The Glass Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #2) - Gena Showalter Page 0,150

the hilt.

The witch still held me on the battlefield. What would I be forced to face next?

The master announced, “The magnificent King Philipp invites one and all to the palace for a ball. We will celebrate the avian’s victory with wine, food, and laughter.”

New applause rang out, people pouring from the stands, hoping to be the first to drink the king’s wine.

Ophelia materialized just in front of me—I recognized her combat boots, emblazoned with gold. She patted the top of my head. “All right, avian. Now that I’ve helped you again—”

“Helped me?” I roared, my head lifting in a rush.

“Yes. Exactly. You owe me so many favors right now, it’s ridiculous. Oh, wait. You don’t know all I’ve done. First, I ensured Ashleigh was safe during your fight. But I told you that already, yes? You’re welcome. All the two of you did was complain. I let her watch you, and I’m sure she’s all hungry for your sweet, sweet love or whatever. Guaranteed she’s going to say yes to your marriage now. And that’s just the tip of my scorecard. While my methods are questionable, I do what I must to elicit genuine emotional reactions from others in order to achieve a specific desired end. I always get the job done. So, let’s get you to the palace so you can stab Ashleigh.”

That was the way she was supposed to die, so she could come back without Leonora? My head shot up. “I will never stab Ashleigh. Not for any reason.”

“Oh, really?” She scratched her chin. “Because Noel assured me someone was going to stab the princess, like, tonight. Wait. I see the problem here. No one explained how everything’s gonna go down. See, Ashleigh is only just beginning to realize she can bond two things together. But good thing she has because she’s got to bond Leonora to her body while severing her own connection to it, essentially becoming the phantom herself. Once we kill the body, its new owner will die. That’s Leonora, in case you got lost. Ashleigh will live on, and she can bond with her body anew. Then, we can revive it with magic. At least, we hope we can revive it. The odds are forty-fifty but we’re keeping our fingers crossed.”

“Your math is off.”

“No, the other 10 percent is for my certainty that everyone is going to die.”

“I will never risk Ashleigh in such a way,” I said, not needing any time to think this over.

“What did you imagine we’d do when I mentioned killing her?”

I didn’t know, didn’t care. My first instincts were right. We’d stick with subduing the phantom. “The cost is too high.”

“From the beginning, Noel told you one would live and one would die. What is tonight is what will be tomorrow. There will be no going back. One measly death is a small price to pay for obtaining a happily-ever-after with the woman of your dreams, wouldn’t you say?”

“Ashleigh’s death is the only price I’m unwilling to pay. And I would be the one forced to pay it.”

“Are you sure? You know three apple babies, and we’re the best chance she’s got.” She shrugged. “The choice is yours. Just know fate has a deadline for the completion of every fairy-tale prophecy, and we’re about to reach yours. You’ll lose Ashleigh no matter what then. At least fate is helping us out right now.”

“From my vantage point, I don’t think fate has ever helped me.”

“Then you aren’t paying attention.”

Could I do this? Could I trust that our fairy tale would end the right way at long last?

28

Are you ready to begin?

Who will die and who will win?

Ashleigh

Five minutes earlier

For the past half hour—what had seemed like an eternity—I’d alternated between worrying about my dragons, watching Saxon fight, in awe of his skill, and squeezing my eyes tightly shut, praying the battle ended with the avian still breathing. A thousand times, I’d tried to pry open the cell door, and a thousand times I’d failed.

I had to get to Saxon. We had to get to the dragons. When it came to the safety of my babies, there wasn’t anyone I trusted more than their father. There wasn’t anyone I trusted more, period.

“You had an opportunity to become my fairy godmother,” I said to Leonora. “You didn’t have to remain my evil stepmother. You could have helped me save Saxon and the dragons.”

—Why would I save Saxon? He gave me what I wanted only to take it away. So I