Page 42 of Crowned A Traitor
"Heiress, I apologize I didn't recognize you," the Leprechaun said.
"Lilith sent me."
The Leprechaun put a finger to his lips while another Leprechaun with big red curls took the paper from the Goblin.
The Goblin bared his yellowed teeth as his paper was taken away. "Want to read, or you want to drink," the Leprechaun threatened. The Goblin huffed ordering another round while the Leprechaun polished another glass.
"Take over," the Leprechaun ordered and led Klara to the back. "What's your name?" Klara asked quickly, and he shook his head. The sweet smell from distilling fungus was enough to turn her stomach, and yet her guide didn't seem bothered in the slightest.
"You don't need to know..." he said, taking his gold pocket-watch in hand. The gold shone over the door's lock before the door swung slowly open.
"That cloaking spell is strong, and my eyes have never deceived me until now. You'll need that protection since your face is on every paper in the Forest."
"Noted," she smiled faintly. Thankfully not many in the Forest bothered reading, and a good percentage were illiterate.
The Leprechaun lit a candle and sat at his desk. "I was afraid this day would come," he sighed leaning deeper into his chair. Klara took a seat across from him.
"Lilith warned me she might send you, but I didn't think the tensions would rise this high."
"Well the Queens want my head, so whatever Lilith arranged I need to call in the favour."
"The journey won't be easy," he said, folding his arms across his chest.
"Remember whom you are talking to." Klara could sense him wavering. He was a businessman first and foremost. She flashed her black eyes and fear brought out his most elegant posture. Sometimes it's better to be feared than loved.
"When did you last speak to her?" Klara asked as the awkward tension grew, and he shrugged.
"I'll have to consult my records." He went to the small safe in the corner of his office. Twisting the rusted dial, he pulled out a thick ledger. Its brown leather cover was aged and cracked from centuries of use. It opened with a dust disturbing thud, and he ran his fingers down the list.
"Twelve years ago," he said, and Klara didn't recognize the significance she was only five at the time, she didn't even live with the Queens at that stage.
"Did Lilith tell you why she needed your assistance?" It was a long shot, but she had to ask.
"Yes, the greatest General ever to serve the King decided to share her deepest and darkest betrayal with the owner of a humble den."
"Careful," Klara warned, and he put on his thin-rimmed glasses. She glanced over the endless names, some with lines drawn through them. He pulled the ledger away from her prying eyes. "Why the lines?"
He moved his glasses to the top of his head. "Those who were killed or captured."
"How do you know which?"
"Doesn't matter, both lead to the same fate. My spies let me know who makes it and who doesn't." That was all she was going to get from him.
It hit her like a lightning bolt. Klara had been five when Lucifer brought Frendall into her company. Lilith had been tasked with training them together. She saw the threat before anyone else.
In the years Lilith had tortured Klara to breaking point and froze her in the ice ponds, she hadn't thought to mention why. Klara had believed that it was Abadan pulling Lilith's strings, but maybe she was training her to see the real enemy all along, her best friend and ally.
"What did she want from you?" Klara asked as the Leprechaun tapped his yellow nails against the page with her name. Klara Lucifer was written in gold ink while the others remained in black. That was all she could make out before he slammed the ledger shut.
"Passage to Kalos, but as you can see there is no up to date payment for such a trip," He said, and she couldn't believe that after all that training, in the end, Lilith wanted her to bolt like a coward. The venture would both secure her safety and confirm her death sentence.
"Although we could come to some arrangement," He hesitated, and Klara knew it was too good to be true.
"The cost has gone up significantly since Lilith placed her order. The Fae are heavily armed, and the Ferrier doesn't exactly owe the King a debt. To ferry you across the River to the Neutral Lands would be a great burden."
"Who are you?" She didn't have time to haggle. "You do know I have the power to reveal your true nature," Klara threatened, and she saw a flash of yellow. "You make idle threats for someone seeking a smuggler."
Klara reached into the bag and pulled out a small bag of jewels that she guessed Lilith had stolen from Abadan's vault.
