Page 131 of Of Curses and Courtship

“Do not try again. Not yet. You will only wear yourself out. It should be a last resort.”

“But—”

“He’s coming. You’re not alone. My magic will support you both.”

“Ophelia?” Helena says in a groggy voice. “Who are you speaking to? Are we in trouble again?”

“No. No. It is—” I glance from my friend to the window, but the image of the Moon Fae is already gone. It’s as if she never appeared at all, and perhaps she didn’t. “Nothing. I had a bad dream.”

EMYR

Dawn breaks.

“A royal carriage attracts far too much attention,” Isa says, sliding into her carriage. “That is why we must take mine.”

“If you insist.”

“Yes,” Tibalt mumbles. “This carriage is quite incognito.”

Tibalt, however sarcastic he may be, is correct. I don’t see how her carriage will attract less attention. It’s vast and silver, practically glittering in the morning light. But there’s no time to argue with her. We may only have one chance to escape before my parents realize I’m leaving.

My wedding is but a few days away, after all, and I should be planning and visiting the tailor. I haven’t spoken to Minetta or her dreadful parents, but my father made it clear that I only have one option.

Isa is the one who made me realize I have other choices to make. There’s more I can do.

Isa told me not to trust anyone but her, and while that would usually be an alarming thing to say, I have accepted it as true. She’s the only one coming up with real solutions. If Ophelia won’t have me, if she asks to leave after I break her free, that will be the end. I will shut my mouth and marry any princess my parents pick.

But I won’t give up without trying. The sorceress wished for me to learn what true love is, and I am. True love doesn’t give up.

I climb into the carriage behind her.

Tibalt slowly drives forward. “We shouldn’t do this.”

“I’m going,” I say. “If you don’t wish to come, I can drive myself?—”

“I am already here, am I not?” Tibalt snaps.

He is. Even if he disagrees, Tibalt has always gone along with my worst plans. Isa told me to trust no one, but Tibalt is the exception, and she hasn’t argued against his presence.

“We will not have to drive long,” Isa says. “I can create a portal once we draw nearer.”

“And where is she?” I turn my attention back to her. “You claim to have answers, but you won’t give them to me. I don’t even know what you are to Ophelia.”

“I am her helpful guide.” Her eyes twinkle. “I am the reason she went to the ball. That is all. I am a granter of wishes, and she is a soul who harnesses hundreds of unmet desires. Naturally, I would gravitate to her.”

“Uh-huh.” I lean back and cross my arms. “And what about my answers? Will you grant me the wish of the great guidance you profess to give her?”

“Despite your attitude, I will tell you, for it is important to know what you will find. You will go to the home where Ophelia was raised. Her stepmother has her captive, but it is more than that.”

Her stepmother? Ophelia told me tales of how wicked her stepmother was, but I can’t imagine she would be this evil. No one would.

Nevertheless, I nod.

“Ophelia’s stepmother is a sorceress.” Isa’s expression becomes grave. “The sorceress. She is the one who cast this spell on your land, and if my suspicions are correct, she captured Ophelia to keep you from breaking the curse.”

My hands clench into fists, grasping my coat within them,desperate for anything to tether me to the realm. “How can that be?”

“I don’t know each detail, but I am sure you will have a chance to ask her yourself.”