looking for you.” He smiled widely, showing many of his back molars, but his face looked pained, awkward, and his enthusiasm didn’t match his persona.
Sprawled out along the cold floor, I tried to focus on him, but he wavered in and out like a spyglass adjusting. I knew those signs, or knew how to look for them.
“Eden?” I murmured. “Is it really you?”
The glamour faded and my glorious sister Eden kneeled beside me, reaching between the bars to grasp my cold hand. “Yes, I’ve come for you.”
My body began to spasm—no, not spasms but great heaving sobs. “The b-bands.” I raised my wrists, and she looked aghast.
“What is this?”
“Allemar, he did this. Beware of Allemar.”
“Don’t worry, Rosalie. We will get him, and they will pay for what they’ve done to you. They will all pay.” Her normally sweet voice was hard like steel; her eyes even had a glint of danger about them.
Backing up, Eden raised her hands to the door, and she began to work out the enchantment around the cell. As delirious and tired as I was, I panicked as she began to mumble her thoughts on the counterspell.
“No, Lochni will blow us to smithereens. Use Lochen,” I corrected
Eden shook her head. “Yes, that’s right. Sorry.” She quickly corrected her formula, and with a piece of chalk began to draw symbols over the ground. Eden still needed to visually see her spells; she couldn’t imagine them in the air and hold them like me.
Though she was the weakest when it came to spells and would frequently get them mixed up and end up entangled in a mess, she was still the one who I would have chosen to come. No one could beat Eden when it came to glamour, and when sneaking into a castle, she was the best choice.
“How’s it look?” she asked nervously, tucking a stray blonde hair behind her ear. Even now, during an escape, she needed my help.
Pulling myself up to a kneeling position, I took her piece of chalk and corrected one letter. “It will do,” I encouraged.
She gave me a grin as I moved to the back of the cell; my legs wobbled underneath me, and I clutched the stone wall for support. I didn’t look, just turned my head as she muttered the spell and the cell door blasted inward. Wind and debris hit me, and I looked to my right and saw part of the door had shattered and was now embedded into the stone two inches from my face.
“Oops!” Eden gasped, and I gave her a disapproving look.
“What good is it to kill me during the rescue?” I chastised. “Remember, visualize, control, and release.”
“Yes, Rosalie. I’ll do better next time I sneak into a palace and break you out of prison,” Eden said sarcastically, but her eyes were twinkling, betraying her jubilant emotions. She came to me and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, then helped me out of the cell.
I sighed. “You better.” Turning, I pulled her into a hug and cried.
“Hey, hey.” She patted my back and ran her hand down my hair. “You’ve taken care of us for so long. Now it’s my turn to take care of you.” Eden’s hand glowed as she touched my forehead. My whole body tingled with warmth as she healed my smaller wounds. The anti-magic bands prevented her from healing my wrists, so she focused on other areas. I could feel my strength slowly returning and with it—my vengeance.
I was reluctant to let her go but knew we needed to get moving. The blast probably alerted the guards. “That’s enough, Eden. Save your power. This battle is far from over.”
“What’s that?” Eden stepped back, clearly startled, and looked down at the goblin who had joined our group hug. His green arm had wrapped around her knee. Eden laughed. “You have a redcap as a familiar? How did you manage that?”
Looking down from above at Gobbersnot’s bald head, I saw what Eden had immediately noticed—a faint red stain along his skull. Redcaps were known for soaking their hat in the blood of their enemies and wearing it. Well, mine must have been a little defective, for he liked to wear women’s clothes and soak himself in perfume. To each his own.
With each step up the stone stairs, my calves and leg muscles screamed. I must have been down here longer than I thought, but each searing, painful step only goaded me further. My anger built, fueling me as we came to