“I am a friend,” came from the other side window in a nervous tone and with a heavy accent, a young woman’s voice. “I can help you.”
“You have a fae accent,” Lyria said. Again, as always, she was never leaping to trust anyone at first hand.
“I am fae. I’m a guard from master Cantillion’s, how do you say this in your language…in his everyday life, his food, his cooking, his clothes and adornments.”
“So, you’re from Cantillion’s staff?”
“Yes, I am, and I’m here to help you.” She sounded glad and proud to announce that.
“Why would you want to help us?”
“Not all of us accept Cantillion’s foul, useless rules. There are many of us who think this. We would rather stand with our Queen. Cantillion is threatening to openly challenge her. He says you will fight for him, as his protege. Is it true?”
“He’s suggested so…”
“Then why are you in a prison?”
Lyria gave a humorless laugh, hard to interpret. She stepped closer to the window, a thin line of light falling on her, following the lines of her cheeks. “How can you help us?”
A piece of paper appeared in the slot between the window panes. The fae woman was trying to push it through. Lyria took hold of a corner and pulled it in. Loosened, it coiled in her hand as if it had been in a tight scroll before. Lyria opened it against the window pane.
“Thank you,” she hurried to say to the fae woman and focused on the paper, frowning. Then she looked up. “Oh, my stars, wait. Do you really want to help us?” She added in a more dramatic whisper, “Do you want your Queen to win?”
“Yes, I really do.”
“Then…Look,” Lyria said, and dug around in her crossbody bag. She produced one of those glass bottles full of the crushed, blue flower. “Do you recognize this?” She held out the bottle through the opening between the window panes. The fae woman’s face was surprised, her mouth open. She managed a nod.
“How would you feel, if Cantillion’s food was spiced up a little before the day of the attack?”
The fae woman’s shock turned to a knowing, though simple grin. I turned to give Lyria a stare.
Lyria smiled. “Thank you. You’re a good woman. And truthfully, I want your Queen to win, too. If I do have to go in the arena—“
The fae woman raised her hands, palms out. “No need to say, no need to say. The Queen will strike you down. She is strong.”
Lyria closed her mouth without saying anything to that. The fae woman took the bottle. Luckily, it was small enough to fit through the opening.
“I will come again to help you, if I can think of any way,” the fae woman said, and then by the sounds of it, she stepped away and left.
Lyria turned to me to whisper, “She sounded genuine. That was all quite credible, that’s exactly how fae would be. Power struggles, challenges, choosing sides to support in battle…I hope she manages to sneak that medicine to Cantillion’s food, somehow.”
I shook my head. “I would never have thought of that in time.”
Lyria shrugged, giving me a sweet look.
Then she turned to look at the message scroll. “Oh…merciful stars,” she exclaimed. “It’s a message from Andre. He’s all right…This looks to be his handwriting. And it’s not shaky or anything. You understand what I’m saying, Milla? I think this is a message from Andre and he’s all right, and it’s a long letter, too, look at this. Let’s see…”
“Thank goodness,” I sighed, especially happy to hear so much relief and rising hope in Lyria’s voice.
“Andre’s saying that as Cantillion wants the human armies to go to battle with him, Cantillion is sending out messengers to tell the world that Galandea is under fae flag now…Fae flag! Who would have ever imagined? The fae don’t even care for human regions, or property…The arrogance! If Cantillion’s doing this, he’s only doing it to boast about his strength.”
“How do you think people are reacting to it?”
“Of course it’s clear he’s ruling the castle now,” Lyria said as if she needed to explain herself, “but to send out messengers to our allies to point this out? He’s trying to involve everyone. He’s asking for reactions. And yes, I agree with Andre, he’s doing it so he can get human kings and queens to join him in his stupid war effort. He thinks people will now have reason to follow him, fearing he’ll take their castles, too. And in a sad way, he’s right! It could be that if some kings or queens refuse, they’ll worry that their castle could be next, and they might not even be wrong about that…Do you realize, Milla, that this is the first time ever that fae have taken over human kingdoms? They’ve never cared to. I always knew Cantillion was bad news in every possible way. He has a dark cloud hovering above him, he’s nothing but a vulture, he never brings anyone anything but death and despair. I hated, hated those summers for a good reason.”
I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. After yesterday, we had been hopelessly at this, hugging each other for no reason, laughing over no sensible thing, interrupting sentences to kiss. But Lyria’s brow was furrowed, and I pushed aside some of her hair and tried to read the letter too.
“By the skies, I feel like a fool, Milla. This just made my previous ideas about Cantillion look like an innocent drawing by a child. I’ve been so naive. I’ve always known he’s hard, like fae are, and I’ve called him a monster, but I never realized just how far they will go for the smallest things. What I previously thought of him was like a bed-time story for babies. He’s way worse. Seriously. I had no idea.”
“What does it say…?”
“Cantillion is organizing the hunts on humans, supporting some of the fae groups prowling around the towns, so that the fae queen would look bad.” Lyria muttered silently to herself, cursing. “He’s not only supporting it, he’s making it happen! And here I thought he was our ally in bringing an end to that…”
“Oh, by the skies!” I huffed. I’d never imagined him to be a person with much heart, but it was hard to see the pain in Lyria’s eyes, as she processed this.
“He’s always used his powers with a terribly easy hand. He doesn’t give any thought to who gets hurt or killed on the way, as long as he gets what he wants, and that should be a given, of course, why would anyone expect otherwise, but again, the scope of it…He has been killing villagers who’ve met them at the gates of their villages, not even doing anything to attack them, old people, women, babies…simply for ‘gaping’, Andre says here. They have been burning villages just to take their harvest and dump it. And it doesn’t even end there. I can’t believe I ever considered making any kind of deal with him. Andre believes…” She pulled a shaky breath. “Milla, Andre believes Cantillion had my father killed as an example for not bending to his will, so the others would accept his offers.” Lyria turned to stare at me, eyes bewildered. “By the skies. I’ll end him.”
“Lyria…”
“Watch me.”
Chapter 28