Chapter 20
Twenty
LION VS. UNICORN
My nose twitched. Warmth spread through my body like a slow, glowing ember catching beneath my skin. Sunlight seeped through my eyelids, though it was an effort to peel them open.
Beside me, the king released a breath of relief and immediately stepped back, his forbidding posture still rigid. His dark figure a sharp contrast against the pale yellow wall with a fresco of a countryside picnic on a fine day.
Chez’s purple eyes were leaning close to my face. “Wakey, wakey.”
Withdrawing her hands from mine, Sophie sat back in her chair beside my bed with a sigh.
The Duchess was across the room, her fan in hand, plumes of fluffy white feathers matching the voluminous layers of her puffy-sleeved white dress. The feathers flapped at her face, rustling her blonde ringlets.
I met her gaze first, noting the crease on her forehead, the pout of displeasure on her lips.
“So let me get this straight.” Her tone terse, she waved the fan vigorously in front of her face. “You lot have been on this side of the river for all of two days, and you did not think to visit me first?”
My attempt to chuckle was hijacked by my dry throat. Trying to swallow, I slowly sat up despite the weight of a mountain pressing down on me.
Sophie caught my back. “Easy now.” She gestured at Chez. “The water, please.”
Chez nudged the rolling serving table with his paw.
Sophie poured me a glass before turning to give the Duchess a reverent nod. “I am certain I speak for everyone when I say we are all very grateful for your help and hospitality. You have our utmost thanks and the gratitude of the whole Kingdom of Lucerne.”
Sipping my water, I put two and two together. The Duchess must have been the one who’d saved Rabb and me from our ice water grave.
“Oh, my, of course.” The Duchess’s giggle was lighter than air.
“Think nothing of it. I confess it tends to get a bit lonely here in my little villa. And I haven’t had such esteemed visitors in a long time.
” She looked up to meet the king’s gaze, adding somewhat pointedly, “A very long time. Very, very long.”
I had to squint at the bright light spilling through the open French-style doors.
The morning sun cast a warm glow inside the quaint countryside bedroom, across neatly arranged shelves, the vase of fresh flowers on a vintage table.
The familiar surroundings, and the reassurance that everyone was safe, filled me with a surprising sense of serenity and calm.
It only lasted a moment.
“Sorry for the delay, but the Duchess is right. Our horses are right outside—” Gregory hurried through the doorway and had taken no less than two steps before the king peeled himself away from the wall and charged at him.
The king’s face was molten fury. He shoved Gregory’s chest—hard. “You left us to die!”
“Hey!” I cried out in surprise.
Gregory staggered back, but was able to recover his stance, momentary shock flashing across his expression. His own face reddening, he hissed back, “Can you really blame me? You already killed one of my sisters. I wasn’t about to put Sophie’s life in jeopardy over yours.”
The king’s eyes widened murderously. “You stupid idiot. You almost got Allie killed!”
“I was going for help.” Gregory put his face closer, not seeming daunted in the least.
“You were running away,” the king spat. “To hide your culpability, no doubt.”
Sophie blinked, her eyebrows furrowing. She was halfway to her feet in alarm, possibly intending to stand by her brother. “What? What is he talking about?” Her puzzled gaze turned toward me.
The king cut in first, hissing through his teeth. “Those men, that godforsaken machine, they were all under your command, weren’t they?”
Gregory pursed his lips. “Now, hold on a minute.”
He waved him away. “Don’t even try to deny it. The machine bore your kingdom’s crest.”
“What… how…?” Genuine shock flashed across Gregory’s face before his expression hardened once again. “That proves nothing.”
The king stepped forward, dangerous energy gathering around him like storm clouds. “Convenient.”
“And accusing us is more convenient still,” Gregory shot back, standing his ground. “From the moment you arrived, you have been seeking enemies and seeming determined to invent them.”
The tension in the room was increasing so quickly. I clenched my fists to get a hold of my nerves.
Sophie’s frown deepened. “What crest? There was a crest on the machine? How did you manage to inspect it in all the chaos?”
The king folded his arms across his broad chest. “There was another one by the River of Tears. The maelstrom it produces is a doorway. It’s how Allie and I crossed the river.”
Gregory’s jaw dropped. “You actually used the machine yourself? You jumped into that abomination? That’s utter madness!”
Eyes blazing, the king flicked his hand in my direction. “That’s what I told her!”
I dropped my gaze. My weak response barely carried across the room. “I’m sorry.”
His gaze snapped to me, his expression softening. With another huff, he stalked out of the room.
Furrowing my eyebrows, I pushed off the bed with the determination to follow.
“Allie—” Sophie jumped up and grasped my arm to help me along.
Faint humidity brushed my skin, and the scent of damp earth tickled my nose as we walked through the large conservatory, its floor-to-ceiling glass windows letting in the mid-morning light, bathing the Duchess’s plants and flowers.
Her usually whimsical potted plants, which would often jostle around for the best position under the sun, were stunned immobile in the imposing presence of the Wicked King.
“Your Majesty, you didn’t answer my question.” Fighting down the remnants of fatigue, I trailed behind him. “The reason you’ve been decimating entire villages these past moons… Was this why?”
He stopped only to give me a sideways glance.
My chest tightened as I took in his meaning.
“Are you saying there are more villages across Wünder that are afflicted with ghosts?” Sophie asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Chez’s head popped through the doorway, his big eyes swirling yellow and purple. “Ghosts?”
“Ghosts?” the Duchess echoed, her head poking out above his. Her tone pitched in breathy disbelief. “That cannot be.”
Dread skittered across my skin. I met the Duchess’s bewildered blue gaze. “Do you think someone else on Wünder has taken up the Red Queen’s old occupation of stealing hearts?”
“No,” the king said dismissively. “Its effects may seem similar, but I don’t believe it’s the same thing.”
“And you should know,” Gregory huffed as he strode through the doorway past the Duchess and Chez.
“I do believe we have, under this roof, the two remaining experts in ‘heart harvesting’.” He settled beside his sister, his surly words still directed at the Wicked King.
“In fact, how do we know this is not you backsliding into your former profession?”
The king averted his gaze. “That is all in the past.”
“Well.” The Duchess flapped her fan. “I shall say this: heart harvesting is a fairly involved business. I can offer my strongest assurances that our devastatingly handsome king, powerful as he is, wouldn’t be able to accomplish it on his own.
And I, for certain, have been much too preoccupied with other hobbies of late.
” Her face brightened. “I do invite everyone to have a look at my lovely decoupage collection. They are all sitting prettily right there by the foyer—”
Not at all willing to acquiesce, Gregory tilted his head. “Are you certain? His Majesty seems intent on throwing suspicions at anyone else but himself.”
The pit of my stomach hollowed out.
Anyone else but himself.
Perhaps because the king already knew who was at fault.
This is all her doing, echoed in my mind once again.
My doing.
Could it be true? Was I somehow connected to the resurgence of ghosts across Wünder? To the terrible malady afflicting the land caused by the maelstroms and fantastic machines?
Not even simply “connected.”
I bit my lip.
Responsible.
I clenched my fists. “We have to do something—find a cure, help those people.”
The king’s words were curt, offhand. “I have to go back and raze that entire village.”
My jaw dropped. “What? You can’t do that.”
“Any remnants of this anomaly must be destroyed. Otherwise, it will spread until all of Wünder is affected.” With a frustrated sigh, he ran his fingers through his hair.
“I’d initially thought the River of Tears was preventing the spread of the contamination.
I had hoped the sickness hadn’t reached this far.
But it seems that the source of the malady itself was on this side of the river after all. ”
Sophie’s eyes narrowed. “Is there truly no other way? Perhaps this merely warrants further study. If we learn more about this malady, we might be able to purge it without hurting any more people.” She turned an imploring gaze toward the Duchess.
She was already shaking her head. “In my experience, ghosts cannot be restored to normal. However, if these citizens still have their hearts intact, and this malady is caused by something else…well, who knows?” She finished with a shrug.
“The risk is too high. Only the Duchess and I know the consequences of a growing ghost population.” The king shook his head. “All I can do now is destroy them and hope everything goes back to normal.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“Then I shall deal with that when the time comes.”
Gregory shot back, “You mean kill everyone?”
“As the most powerful king on Wünder, it is my duty to cleanse this land.” His Majesty slid a narrow-eyed glance at him. “We all must sacrifice for the greater good. And since your kingdom has clearly been infected as well, I shall be dealing with Lucerne next.”
“What?” Gregory’s anger finally burst through his carefully tempered countenance. “You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you?” He charged at him. “You vile, wicked—”
Sophie rushed to block his way. “Brother, don’t.”