The book of g, p.28
The Book of G, page 28
“I have a lot to learn about your world.” If I weren’t already on a quest given to me by a magical lady in the water, I’d probably need to have a sit down to figure out if I’ve lost my mind. As it is, we press on ahead, the Wood of Mist lurking somewhere out beyond the horizon.
The moon peeks through the dusky clouds overhead, glowing serenely despite the ever-ticking clock. It’s nearly full.
Charlie follows the direction of my gaze. “We’ll make it.”
We splash through a puddle, mud kicking up behind us as the horses go at a trot.
I finally voice the thought that’s been eating at me. “The goblin recognized you.”
She pulls up the hood of her cloak. “Only because he’d seen me before.”
I dig in my pocket and pull out a gold coin, then flip it to her. She catches it in the air and looks at it, at her own image staring back at her.
Reaching out, I grab Belinda’s reins and slow both horses down. “Your face is everywhere, Charlie. It’s not safe for you to keep going. I didn’t realize—”
“It’s not safe for you either.” She shoves the coin in her pocket, her eyes flashing. “It’s a miracle you’ve made it this far. You’re only a human, G. A strong, brave, rather wicked one, but human all the same. My realm doesn’t offer mercy to anyone, not even its own kind.”
“Which is why you should stay back. Wait for me with the goblin. I can—”
“No.” Her tone is vehement. “You will not leave me behind.”
“That’s not what I’m trying to do. I’m trying to keep you safe.” I reach up and drop her cloak from her head. “They’ll know your face, and we both know they’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on you. I won’t let that happen.”
“G, we made a deal.” She pulls Belinda’s reins from my grip. “And the fae take bargains very seriously.”
“I release you from it.”
She shakes her head. “Not a chance. You and I are going to finish this. We’re going to find the phylactery before the end of the Fallen Moon.”
“Stay. You never wanted to come this far anyway, remember?”
“That was before.”
“Exactly, before you knew how deeply, unbelievably in love with me you are—” She gives me a glare. “—and before I knew you were a famous princess. You shouldn’t risk yourself. Not for me. Just stay back and wait for me. You know this is the best plan, Charlie.”
“I’m going, and that’s the end of it.” She clucks her tongue, and Belinda side eyes me as she starts trotting again.
“Come on, Binny.” I press my heels into him as frustration roils inside me. “Why are you so damn stubborn?”
“Me?” She scoffs. “You’re joking.”
“No, I’m not. I’m trying to be reasonable and—”
“That’s where you’re going wrong. Stick to your strengths, G,” she simpers. Maddeningly.
“Charlie,” I growl and swipe for her reins again.
She whispers something to Belinda, and they take off, sprinting into the dark and splattering mud onto Binny and me.
I grit my teeth and urge him onward, racing after my stubborn, beautiful princess who is no doubt leading us both to ruin.
Too bad I’ll follow her anywhere.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
“How many are there?” I peek over the top of the ridge where Charlie and I are hiding. Up ahead, the Wood of Mist beckons, the white fog swirling around it even in the sunlight.
“I can’t tell. But they’re watching the road.” She slides down next to me on her back. “A traveler just came through, and they took him off his horse and searched him. If my father knew about this, he’d send a legion here to wipe them out.”
“Why are they here in the first place? Don’t they have their own realm?”
“Yes, but we’ve always disputed the borders of our realms. They claim the Wood of Mist and the hills leading to Raven’s End as their own. We disagree and claim the mountains and plains farther into their side of the border, though we haven’t actively pursued it in centuries. The fae massing here aren’t directly sanctioned by the Seelie court. Instead, they’re rebels seeking a return to the old ways of war between the realms.”
“The war you ended?”
She winces. “Yes.”
“Sorry.” I squeeze her wrist.
“It’s all right.” She glances over the ridge for a moment, then settles back down. “The rebels are mostly warriors who survived that day, ones who can’t put down their swords—or won’t.”
It goes without saying they’d do anything to get their hands on Charlie, the reason their realm lost the war. Shit, this grows more dangerous by the second.
“We can’t wait for nightfall.”
“Is there some other way to get into the forest? Another road?” I dig around in my pack for the map.
“We could enter the Wood at any point along its edge, but traveling too far from the main road isn’t a good idea. Every bit of extra distance is time lost. The sorcerer’s tower is at the center of the forest and shrouded in the thickest mist.” She chews her bottom lip. “The only sure way to it is along the road. It’ll give us the most time to search.”
“If they stop us and recognize you, we’ll have to fight our way out. That’s if we even get the chance.” I take her hand. “It’s not safe, and I won’t risk you.”
She meets my gaze. “I’m not letting you go alone.”
“You have to. You and Belinda can wait here.”
“No.” She has that stubborn set to her jaw again, the sun playing in her golden hair and her eyes shining. “I already told you I’m not doing that. Besides, what makes you think you’ll get past the Seelie?”
“They’ve no reason to bother with me. I’m just a human, remember?”
“A human alone and entering the Wood of Mist? They’ll probably cut you down on principle.” She sits up. “We’re both going, and we’re taking the main road.”
“This isn’t going to work.”
“It has to.” She fishes in her bag and pulls out her old, worn cap, then snugs it down on her head. “I fooled you for ages. I can do the same for the Seelie on the road.” With a yank, she pulls half her shirt from where it had been tucked in her pants. Then she rubs her fingers in the dirt and marks it along her face and neck.
This is a bad idea, but Charlie isn’t going to sit back and wait. I knew that before I asked her, but I had to try.
“Okay, we need backstories. We are wanted criminals in the Unseelie realm for agitating against the king. You are a farm hand, and I am a stable boy—both of us on the run from a great lord’s estate. Got it?”
“Sounds as good as anything.” I climb astride Binny and follow Charlie back onto the road. As soon as we crest this ridge and start into the valley that leads to the forest, we’ll be spotted. After that, we’ll be locked into this course. My gut churns as we ride, getting closer to the Seelie who’d stop at nothing to get their hands on Charlie. She’s charging into danger for me when all I want to do is keep her safe.
The sun rides lower on the horizon, kissing the tops of the tall trees as we finally reach the swirling mists that eddy and flow from the forest.
“I can’t see a damn thing.” I look behind us, but the mist obscures even that vantage.
“Just stay on the road.” She leans forward a bit, hunching her shoulders in a way that doesn’t suit her. It suits a stable boy, though.
The moon is already on the rise, glowing in the blue sky as it peeks above the horizon. I’m out of time. If we can’t get past the Seelie, all will be lost.
We enter the trees, the forest closing around us like a curtain, and keep a clipped pace.
I keep scanning the woods, looking for fae, but no Seelie jump out at us. There’s only the mist and the hooting of an owl somewhere in the distance.
“Where are they?” Charlie’s voice is barely above a whisper.
I keep my head on a swivel as a sense of foreboding sets up in my chest. “Change of the watch?”
“They should’ve stopped us by now. Something’s not right.”
“Maybe it’s a stroke of luck for once?” I suggest.
That’s met with an apprehensive mmph.
Binny stops hard, his ears flattening as mist flows in front of us. I catch the hint of a sound, like a tapping noise.
“What is it?” I pull my sword and stare at the milky whiteness. “What’s in there?”
“G.” Charlie pulls up to my side, her gaze on the mist as well.
“What?”
A body drops in front of us. Binny rears, and I hold on tight as he almost throws me.
“Calm!” Charlie cries.
When he drops back to all fours, I look down at the body on the road. It’s one of the Seelie fae, his body wrapped in white, his face sunken. “It looks like—”
“Above us!” Charlie yells.
I look up in time to see massive black legs skittering down a tree trunk. A huge spider, its body like velvet, quiet as it moves despite its size. Swinging my sword overhead, I catch one trying to lower itself on me, hanging by its thread. It screeches as I slice into its face, one of its fangs falling to the ground in front of me.
“Ride!” I yell.
Charlie takes off, Binny and I following as more spiders appear, their eyes glinting in the moonlight as they descend from the trees overhead. Dozens of them, maybe more, and all of them following us. They disappear into bands of mist, then swing into view, moving from tree to tree with frightening ease. We have to outrun them. There’s too many to fight.
“Faster!” I lean down, keeping my head low as I follow Charlie, racing through the woods.
The horses seem to sense the danger, because they don’t slow, their hooves pounding along the forest road as the spiders finally begin to fall back. We’re outpacing them.
“Whoa!” Charlie yells, and I turn just in time to see the web stretched across the way ahead. Belinda runs into it, tearing some of it from the trees, but most of it holds.
Binny stops so fast I’m thrown forward and land against the web with a thud. My sword lies several feet away.
“Are you all right?” I ask.
“Fine, just fucking stuck!” Charlie fights the web, hacking at it with her short sword as Belinda nickers. “Stop moving, girl. You’re making it worse.”
I try to stand, but the web is glued to my back. “Fuck.” I throw myself forward, but the web holds. The clicking noises grow louder, and I look up to see the spiders we outran catching up to us. “Faster, Charlie!” I grip the front of my cloak and yank it apart, leaving it stuck to the web as I grab my sword.
“I’m trying!”
I swing, severing the silk where it’s attached to a tree at the roadside, then I run to the other tree and do the same. “Go!” I smack Belinda’s butt, and she takes off as I climb onto Binny.
Movement in my peripheral has me ducking as a spider swings past, its front legs outstretched. Pain sears through my back as it scratches me, cutting through my shirt as its fangs barely miss my head. The impact throws me from the horse, and I roll off the road, my sword clutched in my hand.
“Stay!” I yell and get back to my feet.
A spider lands in front of me, its front legs reaching for me. I swing, cutting them at the joint, green blood spurting from them as it shrieks. They surround me, all of them trying to grab me, their fangs glistening as they snap and click.
Binny nickers, and a spider flies past me and crunches onto a tree trunk above me. Binny kicks again, sending another spider sailing through the trees.
I take the distraction and swing my sword in a wide arc, making contact with several of the beasts at once, slicing through their faces and legs as I take lunging steps toward Binny.
He snorts as one tries to drop onto his back, then kicks again, sending two more crashing into the woods.
“Go!” I run to him and leap, barely hanging on as he takes off at a jump, his hooves pounding as we race away from the oncoming mass of black legs and glittering eyes. I pull myself all the way up, grunting as I seat myself in the saddle.
I can’t see Charlie through the mist, but I’m more focused on what’s behind. The spiders are still coming, swinging closer. I heave my sword back and cleave one of them in two, its torso falling and its legs curling up as another takes its place.
They’re gaining, jumping from tree to tree and closing the gap between us. I keep swinging my sword, cutting any threads they shoot toward Binny and severing limbs of those who get too close. They keep coming, hissing and clicking as they throw themselves at me. Until suddenly, they stop. It’s as if an invisible wall has gone up, and they don’t dare move past it. Their glittering eyes fade as I turn back around and peer through the trees.
“Charlie!” I call.
“Slower.” I pull back on the reins lightly. “Slower now, boy.”
Binny snorts but obeys, his pace lessening as he turns his head to look behind us.
“They’re gone. Something spooked them.” That thought alone sends a prickle of worry through me. Where is Charlie?
I catch the moon through the trees. It’s higher now, gloating at me between the leaves as it shines. The tick-tock is louder now, hammering like the beat of my heart.
“G!”
Binny skids to a halt as Charlie waves from between the trees.
“This way!” She turns Belinda and crashes through the underbrush.
I follow, keeping close behind as she pushes through the fog, picks up speed, and jumps a low, crumbling wall. Binny makes the jump with ease, his hooves clacking on stone as he comes down.
The fog clears, and I look up at a spiraling tower, the top jutting out far above the tops of the trees.
Binny’s ears flatten again, and he snorts as he scoots closer to Belinda. “It’s all right.” I pat his neck. “Calm down.”
“I feel it too, boy.” Charlie slides off Belinda and comes over to me. “Like a sickness.”
I climb down. “Are you hurt?” I look her over.
“No.” She moves to my side and inspects my back.
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s not nothing.” She opens her pack and pulls out a green vial. “The spiders have venom in their claws. It’s bleeding you. Here.” She dabs some of the liquid on my back. “Shit, these are deep.”
I hiss at the sting. Ravens call from their perches on wizened trees and the tower stones above us.
“This will close the wounds.” She keeps going, covering each of the scratches with the salve.
Something shrieks in the trees. I turn toward it and reach for my sword.
“Stay still. Nothing will come any closer to the tower.”
“How do you know?” A chill goes through me, goosebumps breaking out all over my skin. “And the ravens?”
“Like I said, I can sense it. It’s oily. Like a stain on the world. This place is steeped in evil. Not even the creatures of the forest venture here. The birds, though, they belonged to the sorcerer. They watch.” She finishes and closes the vial. “Let it sit for a moment.”
I look up at the full moon. “I don’t have a moment.”
You’ll never be good enough. “Who said that?” I glance around.
“What?” Charlie’s brows draw together.
“Nothing.” I wipe the cold sweat from my forehead.
She shivers. “This power, it’s not natural. Not magic like my father’s or mine.” Staring at the black tower, she shakes her head. “It’s like a disease.” Her eyes return to mine. “Don’t you feel it?”
“I feel …” I swallow past the lump in my throat. “It doesn’t matter how I feel. The phylactery is in there. All I have to do is find it.”
She opens her mouth, then closes it again. With a nod, she grabs her pack from Belinda. I get mine, slinging it across my aching back, then head for the tower. I’m so close, right on the edge of being whole again. I can be the man Charlie needs, one her father can accept. All I have to do is reach out and take it.
Charlie, bow in hand, stays at my elbow as we circle the tower. A set of double doors is hewn into the stone, vines growing up around them. I yank them away and push the door open. It whines and creaks on its hinges, giving way to an even darker area within. The scent of damp and rot reaches my nose, and Charlie recoils.
“You all right?” I pull a torch from my pack and strike my flint, lighting it and holding it up to combat the gloom.
“Yes.” She looks up, a spiral stair twisting away from us that seems to go on forever. “You?”
“Yes, but I feel it. The sensation you were talking about.”
She squeezes my elbow, her touch grounding me. “Let’s get in and out as quick as we can.”
The sensation of being watched curdles in my gut, but I can’t stop. No matter what lies ahead, I’m not leaving without the Graven Phylactery.
You’ll always be empty. Never whole again. The voice is closer now. Inside my head. A queasiness rushes through me, my stomach churning.
I venture farther in, holding up the torch. The base of the tower is open, busted furniture and broken glass strewn all over the floor. Papers litter the ground, all of them covered in tiny script with images and diagrams. A threadbare rug is in the center, its edges rolled and frayed. Along the walls are chains with metal cuffs attached, and the black stains beneath them don’t leave much to the imagination. This is a place of horrors.
Dust filters down from somewhere above, and the chains that hang in the center of the spiral stair jingle against each other.
“There’s something there.” Charlie aims her bow upward. “Moving in the shadows. I can’t get a bead on it.”
I can’t see anything except the dark. “We have to climb. There’s nothing down here.” I wield my sword with my free hand. “Stay close.”
She nods.
Hefting the torch, I find the bottom of the staircase and begin to climb. Charlie follows, her gaze fixed on the gloom above us. The stone steps are uneven and filled in at intervals with rotten wood. Without a railing, each step is more precarious than the last.
