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Her eyes widened at the name, but then she smiled too. “You’re welcome, my prince.”
Phineas and Killian stepped outside, strapping on some old swords and daggers that Auntie Mo had dragged out from a hidden cellar. The leather cracked and groaned, but Killian hoped it would hold. No matter what, Killian would reach Raela this afternoon. He tracked the sun, thankful that Auntie Shou kept her word and only let him sleep for a few hours. Evening would soon arrive, and he wanted to end this before the sun went down.
“Princeling.” Auntie Shou held out one last sword. “This sword calls to the light. I think you should take it. As a way to fight off the darkness. It was created by the fairies and used in the original battle. Your grandfather wielded it once.”
Killian nodded gratefully as he strapped it to his side. His grandfather’s sword. Pride at the legacy and humility at the honor flooded him. His finger followed the edges of the emerald gems that lined the hilt, and the gold fillagree edged the fleur-de-lis pommel. Now it was his in another war against the goblins, and the evil they protected.
The fairies came out of their home, their gowns tucked into leather pants and frilled sleeves billowing from their bracers. He worried for them, but they were magical and knew the risks. Based on the glint of ferocity in their eyes, he wouldn’t be able persuade them otherwise.
Jax shook his shoulders and looked at Killian. They all followed suit, waiting for his cue.
Killian turned and faced his companions. “Thank you for coming with me. We will rescue Raela, no matter what Zalina throws at us.” He looked at Auntie Shou. “And we will go one step and one breath at a time when we need to. And fight to the end.” Auntie Mo patted Auntie Shou’s back. Auntie Toru bared her teeth in a way that should have looked more menacing, but with her petite frame, missing teeth, and hundreds of wrinkles, the effect was more comical than frightening. With a gentle smile, he continued. “We will save Raela, my father, and our kingdom from the darkness. I will fight for you, I will protect you, and I will defend you to the end.”
“And we’ll defend you,” Phineas said.
“And we’ll defend you,” the fairies repeated.
As I always have, I always will.Jax growled.
Killian nodded and turned, the fatigue burning away under the adrenaline of this moment. He was ready. His focus was singular. Killian led the others back toward the gate, heading north to his castle. North toward Raela. His steps were sure, certain. Only when they reached the meadow did he pause. The sun shone, and the wind slipped through the grasses. But it wasn’t the same. The colors were muted, the senses flattened.
The others stopped beside him, and he turned slightly toward Auntie Shou. “It doesn’t seem as bright without her.”
Jax snorted.Oh, dear braces of rabbits, you are so in love.
Killian pinned him with a look. “Tell me it’s not as full of life.”
Jax rolled his eyes and sniffed the air.Perhaps there is a change of scent. And perhaps a decrease in the magic.
“Raelametanashi is brimming with magic. She is connected to the life magic of our realm. But now, she is sleeping, so the forest sleeps too. Zalina will be disappointed Raela isn’t at her full potential.” Auntie Shou cupped her ear. “Even the birds rest now. But when you wake her, the forest will wake.” She turned and stared at Killian intensely. “And when you love her, your kingdom will bloom.”
Phineas slapped Killian on the back. “Good luck. Better not make her mad or the kingdom will catch on fire.”
Killian started to laugh until he saw Auntie Shou tilt her head back and forth as if considering the possibility.
Swallowing hard, he led them through the grasses, the brush line, and the pine trees. As they approached the gate, Killian halted. It looked as it had before, except, perhaps, the shadows were darker. He glanced behind him, and the beam of light pulsed as it struck the earth through the trees, burning through the boughs above.
The group—and the whole earth—seemed to hold their collective breath. He met their gazes, and each nodded with grim determination. Auntie Mo looked furious and lifted two fists as if she would pummel her enemies to a pulp. The mousy Auntie Toru also looked ready to battle, though more like an angry cactus or a bristling willow tree. Auntie Shou had a face of confident serenity and held a blue flame in the palm of her hand.
Killian hoped fleetingly that he could simply open the gate and they could waltz up to the castle in twenty minutes, unhindered. But as the light spread to make an arc behind them, covering hedge to hedge in a protective barrier, he prepared for battle. Zalina would never make it so easy.
Jax growled. Phineas shifted his gait and pulsed his grip on the pommel. Killian reached for the gate, unclicked the lock, and swung it inward. The meadow was shockingly dark, without any light from the afternoon sun like in the forest. It was also blocked by something within that writhed like a coil of snakes. As the gate swung back and clattered against the trees, the coiling halted. Silence reigned.
Then a wall of sound, hissing and screeching and thunderous, preceded a thousand cords of twisting thorns that launched through the gate and began their assault.
Chapter 22
Thorns
Killian
Thickvinescoveredinneedle-like thorns whipped around their group. All that held them back from the rest of the forest was the arc of light that burned any vines that moved too close. A swampy stench accompanied the vines as they ripped through the clothes Killian and his companions weren’t able to keep out of the vines’ reach. There was hardly enough room to swing their swords. With a yell, Auntie Shou threw a ball of blue flames that sizzled along the writhing arms and opened a cavern within the thorns on the other side. Phineas and Killian dove through, back-to-back, swinging and twisting and taking hard-earned steps deeper into the writhing thorny mass.
The swords cut cleanly, but there were always twenty new vines to replace each one they cut down. Jax was ripping off vines and throwing them to the ground beside him. Auntie Mo had whipped out a glowing rolling pin, lined with electric green flashes of light that burned through the vines, while Auntie Toru held a tight whip of pink-hued water, with which she sliced through whatever came toward her.
Every inch they gained and every foot they moved forward was a struggle. They had so far to go.
We need a new plan,Jax said as he pawed at his jowls, a thorn sticking into his muzzle.These thorns are turning my mouth numb.
