The Seven Year King (The Faerie Ring #3) (16 page)

“Isn’t that odd?” Tiki murmured.

“Yes,” Rieker said emphatically. “It’s incredibly odd and just plain wrong, if you ask me. It’s spring. The Seelies are in power. It should be getting warmer not colder—”

“No, I’m not talking about the weather.” Tiki pointed at the lake. “Look at the ripples across the surface of the water like there’s a wind, yet—” she looked up— “the trees aren’t moving.”

Rieker gave a disinterested grunt. “The lake is probably fed by an underground spring that creates a current. It’s not uncommon.” He nodded toward the village. “What town do you suppose that is?”

“Dain told me there were three villages in the Wood. Two on the borders and one in the heart of the forest. This must be the town within the Wychwood.”

“Let’s keep moving and see if we can find some shelter there for tonight or we might freeze otherwise. Maybe someone can tell us how far we are from the northern border, as well.”

“I almost hate to leave this spot,” Tiki murmured. “It’s like a beautiful painting. So peaceful. Look at the spires reflected in the water.” Rieker turned and headed back to the trail, but Tiki lingered a moment longer, soaking up the magnificence of the scene. The water mirrored the deep forest green of the trees, the purple shades of the snow-capped mountains and the stone buildings of the village on its surface. One-by-one she matched the watery images to the structures on the shore.

Rieker’s call interrupted her musings.

“Teek! Come on!”

With one last glance, Tiki made her way back to the trail where Rieker waited. She’d tied a long strand of grass to each end of the Ash stake and slung it over her shoulder like a bow, allowing her to grab Rieker’s hand and pull herself up behind him on the horse.

They followed the trail as it curved through the trees. More than once, they found themselves on a crag above the scenic view of the water, where it had carved a path through the steep mountains. When they got to the town, the dirt streets were strangely empty. Though the buildings were a collection of oddly shaped stone structures, some larger with spires and turrets, while others were nothing more than rudimentary huts, they all had one thing in common: every window was dark.

“Where is everyone?” Tiki asked.

“I don’t know,” Rieker replied slowly. The breeze ruffled his dark hair as he surveyed the scene. “But it feels odd here, doesn’t it?”

They followed the main street to where it ended in a grassy area. Three large standing stones stood in a circle and the lake stretched beyond, the surface of the water as flat and smooth as a mirror. Once again, Tiki began matching the reflections on the water with the buildings situated along the perimeter of the lake. Her eyes stopped on one image and she searched the shoreline again.

Just then, Aeveen let out a wild whinny, as if calling to another horse. She rose on her hind legs and pawed the air, repeating her cry.

“Ho, there, settle down, girl,” Rieker said in a soothing tone, working the reins to bring the horse down on all fours.

Tiki clung tightly to Rieker, gripping the horse’s sides with her knees in an attempt to stay seated.

“Settle, Aeveen. Easy now.” Rieker looked over his shoulder. “Something has her spooked—but I don’t know what. Do you want to use one of these abandoned buildings as shelter tonight or continue north?”

Tiki glanced around. The air was turning colder the further they traveled and sleeping within a structure would certainly be more comfortable, but there was
something
here—something unsettled. The idea of trying to sleep in this atmosphere was not appealing in the least.

“Better to go north, I think.”

DUSK HAD JUST fallen when they stopped for the night. They’d found a small cave within the rocky terrain and after spreading their bed rolls and making a small fire, their accommodations were quite comfortable.

THE SUN ROSE and burned a path across the sky as they rode north the next day. The wood around them changed from dense evergreen forest to scraggly pine trees spiked with long deadly-looking needles. The ground became rocky, forcing their pace to slow.

“We must be getting close to the northern border of the Wychwood,” Rieker said as he pulled Aeveen to a walk, angling toward a nearby river where they got down and stretched their legs while the horse drank her fill. “I’ve heard the Redcaps like to occupy abandoned buildings and castle ruins.”

Tiki shivered as she splashed her face with the cool water from the river. “Is it true their hats are red because they dye them in their victim’s blood?”

“So I’ve been told. When the color fades they look for their next victim.” Rieker’s voice turned grim. “I overheard something else when I was at the stables. I’ve been trying to decide if I believed it enough to mention it, but I think it’s better that I do.”

Tiki stood up and wiped her hands with some nearby ferns, pleased that Rieker was not keeping secrets from her. “What?”

“I heard one of the stable hands say that Donegal is blackmailing the outlying lords to send their men to the Plain of Starlight so they can prepare for battle.”

Tiki’s heart quickened. Even though she didn’t feel ready to admit it out loud, she bore a new sense of responsibility for what happened in this world. “Do you think he’ll attack during the summer months?”

“I don’t know, but he’s planning something.” An uneasy frown creased Rieker’s brow. “We need to be prepared.”

THEY HAD RIDDEN most of the next day when they stopped on a bluff before the gaunt, imposing remains of what appeared to have once been an abbey. The sun was low in the sky and threw its last rays of light in their direction, turning the color of the stone to molten gold. Skeletal spires reached skyward, held upright by the few stone walls that were what was left of a pinnacled transept with vacant arch-topped windows.

“It’s like looking at a ghost,” Tiki whispered, staring at what had clearly once been an awe-inspiring building, but was now less than a shell. The few walls that stood gave the impression of a half-finished painting.

Rieker grunted. “If Redcaps like to inhabit the ruins of ancient buildings, then we must be getting close. I’ve heard the border has lots of ruins.”

They slid off Aeveen and let the horse graze freely. Rieker took Tiki’s hand and led her through one of the elaborate doorways that should have led to an equally elaborate foyer, but instead led to the grassy ruins beyond.

“It’s like time is fractured.” Tiki whispered, gazing at the towering remnants. “As if one foot is in the past, when this building was alive and full of people—and one foot in the future, left with only the memory of what has been.” She walked close to a wall and ran her hands over the rough stone. “It’s so quiet. It feels like if we stand still we’ll hear the voices of those who have gone before us.”

“I wonder what secrets they would share? What words of wisdom?” Rieker mused, following Tiki.

Her lips twisted in a wry grin. “They’d probably tell you to beware the girl with the mark on her wrist.”

Rieker caught Tiki by the arm and pulled her toward him. “Why? Would they tell me she’s dangerous?”

Tiki gave a derisive laugh. “Probably.”

He slid his arm around her waist and looked into her eyes. “Or that’s she’s wickedly beautiful and I’ll be trapped in her web?”

Tiki gently brushed a lock of dark hair from Rieker’s forehead, her fingers tracing the side of his face. “If only I could be so calculating as to spin a web that might catch someone like you, William.”

“Perhaps they’ll warn me to beware the power of the Summer Queen for being the lowly half-breed that I am, I will forever suffer a slave in the hopes of winning her love?”

Tiki traced her fingertips over Rieker’s bottom lip. “You’ve already won, Lord Richmond, and we will shock the world with our disregard for their societal boundaries and teach them that love has no limits.” She stretched up on her tiptoes and kissed him, enjoying his breath mingling with hers, the taste of him upon her tongue.

“What have we here?” The voice was sandpaper and crushed glass. “Young lovers?”

Tiki and Rieker broke free of their embrace and jerked around to see who was speaking. But it wasn’t just one man who watched them. It was twenty or more. Men, no taller than Tiki, wearing filthy brown tunics, belted around the middle, with a knife tucked under the leather. In clawed hands, each held a long pikestaff with a cleaver-like blade fixed on the end. Their hooked noses jutted like beaks over mouths filled with razor-sharp teeth protruding from their lower jaw. Grey stringy hair hung long and their eyes were narrowed and unfriendly. All of them wore tight red caps, some still dripping blood.

Chapter Twenty-Two

“G
reetings,” Rieker said in an easy tone. “We were hoping to meet you.”

Tiki’s crossed her arms and felt for her dagger. After their encounter with the hobgoblins, she’d started sliding a blade up her sleeve, just as she had when living in Charing Cross.

“How are you this fine day?” Rieker asked.

Tiki’s gaze skimmed over the group, who watched them with unblinking eyes and spears clutched in their hands. Rieker could try and be friendly but these men didn’t appear interested in making their acquaintance. Their intent seemed deadly, at best.

The leader held his pikestaff in both hands, ready to swing at any moment. His voice rasped as if each word was an effort. “Who are you and why are you here?”

“We’ve come looking for—” Rieker hesitated— “something a mutual friend told us you might have.”

The goblin grunted. “What is ours, stays ours. Did your
friend
tell you that?”

Rieker raised his hands slightly. “I’m sure we can discuss this in a reasonable manner. We mean you no harm.”

Another man, several feet away shifted his pikestaff from an upright position to point it at Rieker and Tiki. “You look Seelie to me.”

“Or mortal.” A bulky man pushed his way through the group to come stand at the front next to the first. His squinty eyes looked them up and down and he gnashed his teeth as if he were already chewing their flesh.

Tiki’s gaze locked on his hat. The color was a dingy pink, as if all the red had washed away.

“But there’s only one way to be sure—” his lips twisted in a malevolent grin, revealing more razor-sharp teeth— “cut ‘em and see what color they bleed.”

With a wild cry, he ran forward, swinging his blade from side to side.

“Damn it,” Rieker muttered as he shoved Tiki behind him. He crossed his arms and yanked two knives from his belt, one in each hand. He flicked his wrist and threw the first. The knife spun so fast it was a blur of glistening metal before it sank easily into the goblin’s shoulder, forcing him to drop one hand from his weapon.

The ugly little creature slowed and glanced at the hilt of the blade still vibrating from the impact with his flesh. A growl of rage ripped from his mouth and he readjusted his grip as he picked up speed again.

The second knife made a
whishing
noise as it cut through the air, sinking into their attacker’s other shoulder with a quiet
thunk
. The goblin dropped to his knees with a howl of pain, his bleeding arms hanging limply by his sides as his pikestaff clattered to the ground.

“Anyone else?” Rieker asked in a menacing voice, two more knives clutched in his hands, ready to be thrown. “I assure you, I can throw faster than you can run.”

The goblins muttered amongst themselves, pointing their clawed fingers in Tiki and Rieker’s direction.

The first goblin spoke again. “You wound and threaten us, then tell us you want something of ours? What sort of mad man are you?”

“I simply defended myself,” Rieker said. “We come in peace.” He adjusted his stance and let his arms fall, though he didn’t relax his grip on the weapons. “We’re looking for a cup—one that’s said to heal the ills of the sick. That’s all.”

A new round of whispers started, punctuated by a few menacing growls. The man with the scratchy voice, the apparent leader of this group, smiled and his features reminded Tiki of a feral dog.

“That’s all?” he said in a mocking tone. “You’ve come because you want to take a magical vessel from us—one of our most treasured possessions?”

Rieker looked at Tiki, as if just realizing how unreasonable his request sounded.