Penelope wrung her hands, and her eyes darted to Silverthorne, whose face adequately portrayed the gravity of the situation. “Let’s get to the cave, and then I can have another look at it.” She turned to Ashara. “Your help is greatly appreciated, Ashara.”
Ashara nodded, and we continued on the path through the trees.
I looked at Penelope’s furrowed brow and lowered my voice. “He will be all right, won’t he, Penelope?”
“I hope so.” Penelope’s expression was grim. “Let me check him first so we know how severe it is.”
We walked the rest of the way in silence and thankfully reached the safety of the cave by nightfall. The entrance was small and overgrown with foliage; we had to cut aside branches with our swords to get to it. A small arched opening and steep stone steps carved out of the rock descended into darkness. Rafe went first, his hand lighting up with a ball of mage light. The rest of us did the same and followed him down into the depths of the ancient caves that lay below the Goldleaf Forest.
When we reached the cave floor, which was almost two hundred feet underground, I was stunned by the absolute silence that greeted us. We trod carefully over the slippery, moss-covered stones and entered another cavern, an immense cave with stalagmites and stalactites over a hundred feet long.
“The caves stretch out under the Goldleaf Forest and part of the mountains all the way to the town of Royn on the western coast,” Rafe explained.
I was not the only one stunned by the massive size of these caves. Penelope was also in awe as she looked around. “I lived in the Goldleaf Forest for so many years but never knew these caves existed. How did you find them?”
Rafe shrugged. “I stumbled upon them a few years ago.”
Penelope created balls of light that hardened and floated upward, illuminating more of the immense cave. The air around us was cool, and a light mist seemed to hover above us as the rest of the cave came into view.
Scores of rimstone pools dotted the cave floor, and one was almost as big as a small lake. Through the mystical underground landscape meandered a river that ran the length of the cavern and disappeared into the unknown darkness of the other caves that branched out from the main one. A light mist rolled over the surface of the water, creating an eerie preternatural feel. But the biggest surprise was a massive forest growing undisturbed deep in the heart of the cavern.
We followed Uncle Gabriel toward it. “Sections of this cavern have collapsed,” he explained, pointing to places in the cavern ceiling through which we could faintly see the moon. “In the daytime, sunlight can penetrate the darkness, allowing these ancient trees to survive here.”
Ashara and Penelope started to weave protective spells around the cavern to ward us against intruders. Fae and witch magic intertwined to form a stronger barrier.
But Tristan stiffened. He had heard something. I was sure of it when he swiftly drew his swords, lighting them up with silver fire.
“What is it, Tristan?” I asked, alarmed. Had they followed us here?
But Penelope gasped and stepped toward Tristan, putting her hand on his arm and restraining him. “Wait.”
I squinted to see what their fae eyes saw clearly, as small shapes started to emerge from behind the massive trees within the cave.
Penelope’s face lit up when she saw who it was. A small bedraggled brownie came into view.
“Fitzbean!” cried Penelope as she ran forward to hug the stunned brownie. He didn’t seem to recognize her because she had changed her appearance since she lived in Pixie Bush. But he did recognize Kalen.
“You’re alive.” Kalen came forward, his eyes lighting up as more figures started to come into focus around us—dryads, with little children, brownies, pixies, and tiny flower fairies.
“You’re all safe.” Penelope rushed forward to hug a dryad lady, whom I recognized as her friend, Mrs. Herbchild.
Mrs. Herbchild nodded and hugged her back as Penelope explained her change of appearance.
“How?” asked Penelope, so happy she was at a loss for words.
“The Black Wolf,” said Mrs. Herbchild simply. “He came to Pixie Bush last moon tide and told us to leave the village. He said war was coming. We found this place by accident and have been living in these caves ever since.”
“All of you?” Penelope smiled, looking at Rafe, who watched quietly. They still didn’t know he was the Black Wolf, and it was better to keep it that way.
Mrs. Herbchild shook her head. “Not everyone listened to him. Many stayed behind. Have you seen them?”
Penelope’s face fell. “Oblek’s men attacked the village. I’m afraid there were no survivors.”
Mrs. Herbchild nodded, her face grim, the realization that many of her people would never see their loved ones again stark in her sad brown eyes. “I will inform the others.” She went off into the trees to speak to the remaining fae about the fate of their village and loved ones.
Penelope turned and unexpectedly hugged Rafe. “Thank you,” she said softly.
Rafe looked Penelope in the eyes and nodded. “I knew Oblek’s men had been causing trouble around here, so when I got back from Elfi—” he glanced at me briefly and back at her, “—I went to Pixie Bush and told them to leave the village. I hoped they managed to stay hidden and safe, but I didn’t have any way of knowing for sure.”
Penelope nodded and squeezed Rafe’s arm. “You did what you could, Rafael. And I will be forever grateful for the many times you have helped our people.”
I smiled at his quiet way of helping others. Rafe was always the one who watched out for the fae of Pixie Bush, and even in the midst of his own problems he found time to go there and warn them, without asking for anything in return. I shouldn’t have been surprised; it was one of
