“What do you say, Your Majesty? Will you help us bring back magic?” I whisper.
Krug hesitates. “When you first appeared in my home, I had my reservations. No hunt had made it so far, so that was already impressive, but when you stood before me and didn’t cower, that’s when you earned my respect.” He steps forward and lays his hand on my shoulder. “I will follow you wherever you lead, Cora the Fearless, for in following you, I know you will succeed in anything you do.”
My throat grows thick with emotion at the name he’d given me, a tradition among orcs. Krug the Destroyer. Cora the Fearless. He’s recognizing me as an equal, and it means more to me than I could ever explain.
“It’ll be dangerous,” I warn. “Kulmak withheld magic and locked it up so the humans could never get ahold of it. Unless he and Emelyn are at peace, it’ll never return.”
Krug grins. “Little human, we’ve been in danger since the moment you stepped into the Dead Lands. Why would I be afraid, when Cora the Fearless leads our cause?”
I guess he’s right.
* * *
For the restof the night, we settle into the safety of the cave. I’m surrounded by limbs, and there are so many strokes along my flesh, I don’t know whom they belong to. I don’t know where I end or begin, or where anyone does. I’ve started to realize it’s not only about me and surviving the Dead Lands, like I first thought when I’d been thrown to the monsters. This isn’t about my revenge or any petty vendettas I might carry against the Gilded Lands. All the lands need to change, each must be returned to its former glory, and the monsters deserve to live without fear.
This isn’t about me.
It never was.
This is about everyone, about the balance between lands, the future, and monsters and humans alike.
When dawn arrives, muted in the Dead Lands in a way it shouldn’t be, the last dredges of Emelyn’s magic fades with it. I feel her spirit urge me forward, and with her final phantom caress, I tuck the tiny journal into Grim’s satchel and straighten. I know the arachne fey have already long since passed, Bracken’s own powers lending to that knowledge.
“Everyone ready?” I ask, facing the rock.
I’m met by a chorus of, “Ready,” and I smile at the many voices of my monsters.
With a satisfied sigh, we leave the safety of the cave and make our way toward the castle.
ChapterThirty-Two
The castle is closer than I expected.
When Bracken picked me up and I directed him to the cave, we covered some of the last distance between us and the old castle that still stands. Even with magic dying and the time that’s passed, it stands like a silent sentinel in the realm, both a warning and a beacon. Its architecture is stunning and unlike anything I’ve seen before. Built with spires and points that serve as a threat to any enemies, it’s meant to intimidate, but I do not fear it. How could I when I know the love story that once unfolded here? A young princess was sent on a peace delegation, only for her to fall in love with a minotaur king, the king of all monsters.
My eyes trail over to Grim, who walks beside me, and I understand. I never knew Kulmak, but I know Grimus, and I would give up everything for him, for each of my monsters. Without them, I wouldn’t be the Cora I want to be.
I never really found myself until I was thrown to the monsters.
“Should we go inside?” Krug asks, staring up at the castle. We passed over the rock bridge without issue, and now we stand before the sprawling black palace. “No one has set foot inside the castle since the war. No one dares to.”
I study the front door and the iron pieces molded with the wood, none of them decaying. There’s an overwhelming feeling of animosity in the structure, but it’s not directed at us.
“We should,” I answer. “We’ll be safe inside.”
I take a step forward and press my fingers to the door. I don’t push or try to pry it open, but I let some of my magic trickle out, let it touch the iron and wood. Without any effort at all, the door pops open with an ominous click, allowing us passage.
“He wants us to be here,” I say, staring into the castle as flames erupt on the lanterns along the walls.
I step inside and take in the opulent yet coarse decor, the beautiful paintings of monsters lining the walls, the tapestries depicting scenes of older times, and the items that look human, which have been displayed with care, as if they were gifts from a particular woman, a special human.
“We should split up,” Bracken suggests.
“Splitting up is a terrible idea,” Grim rumbles.
Nero sighs. “Regardless, this castle is large, and we have a lot of ground to cover. We need to find where the final resting places are for King Kulmak and Emelyn and then reunite them. If there will be clues, then they’ll be here.”
Grim sniffs. “We go in groups of two.”
