The Goblets Immortal by Beth Overmyer (highly recommended books txt) 📗

bowing to the lady, who wore a circlet of blue ivy on her head. “The mighty slayer of goblins.” She turned her gaze from Aidan and sneered at Slaíne. “And his pet.”

As if to accentuate the nymph’s point, Slaíne actually growled.

“Who are you?” Aidan asked after giving Slaíne a warning glare.

The leader, for that is what Aidan assumed she must be, smirked at him and the girl, the light in her eyes flashing. But she did not answer his question. “Now that you’ve had some time to gather your wits, tell me, where is it?”

Aidan frowned and glanced at Slaíne, who narrowed her eyes at him. “Where is what?”

Before Aidan could step away, the queen reached out and struck him across the face with the back of her hand, causing him to stagger. “Where have you hidden it?”

He righted himself and ignored the blood gushing out of his nostrils. Aidan felt for a Pull, any Pull. As he had expected, there was none. None from her, her people, or their possessions, that is. The only tangible things were himself, Slaíne, and the firewood. There might be an answer in that, but he would hold that trick up his sleeve as long as he could.

“Mortal, I grow weary of your arrogance. Tell me—”

Aidan spat at her feet.

She struck him again, this time with enough force to knock him off his feet entirely and send him flying a few yards back. He landed with a great thump at Slaíne’s feet.

Slaíne reacted like a lightning bolt, jumping at the nymph with a powerful strike from a height. She missed, because the queen was faster and stepped aside. Slaíne recovered with a graceful roll and landed in a crouch.

Aidan didn’t have time to wonder at his traveling partner’s fighting skills. “Tell us what you want, and perhaps we can come to some arrangement….”

One of the nymphs reached out with an iron rod, meaning to beat Slaíne on the back with it. But before the creature could, or Aidan could warn her for that matter, the girl rolled to the right, then to the left, agilely dodging her attacker’s strikes. Her luck couldn’t last, Aidan knew, so he intervened. “No, your quarrel is not with her. You want something, yes? Then talk to us. We can behave like rational creatures, or continue to—”

The queen raised a hand, and the attacks on Slaíne stopped.

Panting, Slaíne leapt to her feet and ran out of the creatures’ reach, behind Aidan’s back. He wondered at her sudden cowardice, until he felt her back pressed against his. Aidan fought a smile; she meant to guard his back.

“We seek what the goblins sought, knowledge.”

Aidan took a moment to swipe at his nose. “Knowledge of…?”

The queen’s eyes flashed. “You know of what I speak, Aidan Ingledark the Blest. And you can tell your pet that if I wanted to kill both of you, I would’ve done it ages ago, despite her…blood.”

He tilted his head to the side, and his eyes darted about. “Her blood?”

“Tainted.”

“With?”

The queen tried to look casual, but Aidan could see that Slaíne had her rattled. With a sniff, the nymph pretended to dust something off of the blue-white collar of her gown. “What? She hasn’t told you?”

Behind his back, Slaíne’s spine grew rigid. “It don’t matter.”

The queen leaned in, a cruel smile forming on her lips. “Wizard’s blood.”

Aidan’s brows knit together, but he allowed the expression to clear from his face. His thoughts began to race. Wizard’s blood? Was it true? If Slaíne was descended from a wizard, then why hadn’t she displayed any signs of magic? This made no sense. “She doesn’t even believe in them. What makes you think—”

“You’ve distracted me long enough, milord. Tell me, what have you done with the Summoning Goblet?”

“He don’t have it.”

“Don’t be foolish, witch.” She raised her hand again, only to lower it when Aidan didn’t flinch. The light in her eyes waned and she sighed. “Tell me, then, Lord Ingledark, where is the Warring Goblet?”

This was getting them nowhere. He couldn’t tell her what he didn’t know. And he didn’t know what the Goblets together were capable of, but if she were to get her hands on them all, let alone one…. Now Aidan did shudder. “As my traveling companion has already told you, we do not have it.”

Again she struck out, though not as hard as the last time. “Where is it?” She struck again. And again. And again, knocking Aidan off his feet.

Stars swam before his eyes. He tasted blood. Aidan pushed himself up again and again, only to be at once kicked back down.

“Oh, for pity’s sake!” Slaíne said, coming between the two.

For whatever reason, the nymph hesitated before striking Slaíne, who struck back.

“Slaíne, get out of the way,” Aidan growled. When she did not, he grabbed hold of her Pull and sent her sailing farther than he’d meant to Push her.

Though inactive to this point, the nymphs surrounding him, grabbed Slaíne and subdued her. She looked murder at him.

Aidan shook his head. He would apologize later…if they weren’t both slaughtered first. “What makes you think we have the Goblet?”

“It belongs to your family. You are Blest. Where else would the Goblet be?”

Aidan laughed without humor as he tried pulling himself to his feet. However, he was exhausted and sore and still recovering from vomiting the contents of his stomach, so he contented himself with sitting. “Only recently did I discover anything about the Goblets. I have been a nomad for the majority of my life, thanks to my uncle. If you want answers about what happened to the Goblet that allegedly belonged to my family, I would suggest you start asking different people, for I am the last who would know.”

The nymph queen regarded him for a moment, and nodded. “It would seem that we have been wasting our time. Take him away…but leave the girl. We must have a talk.”

Aidan wasn’t having any of that. He would not leave Slaíne alone with them, not after