Tangled

by J. E. Taylor

  Our memories tangled together, and my eyes widened. I yanked away from him, drawing air into lungs that burned. I slid away, trying to reconcile the visions that pinged around my mind. Visions of what his last couple of weeks encompassed.

  The brightness in the room faded into that of just natural daytime light as the power settled. He lay gasping as he stared at the ceiling. He slowly sat up and ran both hands through his tangled hair. His green and silver gaze met mine and then fell to the braid rolled across the floor.

  “You brought me back from the dead,” he whispered with awe. His hands traveled to his chest and pressed down on his ribs. He peeled the rope over his shoulder and tossed it aside then climbed to his feet.

  I stared at him. His perfectly unmarred skin didn’t reconcile with the memories of his beatings. Beatings my mother ordered, along with slow torture. None of his trials were evident on his body, but his eyes shone bright with them.

  He crossed and crouched before me. “I need to tell you what happened.”

  I shook my head. “I saw.” I waved to where I healed him. “When I... I saw everything.” My vision blurred under a sheen of tears.

  He took my hand, and the storm that encompassed us was different. Less dark than it was before, but no less intense. We both stared at the silver and gold webbing surrounding us as lightning crackled over the surface.

  “Then you know who you are.”

  I looked around my prison and then closed my eyes. The woman who had said she was my mother was anything but. She had killed my parents, set the fire that destroyed the palace, and stored me away in this place where only she could get to me just for her own gain. For a never-ending supply of gold and enough light to keep her youth. My stomach soured.

  “She meant to kill me,” Zach said, and his gaze traveled to a spot on the floor a few feet away. “She almost succeeded.”

  I stared at the rope. “Do we have enough?” I pointed as a hardness I’d never experienced before gripped me. I needed out of this prison. Now.

  Zach swiveled on his feet and stood. “I think so. It should at least get us to the point where we can drop to the ground without injury.”

  “Good.” I climbed to my feet and pulled the other two lengths of rope out from under the bed, then helped him tie it together.

  While Zach tied the end to the hook outside the window, I turned towards the kitchen and stared at the knives on the counter.

  With a growl of anger, I crossed, took the butcher knife, grabbed my braid, and sawed through the hair at the nape of my neck. The sharp blade sliced through. I dropped both the braid as well as the knife. The floor shook with the weight of the gold dropping to the floor.

  Zach’s eyes widened as his gaze followed the solid gold twine that used to be my braid. His gaze jumped to mine and my shoulder-length golden locks.

  I ran my fingers through my hair and rolled my head on my shoulders. The freedom that gripped me made me smile.

  He went to pick up the gold but could barely budge it.

  “Leave it.”

  He glanced up at me and then the spiral of metal with a slow nod. “The rope won’t support the weight anyway.” He held out his hand. “You go first.”

  I gave one last glance around the room and nodded.

  “Wrap your legs around the rope and slide hand over hand down until the rope ends. Then you’ll need to drop the last few feet.”

  I did as he instructed, and the moment my bare feet hit the grass below, I stepped away and curled my toes in the thin, ticklish blades. I glanced up in time to see him scale out the window. The breeze whipped the torn fabric around him, and his descent was as careful as mine had been.

  The moment he landed, he grabbed my hand and led me into the woods behind the tower. In the opposite direction of where I had first seen him or that my mother ever went.

  “Where are we going?”

  “As far away as we possibly can get. The minute your mother...”

  “She is not my mother. Never refer to that witch as my mother.” I yanked my hand from his grip. Anger engulfed me, and my hands clenched.

  Zach stepped closer and took my hands in his, slowly unclenching them before threading his fingers through mine. “The minute she finds that I am gone, she is going to return. I promised her that I would find you again. That I would tell you exactly who she was.” He closed his eyes and swallowed.

  My heart went cold as his memory seeped into my brain. She had her henchman beat him into unconsciousness and left him to die.

  “I clung to the light. It was the only thing that got me to my knees after they left me bloody and beaten on that dungeon floor.” His gaze met mine. “The door never clasped when they left. Perhaps she figured I was already dead after being starved and then beaten to such an extent. Or her thugs thought that way and had intentions of coming back and finishing the job after she left. Either way, I knew if I remained, the next meeting would send me to the other side.” He unclasped one hand and turned, pulling me deeper into the woods. “I crawled out, keeping to the shadows. I saw her ride off before I crawled into the stables and found my horse. No one saw us slip away, and I am not sure if that was because I wished to be invisible, or that they just were that feebleminded to not notice a black horse dash away.”

  We made our way around a great rock, and then Zach stopped. His breath sucked in and his hand squeezed mine tighter. I peered over his shoulder at the king’s guards surrounding the black horse.

  Zach pushed me back to the other side of the large rock. With his back pressed against the surface, he closed his eyes. When he finally opened them, he stared at the sky shaking his head.

  “We can’t go back,” he whispered. “Which means I have to...” His hand squeezed mine harder.

  “No, you don’t.” I unclasped my hand. “What is your horse’s name?”

  “Midnight. Why?”

  “Never mind why, just stay here.”

  “Danae...” he started.

  I splayed my fingers at him. “Trust me.” I walked around the rock and ran my fingers through my hair, unsure of what I was going to do. I knew Zach was in danger, but my only experience with the outside world was limited to him.

  Even the books I’d read heralded men as dangers to be warry of, and while I knew I should approach with caution, I took a different route.

  I skipped through the woods, calling “Midnight!”

  When I stepped into the clearing, all the men stared with their mouths hanging open.

  I forced my eyes wide and rushed forward. “Thank god you found him,” I gasped and took the reins from one of the men.

  He stared at me as if I had two heads.

  “I have been looking for him for hours,” I added and smiled at the group.

  “This is your horse,” the largest of the men said with narrowed eyes.

  “Yes. A nice young man traded him for one of my father’s prize pigs,” I said, trying to recall some of the bartering I’d read in my books. “He seemed desperate.” I ran my hand down the stallion’s nose and he nudged me. “And I really took a liking to him.” I nuzzled him back.

  “When did you see this young man?”

  I cocked my head and looked up at the sky. “I think it was more than a fortnight ago.” I met his gaze and shrugged.

  “Where is your farm?”

  I pointed to my left, away from the rocks, but also away from where Zach seemed to want us to go.

  “Would you like me to help you onto your horse?” the largest soldier asked.

  “Oh, no. I haven’t gotten the courage to ride him again since that first day. He threw me, and I got a pretty nasty bruise on my backside.” I rubbed my butt and winced. “I’ll just walk with him for now.”

  “We can escort you.”

  I reached out and touched his arm. “I will be just fine. You don’t need to escort me home.” I wished for the guard to heed my words and leave me and the horse behind. “Besides, you three must have more pressing matters to att
end to.”

  They looked at each other, shrugging.

  “We do need to report back to the king,” the biggest guard said.

  “Give him my regards.” I smiled as they turned and wandered off.

  I remained in place, holding Midnight’s reins and petting him gently. I turned the horse in the direction I had indicated our farm was and started into the woods. A quick glance back told me it was the right thing to do. They had stopped at the far side of the clearing and watched as I walked the horse out of sight.

  I kept going, keeping the rock formation to my left as I went until I could no longer see the clearing. If I couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see us. I tied Midnight to a tree and slowly made my way back into the clearing.

  Zach stood with a sword to his throat. But it wasn’t the king’s guards that held him in place. My hands clenched, and I narrowed my eyes at the woman who had held me captive for twenty years.

  “Let him go, enchantress,” I snarled.

  The witch stared at me. The blade lowered as the shock of seeing me without the long flowing locks morphed her features from initial surprise to madness. Her gaze shot back to Zack's, and the blade returned to his throat, nicking his skin. A thin line of blood trailed down to his shirt.

  “You nearly killed him. Just to keep up your facade. Just to keep the golden goose prisoner.” With each word, I stepped closer, praying she wouldn't cut his throat open. I didn't know if I could fix that like I had fixed him earlier.

  “He ruined everything!” she cried out.

  “No. You ruined everything.” I couldn't help the fury that welled up from the bowels of my soul. It was black as night and had only one use.

  Her face scrunched in anger, and she readied herself to behead Zach. The blade whistled through the air.

  “I bring the light!” Power surged, and I reached for Zach with my mind, wrapping him in a protective bubble.

  The moment the sword hit my shield, the sharp metal shattered into dust. It swirled reforming the sword in Zach's grip.

  “And I bring the dark,” he said. The low menacing timbre of his voice spread goose bumps all over my skin.

  “Don't!” I yelled as he prepared to strike.

  They both looked at me with the same slack-jawed expression.

  “I do not want her blood on our hands.” I met his gaze, and his posture relaxed. I moved my sharp glare in her direction. “But I will not let you imprison me ever again. If you choose to try to use your spells to coerce me or to kill Zach, I will have no choice but to let him unleash his darkness. However, if you promise to leave us alone for all eternity, I will gladly tell you where the golden braid is.” I glanced between the two of them. “That is the deal—your life or your promise to leave us be.”

  Her lips thinned in frustration.

  “What's it going to be?” I asked when she didn't respond.

  “Tell me where the gold is,” she said in almost a purr.

  I crossed my arms as the magic infused in her words tried to penetrate the wall I had built between us and her. Anger flared inside me, clenching my muscles.

  “You have one more chance, enchantress.” When she didn’t speak, I glanced at Zach and gave him a nod. “Then I will gladly bring your head to the king.”

  She swallowed, and her gaze jumped between us. “Wait!” She gasped as Zach raised his sword. “Fine. Have it your way,” she snarled at me.

  “My way includes a spell you cannot break, safeguarding Zacharia and me from your insidiousness.” I pointed at her. “And I will know if you try to alter the spell for your own bidding.”

  Her lips peeled back from her teeth. “Fine.”

  She whispered ancient words that I was unfamiliar with, and the air shifted around us. I closed my eyes, allowing my light to seek out her magic, to test it for underlying weaknesses and any harmful intent. When I was satisfied it would protect us from her, I let the shield down. Her spell settled over us.

  I inhaled and opened my eyes.

  “Greed comes with a price,” Zach said to the enchantress. He held his hand out for me. The moment our fingers intertwined, the light shined around us. “You might not like the cost,” he added and turned me towards the woods where I had Midnight tied up.

  I glanced at him as he sheathed his sword then raised an eyebrow.

  He gave me a wry smile. “If she tries to remove the gold with that rope, it won't support the weight. I'm not sure if it will even support her weight if she tries to climb up.” He shrugged. “Besides, I knew your mo—” He clamped his lips closed on the forbidden word. “I knew the enchantress was greedy. I knew she wouldn't pass on that gold, so not only is the rope compromised, but I put a little bit of my darkness into that golden braid. The only person who would ever be able to get it away from that tower is you. Only a light bringer can nullify the darkness that will poison anyone who touches it.”

  “Why would you do something like that?” I stopped and tore my hand from his.

  “Because if she got that thing out of the tower, she would become the richest woman in the kingdom. Maybe even richer than my father.” He stared me down.

  I shrugged. “So what?”

  “She could buy her way into the palace and end up as the queen,” he said, his voice a soft hiss. “And where would that leave you?”

  I blinked and stepped back. All manner of horrible possibilities flashed through my head.

  “She had no issues imprisoning you before. What makes you think she wouldn't do it again if she had that kind of power.”

  A dark shiver ran through my form. As much as I wanted Gwendolyn out of my life, I couldn't condemn her to wasting away in the tower. “As soon as you are safe, I need to go back.” I started walking again, but he didn't follow. When I turned, he had his hands on his hips and a deep crease between his eyes.

  “Where you go, I go,” he said. “And we are not going back that way.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Please, Zach. I cannot condone that kind of death. The thought of wasting away in that tower terrified me on a daily basis.” I pointed in the direction that we came from. “It was my worst fear, and I don’t wish that upon anyone. Not even the enchantress.”

  He looked at the ground, then turned his back to me and glanced at the sky, muttering under his breath. When he turned back, his stare was hard enough to chill my bones. “Fine,” he said through gritted teeth. “But let’s at least get my horse first.”

  I nodded, and he stormed past me. Lightning burst between us as his shoulder rubbed mine. As soon as we reached Midnight, he hauled me up on the stallion’s back and hopped on behind me. With one arm gripping me around my waist and the other holding the horse’s reins, he shot through the woods like an expert, leaving me breathless from more than the cold wind on my face.

  We came in from the north side of the tower. The setting sun painted the tower in its bright light, and even from this distance, I could see the frayed rope swaying from the handle.

  My heart jumped in my throat as we neared. Zach slowed Midnight to a walk. Ugly rants fell from the window. We weren’t within view of it, but the screeching was nothing like I had ever heard. On the ground, chunks of broken gold dusted over the dirt. The largest piece still had the rope latched around it.

  “I told her she wouldn’t like the price of her greed,” Zach said and stopped a few feet away from the tower.

  “Help!”

  I stepped around the smashed gold and looked up. The enchantress leaned out the window, her black hair streaming in the wind. She straightened, glaring down at us.

  “You came to gloat?” she hissed.

  “No. I came to try to stop you from this...” I waved at the broken gold and the majority of the twine lying at my feet. “While I wished you gone from my life, I did not wish this kind of horror on you.” I glanced at the gold and then at Zach.

  He stared at me with a cool gaze. “Don't ask me to apologize after what she did to me.” He crossed his arms. “She was willing to kil
l me to protect her magical fountain of youth and unlimited supply of gold.”

  I could see his point, but it hadn't been all bad for me. There were many years where we would play hide-and-seek and other games. She had read to me many times until I was almost too sleepy to let down my hair for her. She fed me and brushed my hair whenever she came. She taught me to cook and to read. I stared up at the woman who imprisoned me my whole life and a deep pain filled my core. She did all the things my parents would have done had they not been cut down in their prime.

  Tears leaked from the corners of my eyes, but I wasn't sure who I was crying for.

  Darkness radiated from within each broken bit of gold.

  I glanced at Zach, wiping the tears away like they were gnats. “You certainly cursed this thing pretty good.”

  He gave me a crooked smile and shrugged.

  “We can't just leave it lying around like this.”

  “Only you can touch it.”

  “I get that, but what will happen if someone else happens by?”

  His smile faded, and he scanned the broken pieces. “They will die.” He glanced up. “The enchantress should have died from touching it.”

  My gaze landed on the witch’s gloved hands.

  “How do I break the curse?” I asked, focusing back on the more detrimental problem before us.

  “All you have to do is touch each piece.”

  I reached out to the one encircled by the tied rope, and the minute my fingers grazed the cool metal, the chunk of gold shifted. Reeds of golden hair fell to the ground where gold had once sat. My gaze shot to Zach's, and his raised eyebrows relayed the same surprise, sending shockwaves through my form. I raced around touching the shiny metal. In all cases, golden hair fell where the rock had been before. When I finished, I turned back to Zach.

  “And here I thought perhaps we had a way for me to buy my way back into my kingdom.” He let out a light laugh and shook his head. “But then again, I don’t think even that amount of gold would wipe my slate clean.”

  I glanced back up at the enchantress. “I will try to send help.”