A Thief of Nightshade(81)

“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.