Elise’s eyes softened. “I know you are, Lindy, and I know you’ll make it right. Now, come. Tell me what you need.”
She looked around the room, completely at a loss as to what she would even need. Despite her less-than-happy childhood, she had lived a privileged life. Her survival skills began and ended with personal hygiene and a few basic laundry skills. “I don’t…”
Her words were cut off by another round of pounding at the door. Lindy sucked in a frustrated breath through clenched teeth, annoyance eclipsing all other emotions for the moment.
I should have turnedhiminto a swan.
She marched over to the door and threw it open. Haldrick, fist swinging mid-pound, stumbled forward a step. “Can I help you?” she asked icily, holding her chin high.
He covered his surprise with a scowl. “Where are the princes?”
“In their rooms, I would assume, based on the fact that the sun is barely over the mountains yet.”
“Don’t play dumb with me, witch.” Haldrick stepped closer, crowding her space. “They’re not there.”
“I certainly don’t know why you’d think I’d have any knowledge of their whereabouts. We don’t have that kind of mother-son relationship.”
“I know you did something.”
“Do you?” Lindy hid her anxiety with a cool lift of her eyebrow. “If you’d like to come in and look for them, by all means, be my guest. Just watch for the bird droppings.” She stepped back, sweeping her arm out invitingly.
The corner of his mouth curled up in disgust as he took in the mess. He narrowed his eyes at Elise, who was seated on the edge of Lindy’s bed, flipping through the pages of a book as if nothing were amiss. She spoke without looking up. “Sometimes His Royal Highness likes to take a ride at sunrise. It’s possible, given the emotional nature of the last few days, that he asked his brothers to join him.” She turned a page and finally met his scrutiny with a sweet smile. “Have you sent someone to check the stables?”
He grumbled a negative and backed away from the door, pausing just long enough to glare at Lindy. “I don’t trust you.”
“I know,” she responded neutrally, folding her hands in front of her dress. “The feeling is quite mutual, I assure you.”
His jaw worked back and forth, but he left without saying another word. Lindy waited until he was nearly out of sight before closing her door and leaning against it with a sigh. She ran a tired hand over her face, allowing herself just a moment of self-pity, then straightened.
“You should go.”
“What? Why?” Elise snapped the book shut and shot to her feet.
Lindy strode to her wardrobe and pulled out the most unassuming dress she could find. “Because if I leave, Haldrick is going to immediately accuse you of helping me. You need to have a solid alibi, and I want you to be able to honestly say you have no idea where I went.”
“But I do know. I told you?—”
She interrupted her with a shake of her head. “I’m not going to the cabin, Ellie. I won’t put you in that kind of position. You have enough to deal with without needing to add your parents into the mix. The less you need to deal with your father, the better. I’ll figure something out.”
“Lindy…”
“Go.” Lindy took Elise’s shoulder and pushed her toward the door.
Elise’s brows drew together in concern. “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”
She shrugged one shoulder, feigning more confidence than she felt. “I know how to take care of myself.”
I hope.
The heavy metalgate shut behind her with an ominous creak as Lindy exited the castle grounds with a hooded cloak pulled low to hide her face and a makeshift bag over her shoulder. For once, she was thankful for the awful picnic her stepsons had taken her on, as it had alerted her to the existence of the rarely-used gate that led straight from the back gardens to the neighboring forest. The tall pine trees were a vibrant green in the morning sunshine, and their scent hung heavy around her in the humid summer air.
She had no idea where exactly she was going, only that she needed to walk north and west until she hit the shores of Lake Lossos. If she was going to figure out a way to break the curse, she needed someplace to stay that was at least somewhat inhabitable for swans.
Assuming they were still able to comprehend human speech and could follow Elise’s instructions to meet her there. If not, she was going to have to start swan hunting.
“And I’m sure wandering around the countryside, throwing counter-curses at water fowl in the hopes they turn into princes will do wonders for my public image,” she muttered sarcastically. “Haldrick won’t use that against me at all as further proof that I should be thrown into prison or executed.”
She kept moving, following a narrow, often overgrown path through the trees. The air quickly grew warm as the morning lengthened, and beads of sweat formed on her forehead and carved a path down her back. Her cloak was quickly abandoned—in the dense covering of the forest it was unlikely anyone would recognize herfrom afar, anyway—and Lindy was soon longing for the cool waters and gentle breezes of the lakeside.
