Chapter forty-three
A Will & A Way
When we arrived inthe Hollow by way of my magyk, the first sound I heard was Myrtle and Vale’s infectious laughter. I grinned at Devil and we walked around his oak tree to see the two faun children splashing in rain puddles with their mother, while Larch watched from the den’s entrance with a smile on his face. The sight of their sweet little family, now whole and happy again, almost made me forget all the guilt I’d been battling.
“May!” called Celia. “Oh, I’m so glad you’re here!” She lifted the soaking wet hem of her skirt and jogged over to us, flicking water playfully at Larch as she went.
“Thank you for sending those flowers,” I told her as we crowded into the shelter of the oak, trying to stay out of the rain. “I’m feeling much better.”
“Oh, goodness, it’s the least I can do.” She pulled me into a tight hug.
“And thank you for helping with Helena. I’m sorry she’s been difficult.”
“I think I would be too, in her position,” Celia murmured. “She’s downstairs right now…still drinking.”
“And Jon?”
“Will asked to meet him at the falls,” Larch answered. “Are you sure you don’t want me there tonight?”
“No, my friend,” Devil said, putting a hand on the faun’s shoulder. “You’re needed here.” With a wink, he took my hand and pulled me down into Jon’s den, where we found Helena sprawled out on top of the table. She wore a simple but clean gray dress now, and her hair had been cut rather sloppily just above her chin.
“Did she do that to herself?” I whispered.
“You needn’t speak as if I’m not here,” Helena snapped without opening her eyes, “Marina of Locksley.” She pulled herself up and reached for one of the four wine bottles sitting beside her. After a long drink, she wiped her mouth on her sleeve and belched, then giggled.
“I was only—” I began, but she cut me off.
“Have you come to deliver me back to my father?”
“No.” I folded my hands in front of me and tried to remain patient. “I am only here to take some of the gold. Your fate is up to you.”
“And what,pray tell, are my options?” she snorted. “Return to my loving family, or live the rest of my life in a tree, surrounded by freaks?”
“We can send you to Rykard,” said Devil, “in Messina.”
Helena’s eyes narrowed, then she laughed. “So…a punching bag, a slave to the Fair Folk, or a political pawn for an uncle I’ve never met? Those are my choices?”
“You would not be a slave here,” I told her. “Not under my protection.”
Helena hiccuped. “Who are you to offer such protection, hmm? Just a little orphaned Abbey girl…”
“She is heir to the Arden Court,” Devil snarled, “and you would do well to remember it.” I put a gentle hand on his arm, then motioned toward the chests of gold stacked at the foot of Jon’s bed. Devil grumbled under his breath and pulled one out to count the coins. I walked slowly toward the table while Helena just watched me with blank, gaunt eyes.
“I am not your enemy, Helena. If you and I can trust each other, maybe things could change…between the Arden and Nottingham.”
“Come back to me when you’ve stood in front of my father, and Osric Scarlett, and made it out alive,” Helena muttered before taking another long pull from her wine bottle and flopping back onto the table. I opened my mouth to reply, but Jon came into the den, followed by Will, who looked much worse for wear than the last time he’d visited.
“Gods, May, what have you done?” he breathed, wrapping his arms around my shoulders when I approached him.
“What do you mean?”
“The Prince and my father have the entire city in a fucking uproar! They’re saying Helena’s been kidnapped by the faerie queen.”
I glanced at Devil, who slammed the chest shut. “That’swhy she was in the damn wagon!”
“He also—” Will stopped and took a deep breath. “He’s also saying that some of his soldiers, the Iron Fist, that they were massacred in the Arden. May, tell me you didn’t…”
“It was Titania,” I groaned. “Mercy,this is a fucking mess. What are they planning to do?”
