Some had even claimed they descended from gods.

  Could one of those creatures really be outside?

  Yarolk frowned. “What are you talking about, Stephis? Are you drunk again?”

  The women tittered.

  The young man’s boyish face turned red. “Please, Yarolk. That is unjust! I only got drunk once, and it was a long time ago.”

  “It was scarcely 30 nights ago,” Broden said, apparently glad for the opportunity to broadcast the information.

  “We found you stark naked, canoodling with a statue of Hesilda the Huntress. Don’t you remember?”

  Stephis clenched his fists. “By the gods, Broden, I’ll cut your throat!”

  Broden’s eyes twinkled with amusement. “Will you now?”

  “Alright, alright,” Yarolk said. “What’s this about a Gypso?”

  Stephis’s eyes blazed. “I’m telling you, there’s a Gypso in the forest. The others saw her, too. We all spoke to her. She needs our help … Come see for yourselves. She’s waiting there.”

  Yarolk smiled placidly. “Very well, Stephis. Let’s go see your Gypso.”

  “She’s not my Gypso,” the young man muttered as they headed out the door into the drizzling rain, a small crowd following behind.

  ***

  Part of the crowd waited on the edge of the woods apprehensively. Many still believed the woods to be haunted, even though Lorelei had revealed herself as the forest spook.

  Most of them ventured in, however, too curious to let any potential ghosts deter them.

  Coming through to the other side of the forest, they found a woman standing with three bachelors on the edge of the field.

  Grendel gasped and stopped short. The dark-haired beauty was unlike any person she’d ever seen. The first things she noticed were the flower-patterned bandana on her head, and the strange tattoo on her cheek, just below the eye: three short lines, side-by-side.

  Her clothing was unusual, too. A blue tunic fit snugly around her slim waist, but the sleeves grew wider and wider, so that they billowed when she gestured with her hands.

  A multicolored skirt hung about her curvaceous waist, falling down almost to her ankles.

  So colorful! Grendel thought. And she’s so pretty!

  The woman’s cheeks had a healthy flush, and her lips were red and plump. Though she seemed robust, there was a weariness in her baby blue eyes.

  Her clothes were soiled with dirt, as if she’d recently spent time in the bush or on the road.

  Everyone else was just as stunned as Grendel. The woman looked exactly like how Gypso women were described in the old stories.

  “See?” Stephis said. “I told you!”

  Yarolk cleared his throat. “Uh, hello. I, er…”

  “He’s Yarolk,” Miss Weevol interjected, lurching forward. “Lord Tex left him in charge.”

  Yarolk’s brow creased in irritation. He cleared his throat. “That is correct.”

  The Gypso woman curtsied. “I am Nikrilda.”

  Her voice was musical, but it had a melancholy tone. Grendel immediately felt sympathetic towards her.

  “I’ve come to seek your hospitality.” She looked down. “Perhaps you’ve heard of my people, the Gypsos.”

  “Of course,” Yarolk said, unable to hide his astonishment.

  “Well, it’s quite possible I’m the last one.” A bitter look came onto her face. “The Skrillings found us almost as soon as we landed on this island. We’d… hoped they wouldn’t be here, but… Now my brothers are dead.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss, Nikrilda,” Yarolk said. “Please, come with us. You can tell us your story inside, where it’s dry. You’ll have food and a bed — as well as protection.”

  “Thank you, Yarolk,” the Gypso woman said, and a faint smile played in the corner of her mouth.

  Grendel shuddered. She couldn’t explain why, but she had a terrible intuition that they should not invite this woman into the village.

  But that would go against the Aramanth custom of showing hospitality to the weary traveler. How could they turn her away just because of a prejudice against her kind?

  Besides, when Grendel looked again at Nikrilda’s charming face, the feeling of suspicion vanished.

  Chapter forty

  EMI TOOK THE last sip of her tea and carefully set down the elegant cup. The tea was excellent, and Tex could tell that Emi had enjoyed it despite herself.

  Shayla smiled at her. “More tea, dear?”

  “Um, no thank you,” the elf said quietly.

  Shayla smiled again and took a sip from her own cup, holding the little plate beneath it. She looked at Tex and made a pouty face. “You’ve hardly touched yours. Don’t you like it?”

  “I’m not in the mood for tea,” Tex murmured.

  There were a lot of things he wanted to say, but he held his tongue.

  He’d already made his case to Shayla. Told her how hard he’d worked to find a cure for Emi and how unjust it was to keep her prisoner for 200 years. And he’d explained how vital it was that he return right away.

  Shayla was unmoved. Tex could see in her eyes that she already knew about everything he told her.

  But that wasn’t the only thing he could see.

  It was becoming clear that Shayla was eccentric — unstable, even. Not that Tex blamed her. Who wouldn’t be a little nutty after living on a secluded island for an eternity?

  She tossed her hair over her shoulder. “This is one of my favorite rooms in the entire cave system. Lovely, isn’t it?”

  Tex smiled and nodded.

  Indeed, it was lovely. It felt like they were in some rustic villa on a Mediterranean island. Pillars of rock formed natural archways, giving a panoramic view of the ocean.

  Curiously, the ocean was clear all the way to the curved horizon — not a hint of mist and not a cloud in the sky. But this was the other side of the island; the side that faced away from the main island.

  So the fog had only collected between the Isle of Shayla and the larger island. That seems rather convenient, Tex thought.

  Tex fingered his teacup for a moment and then cleared his throat. “Thank you for hosting us until I can build a new ship. I appreciate your hospitality.”

  “It’s a pleasure,” Shayla said. Then she turned to Emi and crumpled her face into a look of sympathy. “Of course, Emi will be staying much longer. I’m so sorry, Emi.”

  Emi gave Tex a helpless look and then stared into her empty teacup.

  Tex began, “Well, about that—”

  But Shayla suddenly clapped her hands together as if she had an exciting announcement. “Who wants crumblecake?” she said.

  Emi looked up and then glanced away.

  Shayla grinned. “I think Emi wants some. How about you, Tex?”

  “Sure.”

  Shayla clapped her hands a few times, and a nymph came out with a cake. She set it on the table and then served a piece to each of them.

  What Shalya called “crumblecake” was basically crumb cake with apple and blueberry.

  It was delicious.

  Emi munched hers down as the nymph servant refilled her tea.

  “I think you’re going to like it here, Emi,” Shayla said.

  Tex shifted in his seat. “I do have to get going soon, as I said before. But … as you know, I don’t want to leave Emi.”

  Shayla smiled. “I know. We can talk about that soon … Emi, why don’t you go out into the garden and feed the cats? You can take care of them while you’re here.”

  “Um, okay,” Emi said timidly.

  Tex gave Emi a reassuring nod.

  Shayla wants to talk alone, eh? Tex thought. Maybe she’ll stop beating around the bush and get down to business.

  ***

  Tex sat on a cushion, looking down at the fragrant gardens below, where Emi carried a bowl of food. Dozens of cats came meowing after her.

  Tex watched her put the bowl down, and then he turned to Shayla. She’d insisted he sit there and watch Emi, apparently to convince him that Emi’s life on the island wouldn’t be so bad.

  “You said we’d talk about Emi,” Tex said. “I’ve already told you how I’m not leaving without her.”

  Shayla shrugged. “Then you cannot leave at all— not for 200 winters. But … I have a solution, something that will solve all your problems.”

  Tex raised an eyebrow. “I’m listening.”

  Shayla smoothed her tunic over her taut stomach, making her nipples show through the material.

  “I can give you magic,” she breathed, wiggling her body sensually, as if she was thinking about stepping into a hot bubble bath.

  “Magic?” Tex said.

  Shayla nodded. “Mmm hmmm. And you’ll take it if you have any sense; you won’t have the slightest hope of defeating Kdar Tol otherwise.”

  “Glad to see you believe in me,” Tex said with a smirk.

  Shayla cocked her hip, making it impossible not to notice how cute her legs looked in the tunic.

  “I’m just being realistic, Tex. You intend to make war with an immortal necromancer, and you do not possess any real magic yourself.”

  Tex took a sip of tea, trying not to look too excited. He knew damn well he needed any advantages she could give him.

  Her offer seemed too good to be true. And yet, he’d been told she might give him advantages … in return for sexual favors.

  Is that where this is going?

  Shayla continued: “Of course, it wouldn’t be the same kind of magic as Kdar Tol’s. It would be dirt magic, but it’s still good.”

  “Dirt magic? No offense, but that doesn’t sound very… glamorous.”

  Shayla laughed. “I know. But don’t judge it by the name. It’s a very good magic to have. There used to be an entire class of sorcerers devoted to studying it. You can spend a lifetime on it and still not learn all there is to know.”

  Tex dragged his fingers through his hair. “But I don’t have a lifetime. I mean, how long would it take to master it?”

  “By your measure of time? Hmmm …” She tapped her chin with her finger.

  “If you stayed here with Emi for her 200 winters, you’d have plenty of time to practice. I’m sure you’d probably be good enough to defeat Kdar Tol by the end.”

  Tex gazed at Shayla, exasperated. He spoke slowly, as if she was a child. “But that wouldn’t work, Shayla. By the time I got back—”

  The goddess put her hand on Tex’s arm, her eyes sparkling with delight.

  “Oh, my goodness. You think I’m a perfect imbecile! Are you not aware that I am a goddess?”

  “Yes, I am aware,” Tex said.

  “Then believe me when I tell you, you’ve got all the time in the world.”

  “But how?”

  Shayla smiled. “Mortals have a simplistic understanding of time. It isn’t what you think it is.

  “If I choose, I can arrange things so that a thousand years go by here on my island, while only a single moment elapses for your friends in Fimm.”

  Tex blinked at her, astonished. “You can do that?”

  Shayla proudly ran her fingers through her hair. She nodded. “Mmm hmm.”

  She walked closer, eying the cushion beside Tex.

  “May I sit by you?”

  “Uh, yeah, of course.”

  The goddess brushed the short tunic under her bum as she sat down. She smelled like freshly cut flowers.

  “I didn’t mean to be harsh,” she said. “I know you’re powerful. But Kdar Tol has centuries of experience.”

  Tex’s brain was still processing what he’d heard. He knew Shayla must have been powerful. But this? The ability to control time?

  He hadn’t realized she was that powerful. It was … terrifying.

  Still, she made a good point. Maybe this was a potential cheat code. In theory, he could even make it longer than 200 years — however long it took to become more powerful than Kdar Tol.

  He turned and watched Emi petting the cats. It was hard to imagine her petting cats for 200 years; that sounded like some kind of hell.

  Would they even be the same people after 200 years on a secluded island? What would that do to a person?

  And Shayla probably couldn’t be trusted, anyway.

  Maybe I don’t have a choice.

  Shayla rested her dainty hand on her thigh. “You have to do something different. Your current plan isn’t going to work.”

  Tex smirked sarcastically. “Oh, and what is my current plan?”

  “You hope to defeat Kdar Tol by uniting the Aramantha against him,” Shayla said matter-of-factly. “But that won’t work. They’re a hearty people, but Kdar Tol would crush them.”

  Tex winced inwardly. She had a point. It was an extremely long shot. He drummed his fingers on the seat. “Well, I mean … it might work.”

  “Have you seen him?”

  Tex looked at her. “Who? You mean… No, of course not.”

  Shayla smoothed out her tunic and stood up. “Can I introduce you?”

  Tex’s eyes widened for a second. “I hope you’re joking.”

  Shayla threw her head back and laughed, displaying her lovely neck. Then she started sashaying out of the room, giving Tex a playful look over her shoulder.

  “Come on, let’s go to the scrying room.”

  Tex slowly got up and sauntered out of the room, following Shayla’s swaying hips down a long passageway.

  Chapter forty-one

  THE ENTIRE VILLAGE of Fimm had once again gathered in the longhouse. This time it was to hear the story of Nikrilda, the strange Gypso woman.

  Rain beat on the roof hypnotically as the charming woman told her tale — how she’d grown up on a distant island, where her people traveled from village to village.

  How they did fortune-telling, acrobatic performances, and magic tricks, in exchange for food or other goods.

  Everyone listened to Nikrilda, almost with rapture. Something about her — perhaps it was her lilting voice — just seemed to charm everyone and elicit an outpouring of sympathy.

  Some women even cried along with Nikrilda when she talked about Kdar Tol’s persecution of her people, which culminated with the recent murder of her brothers.

  Grendel felt these emotions, too. But it gave her a slight misgiving. Wasn’t it odd that everyone’s heart had been conquered within minutes?

  Even Neesha wiped a tear from her eye.

  The only exception, as far as Grendel noticed, was Broden.

  The young bruiser watched Nikrilda with hooded eyes, and his expression had hardly changed for the entire time. He stared impassively, without emotion.

  It made Grendel wonder when he was going to pipe up and say something.

  Sure enough, when Nikrilda finished her tale, wiping tears from her cheeks, Broden cleared his throat.

  “They say every Gypso has the ability to perform magic,” he said flatly.

  Nikrilda looked up, surprised.

  Yarolk frowned. “What of it, Broden?”

  Broden ignored Yarolk, keeping his gaze fixed on the woman.

  “Specifically, every Gypso can supposedly float in the air like a bird. That’s what the stories say, if I remember.”

  Nikrilda appeared flustered. “Well … We don’t really talk about—”

  “Oh, you don’t talk about it.” Broden nodded. “I see.”

  Yarolk’s mouth twitched irritably. “What are you driving at, Broden? This woman has endured hardships. She’s appealing to our hospitality. She’s not here to perform magic tricks.”

  “That’s right!” Miss Weevol added. “Either make your point or be quiet and leave this poor creature in peace.”

  Judging by the general murmuring and head-nodding, Yarolk and Weevol were expressing the majority opinion.

  But this did not deter Broden. He doubled down.

  “I don’t care what anyone says. She should be willing to perform some magic for us,” he said.

  A few women jeered at him.

  “Why?” Weevol said. “She’s not here for your amusement!”

  “That’s not the point,” Broden retorted. “She should do it to lend credibility to her story. How else can we know she’s the real thing?”

  This provoked even more denunciations.

  “Never in my life have I seen such a rude man!” one old lady crowed.

  However, Nikrilda stunned everyone when she agreed to Broden’s demand.

  “Thank you all,” she said in a tremulous voice. “But I do not consider it rude. I will do as he asked.

  “It is normally against our principles to perform magic so frivolously. But under the circumstances, I will do it. I want you to know I’m telling the truth.”

  She backed away from the audience. Then she lowered her head and slowly raised her arms as the fire crackled and danced behind her.

  Grendel gasped and stared in terror. For an instant, Nikrilda looked fiendish. Grendel felt as if she’d stumbled into a witches’ coven.

  Did no one else see it?

  She grabbed Bmimi’s hand. The cat girl’s ears were turned back.

  She must sense it, too. Something is off! Oh, Tex, I wish you’d come back!

  Nikrilda slowly floated into the air. Everyone gasped.

  “Magic! Just like in the stories!”

  “She’s a real Gypso, that’s for sure!”

  “I never doubted it!”

  “Well, what have you got to say now, Broden?”

  Broden’s mouth hung open. For once, he betrayed his utter surprise. Still floating, Nikrilda revolved 360 degrees and then came back to the ground with a ballerina-like gesture.

  Broden stood up. “Miss Nikrilda, please accept my apology. I was wrong.” His cheeks flushed, and he bowed.

  No! Grendel thought. No, no, no! It’s all wrong ….

  ***

  That night, Grendel couldn’t sleep. She lay on her bed in the little hut she shared with Bmimi, listening to the cat girl’s purring.

  She sighed. Honestly, Bmimi, you could fall asleep under any circumstances.

  The moonlight shone brightly through the smoke-hole in the roof, splashing down into the hut.

  It would be bright outside. Plenty bright enough to take a walk along the shore. Not that she expected Tex and Emi to return at night, but at least it would be relaxing.