Page 137 of Of Curses and Courtship

Instead, we’re given a letter.

“What does it say?” I sound dull; Iamdull. Everything about me speaks of blandness. Boring. Lifeless. I run my fingers over the ends of my frazzled hair.

“It’s from Elisa.” Helena’s eyes are wide and joyful, vibrant for the first time in days. “The prince is here to save us.”

I sit upright. Life awakens in me, and I vibrate from head to toe. “He is not! You don’t believe this is a trick?”

“How am I supposed to know?” She lets out a joyful giggle. “But if they need a way to unlock the door, I’ll help.”

“Are you certain? We’ve been unable to pick the lock so far.”

“Because we don’t have the tools. It may be easier from the outside.” She presses closer to the door. “Tap once if you’re still here.”

A tiny tap comes from the other side.

“Good,” Helena says. “Now, retrieve these items and give the prince the following instructions immediately. Don’t dillydally.”

EMYR

The woods surround me like a cover, but I still worry about being seen by the sorceress. After hiding away all day, I’ve not seen a hint of the dreaded being—or Ophelia. My hope wanes and waxes.

“What’s this?” I take the bent wire from Raia.

Her other sister stands at her side, with a hand on Raia’s shoulder. They remain close to one another, and I recognize the older sister’s protective nature.

My heart aches for Carwyn. Would he be here, with me? Would there have been a curse at all if he could have lived? Surely, he would have found a lover and married by now.

“It’s to open the lock,” Raia says. “We were unable to get the key from Mother, but Helena says she’ll instruct you on how to use this… this thing. If it doesn’t work, this is our secondary plan.”

The next item they pass me is an axe, held in their shaking hands.

I balk. “Where did you get this?”

And how am I supposed to use it? I was raised to read books and marry well, not to swing an axe. It’s heavy in my hand, so much so that I worry I’ll drop it on my foot.

If only Tibalt could have accompanied me.

“You’ll have to figure that out on your own,” Elisa says, “but thereisgood news.”

“A key would be better news,” I mutter.

“Fine, it’s not quite that good, but Mother will leave tonight,” Raia says. “Elisa set up a fake meeting with a suitor, and she agreed to attend with us. The house will be empty.”

“That”—I shift from one foot to another and tilt my head to the side—“doessound favorable, but I don’t trust it.”

Something will go wrong, but even if it does, that doesn’t matter. This is my only option, and it’s far better than barging in without assistance.

“You should have more faith in us,” Elisa says. “We have more sway with our mother than you would know.”

I stare at her flatly. “I will have faith once we arefreefrom your mother.”

They still call her their mother. Do they not realize who she is—and what she is? She is the woman who cursed this land. The curse may not be strong in Far Water, but it’s potent enough that corrupt fae attacks are frequent.

This will stop. It willallstop. Whether I have to kill the sorceress or marry Ophelia to free our land, I will end the shadow and killing, once and for all.

The sisters scurry inside, and I wait hours for the carriage to leave. Ophelia has been trapped in the home for days now, and it eats at my soul. Why must I move so slowly? If I were more like Tibalt, I would barge in and demand her freedom.

But I’m not. I’ll never be that strong.