Page 143 of Of Curses and Courtship

The healer works diligently on Emyr’s wound. All will be forgiven if she can heal him. I could never stay angry at the town that kept me safe for so long.

I turn to Minetta. “That’s not why I did it. It was all to save him. I’m not a hero.”

And more than that, I did it to get revenge. I wanted to kill Lady Ashbridge—for the pain she put Emyr through. For the years of pain she put me through.

“But you are a hero to me.” Minetta’s eyes fill with tears. “I know, you must believe that I am terrible?—”

“I don’t. In the end, you helped. I wouldn’t have been ableto use the gift of the moon goddess if not for your instructions.”

Pulling Emyr’s soul back into his body was not a simple task, but Minetta carries similar magic. She made the right choice in helping me.

“Does that truly absolve me of all my wrongdoings?”

“You were under orders from a sorceress who owned your soul. I may not know much about the magic, but I know there’s little you can do about it.”

She nods, and tears stream down her cheeks, uncontrollable. “She has owned my soul since I was five years old. For many years, she did not collect her debt. By the time she did… I was betrothed to someone else. In love with someone else—a woman.”

Minetta sobs.

Perhaps I am a hero for wishing to kill Lady Ashbridge after all. How can she have truly been so evil?

I’m torn in two directions. My heart tugs for Minetta, someone I hardly know, but my beloved winces and cries as the witch rubs salve on his wounds.

Perhaps Minetta and I need the same thing. Comfort.

I wrap my arms around her shoulders and pull her close, careful not to touch her fragile wings—the same wings as mine. “Now, you can return toyourlove.”

She sniffles. “Do you think she’ll take me back?”

I pull away and fix her with a serious look. “If it is true love, she will. If it’s true love, she has been waiting for you all along.”

Minetta smiles—the first genuine smile I’ve seen her wear. It’s small and broken, but it is authentic, and I realize there’s more to Minetta than I had assumed.

“I hope you are right,” she murmurs.

“Oh, but I know I am.” I turn to look at Emyr. “He is still alive, which is proof of how strong love is.”

EMYR

Traveling is always treacherous, but traveling to the Sun Palace with a healing stab wound and a carriage filled with five people may be my most ridiculous trip yet.

We manage to make it to a healer before I bleed out, but I know it is Ophelia’s magic that truly keeps me alive.

Not only can she control emotions, but it seems she can control spirits. That’s my working theory, anyhow. Once I can think straight, I may visit the library to see if there is further information on the moon goddess’s magic—a rare gift for Moon Fae, apparently.

Or I may look for Isa. Considering the nature of the elusive fae, she’s more likely to find us, but she never does seek us out. Instead, Tibalt meets us outside the healer’s home, with a sparkling carriage at his disposal.

“Where’s Isa?” I ask. “I must extend my gratitude.”

“She told me to go on without her.” Tibalt looks me up and down. The only display of concern is a wrinkle in his strong brow. “What she didn’t tell me is that you nearly got yourself killed.”

“But he may have saved the realm,” Ophelia says. “Isn’t that worth it in the end?”

“It wasyouwho saved the realm,” I say.

Helena grunts and passes by, helping herself into the carriage. “You two can argue about who is more heroic on the way to the palace. I, for one, was scared shitless.”

Tibalt chuckles and helps her inside, holding her hand for a suspiciously long time.