Page 84 of Prince of the Northwest Forest
He laughs. “Wow. I didn’t think that the ability would still work back in the, uh, real world. So to speak. Okay. Cool. What are you going to do while I’m working?”
“I’m going to keep looking for my brother.”
“I’ll come and search with you when I can,” he says. “But I do need to catch up on some hours.”
“Good.” I kiss him one last time and take off, even though all I want is to stay.
As Hazel, Martin, and I pass the Renversé Hotel on our way back to the forest, I make a detour, even though I no longer work there, and walk over to where the gophers live. A few have abandoned their holes, I can tell, but some steadfast types are still there.
I sit down, my sword at my side, and wait for them to come up.
Finally, one does, his tiny nose sniffing the air. “Prince Kalle! You’re back!”
“I am back. And I have many things to tell you.”
After exchanging pleasantries and discussing the owls and cats, I bring up what I wanted to say. “I was recently walking through parts of the Northwest Forest that were devastated by the Fire Realm. And it occurred to me that if you were willing, you might find some good work there.”
The little guy frowns. “But we have plenty to do right here.”
“I bet there are fewer owls and other predators there, because there are fewer trees—so that would make your lives easier. And your digging magic could really make a difference. You could help rebuild the forest.”
“If you are asking us for help, we will do it, Prince Kalle,” he says. “We won’t let you down.”
When I step into Huckleberry Castle, the dark carved timber ceilings feel homey after the cool blues of the Ice Palace and the Fire Castle’s glittering obsidian. I say hello to my parentsand report all that happened. Then I get cleaned up in my suite. It’s welcoming and familiar. Yet something essential is not here. Risteárd comes in, and I arrange for a restock of food and supplies to be sent to Seya’s cabin. Then I walk around the grounds, catching up with all the animals, but I keep sensing that something is missing.
Justice. Of course, Justice should be with me.
When it’s bedtime, I can’t sleep. I need Justice. My bed feels empty without him. I miss the warmth of his body. Even when we weren’t lovers, I liked sleeping beside him. And now that we are lovers … I want him that much more.
“I’m going to Princedelphia,” I say to a sleepy Risteárd, who is curled up in his room down the hall from my chambers.
I slip off into the night, my sword in my scabbard and my faithful fox and elk at my side.
Chapter Twenty-Four
JUSTICE
I’ve been lying on my bed for what seems like hours, staring at the ceiling, then restlessly flopping onto my front before inevitably turning over again. My body’s sore, and my eyes are scratchy, but I can’t sleep. There’s a ringing in my ears, and my vision is blurry.
Is Kalle okay? I don’t know why he wouldn’t be, but not being in constant contact with him makes me worry. And I miss him. My throat gets thick, and it’s hard to swallow.
I keep reenacting our first kiss in my mind, because it’s my new first kiss. He gripped my face firmly but gently. He tasted like mint. It felt so utterlyrightto be kissing him. I trace my lip with one finger and wish he were the one touching me.
Maybe I don’t need to keep searching for my stolen memory.
Maybe Kalle’s kiss is enough.
I flip back onto my stomach and punch my pillow. If I’m being honest with myself—which I always try to be—it feels like I’d be giving in if I didn’t track down my original memory. Without it, I’ll never know exactly what the fae took, because it’s not just the one memory—it’s all the related ones, too.
So … how and when should I go to the Fae Realm? Now that I know the way to Icedonia, I don’t think it should take me thatlong to get there. I can deliver the masquerade invitation for Prince Felix, and then maybe I can find the portal on the way out.
It’s also an excuse to use my fabulous new cloak in the snow. So, like, bonus?
Or maybe there’s a closer portal. Now that I can talk with animals, I can get directions—and gossip.
Thinking about talking to animals makes me think of Kalle again. I lay a hand on my breastbone in response to the heaviness in my chest. I wish I had some way to text him. I could send a bird, of course, but I want to keep my thoughts about him more private than that.
I turn onto my back again and pull my feet up, my knees bent. I wrap my arms around my middle and stroke my forearm absently, needing touch.
