“No, they’ll need somewhere else once they start to grow, and we can’t house them all,” Father said.
“Then what will you do?” I asked.
Father shook his head. “We don’t know.”
“The queen will find out eventually,” Mom said, “and when she does, I don’t want to contemplate the consequences.”
Silence fell over the room, broken by the occasional cry of a baby. Kull spoke up from behind me.
“There is one thing we can do,” he said. “We must stop the queen from taking Theht’s power, for once she has it, hiding from her will become impossible. Nowhere will be safe, not even in a room protected by powerful spells.”
“He’s right,” Maveryck said. “We must not waste another moment. We must journey to the wild lands in order to find the lost castle. If we don’t, if she gains more power than she has now, spells will not stop her. Theht’s power is greater than any of us understand. She will not stop with the extinction of the goblins, but will eradicate all creatures who oppose her.”
Chills prickled my neck as Theht’s presence stirred at his words.
He’s right, it said.
“I agree,” Heidel said. “Wild lands or not, ghosts or specters or pools filled with blood, we cannot let that stop us.”
“Pools of blood?” I asked.
“Yes, that is what my people say exists there.”
“I’d not heard that one.”
“It’s a rumor, Sister,” Kull said.
“A rumor founded on facts, I’m afraid,” Maveryck said.
We all turned toward Maveryck.
“How would you know that?” I asked. “Have you been there?”
“A very long time ago. Yes, I’ve been there.”
“How would you know what’s inside the wild lands?” Heidel asked. “No one goes there and survives.”
“That is not completely true. I did it, and others have done it as well.”
“The bloodthorn traveled the wild lands,” Kull said, “but he had his immortality protecting him. We won’t have such a luxury.”
My mom spoke up. “I don’t see how you are to survive such a quest. Pozin, isn’t there another way?”
“Yes, and it’s through the queen’s catacombs, where she has warded the entrance with her most powerful spells, where she has posted half of her guards, and where she is waiting for them to enter. You may not have seen many guards roaming the city, and there is a reason. She has moved half her regiment to the catacombs.”
“Still, it sounds less dangerous than the wild lands,” Mom said.
“No,” Maveryck said. “I can get you through the wild lands. I cannot make the same promise for the queen’s catacombs. Plus, if we do enter through the wild lands, we shall have the element of surprise on our side.”
“Either way sounds pretty bleak to me,” I admitted, “but it has to be done.”
I glanced at the baby still cradled in Mom’s arms. Emotion welled within me, and a knot formed in my throat. For a child to be killed because of the color of its magic appalled me, yet I knew Euralysia. I knew her motivations. I’d witnessed her execute the entire goblin race.
It would not happen again. God help me, I would not let it happen again.
Chapter 27
We waited until the cover of night to leave the city. Fog shrouded the desolate streets. I felt as if I walked on an alien planet. It seemed fear lurked in every corner, that it drove the people to stay indoors and forced the once vibrant, musical city into oppression. I didn’t envy the people who lived here.
Maveryck led the way as Kull, Heidel, and I followed. We took the same passage to leave the city as we had to get in, but I didn’t think it mattered. There were no guards or people anywhere, making me wonder if we’d stumbled upon a graveyard rather than the elven capitol.
After crossing through the streets, Maveryck led us into the tunnels, and then out beyond the city wall. Dewy grass squished under my leather boots as I followed the others toward the light-rails. The single thread of light cut through the darkness like a beacon, and I breathed a sigh of relief as we finally climbed inside the carriage and away from the city.
“Lauressa is a different place,” I said as the carriage sped forward, its mechanical whir a soft purr in my ears and its magic making my senses tingle.
“It hasn’t been the same since the queen took control,” Maveryck answered.
“Faythander won’t be the same either if she manages to get control of it,” Kull said.
I stared through the window and watched as the carriage sped away from the city. Lights shone from the top of the castle, making my thoughts turn to Mom and Dad, who’d stayed behind. Worry nagged at me. I didn’t like leaving them behind in that city, where they could be discovered at a moment’s notice, but what other choice did I have? The only thing to be done was to stop the queen, and that thought gave me the strength to keep going forward.
Kull grabbed my hand and kissed my knuckles.
“What was that for?” I asked.
“You looked worried.”
“Shouldn’t I be?”
“No.”
“No? Our world is on the brink of destruction, and I shouldn’t be worried?”
“Right this moment, there’s nothing you can do about it. So I say no, don’t be worried.”
I eyed him. He never seemed to worry about anything—well, except maybe one thing—but for the most part, he held it together. It was a talent I envied.
“Tell me, Maveryck,” Kull said, “what can we expect to find in the wild lands?”
Heidel had rested her head on Maveryck’s shoulder, but she sat up as he shifted.
Maveryck’s eyes darkened. “My memories of that place are not ones I care to recall.” He heaved a heavy sigh.
He’d said he had the ability to recall events with perfect clarity. I was reminded that it would most likely bring him pain to speak of such a memory, but it couldn’t be
