Page 62 of The Noldrin Witch

The past two days had been an endless parade of work for Elise. She had spent every hour laboring tirelessly around the workshop. With only Emery as a distraction, she moved from one chore to the next without giving it much thought. From collecting herbs and roots to dusting every corner of the small magical library, she had done her best to ignore Fabian, and the fairies were beginning to look upon her with more agreeable eyes…well, almost all.

Even though she had not needed to mention the Devil’s name or suggest any acquaintance with demons, no one had dared engage her in conversation. Fabian’s closest fairies seemed particularly interested in keeping Elise in isolation.

Her days were quiet, and she had not really gotten to know anyone besides Emery. Still, despite the lack of warmth, she could tell people were watching her. A few kind glances and the faintest of smiles told her they appreciated her hard work in their own way.

Morgaine was still with Beth at her cottage. They had received orders from Devon about the witches’ role in the war. Elise did not know the specifics, as the witches had kept their tongues firmly tied on that matter. But when it came to Fabian’s accusation, their tongues had loosened considerably. On that subject, she had received more advice than she would ever have asked for.

Morgaine had offered to bring her a potion to put the man into a long, pleasant sleep. Elise suspected such prolonged slumber could only mean one dreadful thing, and knowing Morgaine, she preferred not to ask.

So opposed to revenge was Elise that, instead of repaying harm with harm, she had set herself to learn the ways of the fairies.

Elise was reading the scrolls and sacred documents the fairies followed. According to Morgaine, the “tarts” had been collecting that information for centuries and arranging it to suit their purposes. She had warned Elise about reading it and urged her to see it for what it was: a fairy tale the fairies had crafted to present themselves as the keepers of goodness in the magical world. Morgaine admitted, though somewhat reluctantly, that their compilations also contained a few scraps of useful knowledge, so it was not a complete waste of time to study them.

At present, Elise had used the last drops of the Dutiful Maid Potion to finish a scroll that had caught her attention. With renewed energy coursing through her, she couldn’t shake the idea of going to the gardens in search of the Stone of Raj. That very day, she had learned where the labyrinth Morgaine had mentioned was, and the urge to find the rock had become impossible to ignore.

“What do you think, Bruno?” she asked. “Should I keep reading or look for the stone?”

A loud caw made it clear he preferred the latter.

“Alright.”

Bruno was the first to be ready to leave the room. He darted from wall to wall. The bird was so impatient that Elise grabbed the first cape she could find and immediately set off for the gardens.

The sky was a pale shade of blue that darkened the higher one looked. The gardens lay tangled in shadows, reminding Elise it was too late for guards to be about.

All in all, it seemed the perfect opportunity to explore without distractions. After wandering for a while, she finally found the entrance to the famed labyrinth. She could barely believe her luck as she started walking through it.

She advanced along a narrow path that soon divided into two. Elise followed the path Bruno cawed at most furiously. The farther she walked, the more paths she found herself facing, and while she was firmly resolved to find the stone, she was beginning to lose confidence in her ability to navigate the place.

That was, of course, until something far more terrifying than becoming lost brought her to a halt.

“You came back,” the voice of a man called from behind.

Elise’s eyes widened to the size of saucers. She felt something graze her hair for a moment. Her whole body stiffened at once, and she could not bring herself to utter a single word.

The man did not wait for a reply, however, and continued. “Morgaine, you don’t know how much I’ve missed you.”

He leaned closer and took a whiff of her hair.

Elise was glad that at least this one had not dared grab her leg as Henrik had done at the apothecary, but still, she did not know what to expect from what was surely one of Morgaine’s former lovers.

She turned, her hand already tense and ready to deliver a good slap should the situation demand it. But when she saw the man, all such intentions vanished. This was no peddler or man of trade, but the king himself.

“Your Majesty.”

Chapter 27

Kurt marched through the castle eager to be done with his mission. Sebastian was nowhere to be seen, and he had been left waiting in the hall while the many servants tried to locate him. He paced around the great hall like a lion in a cage. It was already late, and he had no desire to wait until tomorrow to see Elise.

The longer he waited for Sebastian to appear, the more he feared he would have to postpone his visit to Elise’s house. He could not bear another day without seeing her. Running out of patience, he made his way to the gardens, where he knew his friend spent many nights wandering.

He headed straight for the maze, and as soon as he had advanced along its paths, he heard Sebastian through the walls of clipped greenery.

“You are just as fair. How is it possible?” Sebastian’s voice was barely audible.

“You are too kind,” a woman murmured.

Kurt had not known Sebastian used the labyrinth to conduct business of the heart...or whatever this was.