I somehow promised Vilma that I would come and parade my finery for her before attending Leander’s party at the end of the week. Only afterward did I realize what I had said. If we had success in the morning, no one would be attending any festivities—and regardless of what happened, I had no intention of celebrating with Leander.
Ash turned up at lunchtime with fresh rolls for everyone, and the glow in his eyes sent fresh guilt surging through me. He thought Wren had sought him out yesterday of her own volition, and I was sure that was what had brought him back today. After so long spent attempting to win her over, she finally seemed to have opened up to him.
I watched them out of the corner of my eye, observing as he solemnly listened to one of Juniper’s stories before producing a cake which he had decorated with speckles of pink sugar just for her. Wren’s eyes lit up, and she certainly looked genuinely pleased. He made an aside to her, and she laughed before asking him to lift something down from one of the higher shelves for her. I made myself turn away.
As the day wore on toward night, my guilt for involving Ash grew. Only the memory of my terror as the bear chased us kept me determined to follow our plan. We weren’t just doing this for me—we were doing it for everyone.
As the last of the afternoon slipped away, Audrey stuck to my side. She was determined to come to the lake for a final conversation before the attempted entry to the Keep first thing in the morning, and I didn’t attempt to dissuade her this time.
None of our plans had changed, but it was a relief to be able to speak and participate properly in the conversation as we went over them one last time around our little fire. The swans, perhaps sensing that something momentous was about to happen, left the lake and came to lie around us.
I rested my hands on their springy feathers, fighting back tears at the sight of them all. I had been so focused on winning my freedom, I hadn’t given any thought to what I would have to give up.
For all it was a prison, my lake was both peaceful and beautiful, and—far more importantly—my swans had been my friends, companions, protectors, and comforters for two years now. They had shown me unswerving loyalty, and I struggled to imagine life without them. What would happen when Gabe and I destroyed the object that bound us together? Would the loosing of the enchantment return them to their wild state? Would they simply fly away, never to be seen again?
I went to sleep as I had done on the terrifying first nights of my curse—with my feathery friends settled around me, pressing against me on both sides. The fear, anticipation, hope, and unexpected sense of loss mingled together to create a strange dreamscape that left me wrung out and poorly rested when I awoke the next morning.
Audrey looked like she hadn’t slept much better than me, but Gabe looked elated. He had an extra spring in his steps, and I could see the shine that the prospect of the day’s activities had put in his eyes. Gabe wasn’t daunted by anything he considered an adventure.
He soon had Audrey in high spirits, the two of them proposing more and more outrageous suggestions about how the day might go, their chuckles seeming to lighten the gray and brown of the trees as we made our way back to Brylee. But just as I began to feel a hint of concern, Gabe met my eyes and gave a slight nod. Beneath the levity, I glimpsed a serious layer that told me he knew what we were about to walk into—or roll into in this case.
Audrey led us through the streets, ducking down a side alley to bring us out at the back of the bakery. She gestured for us to stay around the corner against the wall of the building while she peeked into the open courtyard. A moment later she was back at our side.
“Wren is already here,” she whispered. “She saw me, so if we just give her a moment, she’ll find an excuse to draw him back into the shop. I’ll keep watch.”
She disappeared, and Gabe and I exchanged a look. This was the established plan, but I had never been quite comfortable with this part. The prince’s