A Thief of Nightshade (37 page)

“What do we do now? I could try and eat through the bars.”

“Did you see where Given and Aislinn were taken? Maybe those keys will work wherever they are and then they can come back and help you get me out of

here.”

Just then, they heard footsteps and voices echoing down the hall and Lipsey poked his head around the corner. “Oh no.

Oh no, oh no, oh no.”

Aubrey hung her head. “The Goblin King?”

“Yes, and he doesn’t look happy at all.”

“Go before they see you, quickly, and try to find Aislinn. Somehow, they’ve got to stop the coronation.”

“Will the Goblin King take you back to Koldavere?”

Aubrey shuddered. “I don’t know, but I’m about to find out.”

Aubrey barely made it a few steps before the weight of her own body caused her to collapse. Cedrick caught her before she met the ground.

“There are still Sidhe within earshot, so listen carefully to me. We need to make it a few paces farther before I can tell you everything. I’m not taking you back to Koldavere.” He paused and let her catch her breath before they headed toward his horse.

Just as he’d said, he stopped a short while later. He dismounted first, then reached up to help her down, keeping his hands on her arms to steady her once she had found her feet. She could only look at him in question. His eyes, though still as haunted as they looked before, seemed different somehow. He seemed different, almost as if he weren’t even the same person she’d met before. It reminded her of when Grant drank, how he’d appear at times as two completely different men.

“I hate Oberon,” he started. “But as much as I hate him, I hate his vile treacherous witch of a sister more. She used me, just as she’s used everything and everyone else in Avalar. Oberon removed the spell she cast on me. Too lazy to use her own forces, she thought she’d just use me to stop you from reaching the Winter Court.”

“A spell?”

“An elaborate one at that. So much so that I sent Cain down to keep tabs on any human brought into my dungeon. Saralia wove her magic in such a skillful way that I thought I’d had these prophetic dreams about you. I still remember them, but it all came from her.” He paused, a smile tugging at his lips. “You really are something, though, aren’t you? I don’t remember much about our interactions, but Oberon filled in the gaps. A human ...

causing all this trouble and mayhem. And no magic at all. You know, humankind used that as an excuse, their lack of power. They said they couldn’t fight the Fae.”

“You said Oberon came to you–did he say anything else? Is he coming here?”

“You didn’t hear it from your cell, did you? The battle has already begun.

Oberon united King Tabor and King Alexander.” He then added in a whisper, “This is the beginning of the end.”

“Saralia has the Oran.”

“I know, she showed me. Doesn’t mean you won’t be able to put up a good fight.”

“Do you know where the coronation will be held?” Aubrey asked.

“No, but Saralia’s daughter will.

And I know exactly where to find her.”

“Aislinn, you down there? Helloooooo?”

“Lipsey? Yes, we’re here!” Aislinn yelled. Not that the squirrel could really help them much. Even had the little guy found a rope, there wasn’t much up there to tie it to that would support a bear, which is what Aislinn had been turned back into when the potion had worn off half an hour ago.

Given stirred awake. “Is that Lipsey?”

“Watch out,” Lipsey called down to them, “I have a rope thing and I’m throwing it to you!”

“Lipsey, you won’t be able to pull us...” He covered Given’s head and ducked as a huge ball of rope fell on top of them. Given untangled it to reveal not just a rope, but a rope ladder.

“Hurry up! The guards are gone, but they’ll be back this way in a few minutes!

There’s all this fighting and stuff.”

“Will it hold us?” Given asked.

“I haven’t the slightest,” Aislinn said.

“But, you go first and I promise I’ll catch you if you fall. Lips, what’ve you got that ladder attached to?”

“The post! Hurry, hurry!”

Given shrugged. “Well, here goes nothing.”

Once she’d reached the top, Given reinforced the rope to hold Aislinn’s massive frame.

“Smoke, do you see that?” Aislinn pointed beyond the spire nearest them.

“And listen,” he grinned, “that’s the sound of steel against steel. It’s like music to my ears. Lipsey, do you have any idea where they took Aubrey?”

Lipsey had just come back around the corner from where he’d gone to check on the guards’ location.

“The Goblin King just came for her.

They went that way.” He pointed east of the smoke. “The guards won’t be coming back.”

“The Goblin King?” he asked. “What happened to the guards?”

“I don’t know what happened to them, but it didn’t look like it felt too good. They have swords poking out of them.”

Given paled. “Oh ... remember, we told the Goblin King to meet us here. Ian and I did when we took Aubrey from him.”

Aislinn growled. “Yeah, now I remember. Did you have to tell him that?”

“Can we not talk about this right now?”

“I’m just saying you could—”

“Hey guys, loo—” Lipsey started.

Given waved aside whatever the little squirrel was trying to tell them. “I could have what? I suppose I could have let you save your own as—”

“Seriously. You guys are arguing?

Now?”

Given and Aislinn both spun to see Aubrey standing next to Cedrick.

Aislinn lunged before it could register that Cedrick wasn’t holding Aubrey captive.

Cedrick didn’t have time to react, but right before Aislinn bit into the Goblin King’s neck, Aubrey’s voice reached his ears.

“Aislinn, stop! He’s helping us!”

Aislinn looked down where he’d pinned Cedrick. The King moved to push Aislinn off him.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’ll let him explain,” Aubrey turned to Cedrick, “but you’d better hurry. We’re running out of time.”

“No. Before anyone says anything else,” Given said, “I want to know what’s going on out there? Is my uncle here?”

Cedrick brushed off his pants and scowled at Aislinn. “Yes, Oberon is here.

They breached the borders to the city an hour ago. Tabor and King Alexander are here with their forces as well.”

Aislinn fought the urge to growl.

“Don’t tell me you’ve joined the fight as well.”

“Have I brought an army?” Cedrick laughed. “Is that what you’re asking? No. I haven’t. I’m here for vengeance ... and that’s it.”

“Figures,” Aislinn huffed. He felt something on his leg then and looked down to see Lipsey clinging to his fur.

“Okay, start explaining. And make it quick.”

Aubrey was reminded upon entering the throne room of the filigreed structure Jullian had shown her that night in the garden. Like a giant dome of ice twigs, the ceiling acted as a mirror and glistened brightly with the light that had just started to pierce the horizon in the distance. It made it look as though the sun had come to rest at the crest of the room. The effect stunned them all.

The old King sat listless on his throne, his skin withered and gray, his eyes milky white. His white hair hung in limp strands to his shoulders. He barely moved as Saralia took the crown from his head.

A series of circles were carved into the floor in the middle of the room; symbols and letters etched into the stone.

At the very center of it stood Jullian, as still and silent as a statue. Again, he wore white, but this time the fabric itself seemed to radiate with light. It hurt her eyes to look at him.

Behind the thrones stood some of the highest ranked of Saralia’s sworn forces, including Morrigan. They bowed their heads as they chanted foreign words, far too beautiful to mean what they surely meant.

“She’s about to summon the Lyr,”

Given said. They hid behind one of the massive white pillars that flanked the room. There had been no guards to contend with there because every able body had gone to defend the city. “Once she crowns him, she’ll have enough power to destroy my uncle and every living creature who fights alongside him.

Including all of us. I don’t know what to tell you to do.”

Aubrey expected to feel afraid. For a fleeting moment as the sound of fighting behind them grew louder, she did. But then the anger she’d previously harnessed flared to life and she clung hard to it. “I know what to do,” she said as she stepped into view.

Saralia

stopped

walking

and

clenched her jaw. “Congratulations,” she said coldly. “I don’t know how you managed to escape Cedrick, but since you’re here, you might as well enjoy the show.”

“She didn’t escape anyone, Saralia.”

Cedrick stepped from the shadows, followed by Given and Aislinn. Lipsey clung to Given’s shoulder.

Saralia didn’t falter. She lifted both of her slender arms to the false sun of the dome and shouted the words to summon the Lyr. Slowly, the circles where Jullian stood shifted, the groan of stone against stone echoing through the room. Brilliant blue light erupted from the exposed caverns and the strange symbols and letters. Then, as the circles moved farther apart, the light swirled like a vortex, creating three separate lines on all sides to form a trinity symbol, trapping Jullian on a single, elevated post.

Saralia touched the Oran around her neck, smiling. “Go ahead, Aubrielle. Try and go to your Prince, to wake him from this trance.” Yet, the Oran did not respond. Aubrey’s heart skipped a beat.

Given stepped closer to her and to Aubrey’s shock, fastened an identical Oran around Aubrey’s neck. Unlike the lifeless dragonfly Saralia held, this one flared to life in Aubrey’s hand. “Go. We all have faith in you.”

Saralia seethed. “You’ll fail. You’ll fall just like Madame Crimson did.

You’re just as unworthy and...”

Aubrey drowned out the Queen’s words, focusing instead on looking into Jullian’s eyes. She stepped forward and it seemed as though everyone but the two of them disappeared. Squeezing the Oran tighter, she said, “You reached me when no one else could. You loved me before I’d learned to love myself.” Her throat swelled just before she reached the first gap in the floor. She spared only a moment to glance down before returning her gaze to Jullian and stepping out.