The Fairy King and his Cursed Queen ✔

16 | OUR GOODBYES

My aim should have been Wissen—it was. It had been. But a sense of queasiness made my flight unsteady. I slowed. Eventually, I came to a stop, my wings fluttering at my back. North of here was Wissen, but behind me was of a bigger concern.

I nearly fell from the sky but regained myself and turned to face the destruction I'd just left behind.

Wissen was a day away, half a day if I put in more effort to reach before nightfall. But I couldn't bring myself to move toward it.

Dread filled me. Each time I blinked, the princess's foolish grin plagued me with woe.

"No. I don't need the memories now." I did not want them.

My wings lost power and my human form plummeted. A tree branch caught me. I came to my senses enough to land on my feet, crouched down, elbows on my knees.

I couldn't go back. I had no reason to. When the ground shook, I felt even worse.

"Forgive me, Princess. But you must learn your place. You must."

From below the ground, Manoj cried out. The most solace I could offer was to pat my hand against the trunk of the tree. "Shh. You will tame her after this."

It was as I'd feared. Manoj, without a proper—constant feeding, had weakened.

No. I did not think he'd best the fairy queen, not once her life was on the line. Because it wasn't her Manoj demanded of me when he said, "Bring her to me!" He'd meant the child.

Somewhere, in this wide, big world, I had a daughter, and she was necessary to revive Manoj.

As I had no memory of her now, I did not mind the prospect of giving her over. Finding her should have been my only mission, but instead, I half hopped—half flew from tree to tree until the clearing I'd left minutes ago came into view.

The goblin paced, tearful and afraid as the ogres tried with little success to cut Wyrn's flesh open to retrieve the goblin babes. I thought to shout out and warn against this—the goblin babies could be injured this way.

Matax now wore the princess's fur coat. He was the most frantic of everyone there.

"We need a sharper blade. Find me one!"

"No," the goblin moaned, rushing him and entreating, "they're harmless, really. We can get them out. You don't have to kill them. Please."

Matax brushed the goblin aside and circled the large ogre writhing on the ground. A madness came over him as he even tried punching at the boils that moved to avoid his violence.

Each shifting of the babes below Wyrn's skin came with an anguished cry from the ogre in question.

"We'll kill them all." Matax jumped to his feet and ordered, "Get hot water!"

The violent way Wyrn began to tremble spoke of a creature nearing its limit. "Father...."

Matax hurried to him and took him by the hand. "Shut up and stop calling me that. "I warned you not to take him lightly. Stupid. You stupid...."

Eventually he fell silent, long hair hanging in his face.

The female ogre was in tears when she approached and told Matax, "We can reach the queen—heal her from here. But...."

Matax wouldn't regard her. He simply nodded, "But you'd have to let these goblin vermin feed unabated." Despite his very reasonable words, he shook his head. "No."

With a look of woe and regret, she said, "I'm sorry."

She hurried back to her ogres, leaving Matax to hold Wyrn's hand tighter, cursing, "Filthy ogres."