“In the Butterfly Garden, yes.” His head turns away from me, and I wish that I could see his eyes. At least in the shadows, I could see him, like his dark flame lit the backdrop around us. “It’s her domain, but she is a prisoner to Wonderland itself. It’s hard to explain, but we’ll likely meet her out here. It will make more sense when you meet her. Come on, we should go.”
He keeps my hand in his as we walk, and I know there’s more he’s not telling me. Why he seems to be dodging the problem, though, is beyond me, and I decide to keep those thoughts to myself at least until morning. I tell myself I’m being silly and a little cynical about my concerns as we walk back to the fire. The closer we get, the more I can make out Ban’s features; he’s definitely wiped all emotion from his face.
But why? I know something’s troubling him, but he won’t share it with me. It feels a little one-sided since I shareda lot of my concerns and fears with him. Hell, I even told him about Hans, and I still haven’t really pieced together what’s going on there.
I have half a mind to interrogate him since Odette is sleeping and Zarev is disinterested, but voices near the fire catch my attention. At first I think it’s just Odette and Zarev whispering until we step into the space.
There’s a woman here who I’ve never seen before, her auburn hair slicked back from her head in a severe style, and judgmental caramel eyes crackle in the firelight. She’s sitting close to Zarev, one leg propped up and bent at the knee so she can rest her other leg there. There’s some sort of spotted shawl behind her, and she’s wearing mostly black.
Her eyes laser in on Ban, and all the friendliness in her gaze disappears. “Ban.”
“Hello to you, too, Margo.” He sighs, shooting me a look as we walk closer. Odette is awake but yawning, and it looks like Margo was talking mostly to Zarev. I’m surprised, after hearing her name just a moment ago, that she is already here. Did he sense something while we were gone in the trees?
“You all shouldn’t be down here,” she says, standing. So much for introductions. “Two Reapers, in Wonderland? The other butterflies can feel a shift in the air.”
Butterflies?
She stretches, and the spotted thing I thought was a shawl moves with her. They turn into a set of wings that spreads proudly behind her, and she shoots me a look. “A Frostlands noble, a princess, and two Reapers. You realize the scandal that will arise if you’re caught here? The Mad Queen could be looking for you already! We can feel the energy shift out here.”
“I’m the Queen,” I say defensively, and it doesn’t seem to do much to improve Margo’s mood.
“Oh, well, that’s just fantastic.” She groans, looking skyward as her hands find her hips. When she looks back at us, she appears to have already made up her mind. “Well, come on your four. Get up. Legs is expecting you.”
Chapter 34 Ban
“Zarev,” Legs says, hugging him first. She’s already given Odette and Neve a hug like she’s actually happy to have guests, which I know from experience is a lie. “You visit twice in a few months? I haven’t seen you so much in ten years.”
He shoots me a look before shrugging. “Thank Ban for that. He’s the one who almost got us killed.”
Legs gives me a mischievous look, her eyes full of life for once. Half the time, the burdens of working beneath the Mad Queen wipe all the joy from her. “You crossed the pass?”
“We crossed the pass. We brought them along.” I nod toward Neve and Odette. The Swan Princess is doing a decent job distracting Margo from hating me, which is a nice change from the norm, where she spends the entirety of my visit glaring. Odette is asking enough questions to keep Legs’s lover distracted, for now.
Legs focuses on Neve, who has done a remarkable job of adapting to Wonderland. The gardens are the prettiest part of this hellish land. Neve is enchanted by the colors of the garden, the wildlife in the trees, and the flowers and blooms that are Legs’s pride and joy. The butterfly smiles at my queen, clasping one of her hands. She’s already spoken briefly to Odette. “And you are the Queen?”
Neve bows her head. “The Ice Queen, but you can call me Neve.”
The look she gives Neve is guarded, but there’s distrust growing in her eyes the longer we are here. Legs is an old friend who is amicable with Zarev, but for every new stranger who journeys here, her trust shrinks.
It’s not hard to understand why. Legs sits now at the table in her home, one of the many things she’s crafted with her magic. She’s akin to a gardener, her magic enriching the earth here in the Butterfly Garden, and as trade for her and her companions’ safety she helps the Mad Queen craft the Flowerborne.
It’s something I’ve always disagreed with, but Legs does what she must to survive. Margo is her person and still at the service of the Mad Queen. When they last failed to appease Davina, she broke and removed Legs’s legs from the knee down. Now her magic is the main reason she can move as freely as she does, but she’s still trapped in the garden.
Legs presses her lips together, looking between the four of us. The longer she keeps us in suspense, the more I know whatever she needs to say is going to sting. “You must leave.”
“We don’t plan on staying,” I tell her easily, narrowing my eyes. When I was here on my way to the Frostlands, when I had enough sense about me to travel back down to Icicle Pass to make the crossing, she was resigned to my fate but not determined to keep me away. This is different. “We’re just passing through. Crossing the pass with a passenger took a lot of magic from both of us. We’ll be walking until we have enough shadow magic to hop.”
Legs looks around again, crossing her arms. “And the Barrens?”
“Crossable with shadows,” Zarev points out with a shrug. “It’ll be the fastest route out of Wonderland.”
“And no one will have any reason to question you once we’re away,” I reason, trying to calm her worries. I can already see the gears in her head turning, which is what I feared.
Legs can accept one visitor without causing much of a fuss.Maybetwo. But two Reapers and two royals will draw attention from anyone who spots us, and I already can feel the pull of Death all around us. Wonderland is a dark place, and Death lingers just beyond the bright flowers. Spirits are nearby, and if we start reaping them like we’re supposed to, the news will eventually get back to Davina. I don’t know what the right answer is here.
Neve shifts beside me, and behind us, Odette and Margo have grown quiet. A weight settles over all of us as Legs glares at me, time seeming to slow as I wait for her answer.
She stares at me for a long time before moving on, turning instead to Zarev. “Did you figure out anything from the beanstalk?”
