“We’re leaving when it gets dark, correct?” Ena asked.
“No, you should leave now. It will be dark by the time you reach the ocean,” Esmeralda said.
Owen looked at Sigrid. She smiled knowingly at him and reached over and squeezed his hand. “After the mission.”
“Sorry,” Ena said, “I’ve never been to the island, and I thought there would be time for you to ‘rest’ a bit before we left.”
“Then after we return.” Owen was adamant.
Esmeralda drew on parchment to show a layout of the castle and grounds. She showed where the guards were posted. “It might have changed since I’ve been gone. They don’t keep a heavy defensive posture because no one attacks them ever.”
The griffin fae captain joined them, looked it over, and added more details. “Like the princess says, it might have changed since we both were there. But she’s right. They don’t post many guards. They never have been invaded, though they have attacked any ships that get close to their territory.”
They made tentative plans then, though everything would be fluid in case they ran into trouble.
16
Using their night vision, Sigrid and the others flew off toward the ocean and past the rocky cliffs. They finally spied the beach and the thundering waves crashing against the rocky shoreline. Sparkling stars were sprinkled across the dark, blue heavens. The full moon illuminated wisps of clouds over the choppy water, while the wind whipped the waves about into small white caps. The ocean met the darkening horizon off in the distance. While flying over the ocean, she watched for ships anywhere out to sea, but even if there had been any close in, the sailors most likely couldn’t see the dragons or falcons flying so high. If they did, they’d know the griffin islanders could be in for trouble. Only seabirds flew out this far.
Then again, she recalled her earliest encounter with them and their griffin shifting warriors. If their eagle eyes were anything like the real eagles, just as her falcon fae were like the real falcons, they could see at night and observe movement from far away.
Thankfully, she didn’t see any ships about.
Some miles out, she spied the half-hidden island cloaked in mist. Even though she and her friends would be just as cloaked as anyone on the island, she still didn’t like that they couldn’t actually see what they were headed for. That was one of the great things about being a falcon fae—their vision was so acute. But in dense mists, even they couldn’t see very far.
When they reached the shore, they had to fly slower, higher, ensuring they didn’t run into cliffs or trees hidden in the thick mist. Then the mist thinned out above and they could see cliffs below. Beyond that, a forest, and rivers cutting through them like slithering blue snakes. She listened for anyone moving beneath the canopy of the trees, the mist still so thick down below, that she couldn’t see anything nearer the ground. Which meant the falcons and dragons were also cloaked from anyone’s view from below.
She was reminded that they could very well run into some of the griffin fae shifters when they arrived at the castle or before that and have a fight on their hands, thereby alerting those in the castle they were on their way. She prayed they could make it into and out of the castle without alerting anyone. But Murphy’s Law—anything that can go wrong, will go wrong—something the fae had come up with and passed along to the humans in their mischievous way, could rule the day.
The griffin ship captain and Esmeralda had assured them that guards weren’t posted on the castle wall walk because no one ever invaded them from the air. But they also had stated emphatically that the rules might have changed since they’d been gone.
The dragons and falcons flew in formation like a group of jet fighters on a mission, the falcons interspersed with the dragons, though Owen stuck close to Sigrid in a protective mate stance. She appreciated him for it.
What she hadn’t expected was to see Sinbad standing on one of the wall walks. Just him, watching for them, then spying them. She changed into her fae form and so did Owen, so they could cast magic. He had outwitted them, set the trap for them, telling them about her cousins, and maybe telling the servant who had informed her that her cousins were here so that the servant would pass along the information to them.
Sinbad didn’t seem to be alerting anyone that they were coming, but then he might be powerful enough to knock them all out of the sky. The dragons suddenly dispersed so they weren’t all in one place, making for an easier target.
“Go,” Owen told his cousins, wanting them to get out of the path of the mage’s destruction, should he attack.
They hesitated, then both flew off. All of the winged companions hopefully kept out of range of the mage’s spell casting ability. They wouldn’t know for sure unless he attempted to cast a spell at them. It also meant they couldn’t use their dragon fire from that distance either.
“He’s not summoning the troops,” Sigrid said.
“Because he doesn’t need to, or they’re hiding, waiting for us to get closer,” Owen said.
“You stay here. I’m going to see him.”
Owen glanced at her. “No.”
She kept her eyes on the mage. “If he tries anything, incinerate him.”
“How did you know I could do that?” Owen asked, sounding amazed.
“I can feel your magic energy. You can create an electrical field. If the fireballs don’t work, use the electricity to zap the life out of him.”
“Why are you going to see him?”
“I have to know if he’s our enemy, or if he wants to make some kind of a deal with us. I think there’s more to his being here than just trying to trap us.”
“Then why didn’t he speak to us before we left King Malcolm’s castle?”
“We left immediately after the servant told us what King Malcolm intended to do to us! Owen, if Sinbad’s all that powerful, I won’t be able to defeat him, but if he kills me, everyone must use their own abilities to deal with him.” She pulled Owen into a warm embrace. Her wings folded as he held onto her and flapped his wings to keep them in the air.
They kissed deeply and she really didn’t want to let him go.
“If you get yourself killed over this, I will never forgive you,” he said, kissing her cheeks and then her forehead.
“Neither will I.” She smiled and kissed his mouth again, then let go, and spread her wings, before she flew toward the wall walk to meet with Sinbad. She knew very well she might have to suddenly stop again in midair and cast a spell in an attempt to destroy him if he made any move to cast a spell at her. She did consider that he might want to pay her back for sending the griffin fae warriors to the unseelie world, if he knew she had been the one responsible for it.
The castle was dark, just a few torches lit in the courtyard. As she grew closer, she noticed the dragons all waiting, treading air in place, watching to see what happened next.
She could see Sinbad’s solemn expression, his arms folded across his chest in a way that said he wasn’t about to cast a spell, rather than the defensive posture some other fae might use. She still didn’t trust him.
She grew close enough and landed on the wall walk. “So, we meet again,” she said, her words quiet, not wanting to alert anyone who might be wandering around at this time of night that they were here, if this wasn’t a setup.
The mage inclined his head. “I had hoped you would come to rescue your cousins.”
“But you didn’t tell me they needed rescuing.”
Sinbad smiled a little. “I knew you’d assume it.”
“Why are you here?”
“To help you, but I want your help in return.”
“You want to help us to rescue my cousins then?”
“Princess Arana and Prince Phillip, yes.”
“I would have thought if Malcolm didn’t want anyone knowing his brother and sister existed any more, you would never have mentioned them. You had to know that we would have felt obligated to attempt to free them.”
“True
. I was already serving King Malcolm when he sent your cousins to the island. But I’m just as much royalty as they are. The griffin king is my father and has married a young girl who isn’t much older than me. She and I don’t see eye-to-eye. But my father is completely devoted to her. She has had both a son and daughter by my father. Twins. I can see one of them gaining the throne someday. She’s told me this will happen, rest assured. My father has been non-committal about it. Knowing him, he will side with his wife, as he has in all things since they were married two years ago.”
Was Sinbad telling the truth? That’s what they had to know.
Owen suddenly joined them, and Sigrid sighed. She didn’t want them both facing the mage from the same place.
“I was just telling Sigrid that my father is the king of the griffin fae. I have heard rumors your father intends to put one of your cousins on the throne instead of you when the time comes,” Sinbad said to Owen. “Do you see any similarities? And then of course, we’re both magic users. Your father isn’t a magic user though. You’d think that would make him nervous about offering his throne to someone else. Then again, he believes you’ve lost your powers, and maybe that’s why he now feels justified in replacing you.” Sinbad smiled. “I didn’t kill you when I had the chance.”
“You didn’t have the chance,” Owen said, wary sounding.
On edge when it came to the mage, Sigrid was ready to cast a spell.
Sinbad smiled. Then he grew serious again. “Okay, I didn’t kill or injure you. I just stopped you from killing or injuring me.”
“Why?”
“Because we have so much in common.“
Owen shook his head. “You cannot tell me you orchestrated this whole thing.”
“Of course I did. I wanted you to see what your father was really like when he learned you couldn’t be useful to him.”
From afar, the dragon shifters were quiet, just taking all of this in.
“Why don’t we go inside the castle and free my cousins,” Sigrid said.
“We need to make a deal first,” Sinbad said.
“What of your father, Sinbad? Doesn’t he worry about you using your magic to fight him for the throne?” Owen asked.
“My father is a magic user also. My fighting him could be the death of me. Your father, on the other hand, isn’t a magic user. I forced you to believe you lost your powers, and then your father commanded you to leave the kingdom to find Sigrid and bring her to your kingdom.”
“Which would not be to your benefit,” Sigrid said.
“You’re saying you won’t fight us.” Owen sounded like he still didn’t trust the griffin fae.
Sigrid didn’t either.
“I knew you planned to wed Princess Esmeralda, the hawk fae princess, once raised by my people,” Sinbad said.
“You mean she was your prisoner.”
“She was raised alongside me with all the same privileges”—Sinbad held up his hand to stop Owen’s objections—“save, leave the kingdom. But she was well-treated. I knew King Malcolm wanted more land and power and that King Yarrow wanted all the fae under his rule, like it had been in his father’s time. I knew about Sigrid’s grandmother and about Sigrid. You see, I left my own kingdom to find my way in the world when my father had a new son and daughter, and the queen was insistent that one of them rule instead of me when my father retires from the throne.”
“So, you went to work for King Malcolm.”
The dragons and falcons were watching their backs, but Sigrid still wanted to get this done, like yesterday.
“I needed more magic users on my side, and an alliance with a kingdom, if I’m to oust my father and his wife from the throne. I cannot do it alone. Why do you think I mentioned to Tanya that Malcolm had a brother and sister, and told the man who was escorting you where they were being held? You had only but to ask him, and he would have given you the truth. It’s forbidden to speak of them in Malcolm’s kingdom. I needed a way to free them.”
“Without doing it yourself,” Owen said.
“Not because I’m a coward, but my father would know if I entered the castle. He would stop me permanently, before I could do anything. I wanted to free them, then solicit Arana and Phillip’s help in removing my father from the throne. This was the only way I could see to do it. I can help them take the throne from Malcolm, aid you in taking the throne from your father, and you can assist me with mine.”
“Will this mean an alliance with the parties concerned? And peace treaties once the new kings are installed?” Owen asked.
“That’s up to all the parties concerned. For me, yes, you would have my pledge for peace between our kingdoms. For Arana and Phillip, concerning a peace with you and your kingdom, that’s for them to say. They might end follow in their brother’s footsteps, wanting to unite the falcon fae under their rule.”
“And the hawk fae kingdom?”
Sinbad frowned. “What about them?”
“They have been your enemy for centuries. Cease hostilities with them,” Owen said.
Sinbad smiled. “Consider it done, if they agree, of course.”
“What do you intend to do with your father and his wife and kids?” Sigrid asked.
“You know how leaving some alive will come back to bite you. I love my father still, but his new wife is poisoning him against me. I would banish them, but that would mean he could return another day to attempt to wrest power away from me again. Or my younger half brother or half sister might try one day. But banish them, I will. I hope to rule the kingdom in peace.”
“If you will make peace with your neighbors, I agree,” Owen said.
Sigrid assumed she and the rest of their party would have no chance to free the prince and princess if she didn’t agree. Sinbad could easily alert the guard about what they were attempting to do. But what if Sinbad was using this as a means to prove his loyalty to his father? Warn him of the intruders who were trying to free the prisoners?
She waved to the dragons, hoping this wasn’t a mistake. When Brett and Ena landed, the others keeping their distance still, Sigrid told them what was going on. “Brett, since Sinbad can’t go with us, if he turns out to be a traitor, kill him for us, will you?”
Brett smiled. “Most assuredly.”
Sinbad gave an exaggerated sigh. “I am at your mercy.”
Sigrid didn’t believe it for a minute. “We free the prince and princess, and then what?”
“The dragons can take them from here, and I’ll go with you to remove my father from the throne.”
“How will this help me in taking the throne from my father?” Owen asked.
“You and Sigrid will let it be known that you have gained an alliance with the griffin, the dragon, the golden, the hawk, and the dark fae. I would think faced with those odds, he will step down. And when you return to the hawk fae kingdom, you can tell them I’m ready to negotiate a peace with them.”
Owen looked to Sigrid to see her take on it, which she appreciated. “Agreed.” She hoped they weren’t making a really big mistake with this.
Tarrant joined them on the wall walk, and they explained to him what was going on so that he could tell the others. They landed on the roof of the castle then, Brett and Ena staying with Sinbad on the wall walk.
Owen reached a door, and opened it, then peered into the dark. “Stone stairwell.” He moved onto the first step of the circular stairs and made his way down. Sigrid followed. Since both could use magic, they planned to do that if they encountered anyone. The dragon fae followed, Owen’s cousins and Kiernan staying on the roof as lookouts. Owen’s cousins were still in their falcon form, less noticeable while they sat atop the towers to watch for trouble. Kiernan stayed low, watching the falcons, who would warn him if they had some difficulty.
Owen paused at the base of the stairs, watching the great hall for any movement. It was dark in there.
Sigrid and the others made their way down to the dungeon without incident. No guard was even at the door. Which me
ant what? No one was locked inside the dungeon? Sigrid was annoyed with Sinbad for not telling them where the prince and princess were staying. Then again, maybe he didn’t know for sure either.
They opened the door and only Owen and Sigrid went inside. The others remained behind to guard the door.
At the end of the cells, someone was sleeping, but the cell door was wide open, and from the look of his dark brown clothes, a little black braid edging his collar, the man appeared to be the guard. He had no prisoners to watch, so he was sleeping.
Sigrid woke him; Owen pointed his sword at his throat. “Are Prince Phillip and Princess Arana here?”
“Not here,” the guard said, his tone belligerent.
“We know they’re not in the dungeon.” Now. “Are they alive and well?”
“Aye.”
“Where are they?”
The man’s eyes widened. “Do ye plan to kill them or take them away from here?”
Sigrid frowned. “Are they prisoners?”
“Aye. Were.”
“We’re here to free them and take them from here.”
“Good. They’ve caused enough trouble. I’ll show you where they are straightaway.”
Sigrid wondered what kind of trouble they could have been in. She was surprised she hadn’t needed to cast her spell on him to force him to tell them where they were. He was eager for them to take them away.
“Princess Arana and Prince Phillip are sleeping in their chambers on the top floor.”
Relieved, Sigrid said, “Good. Show us the way. And be quick about it.” She prayed to the goddess that they wouldn’t be caught while trying to reach them. Then again, what if they weren’t prisoners?
The guard hesitated, then lit a lantern and led the way back out of the cells, passing the dragon fae and falcon fae with a passing glance.
“Chambers up above,” Sigrid whispered to the others. “He’s taking us to them.”
Halloran nodded.
Wouldn’t the guard be in trouble for wanting them to free the princess and prince?