by K. M. Shea
Angelique ran a finger through her hair—which was starting to slip out of the jeweled clips that held it pinned to the top of her head. “I’ve already sent word to a good friend of mine, the Grandmaster Craftmage Rumpelstiltskin. His wife, Gemma, has some experience with transforming the dark nature of hellhounds.”
Odile perked. “Transforming?”
“Yes.” Angelique raised her hand—as if to scrub her eyes—then seemingly thought better of it and lowered her hand again. “Gemma shoved a starfire—a crystal light—into the mouth of a hellhound that was attacking her. It transformed into a white dog and now follows her like a guard. I believe she calls it Hvit.”
Odile clasped her hands together. “So the hellhounds don’t have to be evil?” she asked.
Angelique smiled. “No.”
Odile’s shoulders stooped under the strength of her relief. Odette bumped her gently. “Why don’t you check on your wyvern, then you can ask Angelique for details as she and Yakov organize your father’s papers?”
Odile nodded happily. “Thank you, Angelique.”
“Of course,” Angelique said. “Come back as soon as you’re finished.”
Properly inspired, Odile hurried down the hallway, leaving Odette and Alexsei in her dust.
Alexsei chuckled. “That news thrilled her.”
“I’m glad. Odile has always had a bleeding heart for Rothbart’s experiments—human or animal.” Odette squinted as they left the darkness of the castle keep and entered the sunny courtyard. She raised her arms to stretch and then stifled a yawn.
Alexsei curled an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek. “We should return to Tsona. You need sleep.”
“So do you.” She snorted and groaned after a heartbeat. “How are we going to explain us to your parents?”
Alexsei combed his hand through her wild, dirty-blonde hair. “Mother already knows. I imagine she’s tattled to Father by now.”
Odette grimaced as they made their way out of the castle and down the bridge that connected the island to the shore. “Wonderful.”
Alexsei, bemused, kept playing with her hair. “You have nothing to fear. Though Father might protest a little, it will end well. Mother likes you quite a bit. She’ll wear him down.”
“But how? You’re a royal. I’m a…I don’t even know what I am anymore.”
“You are Odette—beautiful, compassionate, and fiercely loyal,” Alexsei said. They began to make their way around the shore of Swan Lake, until Alexsei grabbed her hands so she had to stop. “We’ll make this work. I didn’t fight an evil sorcerer just to give up because we happen to be royalty of different sorts.”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not royal.”
Alexsei grinned. “Whatever you say, Swan Queen.”
Odette glared at him, and Alexsei crowded her until his forehead rested against hers. “I’m not going to let you go, Odette.”
She bit her lip. “You’re sure?”
He nodded.
She took a deep breath of air. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” He kissed her softly.
Several minutes later, Odette and Alexsei finally made their way to the abandoned camp of the Black Swan Smugglers.
He admired a blackened fire pit. “You hauled all your cargo out of here quite neatly.”
“We drilled frequently for emergency evacuations,” Odette said. She frowned as she poked around the dilapidated wall in which she usually hid her ledger.
“Did you lose something?”
“Last night, I couldn’t find my ledger when we were pulling out. It was not in the usual spot I hide it.” Odette inspected the wall with narrowed eyes.
Alexsei hopped over the wall and began searching on the other side. “Oh,” he said.
“You found it?” Odette asked. She vaulted over to join him.
“Yes.” He pointed to the ledger, which was nestled between a pair of beautiful black boots. Unlike Odette’s usual boots, these were shiny black and had gold buttons fastened down the side. The center of each gold button was emblazoned with a white swan.
“I didn’t know you had a pair of boots like that,” Alexsei said.
Odette reached for her ledger. “I don’t. I purchase my boots in bulk as I usually lose several pairs per year.” She eyed the boots and picked up her ledger, peering at it with interest when she realized that several loose papers had been placed inside of it.
She perched on the wall and read the papers—holding them so Alexsei could see them, too.
They were letters—correspondences from Odile’s mother. The letters were not affectionate—or even friendly. They seemed to be blackmail.
Sorceress Suzu threatened to kill Odile if Rothbart didn’t take out the Kozlovkan royal family.
“How did these get in my ledger?” Odette murmured.
“Rothbart must have placed them there,” Alexsei said. “But why?”
Odette paged through the letters again, and this time spotted a small scrap of paper caught between the other papers.
Please, protect her.
Odette recognized the scrawl. It was Rothbart’s. Odette closed her eyes. Rothbart, you really loved Odile after all, didn’t you?
One of the papers stuck to the scrawled message was a diagram of Rothbart’s castle and a squiggly red line that looked like his ropy magic. Based on the notes, Rothbart had built an easy-break strand into each spell—as Angelique had observed—and planned to snap them all before his death.
Odette was right. Though she and Alexsei loved each other, it had been Rothbart who had broken the curse. The idea was so unreal, she had a hard time taking it in.
Alexsei was still reading other letters. “It seems he might have lost against us on purpose,” he said. “It would explain some of his odd conduct: why he attacked now instead of waiting until his wyverns were more adept and better prepared, why he played with us on the bridge. Perhaps he was purposely cruel to Odile to drive her away.”
Offhandedly, she recalled the instructions he had given her before he summoned the sea serpent and the chimera at the smugglers’ camp. “…If all goes as planned, I’ll be doing you a kindness. Remember that.” Her eyes teared up. She scowled, angry with herself.
Alexsei placed his hand on top of hers. “It’s alright,” he said. “You can cry.”
“But why should I?” she objected. “He cursed us! He killed, harmed, and destroyed as badly as an assassin from the Verglas Assassins’ Guild! He set a wyvern loose—so many were lost! But…” Broken, she exhaled. “But he let me go, when he could have pulled me to the bottom of the lake with him. He broke off his harmful magic. I’m just so lost.”
Alexsei hugged her tightly. “He caused many people significant pain and heartbreak, and I have no doubts that he was twisted. But you can still be sad. He worked your spell to have more mercy than what the Arcainian princes endured. You told me yourself it seemed he accidentally aided you smugglers when you most needed help. Perhaps it was not on accident.”
“How can you be so understanding?” Odette whispered.
“Because while I believe in the absolutes of good and evil, I know that people are different. A royal prince might have a dark day in which he hates his brilliant brother for a moment, and an evil sorcerer can love his daughter, and he could even have a drop of mercy for the girl who so fearlessly works to protect others.”
Odette closed her eyes and set her head on Alexsei’s shoulder.
“He was fond of you, Odette. And while he made your life miserable, it would seem he did not want to see you—or my family—killed. I heard what he said to you. He goaded you into killing him, when he could have eradicated us at any moment. So cry as much as you like. Mourn his lost potential, cry for Odile who didn’t know how much she was loved, and cry for the broken man who decided he would rather end his life than join the darkness.”
“Why didn’t he seek help?” Odette asked. She waited a moment then answered her own question. “He was probably too twist
ed to want redemption—he just wanted someone to protect Odile.”
“So he found you to take his place,” Alexsei said.
Odette leaned back and stared up at the sky—reveling in the dappled sunlight that brushed her skin. “I dreamed about the day our spell would be broken. I never imagined I would be such an emotional mess.”
Alexsei pressed his lips to her cheek. “It’s allowed. It has been a difficult day for everyone.” He paused. “Rothbart breaking the curse doesn’t change the way I feel about you, though. I love you, Odette. And I won’t give up on this.”
Odette brushed tears from her eyes. “I know. I feel the same. Whether he had released us or not, I would have told you. Even if the emperor would have me thrown in the dungeons for tempting his son.”
Alexsei laughed. “Once he comes to know you as I do, he won’t mind that you’re a smuggler.”
Odette glanced down at her ledger. “I have to leave soon.”
Alexsei froze. “Why?”
Odette rubbed her eyes. “The delivery. I have to get it to the clients. Don’t worry—I’ll be back as soon as the exchange is made.”
Alexsei stared at her with disbelief. “After all we have endured, you’re going to run off on a smugglers’ run?”
Odette nodded. “Yes.”
“But your spell was broken. You can return to a life in the daytime,” Alexsei said.
Odette shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. This job must be completed.”
Alexsei closed his eyes—Odette could almost feel him trying to calm himself.
She pressed her lips together. “Would you like to come with me?”
Alexsei opened his eyes and stared at her.
She hesitated and then added, “Please?”
Alexsei sighed, but his eyes were warm. “Very well. I guess I’ll experience the life of a smuggler. When do we leave?”
“This afternoon—or we’ll be late. Go back to Tsona and get several changes of clothes. I’ll talk to Odile and Angelique about…this.” She held the letters aloft.
Alexsei tilted his head. “Changes of clothes.”
“Yes. We’ll be a couple of days.”
“Where are we going?”
Odette grinned. “You’ll never guess.”
Chapter 13
The Clients
The boat rocked as Odette jumped from it and landed in a crouch. She inhaled deeply—breathing in the fresh scent of the famed Alabaster Forest. Birds chirped, and the air felt cleaner. Calmer, perhaps.
After days of traveling, they had arrived.
Alexsei followed her lead and leaped from the boat. “Are we in Farset?”
“Indeed,” Misha said. He waded knee-deep in the water and began unloading the boats—handing casks off to other smugglers. “Welcome to the White Woods of Farset.”
Alabaster Forest—or as many called it, the White Woods—were considered a continental treasure, and they brimmed with magic. The trees that populated the forest had white wood—incredibly rare and powerful when enchanted. The trees themselves seemed to shimmer and glitter. Rabbits peered out of their holes and wiggled velvet noses at them; a raccoon sat on its posterior and chewed on vegetation, and a doe and her fawn watched with tilted heads.
“What are we doing here?” Alexsei asked, his voice quiet with awe.
Odette grinned. “Meeting a client.”
“But who?” Alexsei turned, trying to see everything at once.
Odette smiled fondly—remembering she had reacted similarly when she was first summoned here. Humans were not often allowed in the Alabaster Forest, after all.
Odette took Alexsei’s hand and squeezed. “Just watch.” She pointed to the forest and, as if on cue, flowers sprouted out of the ground. The flowers—colored sunshine yellow, sparkling blue, and a brilliant pink—opened, spreading their petals wide. At the center of the star-shaped flowers were little lights that glowed like fairy dust.
The flowers were arranged in two neat rows—cutting a path through the forest. Trees creaked and groaned as they moved their branches—lifting them higher or curling them back. Bright green moss crawled across the newly-formed path, creating a soft carpet.
Horses neighed. A rider perched on a beautiful horse rode down the moss-covered path. Behind him were three wagons, each pulled by a team of horses and led by a hooded figure.
The rider rode a blue roan that glimmered in the sunlight and was dressed in extravagant blue barding and tack. The pair behind him were silver buckskins—silver-colored fur, ebony-colored manes, tails, stockings, and muzzles. The next pair of horses were identical grays that both sported a diamond-shaped pink patch on their muzzles. The last pair were black and white pintos with frothy white manes and tails and black splashes of fur. The wagons they pulled were slender and artistic, but as solid as stone.
The rider dismounted and pushed back the black hood, revealing a male of extraordinary beauty who sported slender ears. “Greetings, Elf-friend Odette.” The elf pressed his fists together at shoulder height and lowered his head to touch them—the traditional greeting to a non-elf who had proven their deep friendship.
Odette returned the gesture. “Greetings, Cynbryn.” She heard the sputtered gasp that signaled Alexsei had stopped breathing, and she couldn’t help the smile that bloomed on her face. “Cynbryn, please allow me to introduce you to my, er, love, Prince Alexsei of Kozlovka.”
Cynbryn set his bright green eyes on Alexsei. “Oh? Have you proven yourself worthy of Elf-friend Odette’s affection?”
It took Alexsei several breaths before he was collected enough to respond. “I don’t think so, but I will spend the rest of my life trying to prove it.”
Cynbryn smiled widely. “I am glad, for Elf-Friend Odette’s sake. May your hearts be forever bound.”
“Thank you,” Odette said. “I apologize for our tardy arrival. The last few casks we received were late.”
“Not at all,” Cynbryn said. “It is we elves who are forever in your debt.”
“We’ll begin unloading immediately,” Odette said.
“Of course. We will help.” Cynbryn clicked at his horse—which moved to stand with the carts and the other horses. The animals patiently swished their tails and wrinkled their velvet muzzles.
Odette walked to the nearest boat and rolled a cask of the philtre over to one of the wagons, where an elf loaded it.
In no time at all, the exchange was made. The elves had all the casks of ètonse philtre, and Odette was given a small wooden chest.
“We thank you, Black Swan Smugglers and Elf-Friend Odette.” Cynbryn smiled sadly. “You have made our lives bearable again. I believe congratulations are in order. As we are meeting during the day, may I assume your spell has been broken?”
“Yes,” Odette said.
Fine wrinkles crinkled at the corner of Cynbryn’s eyes. “Then your days of smuggling must be at an end.”
“No,” Odette said. “We will still bring you these deliveries. When we first made this arrangement, I told you I would bring you whatever you need until you were freed. I always keep my promises.”
Cynbryn clasped her forearm. “We are not worthy of your affection, Elf-Friend.”
Odette shook her head. “No, it is we who are not worthy.” She took a leather satchel from Misha when he cleared his throat. “These are the letters from your people.”
“Ahh, yes, and we have letters of our own to give the wanderers.” He brought out his own satchel. “Thank you, Odette. You will forever be held up as a hero in our history.”
Odette smiled. “We’re only doing what is right. Until next time, Cynbryn. Take care.”
“May the forest remain in your heart.” He repeated the gesture of raising his fists to his brow, nodded to the other smugglers, then returned to his horse.
As quietly as they came, the elves retreated into the White Woods.
“The elves,” Alexsei whispered. “I thought they were gone. They haven’t let anyone into the woods for at lea
st five years!”
“They can’t,” Odette said as she watched the last wagon disappear behind a bend in their path. “They’re cursed. I don’t know all the particulars of it, but the best of their warriors and officers—including the generals—have been cursed to wander the continent, never able to stay more than one night at any location. The rest have been cursed to remain in the woods—once their home, and now their jail.”
“And you deliver the ètonse philtre to them?” Alexsei asked.
“Yes. I would like to do more, but it’s all we can do. It’s so little, but I think it helps them. They were desperate when we first made contact with them. As much as I dislike it, the philtre makes their situation more bearable.”
Alexsei shook his head. “Odette, I’m so sorry I ever doubted you. No wonder you were so protective of this shipment.”
Odette shrugged. “It’s not just because we’re being noble. They pay us well.” She passed off the payment to Misha.
Misha frowned at her. “They didn’t think to pay us until after we had delivered two shipments of philtre to them for free.”
Odette scowled at her second-in-command. “You hush.”
“What other clients do you have?” Alexsei asked.
“None so important as the elves,” Odette admitted. “They’re our priority. I can’t help but think…”
“What?” Alexsei asked.
Odette shook her head. “Sometimes it just strikes me that if the elves fall, all will be lost.”
Alexsei glanced back at their trail. The flowers had closed and were sinking back into the ground, their light extinguished. “We’re still working on clean up from Rothbart and the wyvern, but maybe, once Kozlovka has stabilized, we can offer them help.”
Odette smiled—warmed by his selfless desire.
“Someone has to help them,” Misha said as he slung the safe box into a boat. “I think their curse is too strong for them to save themselves.”
Odette sighed. I can only do this much. It is better not to waste my time wishing for something I cannot give. “Push off, lads. It’s time we return home.”
“Could we tell Angelique of the elves, do you think?” Alexsei asked.