“Tinker?” Bellamy called into the room.
“King Ranulf is not here at the moment,” replied a voice from within. “Can I help you, miss?” Gingerly, an aproned goblin felt his way into the doorway, but he did not venture out into the street.
Bellamy kept her distance. “You must be Aberdeen, the brilliant chef! Tinker’s told me so much about you.”
“I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage,” the chef replied politely. He held out a hand. “Come here, child, so I can see you better.”
“I can’t,” she said quickly. “My name is Bellamy, and I’m fey. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Have you come here to hurt our king?” Aberdeen asked.
“I’ve come here because I love him,” Bellamy said with all her heart. “Please, can you tell me where I might find him?”
“He is in the receiving hall,” said Aberdeen. “All the way down to the end of this street and then right a ways. It is a large building with windows that face west.”
Bellamy had thought Aberdeen was blind. “How would you know that?”
“Because the place echoes like a cave and grows incredibly warm in the afternoon.”
“You are truly as amazin’ as Tinker says, Chef Aberdeen. Thank you.”
“I suspect you are quite amazing yourself, fey child,” said the chef.
When Bellamy was a safe distance from the kitchen, she launched herself into the air again and flew down the street. The building that matched Aberdeen’s description had a large door manned by two goblin guards in colorful armor. They crossed their spears before her as she approached.
“No one sees the king without an appointment,” said one of the guards.
“Especially no one with wings,” said the other.
“My sincerest apologies, gentlemen,” Bellamy said. Then she shook her wings enough to send both of the guards into sneezing fits. Once they had fallen away, she pushed open the doors so hard that they slammed against the walls. The assembly of goblins turned as one.
Tinker, standing before the throne at the other end of the hall, smiled. It was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen.
“Ranulf Tinkerton, Goblin King!” Bellamy cried. “I seek an audience with you!”
Tinker put his hands on his hips. “You sure do know how to make a grand entrance.”
“I learned from the best.”
“Hubble?” he guessed.
“As I live and breathe,” said Bellamy.
“So what happens now?”
Bellamy spread her wings. “Brace yourself.”
Some of the goblins in the room ran away. Some of them ducked. Some of them simply stared, stunned as Bellamy soared over their heads and crashed right into their king.
Tinker’s body was warm and solid and smelled like apples. As they wrapped their arms around each other, she felt him laugh into her hair.
“Definitely not a dream,” he said.
“No,” she laughed with him. “This is definitely not a dream.” She pulled back, staring into that face she had missed so much. He was ten times handsomer than when she’d last seen him, if that were even possible.
“Permission to kiss the king?” she asked.
“Permission granted,” he said, meeting her lips halfway.
“Ewwwwwwwwww,” Bellamy heard Tinker’s goblin brothers jeer, amid a chorus of sneezes.
They kissed over and over, never wanting to stop. The ball of sunshine inside her burned even brighter. No matter how they had come together, no matter whose fingers had stirred the pot, and no matter what happened from this moment on, Bellamy and Tinker had chosen each other.
This was how it was supposed to be.
12
With Bellamy back in his arms, everything was right in Tinker’s world. There would be no Goblin King stopping him this time—he was the Goblin King now. If it were up to him, he’d never let this beautiful, amazing, adventurous and crazy fairy go again. Ever.
“Attention, everyone!” Tinker heard a voice—Hubble?—announce to the gathering of goblins. “Your king will be right back with you after a short recess. Thank you for your patience!” Hubble poked Tinker in the side. He must have poked Bellamy too, because she winced and scowled at the kobold. “Come on, lovebirds,” Hubble whispered. “Let’s go.”
“Go where?” Tinker asked.
“I don’t know,” said Hubble. “This is a stage, isn’t it? That means it has some sort of backstage. Wherever that is, go there.”
There was a door, off to one side of the dais, that led to a small chamber. The chamber, in turn, led to a series of secret tunnels that the king could use to get anywhere in the castle. Hubble prodded Tinker and Bellamy into the chamber. Three hooded figures slipped in after him.
As their hoods fell back, Tinker realized that it wasn’t just Bellamy who wore a piece of tin from the Mantle of Majesty. Tinker’s eyes misted at the sentiment. His very own Harmswood squad. Those necklaces, and the people who wore them, were the most priceless treasures in the goblin kingdom, bar none.
“Sam! Natalie!” Tinker stepped away from Bellamy long enough to hug his friends. “I can’t believe you came!”
“Believe it,” said Sam. The poor kid had huge dark circles under both eyes. Tinker wondered what horrible circumstances they’d had to endure that he hadn’t seen in the crystal ball.
“Between these two, it’s not like we had much of a choice.” Natalie waggled her thumb between Hubble and Bellamy.
“Come here, you silver-tongued devil.” Tinker pulled Hubble to him and tousled his hair. “You successfully got a party of misfits through the dungeon in one piece! I’m so proud.”
“Oh, shut up.” Hubble gave him a half-hearted shove. “It’s not like you wouldn’t have done the same thing in my place, Your Majesty.”
“That’s right,” said Natalie. “Are we supposed to bow to you or something?”
“Please don’t,” said Tinker.
“Hey, did you know Hubble could glow in the dark?” Sam interjected.
Tinker raised an eyebrow. “I did know. I’m surprised you know. That’s not exactly a talent he advertises.”
“We could not have escaped the oubliette without him,” said Quin.
For the first time, Tinker shifted his focus to the former Goblin Prince. He wasn’t sure whether or not to punch Quin’s ruggedly handsome face, or hug him. Since he was in an incomparably good mood, he chose the latter.
“We picked up a stray,” said Hubble.
“I’m very glad you did,” said Tinker. “Because the goblins are going to need someone to lead them after I go back to Harmswood.”
Quin’s brow furrowed and he looked to Bellamy.
She flashed him that amazing smile. “I told you he didn’t want the crown.”
“I honestly don’t,” said Tinker. “I never did. The throne was always meant to be yours, and I’d be more than happy to give it to you now. If you would accept it.”
“I…” Quin seemed at a loss for words. “Yes, I will. Of course I will. It’s just…”
For a moment, Tinker forgot how to breathe. Everything was going so well, even better than he planned. He should have known Quin of all people would screw it all up. “What is it, Quin? I’m giving you the crown you’ve lived your whole life for. What more do you want?”
Quin held his head with the natural regal bearing of a king. If Tinker continued to be king for a hundred years, he wasn’t sure he’d ever get that down. “I want to go to school too,” he said. “With you.” He pointed to the rest of Tinker’s friends. “With them.”
“Seriously?” asked Natalie.
“I take that as a compliment,” said Bellamy.
Sam yawned. “I think that would be kind of cool actually.”
Hubble just laughed.
“Wait,” said Tinker. “Why would you want to go to a place you’ve never been? Do you know anything about school at all?”
“I know it’s important to you,” Quin said s
eriously. “So important that you’d give up the throne for it. I know that I’d be able to learn things there—greater knowledge can only make me a better king.”
Tinker certainly couldn’t argue with that logic.
“And Harmswood seems to house some of the most extraordinary people,” Quin added. “If the rest of the student body are anything like these three, I’d be stupid not to go. I want the chance to have friends like this.” He looked at Bellamy again. “Even if they’re fey.”
Tinker put his arms around Bellamy and Hubble and squeezed them both. “I can honestly say that there is no one on earth like the people in this room,” Tinker boasted. “But I’m inclined to agree with you. I think a few years at Harmswood would do you—and the goblins as a whole—a great deal of good.”
“But who will lead the goblins if both of you come back with us?” asked Bellamy.
It was a good question. Tinker forced his brain to think. With no Maker Deng to guide him, who would he have turned to as king if there was an emergency? Who did most of the goblins look up to anyway?
Tinker poked his head back into the receiving hall. “Snot!”
The tiny goblin scurried up to him and saluted. “Yes, Yer Royalnose?”
Well, at least his addresses were improving. “Run up to my chamber and bring down the Mantle of Majesty. It’s very important. Can you do that?”
Without a word, the goblin scurried away. Tinker hoped he could take that as a yes. He turned back to the room and hugged Bellamy again. “I have to do this one last thing without you,” he said, “and I really don’t want to let you go.”
“It’s all right,” she said with that beautiful look of understanding. “If I go back out there, I’ll just be a distraction.”
“Not to mention hazardous to everyone’s health,” said Hubble.
“He’s right,” said Bellamy. “You go take care of business. I’ll be here waiting for you.”
Tinker wished he had a recording of those words, so that he could hear her say them over and over. He kissed her quickly, and then once more, because the first time wasn’t enough. “We’ll leave as soon as I get back.”
“Sam and I will stay with her,” said Natalie. Sam looked to tired too do anything but nod.
Tinker turned to Quin and Hubble. “Okay, let’s do this.”
Hubble exited the door first and walked out to the edge of the dais. “Hear ye, hear ye!” he cried, but the roar of chattering goblins did not diminish. “LISTEN UP!” he yelled. That seemed to do it. “Your king has an announcement to make.”
Tinker walked out on the dais with Quin right behind him. There were simultaneous gasps and jeers at Quin’s appearance.
“Whatze doin’ here?”
“Traitor!”
“Pretty Boy!”
Tinker held up a hand. “My goblin brothers,” he said into the crowd. “You know I was never meant to be your king.”
“But I voted for you!” yelled one goblin.
“Me too!” yelled another.
“I didn’t!” yelled a third.
Tinker ignored the outbursts. “I believe that exiling Quin Merchero was an emotional choice made by our former king.”
“Long live the king!” cried Nasty Word. Tinker noticed that Snot had returned to the hall. He stood dutifully behind his new squad leader. There was a burlap sack in his hands and an artistic green goblin masquerade mask perched on his forehead.
“I would like to reinstate Quin Merchero as your rightful Goblin King.”
A murmur washed over the crowd. “Then what will you do?” one brother asked.
“Ready to retire already?” asked another.
“I will return to Harmswood Academy and continue my studies there,” said Tinker. “I will also serve under the new king as his ambassador to Goblin City. I will work tirelessly to improve conditions here, so that we can one day live in peace without having to steal everything we need to survive.”
The goblins didn’t seem quite sure what to do with that statement.
“Candy for everyone!” yelled Snot.
“CANDY FOR EVERYONE!” the goblins cheered.
“But in order to make this new job work, I need Quin to come to Harmswood with me for a while,” Tinker said to the goblins. “In light of that, we must name a Goblin King Regent to rule over everyone and make decisions on Quin’s behalf during his absence. I’d like to suggest Retcher as my nominee. Retcher, would you come up here please?”
Retcher, shaking his head, stepped away from the rest of the goblin squad leaders and joined Tinker beside the throne. There was cheering and his name was called from every corner of the room. Snot followed Retcher up onto the dais and handed Tinker the burlap sack, and then returned to his spot behind Nasty Word.
Nasty Word looked less than pleased.
“The student surpasses the master,” Retcher whispered to Tinker. “You’re a clever boy.”
“I learned from the best,” he whispered back. “We will now put it to a vote,” Tinker announced to the crowd. “All in favor of Retcher becoming interim king, raise your hand.”
As suspected, almost all the goblins in the room raised their hands.
Tinker pulled the Mantle of Majesty out of the sack. “Retcher of the Goblins,” he said, “I hereby bestow upon you the Mantle of Majesty. Henceforth, you will be known as the Goblin King Regent, until the rightful king returns from school.”
Tinker settled the clanking Mantle on the head of his mentor. He swore he saw Retcher’s bent form straighten ever so slightly. With any luck, this Mantle would also give Retcher the same health it had imbued in Tinker. One less worry for his frazzled heart.
“I promise to rule to the best of my abilities,” Retcher said without having to clear his throat. “I will be fair, but firm. I will make both of our Goblin Kings proud. I will make all of Goblin City proud!”
More cheers and cries of “candy for everyone” echoed through the hall.
“See you later, everybody!” Quin said with a wave, and then hopped off the dais.
Hubble bowed deeply to Retcher before doing the same.
“Good luck with everything,” Tinker said to Retcher. “Not that you’ll need it. But good luck all the same. I’ll see you next summer.” He bent down to embrace his mentor.
Retcher squeezed him tightly. “Not if I don’t summon you back here first.” He laughed, and patted Tinker on the cheek. “Love you, son. Proud of you. Now you kids get your butts back to school. And be good to that fairy!”
Joyfully, Tinker squeezed Retcher one more time, and then followed Quin and Hubble off the dais and through the “backstage” door. As promised, Bellamy was waiting for him, and Natalie, and…
“Where’s Sam?”
Natalie lifted the cloak on the ground to reveal a sloth, fast asleep. “You get to carry him home,” said Natalie.
“With pleasure.” Tinker laughed and scooped up his furry friend. He took Bellamy’s hand, kissed the back of it, and began bounding up the stairs.
Home, Natalie had said. They were going home. Tinker’s other home. And never again would he have to choose between the two.
When Tinker returned to the mostly-empty common room, his friends were waiting. His friends. If you had asked him to count his friends a few weeks ago, he would have been able to do it on one hand. Now he counted everyone at Harmswood, in varying degrees. Natalie made him watch the video she had taken of the mob scene after the ball. All those voices rallying behind Bellamy, on his behalf, was irrefutable evidence of just how much he belonged in Nocturne Falls.
Tinker’s heart was as warm as the blazing hearth before him. The people who waited on the couches there weren’t just his friends anymore. They were family.
Bellamy perched on the corner of an ottoman; Tinker popped down in the chair beside her. “My head is killing me,” he said. “How long was I in there for this time?”
“Three hours,” said Natalie.
“Almost four,” said Hubble.
<
br /> Bellamy scooted over enough so that their legs were touching. Despite the excellent quality of their kisses, she and Tinker had decided against flagrant displays of affection while on school grounds. But they still couldn’t stand to be apart from each other if they didn’t have to, so they made sure to maintain some sort of physical contact whenever they could. Tinker knew this phase of their relationship was probably a result of everything they’d been through, and it probably wouldn’t last…but Bellamy’s presence brought him a great deal of comfort, and he needed that right now.
“So what did you and Professor Blake talk about?” Bellamy asked.
“Dean Zuru joined us for this session,” said Tinker. “I have a week to make up my midterms. While I’m doing that, Quin will be given aptitude tests to gauge where his strengths lie academically.”
“I get to stay?” Quin asked eagerly.
“You get to stay.” Tinker nodded his head. It hurt to even do that. “Apparently, Harmswood would be proud to foster more boys as clever and forward thinking as me.”
“They really said that?” asked Natalie.
“Wow,” said Hubble.
“They’re talking about sending some teachers to Goblin City to give a few aptitude tests there. Professor Van Zant offered to put together a team for that. While that was on the table I mentioned the outreach programs I proposed before: first aid, animal husbandry, geology…things the Lost Boys really need to learn on the city grounds. And…there was so much more. I’m glad Professor Blake called a stop for today. I was on the verge of passing out right there on the dean’s desk.”
“You could always join Sam,” said Natalie. “He’s still sleeping off our adventure. Stinky were-butt.”
“I envy him,” said Tinker.
Bellamy took his hand. “Can we get you some coffee? Tea?”
Tinker winced. “No tea,” he said. “I’ve had enough of Dean Zuru’s tea to float all the way back to Goblin City.”
Bellamy stood behind his chair and began to massage his temples. It felt divine. “I know you’re exhausted, but it sounds like you’re doin’ really well at this whole Ambassador thing,” she said softly. “Retcher would be so proud.”
When Tinker Met Bell Page 13
