Page 5 of The Curse of a Kingdom
Her shoulders eased as she settled in the entryway. No one was here; she rushed to the front desk and rummaged through a rustic wooden box that was stained with age and held brass skeleton keys. The bees crawled everywhere, and the sensation of doom grew in the pit of her stomach, warning her.
Nava cursed under her breath and headed to the steps. She would have to release a man, who was hated by everyone, out of the prison she put him in, without the keys.
She ran up steps carved from live wood into the massive tree. The energy of it vibrated through every inch of her skin and blood, healing her body as she pushed forward. She was getting used to this part of being a Beekeeper, being the same with nature.
She and Ari protected it, whatever that meant. Nature, in return, responded to their calls, lending them energy when needed.
The sorcerer’s magic bound the tree to repel people trying to release prisoners or prevent them from escaping. Nature, however, was aiding her, even though her intentions were clear.
Once, Ari had mentioned that they were one with the forest and its creatures, that it would help them and then would come around when it was their turn to replenish it. Nava had seen Aristaeus bring spring flowers out of thawing grounds before.
She climbed hundreds of uneven steps. The farther up she went, the stronger the surrounding magic became, almost suffocating her.
Nava took two steps at a time. Devon’s ship still awaited his return to the ports in Willowbrook. They could take it to the Copper Kingdom, and maybe she wouldn’t die before they got there.
Torches on the walls illuminated the top floor, casting long shadows that moved over the ground. The energy emanating from the tree’s core enveloped her like a shield. Bees flew around her, crawling over the ground and the walls. The stairs stopped in the middle of the room; now that she was here, she counted nine cells.
Only one of them had the lights on.
Nava cleared her throat and made her way with tentative steps. She hesitated when she came upon a man sitting on a white cot. He wore simple black pants and a black striped shirt. His hair was longer than when she’d seen him in Willowbrook a year prior. It was similar to the way it’d been the day they’d met in the front garden of her manor eleven years ago.
Dread pooled in her stomach, and she stopped. Nava couldn’t do this; she couldn’t release this monster after all he’d done. Even if it meant she would die.
She took a step back. He was her chance of survival for both Arkimedes and her, and she had made it all the way here. Devon knew where the Copper Kingdom was and had the ship to take her there.
The world demanded two Beekeepers—Ari had revealed as much. Even if she died, another would be born, right? It didn’t have to be her. Arkimedes didn’t need to be their protector.
She took another step back and froze, her soulmate mark throbbing as if in response to her thoughts. Tears dropped from her eyes, and a booming voice came into her head. It spoke in tongues, a language she didn’t recognize. However, she understood.
“You will find your soulmate and defeat the demons.”
It wasn’t a voice she had heard before, and the sound of it made her hair stand on edge. Warmth rushed through her as she remained in her spot. Her insects crawled up her glowing skin. She understood with clarity; the Zorren's threat was much more significant than her, and a higher power refused to let her give up.
Nava steeled her fading resolve and walked a step closer to Devon. His head snapped up, and his lips parted as he took her in. She must be something to behold, with golden bees crawling over her body, her face visible and covered in sweat.
“Devon,” she said in a commanding tone, or at least she hoped it was.
He came to his feet lazily, his head arching to the side, exposing his long, pale neck. “Now, this is something I didn’t expect to see today.” He walked closer to the cell bars.
“I need your help.”
He barked a laugh that lacked warmth to it, shaking his head. “That might be the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard.”
She took a couple of steps forward, closing the gap between them. “The Dark Ones took Arkimedes last night.”
Her body almost touched the iron bars of the cell. It was so small in there, just a bed with thin blankets. The walls were plain dark wood, covered in a thick layer of moss that extended to the floor. A basin to the side of the room, nowhere left for privacy.
“Help me find the Copper Kingdom.” Her voice wavered. She knew so little of the other kingdoms of this world. Geography and politics were not her favorite subjects. “We could take . . . your ship?”
Devon’s eyes raked down her body, and one corner of his lips tilted. “Have you looked at yourself in a mirror? You don’t have that long.”
Nava didn’t understand why her health deteriorated so quickly. It had taken her father much longer than a few hours to die after her mother had expired—a dreadful year of him suffering and sleeping.
The reality of his words hit her like stones dropping into her stomach. “Do you know any other way? To get there, to save him?”
He studied her quietly. “Perhaps I do.”
“How?”
