithne wasn’t exactly a bastion of virtue,” Kryn said.

One moment Shadow was hovering in midair and the next she was rocketing toward Kryn’s face. A sharp spear appearing in her hands, which she aimed directly at one of his eyeballs.

A collective gasp swept through the chamber. Arabis opened her mouth surely to issue a Susurro command, but Shadow was too fast, even faster than Kryn who had started drawing a dagger from his belt at the same time as he tried to duck.

To everyone’s surprise, it was only Larina who was able to match Shadow’s speed, and it was her magic that made the sprite’s spear vanish and saved Kryn from ending up looking like a pirate for the rest of his life.

Somehow, Shadow put the brakes on her plummeting advance and stopped mere inches from smashing into Kryn’s nose. She stared at her empty hands for an instant, then flashed in Larina’s direction barely avoiding a slash of Kryn’s dagger, who seemed ready to murder her for daring to attack him.

“How dare you, pixie?” Shadow demanded, flying toward Larina. “Give it back.”

It might not have been the best idea, but I took a step sideways and blocked Shadow’s path. I braced for a collision, but her control was amazing. She stopped on a dime, or more likely an atom. Veering left, she tried to bypass me. I lifted my hands and waved them around. She pivoted from side to side, trying to get to the pixie, but there was no way I would let her hurt my friend.

“Stop, Shadow,” I commanded in an authoritative tone that surprised me.

The sprite literally froze in midair as if by some sort of magical spell. I blinked up at her, wondering if Larina had done that, but then I noticed Shadow’s stern expression.

“Thank you,” I said.

Shadow frowned at my words of gratitude.

What now? What would a queen do? Okay, Kryn had insulted her, so diplomacy was needed.

“Um… Kryn didn’t mean to doubt you, Shadow,” I said.

“The hell I didn’t,” he growled, dagger still in hand.

I shot a loaded glance in his direction.

He seemed ready to argue but must’ve thought better of it because he pressed his lips into a tight line and batted a hand as if to dismiss the entire situation.

“He needs to apologize,” Shadow said.

“We all apologize.” I inclined my head.

I knew Kryn well enough to realize he wasn’t going to apologize, so I took it upon myself to make things right.

“Shadow is trying to help,” I said, addressing everyone. “We need to be grateful and respectful of that fact.”

Jeondar’s amber eyes scrutinized me with interest. A slight smile stretched his lips as if he approved of what I was doing. I felt glad for his support because I was nobody in Elyndell, and I was overstepping.

Still, it wasn’t for Shadow to decide what we needed to do next, and it wasn’t unreasonable for Kryn to want to keep things within the Sub Rosa.

“We appreciate the information you have delivered to us,” I said. “Now, we need to discuss what to do next based on what we know. Would you mind giving us some time?” I glanced toward the door, donning a gentle smile.

Shadow appeared conflicted. She knew I had no authority here, but she didn’t have any either. Who was she without Queen Eithne? Where did that leave her in the palace’s hierarchy? Given how things were with the minor folk, I wouldn’t be surprised if she’d fallen to the very bottom of the ladder.

She didn’t appear happy. Nevertheless, she bowed her head and flew toward the door, though not without shooting Kryn a death glare.

Arabis closed the door once the sprite had left.

Larina shivered, her translucent wings making a whirring sound as she did so. “I’d heard Sunnarian were intense, but that was terrifying.”

“It really was,” I agreed. “I don’t understand how someone so small can produce such an impact.”

“Sunnarian armies are legendary,” Arabis said.

Larina shivered again. “I never want to face an army of Shadows.”

“I had it under control,” Kryn said.

Arabis sputtered. “Really?”

Silver slapped a hand on Kryn’s shoulder. “There’s no shame in it, my friend. What is shameful is that you haven’t thanked Larina for saving your pretty eyeball.”

Cylea laughed, her blue hair swinging as she shook her head from side to side. She sobered quickly and addressed Larina.

“I thank you on behalf of all of us. Kryn is an insufferable babe when he gets hurt.”

Kryn turned red and seemed ready to go to battle with the others, but as much as I enjoyed and needed the lighthearted mood, we didn’t have time for it.

Ignoring the banter, I turned to Larina. “What do you think of what Shadow said? Can we trust the information she provided?”

Larina appeared taken aback at being singled out. “Um.”

She wrung her dress, a blue affair that matched her skin to perfection, and puffed out around her hips. It looked like a tutu, and if she exchanged her tall boots for a pair of ballerina slippers, I could have easily imagined her twirling around like one of those little dolls in a music box.

“I think… I think…” The pixie seemed afraid to speak, but then she took a deep breath, straightened her spine, and said, “I would trust her information.”

Confused, I turned to the others. “Are you sure the Envoy is never wrong?”

They all nodded.

“Maybe…” Larina started and only continued when I faced her again. “Maybe, King Kalyll was not in Nerethien at the exact moment you asked the question.”

“Maybe.”

“If Prince Cardian is using a transfer token, they could come and go within seconds,” she countered.

“True,” Jeondar said, “but I can’t imagine Cardian easily moving Kalyll from one place to another. Unless…”

“Unless what?” I asked.

“Unless Kalyll is unconscious.”

Everyone grew quiet, considering this.

Shame came over me as I said, “We have kept him unconscious to subdue him.”

Kryn rubbed the back of his head, looking chagrined. Cylea shifted from foot to foot, and I felt bile rise up my windpipe.

“Kalyll submitted himself willingly and allowed us to do that,” Arabis said. “If Cardian is drugging him against his will, there is no comparison. So let’s stop feeling bad about that.”

Kryn huffed. “I highly doubt that’s what’s going on. That coward wouldn’t miss the opportunity to torture Kalyll.

“Agree,” Cylea said. “Cardian is cruel. Once, I watched him beat a horse because he lost a stupid race against his friends. It didn’t matter that he’s a lousy rider. He took it out on the poor animal, and I’m certain he felt no guilt afterward.”

“He’s a psychopath,” I said, my insides trembling.

“Psychopath?” Larina echoed, eyebrows drawn together.

“In Dani’s realm,” Cylea said, “they have a name for everything. In their dictionaries, when you look for the word psychopath, you find Cardian’s portrait.”

“Oh.” The pixie’s mouth formed an “O” as she considered this. She seemed unsure of whether or not this was true, so I had to set the record straight.

“Cylea is joking, Larina.”

I fought against the image of the poor horse, which Cylea had painted in my mind and my imagination had embellished. I didn’t want to think about Kalyll in the hands of a psychopath.

“Let’s focus on the matter at hand.” I cleared my throat. “So, we think it’s possible that when I asked the Envoy if Kalyll was in Nerethien that he was momentarily elsewhere.”

Cylea twirled a strand of her long hair, appearing deep in thought. “What if he knew we were going to see the Envoy?”

“We didn’t tell anyone,” I said. “We didn’t speak of it in my chamber either.”

Kryn’s green eyes wandered to Larina.

“Don’t you dare, Kryn.” I pointed a finger straight at his nose.

“I’m sorry, Dani, but she’s the latest addition to the group. We barely know her, and it wouldn’t be the first time she betrays you. She did put that necklace in your bag in Imbermore.”

I turned to Larina. “Don’t let him bother you. Most of the time, he’s a jerk. He has his moments, but this is clearly not one of them.”

Kryn huffed. “I’m just trying to make sense.”

“Hundreds of people live in this palace,” I snapped. “For all we know, Cardian still has spies here. Maybe someone followed us out of the palace. That’s not so hard to fathom.”

Jeondar nodded pensively. “It seems our plans to go to Highmire stand. We can sleep for a few hours, then go at dawn. We can leave from here, and maybe we can come up with a way to throw Cardian off our scent by using that crystal bird to our advantage.”

“We should leave now,” I said.

“Dani, you need rest,” Arabis said, placing the barest of emphasis on the word you.

I was the human who was slowing them down. With their Fae stamina, they could probably go for days without sleep and rest, but not me. The worst part… I was tired. To the bones. It had been a long day of stress and many waking hours. Still…

“We can at least go to Nerethien now, can’t we? We could rest there.” Something told me that if I was closer to Kalyll, my heart would be at ease because I would be able to feel him.

They all exchanged glances, considering.

“Everything is ready, correct?” Jeondar said. “I’ve done all I can on my side to set order among the council members and generals, in case there is an attack from the Unseelie Court.”

“I’m packed and ready to go,” Cylea said. “I couldn’t decide if I would need a gown, though. What do you think?”

Arabis shook her head and rolled her eyes. “I’m ready too.”

I looked expectantly from Kryn to Silver. The former simply nodded, while Silver punched a fist into his open palm.

“I’m ready to get out of here,” he said. “Ever since I spent time in its dungeons, I don’t care for the Vine Tower all that much.”

“As if Highmire’s dungeons will be any better,” Cylea put in. “So we agree then? We leave tonight?”

Everyone nodded.

Cylea pulled something from her tunic’s pocket. “Good thing Kalyll left this with us.”

She held a transfer token, a wooden coin with the carving of a snake in the middle. It was the same one Kalyll had let me use when he sent me back home after Mount Ruin. The same one Wölfe had used to get me right back.

My spirits lifted slightly. In a few moments, we would be closer to Kalyll, well on our way to rescuing him.

“I’ll go get my things,” I said.

Jeondar stopped. “While you’re in your chamber, mention casually that we’re going to Imbermore. Hopefully, that will keep Cardian looking in the wrong direction.”

I nodded and while Larina and I retrieved my backpack, we did as Jeondar instructed. For ten minutes we stood gathered in a circle. My bag’s strap rested across my shoulder and its weight on my hip. We only had a few necessities. Jeondar had said that if we needed anything else, we would purchase it.

“Who’ll go with me first?” Cylea asked.

Arabis put a hand up. “I think I will be the least conspicuous, so I should be the one to procure our lodging.”

“Let’s go then,” Cylea took Arabis’s hand, and in the next instant, they dissolved into thin air.

They all looked at me.

“What is it?” Jeondar asked.

“I forgot something. I’ll be right back.” I ran out of the room, headed for my chamber. When I had changed, the brooch that Kalyll gave me stayed on the dress. I had to get it back.

“Hey, wait,” Jeondar called.

Wings whirred behind me as I ran down the hall, headed back to Kalyll’s tower.

“Wait, Dani,” Larina called behind me. “I can get it for you. It will only take me a second or two.”

I stopped and glanced back. “Okay.”

Using her magic she flew past me at a prodigious speed. I smiled as glittering dust rained down on me, giving me a tingling sensation.

Marching steps sounded from the hall to my left. I turned to find a host of guards crowding the tight space. They were led by Cardian.