Crown of Ellova, Vol. 1 (Crown of Ellova Duology)

Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

T he men who have taken Jedrick are heading in the direction of Kalvorn, but if they are traveling there for medical aid, it would be faster by ship. It is at least a day’s journey to King Zilias’s kingdom, and Jedrick might not make it through the mountains alive.

Could these be men from Kalvorn? When Grayden met with the king and queen of Kalvorn, all they wanted in exchange for endless aid was the crown. Is someone delivering Jedrick to Kalvorn so Adreania can receive aid? Or is something far more sinister about to take place?

Wherever the reason is, Jedrick here in the middle of the night is no matter to me. The crown is out of Adreania. The shock that it is so close to the Ellovian palace, so close to the fae realm, overwhelms me for a moment.

I could bring back the crown my great-great-grandmother created.

If I can take Jedrick back to Ellova, the impending war for the crown between Adreania and Kalvorn would be over before it even began. So many lives would be saved. If I could disable the men who captured him and guide the horse and cart to the entrance only I use, this could change everything. With the crown in Ellova, Grayden would have no hold on the throne. No mortal man from Jedrick’s family line is worthy of wearing the crown anyway.

If I can get it to Nueena, she will start her reign with unparalleled power. If the crown is as powerful as the myths claim, she might be the only one who can control it.

The men continue on with their journey, laughing quietly.

I rise from the hiding spot once they are out of sight. “Farren.”

My beloved fox looks up at my whisper.

“Hide.”

He does, racing off into the bushes.

I advance in their direction, darting through the trees and around large boulders. I take a secret path and, with no horse to lead through unfamiliar territory, arrive further ahead of them on their course. Patient to strike, I lean behind a thicket of trees. Just ahead, the saplings are slightly wider apart with more of the forest free of the thick foliage, and I wait, hidden, ’til they arrive.

Decades ago, when deciding which court to vow my magic to, the Court of Swords with its many armies was the first to be rejected. I have no desire for bloodshed or war strategy, but with every defense lesson Nueena had to take as future Realm Keeper, I was encouraged to join her. Commander Lillian never allowed us to skip those classes by hiding in the library.

I’ll definitely owe Lillian if I survive this encounter. She’ll scowl if I make her any jewelry as a token of my appreciation, but perhaps I can make something for her mate.

The men are slow-moving now, the wheels bouncing over large rocks that make the cart difficult to navigate through the trees.

I only have three weapons.

My magic.

A dagger of gold.

My body.

Mortal men have a weakness for soft flesh and do not see women as a threat when they should.

Removing the band that holds my hair, I flip my head upside down, my golden light auburn locks puffing out with soft curls. I reach into the front of my corset and shove my breasts up to a painful point.

The golden dagger in my hand is too threatening. A more delicate approach is needed. The gold vibrates again, pulling in on itself, separating into small strawberry-sized nuggets like the ones I find in the river that runs through the forest.

Wooden wheels hit the stone-filled path just before I make my presence known.

I start to sing loudly. It’s off-key and a poor excuse for a melody, but it’s only meant to disarm them. A wide-eyed maiden lost in the moonlit woods.

It’s not my greatest plan.

I stumble into their view and fake a show of surprised delight. They slow the horse; the two at the cart have their hoods up but still reveal a sliver of startled eyes. One puts his hand on his sword after stepping in front of Jedrick’s hand to hide it from my view.

The false surprise fades and I give them a grateful smile. “Oh! Finally!” I just need to touch the metal of the fitted gauntlets they wear. “I am so glad you found me! I’ve been so lost! Is Kalvorn over this mountain?”

They stare at my hopeful expression.

The leader wears silver armor and stays on his horse with no concern in his words, just mild irritation. “What are you doing out here so late? Who else lives in these woods?”

I shrink my shoulders. “Oh, I’m from Kalvorn. I followed the river up from the port but I seem to have lost my way. I’m collecting moonflowers and gold overflows from the river. I use them to make doorknobs.”

With one eyebrow raised, he asks, “Doorknobs…moonflowers?” He must know no such thing exists.

In unison, the three men look down at the pile of gold in my hand.

“You can have it all if you would be so kind as to provide directions back home. My family must be so worried.” I frantically add, “ My children !”

In Ellova I have seen gold used as doorstops, but two of the men standing before me, with their worn hoods and gaunt cheeks, have a harsher life in Adreania.

So much precious metal must seem like a king’s fortune to them.

The two men look up hopefully at their leader for his silent approval. He looks me up and down. My cloak covers my gown, the skirt muddy from the river, and with no weapons in his sight, it only takes mere moments of silent deliberation. He must not view me as the threat he should since he nods at the other two.

A grave error on his part.

Like greedy children lunging for candy, they each attempt to take the gold from me with their iron-covered hands.

That’s all I need.

My power rushes from my palms, rising up through the gold pieces, as their metal fingers connect with the now-glowing gold. The magic surges into their armor.

The metal on their wrists tightens painfully as they reach for their swords, but my magic is quicker than they are, flowing up to their helmets. Their visors slam down over their faces, fusing the two metal pieces, blinding them. The metal around their neck tightens.

Not to kill them, just to disarm and distract them.

Both men, having forgotten about me, reach to remove the helmets but the fingers of their metal gloves fuse together, forming a fist.

The magic rushes down, melting the armor over their feet and throwing them off-balance, sending them colliding into the dusty road, the clatter echoing around us.

The rider throws his leg over his horse’s back and slams into the ground, his armor rattling, ready to fight. A slicing noise echoes off the trees as he unsheathes his sword, but he makes no move to attack. Standing in front of Jedrick, he positions his legs apart defensively with his sword raised. He shifts back and forth, seemingly undecided about what to do next, before he rips off his helmet and metal gloves, throwing them to the forest floor.

Finally, a man with some intelligence. It won’t be enough .

His outraged expression only adds fuel to my delight. He is handsome, or at least he would be if he weren’t quite so livid. With dark brown eyes and curly dark hair that falls down to his clean-shaven square jaw, his light tan skin is dusted with sweat. He appears to be in his late thirties but mortal ages are not any fae’s expertise.

“Why are you doing this?” the man demands. “You have no idea the importance of what he’s doing, who he’s saving.”

Jedrick isn’t saving anyone. “You have something I want, so I’ll be taking over little Jedrick’s journey. You can take your friends back to wherever you came from and—” I laugh a little. “—find a blacksmith.”

The men entombed in their armor roll around at his feet.

I am giddy with the knowledge that two of the three men have been disarmed, and the only thing standing between me and that crown is a lone man covered in metal. I unhook the bag over my shoulder and toss it in the dirt off to my side. The smile he receives is of near-feral delight.

My great-great-grandmother was exiled for making that crown. Forced every generation before me to live a lonely, cursed life in this forest. I will have redemption for the fae woman who have come before me.

I want it back.

His eyes grow wide as he watches the gold in my hands shift back into a glimmering dagger before he glances over to his companions, his massive shoulders sink dramatically in what I’m sure he thinks is the appearance of defeat. As the air inside the helmets has been restricted, the men roll slowly, about to lose consciousness. He moves over to the first incapacitated man, appearing to take my offer and leave, but at the last minute, he lunges at me and swipes the sword towards my chest.

Unfortunately for him, I’m just as fast. I grab the sharpened point of the sword as it flies towards my neck. The sword melts instantly into my palm. The impact of the hit stings a bit but his sword molds into my hand, obeying me, bending immediately to my magic as I take hold of the melting blade. He tries to drop the handle, taking a few steps back, but it is far too late for that now. Like a snake, the hilt of his sword betrays him and slithers around his hand and up his arm, connecting with his armor. The magic works its way up through his armor, tightening around his arms and his neck. He backs away from me, trips over a large rock, and falls back with a crash as the metal molds together at his feet, preventing him from trying to attack again.

I cringe at the thump his head makes striking the ground, knocking him out.

The other two men are still unconscious from the tightness around their necks. I go to each one and touch their toes, willing the metal to loosen to allow them airflow. They will have pounding headaches and sore necks when they wake up but otherwise be fine. The metal that bound them shifts back into the armor’s original form. The iron pulls apart at their feet so when they wake they can walk out of this forest. The gauntlets’ fingers are released from the molded fists so they will be able to remove their helmets.

Farren reappears from wherever he was hiding, coming to my feet, gazing up at me.

My heart pounds while I walk towards the cart, where Jedrick moans. I take a deep breath before I toss the canvas blanket away.