The Faerie Prince (Creepy Hollow, #2) (16 page)

“Well, that’s something I’ve never experienced before.”

“You’re sicker than you think you are, V. We really need to get moving.”

“Thanks, that’s really comforting, Ryn.” I push past him. “I’m not the one who wanted to sit down and wait for the weather, remember?” A boom of thunder greets my ears as we cross over the invisible divide between the realms. My hair, which had just begun to dry, is drenched in seconds. “Why did we decide to wait anyway? It’s not like the rain is going to kill us.”

“Yes, but trees that fall over can,” Ryn shouts to me. “That’s why we waited.”

“Well, we can’t wait any longer.” I set off through the storm, then remember that I’ve never actually traveled this route before, and I’m not entirely sure which way to go.

“Would you like me to show you the way?” Ryn asks as he passes me, a superior look on his face. He loves it way too much when he finds something I can’t do. I follow him without a word.

We trudge along the soggy forest floor, dodging the occasional falling branch. Lightning blinds us and thunder sets the entire forest shuddering. The bottom half of my dress clings to my legs. I blink rain out of my eyes and pull the dress higher up and out of the way. I won’t let a stupid piece of fabric slow me down.

It isn’t long before I’m exhausted. My heart is beating too fast, and I can’t seem to stop shivering. And even though it’s probably just the wind, I keep thinking I can hear someone calling my name. My foot hooks beneath a root, and before I can figure out how to save myself from falling, I’ve landed splat in the mud.

So. Freaking. Embarrassing. I am
not
the kind of person who trips over things! I’m supposed to be coordinated and agile and—who keeps calling my name? I twist around and stare into the shadowy forest. “Who’s there?”

I feel someone’s hand on my arm, and I look up to see Ryn. Weird. I’d forgotten he was also out here. He pulls me to my feet and loops my arm around his neck. Great, now he thinks I need help walking.

Violet.

I struggle to look over my shoulder. There’s definitely someone calling for me. And is that the shape of a person I can see moving between the trees? “Wait, Ryn, someone keeps calling my name. Can’t you hear that?”

“Just keep walking, V. There’s no one there.”

I don’t know why, but I listen to him instead of the voice. Probably because his arm is so strong around me that I’d have no hope of struggling free.

We keep moving. Step after step after step. I’ve never been this tired. I’m so tired, in fact, that I’m dreaming while I’m walking. I know I’m awake and moving, but my mind is lost to a jumble of confusing images. I float, letting them carry me along like a river. People, memories, colors, mixed up bits of conversations.

The next time I become conscious of my surroundings, we’re standing in the entrance to the Guild, and Ryn is apologizing to the guard for something. “I’m sorry, it was the only way I could think of to get your attention. No magic, remember?” He thrusts his metal-encircled wrist forward as proof. “If you want to see my pendant, here it is.” He fumbles near his neck and pulls a chain from beneath his shirt. “But like I already told you, Basil, she isn’t wearing hers. And she can’t get it for you because she’d need magic to do that, and she currently doesn’t have any. Now
please
let us in.”

“I’ve been through this before with you, Ryn,” Basil says patiently. “You know the rules. She can’t come in here without first showing me her pendant. If that’s impossible then I’ll have to send a guard in with—”

“I don’t care if you have to send a
hundred
guards with me, this girl is dying and I need to get her to her mentor at once!”

Dying? What is he talking about?

Things get a bit jumbled. I think there’s some more shouting, and I’m vaguely aware of being dragged up some stairs. When Ryn pushes a door open and I see a woman with blonde and green hair sitting behind a desk, my head clears a little.

“There you are!” Tora exclaims. “I expected you back ages ago.” Her face falters, and she stands quickly. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“We did it, Tora.” I say weakly. “We finished the assignment. Fought the Unseelie Queen. Stole the necklace. Got home before the cut-off.” Or did we? I’m not actually sure about that one. I wrap my fingers around my chunky necklace, trying—and failing—to pull it off so I can give it to Tora. Then, just like every silly girl in every damsel-in-distress story I’ve ever despised, I sag against Ryn and pass out.

PART

II

I don’t know why, but I expect to see Ryn’s face when I wake up. He isn’t there, though. Tora is. And this is the room that used to be mine when I lived with her.

“Good morning,” she says, looking up from a collection of papers in her hand. She places them on the bedside table and leans forward in her chair. “Ready to face the world again?”

I look down and see a narrow scar encircling my wrist where the metal band was. My gaze shifts to the top of my arm; the skin is perfectly healed. “Yeah, I think so. Did Flint take the band off?”

“Yes. I couldn’t find anyone else who knows how to, although there must be others at the Guild who’ve come across this metal before.”

I sit up and attempt to run my hands through my hair, but the dried mud matting the strands together makes it difficult. At least I’m not longer wearing the torn, skimpy cocktail dress. The clothes I’m dressed in look like Tora’s.

“Sorry, I thought it would be a little difficult to wash your hair while you were unconscious,” Tora says. “You’ll have to take care of that.”

“Sure. Um, so we got back in time, right? For our assignment, I mean.”

“Yes.” Tora places her hands together. “And Ryn did the verbal report back with Bran and me yesterday after Flint got the bands off both of you. You should technically have been there for that, but you weren’t exactly in a state to be talking. Or standing.”

I close my eyes and groan, feeling heat rise in my cheeks as I remember just how pathetic my last twenty-four hours were. “Sorry about the passing out thing.
So
embarrassing. It won’t happen again.” I swing my legs over the side of the bed and stretch my arms.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Tora’s eyes are wide with concern.

“Yes, I’m more than okay. I feel completely fine. I knew Ryn was overreacting when we got to the Guild yesterday.”

“Overreacting?”

“Yeah, he said something to Basil about me dying.”

“Well, I hesitate to tell you this because I know how you feel about Ryn being right—” she gives me a knowing look, and I pretend to have no idea what she’s talking about “—but you were actually close to dying. There was an infection in your wound that was spreading quickly through your blood. If you’d been out there on your own, I don’t think you would have made it back to the Guild in time.”

“Oh.” Great, so I owe Ryn my life
again
?

“And I was expecting you to be back
days
ago—I mean, it wasn’t exactly a complicated assignment—so I was
really
worried when we got to Friday afternoon and you still hadn’t shown up. I know I wasn’t supposed to contact you, but I was getting ready to break that rule.” Tora sniffs and dabs beneath her eyes. “You know I’ve never exactly been fond of Ryn, but I will forever be grateful that he got you back here alive.”

“Okay, don’t get all weepy, Tora. I’m fine, see?” I climb off the bed, do a few star jumps, then wrap my arms around her neck.

She laughs into my hair as she folds her arms around me and squeezes tight. “You’ll always be my favorite trainee. Even after I’ve mentored loads of other kick-ass trainees, you’ll still be my favorite.”

“Well, your favorite trainee needs to go and write a kick-ass report so she can score lots of points and get that top graduating position she’s always wanted. Oh, and what happened with the freaky, magical storm?” I listen carefully and notice an absence of thunder, rain and howling wind. “Is it finally finished?”

“I think so. It’s been off and on since last Friday—longest storm I’ve ever experienced—but it looks like it’s finally cleared for good now. We still have no idea where or who it came from, though, or if it was connected to the murder last Friday night.”

Perhaps now would be a good time to tell Tora all about Nate and how he might be the one responsible for the storm. Or not. I need to think about it properly, plan what I’m going to say.

“Oh, before I forget,” Tora says, “you have a meeting with Councilor Starkweather as soon as you’re ready.”

“What? Am I in trouble?”

“Not at all. She’s extremely pleased with you and Ryn. But the item you retrieved is still hiding inside your necklace.” She points to the chunky jewelry lying beside my stylus on the bedside table. “You and Ryn need to hand it in to her and answer any questions she might have for you.”

“Oh, okay.” I’d forgotten about the eternity necklace and the rest of my miniature belongings. “Well, I’d better get to the Guild right away, then.” I grab the necklace and my stylus and head for the door.

“Wait, one more thing.” Tora points to the other door leading off the bedroom. “Bathing pool. Now.”

*

Ryn is already waiting outside Councilor Starkweather’s office when I get there.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

Well, this isn’t awkward at all.
“Um, thanks for getting me back here yesterday.”

“Sure. The conversations you had with your hallucinations were entertaining to listen to.”

Oh hell, I was
talking
the whole time I was out there?

“Kidding,” he says, one side of his mouth turning up. “They were actually pretty boring.”

Fantastic, now I have
no
idea if I was talking or not.

“Shall we go in?” Ryn asks.

“Yes. Unless you’d like to embarrass me further?”

He pretends to think about it. “Maybe later.” He raises his fist and knocks on the door. After several seconds of silence, we’re told to come in.

Councilor Starkweather, her grey- and white-streaked hair pulled tightly into a bun at the back of her head, comes toward the door to greet us. I know she’s several centuries old, but, just like every other adult faerie, her face is flawless and wrinkle-free.

She ushers us in, then shakes my hand, followed by Ryn’s. “I’d like to congratulate you both on a very successful assignment.”

“Successful?” I say before I can stop myself. “At least two humans died. I wouldn’t exactly call that successful.”

She arches an eyebrow. “
Only
two humans died,” she corrects. “We sent guardians there yesterday to assess the situation. It would appear that no one witnessed any magical activity, which is very fortunate. The human authorities are assuming the fire was an accident and that it caused the death of Mr. Hart and his son.”

“And what did they think of the basement full of magical objects?”

“They didn’t find any magical objects. We’re assuming someone from the Unseelie Court removed them.” She steps back and leans against the edge of her desk. Ryn and I remain standing. “It was in no way your fault that two people died. No one knew that the Unseelie Queen would show up. The two of you were simply asked to find out what was going on at the Hart household and bring back the item that was given to Mr. Hart last week. Since you managed both of these tasks, I expect you’ll receive high points for this assignment.”

“Well, that’s great, but it doesn’t exactly feel right to get lots of points when two people died.”
Okay,
why
am I arguing with the head of the Guild Council?

“Violet,” Ryn says quietly. “I thought you wanted to do well.”

“I do, but only when I deserve it.”

“You do deserve it,” Councilor Starkweather says. “But if you feel so strongly about this, I’d be happy to ask that your points be reduced.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Ryn says, placing a hand on my arm and flashing me a look that clearly says,
shut the hell up RIGHT NOW
.