A Captive of Wing and Feather A Retelling of Swan Lake - Melanie Cellier Page 0,69

we can use it again.”

I nodded slowly. “Perhaps we shouldn’t linger here.” I grimaced. “Just in case he works it out sooner rather than later.”

Gabe nodded his agreement, and I took the lead, directing us back to the road. It felt utterly strange to be traversing the forest in the dark. The moonlight, combined with the lantern Gabe carried, provided ample light, but it had been two years since such a thing was possible. On instinct I had nearly directed us toward the lake before realizing it made more sense to head for Brylee.

Brylee. A smile grew on my face. For the first time in two years, I could spend the night in a proper bed and speak aloud to my friends again. It still didn’t seem real.

“I wish we’d had time for a proper search,” I said. “Who knows what else he has in there?”

Gabe reached into his jacket and pulled out the book. “This might tell us something about that.”

I peered at it. What secrets did it hold? I wished I could stop and read it right now, but it looked thick, and I didn’t much fancy the idea of tarrying in the forest, either. Even if Leander was unlikely to attack us out here, I couldn’t help wondering about the other animals that would have been released alongside my swans. I didn’t much fancy encountering a confused wolf pack right now.

Gabe must have seen something of my eagerness for the secrets of the journal in my face because he gave me a smile.

“I won’t go to sleep until I’ve read it cover to cover—no matter how long it takes. And I’ll give you a full report first thing in the morning.”

Reluctantly I nodded. It made more sense for him to decipher it. We couldn’t both read it at once, and I imagined I would have a lot of questions to answer from my friends when we arrived at the haven.

Brylee finally appeared on the road ahead of us, and Gabe insisted he would see me to the haven before returning to the inn himself. Except that when we actually arrived at the haven, I had no sooner touched the front door than it swung open and Audrey pulled me inside.

Wrapping me in a tight hug, she called for Gabe to come in as well.

“Thank goodness!” Tears streamed down her face. “I was fearing the worst. Wren and I were both waiting for Ash when he returned, and when you weren’t in the wagon, I panicked. How did you get out?”

“The escape passage,” I said. “No wonder you couldn’t find the entrance—it was in Leander’s locked study.”

“Lady!” Audrey almost screamed my name. “You’re talking! I mean, you’re here! I mean, you’re not at the lake. I can’t believe I didn’t realize it straight away. So you did it? You broke the enchantment?”

“How about you come back to the kitchen before you wake the entire haven,” Cora said much more calmly from behind us.

Audrey laughed and apologized, while Cora gave me a beaming smile.

“It’s nice to see you here after the sun’s down, Lady. It’s been a while.”

I smiled back. “Too long.”

Wren appeared as we hurried into the kitchen, frowning at her sister and scolding her for disturbing Juniper. When she saw us, her irritated expression dissolved, however, and she ran forward to give me nearly as tight an embrace as Audrey had done.

“Oh, thank goodness!” she said, as Cora ushered us all into the kitchen, closing the door firmly behind us.

“How about we get the story from the beginning?” She bent a hard stare at Audrey. “Without questions.”

I told the tale with occasional embellishments from Gabe, our appreciative audience gasping and applauding at the correct moments.

“So you’re free?” Wren asked when we finished.

“As you can see,” I gestured at myself and then at the kitchen around me.

“What happens next?” Audrey asked, looking suddenly uncertain. “With Lord Leander and everything?”

Gabe frowned. “That’s a good question. And I think I’ll have some more answers on that once I’ve read this. Hopefully it will provide the evidence we need to strip him of his title, lands, and freedom. Without his animal army, I don’t see how he could put up much of a fight.”

“Very reasonable,” Cora said. “Best to read that book first and get everything in order before making any more moves. And for most of us, that means bed.” She smiled in my direction. “We’ve always kept your old room open for you. You know that. And today in