Something Wicked This Way Comes

Chapter 38

The trip to the castle was way shorter than Jim thought it would be.

Guess we were closer than I thought, Jim wondered to himself, keeping a tight grip on Rhusaema's mane—just in case she got antsy again. Beside him, Douxie was looking increasingly anxious. Up on Mama's back, Harley looked... paler than normal. Jim thought he saw the kid wiping blood away from his nose, and a spike of panicked concern shot through him.

"If I may suggest," Pwyll said as they neared the front gates. "That the beasts stay here."

Jim frowned. Mama and Rhu, he could understand. Rhu was... a horse thing, and Mama was way too big to fit through the gates. But Archie and Fenris... "Archie and Fenris come with. They're part of the quest too."

Pwyll opened and closed his mouth, then eventually just nodded with a resigned sigh. "If that's your wish, Your Majesty."

Jim dismounted, patting Rhusaema's neck gently. "Wait here for us?"

Rhusaema nickered softly, bobbing her head. Satisfied, Jim nodded, turning to Douxie and Harley. The wizard was helping the (clearly) disoriented demigod off the tyrannosaur's neck. Yeah... maybe Harley still wasn't over that concussion.

"You guys ready?" He asked.

Douxie took in a deep breath, squaring his shoulders. "Yes."

Harley looked less sure. In fact, he was swaying a bit. Fenris noticed too, standing close to the boy in case he needed the support.

"Children," Pwyll called by the entrance. "Please, come this way."

Jim looked up at Mama, giving her an encouraging smile. "He'll be okay."

The Rex let out a soft crooning sound, before she gave Harley a soft nudge with her nose, sending him off. Jim offered his hand to him, and Harley took it. Together, the five of them—two half-bloods, a wolf, a dragon, and a king—entered the fae castle. They had no idea what waited for them in there.

***

Claire kept pacing, despite Arawn being so insistent on them resting. She had no idea where her friends were... where Jim was. The anxiety gnawed at her very soul. That, and several revelations about both the inhabitants of the island, and what Douxie might be... stuck with her. She'd had no previous awareness that Douxie was anything but... well, Douxie. He was her friend, her mentor, and a fellow wizard. But now, being in this place, being surrounded by the fae—creatures that were rife with pure magic, she could sense something familiar in them. She'd sensed it since she met Selenia, but hadn't been able to place it until she met the fae king. Their auras, their signatures of magic, the imprints of their souls on the universe reminded her of Douxie. Everywhere she looked, she saw a little bit of her teacher in this place.

Claire knew that making deals with the fae was way more common when Douxie was actually nineteen, and younger than that. She knew exactly the kinds of things people traded for. She also knew giving the firstborn to the fae in exchange for power had been particularly popular. Barring that, having that firstborn with a fae, a baby of pure magic, would also have been a viable option. And now, watching the people in this place and seeing her friend in them, it made her think. Douxie knew shit about his own parents. Maybe this was why. Maybe he wasn't human.

Does he even know? Claire wondered to herself, knowing with growing certainty her theory was the right one. She was a shadow witch. She dealt with souls, and the shadow realm. Seeing the magic that made up a person's self was her thing. Would it matter if he does?

"Would you stop?" Antigone asked, sitting in one of the chairs in the room they'd been led to. "Pacing won't help anyone."

Claire laughed dryly, not bothering to share her thoughts with Antigone. Mostly because she wasn't sure she could be articulate enough to. "I'm just... worried."