Suzanne Lazear - Charmed Vengeance

Once again, his little brother as the voice of reason felt odd. Gulping, Steven nodded. “Yes, let’s.”

They crossed the unfortunately familiar bridge from the wildwood to the grounds of the high palace. Steven’s belly sank all the way to his boots. The tall spires of the palace gleamed like polished brass. The giant clockwork drawbridge was down over the pink moat, indicating that the queen was currently in residence.

“How did the automaton end up here?” he whispered to James. Unless the finding spell was wrong. Odds were it wasn’t.

“Um, the Bright Lady works in mysterious ways?” James suggested.

Steven harrumphed.

Into the palace they went, saluting at the gold and purple glad guards and winding their way down the long and twisty halls. Steven wasn’t surprised when they ended up in their mother’s tearoom.

A purple fire burned in the hearth. LuLu napped on a purple cushion. Their mother, clad in an ocean of gold and bronze ruffles, sat at her ornate table, having tea. Hilde occupied the chair across from her, a teacup in her metal hand. Steven knew from experience that Hilde’s opulent chair was actually quite uncomfortable and the queen did that on purpose.

“I love tea parties,” the automaton told the queen.

“I thought Hilde only sang and told stories,” James whispered to him.

The queen looked over at them and sniffed. “Oh, you’re back.”

His heart sank. Great, she had sent them on this fool’s errand hoping they’d die.

Had he truly expected anything less? She’d stopped being their mother the moment she cast them out of the Otherworld.

“Yes, we are.” Steven squared his shoulders. “I see you’ve found Hilde. Does she please you?” His stomach knotted. This moment defined his quest.

The queen took a sip of tea, every passing second feeling like an hour. “She’ll do. I did have to make some adjustments using magic. Also, her name isn’t Hilde. It’s Aisling.” Queen Tiana’s look dared them to say differently.

“It’s your automaton, you may name her whatever you wish, Your Majesty,” Steven replied. “So, my quest is over?” His stomach had yet to unknot.

The queen waved him off. “Yes, yes. I do have to say, Aisling is rather amusing in a simple way. I do hope you won’t wander far. I like having you and your brother around.”

“Yes, of course, Your Majesty.” Steven bowed.

She liked having them around? Sure. Tiana probably meant it would be easier to plot their demise if she knew their whereabouts.

“Your majesty?” Steven added, chest tightening. “Since I accomplished my task to your satisfaction, may I take up with Noli again?”

The queen laughed. “My dearest Stiofán, truly you’re better off without her. As I told you, she’ll hold you back from your goals. Now be off before I find something for you to do.” She shooed them away with her hand.

“Of course, Your Majesty.” With a final bow, Steven and James left the tearoom.

James scratched his head. “How did the automaton get to the high palace?”

“Mother, most likely. She probably still has spies in the big house. For all we know, she came and took it herself.” Despite finishing the quest, his heart felt heavy as they plodded down the vast hallways. One task down, so many more to go. If this was what being an adult was like, perhaps he shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to grow up.

“Let’s check on Noli.” James clapped him on the back.

They made their way to the big house in silence. Finally, they traipsed through the familiar woods belonging to the House of Oak. Now that those of his house were in residence again, the grounds were in better repair than when they’d first returned to the Otherworld.

“The queen gave her to you, right? Way back when you first arrived in the Otherworld?” James asked.

Steven tried to recall that particular event. “Yes, she did.”

It was another layer of protection for Noli.

“Did she take that away when she told you to break Noli’s stone?” James asked.

Giant rowan tress, old as the land itself, shaded them as they walked. They helped guard their ancestral home.

Those fateful words played over in Steven’s head, as he dissected it word by word.

Before you begin your quest, you’re to end this with Magnolia … and that includes breaking the stone in her sigil.

No, not one thing about revoking Noli … not that he was entirely sure she could.

“I swear that Noli is yours until you decide otherwise, entitled to all rights and privileges therein,” Steven whispered, repeating the words she’d said to him. “That’s what she swore … ”

“So, Noli’s still yours in some way, she just doesn’t have the protections of the House of Oak anymore?” James asked as they entered the hedge maze center where the oak lay.

Steven went over everything in his head one last time. “I …I think you’re right—and where the queen can keep her from the protections of our house, she can’t keep her from being with me, unless she breaks her oath.”

James snapped his fingers, green eyes dancing. “If she breaks her oath you could challenge her to a dual.”

Even queens weren’t excluded from the bindings of an oath.

“You’re right. Not that I relish the thought of challenging her to a duel.” Which wouldn’t end well, but perhaps the thought that he could challenge her would prevent any oath-breaking. Steven still felt sorry that Noli had to endure the pain of the stone being broken. “What would I do without you?”

The oak came into sight as they entered the center of the maze. Little wood faeries sat on the roots and branches of the gnarled tree. Some still clutched little wooden swords.

James shot him a silly grin. “I don’t want to think about that. Do you think she’s well now, or do you think we’ll have to leave her for a little longer?”

“As long as she recovers, I don’t care.” Steven greeted the little wood faeries distributing crumbs of a cake he’d brought from the house. The greedy little beasts scrambled over the gnarled tree roots as they fought over the sweet. Crouching next to towering oak, he put his hand on the trunk and reached out to the tree. Time to bring his darling home.

Will you tell me another story? the voice asked Noli. Noli yawned, well, she would if she had a body. The nothingness still enveloped her. She’d been napping between telling stories to the faceless, bodiless voice. Noli liked sleeping here in the mist where the nightmares couldn’t get her.

“Could you tell me a story?” Noli replied, still half asleep. That might give her time to think of something she hadn’t told yet.

I could, if you promise to remember it.

“I’ll try.”

Once, long ago, the Otherworld was different. Only a few people remember, and most don’t remember it correctly. Once, we didn’t need to rely on the blood of mortal girls with the Spark. The high queen wielded a staff, and through it there was enough power for the land to live without blood sacrifice. Some grew jealous of the staff’s abilities and great power can easily be abused. One day, in anger, the Bright Lady broke apart the staff, scattering the pieces across the mortal realm. But even she couldn’t break the staff’s heart, a gem of great power. That, too, was hidden in the mortal realm. Without the staff, the land had to rely on her people to bring her nourishment. Gradually everyone, even the rulers forgot that once we didn’t need a sacrifice …

The impact of the story made Noli’s mind reel. “The artifact? Are you saying that there is an artifact of great power that if reassembled will negate the need for a sacrifice?”