“There is one more thing,” Mergle said.
“What?” I growled.
“Last night, an influx of pixies were spotted darting around the realm.”
I pushed to my feet and picked him up by the front of his shirt. “You’re just now telling me this?”
He winced. “I tried to wake you. You were dead to the realm. I’d never seen you sleep so heavily.”
I dropped him to his feet where he wobbled and nearly toppled over. “Frack!” I bellowed, running a rough hand through my hair. “This cannot wait.”
“No. The toxins are still working their way out of Calista. She will sleep most of the day. We must go.”
Mergle was right. Her human body would take longer to recoup. Sleep was a necessity and a side effect that aided in purging the poison. She may have seemed lucid and healthier last night, but it wasn’t done wreaking havoc. The room was warded. She would be fine until I returned.
I spun a portal and retrieved my weapon from the back of my throne. “Make haste. I must return quickly.”
Our brethren shivered when we appeared in the north end of the labyrinth in front of them, the portal whipping up a gust that made their cloaks billow out behind them. They clutched the fabric to them and dropped to a knee. Ever since Calista appeared in my tapestry, sections of the labyrinth began to morph. They had become more Earth-like as I aged, with changing climates and weather I only experienced when I visited her realm. The northern pathways were colder, spotted with snow and ice. Very few goblins called this area their home anymore. Most of them found it uninhabitable and relocated or now lived in the thickening circle surrounding the castle.
A plume of fog formed in the air as I spoke. “Rise.”
They shuffled to their feet and brushed the snow from their breeches. It was colder here since I last visited before Calista’s recent return. The only explanation I could drum up was my magic being with her for so long that the two realms were now stitched together and blending.
Mergle stepped forward. “We are looking for Pearce.”
One of the goblins lowered his hood, revealing one of my playmates from childhood.
“Thacher.” I hadn’t had the pleasure of seeing him in ages.
“Sire.” He inclined his head. That dreadful reminder that we were no longer equals of sorts. “We have not seen Pearce for some time. I would be more than happy to relay a message if we encounter him.”
“That won’t be necessary. If you see him, do not let him know we were asking.”
He bowed. “Yes, sire.”
“Have you encountered any pixies?” Mergle asked.
Thacher shook his head. “Not here, but in the East. We tried to capture them to bring them to you, but they were too fast and flew over our heads.”
“Carry on.”
The group clambered away, tightening their cloaks around their tiny bodies. I wondered what they were doing in this frozen waste of land. Probably hunting one of the beasts for dinner. That sounded like a fun way to exert some pent-up frustration when all was said and done and add another skull to my collection.
“How are you feeling?” Mergle asked as we walked the pathways. He breathed into his calloused palms and rubbed them together.
My lip quirked up when I thought about Calista’s description the night before. “Like I drank a gallon of booze.”
“Eh?” Mergle glanced up at me and went to say something when I heard it.
“Shh!” I held my hand out silencing him.
A faint buzzing tickled my ears on the breeze. I angled my head to determine which way it came from. The east, precisely as Thacher had said. I pointed and Mergle followed, our soft leather boots barely making any noise in the thin remnant of snow.
We crossed onto another path through an opening in the wall, entering a warmer section of the labyrinth and thawing out. My clothes dampened from the melting snow and clung to me. The buzzing intensified, and I homed in on its whereabouts. Ahead of us, in a cluster of bloodsuckles, several pixies flitted about. The vines extended, dancing about in front of them as if entranced, but didn’t attempt to eat them. This was swiftly becoming curiouser and curiouser.
My energy levels were still low. Portaling reduced them greatly, and we still needed to return quickly. I could reserve some energy by shadow walking and sneak alongside them. I could only grab two, though. The other three would immediately flee.
Mergle remained statuesque as I drew the shadows to me with aching slowness. The moment they covered me from head to toe, I made my move. In the blink of an eye, I stood behind them. This was a first. Usually, the pixies were alone. I watched them to determine what they were here for, maybe hear them speak to one another and learn how they communicate, but all I heard was their incessant buzzing. It was almost tune-like with each one playing a different chord, and it vibrated in my ears, nearly driving me mad.
