“Did they? And then they let you leave?”
“It was time. I have a destiny to fulfill, although they said I am always welcome back. A guide showed me the way out, but I lost her in the Vale of Monsters.”
Takari shook her head. “Vale of Monsters? I haven’t heard of it. What happened there?”
All of my inhibitions disappeared, and I found myself confiding in Takari. I told her about Jezebel and running into Romulus in the vale. When I finished, Takari linked her arm in mine and patted my hand, listening with wide eyes. “Oh dear. You have been through so much, and yet you still came to my aid.”
I shrugged. Challenges were to be expected. I’d faced many in the Beluar Woods, like passing my training lessons and learning how to lead a hunt, but I understood one cannot live life without challenges. “What about you?” I pressed. “What happened back there?”
Takari’s eyes widened just the slightest bit and a dark flicker went through them. Her grip on my arm tightened. “My queen sent me out to hunt because there was word of trolls in the woods. I’m small and quiet and can often go where I please without being seen. I found the lair of the trolls, but they were dead. I went back to warn my queen but by the time I arrived I was already too late. The soldiers ambushed my people. We killed as many as we could but there were too many of them. When we realized we were going to be overwhelmed, we scattered and retreated. A squad caught me, and I would be dead, like my people, if not for you and Romulus.”
“That’s terrible.” I squeezed her arm, imagining the horror of it, although my thoughts were suddenly sluggish and my tongue so thick, I struggled with my next words. “I’m sorry for what happened to you. You aren’t human, are you? Nor are your people?”
Relief filled my body as soon as I stopped speaking but my legs were heavy and pinpricks of blackness danced in my vision. I clutched at Takari’s arm to keep myself up right.
Her voice whispered far away. “We are the nymphs. We belong to the trees, us to them and them to us, but the demon kind have come and tossed us out. There are no sacred places anymore. The land is full of poison and so we are forced to hunt, to wander, homeless, ever seeking. We use humans now to do our bidding, until the time should come when the gods return and grant us mercy.”
The words did not register, for my mind was distracted with the blue swirls dancing across my vision. They twinkled like starlight and turned into different shapes, fairies and dragonflies and trees and leaves. I touched them as vague shouts burst around my head. Why would someone shout? There was nothing to be upset about, and the lights, how they glowed and danced. But the shouting broke my glow of happiness.
“Takari! What did you do to her? What have you done? Stop the spell. Aofie! Aofie? Can you hear me? Don’t touch anything!”
The man shouting was furious. I felt the violent force of his words, but it did not matter to me. I was warm, safe, and I’d found a friend. She’d given me lights to calm my heart. I reached out a hand as a fairy flickered into view, and I touched the lights. A royal blue wave rose and shattered my consciousness.
Chapter Eighteen
Something cool touched my forehead,and I opened my eyes. Instantly pain like daggers swept through my body, worse than the pounding headache I’d gotten after celebration night with the centaurs. A moan burst from my lips and I lay still, breathing in and out, fighting my way through the pain. Slowly it receded, and the haze cleared from my eyes. Two worried faces peered at me.
I scowled. Romulus’s normally stern face appeared sheepish. He reached out and pulled a wet cloth off my head. Takari stood on the other side of me, concern written across her pixie face. I pointed a finger at her. “What did you do to me?”
“I’m sorry.” Romulus intercepted the question. “Takari is a wood nymph, and she has rather curious ways of extracting information. I was unaware she’d put a Truth Spell on you.”
I groaned and closed my eyes, recalling the warmth I felt near her and my willingness to tell her everything that had happened to me.
“I am sorry.” Takari’s smooth voice filled my thoughts, louder than the pulsing of my own heart. “I don’t know you. I’m alone. It was the only way I could feel safe. I did not think you would pass out.”
“No one has ever put a spell on me,” I hissed, anger rising. “You could have asked. I don’t know you either and I wanted to find out who you are. I never considered putting a spell on you.”
Takari stepped back, regret in her eyes. “I’m sorry. What can I do to make this right?”
Romulus glanced from her to me. “Give her some space, Takari. Aofie, can you stand?”
He held out a hand, and I took it, shame washing over me. Romulus had told me I was naive and once again I’d let him down. Just when I’d proven to him how well I could fight, I’d done something stupid. Trusting Takari. I glared at her again and she stepped back. I suddenly did not feel sorry for her at all and I wondered how much of her tale was true.
Once I was on my feet, the pounding of the headache passed and my vision cleared completely. I was relieved to see not too much daylight had passed and nodded to Romulus. He muttered something under his breath and then motioned toward me. “My life never ceases to be difficult. Aofie, you’ll walk on my right and Takari, stay on my left. That way I can keep an eye on you and we can make some progress today.”
I moved, happy to put Romulus between myself and Takari, but she kept peering at me with her wide eyes and wringing her hands. “Aofie. Are you furious with me? Will you find it in your heart to forgive me? I meant nothing evil by it. I know you’ve been through some trials and I hope we might be friends.”
I held up a hand, warding off her piteous confessions. I’d never met anyone like her, with such a strong desire to be liked. “Takari, I’m not angry, just wary. But if you promise it will never happen again, we can work on becoming friends.”
She bit her lip and nodded so viciously black curls sprung out from under the hood of her cloak. Her arms with the blue swirls flashed and a shiver went through me.
Romulus sighed and scratched his head, dislocating a thick layer of dried mud that fluttered to the ground. “Listen, Aofie. The soldiers we fought back there in the woods were king’s men. They are hunters and they don’t come out here on a whim. I believe they are looking for something, or someone. I wager we’ll see more of them as time passes. It would serve you well to keep your knife at hand and remember those skills we saw earlier. We are only a few days away from the next small village, where the river widens. We’ll need to take a ferry to the other side and after that, villages tend to crop up close to the river, which means we’ll see more people and more soldiers. I’m not sure how far you need to go.”
His words faded, and a lump grew in my throat. I blinked, understanding the hidden meaning of his words. My mouth felt dry, but I spoke all the same. “Is there somewhere you need to be? Somewhere that doesn’t follow the river?”
Romulus’s lips thinned and he glanced at the river, ice in his slate-gray eyes.
“I’ve decided where I will go.” Takari spoke suddenly, her voice soft and hesitant. “I must go east, to the lands of the elves. They often grant haven for my kind and at least they have a force to fight against the demons.”
