by Dawn Brower
“It’s the only way,” Lulu muttered. “Now, heed before we are forced to end your miserable existence.”
This was too easy. Elodie did not like it and glanced around her. At some point, it would all go wrong, and she prayed they would find a way to survive it. For the moment, she would enjoy it and breathe easier now that she had located both the prince and the knight. Kalypso was the last member of their party. Once she agreed to aid them, they could move forward and escape Malediction once and for all.
The tiger bowed her head and surrendered. “I am at your service.” Somehow, with a little luck and a miracle, they had caught a tiger. Now one question remained. What did they do with her now that they had her?
The River Dance
They exited the canyon and entered a lush valley. The river had not dried up at this part of Malediction. Elodie did not quite understand how it was possible, but magic worked in mysterious ways. Enchantment had created the world and therefore it made its own rules. Too bad no one had thought to write them down somewhere so Elodie could learn them. It would be much easier if she had a guidebook to follow.
“Does anyone know where we are heading?” Daire asked. He carried his bow in his left hand and had his quiver resting in the middle of his back once again. Kalypso had generously retrieved it from her cave before they left the canyon. “Or have a clue where we are?”
Elodie sighed. Had Kalypso told him nothing? “It’s a curse world.”
“That much I figured out on my own,” he said. “When it was taking you under, the knight and I decided to follow you through.”
How could they have known that? More importantly, why would they have willingly followed her to this wretched place? Did they believe her incapable of taking care of herself? Heat filled her cheeks at the thought. “Care to fill me in on what you have figured out? It would save me time.”
She tried to keep the anger out of her voice, but it bled through as soon as she opened her mouth. Daire and Cale had needed her in this world, not the other way around. If not for their mishaps, she may be farther along and already on her way home. Why did men always think that the little female was incapable of handling anything?
Daire shrugged. “Not much. When you were trying to yank the flowers from your head, it became clear what was happening. You don’t happen to know where they came from do you.”
“I picked them myself,” she said, feeling rather stupid. “I didn’t realize they were enchanted.” She wasn’t certain if they had been enchanted before or after she picked them though. What were the chances someone would have magically enhanced them in the hope she’d pick them? Elodie didn’t pick flowers every day or even on certain days. It was completely random. So either someone had done something to them after she picked them, or they replaced them with new ones.
Daire was quiet for several moments. Cale was walking in front of her with Kalypso and Lulu. At first, she had thought nothing of their arrangement, but now that she had time to consider it—why had he chosen to lead the way. Was it for her protection, or had he decided she needed some quality time with Daire? Either way, she did not like it and she’d make sure to let him know it at the first opportunity. For now, she’d grill Daire and ascertain every bit of information he had.
The silence was driving her crazy. If he didn’t start talking soon, she’d find a way to make him. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait too long before he decided to speak. He took a deep breath and then said, “I don’t think they were when you picked them.”
“What?” She tilted her head puzzled. He had been quiet so long she’d forgotten what they were discussing. “Oh, the flowers.” No wonder both men believed her to be an idiot from time to time. “What makes you think that?”
“It’s not a common spell. There are flowers with magical properties, but on their own, they don’t do anything. Those blooms had the capability to absorb magic, but by themselves they are relatively harmless. Someone meant for you to fall into this curse. Do you happen to pick flowers every day?”
She scrunched her nose and thought about it. “No, I don’t. Actually, I never pick flowers. I don’t know why I got the idea in my head to do so. Usually my maid would worry about something like that to dress my hair.”
Leaving the keep, as a rule, did not happen unless she went out in disguise. She’d broken protocol and went out in full view before her scheduled meeting with Cale. She could not even explain why she would have done such a thing. At the time, it had seemed perfectly normal and now—she saw it for what it was. The pattern that led to her falling into a carefully laid trap…
“Would your maid have wished to harm you?” Daire asked.
She shook her head vehemently. “Susanna is the one person I can always trust. This isn’t her doing.”
Elodie believed that wholeheartedly. There was no reason for her maid to betray her. She was always on her side. If not for her she… Wait, Susanna had encouraged her to go to the ball. She hadn’t wanted to go, but her maid said she should see Cale off. Was she part of it? Elodie didn’t want to believe it, but it could be possible. One thing had become clear since entering Malediction—Elodie did not know the people around her as much as she’d believed.
“What about the rest of the staff.”
Elodie frowned. “I’m not on familiar terms with anyone other than my maid. Fiona doesn’t like it when the staff mingles with the family. They keep their distance on her orders.”
It had not always been that way. When her father was alive, she would talk to the servants every day. Then he died and her whole world changed. She closed her eyes briefly and reminded herself that soon it would all come to an end. She would escape Malediction and return home. Once she was there, she would wrench control of her lands from Fiona and rule the way she had been raised to. Her people were counting on her, and she would not let them down.
“Look into your heart and tell me who you believe is responsible.”
Daire’s gaze met hers, and she realized she didn’t want to say it aloud. If she voiced it, then it became real. Her stepmother was his aunt. He would not like hearing her name as the one responsible for putting them in a horrid place. Would he argue against her belief? Did it matter to her what he thought? In some ways, it did. She didn’t hate him as much as she used to. That did not mean she wanted to marry him. Was it too much to want to be free to rule her kingdom unencumbered for a little while? She was too young to have so much thrust at her.
“You don’t want to know what I think,” she said softly.
The corner of his lips tilted upward. “Princess, you’re not as sly as you believe you are. I can probably figure it out all on my own. I’m well aware of your feud with my aunt.”
They hadn’t exactly been hiding it. Most people knew Fiona and Elodie argued on a daily basis. She had not wanted to give fodder to the gossips, but it was hard not to when her stepmother was so evil. Elodie reached for her necklace looking for solace and froze. How could she have forgotten? Her pendant was missing…
“I’m sure you like her well enough,” Elodie said. “She’s never given me a reason to.”
He shrugged. “Fiona can be difficult to understand, but she means well. She’s not as evil as you think she is.”
Elodie wished she could take him at his word, but she’d been living under Fiona’s thumb too long to let herself believe it. Fiona had to be the reason they were currently trapped in Malediction. The nightmare world was precisely something her stepmother would think ample punishment for her disobeying her.
“She might be good to you,” Elodie conceded. “I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing that side of her.”
Cale, Lulu, and Kalypso stopped suddenly. The sun was lowering on the horizon and they all stared at it as if they’d never seen a sunset. Elodie turned to Daire and raised a brow. He shrugged in response so they both hastened their stride to join them.
“What’s going on?” Elodie asked.
“Rest we must,” Lulu said.
“Darkness brings danger,” Kalypso added. “Not safe to travel.”
Those two were way too cryptic for her liking. Would they ever give her a straightforward answer? In a way, she supposed they had. They told her that darkness equaled danger, and they would know far better than she would. As much as she wanted to keep going, perhaps it was a good idea to listen to them.
“Where do you suggest we set up camp?” Daire asked.
Kalypso ignored him and rubbed up against Cale. What was it about him that both Lulu and the tiger liked so much? Did he give off some weird pheromones they reacted to? Maybe it was better is she did not know…
“Stay away from the river,” Lulu said. “It will try to eat you.”
Everything in Malediction believed they were edible. Why would the river be any different? Elodie sighed and decided the best thing to do was lay in the middle of the valley, far away from anything that might want to find out if she was as yummy as she looked.
“Do you want company?” Daire asked as Elodie sat on the green grass beneath her feet.
“I believe the field is big enough for all of us.” Elodie shrugged. “Pick your favorite green patch and rest.”
Elodie glanced up and caught Cale’s gaze. His face hardened as he watched her and Daire. He had chosen to ignore her. Why was he so angry? She could not let him get to her or she would lose her mind.
“I’ll take watch,” Cale said and turned his back to her.
If he wanted guard duty, far be it from her to deny him that privilege. She owed him nothing. Ignoring her knight the best she could, she lay down and closed her eyes. The next day would be soon enough to try to decipher her traveling party.
* * *
Heat spread over her body in waves. Sweat accumulated on her brow and trailed down the side of her face. Elodie blinked her eyes open and found a fire pit a few feet away from her. Cale had a large stick in his left hand, stoking the blaze higher. She did not question the how or why he had built it. The night air had a distinctive chill to it, but when she’d closed her eyes, it had been the furthest thing from her mind.
She should thank him for being considerate and having the sense to build the fire. A part of her did not feel like being so generous though. That part of her ruled most of her thoughts and more often than not won. Bitterness still stung her heart like a blade sliding through it with each breath she took. He was the reason for that.
“I know you’re awake,” he said. “Sit up and face me.”
“I’d rather not,” Elodie ground out. “The ground is more welcoming.”
He dared to order her around as if he had the right. Elodie didn’t owe him any sort of allegiance, and even if they were still on friendly terms, his station was below hers. He had been a knight in the royal guard, and assigned to her protection. She was to be his queen, and therefore he was under her command. Or at least he would have been if he’d not planned to leave her… If he hadn’t been so dismissive of her, he’d have realized he meant far more to her than that. He may be a knight, but for a while she’d hoped he’d be more than that.
Cale sighed. “Please sit up so we can have a conversation like normal people.”
“What is normal?” Elodie grudgingly sat up. “Because I’ve not seen anything resembling it in a very long time.”
Some days it would have been nice to have an ordinary life. Who was she kidding—any day would have been fabulous if it didn’t have Fiona in it. Nothing had been typical since the day her father married the harpy. So Cale could ask for a regular every day type of conversation all he wanted. She didn’t owe him the courtesy of allowing it.
He folded his arms across his chest and glared down at her. She mulishly returned it. If she’d learned one thing over the time she’d been trapped in Malediction, it was to give back everything thrown at her tenfold. Cale wanted to be a numbskull—well, she’d be a shrew in return.
“Why are you being so difficult?” he asked.
“It’s my prerogative,” she retorted. “Why are you being condescending?”
He raised a brow. “I’m not being anything other than what I’ve always been. You’re seeing me in a different light—it was bound to happen at some point.”
Perhaps he was right. She had idealized him for too long. Cale never pretended with her and had always claimed to be a selfish prick. To her though, he had been the savior she needed most. He’d helped her, trained her, and gave her something to hold on to during her darkest hours. Was it any surprise she’d put him on a pedestal he couldn’t live up to?
“It doesn’t leave a favorable impression,” she agreed. “Sometimes I wish the blinders hadn’t been ripped off. I liked you better before.”
Sadly, it had not been that long before she’d had her heart ripped out of her chest by him. The male before her had told her he would not keep any of the promises he had made, and then proceeded to destroy whatever good feelings she’d had for him. Come what may, she would never regret the time she had spent with him. It made her stronger and capable of fighting the battles to come. If not for Cale, she would be a lost and lonely little girl.
“Ironically, I like you more now,” he said and then smiled. “You’re growing into a formidable woman. I almost regret I won’t be here to see it.”
Why did he have to remind her he was leaving? It still hurt to realize he could leave so easily. She’d thought they bonded and would always be close. He was supposed to be by her side as she ruled, and not as the head of her royal guard. In her heart of hearts, she always saw him as her partner, and the male who would rule with her.
She glanced down, refusing to meet his gaze. “We might not make it out of this world.”
“I don’t believe that, and neither do you,” he said. “If you did, you’d have given up already. There’s still too much fight left in you.”
Elodie glanced up and focused on the river behind them. It raged as if strong winds blew across it, but there was none wafting around her. Waves crashed on the shore, dancing against the breeze. If she were to approach the riverbank, the spray would probably dampen her skin. She had an urge to walk over to it and douse herself in the water.
“Where are you going?” Cale called to her.
She had hopped to her feet without giving it a thought. Slowly, she made her way to the river’s edge. A melody echoed through her ears, calling to her. It whispered a promise of peace and love. Come to me… Elodie shook her head and brushed it from her mind. It was hard to fight the lure being cast in her direction. Something in the river wanted her, and it couldn’t be for amicable reasons. She tried to yank herself away from the pull. Her foot slipped on the mud at the edge of the water, and she tumbled forward, falling into a wave as it crashed to shore. It soaked through her, leaving every inch of her dripping wet. Her hair was plastered to her head and hung down her neck like a dead weight.
“Elle,” Cale bellowed. “Back away now.”
“She’s a goner,” Kalypso said. “Let the river have her.”
The tiger must have changed her opinion of Elodie’s intelligence. She was more than ready to throw her to the wolves—or whatever it was hiding in the river’s waves.
“No,” Cale said emphatically. “She’s not dying today.”
Why couldn’t she break free of the spell? She’d managed it before with the tree and the mermaid. What was different now? Cale was determined to save her, but she did not want anyone else to die on her behalf. If she could tell him to back away, she would have already done so.
“Daire, grab your bow and aim for the center of the largest wave,” Cale ordered.
“I’m on it,” Daire replied.
When had he woken? Had Cale roused them all from sleep when she’d started walking toward the river? Where was Lulu? An arrow flew by her, barely missing the side of her cheek and hit the center of the wave growing in front of her. She hadn’t noticed until that moment that it was building in height until the arrow smashed into it. The river wasn’t just water, but a
n entity all its own. Another arrow whizzed by and hit its target dead on. Whatever magnetic pull had been holding her in place released her and she hit the ground with a thud. Someone yanked on her tunic and flung her back away from the riverbank.
“Quick, shoot another one,” Cale ordered.
“You need to move,” Lulu chirped in her ear. “Or all this will be for naught.”
Elodie glanced up and found Kalypso and Lulu at her side. It had been the tiger that dragged her away from the river’s edge—maybe she hadn’t given up on Elodie after all. Now wasn’t the time to contemplate it. Daire launched several more arrows at the river, giving her time to scramble to her feet. She ran toward the fire and stood behind the men. The river raged higher and higher until one final arrow pierced it, and then it deflated into a puddle. She wasn’t sure if the arrow hit its mark or it gave up when it realized the prize had been lost. Whatever had drawn her to the river was no longer there though.
“What the hell was that?” Cale asked.
Elodie shook her head. She had no idea and wasn’t sure if she wanted to find the answer to that particular question. That had been the worst experience of her life. The other times something had tried to claim her life she had been able to save herself. If Cale and Daire hadn’t been so determined to save her, she’d be gone.
“The river monster wanted to dance with a queen,” Kalypso said. “Fortunately, it chose her instead of me.”
“That’s because you’re a pretender,” Lulu said. “The monster sensed Elodie’s royal blood.”
Their argument made Elodie’s head hurt. Her whole body shook from the cold that breached inside of her and nestled against her bones. She rubbed her arms and moved closer to the fire, but couldn’t manage to find any warmth.