“The Queen herself blessed this place,” Farron continues. “As she did all the realms. And she left a gift for the people of Spring. I told you last night, you’re the only one who can create roses. But then I remembered she built an archway leading to the Draconhold Forge. An archway that would forever be in bloom.”
My hands gently touch the pendant around my neck. Two gems dangle from it: a golden leaf gifted to me by Farron’s father, and a moonstone rose. Keldarion had said it was the symbol of the Queen. Papa told me this was a trinket my mother had found at an archeological dig site …
Something pricks at the edge of my mind.
My mother was fae. Perhaps she had some connection to the Queen.
“Hey, Fare,” Dayton says. “How sure are you about that ‘always in bloom’ part?”
Ahead of us sprawls an archway, a tangle of magnificent briars covered in red roses. But an earthy and too-sweet smell fills my nose. The roses on the briars … They’re wilting. A dusting of dark petals lines the walkway like a trail of blood.
Farron bends down to scoop up a handful of petals. “It’s like at Castletree,” he says softly. “The Queen’s magic … It’s fading from the Enchanted Vale.”
26
Rosalina
“It’s like another world,” I whisper, gazing at the Draconhold Forge.
A narrow passage has led us deep within the heart of the mountain. Smoldering embers dance on thick smoky air. The forge is a mesmerizing sight to behold. The cavernous chamber is bathed in the warm glow of molten metal, casting flickering shadows upon the stone walls. The rhythmic pounding of hammers on anvils reverberates through the space, a symphony of creation in progress.
“Come on,” Dayton growls, ears twitching. “Let’s find the person in charge.”
Hundreds of fae artisans move with fluid grace, despite their bulky protective coverings. Tools of various sizes and shapes are meticulously arranged near glowing anvils, which seem to pulse with their own sort of magic. Glimmering ores and precious gemstones lie in stone containers, waiting to be transformed.
“Hail Above! The light must not be with me today to find two princelings disturbing my forge?”
Farron gulps. “I know that voice…”
We whirl to see a female blacksmith standing before us. She’s clad in leather armor, covered by a sturdy black apron. A protective shield covers her face, the light making it hard to see her features. She’s much shorter than all of us, but the way she has her hammer thrown over her shoulder and the tight corded muscles in her arm, she’s not someone to mess with.
“Oh hey, Tilla.” Dayton steps in front of me, voice dripping with charisma. “Didn’t know you worked here now.”
Tilla … I know that name from somewhere.
The blacksmith pulls off her shield with a long sigh. She’s beautiful, with tawny skin, dark eyes, and long black hair swept back in a tight tail. “What are you doing here?”
“Ezryn sent us,” Farron says.
Tilla’s gaze sweeps over all of us before landing on me.
“Kel didn’t travel with us,” Dayton says. “He’s in the Winter Realm.”
“Did I ask, Sunshine?” She rolls her eyes. “Follow me. I command the east sector. If High Prince Ezryn sent you, it must be important.”
Dayton and Farron explain our situation to Tilla, but I fall behind, mind working. Tilla … Caspian had brought her up at a dinner we had months ago. She was with Kel romantically, at least for a time. Does she know who I am? That Keldarion is my mate?
Sickening jealousy courses through me as I realize he’s probably done more with her than he’s ever considered with me.
Tilla leads us around a corner to an outcropping that overlooks the entire cavern. From this high, the workers all look like little ants scurrying about. There are deep chasms as well with swinging bridges leading across. If someone were to fall…
My stomach drops.
Tilla stops beside a grand anvil, throwing her hammer down. This must be her own personal workspace. “Ezryn sent you. Why?”
“Goblin forces have been spotted wielding Spring steel,” Farron explains. “We’re trying to figure out how they came by it. Have there been any attacks against the forge or any missing stock?”
Tilla narrows her eyes. “We often hear the goblins chittering from the deep, but they don’t dare come up here. They burrow out of the tunnels across the Starweaver Mountains, sure, but we’ve had no attack or loss of our weapons. Everything is accounted for.”
Once again, the immensity of the Below staggers me. I’ve been to Cryptgarden but have since learned the Below is so much bigger. Tunnels, caverns, and cities stretch beneath all of the Enchanted Vale. It’s like a whole other world.
“But the goblins had the steel. Steel that only comes from this forge,” Dayton insists.
Tilla’s face hardens. “I’m not doubting you, Daytonales. But they didn’t get it from Draconhold.”
I bite my lip and breathe in the warm, smoky air. “Have there been any reports on attacked shipments? If you export the steel, perhaps one of the wagons was overtaken on the road.”
Tilla crosses her arms. “Not that I’ve heard.”
Reaching into the bag slung around Dayton’s chest, I pull out one of the swords we retrieved from the goblins. “We found this in the possession of a goblin. The others were armed similarly.”
Tilla takes the sword and places it on a stone slab. She runs a hand over it, her palm glowing with flame. Red markings begin to spark across the sword. “This is recently made, from our latest batches. One we sent to…” She pulls her hand away, the red marks fading.
Dayton opens his mouth, but I gently place a hand on his arm. This isn’t the type of woman who can be pressured into revealing anything.
She eyes me carefully, then hands Dayton back the blade. “There has been an unusually high shipment of weapons up to Queen’s Reach Monastery since the boy prince took over.”
“Kairyn.” Saying his name makes me feel like I have shadows on my tongue.
“What do a bunch of holy folk need weapons for?” Dayton asks.
Farron smacks him on the chest. “Probably for the Queen’s Army. Though they haven’t seen combat in centuries.” He must notice my blank expression and continues, “They’re an elite force of fae soldiers, training day and night until our Queen has need of them.”
“Prince Kairyn sent word that the weapons they had were naught but rusted toys. It might have nothing to do with it, but there have been troubling reports of goblin raids in the high mountains by Queen’s Reach Monastery,” Tilla says.
“Perhaps Kairyn thought reporting a goblin raid on his weapon shipment would make him appear weak, so he hid it,” I suggest, though even as I say the words, something darker simmers in my stomach. “Either way, it’s obvious where we should go next.”
“No,” Dayton whines. “I don’t want to go to the creepy monastery.”
A deep laugh fills Tilla. “I helped you, now you help me. There’s a bucket of raw gold at the bottom of this slope. Be good strong fae princes and carry it up. More than a quarter of our workers are away today.”
Dayton and Farron both sigh before going to retrieve it. I move to follow when Tilla says, “Stay. They can handle it.”
I swallow, my throat dry and wonder if she plans to throw me off into the depths of the Below.