“How urgent?” Kull asked.
“Life-or-death urgent, if you please.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, shutting the door in her face.
“Liar!” she called from the other side. Kull’s bemused smile made me laugh.
“Are you ever going to tell her?”
He shrugged. “Maybe later. I should like to see the look on her face when she learns we’re married.”
“She’s going to gloat over this for a while.”
“Even better. It will give me even more pleasure when she learns she was wrong.” He knelt beside the bed, took my hand, and kissed my knuckles. “I hate to admit it, but I’m afraid she might have some dire news for us. You should probably get dressed.”
“I don’t want to.” I sighed, glancing at the door. “But I guess I don’t have a choice.”
I dressed quickly, not worrying about the sad state of my hair or bothering with my shoes.
When Kull opened the door, Heidel stormed into the room, followed by Maveryck. Grace also padded in, following closely behind her master. Heidel barely acknowledged me as Kull led them into the separate room with the table. I followed, and Heidel sat in one of the chairs at the table. Maveryck also sat, although his wolf remained standing at attention at his side. Maveryck carried the staff of Zaladin, but how had he gotten it? Even more confusing, how had they found us? We had no way off this island for another two days, so how had they arrived here? As I eyed the staff, its blue jewel glowing with magic in the morning sunlight, I had a suspicion I knew how they might have been traveling so quickly.
Kull and I took the remaining two chairs at the table. He very visibly took my hand and held it tightly, then slowly kissed my knuckles. Heidel rolled her eyes.
“Are you done?” she asked dryly as Kull placed my hand in his lap.
“Yes, quite,” he answered with a smile. “So, what is this urgent news?”
Heidel crossed her arms, displaying the silver arm bands around her biceps, looking like a true warrior princess. “The elven queen found Olive’s parents harboring the babies who possessed gray magic. She killed the babies, then imprisoned Olive’s parents and took them to the northlands where she searches for the sword.”
My heart fell. Heidel had to be wrong. “But how is that possible? My parents took every precaution to keep those children safe.”
Heidel only shrugged, but then Maveryck spoke up. “Someone close to the queen found them. Someone in her inner circle. We’re not certain, but the queen’s vizier, Veladon, had visited your father’s cottage only hours before they were found. It may have been him who discovered them.”
“Veladon,” I said the name with contempt.
Kull spoke up. “Veladon and an elven woman attacked us in Earth Kingdom. They stole the false sword from us. When they returned to Faythander, they most likely discovered it was a fake. They may have wanted to take out their vengeance on Olive’s father, only to discover he was harboring babies with gray magic.”
“I agree,” Maveryck said. “Magistrate Pozin has been in disfavor with the queen for several weeks now. It was only a matter of time before she found them out. Magical spells can only protect them for so long.”
In shock, I thought about what my parents were going through at the hands of the queen, at the brutality they’d witnessed as the queen killed the gray-magic babies. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing away the images that formed of the infants being murdered at the hands of the queen. Honestly, I was surprised my parents were still alive.
“So now they’re in the northlands?” I asked, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Yes,” Heidel answered. “After the elves learned the sword they took from you was a replica, they were enraged. They sent a small squadron of elves to Danegeld and infiltrated our keep, and then they used a confessor’s spell on everyone in the castle in a desperate act to obtain the truth of the sword’s location.”
“They did what?” Kull asked, fisting his hands.
“They infiltrated our home, Brother, while you were here having your way—”
“Yes, yes.” He waved her off. “But what did they do after they entered the keep?”
“They found me. With the power of the spell, they stole the truth from my lips. They found out the location of the sword in The Hollows, where Geth hid the sword of Dracon. After they escaped our keep, they took Olive’s parents with them and traveled to the northlands. However, they cannot get inside The Hollows. Only someone who possesses magic of both worlds can enter the inner room. That is why they need you, Olive. To make sure you enter and obtain the sword for them, they’ve taken your parents as leverage.”
I cursed under my breath.
“There is still hope,” Maveryck said. “She wants you to retrieve the sword of Dracon, but you don’t have to give it to her.”
“She does if she wants her parents to live,” Kull said.
My heart sank even lower, if that were possible.
“The queen wants an exchange,” Heidel said. “Olive’s parents for the sword of Dracon.”
“But we can use this to our advantage,” Maveryck said. “The queen will use the sword to call Theht to our world, and then use it to control the goddess, but she is exposing herself to a great weakness. The sword is also the only weapon that can kill the goddess. We have to wait for Theht to return, and then we will use the sword to destroy the goddess once and for all.”
“You make it sound simple,” Kull remarked.
“It won’t be simple, or easy, but it may be the only opportunity we’ll ever get to stop the goddess from taking control of our world.”
“And of stopping
