Part 9 (2/2)
”Um Gnidori?” Ettie b.u.t.ted in before I shot a venomous stare back at her.
”Yeah? What now?” I said harshly, which caused her to pause, but she still continued like a trooper.
”We... uh... came across something odd while trying to track Gabbi. We weren't looking for her, but you said she had Ashe, and well... we found Ashe in two different places. I found her at home in the Empty Kingdom. But Han found her out near the same tower as Goldie. We double checked to make sure, but same thing. I thought maybe...”
”Magic might be involved. Definitely. But maybe my two goals are in the same area.” I finished for Ettie instead. Her features were gentle and apologetic, which hurt my heart enough for me to sigh with frustration and add, ”Thanks Ettie. I'm sorry, I'm just... I don't know. An idiot. All of this...”
”No, you are right.” She interrupted and agreed with me. ”But I'm guessing you want to leave as soon as possible?”
”More like now. I'll have time to sleep on the boat ride to the Sleeping Kingdom.” I nodded, standing up and sc.r.a.ping my bowl from the table.
”Good because we are coming with you.” I heard Han say from behind me. I swirled around to see him fully dressed now with a dark tunic and adorned with various knick-knacks and items that I could only start guessing at their uses. He tossed my brand new long axe toward me, which I caught with my free hand easily.
”You're serious?” I asked, half-smirking. I heard Ettie step forward from behind me, and lay a single hand on my shoulder again, while Han smiled at me.
”Of course we are, Riri. Besides not only are you going to need back up for this kind of thing. But you know how invaluable our tracking abilities are.” Ettie said, almost completely in my ear. I could hear the smile in her tone. And smell the pleasant tuft of lilies on her breath from her usual tea, or maybe it was just a perfume.
”Plus, you'll have eye candy on the trip now too.” Han added. I rolled my eyes but laughed.
”Right, You?”
”Faeries be d.a.m.ned, no.” He cursed so seriously it was shocking. Then added, ”My sister, obviously.”
I had to admit I was glad Ettie could not see my face in that moment. For it had flared with quite the heat. I turned toward the kitchen to retrieve the fox before Han could get too much of a good look either. But I could tell by his chuckle he had seen.
I took a moment of stas.h.i.+ng away the dish into the sink so it wouldn't run away with any spoons, and scooped up the fox with my free non-hatchet hand. All the while I heard low chatter, but didn't pry.
I poked my head back into the living room just in time to see Ettie smacking Han across the cheek and pa.s.sed right by him to disappear into the bedrooms with her face fuming red.
He spotted me and offered a grin as I asked, ”What's that about?”
”Oh, sibling rivalry.”
”What do you mean?”
”We each tracked Ashe to help you. My perfect nose to her locating spells. I took one sniff of that basket you always leave here that she made you and knew instantly where she was. She took the entire time you were in the shower to locate the girl and still thinks she might have been wrong. She was just p.i.s.sed about it. That I'm a better tracker than she is.” He shrugged but was still grinning pretty wickedly.
”I still like her spells better than your s...o...b..ring tongue on my face.” I mused, stuffing the little fox into my pocket, while the burly twin let out a hearty laugh.
”Yeah, I bet you like her spells.” He slyly added, then scooped a couple of wrapped orbs from his pocket and tossed them to me. They were lemon scotches; clearly meant for the fox.
”Hey, the nose knows best. I was trying to a.s.sist you with that bath you desperately needed.” His laugh didn't falter, as I dipped the candies into the same ma.s.sive pocket I put the fox, hearing a yip of glee.
I smiled back up at Han and shrugged as well. ”The nose may know best. But a witch knows the rest.”
”Oh my faerie lord! You managed an actual rhyme, Dori! Should we celebrate this momentous occasion?” I heard Kit say from the pocket.
”Don't make me hurt you, Kit.” I mumbled and glared.
Both Kit and Han started chuckling together. I even heard the little fox m.u.f.fle a yip a few times, as I narrowed my eyes down at him. He was looking darn cute with his ears back and a lemon scotch in his mouth, despite it being still wrapped.
I murmured to Reynard, ”You traitor.”
Nine.
The Pirate King It was already daylight again by the time we had thrown everything together, including Ettie insisting to make me something actually edible. Regardless, it wasn't too difficult getting from the hillside cottage, to the outskirts of Hue's territory so we could find pa.s.sage to the current sleeping kingdom.
The Sleeping Kingdom was one of those things that always changed every century or so, pa.s.sing from one kingdom to the next. It was one powerful piece of magic that actually ran off the inner energy within a single person to make everyone around them fall asleep and put the person the magic was in, in a deathly sleep-like state. It hasn't been destroyed since the first time it had been used hundreds of years ago, on the legendary known as Briar Rose. I knew her as Rosa though, Charming's first wife before she kicked him out.
The current Kingdom to be under this spell contained what was known to pretty much everyone in the lands, as Bluebeard's Tower. As to whether or not it was actually the castle that the legendary Bluebeard used, I couldn't say.
Though the question could still be asked, as to why Gabbi, along with my previous charges, Ashe and Goldie, were all currently around or in Bluebeard's Tower. What was I missing? Did it have something to do with my week of absent time?
Anyway, there we stood, stranded at the harbor town near the docks. All sorts of boats bobbed up and down in the water, with the smell of fish and sea and wet wood all around us. People were loading and unloading things left and right, with grunts and laughs.
”Gnidori? What are we going to do? Steal a boat?” I heard Ettie ask incredulously, while I scanned around the harbor.
I shrugged, some of my replacement hatchets clinking under the scarlet poncho I wore. Wasn't the same as my hood, but it covered all the weapons I held. ”Why not?”
”Ri-i-i-ight.” Ettie continued playing along with the ruse, while rolling her eyes. ”So which one do you like? Hue's navy boats? Couple private ones. Maybe a pirate s.h.i.+p or two? Personally I would love to go with something green.”
My mouth opened to answer, but it was at that point that I caught someone in my sight. Her salt and paprika hair were a clear give away, that and her eye-patch or the purple eye that crackled with power.
I slipped away from Ettie and Han, both of them looking after me before following with only a brief word between them.
”Bonny?” I asked.
”Yes?” She turned around from directing one of the swashbucklers to load some crate up on a nearby s.h.i.+p. The salted redhead glanced over me a few times, like she was recognizing me in some way but couldn't figure it out.
”You own a boat here?” I continued, actually utilizing gentleness in my voice. She turned completely to me now and arched her only visible eyebrow.
”Depends who's asking, how much they are willing to pay, and where they want to go.” She stated plainly before glancing away and yelling at one of the women to move a crate she had picked up and dropped somewhere nearby.
”As close as you can get to Bluebeard's tower. For free if possible. And its Gnidori, asking.” I chose my order correctly because she nodded like she wasn't paying attention to the first one. Stifled a laugh on the second one, and then froze instantly and went wide-eyed with the last one.
Her electrically purple eye glared over me, then looked to my two companions. She said half-heartedly, just before turning back around. ”You aren't Gnidori.”
”Yes, I am.” Wouldn't I know if I wasn't myself? Seriously. I'd been called Red my whole life pretty much, but never been told I wasn't Gnidori.
”One,” She continued, not even looking at me and with her voice cracked in anger. ”You don't have the hood and cloak. You have a cheap imitation poncho. Two, you're wasting my time. And Three, I just took Gnidori over, the last time we were in this dock.”
Okay, those were very good reasons, especially the last one. Because I couldn't really explain any of them, except maybe number two.
”What do you mean you already took Gnidori over?” I asked with my eyebrows furrowing in frustration.
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