The Woods

Chapter Ten

It was obvious that Lord Benroy had spoken to the king hours prior. All throughout dinner that evening, he was glowering at his plate, and I could feel the power pulsating from him; likely the echo left over from his argument. It was much stronger than the first time I'd seen it, and I didn't want to think about what he would do when he grew tired of it.

"Cheer up," Casper huffed. "You're acting as if you're at a funeral."

"Agreeing to Benroy's proposal will be just that," he snapped. Casper muffled his chuckle behind his handkerchief.

I tried to hold back my question, but curiosity got the better of me. "What's so bad about marrying Celaine?" All three of their eyes burned into me, analysing. Was I not supposed to know about it? It felt as if they were trying to read my mind to see how much I knew. My expression must've been innocent enough that they glanced between one another, though I felt a tension of sorts.

"So that's where she slipped off to," the king eventually said, casually sipping from his goblet. "To put it bluntly, I don't like being told what to do." His words had a sharp edge, as if he were warning me about pressing further. I nodded, surprised to see that, despite his sharp words, his eyes were soft as he looked at me. Perhaps it was a way of apologising if his tone had hurt me in any way. It confused me but I made no comment.

Merilyn eased the tension by beginning to babble on about the latest gossip, most of which I understood little of, but Casper was grinning with intrigue as she spoke. I didn't know anyone she spoke of, so I tried to block out her voice until it was only a dull buzz in the back of my mind. The king was watching me, his lips curved into a smirk. It appeared he knew what I'd done, though I had no idea how.

I was about to ask him when something caught my eye. Perhaps I didn't see anything; it was as if something was drawing my gaze to the side. I whipped my head towards the large window that overlooked the room, scanning its semi-reflective surface. Merilyn stopped talking and they watched me curiously.

"What is that?" I asked.

"What do you mean?" the king frowned. He scanned the window but looked confused. Could he not sense it? There was something-

The glass suddenly shattered into a million fragmented pieces, several vines shooting through and winding themselves around the table. Merilyn let out a shriek as thorns tore at her cheek when shooting past. We all scrambled away from the table, Casper practically jumping at Merilyn to use his body as a shield, his back taking the rest of the thorns.

"What is this?" the king snarled. He raised a hand to the vines, hissing words in a foreign tongue. They began to shrivel, drying up and eventually becoming nothing more than dust that drifted to the ground. It was as if none of us could move until the dust had settled.

I tentatively stepped towards a pile of dust, crouching to get a better look. But there was no dust at all, just red petals where the dust was just moments before. I felt a hand on my shoulder and turned to see the king crouching beside me.

"I thought the Woods wasn't supposed to attack the Fae," I said. His expression was grim.

"It isn't."

I stopped myself from asking anything else, knowing he wouldn't have the answers. Rising, I wrapped my arms around myself and glanced at Casper and Merilyn. He was still holding her as if wary of any other dangers. Merilyn, caged tightly in his arms, seemed almost unsure of what to do with herself. Her expression was clear, however, and I saw what looked to be relief. Something told me that it had nothing to do with the attack.

"How did dust turn to petals?" I asked, turning to look up at the king.

"Magic," he replied bluntly. He rested a hand on my shoulder and I stiffened. "Go to your room and don't come out until tomorrow. Your lessons won't be held until we sort this out."