Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 127026 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 635(@200wpm)___ 508(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Enta nodded. “Ahead we go.”
They trekked the rest of the rise up the mountain. It was a sharp incline, but nothing compared to what they’d just done. Kerrigan was still out of breath when they reached the cave mouth, which had clearly been used before. The Erewan started a fire with what kindling they could locate, and they gathered around it for warmth, eating more of their supplies.
By the time night fell, Kerrigan was warm and sated. Her magic had recovered significantly, and she finally felt prepared for what lay ahead.
Enta nodded at Kerrigan and Fordham. “It’s time. I will show you the way.”
They repacked their supplies and followed Enta out of the cave mouth. She was silent as they stalked through the tree line, stopping a half-mile later when they reached a clearing in the snow.
“This is it,” she whispered reverently.
It didn’t look like … anything.
“You’re sure?” Fordham asked.
Enta glared at him. “I would know the lands sacred to my people.”
He bowed to her. “I meant no insult. I wanted to be sure.”
“It’s a clearing,” Kerrigan said uncertainly.
Enta nodded. “Pass through, and you are on your way to the witch. I wish you the best.”
Then, she was gone.
Fordham looked to Kerrigan with a raised eyebrow. “Well?”
Kerrigan tilted her head and tried to find the shape of the working. With Mei’s barrier around the House of Shadows, she had felt the difference in the air. But there was no such thing around this clearing. To anyone who did not know where they were, it was simply a clearing. No witch at all.
“Let’s go.”
She put her hand into his, and by the light of the moon, they crossed into the unknown.
30
THE FAERIE TALE
The barrier was like walking through molasses—viscous and slow. The more she tried to push her way across it, the more it held her firm. It probed her mind and body, trying to discover her intentions. She focused on her need to break Fordham’s curse, her love for him, her true heart. She’d had so many opportunities in his absence to take another lover. March had done his best to make her his wife. Dozan had offered on multiple occasions for them to be together. She could have given in to him so easily. Been the girl she was before she met Fordham and realized there was so much more to life. That love wasn’t one-sided and it didn’t have selfish aims. It was a partnership, and she would stop at nothing to help him.
Then, all at once, the sap released from her feet, and she popped out on the other side.
Kerrigan gasped. Her hands went to her hair and her body. She was shocked to find herself completely whole. Then, her eyes skimmed the room she had been deposited into with alarm. She was no longer in the snow. In fact, she was in an enormous foyer for what could only be described as a palace. Giant marble columns led down a pink-and-white tiled hallway. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, reflecting the candlelight. Everything was more beautiful and over the top than she had ever seen. Even Belcourt Palace held nothing on this place.
Just as strange, she was no longer in her hiking clothes. Her winter gear had been replaced with a white ballgown with a princess skirt, threaded through with Bryonican navy flowers. The bodice was high-necked with delicate lace to her wrists. The navy flowers bloomed up to her elbow and across her chest. The magic that had created it must have known her to make the flowers that color.
A second later, Fordham popped into existence next to her in a black suit with a silver cravat at his neck and the stitching of the House of Shadows upon his lapel. He was cleanly shaven, and without the beard—which, she’d admit, had been striking—he looked more like her prince than ever.
“What …” he began. Then, he found his clothing and jolted. “How is this possible? Where are we? Where did these clothes come from?”
“Your guess is as good as mine. It must be a spell with the barrier.”
His eyes tracked the stunning room before them in dismay. “This must be one of the tests. The trick from the faerie tale.”
“Indeed.”
“I don’t like it.” He patted himself down. “My weapons are missing.”
Kerrigan hadn’t even thought about it. She was certain nothing could be hidden in this bodice. She had no knives under her skirts. She felt for her magic, and to her relief, it blasted forward with ease. Almost as potent as it had been in Draíocht. This felt like holy land.
“We still have our magic. We’re not defenseless.”
He nodded solemnly. “My magic feels strong here.”
“Mine too.”
“Well, that’s a relief at least. I can always jump us out of here if need be.”
“That isn’t going to be necessary,” she assured him. “We’re going to break this curse. Whether we get a wish from the witch or have to kill her. We’re going to do this.”