Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
OPHELIA
“You freed me,” Minetta murmurs.
Are any of us free? It’s so surreal.
We stand in the middle of the healer’s home—an old witch I’ve known since childhood. She would’ve hated me before, when the town was under Lady Ashbridge’s spell, but today, she greeted me with a hug and a cup of tea.
Every spell Lady Ashbridge cast is no more. But Emyr is still in grave danger.
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 able to 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 to your love.”
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 was you who 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.
“Wait,” Ophelia says. “There’s one last thing I must get from the estate.”
“Can it wait?” Raia asks. “I don’t wish to return there right now.”
“You don’t have to come inside,” Ophelia says, “but this is important to me.”
Once outside the manor, Raia makes no move to go inside. She and Elisa tremble in their seats. Ophelia slides out, but I hold her arm, keeping her in place.
“I must go with you,” I say. “It’s not safe.”
Ophelia’s expression softens. “She’s gone. There is nothing for you to fear.”
“I didn’t see the sorceress disappear with my own eyes, so forgive me for struggling to believe it’s true.” My shoulders slump. “Is it so terrible that I don’t want you to leave my sight at the moment?”
“Not terrible.” Ophelia tucks a piece of hair behind my ear. “But you are still injured. You must rest here. My task will take but a moment.”
My teeth grind together.
“I will go with you,” Tibalt says. “As you know, I am quite the talented guard.”
“You’ve proven that time and time again,” Ophelia says.
“Hell of a guard and a hell of a man,” Helena mutters.
“…fine,” I say.
Tibalt pretends not to hear Helena’s whispered words, but he smiles as he trails behind Ophelia. They’re right. Tibalt will protect Ophelia, just as he’s done for me for decades.
They’re only gone for a few moments, and each second is another stab in my side—not literally, thank the gods. I may never stop worrying about Ophelia’s safety. No one is ever truly safe, no matter how secure you believe you are. I know that now.
And there’s still the matter of whether she wishes to be my bride.
Ophelia finally steps outside, carrying one end of a large portrait while Tibalt holds the other.
“What is that?” I groan. “There’s no way we can fit that in the carriage with any semblance of comfort.”
“But it is my father.” Ophelia turns the portrait around.
It’s a large painting, though not as large as my father’s likeness—and by gods, her old man appears much happier than mine. He has a twinkle in his eyes, which may be a different color than hers, but they are the same shape as Ophelia’s. Yes, I can see her reflection in this man.
“It must come with us,” Ophelia says. “Or else I will remain here.”
“Aw!” Raia pouts. “It really must, Emyr.”
How far the sisters have come from treating me like a prince. They all turn against me simultaneously, as if I’m not weak enough for Ophelia alone. Needless to say, the portrait joins us in the jumbled carriage.
At last, with the portrait between us, we embark on hours and hours of travel. Ophelia sits at my side, checking on my wound every few minutes, and the other three sit across from us. Sometimes they sleep. Sometimes they sit in silence. At other times, they chatter on as if they are old friends.
I suppose nearly dying together has helped them bond.
Now and then, Raia and Elisa get a faraway look in their eye, but I don’t expect them to process what happened to their mother so suddenly. Their stepsister being the one to do the deed likely does not help matters, but that’s not my conversation to have. That’s for Ophelia.
She did the right thing. Whether that will help our land heal remains to be seen. There are other ways we can help: namely, our upcoming nuptials. We haven’t had a chance to speak about that, but the ring on her finger tells me she loved me all along.
The full moon is growing larger and larger, brighter and brighter. My parents will expect me to marry someone if the curse is not broken, and I pray it’s her.
“Where will you go?” Ophelia asks Elisa once, when Raia is fast asleep.
“We didn’t think that far.” Elisa tugs at the long sleeve of her gown. “We only knew that we had to leave.”
“This was the plan before your mother died?”
“We began planning shortly after what happened to you. Mother may have been able to turn the rest of the town against you, but she couldn’t turn us.”
Perhaps they were immune to their mother’s magic, or perhaps the sorceress had some weak spots after all. There’s a chance the sisters were the only ones she did not compel.
“That’s good to hear.” Ophelia glances at me. “There’s plenty of room for you in the palace.”
“There is,” I say firmly. “You are Ophelia’s family, which means you are always welcome in our home. Stay as long as you’d like.”
“Thank you,” Elisa murmurs. “We may just do that.”
I don’t know much about the sisters, but based on their presence at my ball, I can assume it is an offer that once would have elicited great excitement. Now, the most Elisa can manage is a slight smile.
All is not well, but I hope we are on the way to healing.
The kingdom comes into view. It’s the moment I have been dreading and waiting for. The others continue chattering, but I’m silent, staring at the horizon. Tibalt looks back at me.
I nod. He nods back. It’s a silent acknowledgment.
Something has changed.
The others, except for Helena, may not know this land well enough to tell the difference. I do. The darkness remains, but it’s slighter now. More sunlight peeks through the clouds. The breeze is sweeter, as if the salty ocean air can finally carry to the kingdom.
I’ve always wanted to visit our beach house. Perhaps soon, I can. Raia and Elisa would probably like to join us as well.
Ophelia’s fingers intertwine with mine, and she squeezes. “It’s different now, isn’t it?”
I lift a brow. “You can see the arcane shift, too?”
“No. I can feel it.”
“But the curse hasn’t completely lifted,” I say. “I don’t know if it’s slowly wearing off, or if our wedding is truly required to end it all—”
“I wouldn’t worry so much about that.” She leans in and drops her voice to a low whisper. The others can likely still hear us, but Ophelia does not seem to mind—and neither do I. “Minetta’s heart is already spoken for, but you’ll still take me as your wife, won’t you?”
I hold her chin and fix her with a serious look. “I wouldn’t take the hand of anyone else. You are, and forever will be, my truest love.”