“Drive.” I mutter the word to Doyle and we’re off.
Once we’re a safe distance from the goblins, who will be sifting back to the Goblin Kingdom, I ask the question I’m dying to hear the answer to.
“Did anyone else see Amren’s aura? Eryn? Did you see it?” I look back at her.
“No. I didn’t see anything.” She purses her lips. “I could tell he’s powerful though. I could feel it. I just couldn’t see it.”
“Since when can you see auras, Ev?” Doyle asks.
“Your guess is as good as mine, D. Maybe it’s something the Druids can shed some light on.” I relax back into my seat. “I just hope they can answer everything else. I’d like for something to go right for once. Between MECA, the goblins, and my new friendly stalker, we could use a win.”
“Is no one else totally stoked we just met a Druid?” Kirin’s voice booms through the SUV and we all laugh.
“Yeah, it was pretty cool, Kirin.” I smile at him over my shoulder. “Lots of firsts happening lately.”
“Just don’t pee on him in your excitement.” Axel mutters the words under his breath and I hear the thump of flesh against flesh.
We all laugh at his comment and the laughter loosens the knot of worry in my chest. Even if we get nothing from the Druids, we’ll still have each other. We’ll still be a family, and my crew will still have my back. I smile to myself.
At the end of the day, no matter what crazy is thrown at us, we’ll push through it. Even if we have no one backing us like the might that is MECA, or one of the Fae kingdoms, we’ll come out on top.
Force of will is stronger than any obstacle, and I’ve got a habit of obliterating any and all expectations.
CHAPTER
EIGHTEEN
A little under two hours later we’re all gathered in the library with the Druids. Dare and his merry band of unnecessary body guards have gone off to report to Teag and we’re under orders not to exchange any words with the Druids until someone from the Goblin Kingdom comes to listen in.
I tap my fingers on the rough wood of the table, my knee jiggling under the table.
I look to Kirin who can’t sit still either. “This is bullshit.”
“Total bull.” He agrees.
“I’m sorry you feel that way, Ever. But seeing as how no one has seen a Druid in a few hundred years, I wanted to be here personally to welcome them to the Goblin Kingdom.”
I whip around in my seat. “No offense meant, King Teag. Just impatient to get the show on the road so I can start taking action rather than twiddling my thumbs.”
He inclines his head in acknowledgement before turning his attention to Amren and Brodie. Queen Odaine is with him, her posture poised and stiff. “Welcome to the Goblin Kingdom. We’re honored to host you here. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask for it.” He gives a half bow before bestowing a dazzling smile on them.
Amren stands. “Thank you for the grand welcome, King Teag and Queen Odaine. It’s unnecessary. We’re just regular folk, but the gesture is appreciated.”
I force myself to not roll my eyes at their posturing. Heavy silence falls on our group, and I bite my lip so I won’t blurt out something rude.
“And who is this you’ve got with you?” Teag gestures to Puck.
“This is Puck. He’s a friend, apparently.” I bare my teeth in a smile and watch for any reaction from Teag or Odaine.
Odaine’s eyes narrow on Puck’s name and warning bells sound in my head. “Just Puck? No surname?” She smiles sweetly.
“Yes, Queen Odaine. Just Puck.” He inclines his head to her.
“Well then. You are very welcome as well, Puck. If you’ll excuse me, I must attend to the preparations for the festival.” Odaine curtseys before leaving us to conduct business, her head held high as she exits.
“You two know each other?” I ask Puck.
Puck shakes his head. “This is the first meeting I have ever been blessed to have with the King and Queen of Goblin.” He places emphasis on the word and and before giving a little bow to Teag.
“Well now that we’re all aquainted, let’s sit and get some answers. Shall we?”
We pull out chairs and shuffle around the room so we can all fit without having to sit on each other.
Amren looks to me after we’re all seated. “Why don’t you ask the question you’ve been dying to ask, lass.”
Focus.
Don’t ask a million things at once.
One thing at a time.
“Can you tell me where my mother is?”
“She’s safe, I know that much. But someone is shielding her location from me. Any ideas as to who? If we know I can try to narrow it down.”
“I have no idea. I don’t know her that well. We’re not exactly close.” Regret tightens my chest at the admission.
“I see. Do you have anything of hers?”
“No. But my uncle Caddox might be able to get me something if it will help find her.”
“Let’s wait on that for now. I’m assuming you don’t want to tip your hand at this point.” Amren clears his throat. “As of now, most are unaware that MECA has pulled their support from your unit. Am I right?”
“That’s right. So how do you know?”
“He’s magic too.” Puck chuckles.
“We’re all magic, Puck. That’s a non-answer.” I lean back in my chair and try to calm my nerves. “Next question.” I look to Tore MacDouglas. My supposed father. “Is Tore my biological father?” Every muscle in my body is coiled and tight while I wait for Amren’s answer. Blood pumps through my ears in a rush and I hold my breath.
“I can’t be one hundred percent certain until I check something. You do carry some of his essence, but there is something else I can’t put my finger on.”
“What do you have to check? Let’s do it.” I’ll do anything to get answers at this point.
“Now hold on, lass. It’s not as easy as it sounds…”
It’s all I can do to not shout, “I don’t care!” but I restrain myself. I’ve waited twenty-three years to know who my real father is. I can wait a little bit longer. “What do we need to do? I’d like an answer once and for all.”
“I’ll put a list of items together and see if our hosts have what I’ll need. It will take about two weeks. I must wait for a full moon.”
What’s another two weeks? “Get the list. If they don’t have something, me or my crew can get what you need. We have contacts outside of the Goblin Kingdom.”
“I have no doubt you do.” Amren smiles. “Now, is there a place we can get some food and clean up? It has been a long day of travel for this old Druid.”
“Calder, Calum, see Amren and Brodie to their chambers and ensure that you get them everything they need.” Teag stands from his seat.
The Druids leave the room with the twins and a hush falls over our group. What an anticlimactic answer to my questions. My mother is safe, but we can’t find her. Tore might be my father, but something else is different with me. Just lovely. I organize my thoughts and try to muster the energy to get everything else done that we need to right now while the Druids rest.
“Eryn, you saw Arela right?”
“No, I didn’t. You called us back before we could see her.”
“Okay, well let’s get eyes on her now. I’d like to see how she’s doing as it’s been a few days.”
Eryn gets up and looks to Dagan. He huffs but stands and leads their way out of the library once again. Teag and Tore follow close behind them with mutterings about accommodations and topics of discussions. The rest of our guards settle down in our own little groups.
“You want us to go see what we can find, Ev? Go back to digging up dirt on Head Guard Frederick?” Axel asks.
“Yeah, you might as well. I’ll keep on the research with Kirin.” I try not to sound jealous that Doyle and Axel get to leave and go do some good old fashioned digging.
Kirin groans. “Ev, I suck at research.” He gets up a
nd heads toward the stack of books we had left out before we were called away earlier today.
“No you don’t, you just don’t like it.” I say in a sing song-voice. “We’ve got a list a mile long of stuff we need to look into. Let’s get to it.” I walk toward the pile of books I had left piled high at the other end of the table.
“Can I be of any assistance?”
I stop across from Puck and rack my brain for any potential backlash if I let him in on what we’re looking for. He’d brought the Druids to us and he’d known about MECA. Maybe he has friends in high places. So far he’s done nothing even remotely suspicious. “Can you answer a few questions? You might be able to point us in a direction we haven’t thought of.”
“Ask away. Let’s see if I can’t be useful.”
I grab our list of questions and look them over.
Mark of truth? What is it exactly? Anything to do with the crown? How do I know if I have one?
Crown of elder branches and heather. Any lore? Hidden meanings? Anyone alive who saw one way back when?
Druids? Help with finding my mother.
Cashel? What’s his end game?
MECA – who framed me? Head Guard Frederick? Who is he working with?
Light Elven Declaration?
The prophecy? What does it say exactly? Find out who else it could be about.
“I don’t even know where to begin…”
“What’s most pressing? Or what haven’t you found much on yet?”
“This crown that was left at the house. It was made of elder branches and heather–”
“And was smeared with blood? Where exactly was it found?” Puck sits up straight in his chair.
“How did you know that? It was on my pillow at the house. Someone broke in and trashed my room but left the rest of the house alone mostly. What do you know about it?”
Someone moves toward us and Dare’s warm and commanding presence covers me. I fight off my body’s desire to melt back into him as he stops behind my chair. Instead I lean forward and keep my focus on Puck.
“I know that it was once known as the Crown of Unity. But now it is known as the Crown of Betrayal.”
“Crown of Betrayal? Well doesn’t that just sound ominous.”
“It is. Who do you think left it for you?”
“We don’t know. But we suspect Cashel has escaped or someone else who could know about the prophecy. Any ideas?” Dare asks.
“I have no idea how many people could know about this prophecy. Who told you about it?”
“Cashel told me about it. I haven’t had time to look for it though. I was hoping the Druids would be able to help with that.”
“We can ask them when they get back. They might have some answers for you. As for the crown…” Puck snaps his fingers and a thick book thumps on the table in front of him. “Let’s take a look at the legends of the Crown of Unity, shall we?”
I blink at him. “That’s a large book.”
“That it is.” He snaps his fingers again and another one appears in front of me. “Dig in.”
“How did you do that?” I ask the question already knowing his answer.
“I’m magic.”
I roll my eyes and crack open the dusty tome.
After the elves and goblins broke off from the Seelie and Unseelie courts, skirmishes and small disagreements kept the lands in constant turmoil. To avoid a war that would spill over into the human realm, the leaders of each new Kingdom came together to form a treaty. It was determined that every three hundred years each side must present an eligible daughter or son that would join the two sides together as one. If one side is unable to produce an heir, the treaty may be pushed back for another fifty years. If at that time an heir is still not produced, the treaty is void.
I scan further down the page. “Where is the good stuff? I don’t really need to know the history. I just need to know what happened to make it disappear and why someone would bring it back now.”
“Flip to page 235. You might find an answer or two there.” Puck mutters, not looking up from his own book.
I do as he says and scan the page until a word catches my eye. Unity.
The Crown of Unity will represent the renewal of treaty between both sides. Each time the crown is created and exchanged, the treaty shall be renewed for another three hundred years. Tangled elder branches shall represent the trials each couple shall face as they work to overcome the differences of their people. Heather will symbolize their independence and bring them good luck in their union. The exchange of blood on each crown will seal their promise to uphold the treaty and resulting peace and serve as an unbreakable bond.
“So basically it’s a symbol of uniting kingdoms? Why would anyone think I would be able to do that?”
“Cashel thinks you’re the girl from that prophecy that will unite both the Goblin Kingdom and the Light Elven Kingdom.” Dare sits in the chair next to me and pulls the book I am reading toward him.
Not like I wasn’t reading that or anything. “Yeah, I know what he thought, but he’s batshit insane. There are plenty of redheaded leath cine.”
“Yes, there are. But those that are half-goblin, half-elf are either hiding in other kingdoms, dead, or just plain hiding and no longer involved with anything to do with the Fae Kingdoms. You are none of those things. You are alive and here and a direct descendent of the man who broke the treaty over three hundred years ago and outlawed the coupling of goblins and elves.”
I think over what Puck said. I can’t deny any longer that I am probably half-goblin, half-elf. Which means my uncle Caddox will most likely have to kill me, according to the declaration made by my great grandfather. Which also means that my mother was right to go into hiding.
Part of my heart shatters at the loss of my uncle’s guidance and affection, but another part of me seems to click into place. Still, I hold out hope for something that will redeem me in the eyes of MECA and that the Druid was tired and got everything wrong. It’s irrational, but I clutch at that bit of hope and refuse to let it go. Not until I have irrefutable proof can I accept what my new life will be.
“Ever? Are you okay?” Dare lays a hand on my shoulder and it comforts me so I don’t shrug it off.
“I’m fine. I just have a lot to think about. Now we know what this crown means, but I don’t know why it was given to me. The hurry up and wait game is starting to wear on my nerves.”
“The Druids are here, and it seems Puck knows quite a bit about history. Keep asking him questions.” Dare glares at Puck like he’s daring him to stop answering my questions.
“Any way you can snap your fingers and a book with the supposed prophecy will appear?”
Puck chuckles. “Afraid not. I can look into it though. Next question?”
“You knew about MECA. How? Who’s your contact there?”
“I don’t have a contact per se. It’s more like I hear things.”
“You hear things? Like what? Be specific. Do you know anything about Head Guard Frederick? Perhaps you know one of the original few?”
The door to the library crashes open and stops Puck from answering. We all turn and watch as Eryn rounds the corner at a run.
I jump up. “What is it? What’s happened?”
Eryn huffs a breath as she comes to a stop. “Arela. It’s Arela.”
CHAPTER
NINETEEN
Every muscle in my body tenses and my stomach feels like it’s dropped to my feet. “What about Arela? Where is she?”
“We don’t know. No one has seen her since yesterday afternoon.”
“That’s impossible. The queen has to have seen her. Did you talk with her?”
“She wouldn’t give me an audience. She’s busy preparing for the festival and has asked to not be disturbed.”
I turn to Dare. “Can you get an audience with her? Or do I need to break down her doors?”
“Let me speak with my father. He can make sure she sees us.” With a squeeze of my hand, Dare strid
es from the library.
“Kirin, go with Eryn and check out where Arela was last seen. Go now.”
“On it, Ev.” They both leave in a hurry and I look to Puck and my remaining guards Ronan and Ferghus.
“Ferghus and Ronan, I’m assuming you’re with me. Even if I don’t want you to be. Puck, you can come if you’d like.”
With that, I stand and head out of the library at a quick clip toward my room. I walk in, strap my favorite blade to my thigh, add a few more, and head in the direction of Arela’s chambers while she’s here.
“Where are we going, Ever?” Ferghus asks as he keeps his stride matched with mine.
“Arela’s chambers. The ones she uses when she stays over here.”
“Aren’t you supposed to be relatively hidden while you’re here?” he asks.
“Yeah, I am, but that was before Arela went missing while in Goblin. That trumps being inconspicuous.”
I climb the steps to her chambers and push the door into her rooms wide open. I take stock of everything in there before I enter. Nothing seems to be out of place. I step forward and send out my senses. I hear a little scratch of something against wood. I zero in on it. It’s coming from the wardrobe.
I cross to it and fling it open. Two furious baby gargoyles come flying at my face hissing. Instead of batting them away like flies, I hold out my arms. “Anarchy, Chaos. It’s me. Shh babies, it’s me.”
My voice calms their angry screeching and they settle on my arms. Their tennis ball sized bodies are shaking and they keep ruffling their wings. I look to both of them and continue my cooing.
“They had to have been with her if someone locked them in there. That’s the only way they would leave her side. They stay with her when I’m not with her.”
“Who would lock the wee monsters in there though?” asks Ronan.
“Your guess is as good as mine, Ronan. But they did, so they must have meant Arela harm. That’s the only explanation.”
Crown of Betrayal (Wicked Kingdoms Book 2) Page 14
