Page 57 of Beasts of Briar
By this point, everyone was laying around me, staring up at the blue sky and the puffy white clouds dotting it.
“Why do you work for him?” Leoni asked after some silence.
I stiffened. I wasn’t the only one who was avoiding hard conversations. We hadn’t asked the pixies why they’d serve Kairoth instead of living with the other pixies in the jungle. We just had fun with them. Or Driscoll and Leoni did. I was usually on the sidelines, silent but listening.
“We do not serve him,” Jerome said. “We serve the shadow court. Wesley and I have been serving this castle since it was built.”
“It’s our birthright,” Wesley said.
“Speak for yourselves,” Goji said glumly.
“Oh, Goji.” Jerome turned his head to look at her. “It’s not so bad here. You get to work with two handsome pixies, after all.”
“Oh yes, my life’s dream,” she said drily.
“You’re paying the consequence for your foolish actions,” Wesley said, his tone like that of an adult chastising a child. “You made a bad decision, and you know it.”
“Wait,” Driscoll said. “Is that why you’re here? Because of what you did?”
My head snapped in Goji’s direction as I waited for the pixie’s response.
She sighed. “I betrayed him. I lost his trust. So now he wants to keep a close eye on me.” Goji sniffed. “It’s fine. I will earn back his trust and then I can get out of this spirits-forsaken castle—and away from these two.” She jabbed a thumb at Wesley and Jerome.
Leoni picked absently at a dandelion by her side, the breeze blowing the feathery tufts into the air. “How can you all just be okay working for someone like that? He’s... evil.”
And there it was. The conversation we’d been avoiding since we got here. A conversation that could end any burgeoning friendship Driscoll and Leoni had with the pixies.
“He’s not evil,” Goji said, and I didn’t know why I felt such relief at her words.
“I hate to point out the obvious,” Driscoll said, “but he imprisoned you.” He pointed a finger at Goji.
“It’s not like that,” Goji said. “He’s been betrayed before. Hurt. What I did... I don’t regret it, but I could’ve gone about it in a different way, a way that involved him. He was betrayed before. By a shadow elemental who survived his slaughter. She came to work for him at the castle, to help him. He confided in her, and after many, many years, she convinced him to let her leave, to go out on his behalf and speak to the other leaders of the courts, to get their help.”
We all stayed silent, listening to Goji’s story.
“She went to Gilraeth, and when she didn’t return, Master Kairoth found out that she was using his name to instill fear. Using his name to help herself rise to power. She claimed she was some sorceress working for the mysterious Shadow King. That she was there under his orders to take over the fire court and rule in his name. She stole dragons’ shadows. She overthrew the rulers. She cursed the princess to a deep sleep. Kairoth sank into a deep depression after that. She’d been a friend to him. Eventually, Princess Seraphina freed herself and defeated the sorceress, but after that Kairoth hasn’t trusted easily. He’s been closed off.” Goji rubbed her arms. “Like I said, I should have gone about it differently.”
I felt sorry for Kairoth. That must’ve been so hard, so lonely, for him to realize the one friend he had wasn’t actually a friend at all.
Wesley was glaring at Goji. “It’s not our place to talk about Master’s past.”
Goji cleared her throat. “Just be thankful you’re on his good side, that he’s offered you a place in his castle instead of below it—or out there.” She jabbed a thumb at the jungle that stretched out down below.
“Oh, he wouldn’t do that,” Driscoll said, shooting a sly smile my way. “Not when he’s spending every night with Bellamy.”
My face heated as everyone’s gaze landed on me.“It’s not like that.”
Goji’s brows drew together and she sat up. “What?”
So she didn’t know. None of the pixies did from the confused looks on Wesley’s and Jerome’s faces.
“He just sits with me on the terrace while I knit my sweaters. Sometimes we play games.”
“Games?” Goji echoed. “You play games with him?”
Jerome’s eyes widened, and Wesley choked, banging his fist against his chest. “I’ve been trying to get Master Kairoth to play a round of chess with me for years.”
I shot Driscoll a withering look, but he just smiled back at me. “I think your master might have a crush. I’m honestly shocked. All Bellamy does is glare and tell us to shut up. Then again, maybe that’s his thing. Grumpy, glaring women.”
