Page 44 of Prince of the Northwest Forest
It’s Justice. I stop. Seeing him makes the ball of anger inside me deflate.
Justice is dressed neatly, but still in his usual boots. “Hey, are you okay?” he asks.
I consider downplaying it but decide to be honest. “No. Not at all.”
“I didn’t think so.” We continue down the path together. “Where are you going?”
“To the castle. I need to gather things for a journey to find Princess Eleanor.”
“Who was that who took your bride?”
“I think it might have been a fae sorcerer.”
Justice looks like he wants to ask more, but he settles for: “That was wild.”
“It’s a clusterfuck. But what’s worse is that they stole my ability to talk to animals.”
His jaw drops. “Are you serious?”
I swallow hard. “I cannot communicate with any of them.”
“What are we going to do?”We.
“This isn’t your problem.”
“I’d like to help, if I can. Are you going to go after the princess? Or do you have guards to do that?”
“We do, but I should go regardless, because once we find her, I will need to talk with her.” I stiffen. “I don’t want my parents starting a war.”
Firecats.
“Do you know where the sorcerer went? How will you convince them to give up your bride?”
“I’m going to begin with the Fae Realm, but really, I have no idea. I’m making this up as I go along.”
His eyes light up. “Well, make it up with me. If you give me a little time, I can pack and join you.”
“You don’t need to do that.”
“Do you not want me to come?”
I hesitate.
Justice sees. He smiles. “I’ll go with you,” he says. “If you can’t talk with animals, you’ll be lonely. You can talk with me.”
He mustn’t do this. I don’t want to risk him getting hurt or having worse things taken from him by the fae. “I want to go alone,” I blurt.
“Why?”
“This is my problem and my failure,” I admit. “And I need to fix it.”
“Well, I can help. So can I come? I’m a good camper.”
While I don’t want to endanger him, going on this quest with only animals I can’t communicate with is probably a bad idea. And while I could get a human from the court to join me, we must make haste. Every moment Eleanor is in her kidnapper’s hands is one where her well-being is uncertain. How do I know he will feed her and care for her? That he won’t hurt her?
“I want to help, and if you need another reason, it would mean a great deal to me if I can retrieve my memory while we’re in the Fae Realm,” Justice says.
So this isn’t just for me. That makes a difference. And I want him along. I can’t explain why. “What about your job? Can you just go away without repercussions?”
