“No.” I shook my head, looking from Celia to Helena. The answer struck me when my eyes fell onto Quince’s miserable face. “Were you all taken by the Iron Fist on suspicion of being touched by magyk?”
The other prisoners all nodded slowly, and Celia cleared her throat.
“They took me years ago,” she said softly. “Kept me somewhere in the city, an underground cell block. Not long ago though, they started bringing more people in. I heard rumors, but never anything certain. Something about Locksley Abbey, and a tournament, and then rumors of executions. When they broughtherin, they said she’d gone into the Arden and had her mind all torn up by the Fair Folk, or some nonsense like that.”
“Hmm,” Helena mused, sidling over to Jon, who had turned back into a man and wrapped a kilt around his waist. She looked him up and down, then said, “Now that I’m here, I’m not sure I’d mind being torn up by the Fair Folk…”
Horrified, Jon stepped away from her, while Devil stifled a laugh.
“She’s the bait,” I murmured, and all eyes turned toward me. “Johar put her in the wagon…knowingwe’d do this. He wanted us to have her.” I strode over to the second wagon and turned to Jon. “Open it. Quickly.” One of the fauns tossed him a large axe, which he used to hack the lock off the wagon’s door. He pulled it open and Devil sent two lights inside to illuminate the cargo.
“Coin,” he muttered. The wagon was, in fact, full of chests. Not as much as we’d expected, but still more gold crowns than most people in Nottingham would ever earn in their lifetime.
“What’s he playing at?” I whispered, mostly to myself.
Devil looked at me with a line between his brows. “Mayhem?”
“It has to be a trap…but I can’t see the trigger…” I closed my eyes, desperately trying to work out the puzzle, but there was a shout, a flurry of shadows, and the sound of cracking branches.
Suddenly, we were surrounded—not by the Iron Fist, but by Titania’s winged soldiers, with Hippolyta leading them. They landed all around us, bronze swords drawn and arrows ready to fly. The human prisoners screamed, scuffled, and tried to hide back inside the wagon, while Devil’s band warily lowered their weapons and looked to him.
“Commander!” he shouted at Hippolyta, raising his bow, but not aiming directly at her. “What is the meaning of this?”
“I would ask you the same thing, imp!” she cried, stalking toward us with her blade up. I quickly moved between them, stopping Hippolyta in her tracks.
“You will not touch anyone here, human or fay,” I told her firmly, even though my hands had begun to shake.
“That is not up to you,” said a soft but furious voice. Whispers flew all around me as Titania stepped out of the trees. She wore her usual white chiton, now covered by a leather cuirass, with bracers on her forearms and her dark curls braided back–as if she were expecting a fight. On her head was a circlet made of twigs, red autumn leaves, and marigolds. Even though she did not announce who she was, I sensed that every human present already knew. The Fair Folk, Devil’s friends included, dropped to their knees as she walked along the deer track, eyes running over the guards still asleep on the ground. When she came face-to-face with Aliena, however, she stopped.
“My lady,” whispered the minstrel, giving a shallow bow.
Titania tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear and murmured, “My little songbird.” Then, she turned toward me. “I will have an explanation, Marina.Now.”
“I am responsible,” said Devil, stepping in front of me.
“Unsurprising,” Titania answered dryly, “but I cannot imagine this was done on Oberon’s orders. Even my husband is not this foolish. You endanger the entire Arden with your schemes, Puck, and I will not allow it to continue. If your maker will not deal with you, then I shall.”
Her voice was so calm that I actually jumped when she conjured a flame in her hand. The soldiers around her raised their weapons too, taking aim at the cluster of human prisoners, and at the incapacitated guards. Larch lifted one of his hatchets and pushed Celia behind him, while Jon moved in front of the prisoners, grip tightening on the handle of his axe. For a split second, Hippolyta hesitated, but Devil did not, pointing an arrow directly at Titania. He sent a bolt of light along the shaft, causing the tip to glow and spark.
“Do it!” he snarled. “Let’s see how many of your own you are willing to sacrifice just to rid the Arden of those who mean you no harm.” He jerked his head at Helena, Quince, and the other humans, who looked much more defeated than afraid.
“Stop!” I cried, unable to stand another minute of animosity. I pushed Devil’s wing aside and approached Titania with my hands out. “Please, my lady, we would never knowingly endanger your kingdom. We had no idea there were prisoners here. We only wanted to take the gold, then send the soldiers on their way. We can still do that. No one needs to die today.”
“You think I do not see what is happening?” Titania barked. “More humans invading my forest because no one else here will do what must be done to protect us!” She pointed specifically at Larch and Celia, who backed away, hands clasped together.
“None of them are a threat!” I said desperately. “Can’t you see that? Their own people turned on them, hurt them, killed their loved ones. All on suspicion of their ties to the Arden, toyourworld!”
Titania bared her teeth. “I do not care who they are.” A rope of light shot from her hand and whipped out, wrapping around Helena’s arm and jerking her forward. The girl screamed and fell onto her knees in front of the faerie queen, shaking and sobbing.
“No!” I tried to get between them, but Devil seized my arm.
“Make a bargain,” he whispered urgently before letting go. I put my hands back up as Titania brought a magyk flame dangerously close to Helena’s face, her amber eyes trained on me.
“I’ll make a deal with you!” I said quickly. “A bargain for their lives. Please…” Titania hissed and grabbed Helena’s hair, the flame in her hand intensifying. Without thinking, I sent a stream of shadows out to form a shield over the girl’s head and shoulders, which caused Titania’s flames to jump back. She released her captive but I formed a shadow shield and held it out in front of my own chest, then braced myself with Devil at my back.
“If you wish to spare these people,” Titania spat, “you will get them out as quickly as possible. I will entertain no more humans in my forest than are already here.”
“We will send them all home as soon as possible. What would you ask in return?”
