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“And by that, I mean she went to the Goblin Market, obviously.” She flashed a smile that was far too forced.
“Did Cerri send you here?” I had no idea why my queen would send this brownie.
The last thing I needed was a woman with too many opinions and an explosive temper telling me what to do. I already had Cerri for that.
“Nae, I came to apply for a job.” Her eyes rolled up towards the dusty rafters. “It seems as though you might need someone to care for the place while you’re gone with your lady. I’m not allowed in the Seelie castle, for whatever reason.”
Arcana rippled through the air, bringing with it the scent of sage. Cerri appeared beside me and stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes narrowed at the brownie woman.
“Hilda.” There was no question in Cerri’s voice. It was a statement of warning.
Hilda, the brownie woman smiled wide. There was a devious tilt to her lips as if she were only a heartbeat away from going Boggart on us.
Then Cerri shook her head and waved a dismissive hand in Hilda’s direction. “Forget about it. The realm of nightmares is a good place for you. You and I both know why you can’t get into my realm.”
Hilda cackled. I could almost taste blood on the air. Her aura, an ability I’d missed while trapped in my beast’s dreams, flickered with a bit of red like a bloodstain. I cast a questioning look towards my queen. She responded with a dry grimace, as if to say that Hilda was a pain but nothing to worry about.
“Look at you two!” Hilda exclaimed. “The Queen of Dreams and the King of Nightmares. Not what your parents expected, but a fine ruling force all the same.”
Cerri’s lips formed an O of question before realization dawned on her face. “Is…that my real arcana? I feel like I’m picking up abilities left and right.”
Hilda shrugged. “How should I know? You’re the one using your dreams to get what you want.”
Cerri spun towards me. We had the same idea at the same moment. I knew what she would say before she even spoke.
I shook my head. “No way. I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Cerri’s excitement flagged. I couldn’t let her face Beryl in a dreamscape. It was too unpredictable. What if Beryl took ahold of the dream and turned it into a nightmare to her own benefit?
“It’s the only place that you and I can fight side by side.” She took my hand and pressed it to her own cheek. “I can’t do this without you, and I don’t know how long we’ll have before Beryl makes her next move. If we do it now, then we can focus on freeing you from this domain.”
I swallowed hard. The brownie woman cackled before vanishing. I didn’t like what that laugh insinuated. Still, Cerri stared me down with true hope in her eyes. She thought we could do this.
It would have been nice to have back up. We couldn’t bring soldiers and knights into our dreams…well, that was a lie.
The Sluagh watched us. They hadn’t dispersed. Not a damn one of them thought to give us a bit of privacy, which made me wonder how many had been lurking around corners earlier. I pulled Cerri to my body just to make a point.
“Well?” I asked them. “Would you brave our nightmares to make our dreams a reality?”
“Only if you promise to free them,” Hilda said from the shadows.
“I’m sick of your antics!” Cerri shouted as she scanned the room for any sign of our little home invader.
“Princess, why is there a brownie in my castle?” I couldn’t keep the hint of a smile from reaching my lips.
If I was going to be honest, the brownie woman had a bit of charm that I found entertaining, especially in a time like this. But Cerri spun and gave me a pleading look. She was clearly exasperated with the brownie woman.
Cerri’s shoulders slumped. She continued to stare suspiciously at the shadows overhead as she spoke. “We met at the fairgrounds. I needed help distracting some Unseelie that’d taken off with Pack members. Hilda happened to be around. So, we made an agreement. If she helped, she would earn a place at my castle.
“However, the little tramp can’t access the Seelie castle because the wards are keeping her out. Tell me why the wards won’t let you pass, Hilda!”
The shadows cackled delightfully. “I’ve already told you everything. I think you know why the wards hate me.”
“She killed a redcap,” Cerri said with both hands on her hips.
My jaw nearly hit the floor. “If I’m going to be completely honest, I wouldn’t mind having a brownie like that on my side. I’ll gladly take her off your hands if that’s the case.”
Redcaps didn’t go down easy. They were natural born fighters. It was their only reason for existing. If Hilda could kill one, then I wanted her on our side. If we pissed her off and she became a boggart, we would have a lot more trouble on our hands than we originally thought.
