The shadows were long and the light was golden.

  Kith looked at Cocky. Cocky looked at Kith.

  Ink barked again, already moving along the riverbank.

  "We're following the dog," Kith said.

  "We're following the dog," Cocky agreed.

  After about ten minutes walking they got to a tunnel entrance. Following a dog into a tunnel had not been on Cocky's list of "things to do after faking my own death."

  Yet here he was. Soaked in hyena spit, missing a crown, splashing through ankle-deep water in a tunnel that smelled like a millenia of smuggling, bad decisions and he was sure he’d be adding regret to that list.

  Ink's silhouette moved ahead, confident. Cocky had no idea where they were going.

  He followed anyway.

  It was dark. Getting darker.

  Kith jumped straight up in the air like a cat who’d just been touched by a leaf when Kwik slithered through her legs.

  “The dead king! The dead king isss here!” Kwik cheered as they zipped up and down the water past the trio. “The dead king livesss!”

  Kwik disappeared back into the water with a splash, still chanting about dead kings.

  They kept walking. The tunnel inclined, steeper now. Cocky's legs burned. The months of being King and not having to walk anywhere had affected him, he realised.

  He wasn’t sure if his eyes were getting used to the darkness or if the tunnel was getting lighter but the tunnel also grew quieter. Or no—not quieter. Different.

  The tunnel walls opened. The space expanded around them, the oppressive closeness giving way to something larger. A cavern. Cocky stopped, staring.

  Wait. Was that—

  The sun hung on the cavern wall like a setting sun. Golden light, long shadows stretching across soft moss. Had they walked through the earth and come out the other side?

  But no—there were walls. Alcoves carved into stone. And the light was... moving. Breathing.

  Kith and Cocky looked at each other, then back at the scene in front of them.

  Kith stopped.

  "There's children here," she said, voice low. "Why are all these children here?"

  "What children?" Cocky tore his gaze from the impossible sky.

  And then he saw them—thousands of tiny sparkles drifted through the air, flitting around small figures. Children. Landing on shoulders, on outstretched hands, creating trails of soft rainbow light.

  The children sat quietly in the fairy-light, some sleeping in the alcoves, some playing on the moss. An old woman sat among them rocking a still child, surrounded by gentle glowing movements.

  Blink's voice vibrated from the water: "Rescued-children! Safe-sssafe now!"

  "From the hungry-beard," Grin added, smooth and slithering close.

  "Empty ones sleeping," Sleech said, deliberate. "Fairies watching. Follow Ink-dog."

  One of the fairies settled on a sleeping child's forehead, its glow pulsing gently, a heartbeat made of light.

  This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.

  Ink led her fugitives up the stone steps to a door, then scratched on the door.

  From the other side, muffled voices erupted—eel voices, coming through a drain.

  "Dead king! Not-dead king here!"

  "Hyena brought him! Alive-alive!"

  Kwik's voice: "I ssssaw him first!"

  Footsteps. The door opened.

  Agnes stood there, flour on her apron. She stared at Ink.

  Then at Kith.

  Then at Cocky.

  "Oh, thank goodness you're alive." Her hand went to her chest. "Mistress Bree will want to know. And Miss Seren and Master Dain—they've been ever so worried, they have."

  She stepped back, holding the door wide.

  "Come in, come in. You must be exhausted, poor dears."

  “I’ll get you something to eat… no, let me get mistress Bree first and mistress Seren and master Dain. They’ll all want to see you. Wait here. I’ll get them.”

  ***

  The light in the cavern slowly moved from sunset to a big silver moon with stars in the midnight sky. Cocky looked up in awe. The constellations—the three he actually knew—glittered overhead exactly as they appeared in the real night sky.

  Kith however was far too tired and struggled to keep her eyes open. Shortly after their food arrived,she laid her head across the bowl's rim—beef stew untouched—and began to snore softly.

  When Bree, old Nerris and Agnes returned from putting the little ones to bed, Old Nerris looked at Kith’s resting form then removed the shawl from her shoulders and placed it over Kith. Ink curled up next to her, and both let out a deep sigh.

  “So what happened today?” Bree asked quietly as the three women sat down.

  The cavern was quiet. Cocky started telling them about his meeting with Jorvan and Valgarr in whispers not to disturb the children or Kith.

  "I felt trapped. I couldn’t speak—he just kept talking. Kept smiling. Kept offering 'assistance.' Making it sound like Eldmere wouldn’t be able to survive without his help." Cocky said, visibly upset.

  “Why did you choose to give Kith the signal to pretend to kill you?” Seren asked seriously.

  "I realized—it didn't matter what I said. If I accepted his help, he’d get the kingdom. Refusing him would mean an invasion. Either way, he’d get Eldmere. Unless I wasn't there at all." But he didn’t sound confident.

  "Oh gods, you had no choice." Dain said in sympathy.

  “But now he still gets Eldmere. How is this any different?” Seren asked, confused. Dain looked at her as if she was being insensitive.

  "Because now I’m not under his control. He can’t manipulate me and I can work on things from the outside." Cocky said slowly as his decision finally started making sense to him.

  "—and that's why you gave her the signal?" Dain whispered. Not very successfully.

  Cocky nodded. "I just—I KNEW I had to get out."

  “Well that certainly explains your actions. And I can’t really blame you. But you can’t stay here. You’ll put the children in danger.” Bree’s whispers were definite.

  “Why can’t they stay down here with the children?” Seren asked.

  “Because it’s dangerous.” Bree said. “I don’t need Theron finding this place.”

  "Right, so—we gotta—I mean, we can't just—" Dain waved his hands in frustration, "Mate, we gotta get you back there. To your people. But how do we—” Dain asked.

  “I don’t know.” Cocky said defeated.

  Bree sighed, then got up and started piling all the empty wooden bowls up. “I may know someone who can help. But, I’m not getting involved. Jorvan and Valgarr are dangerous.” Bree gestured to the children asleep in the alcoves lining the walls of the cavern.

  "Who? Do they have a ship? Can they—" Dain asked excitedly.

  Bree caught Seren's eye and gave her a wink.

  Seren turned to Dain, "You might have heard of him." Seren smiled slyly.

  "Yeah? Who?" Dain asked, confused.

  "Thorn the Bard."

  Bree and Seren smiled at Dain

  Dain frowned, then his eyebrows lifted and his eyes went wide "You're—" Dain shook his head in disbelief. "You're havin' me on."

  "Why would I do that to you?" Seren asked innocently.

  "THORN—"

  “Shhhh” Bree said harshly.

  "—thorn the bard," Dain shouted, or as much as one realistically can shout in a whisper "is gonna help us?! You KNOW Thorn the—when were you gonna TELL me you knew—"

  Seren looked at Bree.

  “I can’t believe you KNEW!”

  “Mistress Bree,” Cocky interrupted, “any help you can offer the people of Eldmere would be appreciated.”

  Bree sighed, “I’ll send word to Merren. But he’s not in Myr. I’ll need to get a message to him and see if he’s able to help first.” Bree warned.

  The fairy-moon shone overhead.

  Tomorrow, Cocky thought. Merren would arrive tomorrow.

  They still had time.