The Seven Year King (The Faerie Ring #3) (15 page)

“I wouldn’t plan on it,” Rieker replied in a matter-of-fact voice. “Was it by water or a particular tree? Some sort of marker where you could find it again?”

“Actually, now that you mention it,” Tiki said, “the cottage was completely hidden behind a thicket. I’d forgotten about that. Dain used some kind of magic to clear a path to the door for us.”

“He was probably the one who hid the cottage in the first place.” Rieker steered Aeveen around a tree stump that had been cut down long ago. The forest was changing, the further north they went. The trees had thinned and the ground had become rocky.

“We’ll find a spot up near those ledges,” he pointed ahead, “where we’ll be more protected and can light a fire.”

RIEKER WAS SURPRISINGLY adept at building a fire.

“Where’d you learn to do that?” Tiki asked, as she held her hands out to the warmth of the flames.

“Living on the streets of London, of course. Some nights I thought I’d freeze to death.” He stacked a few more pieces of wood to the blaze. “Luckily, I’m good with fire.”

“When I traveled with Dain, he blew on his hands and a ball of flame flew through the air and lit the grate.” She squatted down next to him. “Do you think we have the power to create fire like that?”

“Probably. You especially. Given who you are, I suspect there’s little you can’t do.” Rieker sat on a rock and locked his arms around his knees. “Which is why I think Larkin only reveals snippets of information—she’s afraid to give you too much power.”

“Well, so far she’s been successful at keeping me in the dark. What do you think about the Four Treasures she mentioned? The goblin at Covent Market said something about them, too. Do you think they’re real?”

Rieker shook his head. “It’s hard to say. They both said the Cup is one of the four, but what are the others? And what do they do?” He lifted his hands. “Just one more mystery to be solved. I wish now I could remember all the things Kieran told me. I suspect there was a greater purpose to him finding me.”

“Can you remember anything?”

Rieker ran a hand through his dark locks. “Bits and pieces—nothing that makes obvious sense.” He sighed and stared up into the trees that formed a canopy over their heads. “I’m hoping Dain can shed some light on Kieran’s intent, as well as some information about our mother,” he said. “It’s a strange reality to find you’re not who you think you are.”

Tiki slid her hand into his warm fingers. “That I know.”

THE LEDGE WHERE they camped was made of unyielding rock, which made it difficult to find a comfortable position to sleep. It was hard to relax while being so exposed within the forest and Tiki found herself scooting closer and closer to Rieker during the night. Dawn was just breaking when she opened her eyes to find she was snuggled next to him with one of his arms draped possessively across her stomach, his breathing soft in her ear.

Tiki exhaled slowly. Though shocked to find herself in such an intimate position with him, she was reluctant to move. The heat of their combined bodies warmed her against the frigid air and she felt oddly secure with him so close by her side. The fire had burned to coals covered in grey ash, and there was little heat reaching her from their orange hearts.

She searched the surrounding area for what had awoken her, but the forest was quiet at this early morning hour. Her thoughts turned to Johnny and Dain. Would the Cup of Plenty save Johnny if they could find it? Or were they wasting precious time searching for something not meant to be found?

A noise sounded from the ledge beyond—as if a rock had been dislodged by a careless step. Tiki shifted to look in that direction. Hidden among the underbrush, a pair of eyes stared back at her.

Chapter Twenty-One

T
iki froze.

“Don’t move.” Rieker’s voice was so soft it sounded like the faraway sigh of the wind among the trees. Beneath the cover of his jacket, she could feel him shift enough to grasp the long dagger that he’d placed by his side when they’d laid down for the night.

Covered by bushy brown eyebrows, the eyes stared at them without blinking and Tiki tried to judge their expression. Was the gaze one of mere curiosity or was there a more malicious intent?

Rieker slowly sat up, his arm clutching the dagger still below his coat. “Let me get in front of you, before you stand up,” he said in a low voice. His movements were swift and graceful and it seemed Tiki blinked and he was standing in front of her, clutching the knife.

She scrambled to her feet, positioning herself behind Rieker. Remembering how the spriggans had snuck up behind her and Dain, she glanced over her shoulder to make sure they weren’t being ambushed.

“Who are you?” Rieker called out. “Come out and talk to us.”

Tiki reached for the slim knife she’d shoved down her boot and clutched the wooden handle. She hoped nothing got close enough that she would need to use the ten inch blade, but if they did, at least the knife was some small way to defend herself. She peered around Rieker’s shoulders. They were still being watched.

“Walk with me toward Aeveen,” Rieker muttered to Tiki. They worked their way over to where the horse stood grazing on bits of grass that grew on the forest floor, oblivious to the tension in the air.

Rieker grabbed the reins and turned the horse so he could face their visitor. He kept his voice low so only Tiki could hear him. “I’m going to get on and reach down for your hand. Be ready.”

In a seamless move, Rieker threw a leg over the horse’s back, keeping his dagger pointed in the direction of the bush where their visitor still watched them, and pulled himself up. He thrust a hand down for Tiki and yanked her up to sit behind him.

Tiki wrapped her arms tight around his waist, and clutched her knees to Aeveen’s sides, braced for the horse to bolt. Could whatever was watching them run as fast as a faerie horse?

Aeveen snorted and turned to the left, stamping her feet.

“Careful—we’ve got company,” Rieker said in a low voice as he reined Aeveen in.

Tiki peered around his shoulders. Gathered in front of them, stood four little men. Their noses were like beaks, their chins long and jutting, and their hair was pulled back in long tails that hung down their back. They were as ugly as any creature Tiki had ever seen. But that’s not what sent chills down her back. It was the red stocking caps they wore.

“Are you lost?” One of them called in a deep voice. He glared in an unfriendly way as he readjusted his grip on the spear-like hatchet he clutched. A quiver of arrows was slung across his back and a short bow hung from his belt. Thick fingernails, an inch long and filed to razor sharp points, protruded from the tips of each finger.

“No, we’re headed north, to the border,” Rieker replied in an even tone.

“You’re going the wrong way.” He pointed over their heads. “North is that way.”

Rieker glanced over his shoulder as if contemplating the information. “Hmm, I thought we were headed in the right direction.” Behind him, Tiki clutched his jacket, as she watched the four strange creatures warily.

The little man snorted. “The right direction would be to go back to wherever you came from.”

“What do you want up north?” One of them asked. “Nothing but Redcaps up there.”

Rieker eyed the hats the men wore. “You’re not Redcaps?”

Hisses and gasps of disgust erupted from the group. The man in front, who appeared to be their leader, straightened his shoulders.

“We most certainly are
not
. We’re hobgoblins, a completely different, more
noble,
sort of goblin than a…” he emitted a small hiss… “
Redcap
.” Two of the other creatures straightened their shoulders as well, nodding vehemently.

The fourth hobgoblin, who stood in the back partially obscured by the others, seemed oblivious to their conversation. He leaned far to the side, revealing the odd hump on his back as he tried to get a peek at Tiki. Their eyes met and Tiki recognized his bushy eyebrows. This was who had been spying on them. The hobgoblin immediately shifted his gaze and began whispering in another’s ear. Both hobgoblins in the back leaned far to the right to catch a glimpse of Tiki seated behind Rieker.

“We’ve been told that the goblins of the north have a special cup,” Rieker said.

“A cup, you say?” The leader ran a finger over his long curved nose. “What sort of cup?”

“It’s said that to drink from the cup can cure all ills. We have a friend who is very sick.”

From the corners of her eyes, Tiki watched the curious antics of the two goblins in the back. This time she made eye contact with the second goblin. His eyes widened, then he hurried over to whisper in the ear of the third goblin. An uneasiness twisted in her stomach as she wondered what they were talking about. She tightened her grip on Rieker’s waist as Aeveen shifted positions beneath her as if she too, were suddenly wary of the strangers.

“Sounds magical to me.” The hobgoblin said. He considered Rieker for a long moment. “Why do you think the Redcaps would let you even look upon such a thing, let alone touch it?”

“That’s what we’re going to find out. For our friend’s sake.” Rieker said. “Perhaps you could tell us who to speak to when we get there.”

The hobgoblin cackled. “No Redcap wants to speak to the likes of you, I can tell you that much. More likely they’d want to eat you.” He pointed a clawed finger toward Tiki. “Starting with her.” He nodded at Aeveen. “Where’d you get your horse?”

“She belongs to my brother. Do you live in this part of the wood?” Rieker asked.

“Such curiosity.” The little man’s eyes narrowed. “You wouldn’t be fey, would you?”

Behind him, one of the other hobgoblins leaned forward and whispered in the leader’s ear, staring at Tiki as he talked. The leader cocked his head to listen, his gaze shifting to squint at Tiki.

“You don’t want to linger in this part of the wood,” another one of the hobgoblins called. “There’s some in these parts what don’t like strangers about.” For the first time Tiki noticed he had an arrow threaded against his bow.

“He’s right. The Redcaps are especially dangerous,” the leader agreed. “They don’t like visitors and they don’t like strangers. It’s not their way to share their possessions. You will come to harm if you go to the north border seeking them.”

Larkin’s words of warning whispered in Tiki’s ears.

“Then we’ll be on our way,” Rieker said, nudging Aeveen toward the trail. “Thank you for your time. Good day.” He turned his head to the side and whispered to Tiki. “Hold on.”

Tiki tightened her grip as Rieker kicked the horse into a gallop and they headed north again. She glanced over her shoulder once, but the hobgoblins were gone. Aeveen seemed to enjoy the opportunity to run and she stretched out, her long legs pulling at the air until Tiki wasn’t sure if the horse’s feet actually touched the ground.

IT WAS MANY hours later that the path they were following forked and Rieker pulled the horse to a stop.

“Which way?”

Tiki glanced in either direction. To the left the sky was lighter and the trees seemed to thin. Anxious to escape from the shadows within the forest, she pointed in that direction.

“Let’s see what’s over there,” she said. “I’ve got to get off this horse and stretch my legs.”

Rieker climbed down and held a hand up to help Tiki, who slid down with a groan.

“I don’t know if I’ll ever stand upright again or not.”

“You have to walk it out.” Rieker held his hand out. “Come along.”

They followed the winding trail until they broke free of the trees and stood on a small rocky overhang. Before them stretched a long thin body of water formed between tree-covered cliffs like a highland fjord. Reflecting the myriad trees, the water was a deep green. Snow capped the tops of nearby hills and in the distance, a small village sat at one end of the lake. Tiki stopped to take in the sight.

“Oh, it’s beautiful. It’s reminds me of a picture in a faerie story my father read to me when I was little. ” Tiki drew a deep breath.

“The air is so crisp and clean, like we’re a world away from London.”

“That we are,” Rieker said with a shiver, drawing his coat tighter across his chest and squinting at the sky. “It feels like it could snow.”