“It’s not your fault you’re a dog. It could happen to anybody.”
Prince Wendell put his head on his paws. He seemed quite forlorn. “Anthony, I’m starting to forget things. Like my parents’ names, and great big chunks of my life. It’s like somebody’s stealing my life from me.”
Tony looked at him in alarm. He hoped it was just the drink talking, and not the dog himself. Wendell was so much better than a dog.
“A message for you, sir.” The bartender handed Tony a note, which he opened, thinking perhaps it was from Virginia. She shouldn’t have gone out with that Wolf tonight, but Tony had been in no mood to stop her.
He read the note, then stopped and read it again. Prince Wendell sat up, trying to see it. Tony read it to him.
“Take the dog and tie him to the post in the center of the town square. If you have not done this within fifteen minutes, I will smash the mirror into a hundred thousand pieces.”
Tony turned around. They were alone in the bar. How had the Huntsman known they were here?
He grabbed the bartender. “Where is he? Who gave you
this?”
“It was handed to the doorman, sir,” the bartender said.
Tony sank back into his chair, regretting each and every one of those frothy pink drinks. ‘ ‘Oh, Wendell,’ ’ he said. ‘ ‘What do we do now?”
Virginia looked at the mashed potato castle before her. She particularly liked the sausages that studded the turrets. This food was too beautiful to eat, but she had managed so far. And it had been good.
Still, she spent more time looking at Wolf. He was handsome. The kind of man who had just a bit of danger to him. The kind that all the books said a woman should fall in love with.
And he cared about her. He had planned this. He had been there for her ever since they had come through that mirror.
“You haven’t touched your third helping,” Virginia said.
Wolf smiled warmly. “Haven’t I?” He looked down at his untouched plate and sighed. “You are, without a doubt, the most corky girl in the whole of the Nine Kingdoms.”
Now it was Virginia’s turn to smile. “I bet you say that to all your girlfriends.”
“You are my first girlfriend,” Wolf said.
“What?” Virginia asked, stunned. “First, as in first ever?”
“Oh, yes,” Wolf said. “A wolf mates for life. Am I not your first boyfriend?’ ’
“No, I’ve been out with loads of guys.”
“Oh.” He looked absolutely crestfallen. She hadn’t expected that.
“But nothing serious,” Virginia said. In this she was completely truthful. “I’m not very good at trusting people. I never want to jump unless I’m sure someone’s going to catch me.”
“I’ll catch you,” Wolf said. “And if I miss for any reason, I’ll sit at your bedside and nurse you back to health.”
Behind them the music swelled romantically. The lights turned pink. Virginia thought this was the most wonderful night she had ever had. She leaned toward Wolf, and this time, as they were about to kiss, she didn’t pull away.
When his lips met hers, she felt it all the way through her entire body. It seemed right. She had never been kissed like this before. She didn’t want the kiss to end, and it didn’t for the longest time.
Then, finally, they separated. Wolf’s eyes opened, and he looked as stunned as she felt.
“Cripes,” he said.
The town square was dark, and Tony didn’t have his balance yet. He was slightly drunk and it made him uncomfortable. He wasn’t the most competent guy even when he was sober.
He was only a few feet from the square. Wendell was beside him. Prince Wendell, who had just made the most ridiculous plan.
“No, I won’t let you do it,” Tony said to Prince. “How do we know he’s not going to put a crossbow bolt through both of us? We could be walking into a trap.”
“I can only be killed once,” Prince Wendell said. “Sacrifice is the greatest achievement of the hero.”
“You’re as drunk as I am,” Tony said. “You don’t know what you’re saying.”
The square was empty. Tony stopped. “Wait a minute. The square. He’s got to be able to see that I’m leaving you in the square, hasn’t he?”
“So?” Prince asked.
“So he’s got to have a clear view of the square. He’s got to be watching from—
“Somewhere high,” Prince said.
“Exactly,” Tony said.
They both looked up. There was only one tall building in the entire town.
“The tower of the auction house,” Prince said.
Tony nodded. He kept walking, but every now and then he would flick his eyes toward the tower.
“Don’t look up,” Tony said. “That’s where he’ll have the mirror. Don’t look up. Just pretend to struggle.”
Wendell threw his entire self into his performance. He dragged his doggy feet, he pulled on the rope lead that Tony had found, and he barked, an angry growling bark that Tony would never have taken from any other dog.
When they reached the central post, Tony began to tie him. Prince Wendell still struggled, but between growls, he said, “Just do a loose knot. I’ll be faster than him.”
“Where will you go?” Tony asked. “What if I don’t see you again?”
“You will,” Prince said.
“Good luck, your highness,” Tony said.
He pretended to secure the knot and walked away. Prince Wendell barked as if he had been left there against his will. Tony tried not to listen. He wasn’t really sure if this would work.
Virginia smiled as she finished her dessert. The carved meringue swan filled with fruits and sorbets seemed to please her. So did the flowers that the waiters had arranged during the meal. And she had even hummed when the music kept playing. She was enjoying herself, and Wolf thought that quite an accomplishment considering the day they’d had.
“What a meal,” Virginia said. “And the flowers. Everything. It was amazing.”
Wolf reached out his hand. To his surprise, Virginia slipped her fingers into his. She had fallen for him. He knew it now.
“Virginia,” Wolf said, “I have something very important to ask you. Really, really, really important.”
At that moment, the waiters brought out the cake. It was covered in candles and sparklers and shaped like a heart. The frosting paintings of him and Virginia weren’t as realistic as he had hoped, but they would do.
He wished the interruption hadn’t happened—this was hard enough as it was—but then Virginia gazed fondly at him, and even the interruption became worthwhile.
“I can’t believe this evening,” Virginia said. “This must have cost an absolute fortune.”
“It was nothing compared to what you’re worth.”
“How are we going to pay for it all?” The light left her eyes. She was only partially joking. “We’ll have to wash dishes for the next ten years.”
He had to get her past this moment. “It’s all paid, done for, don’t worry' your gorgeous head about it. Now, as I said—” The ring started bouncing in his pocket, interrupting his train of thought.
“Go for it,” the singing ring said. “I’m hot to trot.” “Paid for?” Virginia asked. “How?”
‘ ‘I have a present for you,’ ’ Wolf said, ignoring her question. “A very special present.”
He took a deep breath and put the box on the table. She watched as he opened it, but she wasn’t smiling. The ring pinged and released a halo of gold. Then it started to sing.
“Beauty that could break a million hearts. Beauty that could—”
Virginia slammed the box closed. “How have you paid for all of this?”
He had vowed not to lie to her anymore. Besides, he couldn’t think of a lie that would work. “Uh, oh, yes, I won the Jack Rabbit Jackpot last night.”
“Last night? But you said you lost all your money.”
“Did I?” Oh, huff-puff. This was
n’t going at all the way he wanted it to. “Well, I did win some.”
“You said you’d lost everything.”
“Yes, but look what I bought you.”-
“Let me out!” the singing ring shouted. “Let me out!”
“Outside, when you were telling me how much you loved me—you liar!”
“You messed it up, you idiot,” the ring said.
“How much money did you win?”
He didn’t expect her to get this angry. “I can’t really remember.”
“Get me out before it’s too late,” the singing ring said. “How much?” Virginia asked.
“I think it was around ten thousand.”
“Ten thousand!” Virginia shouted. “We could have got the mirror back and you spent it on food?”
“I didn’t spend it on food,” Wolf said. “I spent it on you.” “We could have gone home,” Virginia said. “We could have gone home. Don’t you understand? I don’t belong here. I want to go home.”
“No, please, we’ve got lots more treats. I’ve got a gondola out back. And fireworks and more fizzy stuff.”
Virginia started to cry. Wolf had never seen Virginia cry before. He didn’t know what to do.
“You don’t care about me,” Virginia said. “You just care about yourself.”
“No, that’s not true.” He reached for the ring. He would prove to her how much he cared.
But Virginia stood. “I don’t want to see you anymore.” “No!” Wolf stood too. But Virginia was already hurrying out of the restaurant. “Please don’t go, Virginia.”
She slammed the door so hard, the thousand candle flames shook.
“You loser,” the ring said. “Where’s my finger? Where’s my finger?”
Wolf stared at the slammed door, then at Virginia’s empty seat, and then at the ring.
“I hate you. I hate you,” the ring said.
“Why was I ever stupid enough to think a girl like her would fall for an animal like me.” He sank into his chair and started to howl. He hadn’t howled like this since he was a pup
and he had to leave the den. He tried to stop and he couldn’t, so he snuffled, then howled, then snuffled again.
Finally a waiter approached him. “Would you—um—like to see the dessert trolley?”
“No, thank you,” Wolf said. “My life is over.”
He wiped his eyes, put the ring in his pocket, and walked out of the restaurant. His life really was over.
He had no idea what he would do.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Prince Wendell waited in the town square, the rope chafing at the back of his neck. He hoped that the loose knot wouldn’t be that obvious to the Huntsman.
He also hoped that he would be able to concentrate long enough to make his escape. For he had been completely honest with Anthony. Wendell was beginning to forget things, and he had horrible dog-like impulses. He could hear the Queen’s voice over and over again in his mind.
Do you like dogs, Wendell? Because you’re going to spend the rest of your life as one.
Until recently, he had thought he would escape, his faculties intact. Now he wasn’t so sure.
Finally he heard a noise. The Huntsman walked across the square. Wendell could get a faint whiff of the man, the smell of pain and dried blood and old death. It wasn’t a pleasant odor.
The Huntsman was limping. The wound the others had given him in that tree house had apparently been quite severe.
Wendell looked up. He saw Anthony on the roof of the auction house. Then Wendell looked down again. The Huntsman was very close.
Wendell waited until the Huntsman was just about to reach him, then slipped off his lead. The pretend knot slipped open, just as it was supposed to, and Wendell ran.
He glanced over his shoulder and saw the Huntsman pull out his crossbow. Then Wendell hurried around a comer. Maybe
he had lied to Tony. Maybe he couldn’t stay ahead of the Huntsman. He hadn’t counted on the bow.
But Wendell suddenly found himself in a sea of people. They were coming out of buildings, flowing into the streets, shouting and yelling and celebrating.
Overhead, fireworks went off. He had no idea what this was for. It was not a holiday, was it? Had he forgotten that too?
Bells were ringing in the distance and people were shouting. Wendell glanced over his shoulder. The Huntsman was watching, but couldn’t shoot, not with all these people around.
Then Wendell focused on what the crowd was saying. “The Troll King is dead!” someone in the crowd yelled. “Prince Wendell has killed the Troll King and twelve of his men. He’s on his way home. The crisis is over!”
“Get your souvenir copy of The Kingdom Times,” a newspaper man shouted. “Return of the Prince. Happy Ever After.” Wendell felt his tail go between his legs.
“This can’t be,” Wendell said to himself. “This is a lie. I’m Prince Wendell. That’s me!”
“Here he comes!” a man shouted. “Here he comes!” Wendell turned. There was his carriage. And there was the Dog Prince, leaning out of the window, tongue lolling. He was holding something and waving.
“Bom to be King!” the crowd shouted. “Bom to be King!” As the carriage passed, Wendell finally saw what it was. The head of the Troll King dangled from the Dog Prince’s hand.
“Long live Prince Wendell. Long live Prince Wendell.” Wendell watched the carriage disappear around a comer, like his life.
The Huntsman was nowhere to be seen.
Wolf walked away from the restaurant alone. It was dark, and his limbs felt so heavy that he could barely move. His life was over. It truly was.
He stopped in front of the river and took the ring out of his pocket. Then he pried the ring from its box.
“What are you doing?’’ the ring asked. ‘ ‘What do you think you’re doing, you loser?”
He gazed at the ring for a moment. It was right. He was a loser. He should never, ever have hoped to make Virginia his wife. She deserved so much better than him.
With a single arc, he threw the ring into the water. There was a ripple, and then a fish rose, holding the ring in its mouth. The fish flipped its tail and disappeared into the darkness forever.
Wolf stared at the ripples for a moment. Then they coalesced into a familiar face.
The Queen. She smiled at him. ‘ ‘Now you see what I told you all along. You are nothing without me. Ctime back to me. Will you turn back to me?”
“Yes,” Wolf said, and wandered off, alone, into the night.
He was too drunk to be climbing on a roof. Too drunk and too old. Of course, if he hadn’t been drunk, he might not have gotten to the roof in the first place. He might have remained by the locked door down below.
Tony slipped, sending an ancient tile skittering to the street below. It landed with a bang.
“Be careful,” Tony said to himself.
He hoped the Huntsman hadn’t heard it. Tony found the open tower and slipped inside. There were weapons here, but not the crossbow. He hoped Prince Wendell could fend for himself on that.
Tony reached the Huntsman’s bag. He opened it and grinned. Inside was the mirror.
He lifted it. The damn thing was heavy. Great. Now he was too old, too drunk, and not balanced. He had to hope the luck gods were with him tonight.
He climbed back out onto the roof. He started across the tiles when he lost his balance, slipped, and fell on his back.
Tony screamed and slid down the roof for a few feet before he reached for a loose tile. He got it, and lost his hold on the mirror. It slid to the edge of the roof and stopped there, hanging off the ledge.
He stared at the mirror for a long moment. Okay. So the luck gods weren’t with him. But they had to be with someone in the troop. Someone, maybe Virginia. Tony had to do this for his daughter.
He inched down the roof to get to the mirror. His fingers nearly touched the gilded edge. He slid farther forward and his fingers brushed the metal.
The mirror
slipped slightly, until the bulk of its weight was over the edge. It kept tottering up and down like a demented seesaw.
Tony strained, reaching for the mirror. He finally touched it when it slid over the roof and disappeared into the darkness.
Virginia sat on a bench in the town square. She had never gone from happiness to sorrow so fast in her life. She was still crying. Wolf hadn’t realized what he had done. He had ruined her faith in men and destroyed her hope for going home all in one quick stroke.
“Well, at least things can’t get any worse,” she said to herself.
Suddenly something fell past her in the darkness. It landed and shattered into a thousand pieces. She crouched and then realized that what had smashed before her was the magic mirror.
She looked up and saw her father, looking forlornly from the roof above.
Now she really was well and truly trapped here. Alone. Forever.
“It’s entirely possible to mend anything with a bit of glue,” Tony said.
He was trying to pick up the shattered pieces of the mirror. He was trying to put them into a bag he’d found. Virginia hadn’t moved. In fact, she stared at him with a look he’d never seen on her face before. Anger, fury, complete and total rage. Yet she wasn’t saying a word.
“Are you going to help me?” Tony asked Virginia. “Are you going to stand there all day and say nothing?”
“Don’t make me say anything.” Her voice was low, husky.
“Where’s Wolf gone?”
“He’s just gone, all right? He’s gone back to wherever he came from.”
Tony continued to pick up the pieces. He was completely sober. More sober than he had ever been in his life. He didn’t really even have a hangover. He supposed adrenaline had done that.
“You idiot,” Virginia said. “That mirror was our only way home.”
Well, at least she told him how she felt. But he already knew what he had done wrong. He was just trying to make it better, trying to find some kind of solution.
It was beginning to look as if there wasn’t any.
Then Prince Wendell came up, tail between his legs. He looked as upset as Tony felt.
“Anthony,” Prince Wendell said.
Tony couldn’t deal with an aristocratic dog. “Not now.”
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