with cotton. My hands quivered, parts of me as cold as ice, others as hot as fire.
Verging on exhaustion, not knowing what else to do, I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath, looking inward, past the noise. I imagined a life with Saxon. We would be husband and wife, king and queen, and we would have the dragons at our sides. Love for my family welled up, a sea of tranquility spilling through me. In that sea, reason reigned.
I shook off the phantom’s fog of confusion. The first problem that needed addressing—saving Saxon. In the fairy tale, each time the evil stepmother and stepsisters had left Cinder behind, a fairy godmother had aided her. I’d noticed the same trend in my life. I’d acted as my own fairy godmother at times, but I’d also had help from Ophelia and Noel, Dior, Eve—Everly, and even Saxon.
Would I get a fairy godmother this time? Maybe anyone had the ability to be a fairy godmother and become part of the story; they just had to decide to help and follow through.
How could I reach out to let someone, anyone, know that I required aid? Someone, anyone, on my side.
The only one who might be free—big might—was Everly. Had she awakened from Ophelia’s sleep spell? Could I awaken her if not? Saxon had always contacted her through a plant, but I had no idea where to find a plant in a...
I spun on my heel, seeking the ivy. Hope turned electric as I jolted into action, falling to my knees before the stalk that had grown through the floor. The tip of the leaf had browned, but the stem still had some green. Would she hear me?
I didn’t know how it all worked, but I had to try. “Everly? Everly, I need you to focus on me, all right?” I shouted the words at top volume, just in case. “This is Ashleigh. Listen up. I’m in the dungeon at the palace, and I need your help. Saxon was gravely injured during battle. I don’t know what my father is doing to him right now, but I do know he’s planning to kill Saxon and Roth at the victory celebration. Please. Help me save the day or whatever.” Sweet goodness. Now I was talking like her.
Silence. Waiting...more minutes passing... No movement. No stirring of magic.
Excitement dulled. Hope withered. I bowed my head, a heavy weight settling on my shoulders. Maybe she heard so many voices, speaking so many different things at once, that she had to sift through all the noise to pinpoint an individual voice. Maybe she would hear me...in a few days. Would she be too late? Would I?
Leonora laughed with more of that infuriating glee.
“One escape, coming up.”
The familiar voice came from behind me and shut up the phantom. I leaped to my feet, my heart pounding like a war drum. Everly! Despite everything, she’d come for me, just like a true friend. And she was a friend, wasn’t she? One of my closest.
She stood outside the bars, a pale-haired, silver-eyed hero in black leather.
“Help me out,” I beseeched.
“Here’s the deal,” she said. “I will help you, and you will help me. We’ll save Saxon and take back Roth’s crown. Do I have your word?”
“Yes. You want my father? He’s yours. You want vengeance against Ophelia and Noel? Maybe I can make them fall in love...with daggers.” Could I bond someone’s emotions to an object?
I thought I...could. I suspected I’d done it before, the memories buried in my mind with so many others, waiting to spring free as soon as there was room, the phantom gone.
“Ophelia and Noel aren’t so bad,” Everly said. “They’ve done what your father ordered to garner his trust. I think. I mean, the witch let me link with her, but she also cast a spell to ensure I couldn’t hear anything he said, something she could have pretended to do. But then again, she takes pride in her work, and claiming to perform a spell but not doing so is very, very bad. If a witch can’t be trusted, she can’t sell her spells.”
“The business lesson is nice, honest, but can we pause it so you can get me out of here? And where’s Roth?”
She didn’t speed into motion. No, she leaned a shoulder against the bars. “He’ll be joining the party upstairs at some point, and so will we. He’s just taking a route your father cannot predict. Also, Noel told me I