“Oy, Olive!” Brodnik bellowed as he made his way toward me. “It’s about time you showed up.” He grabbed me in a tight hug, which caught me off guard.
Rolf and Heidel also clapped me hard on my shoulders.
“I didn’t realize you were waiting for me,” I said as they backed away.
“Aye,” Brodnik answered. “Rolf and I arrived days ago to scout the area for the fairies. We would have greeted you sooner but thought it best to wait.”
“How are you?” Rolf asked.
“I’m doing well,” I answered.
“You are?” he said, surprised.
“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“Well, I thought maybe… after what happened in Faythander… you would be disheartened.”
“Why would I be disheartened, Rolf?” The kid had a habit of sticking his foot in his mouth. Looked like he hadn’t changed quite as much as I’d thought.
“You aren’t lonely? You know, without…”
I crossed my arms, ready to give the boy a piece of my mind, when Heidel spoke up.
“I am certain she has no reason at all to be disheartened about anything, or especially anyone. Am I right, Olive?”
I threw Heidel a grateful look. “Yes, you’re right. To be honest, I’ve enjoyed my solitude.”
“You’re sure about that?” Rolf asked.
“Positive.”
Prince Terminus walked forward. “It is good that you have returned, Olive. We’ve much to discuss. My sister and I have prepared a noonday meal. Will you join us?”
“Yes, of course.”
The three Wults and I followed the fairies through the tent. The room arrangements had changed from how I’d seen them earlier. The vines had branched out to create a larger space. A round table made of a huge mushroom cap took up the center of the room, and seven chairs, made of vines that hung from the ceiling, surrounded the table.
Deep red roses and bright blue hydrangeas sprouted from the vines, giving the room an otherworldly ambiance. As we sat, food appeared at the table. Fluffy loaves of warm bread, bunches of grapes, honeydew melons, lemon cakes in the shapes of daffodils, candied fruits, and, of course, teacups filled with steaming dark liquid.
The smell of fresh-baked bread filled the room. Esmelda arranged the food on platters that were made of woven leaves and then passed the plates around. Beside me was an empty seat, and I had a good idea of who was supposed to be in it. I almost inquired after him but held my tongue.
The Wults fumbled with the food, their hands dwarfing the dainty teacups.
Rolf’s face wrinkled with disgust as he tasted a flower cake. “Olive,” he asked casually as he set his cake aside, “were any of the booths open today, particularly those that were selling—what were they called—the turkey legs?”
“The grounds were still closed when I left, but I’m sure they’ll reopen soon.”
“Let’s hope they do,” Brodnik answered.
I turned to Terminus. “Have you had any luck finding the starstone?”
“Yes,” he said and nodded to his sister. “Esmelda has discovered something interesting about her ring.”
She removed her rose-shaped ring and passed it to me. As I took it from her, I noticed that the rose jewel now glowed red.
“Why is it glowing?” I asked.
“It is because we are now in closer proximity to the larger stone,” Prince Terminus said. “On Faythander, if the one wearing the ring ever left our village, the color would fade and only become bright again once the wearer returned. Something similar may be occurring here—which means that whoever has the stone is close by.”
“How close?”
“In Earth terms, I would estimate fifty miles at the most.”
“Fifty miles? So either our thief is here at the festival or roaming through the Houston suburbs. Can you narrow it down more than that?”
He shook his head. “I’m afraid not.”
Brodnik sat up straight. “We’ve still yet to discuss who has this fairy stone. I don’t know who I should be searching for—and I don’t like being kept in the dark when I’m expected to track someone down. Tell us, Terminus, who are we tracking?”
Terminus shifted nervously. He still hadn’t told his sister his theory about the bloodthorn, and I wasn’t sure if he’d ever meant to tell her. “We are not sure—”
“Brother,” Esmelda interrupted, “do not spare us from the truth on my account. I’ve heard the rumors just as well as you. I know what monster we are searching for.”
“Monster?” Rolf asked. “No one told us it was a monster who took the stone.”
“It is no ordinary monster,” Esmelda answered. “This is a cursed creature of darkness that wants only despair and gloom to fill the world. It is evil in every sense of the word. It has no regard for the welfare of anyone, mortal or fairy. My brother has tried to spare me from the truth, for which I thank him, but I know as well as he that the rumors are true. The bloodthorn has returned.”
Esmelda seemed more knowledgeable about this creature than her brother. Outside, thunder rumbled through the sky. Terminus glanced nervously overhead as raindrops began to pelt the tent’s roof.
“Sister,” he said, “you were not supposed to know of this.”
“I know more than you realize,” she answered.
“How?”
“I overheard your conversation with the fairy council. I am sorry. I didn’t mean to listen in, but after I heard it, there was nothing I could do to change it.”
“Yet you still came with me. You weren’t too afraid?”
“Of course not! The creature frightens me, yes, but I would not let my fear stand in the way of returning the stone to its rightful place.”
“Sorry,” Heidel interrupted, “but what exactly is this beast capable of doing?”
Before the fairies could answer, the tent flap swung open and a tall, looming figure stalked inside. In the light of the fairy flowers, the shape of a man came into view. No, not a man. A king.
I swear, thunder actually boomed as he entered the room.
Of all the people who had changed since I’d seen them last, Kull won hands down. He was leaner for one thing, and his eyes were dark and shadowed. A black cloak billowed behind
