The Glass Queen (The Forest of Good and Evil #2) - Gena Showalter Page 0,60

pledge of admiration,” Noel said.

“Oh, you have the means all right. You have four dragon eggs.” Ophelia sauntered to a corner, where we kept the potted plants, and ran a finger over the leaves, as if inspecting them for dust. “We want two of those eggs. And that is nonnegotiable, so don’t try to negotiate.”

“My eggs?” Never. “Saxon has them. I don’t know where they are.” But I would. I would find them.

“You let us take care of that.” Noel batted her lashes at me, not even close to innocent. “Do we have a deal?”

“No. We don’t. Why do you want them?” As soon as I found them, I would be returning them to the ground, near the Temple, so that they could continue to age in peace.

Saxon claimed all dragons were monsters, but every fiber of my being screamed that he was wrong.

“Do we have a deal or not?” Noel asked, ignoring my question.

“No,” I repeated. “We do not.”

“Excellent,” she said. “We have a deal.”

“I said no.”

“Which means you passed my ingenious test.” She patted me on top of the head, as if I were a good little girl. “I award you an A-plus for loyalty.”

Ophelia winked at me. “Now that that’s settled, go to the party and ibitty, bibbity, bop, bop, boo. And don’t ask me what that means.”

One second I stood inside the tent, the next I stood outside the back of it. The witch had transported me past the border, and I had zero side effects.

I meant to hurry off, but I stood spellbound, taking in the festivities. Light from multiple firepits illuminated a winding path littered with warriors, mortals, and creatures, all mingled together.

A cool breeze caressed my skin, layered with stronger hints of smoke and the scent of roasting meat, pine, and perfume.

As if drawn by an invisible cord, I stumbled forward. Despite my fascination with my surroundings, I remembered to stick to the shadows as I maneuvered around partygoers and trees. When the avian campground got lost in the sights behind me, I grinned. I’d done it. I’d bested Saxon once again.

The sweetest song drifted to my ears. In the distance, someone was playing a flute. I bet people were dancing.

I quickened my pace and rounded a cluster of trees, following the sound. The number of trees seemed to have doubled in a single day. Goodness. From now on, I needed to better observe my surroundings, so I wouldn’t feel as if I entered a whole new world every time I exited Saxon’s tent.

Few people recognized me. Those that did whispered, “It’s the Glass Princess,” To their companions. After three years of hard work at the Temple, I felt I deserved a new nickname. Metal Wench, maybe? Oh, what a glorious night.

“—fist cracked open his skull,” one gorgon was saying to another as I passed another firepit. “I turned his brain to stone and smashed it into dust.”

A wolfin stumbled past me and burped.

I stutter-stepped when I caught sight of Trio. He was speaking with a scantily clad mortal woman.

“—but a gold coin will buy you an hour,” she was saying as she traced a finger down his chest.

“For a gold coin, I expect you to be on your knees—”

Moving on. I hurried forward, my feet seeming to know where to go, as if I’d made this trek a thousand times. I didn’t resist, curious to know where I’d end up. As I rounded a large oak, everything changed. Dizziness lashed me, and I swayed. The temperature dropped drastically, my teeth chattering.

Um... I spun. What...how...? I had been transported to somewhere in the Enchantian Forest. I would forever recognize the azure glow that radiated from every inch of bark, wildflower, and speck of dirt.

The dizziness I’d felt... I’d felt it with Eve, too, when she’d used her voice magic. But, I wasn’t anywhere near the avian this time.

My teeth-chattering worsened. I must have traveled through an invisible doorway. But where was it now? I sensed...nothing. How was I to return to the campground?

Fighting panic, I listened for any hint of laughter, music, or conversation. I heard chirping frogs...rustling leaves...rattling branches...a whistle of wind. I looked left, right. Backward. Forward. Left again. Up, down. The forest remained, no sign of the celebration.

Behind me, a twig snapped. I jerked around, fisting the hand with the nails. Up ahead, illuminated by a lone ray of moonlight, a couple kissed as if the world was soon to end. I recognized the girl, no problem. I would never