by Lea Doué
She wasn’t in love with an heir.
He spoke again, almost a whisper. “I saw how Theo looked at you at dinner. I don’t want to get in the way of you finding happiness. If you tell me there’s something between you two, I’ll never again say another word about how I feel.”
She shook her head. “There’s nothing between us. There’s nothing between me and anyone.” She needed him to know that.
He smiled, and it was better than moonlight. “Then you’ll give me a chance?” He took a tentative step forward. “Please say you’ll give me a chance.”
How could he ask that of her? If she gave him a chance, then wouldn’t she need to give Holic a chance, too? “I think we need to focus on getting out of here right now.”
Hope shone in his eyes. “You’re right. Now that we’re all together, I’m sure we can find a way.”
She nodded. “Good night, then.”
“Good night.”
She glanced back just before rounding the first turn in the stairs. Eddy stood at one of the window arches, staring up at the stars and smiling. Her heart gave a little jump, and she pinched herself. She was acting silly.
Hazel convinced everyone that Bay needed a good night’s rest in a proper bed, and Holic volunteered to sleep in the hall to keep guard. Gwen would have preferred the familiar, if lumpy, mattress in Eddy’s room, with a door that locked, but she was outnumbered. So she and the two girls slept in the bedroom where Hazel had fallen asleep the night before, squeezing into the big bed.
Despite the fire in the hearth, she insisted the candle be left burning.
*
Gwen woke to the muffled sound of arguing outside the door. The girls still slept. She tiptoed out to the hall and shut the door behind her.
“Shh! The girls need their rest.” She crossed her arms. Even sleep-rumpled, she could play her royal, elder-sister role with ease.
Eddy looked sheepish. Theo crossed his arms, mimicking her stance.
Holic rushed to her side. “I’m so sorry, my dear. Did you sleep well yourself?”
She rolled her eyes at his term of endearment. He’d never spoken to Hazel like that—not within her hearing, anyway.
“Yes, thank you. Now, can we take whatever this is into the dining hall? I’m starving.”
After a quick trip to wash up, she met them outside the dining hall door.
“Why haven’t you gone in?”
“That’s what we were discussing earlier.” Theo nodded at Eddy. “His lady friend is in there.”
Eddy’s brows lowered in anger. “Shut up, Theo.”
“You can’t tell me what to do anymore, big brother.”
She cleared her throat, and they both quieted before another argument broke out. She could almost feel the heat from the glare they exchanged.
“What does she want?” Gwen asked, refusing to acknowledge their disagreement. The brothers would have to work out their differences themselves.
“We don’t know,” Theo said.
“You didn’t ask?”
All three of them averted their eyes.
“You didn’t even go in.” She shook her head. “Come along. I’ll not be called rude for avoiding her.”
Hopefully Sissi wasn’t wearing bugs this time.
Chapter Thirteen
Gwen stopped just inside the door, and the brothers fanned out beside her.
Sissi stood facing them, nibbling something from a dish. She wore a simple, black, off-the-shoulder dress—floor-length, but not a ballgown. She’d pinned her hair neatly on top of her head, not a single strand out of place. A delicate silver necklace rested at her collarbone. She was breathtaking, if somewhat overdressed for breakfast.
Gwen smoothed down her own tunic. After wearing the same clothes over and over for days, she felt frumpy and dirty, despite the invisible maids keeping her things clean.
Sissi focused her blue eyes on Theo. “Good morning! I’ve been waiting for you. Would you like to join me for breakfast?” She smiled graciously, including all of them in her invitation.
Eddy watched her carefully. Holic’s smile was polite, if somewhat stiff.
Theo glanced at Gwen before answering. “Why would we join you for anything after what you did yesterday? You almost killed a girl.”
Sissi’s shoulders drooped. “I didn’t mean any harm. I’ve never had a friend before, and I was afraid that if I shared, you would take her from me.” Her eyebrows quirked upward. “I fed her and brought her blankets,” she added, as if that somehow excused keeping Bay prisoner.
Anger simmered under Gwen’s skin. If slapping the girl would knock some sense into her, she’d do it without a second thought. She’d never met anyone so self-absorbed. But how much of Sissi’s behavior could be blamed on the potion? If it was simply the case that no one had taught her right from wrong, there still might be hope that she could learn to act using her head. They had to tread carefully.
Plus, they had no proof that Sissi had flooded the dungeon.
Gwen spoke softly. “Bay is not a pet, and you hurt her a great deal by keeping her locked up. She could have drowned.”
Sissi’s smile twisted into a smirk. “I knew you would find her in time.”
Had the girl heard anything she’d said? She had all but admitted to being responsible for the flooding—and she didn’t even seem to care that she had nearly killed someone. Eddy was right. She was more dangerous than she looked.
Gwen cupped her elbows in her hands and lifted her chin just enough to let Sissi know she had no intention of arguing with her.
“I won’t do it again, I promise. I thought we could start over this morning.” She shrugged. “But if you don’t want to…”
Holic stepped forward. “I think that’s a splendid idea.”
A reluctant show of chivalry, but further proof that his true nature was still intact.
He held out a chair for Sissi, who smiled sweetly and took a seat. He flinched, surprised by something when he pushed in her chair, but recovered quickly. He beamed at Gwen and then shot his brothers a pointed look over Sissi’s head before sitting beside her. The meaning was obvious—play along until they could figure out what to do with her.
Theo modeled Holic’s formal approach and held a seat for Gwen, across from Sissi rather than beside her. He pulled out a chair for himself.
“Oh, no, you sit here on my other side.” Sissi picked at the food Holic had put on her plate. “I’m going to be a queen someday. My Uncle Ris promised me, and that makes me practically an heir. We should stick together.”
Sissi didn’t seem to understand that Eddy would be reinstated as heir once they were rescued.
Theo joined her without a word, but he refused to look at her, instead focusing on Gwen and Eddy across the table. Sissi rested one hand beside her plate, very near Theo’s elbow, as they tried to make small talk, her dragon ring glinting red and gold and silver in the candlelight. The beautiful girl proved to be uneducated about many things, and not the least bit interested in learning or asking questions about what they were discussing.
Gwen managed to capture her attention with talk of court fashion. As she tried to explain one of the more intricate hair braiding techniques, Holic leaned away from Sissi, eyeing her sideways. Or rather, eyeing her shoulder. His eyes widened, but he said nothing. Ten minutes later, Eddy and Theo took over the conversation.
Sissi’s necklace twitched.
Gwen blinked.
It twitched again, and a small black stick appeared over her shoulder. And then another and another. Slowly, a black body, the size of a chicken egg, crept into view.
It was a spider. A massive spider with impossibly long, spindly legs.
Gwen’s breakfast threatened to come back up. She clamped her mouth shut and curled her toes, pulling her feet as far under her chair as she could.
The spider stopped halfway down Sissi’s shoulder, three of its legs braced against her chest, tethered to her neck by the silver chain. A pet or a f
ashion statement?
Gwen rose abruptly, her chair grinding against the floor.
Sissi glanced up with a frown.
“I need to take the girls some food.” She filled an empty plate and rushed out.
Pitcher and cups in hand, Eddy joined her before she’d reached the end of the second hall.
“What was that?” she said.
He shook his head. “I’ve been blindfolded around her most of my time here. I’d forgotten how disturbing she can be to watch.”
“She had moths in her hair yesterday. Live ones.”
“She’s never had a healthy outlet for her creativity.”
Obviously not. The sooner they got out the better.
Bay stood in the doorway. When she saw them, she waved and ducked back into the room.
Eddy set the pitcher and cups on the desk. “I’ll give you ladies some privacy.” Just before he reached the door, Bay threw her arms around him. He hesitated for a moment but then returned the hug.
She limped back to Hazel’s side. “I don’t think I said ‘thanks’ yesterday. So, thank you.”
His ears reddened, and he smiled. “You’re welcome.”
Gwen walked him to the door and whispered, “Thanks from me, too.”
He nodded and closed the door behind him.
“You’ve been gone a while. Is something wrong?” Hazel asked.
She told them about breakfast with Sissi while they ate.
Bay sighed. “I still got a lot of questions, but I don’t think no one can answer them.”
Hazel patted Bay’s hand. “What’s our next step?”
“We find a way out of here.” She wanted to discuss Holic and his potion-taking with Hazel, but not while Bay was present. If her sister wanted to share anything with her maid, that was her business, but Gwen wouldn’t bring it up.
After the girls finished breakfast, Gwen led them outside and settled them on a sun-warmed stone. The fire smoldered and smoked. She added a handful of leaves and a few more logs. “Wait here.”
She found Theo and Holic in the lookout. Holic’s face brightened, and he took a hopeful step towards her.
She turned to Theo. “Where is Eddy? And Sissi?”
“She disappeared not long after you left the room,” he said. “Eddy ran off into the forest.”
So much for getting everyone together.
They joined the girls in the courtyard.
“We need to make plans for getting out of here, but not until Eddy gets back,” she said.
“Brilliant idea!” Holic said, far too enthusiastic considering the situation.
“I agree.” Hazel said. “He knows the area and the dragons better than we do, and we need information before doing anything big.” She pointedly refused to look at Holic, but pain shone bright in her eyes. If she had a mirror, she would be able to see as clearly as Gwen how much she cared for him.
Theo paced. “What’s stopping us from taking out a dragon or two until Eddy decides to join us?”
“What’s stopping us?” Hazel gestured towards the forest. “Eight soldiers could barely take on one of those things. What hope would two of you have with just your swords?”
Theo fisted his hands like he wanted to hit something.
“While trying to escape is a great idea—I’m all for it—I think we need to worry about keeping this fire going right now,” Gwen said. “You know, in case a rescue party gets close. They’ll know where to find us.”
“Great idea, my dear.” Holic stood up. “That means wood. Lots of wood.” He walked off into the trees, not waiting around for further discussion.
Theo stopped pacing and stared after his brother. “That has to stop.” He sighed, but it sounded more like a growl. “Fine. Let’s go wood gathering, shall we, Your Highness?” He held out his arm to Gwen.
She didn’t want an argument, so she took his arm and they followed Holic. Hazel wandered off in the opposite direction with Bay.
“I know what you’re doing, pushing me away,” Theo said when they got into the trees, “and for the record, I think you would have made a great queen.”
She studied his face, averting her eyes after he glanced at her the fourth time. “I have no desire to be a queen.”
“I know. That’s why it’s perfect now. I’ve found my brother—he’ll be reinstated as heir—which means I’ve finally got a chance.”
“A chance?”
“To win you. I know that’s what was holding you back.”
Was it? She’d told herself that, but she wasn’t entirely sure it was the only issue, now that it was removed. Eddy would be heir again, and he was in love with her. What did that mean for his future? If he married now, it was bound to be out of duty rather than love… unless he married her. And she still had no desire to be a queen, of course.
And poor Holic. What was she to do about him? Of the three brothers in love with her, at least she could be sure his feelings were definitely not genuine, but that wouldn’t make disappointing him any easier.
She removed her arm from Theo’s. “Let’s just concentrate on getting everyone safely out of here.” She should have told him outright that she wasn’t interested in him winning her. She wasn’t some prize, after all, but she couldn’t find it in her to hurt him like that right now.
Wood clattered against stone as Holic dumped a load of branches near the fire. Maybe she needed to focus on something besides herself for a while.
After gathering a few dozen armloads of fallen branches, she dropped one last load in the courtyard. “I’ll tend the fire while you two do the heavy lifting,” she said finally. She had no problem playing the dainty princess role when it suited her.
Drawing Hazel with her to the fireside, she spoke to Bay. “Would you please fetch us some food?” She gave her a pointed look and tipped her head towards Hazel.
Bay picked up on the unspoken request for privacy. “Yes, Your Highness.” She studied Hazel for a moment and then hobbled off.
“Should she be walking so much with her injured ankle?” Hazel asked.
Gwen poked the fire and tossed on another handful of damp leaves. “The girl needs something to do, or she’ll go crazy sitting still. She’s been locked in a cell for days.”
Her sister’s lip quivered.
“Hazel, it’s going to be—”
“Please don’t say it again. We don’t know that anything is going to be all right in the end. We don’t know where Edric has gone. He could be in league with that girl for all we know.”
“He’s not.”
“We don’t know if the soldiers killed that dragon, if Viv and the others got away. If anyone will ever find us again.” Her voice shook. “I don’t know if I will ever…”
“Go ahead and say it.”
“I don’t know if I will ever be able to tell Holic how I feel.”
Gwen put an arm around her sister, and they leaned into each other. “I’m going to make this right. Once we’re out of here, I’ll do whatever it takes to get Holic back for you.”
Hazel shook her head. “It’s too late. I waited too long. Maybe if I’d told him sooner how I felt, the potion wouldn’t have worked. What if it’s my fault?”
“Of course it’s not your fault.” She smoothed Hazel’s hair. “Don’t ever blame yourself for someone else’s choices. He knew what he was doing, even if he didn’t know what the results would be. Your Holic is still there, we just have to help him remember.”
“You told me Tharius said there was no cure for potions.”
She huffed, faking a confidence she didn’t feel. “What does he know? He’s been stuck underground all his life.”
“Do you think he was lying?”
“I think he wasn’t telling the whole truth. He’s done it before.” And that was the truth. “I’m glad you finally acknowledged your feelings for Holic, though. You’re obviously crazy about him. What took you so long?”
She pulled away from Gwen. “He’s amazing. But I kept asking myse
lf if what I felt was love. True love.” She bit her lip and then continued. “I mean, out of all the princes, all the men in the world, how did I know he was the one? I thought I’d been in love before. You remember Quinn.”
“Yes.” Hazel had been fourteen and had swooned for months, wearing nothing but green, his favorite color. She rarely wore it now.
“And Sage.”
“Yes.”
“And Prince Archer.”
“You were in love with him?”
“I thought I was. You see? I’m not reliable. I didn’t want to make the wrong choice—it wouldn’t have been fair to Holic.”
“I think I understand.” But what did she know about love?
Bay came back with enough food for everyone. Theo and Holic returned, and they ate in the fresh air, Gwen positioning herself so that Holic could only look at her around Hazel.
She couldn’t do much to help either of them under the circumstances, but she could at least help Hazel feel a little more needed than she did at the moment. They had more than enough people gathering branches.
“I have a favor to ask,” she said to Theo and Holic, hoping one of them might have Eddy’s skill with wood. “Would either of you be able to carve a couple of crochet hooks out of some sticks?”
“Crochet hooks?” Theo said.
“We could all use capes for winter. Just in case.” Better to keep Hazel busy than moping about, pining for Holic.
“I’ll do that for you,” Holic said eagerly. “But… there’s no yarn.”
“Of course there is.” She looked up into the trees.
“Weaver webs?” Bay’s face brightened. Even with a sprained ankle, she’d happily climb a tree.
“Have fun with that.” Theo stalked back towards the woods.
She positioned Holic at Hazel’s feet while he worked on the sticks. Hazel ignored his polite indifference to her nearness and instructed Bay to gather some of the loose webs from the lower branches, imploring her not to climb until her ankle was healed. The rascal scurried off into the woods with a glance at Gwen and a warning finger to her lips. As long as she didn’t fall, Hazel would never know.
