Page 99 of Prince of the Northwest Forest
My stomach seizes up, and cold dread surges through my body. “What?” I whisper.Firecats. “How did he get there?”
“He found the portal that Prince Mats uses,” the hummingbird says. “A mouse told me, and I thought you might want to know.”
Why did I leave Justice alone? I should’ve sent someone else to accompany Mats. “Take me to him,” I order.
I hear a movement behind me, and when I look, Mats and Eleanor are there, all smiles.
“What is it?” Mats asks, his hair still wet from his bath. Then he reads my mind and pales. “Oh no.” He turns to Eleanor. “My brother’s boyfriend has entered the Fae Realm. And he’s not familiar with them, so who knows what kind of mischief they might wreak on him.”
“I need to go to Icedonia. It’s the closest portal. Or should I use the one in Tassiya Meadows and avoid having to deal with the Icedonians?” I ask.
“You should use the portal in our realm,” Eleanor says. “Obviously.”
I stare at her. “I had no idea there was a fae portal here. How far away is it?”
“A few miles. It’s an easy walk.”
“Okay. Thank you.” That’s a relief, but my head is still spinning. I need to go rescue Justice.
“You should eat something first,” Mats says.
I don’t want to. I want to rush to the Fae Realm, but I know that I need to keep up my strength and my focus. That is no place to lose your wits.
So I give both of them a quick nod. “Okay. If it is acceptable to you, I will eat my meal and then go.”
“Then let’s eat,” Eleanor says.
When I step through the Fire Realm portal, which is located in a pumice cave, and into the Fae Realm, I remember why I never go here. It’s too bright, too colorful. Like a supernatural version of a candy store, with all the gaudy packaging. And even in the twilight, things glow. It dawns on me that, as far as Justice is concerned, it’s probably still the same day as when he left Huckleberry Castle.
“Be at your most vigilant,” I tell Martin and Hazel. Mats spent all of our meal giving me pointers on how to survive in the Fae Realm, but I think his simple advice to watch our backs is the most important. This is a place full of tricksters.
I almost draw my sword, but I decide to keep it in its scabbard. I don’t want to seem antagonistic.
But.Firecats. The Fae Realm is unsettling.
Where is Justice? This realm is huge. Why did I think I’d be able to find him without knowing more than thathe’s here somewhere?
We emerge in a wooded area. It’s darker here—early evening to dusk, but time has little meaning. I see something flickering behind the trees and stop short.
“What is that?” Hazel asks, about to head over. The light changes directions, then disappears and reappears to the other side of us.
I hold her back. “It could be a lyktgubbe.”
“Do you think he could help us find Justice?”
I rub my face. “I wouldn’t want to ask. We’d have to pay him.” I check my pocket, but I have no coin of this realm, just a few truffles.
“Then we’d better stay far away.”
How are we ever going to find Justice, though? Maybe I should make a bargain with the lyktgubbe. Do I have anything I could give him?
Well, here goes nothing. I whistle, soft and low, the way I do when I want to call a particularly skittish animal. Hazel gives me a reproachful look.
The light flashes from behind the trees and then draws nearer. Martin lets out a bellow.
“Are you the lantern man?” I call. Hazel crowds against me, quivering in anticipation of this going wrong.
A little man pops up. He’s dressed in gray, with a long beard and a green top hat. He barely comes up to my thigh. “I am.”
