Page 133 of Wilds of Wonder
He’d woken me up this morning, blindfolded me, and very sternly told me that I was not to peek or ask any questions. We were supposed to leave soon, back to the Wilds to investigate those crypts where Spirit Shadow—and possibly another spirit—had escaped.
Annalee was going to travel with us and corral any creatures who might want to voluntarily come back to the frost court with her, while Maverick and I would travel on to wherever our investigation led us. But first, he’d said we needed to make a stop.
At this mystery place that I still had yet to see. It had only taken a few minutes to walk here from Maverick’s apartment in Karstad, but I was brimming with curiosity.
He untied the blindfold, revealing a dim, dank space filled withcobwebs, dust, and quite a few rodents scurrying across the scratched wooden floorboards.
I glanced over at Maverick, who looked uncharacteristically nervous. “What is this?” I asked, running my finger along broken shelves that lined the walls. The wood was splintered, some of the shelves hanging diagonally, others broken clean in half.
“Right now?” Maverick asked. “It’s a wreck. But one day? I hope it can be our museum.”
I froze, finger pressed into the shelf.
“I hope it’s okay that I bought this place.” He swore under his breath. “I should’ve asked first, shouldn’t I? This is one of those marriage things where I definitely needed to check with you before doing something so big. I just thought?—”
I whirled, throwing my arms around his neck. “I love it. So much.”
He pushed me at arm’s length, studying my face. “Are you just saying that? Because if you don’t love it, we can sell it.”
I walked to the middle of the room and lifted my arms. “Right here can be a display case full of all the texts we’ve found over the years and translated versions.” I walked to the opposite wall. “Right here? We could have an exhibit.” I spread out my hands. “Royals from the Old World. I’d love to do a comparison between the royals of then and the royals of now.”
His lips quirked.
I ran to the back of the room. “And here is where we can display everything we have connected to the Seven Spirits.” I gasped. “We could even collect some of the dust that we suspect is tied to each of them, keep it in little jars.” I spun around. “We can have workshops for those who are interested in learning more about being a historian. We can have story time for children.” I squealed. “There’s so much potential here.”
Maverick stared at me, his copper eyes following my every move.
“What?” I asked. “Too much?”
“Never,” he said fiercely. “I’m just glad you love it. I know this was your dream. I wanted to help you fulfill it.”
No one had ever cared about my dreams. No one had ever encouraged them or even entertained them. But here was this man,not just caring about my dreams. But actually willing to help me achieve them.
“It’s amazing, Maverick.” Tears welled in my eyes. “As soon as we get back from our journey, we’ll get to work on it.” I leaned against a shelf. “Do you think Aron will be okay without us?”
Maverick frowned. He’d spoken to the council just yesterday, all of them with mixed reactions. Neither the queen’s husband or son were fit to rule. She’d married a man with no spine, someone who would just follow along with no ambition for power—and she’d raised a son in the same vein. She hadn’t wanted anyone to succeed her. I was starting to think she thought she’d find a way to live and rule forever. It was truly bizarre. Demented. Still, the council hadn’t been completely sold on Aron. They believed he was Aronark. He met with them and told them his entire story, and he knew things about the former king, the royal family, that no one could have known other than him.
He was also a shapeshifting wolf. That was hard for them to wrap their minds around. Overall, the meeting had been positive but not decisive.
We needed the other rulers on board to get Aron on the throne. He’d be an amazing king. Exactly what this court needed as we sped toward an uncertain future.
“I know that look,” Maverick said. “What’s going on in your head right now?”
I bit my lip. “I think before we go to the Wilds, we have to go see Princess Poppy.”
His eyebrows shot up.
“We have to tell her where Leoni and Driscoll went. We have to tell her about Aron. She’ll believe me. She’ll be on our side. And she can call another conclave so the other rulers can ratify Aron’s position as king. If all the rulers agree, they can bypass the council.”
Maverick nodded slowly. “You’re right.”
“I know,” I said. “I think that’s our priority right now. The frost court needs a strong leader. Before we go to the Wilds, I want to make sure Aron gets that chance. He grew up in the castle. He grew up watching his own father lead as king, then his brother. He was the one who ran the Wilds, for spirits’ sake.”
Maverick let out a quiet laugh.
“You know it’s true. He kept El in line. He was the one who guided her. She might have been the queen of hearts. But he was the king. He just didn’t want to admit it. Was in denial.”
Maverick tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “Okay, then. To Valoris we go. We’ll meet with Princess Poppy. We can talk to the council, let them know we’re bringing Aron with us. The council can rule temporarily until we figure this situation out.”
