Red flooded my vision.
“Stay away from them.” I spun around just in time to plant myself between Lukas, Ivy, and the seething prince. “And don’t ever come near me again, either. A child, Arenn. You tried to kill a child!”
“But it was all for you!” His voice cracked. “The curse, the dungeons, even Princess Callie! It was supposed to make you like me, human. I did this all for you!”
“What?” I rasped. “What are you talking about?” Myheart thundered just looking at the wildness in his eyes. “What exactly have you done here, Arenn?”
His lips parted. Then closed again. “I was worried it would be too obvious when you were arrested after the party.” Glancing away, he swallowed. “It was Queen Marigold’s idea, actually. I was content with you just being arrested for some trivial misunderstanding. Then you were supposed to beg for me to take you away from there after I rescued you. But of course, with the prince being ill, you wanted to stay.” A distant scowl pulled at his features. “I should’ve known you wouldn’t have wanted to leave him.”
“I don’t understand.” My voice shook. “You made plans with Marigold?”
“It was after your little clinic in the ballroom,” he explained, tugging at his collar. “I sought her out, intending to give her a scare so that she wouldn’t bother you again. I’m on your side, human.” His eyes flashed. “Remember that.”
I fought down a shudder as the prince continued, “At first she was quite apologetic. She claimed she’d only spread a few rumours and sent you one plate of poerfish – whatever that may be,” he huffed out a laugh while my frown deepened. “But the two of us soon realised that we had a common interest. Despite my anger towards her, webothwanted you gone from the palace. Her, so Callie could pursue your boy king, and me, so that you could be where you’re supposed to have been this entire time… by my side, Naria.”
A tear slipped down my cheek. “So you’ve been working with Marigold all this time? Plotting against me?”
“I did it for you,” he insisted.
“And what about Raphael?” My teeth ground together.“Why hurt him? He’s just a boy.”
Arenn shrugged. “Some feud between Marigold and Cora. I didn’t much care for the details.” When I crossed my arms over my chest, he carried on with a bored sigh, “Something to do with a Hallshire Duchess that’d been sent to Drothmore, I believe? Duchess Vivian, maybe? She’d been sent to Drothmore to convince your betrothed to court Princess Callie, but apparently she’d also been working as a spy for Queen Cora, sending her information about Hallshire ‘grain shortages’ and so on.” He spoke with a tired drawl. “Like I said, the details matter not, and I care little for gossip, human. Marigold wanted me to just poison the boy but, considering the setting, I thought I’d be a little more creative.” He smirked as if pleased with himself. “Also it had to look like something your little clinic could’ve brought in.”
My heart sank in my chest. It was him. The entire time it’d been him. I almost wanted to laugh. I’d been trying my best to build connections, advocate for my people, while still trying to find some time to do what I’ve always known I should be doing – healing others – only for him to twist my strings like some puppet master hiding in the shadows.
And the worst part was, for the briefest moment, I thought he could’ve been a friend.
“You came with me into the ocean,” I seethed. “You helped me search for a cure for an illness that you created!”
Arenn sighed. “I had to do that. You weren’t responding to any of my other advances,” he huffed. “So of course I had to try pretending to be your friend – if that was what it took to make you love me.”
“There I was thinking you were just a nuisance.” Myvoice was simmering. “Turns out you’re a coward too.”
His smirk faded, eyes darkening enough to make me feel just inches tall. “Refuse my affections one more time and we’ll see who is the real coward, my darling.”
My palms felt sticky. Shuddering, I backed away only for Arenn to take two paces forward. I was breaths away from running when two other voices rang from behind, shielding me like heavy armour.
“Touch her again and I’ll rip every breath from your lungs.” Lukas marched to my side, sword braced in one hand and gripping my arm with the other.
“I have a scalpel and I know all the spots to make you cry!” Ivy took her place on my other side, brandishing her narrow scalpel as if it were a dagger.
In the distance, thunder began to rumble, and as the first spots of rain hit my cheek, relief hit me like a wave. Lukas may not be in control of his power – or seem to want anything to do with it – but that didn’t stop him striking down that goblin lord all those months ago, nor did it stop him saving my life in the underwater cave.
“Just give up, Arenn,” I said in a strong voice. “There are three of us and one of you. Go home, back to Faelenna, before someone gets hurt.”
The faery’s jaw tensed as his gaze passed between us. When his shoulders stiffened, I thought for a brief moment that he might actually raise his palms in surrender. That was until a chuckle slipped from his lips, and he doubled over, laughing wildly.
“If you weren’t all so serious, it’d actually be quite adorable,” he wheezed, swiping away a tear. “But I think youmay have forgotten something fairly important, dear human.” Smirking, he rose to his full height.
“And what is that?” I scowled.
“You’re in agarden.”
Thorny vines tore through the grass. Before I could scream, both Lukas and Ivy were wrenched to opposite sides of the meadow. As their bodies crashed against tree trunks, I watched in horror while deadly vines wrapped tightly around their writhing bodies and held them in place.
“Let them go!” Fists raised, I charged towards Arenn.
“Not so fast, Princess.” With a flick of his wrist I was held in place, too. This time by vines that burst from the ground and forced me down to my knees.
