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Texas
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ASHA TALKED TO IRINDAL until they heard someone bringing them their meals. An orderly pushed a trolley with a squeaky wheel, stopping at each cell that was occupied. Asha returned to her bed and sat down to wait. A slot at the bottom of the door opened a few minutes later. A plastic tray with a tasteless meal of salad was shoved inside.
A small camera in a corner of her room near the ceiling warned her she was under constant surveillance. She dutifully ate the meal, then slid the tray back through the slot. A magical barrier prevented the pixie from escaping through the gap each time it opened. The same orderly returned after an hour to collect the empty trays, then pushed his trolley back the way he’d come.
When it was clear, Asha returned to the window to see Irindal hovering there waiting for her. The glow from her tiny body cast a comforting light. “What did you do to get sent to the goblin dungeon?” Asha asked.
Irindal grinned cheekily at the question. “I overheard one of the Unseelie courtiers plotting with the Goblin King against his Prince,” she replied. “Alas, they saw me and I was caught.”
“The courtier was plotting against Prince Sindarian with King Lod?” Asha asked for clarification.
“That’s what it sounded like,” the pixie said with an uncaring shrug.
“What were they planning?” Asha didn’t know if this information would be important or not, but she knew anyone else on her team would have asked.
“Lord Nicolaia and King Lod were discussing how they were going to overthrow the Dark Prince. I heard the fairy say something about creating a spell that would allow a prisoner to use magic within the dungeon for a short time. King Lod told him how to accomplish it.”
“When did this happen?”
“Oh, a few months ago, I guess.”
“What else did you overhear?”
Seeing the dryad’s intensity, Irindal tried to focus on the conversation she’d barely bothered to listen to. “King Lod said they need to get rid of the Dark Prince in order to gain control of the Unseelie realm. Lord Nicolaia proposed that they make sure the ancient prophecy that foresaw Sindarian’s fall from the throne is fulfilled.
“They apparently know who the half-blood is who will be responsible for the Prince’s demise. They think he will appear soon and destroy the dragon portal. Once that happens, events will begin to fall into place. The half-blood will be the catalyst to oust Prince Sindarian, leaving the rulership of the Unseelie lands vacant. The Goblin King and the courtier agreed to work together to put someone they both approve of on the throne.”
“They’re attempting to control fate,” Asha mused. Lord Nicolaia and Lod knew who Jake was. They planned to use him as their puppet.
“It’s a stupid plan,” the pixie said. “No one can control destiny. It’s impossible.”
“Did they say what would happen to the half-blood after the Dark Prince is defeated?” Asha asked.
“They caught me eavesdropping before they finished their conversation,” Irindal said sheepishly. “King Lod banished me to his dungeon before I could flee. If he knew I’d escaped from his prison, he’d probably chop me up and use my body parts in his experiments.” She shuddered at the thought of being dismembered, shedding pixie dust that vanished immediately.
“How did you end up here?” Asha asked next.
“Things were becoming unstable in the Unseelie lands,” the pixie replied. “So many of us had been driven to this realm already that I figured I might as well join them. I came through a portal and was captured by some human warlocks straight away. It was almost as if they’d been waiting for me.”
“They probably were,” the dryad told her. “I think the man who runs this institute works for a woman who calls herself the Master Archivist.” That was the only explanation for why Dr Parry would suddenly have access to warlocks, knowledge about dryads and a new facility like this. For all she knew, he might have been working for her all along.
“What’s going to happen to us?” Irindal asked in a small, frightened voice. She felt helpless without her magic and she hated being vulnerable.
“The last time I was held captive by these people, they took samples from me and kept me locked up,” Asha replied. They’d done other things as well that she didn’t want to talk about. “I’m not sure what they’ll do to us this time,” she added.
Sheridan Harwood had lied when she said she wanted all supernatural creatures to leave this world. It seemed she had other plans for the beings. Capturing them and keeping them in cells didn’t bode well for their future. Asha had to find a way to get out of here before her friends came to rescue her and ended up getting trapped along with her.
Talking long into the night, the pair finally broke off their conversation and Asha lay down on her bed. Her mind buzzed with the things she’d learned about the political upheaval that was forming in the Unseelie realm. If Queen Wysterial’s visions were accurate, Asha would eventually end up in the fae lands. As much as she wanted to stay here, that wasn’t her fate. Everything that happened over there would impact on her once she finally left this world.
She fell into a restless sleep that was filled with dark dreams about war and betrayal. When she woke, she took a quick shower and changed into a fresh green hospital gown. Her used garment went into a wastebasket. It would be taken away the next time she was drugged and was carted away to one of the examination rooms.
Bleakness settled over her that she was back in the same horrible routine she’d lived through for an entire decade. Irindal had only been imprisoned for a short time and she was already going out of her mind from boredom. Asha had retreated deep inside herself in order to survive the last time. It was tempting to sink back into a perpetual daydream of happier times again, but she wouldn’t let herself be that weak.
Although she despised her goblin half, it could be the only way for her to escape from this facility. All magic was suppressed by wards, but her in-built defenses had already proven they could circumvent the block, if what the two orderlies had said about her killing a new employee was true. King Lod knew magic that could break through the enchantments that dampened power. Maybe she had the ability as well, but she just didn’t know it.
After a lukewarm breakfast of porridge, she chatted to Irindal for a while before making an excuse that she needed to rest. Returning to her bed, she sat with her back to the wall and drew her knees up to her chest. Her face became blank as she focused on the power within her that she’d never dared to examine before.
Goblins were despised and feared for their strong magic. Everyone knew they were dangerous, which meant she was to be feared as well. All she had to do was unlock her darker half and she would be one step closer to freedom.
