“What?”
“I swear it,” Eric assured her. “I did my research. I double checked everything. There is no way anyone or anything can be cursed from touching the Globetrot-tree.”
“You must be making a mistake.” She did not want to believe him. “Because if you’re telling the truth, that meant Caynin…”
“Lied,” Eric said firmly. “Caynin lied to you.”
It did not make sense. Why would Caynin do that? She would have to confront him about it. Eric must have made a mistake; he was only human, after all. She would speak to Caynin and clear up everything.
“There is something else you should know,” Eric said.
“Yes?”
“If a human touches the Globetrot-tree, the amount of energy, magic, flowing through it should kill the human.”
“I’m not dead.” Now she was even more convinced that Eric was mistaken about the whole situation. She had touched the tree and been cursed. The end.
“I don’t know why,” Eric said. “I’ve not had time to figure that out.”
And he was never going to have time to figure that out because he was going to die tomorrow. She hadn’t come up with a plan to save him. She didn’t know what to do.
“Don’t look so sad,” Eric said. “Caynin is what he is. At least you can go home now.”
Zoey still did not want to believe Eric that there was no curse. If there was no curse, it meant Caynin was not as good as she had believed he was.
“I’m not sad about that,” she said. “I just don’t know how to get you out of here.”
“But I do.”
Zoey turned around abruptly and faced Fleur, the servant Fata who had been cleaning Zoey’s room for months. She wore her servant clothes, and there was dirt on them. In her one hand she held a duffle bag. Zoey had no idea why she was down here or why she would want to help. She had only ever been nasty to Zoey.
Fleur stared at Eric, her expression soft, and one hand slightly extended toward him, as if she wanted to touch him. Eric had a look of horror on his face.
“Mom?” He jumped to his feet.
“You know who I am?” Tears welled up in her eyes.
“I recognize you from photos that Dad showed me,” Eric said. “But how? You were human… The Fata killed you in the Wandering Woods…”
“Caynin told me that the last person who did the Worthy Trials, and survived, was over a decade ago. That’s when you ‘died’,” Zoey realized.
“You are frightfully intelligent,” Fleur told her. “I knew about the Fata ever since I was a little girl. I used to admire them, and I wanted nothing more than to be like them. For a long time, I was a blood slave, but they still saw me as less than them. After a while, I went back to the human world, fell in love with Donny, got married, and had you, Eric, but I missed the Eternity Kingdoms and their magic. I couldn’t help myself but go back. Then I finally learned about the Worthy Trials, and I realized I could use my wish to get the three princes to turn me into a Fata.”
“You passed all three trials,” Zoey said.
“But Dad found your corpse in the woods,” Eric said.
Fleur looked at the ground in shame. “My last trial was to use the Black Illusion to make your father hallucinate my death. If I wanted to live here, I had to be willing to give up my old life.”
“And you did give it up,” Eric realized. “You gave me up.”
For a moment, Zoey thought she would cry, but she didn’t. “I’m so sorry. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t regret it.”
“But you got what you wanted,” Eric said. “You are one of them.”
“I’m a servant,” she said harshly. “Once I turned, I didn’t have any friends. They never made me a part of them. They gave me a job, and I could never go home. They manipulate. They made my wish come true in the cruelest of ways.”
Zoey had no idea what to say. Eric was shaking in his cell, and she could understand his pain. All his life he had believed the Fata had murdered his mother. She was willing to bet that he wished they had murdered her because that was better than this. That was better than knowing that his own mother had abandoned him to become a monster.
“And why are you here now?” Eric asked.
“I want to help,” she said.
“You’ve never helped with anything,” Zoey told her.
“That’s not true,” she said. “By being horrible to you, I’ve been trying to tell you that you will never fit in here. You are wasting your time trying to earn their respect through these trials. It can’t end well. I’ve helped you in more ways than you know.”
Fleur had seen Delia at her door the day when Delia had shown up by her room to trick her into going to the back of the castle, where they had thrown her to the leopards.
I don’t need to threaten you. If Delia is showing up at your door, you are in enough trouble already.
Fleur had tried to warn her not to listen to Delia. She hadn’t wanted Delia and Kismet to harm Zoey.
“You told me not to listen to Delia,” Zoey said.
“I couldn’t have told you directly,” she said. “If everyone knew I was on your side, they would only have made life harder for the both of us. But after they tricked you, I knew you needed extra protection.”
“So, you left the iron knife in my room!” Zoey realized.
“The knife was mine. I carried it with me when I was human. When I changed, I kept it, to remind me who I once was. And then you came along. I figured you could put it to better use.”
“You wanted me to leave, for my own good,” Zoey said.
“I didn’t want you to make the same mistakes that I made,” Fleur said.
Zoey had never planned on using her wish to turn her Fata. She still wasn’t sure what she wanted to use it on. That feast before the festival and her first trial – that was the first time Fleur had spoken to her without being mean.
You shouldn’t be focusing on clothes, focus on what you’re going to eat.
“You warned me about the enchanted food at the festival,” Zoey said.
“I had no idea that you were immune to it or to compulsion,” Fleur confessed. “I’ve never heard of a human being immune.”
“You left extra food in my room so that I wouldn’t get hungry and eat at the festival.”
“But you still ate a cupcake,” Fleur said. “I really did try to help you.”
Zoey’s entire perception of Fleur shifted. She had believed Fleur looked down on her, like all the other Fata, that Fleur was cruel and demeaning. Now she saw Fleur as a woman who had fallen in love with the wonders of the Eternity Kingdoms. Zoey could not blame her; she felt the same way. She understood why Fleur wanted to remain here forever. She was aware that giving Eric up had been selfish. She had missed out on his life, but she was here now, and that was what mattered.
Eric clearly didn’t feel the same way. His fists were balled at his sides, and his bottom lip was quivering. He was trying hard not to cry.
“Dad became a hunter because of you,” Eric said. “I became a hunter because of you.”
“Eric, I am so sorry.”
“How could you do this to us?”
Zoey was not as emotionally involved as the two of them, which meant she could think clearly and notice that Fleur hadn’t come from the direction of the entrance.
“Fleur, how did you get in here?”
“Years ago, a famous Fata was kept in these cells. His name was Ravon, and he was a mass murderer. One day, when the guards came to his cell, he was gone. He had dug his way out of here, and I came in through that tunnel.”
Zoey shook her head. If she had known about that, she would never have made a deal with Dagan. How foolish! If Ravon was famous, then Dagan surely knew of him and his tunnel. Yet, he had chosen not to tell Zoey and take advantage of the situation.
“And you?” Fleur asked.
“I walked through the front door.” Zoey sighed. “The guards won’t be back for a while.”
“How do you know?” Fleur asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Zoey said.
She didn’t want to tell them about her deal with Dagan because she didn’t want them to reprimand her. She had made a foolish mistake, and one day she was going to pay the price.
“You made a deal with someone,” Eric realized.
“It doesn’t matter,” she said.
“It won’t end well,” Fleur warned her.
“Then don’t think about it,” she snapped. “How do we get him out of here?”
Fleur dropped her duffle bag and opened it to reveal a red velvet cape with a hood.
“As a servant, I know when and where the blood slaves are. Tarragon has ordered a group of them be sent to his room tonight, and they pass the dungeons on their way there. The plan is to disguise Eric as one of them, let him join the group, and then I’ll escort them. When we are close to the room, at the outskirts of the castle, Eric will break free, leave his red cape, and make a run for it.”
“If he goes into the woods alone something else might kill him,” Zoey said.
“If he stays here, he will most certainly die. It’s better to take a chance in the woods.”
It was not a brilliant plan, but it was better than nothing.
“I don’t have any other ideas,” she told Eric, confirming she was on board with Fleur’s plan.
“Then let’s do it,” he said. “Zoey, I want you to leave with me.”
He could be making a mistake. She didn’t want to leave with him and risk cursing her family. “We should just get you out of here,” she said.
Zoey stepped aside and Fleur kicked the cell door with inhuman strength that sent it flying off its hinges. The doors were enchanted to keep prisoners inside, but not to protect from the outside. Fleur handed Eric the red cape which he accepted hesitantly. There was no trust in his eyes, and Zoey didn’t blame him for being angry with his mother. Fleur had no reason to betray them now. She was sticking her own neck out, trying to save him.
They headed toward the big entrance where Zoey stepped cautiously on the ice. Both Fleur and Eric were tense and skeptical about no guards being present. They relaxed somewhat once they reached the unguarded entrance. Dagan would keep his word because he wanted her to be in debt.
Eric put his hood over his head, thereby obscuring his face. If he were recognized, they would be caught, and they would never escape.
“Hide behind this wall,” Fleur said.
Zoey and Eric did just that, silently, in the dark. They waited for what felt like an eternity. Zoey was shaking from the anticipation and couldn’t stop herself from peeking around the wall when she heard approaching footsteps. A Fata, dressed in servant clothes, came toward Fleur. Behind her were three beautiful human girls, compelled to follow her. They wore red hoods, like Eric’s, but their hoods were down to show their faces. Zoey could see their pale skin in the moonlight and imagined Tarragon sinking his teeth into them. She absentmindedly touched her own neck, where Tarragon had bitten her.
Caynin was not going to save these girls. He would not help them the way he had helped her. Zoey’s heart went out to them and their families. She wished she could save everyone, but she couldn’t. She had to first focus on saving Eric. But silently, she promised she would try everything in her power to free them.
“I’ll take them from here,” Fleur told the servant.
“Okay,” the servant said.
She turned around and went back in the direction from which she’d come while the three girls stood still in their trance-like state. Death was better than this.
“Come on,” Fleur said. Eric joined the group, but he was the odd one out. “Don’t speak, and don’t look around.”
Zoey walked next to Fleur and realized she might look suspicious. By trying to help the girl at the Red Festival she had made it obvious that she did not approve of Fata drinking human blood. The area around the dungeons was quiet, but there were plenty of Fata as they passed through the gardens. Zoey looked around, nervously. She expected someone to call them out, but no one did. No one paid them any attention. It was normal for a servant to escort blood slaves.
Zoey found Rane the same time he saw her, and almost got a heart attack. He knew something was wrong when he saw her walking with the group of humans. She looked away, but it was too late. He came to her and grabbed her arm. Fleur was tense but continued walking when Rane did not tell her to stop. She did not have any choice but to leave Zoey.
“What are you doing?” Rane whispered.
“Nothing,” Zoey said.
His grip tightened on her arm. “Don’t lie to me.”
She bit her lip because she could never tell him the truth. But Rane was intelligent and didn’t need to hear the truth from her lips to figure it out. He looked at the three girls and then the fourth human with the hood up.
“You’re breaking him out.”
“Please, don’t stop me,” she whispered.
“It’s not going to work,” Rane told her.
“It is working. He is almost out.”
Rane looked at her and she returned that look with the same desperation he had when he’d asked her not to tell about him and Kismet. He released her arm.
“Kismet is with Tarragon, to applaud him for catching the Slaerie responsible for killing Delia.”
If Kismet didn’t know that a Prenumbra was behind the murders, then maybe she and Rane hadn’t told her – which meant they weren’t as close as Zoey had thought, or Rane’s loyalty to Caynin ran deeper than his love for Kismet.
“She knows what Eric looks like.” Zoey rushed back to Fleur, and Rane didn’t stop her.
“Is everything all right?” Fleur asked tensely.
“Kismet is by Tarragon. She knows what Eric looks like,” Zoey said.
“We are going to walk through some thick bushes that will provide cover,” Fleur said. “Eric is going to shrug off his hood, get off the footpath, and go when I tell him to. There won’t be a lot of time.”
They reached the footpath bordered with tall, snow-covered bushes on either side. Past the bushes was the beginning of the woods, where the winged leopards were lounging in the trees. Eric’s spine stiffened when he saw Chet, before glancing at Tarragon’s room.
When they reached the middle, Fleur said, “Now, Eric.”
Eric jumped into the bushes and shrugged of his hood. Its tip stuck out from under the branches. The three girls continued to follow Fleur, who didn’t dare stop to say goodbye.
“Zoey, come with me,” Eric said.
“I can’t,” she responded.
Speaking to him sent waves of panic through her. They did not have any time to waste. He should run away immediately.
“Zoey, come on!” Eric pleaded.
She stepped aside so that the three girls passed her. “Eric, I’m staying. Get out of here.”
“Not without you,” he said.
She almost cursed at him for being so loyal. She was about to step into the woods when Tarragon’s door suddenly opened, and Kismet emerged.
“Zoey?”
Zoey turned toward her and tried to appear as relaxed as possible. She could not get caught now. Anyone who knew her would realize she had no business near Tarragon’s room. To make matters worse, Tarragon appeared behind Kismet. Zoey would have to lie her way out of this.
“Have you come to steal any of my drinks?” Tarragon asked.
Zoey straightened and passed Fleur and the girls, who were standing still in front of his door. She stopped when she was in front of Tarragon, where she could look into his eyes.
“I am here to apologize,” she said.
Tarragon burst out laughing, and it took him a while to stop and stare at her. “Wait… Are you serious?”
She nodded and tried to be as convincing as possible. “I shouldn’t have disrespected you like that, and I am sorry.”
He nodded but she was not convinced she had been forgiven. Apologizing to him made her sick, but she couldn’t think of a better lie as to why she was there. They were just words, and she didn’t have to mean them.
“Good night.” She hoped she could run away now, and Eric was long gone.
“Stay,” Tarragon said.
Zoey had to quickly come up with an excuse to avoid entering his room. “I should be going to Caynin. He is waiting for me.”
“Did he tell you to come here?” Tarragon asked.
“I came of my own accord.” She needed him to believe that her apology was sincere and that she wanted to apologize. She was not going to drag Caynin into this.
“Well, I have to get home.” Kismet looked at Tarragon one last time and gave him a warm, grateful smile that turned Zoey’s stomach. Zoey had told Kismet that Eric was innocent, but Kismet hadn’t believed her. She desperately needed someone to blame for Delia’s murder. And here she was, kissing a liar’s ass.
She passed Zoey and Fleur when she stared into the gardens. What did she see? She bent down and pulled Eric’s hood out of the bushes, making Zoey’s stomach drop. Then she looked into the bushes – with her Fata sight she could see well in the dark.
She screamed. “It’s him! The Slaerie!”
Zoey was terrified and furious that Eric hadn’t run and had chosen to wait for her. Tarragon attempted to push past her, but she tripped him. He hadn’t expected it and fell hard. Zoey hoped that had bought Eric time to run. The bushes rattled as he crashed through them.
Tarragon immediately called out, and moments later, his Fata were there. Two of them seized Fleur and another two went for Zoey. She punched, but the faerie quickly moved out of the way. Another grabbed Zoey’s arm and twisted it behind her back. She cried out as she was forced to her knees.
Then a vicious growl filled the air. Before she realized what was happening, Chet pounced on the faerie. He let go of Zoey and fell to the ground with Chet on him, a paw on either side of his face.
Zoey got to her feet and put a hand on Chet’s shoulder. The leopard slowly backed off, still showing teeth, and none of the faeries dared to come close to Zoey again.
Moments later, a Fata dragged Eric back to them, and at the sight of Chet so close, Zoey thought Eric might faint. Zoey almost cried. They had come so close to getting him out. She had been so certain they were going to pull this off. She glanced at Fleur – all emotion had drained away from her face. She had given up.
“You say you’ve come here to apologize,” Tarragon growled as he came to Zoey. “You came here to steal from me.”
Chet stepped in front of Zoey, horns lowered and tail swishing.
“I can’t steal something that does not belong to you.” She doubted her voice would have sounded so steady if Chet hadn’t been there to protect her.
For a moment, Zoey thought Tarragon was going to draw closer and hit her, but his eyes went to Chet. Tarragon stayed put but spat on the ground next to her like a savage.
“Take them to the dungeons,” Tarragon said.
Zoey considered trying to fight, but there was no point. Even if Eric did manage to get away, he was slow, and the faeries would catch him. Although Chet was on their side, they were greatly outnumbered. As Fleur and Eric were dragged away from Tarragon’s room, Zoey turned to follow. Chet followed her until they reached the ice sculptures in the gardens. There she stopped and hugged him.
“Thank you.”
He licked her face, as if he sensed that the danger had passed, and returned to his pack. Dagan was leaning against a wall, making no attempt to help her. He shook his head in disapproval when she met his gaze.
And Zoey, it will be most unwise to try and break him out. You’ll be caught.
He had warned her, and she had not listened. Ashamed, Zoey looked away from him. She had failed, and she had no idea what was going to happen next.