Realms of the Goblin King (The Realm Trilogy Book 3)

by Lisa Manifold

  “You have blood all over you,” she said quietly.

  I grinned. “Courtesy of crazy lady,” I said with great satisfaction.

  Her eyebrows rose. “Did you kill her?”

  “No, he wouldn’t let me.” I jerked my head back towards Brennan “apparently, will get to see her die in front of the entire Fey court.”

  She took my hand, and squeezed it. “I want to see that,” she said.

  “Done.” I said.

  Drake cleared his throat. “Are we done, ladies? Can we get this show on the road?”

  Mistry lady shot an unfathomable look at Drake, and then turn. She didn’t speak, nor did we. We followed her and I marveled at how quiet Ensure she was. Her footsteps, her stance, everything about her spoke of stealth and moving carefully. It was really very impressive to watch. I could see now, with no jealousy or any other V feelings, why Brennan had agreed to bring her with him. This woman would be a strong ally.

  Almost as though she could read my thoughts, she whipped her head over her shoulder to glance at me. I smiled, and she smiled back. Just a small smile. I knew, right then, I’d made a friend. All on my own, and not because I was married to Brandon.

  “Um, Mistry lady? Anyway we could skip that disgusting tunnel?”

  A noise that might have been a laugh came from her. “There is another way,” she said. Her stride didn’t slow down at all.

  Thankfully, we didn’t see anyone else. In my concern over Brennan, I’d forgotten that brother was probably in the castle as well.

  Again, as though someone read my thoughts, I heard a shout from the direction that we come from.

  Apparently someone had discovered crazy lady.

  Chapter Sixteen

  As they followed behind Mistry lady, Brennan worried. Not just because he jogged along on Drake shoulders, but because he hoped they would get to the Fey Castle in time. If what Drake said was true, his father waited for them in the goblin Castle. That left his mother all alone. And from the little Drake had said, she wouldn’t see brother as an enemy. She see him as her long-lost son.

  Again, ignoring the inglorious manner in which he was being transported, he couldn’t believe how happy he was. Mistry lady had been convinced that his family would come to get him. He’d hoped she was right, but deep inside he wasn’t sure.

  Yet here they were. And they had come through something he couldn’t tell what it was, but Iris Drake and mage were a team. If he were a lesser man, he would feel a bit jealous. But he didn’t instead, he was thrilled his wife, the only other person he loved as much as he loved Drake, was now part of their team.

  As he bounced up and down on Drake shoulder, Brennan considered all of this. Hopefully, in a and attempt to ignore the pain in his midsection from Drake shoulder. He did not regret marrying Iris. It was the best thing he had ever done for himself. But nor would he lie to himself about his worry and fears as to how she would fit into his world. He knew the way his people looked at humans. Drake had proven himself hundreds of times over, and yet they were still those who would not accept him as a potential air to the Fey throne.

  Not the Drake wanted the throne. He been pretty clear about that.

  Drake’s drop stopped abruptly, and Brennan felt the shoulder gouge deep in his gut. He wanted to moan, but he wasn’t going to. He was just happy to be out of that room. Mistry lady had reached the door, and she opened it and peered carefully around it. She turned back towards the rest of them. “All right, it’s clear. We can go.”

  Drake didn’t move. “Where, exactly are we going?”

  Mage stepped in here. “We need to portal to the Fey Castle.” “But I thought we were trying to avoid magical detection?” Iris looked from one to the other. “Isn’t that why I have a sore butt from a horse?”

  “We don’t have time for that anymore. If Brennan’s right, and they’re headed for the Fey Castle, father is still at the goblin Castle. That leaves mother on her own.”

  As usual, Drake’s thinking ran with his own. He didn’t even have to say. Drake has seen the problems from the moment Brennan told him what he knew.

  Iris peered out the door over Mistry lady shoulder. “You’re sure no one will see us?”

  Mistry lady shook her head. “They didn’t keep very many guards or staff here. Crazy lady complained because she had to help the cooking.”

  Iris actually laughed out loud. “Oh, I bet she was real happy,”

  Mistry lady shot her a rare smile, and nodded. “I had for three days after that,” she said.

  Drake made an impatient noise, and pushed past the two women. He strode out into the open area, stopping to turn and call quietly over his shoulder “mage, can you get us there?”

  Mage follow Drake, digging into his pouch as he did so. Brennan saw all this by looking back from Drake shoulders.

  Mage said, “yes. I think this is a big enough space, I’ll need to open up a fairly large portal. In order to get all of us in weekly.” Drake stopped

  Drake stopped and turned around, momentarily blocking Brennan’s vision. He adjusted himself on Drake shoulder so he could watch what was going on. It called him to not be in charge, but he knew he would be more of a hindrance than a help. He was so weak, he would just have to sit with his injured pride.

  Karen murmured something, and a faint blue light began to glow. A small circle at first, and then larger as he continued to speak everyone watched quietly as the portal got bigger and bigger.

  Terror then turn it stop speaking. “I believe this is big enough,” he said. Drake took one step towards the portal, but Iris held out her hand.

  “Are we sure this is the Fey Castle?” She asked.

  Drake snorted. “Mage is doing the portal, not you, ladyship,” he said.

  So quickly he didn’t see it, I rich reached out and slapped Drake on the shoulder. “You’re supposed to be nice to the people who are learning!”

  “Nice ended you dropped us in the troll dungeon,” Drake snapped back.

  “Really, if we could all just go through the portal, that would move things along much more quickly,” mage said quietly.

  Brennan covered his mouth so that he didn’t laugh out loud. Iris and Drake bickered like a brother and sister. And she dropped them in a troll dungeon? That was one story he would need to hear. Later, maybe. After he’d gotten a bath, and some sleep. And he wouldn’t be angry at Iris for putting herself at risk.

  He stopped those thoughts. Drake and mage had been with her. And they kept her safe. For that, he would be forever grateful

  he closed his eyes and sense words of thanks towards the stars that his family, thus far, was safe. As they stepped through the portal, he could feel some of the tension fall off of his body.

  They had made it. They were in his father’s home.

  Now, all he needed to do was space his mother. If she was still safe. And the life.

  Iris

  for once, I was glad I had been doing the driving. Mage done a good job, dropping us what looked like right in the dining room. If it wasn’t the dining room, it was somewhere equally big and grand. Wherever it was, we were in the right place. Dad and mom stood there, staring at us as though we grown three heads each. It was obvious they’d been arguing.

  Mom recovered first. “What are you all doing here?” She asked, disbelief in her voice. “Oh my goodness! Trach — Brennan — oh my goodness! What has happened to you?”

  I stepped forward. “Your son, brother, and crazy lady happened.” My voice was flat, and I couldn’t keep the anger from it. “This is his handiwork. They are handiwork. They did this! Look at your son mom! Your other son, the one you’re busy crying over, he did this!”

  While I’ve been speaking, Drake had knelt down and put Brennan on his feet. He stood him right next to me, and Brennan put one arm around my waist. As weak as he was, his present steadied me. He was here. He was with me. He was alive. I opened my mouth to speak again, and he put his other hand on the shoulder closest to him. I s
topped.

  “Mother, we need to prepare. Brother and crazy lady plan to come here, and dispose of the two of you.” His stark words dropped into the room like rain on the parade. Mom and dad both stared at him, mouth’s slightly agape.

  “Brennan, you’ve obviously been hurt, and had a very difficult time,” mom said, her voice slightly patronizing.

  It made me want to punch her the same way I punched crazy lady.

  Drake obviously felt the same way. “No, mother, it’s not just that he’s had a hard time. He’s been tortured, they’ve been draining him.” Brennan turned to look at his brother so quickly I thought he give himself whiplash. I didn’t remember him saying that. I did Drake know?

  Drake glanced at Brennan, and their eyes met. Something passed between them, but I didn’t have a good enough angle to see exactly what it was. Drake turned back to his mother.

  “They were going to kill him. That was their plan. Which is why they weren’t afraid to tell him what they were planning. Crazy lady told Brennan that they were going first to the goblin castle, and then they were coming here. Just like they were planning to kill Brennan, they were going to kill the two of you. Yes, mother, that includes you. So before you go crying for your poor lost son, perhaps you should consider that.”

  Mom didn’t take this sort of abuse lying down. I knew she was going to blow the moment that Drake started speaking. “How dare you speak to me so, Drake? What do you know of brother? What do any of you know of brother? I am his mother! I know my son!”

  In that moment, I wasn’t sure that mom was safe from any of us. Her blatant refusal, her complete denial — I know it had to make everybody else as crazy as it made me.

  But before anyone could punch mom in the nose, Mistry lady step forward.

  “Your Majesty,” Mistry lady dropped almost to a knee, in some weird parity of a curtsy and a bow. “My name is Mistry lady. I have grown up in the Dragon Court. I knew your son, although not as brother. I knew him as fake name. Your son Drake speaks the truth. I have heard brother and crazy lady speak of their plans. Plans they made along with crazy dad.”

  Mom held up a hand, stopping Mistry lady from speaking further. “And just who are you? I don’t know you. I don’t know that anything you say is true.”

  I took several steps forward to stand next to Mistry lady. “Mistry lady is the only reason that your oldest son, Brennan, is alive! She made sure to go in and heal him after brother and crazy lady had their fun with him! Can’t you see him?” I turned around and gestured at Brennan. “Does he look good to you? Does he look healthy? Or does he look worn, and tired, and tortured? Are you blind, or just trying to be stupid?”

  You could’ve dropped a rock in the silence that followed my question. I almost clapped my hand over my mouth, but then decided the hell with it. Mom needed to hear the truth. If she was going to stand here and deny what we can all see with our own eyes, and she was going to have to face that lie head-on. And own it. I wasn’t going to cut her any further slack.

  “You stay out of this young lady!” Mom shook her finger at me. “You have even less idea than anyone else of what is going on!”

  At this point that came up, and put his arms around mom’s shoulders. “Nerida, why don’t we have Brennan seem to? And allow the others, who also look tired and done in, to rest and refresh themselves? Then we can all speak together again.” While his words were gentle, his tone was firm. There would be no arguing.

  Nerida looked at him, anger warring the desire to tear into us further. Then she looked at us, and made a disgusted noise. She whirled around, her skirts flaring out she did so and walked to the other end of the large dining. Without a backwards glance, without another word, she opened the door and walked through it. She slammed it behind her.

  “Well, that went well.” Drake looked at his father.

  Dad didn’t answer, but came straight to Brennan. “What did they do to you?”

  Whatever Nerida believed, it was obvious that dad believed us.

  Brennan tried to laugh, but ended up coughing. “What didn’t they do, father?” He asked. “What they were trying to do, and doing a pretty good job of it, was drained me of all of my magic.”

  Dad’s brow furrowed as he thought about this. “Why were they trying to drain you of your magic?”

  Brennan shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of standing someone else’s magical ability. But brother is crazy, father. You need to know that. He is truly, absolutely, crazy. There is no reasoning with him. He lived for years in the Dragon Court, and whatever happened there, made him crazy. He was always mean, as a child” Brennan looked off in the distance, and I could tell that he was remembering. “After I was declared the air to the goblin throne, we were no longer brothers in his eyes. He’s kept that hurt open, and alive. It’s like a wound it’s never been allowed to heal.” Brennan looked at his father, put one arm out to put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Father, he cannot be allowed to live. There is no way that allowing him to live will give us the peace that I know you wish for.” He stared into his father’s eyes as he spoke, and I knew he was trying to tell his dad that they were going to have to kill brother.

  At this point, I wish I had the magical ability to do it myself. Because I didn’t have any problem killing the guy. Or crazy lady. Or crazy dad. All three of them deserve death. Preferably, a slow, painful death.

  But I knew my Brennan, and I knew his father, sort they would make sure that all three of these terrible traitorous hurtful people were put to death humanely, and cleanly.

  In my opinion, it couldn’t be too soon.

  Dad stared at Brennan, looking him over carefully. “You look terrible, my son. Let’s go get you tended to, and then we’ll take care of brother.”

  How did he do it? Dad was so calm, so gentle with his words, but you could feel the strength behind them. I knew then, no matter what, the brother was going to die.

  I hope we all make it through.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Brennan

  Brennan suddenly his heart race, and he pushed himself up. He was not in his room at the castle. Well, he was in his room. But in the Fey Castle, not the goblin castle. He looked over. Iris was not there. She had been there, the night before, after they’d bathed and made attended to his various wounds.

  Major also given him a potion to help with the healing from a magical side of things. Quietly, major told him that he didn’t think the damage was permanent. For that, Brennan was extremely thankful. It wasn’t just the lost of magic. It was a loss of magic to brother.

  His head turned, listening. Something… Something was happening. Whatever it was, they had all gone to deal with it. He didn’t know how he knew, but he knew. And he lived long enough to know that he did not ignore his gut feelings. He threw his feet over the side of the bed, and taking a deep breath pushed himself up. He found, that unlike yesterday he could stand. Taking his time, trying not to panic it how long this was taking, he got himself dressed. Someone, probably Drake, had left the sword by the door. He took it up, and went out to search to see where his instinct took him.

  Where would they be? And why would they leave him? A part of him was furious, even though he knew they had done it for his own good. He could almost hear Iris’s voice in his head. We just got you back! I’m not going to lose you again!

  She might have said something like that the night before. Right before he’d fallen asleep on her shoulder. He been so tired, that’s all he could do when finally reunited with his wife. Fall sleep on her shoulder. Well, things would be different tonight. As long as he could find where ever the hell they had gone. He stopped. He could hear voices — they were coming from the great Hall. He made the turn down the corridor towards the great Hall, picking up his pace as he did so. Figures, they would be shouting and carrying on. Brother just couldn’t do the thing, and be done with it. He knew, from talking to brother all the time when he was trapped in the room, the brother had annexed to
grind. He wanted to be heard. He wanted to be… What was Iris’s word? Validated? Yes, that was it. Brother wanted to be validated. Right before he killed everyone that he claimed to love. Well, love at one time. Brennan was pretty sure that brother didn’t love anyone.

  As he got closer to the great Hall, he could hear the voices rising. He stopped again, to catch his breath, and to listen. Yes, there was. He could hear brother’s voice. And then — crazy ladies laugh. Brother must’ve fixed her nose. He snickered at the thought. He wished he could have seen it, Iris hitting crazy lady right in the face. Blood spurting everywhere. It must have been glorious! Perhaps he could talk to mage and see if they could — he stopped himself. Not the time, Brennan, he told himself.

  When he reached the door, he noted that it was slightly cracked. Stepping carefully, he put his eye against the crack, and slowly, slowly pulled the door open just a little.

  It was enough.

  He could see brother, with crazy lady at his side. Brother had cast some sort of spell, similar to the spell that he had cast in the courtyard of the goblin castle several months prior. It rose up to the great Hall, almost acting as a barrier between he and crazy lady and the rest of his family.

  Brennan glanced around the hall. There were no guards, only his family. Drake and father stood opposite brother, swords drawn. Nerida stood off to one side her hand to her mouth. Iris Mistry lady and mage were on the other side of Drake and father, and Iris and Mistry lady looks like they were ready to kill. Particularly Iris. He smiled, feeling the warmth of her love and his pride in her suffuse through him. No wonder he had to wait for so long she was magnificent in her anger. He edged in through the door, taking care to hold his sword close so that it may no noise. As expected, brother was at the middle of some foolish blowhard speech. “You never loved me,” brother sneered, glancing between Nerida and father. “Nannie told me all about it. She told me you were glad that I was gone. Glad to have me out of the way, so that you could focus on the precious Goblin King to be!” “No!” Wailed Nerida. “Brother, no! I cried for you! Many, many nights, I cried for you! We were told that you had died in the fire! We searched through all of the rubble, and the ashes! I searched myself! I was covered in ashes, fearing that they were the ashes of my son, and hoping that they were not! But there was no sign of you, or Nannie! What else are we to think?”