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The elves accompanied Ajax and me to the front gates of the forest. Through the wrought iron, life on the Other Side continued normally. It had only been two and a half days since this nightmare began, yet seeing the unicorn drawn carriages on the cobblestones and the flying griffins clutching their packages for delivery made it feel like a world away.
I paused by Killian's side as we waited for the Queen to release the lock on the gate and give us her permission to leave. I wondered what happened to people who tried without her blessing...
While she worked, I drew my lips close to Killian's ear so no one could overhear me murmur, "Remember your promise."
The corners of his mouth lifted ever so much and he gave me the smallest, imperceptible nod of his head.
The queen stepped aside and the gate swung open. Ajax and I took that as our cue and stepped out onto the sidewalk.
"Thanks again, y'all!" I said as I lifted my broom to wave goodbye.
The elves didn't say anything. Just stared.
Creepiest creatures.
You'd think we hadn't just saved each others' lives and slain a dragon together.
The gates to the forest closed behind us and the silver and ironwork came to life, its leaves and vines wrapping around to lock everything tight.
Then the elves turned and left, disappearing into the trees.
"Stoic bunch," remarked Ajax, a shiver running up his spine.
"This coming from a dwarf." I gave his shoulder a squeeze. We turned and began walking in the direction of the No Spell. My broom was done and I hadn't thought to bring some extra coin the night I chased after the werewolf. Speaking of which, I said to Ajax, "Now that we are free from prying ears, what exactly happened?"
Ajax shook his head. "Someone figured out the messages Precious was putting into the newspaper ads."
"How did they get into the No Spell?"
He shrugged. "I was cleaning room 3D, just making sure there weren't any new girls trapped in the glass, when in flies this vampire."
I gave a shiver. Vampires can't fly huge distances, but they can float up a couple stories and give you a right scare.
"Our John Doe must have invited him to cross our threshold before..." I mused. "Did he happen to mention what he wanted?"
"No," said Ajax, shaking his head. "That's the strangest bit. Usually, a vampire will talk at you. I heard they like to build up the fear. Says it makes the blood taste better." I nodded to let him know I had heard the same thing. "But all he did was drag me onto that dragon and head straight for the elfin forest."
"He used that dragon to abduct you?" I repeated, making sure I understood him completely. I had just thought the vampire had taken Ajax to the cave for safekeeping. I hadn't realized the beast was actually part of the raiding party. "That's an awfully expensive kidnapping. Why would they resort to such drama to do a thing like that..." I mused.
The realization dawned slowly, but it hit both of us at the same time.
"To get us away from the hotel," I swore. A dragon would have been able to carry him much farther than any vampire, which meant I would have been away from the No Spell for the maximum amount of time. Our only hope was that they hadn't factored in that the elves had been there to give us a hand. Maybe there was still time. I hiked up my skirts. "Come on, Ajax. I hope you wore comfortable shoes."