the King, but of course no trace of the stone they were looking for.
Jade.
Old women wore
it as talismans around their necks, and they secretly knelt before idols carved
from the holy stone. Mothers sewed it
into their children's clothes so the stone would make them fearless and protect
them. But there had never been a Goyl
whose skin was made of jade.
How long would
the Dark Fairy have him search? How long
would he have to look a fool in front of his soldiers, the King, and
himself? What if she had invented the
dream only to separate him from Kami’en? And off he'd run, ever loyal and obedient, like a dog.
Hentzau looked
down the deserted road, which vanished between the trees. His soldiers were growing nervous. The Goyl avoided the
Hungry
Forest
as much as the humans did. The Fairy
knew that very well. This was a game. Yes, that's what it was. Nothing but a game. And he was tired of being her dog.
The moth
settled on Hentzau's chest just as he was about to give the order to mount
up. It clawed itself to his gray
uniform, right above where his heart was beating, and Hentzau saw the Man-Goyl
just as clearly as the Fairy had in her dreams.
The jade ran
through his human skin like a promise.
It could not
be.
And then the deep brought
forth a King, and when there came a time of great peril for him, there also
came the Jade Goyl, born from glass and silver, and he made the King
invincible, even to death.
Old wive's
tales. As a child, Hentzau had loved nothing
more than listening to them, because they gave the world meaning and a happy
ending. A world that
was clearly divided into above and below and that was ruled by soft-fleshed
gods. But since then he had
sliced their soft flesh and had learned that they weren't gods, just as he had
learned that the world made no sense and there were no happy endings.
But there he
was. Hentzau saw him clearly, as clearly
as if he could have reached out and touched the pale green stone that had
already spilled onto the Man-Goyl's cheek.
The Jade Goyl. Born from the curse of the Fairy.
Had this been
her plan all along? Had she sown all
that petrified flesh only to reap him?
What do you care, Hentzau? Find him!
The moth
spread its wings, and he saw the fields he had fought on just a few months
earlier. Fields that
bordered the eastern boundary of the
Hungry
Forest
. He was searching on the wrong side.
Hentzau
suppressed a curse and swatted the moth dead.
His soldiers
looked at him in surprise when he gave the order to ride east again, but they
were relieved he didn't lead them deeper into the forest. Hentzau wiped the crushed wings from his
uniform as he swung himself into the saddle. None of them had seen the moth, and they would all confirm that he had
found the Jade Goyl without the Fairy's help — just as he kept telling everyone
that it was Kami’en who was winning the war, and not the spell of his immortal
beloved.
Jade.
She had
dreamed the truth.
Or had turned a dream into truth.
12
His Own Kind
It was early
afternoon by the time they finally left the forest. Dark clouds hung above fields and meadows,
patches of green, yellow, and brown that stretched to the horizon. Elderberry bushes bore heavy clusters of
black berries, and Elves, their wings wet with rain, fluttered among the
wildflowers by the roadside. However,
the farms they passed were all deserted, and on the fields cannons were rusting
among the unharvested wheat.
Jacob was
grateful for all the abandoned farms, for by now it would have been perfectly
obvious to anyone looking at Will what was growing in his flesh. It had been raining on and off since they had
come out of the forest, and the green stone on his face shimmered like the
glaze of some sinister potter.
Jacob had
still not told Will where he was leading him, and he was glad that Will didn't
ask. It was already enough that Fox knew
that their
Jade.
Old women wore
it as talismans around their necks, and they secretly knelt before idols carved
from the holy stone. Mothers sewed it
into their children's clothes so the stone would make them fearless and protect
them. But there had never been a Goyl
whose skin was made of jade.
How long would
the Dark Fairy have him search? How long
would he have to look a fool in front of his soldiers, the King, and
himself? What if she had invented the
dream only to separate him from Kami’en? And off he'd run, ever loyal and obedient, like a dog.
Hentzau looked
down the deserted road, which vanished between the trees. His soldiers were growing nervous. The Goyl avoided the
Hungry
Forest
as much as the humans did. The Fairy
knew that very well. This was a game. Yes, that's what it was. Nothing but a game. And he was tired of being her dog.
The moth
settled on Hentzau's chest just as he was about to give the order to mount
up. It clawed itself to his gray
uniform, right above where his heart was beating, and Hentzau saw the Man-Goyl
just as clearly as the Fairy had in her dreams.
The jade ran
through his human skin like a promise.
It could not
be.
And then the deep brought
forth a King, and when there came a time of great peril for him, there also
came the Jade Goyl, born from glass and silver, and he made the King
invincible, even to death.
Old wive's
tales. As a child, Hentzau had loved nothing
more than listening to them, because they gave the world meaning and a happy
ending. A world that
was clearly divided into above and below and that was ruled by soft-fleshed
gods. But since then he had
sliced their soft flesh and had learned that they weren't gods, just as he had
learned that the world made no sense and there were no happy endings.
But there he
was. Hentzau saw him clearly, as clearly
as if he could have reached out and touched the pale green stone that had
already spilled onto the Man-Goyl's cheek.
The Jade Goyl. Born from the curse of the Fairy.
Had this been
her plan all along? Had she sown all
that petrified flesh only to reap him?
What do you care, Hentzau? Find him!
The moth
spread its wings, and he saw the fields he had fought on just a few months
earlier. Fields that
bordered the eastern boundary of the
Hungry
Forest
. He was searching on the wrong side.
Hentzau
suppressed a curse and swatted the moth dead.
His soldiers
looked at him in surprise when he gave the order to ride east again, but they
were relieved he didn't lead them deeper into the forest. Hentzau wiped the crushed wings from his
uniform as he swung himself into the saddle. None of them had seen the moth, and they would all confirm that he had
found the Jade Goyl without the Fairy's help — just as he kept telling everyone
that it was Kami’en who was winning the war, and not the spell of his immortal
beloved.
Jade.
She had
dreamed the truth.
Or had turned a dream into truth.
12
His Own Kind
It was early
afternoon by the time they finally left the forest. Dark clouds hung above fields and meadows,
patches of green, yellow, and brown that stretched to the horizon. Elderberry bushes bore heavy clusters of
black berries, and Elves, their wings wet with rain, fluttered among the
wildflowers by the roadside. However,
the farms they passed were all deserted, and on the fields cannons were rusting
among the unharvested wheat.
Jacob was
grateful for all the abandoned farms, for by now it would have been perfectly
obvious to anyone looking at Will what was growing in his flesh. It had been raining on and off since they had
come out of the forest, and the green stone on his face shimmered like the
glaze of some sinister potter.
Jacob had
still not told Will where he was leading him, and he was glad that Will didn't
ask. It was already enough that Fox knew
that their