by R L Medina
Gena laughed, the sound so boisterous it made me grin. I had a hard time picturing her and Des together. They were complete opposites.
“Desy didn’t share our sordid love story with you?” She wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.
Desy? I bit back a laugh.
“Gena…” Des’s voice grew low.
Aunt Cindra stiffened. Gena, I realized, thought it an innocent joke, but she didn’t realize how close she’d hit a mark. Aunt Cindra, try as she might to get control of her emotions, was near to bursting.
Hurt radiated from her. Hurt, anger, and jealousy along with the underlying longing she and Des both desperately tried to suppress.
Mom, sensing the tension, stepped in. “As much as we’d love to hear the… details, I think it would be wise to discuss the problem at hand.”
I nodded in agreement, glad to change the subject, though I still wanted to hear how Des had met this happy elf woman.
“I didn’t realize we still needed her help.” Aunt Cindra’s lip curled.
Gena blinked at her, her smiling fading. She was beginning to realize that Aunt Cindra really didn’t like her, and it wasn’t an act. Her eyes sought Des, who gave her a slight shake of his head.
“What we really need is a portal. One that the GRIMMS aren’t guarding,” Mom continued, ignoring Aunt Cindra’s protest.
Gena’s eyebrows flew up. “The GRIMMS monitor every portal.” Her nose scrunched up. “Every portal but one… it’s a small one. I don’t know if it’s still in use.” Her face turned thoughtful.
“Do you know where it is?” Mom asked excitedly.
My heart raced at the revelation. This was exactly what we needed. All the pieces were finally coming together and maybe, just maybe, we would be able to complete this mission. If the queen could cloak the Raj’ani and Fearless, then we could smuggle them both through the portal.
Gena glanced at Des. “Do you still have the location of Baba Yaga?”
Des frowned. “I don’t see how she could help us. You know the price for her… help.”
Gena shrugged. “That’s up to you all. You said you needed an undetected portal. She’s the only one I know who’s got that kind of power and will keep it on the down low.”
Aunt Cindra’s eyes narrowed on the pair. I could feel her anger brewing, the fire ready to be unleashed. An image of flames erupting around the blonde elf popped into my mind.
I whipped towards Aunt Cindra in surprise. I’d never seen her thoughts so clearly and the rage in there was startling. My mouth quirked. There was a reason she was the Princess of the Court of Flame. Or at least she had been. Sorrow replaced my amusement. What would happen when we returned to Feylin? The Gray Court and Red Court were gone and even if we stopped the destruction, they wouldn’t return. It was too late.
“What’s the location?” Mom urged.
Des sighed. “We have to go to the city.”
My heart pounded. The city. It felt like another lifetime since I’d been in Denver. My life there seemed like a distant dream. Excitement stirred inside me followed by sadness. It could be my last time to see the city. At least I’d be able to say a proper goodbye. An image of a gray cat filled my mind. King Louis. I’d forgotten about my feline friend. Would he still be there?
“All of us?” Aunt Cindra’s eyebrow arched.
She stared at Des, a questioning look behind her eyes.
He promptly ignored it, choosing to look at Mom instead. “She doesn’t take kindly to elves… send the halfling.”
I threw him a dark glare. “Halfling? Really? I thought we were past all that, Desy.”
His lip curled.
Mom frowned. “I will most certainly not send her. I know the rumors of that witch.”
Aunt Cindra glanced at Des. “What witch?”
Gena’s eyes went wide, her cheeks flushed with excitement. “Ooh. I’ll tell you. Some say she was a goddess in her world. Here, they say she’s a witch. But nobody really knows. She has many names and faces and most of them are on the GRIMM’S top hit list.”
Aunt Cindra sneered. “I’m sure I could manage this… Baba on my own,”
Des’s eyes flashed. He stepped toward her. “No. You can’t. She doesn’t like elves, Cindra. You would put yourself in danger for nothing. She won’t help you. I don’t even know if she’d want to help a halfling.”
Aunt Cindra’s jaw clenched at his rebuke.
Mom scoffed. “Then we are absolutely not sending Renée for this task.”
Des shrugged. “Then send the brownie.”
“No!” I shouted.
Anger pulsed within me. “We are not sending Mag. I’m going.”
Mom opened her mouth in protest. I held my hand up, cutting her off. “I’m going.”
Gena beamed at me. “There’s the spirit. Baba Yaga will like this one, I think.”
Des snorted. “That witch doesn’t like anything. Well, except maybe children. Cooked over a fire.” He smirked at me.
I recoiled, my stomach churning. “Good thing I’m not a child.”
His eyebrows arched. “Oh? Did I miss your coming of age party?”
Gena laughed at him. “Humans don’t do that.” She squinted at me. “Do they?”
“Uh… not really?” I shrugged.
Sacha’s eyes met mine, and I tried to hide my embarrassing blush. Gena noticed the glance and winked at me, making me redden even further.
“So, I take it you didn’t catch the Raj’ani.” Des folded his arms across his chest, looking smug.
Aunt Cindra’s eyes narrowed. “Thanks to you and your temper tantrum.”
His grin widened. “So, you couldn’t do it without me, huh?”
“I… No, that’s not what I meant.” Aunt Cindra huffed.
Gena laughed. A habit, I realized she couldn’t help and that sent a fiery anger through Aunt Cindra. I bit back a groan. Just what our mission needed. More drama.
“We will need all of us to catch this creature. The queen—if she ever returns—will have to cloak it and the dragon.”
“Dragon?” Des and Sacha exclaimed in unison.
I cringed. “Yeah. Fearless. He kind of followed us through the portal.”
Gena gasped. “Oh, that’s not good. No. The GRIMMS will be on top of that in a heartbeat. Dragons are not allowed here.”
“Hence our need to cloak it,” Aunt Cindra retorted.
I shot her an exasperated look. She was acting like a jealous high school girl when technically, she had every chance to claim Des, but didn’t. Maybe having Gena there would prompt her to give into their bond.
She ignored my look and held her chin aloft like the princess that she was. Mom and I shared a weary glance. Things would unravel fast if we didn’t act to keep the peace.
20
As we gathered together to eat more vegetable soup, tension rose. The queen still hadn’t made her reappearance and the longer we waited, the more chance we had of getting caught. Gena had made herself at home—much to Aunt Cindra’s dismay—and seemed in no hurry to leave.
No longer able to bear the unspoken emotions and veiled insults, I took Sacha and Mag outside to meet Fearless. It was a nice break from the others and the smile it brought Mag was enough of a reward. The poor little brownie didn’t smile much anymore and that twisted my heart.
“Princess, do you remember that day in the Black Court? When we took the carriage with B’Zahir to seek out your aunt, Princess Cindra?” Sacha’s words startled me.
My heart leapt into my throat. Remember? Of course, I remembered that day. It was the day his mom had died.
I met his eyes and nodded. Mag and Fearless, who had stretched himself across the grass, watched us.
Sacha’s brow furrowed. “There are still parts of that day that are hazy to me. It’s as if it was a dream I can’t recall.”
My blood ran cold. No. He remembers.
Fearless squinted at me. Remembers what?
I flushed. Sacha, oblivious to my d
istress, stared at me in puzzlement. “Do you remember what I did? Do you think it was the… Raj’ani?” He gave me a sheepish smile. “I mean, I know my power is nothing compared to what yours is, but could the creature have used my mental magic for its own devices?”
Shame rushed through me. He thought the monster had taken over his mind when the truth was that I had used my power on him. My throat turned dry. How could I make him understand why I did what I did?
“Sacha, I…” I forced myself to meet his gaze.
My chest tightened. “It wasn’t the Raj’ani. I… it was me.”
Confusion flashed across his face followed by hurt. His hazel eyes pierced me with their pain. I had to look away, my face flushed with shame.
“You used your magic on me.” His words were calm but laced with hurt and anger.
“I’m so sorry. I should never have done that… I just. I had to go, and I didn’t think you’d let me.”
He stiffened. “I have to go. Excuse me, Princess.”
“No, Sacha. Wait!”
He shook his head and didn’t look back. “I just need some time.”
Pain speared through me as he walked away. I watched him go, tears blurring my vision. Mag and Fearless sat quietly, but their pity filled the air.
I took a deep breath and used my magic to numb me. The shame for what I’d done was too great and the image of Sacha’s pained face burned in my mind. I had to find a way to reconcile with him, but I feared the sting of my betrayal would run too deep.
My sorrow pulsed, threatening to break through my numbness. I summoned more magic to keep the emotions at bay.
Someone is coming. Fearless glanced back at the forest.
I followed his gaze, my heart twisting. Was it Sacha? Hope stirred inside me.
It’s the queen. The dragon stood and stretched his wings.
Mag ducked behind my leg, her fear radiating from her. I threw my magic over her to calm her and squared my shoulders back to face the queen.
Still dressed in her ridiculous icicle gown, she clicked and clanked as she walked toward us. Her pale hair and skin looked translucent in the dark. If I hadn’t known it was her, I’d have thought she was a ghost or spirit like you saw in the horror movies.
Her blue eyes narrowed on me. “You found a dragon? You are supposed to be finding the Raj’ani.”
Fearless blew a stream of fire in her direction. She waved it away with her hand, ice falling from her fingertips into the grass.
“Instead of doing what you are supposed to be doing, I find you sitting and relaxing with a dragon.”
I bristled at her words. “We were waiting for you to return. We need you to cloak Fearless and the Raj’ani—”
“You have the creature?”
My cheeks flushed. “Not yet, but with everyone working together, we will be able to find it and capture it.”
She sniffed. “Take me to the Raj’ani and I will capture him myself.”
I snorted. “Did you hear me? I said we all need to work together to get him.”
Her eyebrow arched. “Is that why your guard is wandering the woods alone, heartbroken?”
Anger rushed through me. “That… is none of your business.”
“I care nothing about your… problems, but I will tell you this, halfling. You are better off without anyone. You can only trust yourself and you should never apologize for using your power. It is your right to use it. Even if you are human.”
My eyes widened at her words. Was she… giving me advice?
“There you are! We need you to perform a cloaking spell.” Aunt Cindra’s voice startled me.
She, Mom, Des, and Gena walked toward us.
Mom’s eyes searched my face. I hurriedly wiped the tears away and steeled myself. Her worried brow made it clear that my emotions hadn’t gone unnoticed, but thankfully, she chose to stay silent.
“Yes. I know. But I don’t see why I should help you.” The queen turned her icy stare on them.
Her eyes narrowed on Gena, who remained silent by Des’s side.
Mom’s nostrils flared. “If we don’t conceal this creature soon, the GRIMMS will find us.”
The queen scoffed. “Humans? They are no concern to me.”
“They are not just humans. They are… wizards. Their magic is greater than yours.”
She sneered. “Unlikely.”
Mom threw her hands up in exasperation.
Aunt Cindra sighed. “It would be better to continue our hunt without pesky humans on our trail. Surely, a simple cloaking spell would not be a hard task for you, Your Highness.”
The queen’s eyes slid to her. “No hard task no, but I see no benefit in helping you. What do I care if they capture the dragon?”
Anger rose inside me. “Why can’t you just do it?”
A blast of cold wind hit me. I threw my magic back at her, my rage pulsing within me. I was tired of her nastiness and pettiness.
Her chin lifted. “You all are weak. Pathetic. I will do the cloaking, but I expect you to take me to the Raj’ani. At once. No more waiting and no more excuses.”
My mouth dropped open in shock. Had she really agreed to help us? My magic spread across my skin. Was it my power that swayed her?
Wind whipped around her. Her power radiated, icy and strong. Mag trembled behind me. In the distance, I felt the eyes of the forest animals and fae. They watched from the safety of the trees as her power engulfed the dragon.
His alarm shook me. The queen’s magic covered him and lifted him from his feet. He hovered in the air and glanced down at us.
“There.” The queen released her power.
Fearless stretched his wings and swished his tail. Am I invisible?
“I can still see you.”
Des snorted. “Of course. The cloak only veils things from humans.”
Mom shook her head. “But the GRIMMS have magic tools… the cloak has to be strong.”
The Queen frowned. “It is strong.” She turned to me. “Now. Take me to the Raj’ani.”
My heart pounded. I glanced at the others. “I... I can’t feel the connection right now.
Icy air blew around me. Mom stepped between me and the queen. “It’s late. We can go tomorrow.”
The queen laughed. It was a short, harsh laugh. “We will go now.”
Nausea rolled inside me. Stumbling in the woods at night, trying to find the creature was the last thing I wanted to do.
“We can wait one more day,” Mom insisted.
The air grew chillier, making me shiver. Footsteps sounded and when I looked up, I was surprised to see Sacha standing there. His face was grim and his eyes worried as they met mine. I flushed, my heart twisting at his somber look. I knew it would take time for him to forgive me, but the loss of his affection stung. What if I’d ruined our friendship?
“We go now.” The queen’s voice was soft and dangerous.
My skin burned as the temperature dropped even more. I rubbed my arms and faced her, summoning strength.
“Fine. Let’s go,” I bit out between chattering teeth.
Mom threw me a worried glance. “Renée, it’s too risky. You have to be well rested and ready before you search out the creature once more.”
“It’s okay, Mom. I can do this,” I tried to reassure her.
She bit her lip but said nothing.
“We will all go,” Aunt Cindra announced. She glanced at Gena. “You can stay here.”
Gena’s eyes widened at her rudeness.
“It’s her car, Cindra.” Des’s lip quirked in amusement.
Aunt Cindra huffed. “I thought you knew how to control it.”
His eyebrow arched. “I do.”
“Enough of this chatter. We will go now,” the queen interrupted.
Mag trembled. I used my magic to soothe her fear. I turned around to face her. “You don’t have to come if you don’t want to, Mag.”
She looked up at me. “I want to stay with you, Princess. Don’t leave me here.”<
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Pity filled me. I squeezed her closer to me. “I won’t, Mag. I promise.”
She settled into my embrace as my words calmed her.
“I still think we should wait until daylight.” Mom shook her head.
Aunt Cindra patted her hand. “It will be fine, Aubri. With all of us working together, it should be easy.”
Mom scoffed but didn’t say anything. I shared her sentiment. I followed the others toward the minivan.
I will fly with you and show you the way back to the cave, Fearless chimed into my mind.
“We are driving first and then we’ll have to walk the rest of the way,” Aunt Cindra answered.
Des got into the driver’s seat and waited for the rest of us to climb in. Would it fit everyone? I hopped into the back with Mom and Mag. The queen took the passenger seat, leaving Aunt Cindra to sit in the middle with Gena.
Sacha was the last to enter, his eyes refusing to meet mine. My heart twisted. Mom’s eyebrow arched as he took the seat beside her. She shot me a questioning look which I ignored. Instead I glanced over Mag’s head at the window.
The stars and moon shone, but without streetlamps the forest was still dark and spooky. In the distance I spotted Fearless’s glimmering scales as he led us toward the cave. Des started the car and headed for the road.
Weariness spread through me as my mind raced. I yawned and tried to clear my thoughts. I had to focus on the Raj’ani in case Fearless couldn’t track it by its scent. Worry gnawed at me. I didn’t want to have to use my magic to find it again. The images from before flashed before me, making my skin crawl. What if I couldn’t break the connection ever and its magic slowly ate away at my mind?
I pushed away the depressing thought and focused on the positive. Fearless was cloaked from the GRIMMS. We were all together to capture the Raj’ani and Gena knew where to find a portal back that we could use without alerting the GRIMMS. Everything was working out perfectly. Why did I have such a bad feeling that something was going to go wrong?
Moonlight streamed through the pines as Des pulled the van to a stop. My eyes scanned the dark mountainous forest while I waited for the others to disembark. I couldn’t see Fearless past the trees, but I knew he was there. He wouldn’t have abandoned us.
