A Captive of Wing and Feather A Retelling of Swan Lake - Melanie Cellier Page 0,59

he knew what it was to be raised royal. Having tasted that companionship again, the solitude of the lake now felt like a burden I wasn’t sure I could bear.

I said nothing, but I acknowledged to myself that I wouldn’t send him away again. If he was willing to brave the forest to keep me company, I would let him. But as soon as I was free from this enchantment, I would put some distance between us. My friends at the haven knew the truth about me now, and my life there could provide the companionship I needed.

Gabe didn’t attempt conversation while the light remained, but neither did he make any move to leave me alone at the lake. And when darkness fell, he still lingered. When I didn’t send him away, he took what had become his usual place by the small fire he had built. I could tell by the way he looked at me that he had a question, and I feared it was about his conversation with Cora.

Part of me wanted to do anything to avoid his questions—I even considered lying down and pretending to sleep. But it was better to talk here, where I had my voice and no one else could overhear. I sighed.

“What is it?” I asked.

He opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then opened it again. “There’s no question that we need to get inside the Keep. We have to make this scheme with the wagon work. But do you really think Leander might be planning to assassinate me?”

My mind scrambled to adjust to such an unexpected topic. But it was the first time I had heard him speak of the possibility with an utterly serious tone, and I wanted to answer him with equal gravity.

“Yes, I do.”

He blew out a long breath. “I have to admit, after what we saw in the woods, it looks increasingly as if Leander must be responsible for the kingdom’s strange timidity—and as if he must have violent plans to exploit it. There is some master plan here, and it’s the work of years. But why call those wolves off the other day? If he intends to kill me, why not let them finish the job right there?”

I frowned. “I’ve been thinking about that. I don’t think it was a targeted attack. I’ve been wondering if the wolves were wandering where they weren’t supposed to be, and were called back into line. It was probably chance as much as anything that they found us.”

I paused. “I also think Audrey might be on to something regarding Leander wanting to ensure you have a public death to avoid suspicion falling on him. If he has been laying this plan for years, then he won’t want it to be overset before his planned moment has arrived, and he doesn’t appear to be ready to march on the capital. So while I can easily imagine him wanting to take advantage of you falling into his lap in such a way, he wouldn’t want to do it in a manner that brings too much attention to him.”

“Thanks to whatever enchantment he’s cast, I’m not so sure anyone at the capital would take action on any suspicions,” Gabe muttered, wearing a look of discouragement that I hadn’t seen on his face before.

I wished I could reassure him, but my experience of the inhabitants of Brylee made me wonder if he was right. Even so, however, Talinos wasn’t the only kingdom.

“You’re loved outside of Talinos,” I said. “The other kingdoms wouldn’t overlook your death—or allow Leander to get away with assassinating you if he appeared to have done so. And if your family didn’t act, that might give the other kingdoms a reason to bring troops of their own in. They have to be suspecting that something untoward is going on here.”

“So you think Leander means to engineer an accident?” Gabe asked.

I shrugged. “Or have it appear that someone from Brylee is responsible for the assassination. He may even set it up so that he appears to be defending you. He’ll have plenty of witnesses—and pliable ones, too. None of them are likely to take any unexpected action to upset the drama he has planned.”

Now Gabe looked decidedly uncomfortable.

“I have to admit, you make a compelling case,” he said.

Chapter 18

The next day passed with agonizing slowness, and I could only keep half a mind on the talk around me. Juniper managed to winkle two cookies out of me just before lunchtime, and