Chapter 45
JACOB
LICHTENSTEIN CASTLE
The room presses in on me, the sounds of the crowd ringing in my ears as I search for Ella.
“She still hasn’t arrived,” I tell Wilhelm. “This is the last night of the festival, and tonight the prince will choose his bride. Should I be worried?”
“Considering the fact that you always do what you want to do,” he says, “I don’t know why you bother asking me.”
“The pitch trap has been laid,” Rumpelstiltskin says, hurrying up to Wilhelm and me, rubbing his hands with a look of delight.
“Let’s hope Wissen tries to attack,” I explain. “It will slow him down. And if he’s already here, it will hinder his escape.”
On the dance floor, Marianne is dancing with the prince. His face has this weird, enraptured expression.
“I know I should be happy to see the prince occupied with someone other than Ella,” I point out. “But I don’t trust Ella’s stepmother. Does the prince look enchanted to you?”
“Most assuredly,” Rumpelstiltskin says.
“Ah, yes, that expression.” Wilhelm taps a finger to his lips. “Where have I seen that before?”
“The Swan King. What was his name again? It’s been over a year.” I snap my fingers. “King Ludwig of Bavaria. He was obsessed with that one woman we suspected was a witch.”
“You think Marianne is a witch? She hardly fits the profile.”
“Which is why she worries me.” I rub the side of my face.
A murmuring rises in the crowd. I follow the source of the commotion and find Ella standing at the entrance, looking as if she flew down on the wings of heaven.
Her dress is the color of the bluest sky, with layers of light material.
The sleeveless, brocaded bodice glimmers like stars, spilling down the center of her dress.
Her curls are twisted into a nest of braids, and long golden tresses cascade down her back.
A necklace studded with sapphires hangs against the smooth skin of her breasts.
I swallow hard. This woman has the power to send me to my knees.
“Glad to see Ella made it,” Wilhelm says. “She’ll get the prince back on track.”
“Now that’s a sparkly dress,” Rumpelstiltskin says. “I wonder if she’d dance a jig with me.”
“Don’t push your luck,” I say, loosening my collar as Ella glides toward the dance floor.
I run a palm over my eyes, needing a distraction. That’s when I taste it on the edge of my lips, the metallic tang of magic stirring in the room, clashing like it’s about to go into battle. I tense.
“Do you taste that?” I ask Wilhelm.
“Tastes sweet like cakes.” His eyes widen. “Something’s wrong.”
“Split up,” I say as the urgency grates against my skin. “You go down. I go up.”
“I’ll sample the cakes,” Rumpelstiltskin says. “Wouldn’t want anyone keeling over before the fun begins.”
We bolt each heading in separate directions. As I pass by the guards and hurry upstairs, I realize I never checked the royal family’s private quarters for wood that might’ve been carved by the doctor. Had the guards?
At the second floor, I pause, listening.
A red carpet stretches down the ornate papered corridor with sconces lighting the way.
I crack open the first door and slip inside, my heart pounding more than I’d wished.
Digging into my belt, I withdraw a knife for comfort.
Its smooth handle steadies my nerves. Moonlight streams through the windows, washing the floor in rivers of light. There’s nothing here.
By the time I reach the fifth bedroom, I’m ready to give up.
But a cabinet with a lion carving makes me pause.
Curious, I open the door only to find rows of clothes.
Still, something about the carving reminds me of Wissen’s office.
Grimacing, I press my palm against the lion’s face, and sure enough, it sinks beneath my touch.
A series of clicks echoes through the room.
With a groan, the cabinet door swings inward, revealing a secret passageway.
I steel my nerves and climb inside the cabinet. A spiral staircase takes me down into a tunnel hewn from rock. I allow my eyes to adjust to the dark, an ability courtesy of my curse. What is this place? Did the king know about it, or is this Dr. Wissen’s work?
A snarl and the sound of claws scraping stone cut the silence.
Glowing red eyes and glistening white teeth shine through the gloom as a dark form bounds toward me.
I spin and run, retreating the way I came, not waiting around to see if there were others.
The last thing I need is to be ambushed in a dark tunnel.
I scramble out of the wardrobe just as the beast lands on me, sinking its fangs into my neck.
Pain rages through me as its claws rake across my chest. With a cry, I plunge my dagger into the beast’s skull, and it slumps onto my chest, slowly returning to his human form. A howl erupts from within the cabinet.
Great. This one has friends.
Before I can move, another beast emerges from the wardrobe, foaming at the mouth as it snarls. I shove the dead man off me and whip out my sword, hunkering down.
“Surprised to see me, huh?” I taunt the werewolf. “Don’t worry, I promise to make your death quick.”
The beast roars and leaps through the air, splintering the sides of the wardrobe to get its massive form out.
I step slightly to the left. In one smooth arc, I slice off its head.
The blood sprays across the ground, dousing me with its rancid stink.
But it’s not over. Unfortunately, another creature shows up from the wardrobe.
I roll my neck, beyond annoyed as the room begins to spin due to my blood loss.
I stab the creature and kick the cabinet door shut.
Then I push a dresser in front of it. It might not keep them out, but it’s enough to slow them down and allow me to tend to my wounds.
I stagger to the bed and rip apart the silk coverlet, wrapping it around my neck.
I’ve just finished tying the knot when a sound like horse hooves thuds in the hallway.
Frowning, I throw open the door as a pack of werewolves races past me toward the grand stairwell. They’re headed for the ball.
“I can’t get a break, can I?” I grumble and race after them.