The clear blue waters finally glistened in the distance, reflecting the light of the midday sun. Lindy cleared the tree line and dropped her sack of belongings on the ground before heading straight to the shore, kicking off her shoes as she went. She plunged straight into the water, sighing in relief as the cold water hit her sweaty, blistered feet.
The tranquil silence was broken by the rush of flapping wings as a flock of swans appeared from over the trees and landed on the surface of the lake. Seven swans, graceful and white and looking at her with murderous eyes, approached in what Lindy could only think of as a battle formation.
“Glad to see you could make it.” She turned and splashed back to the shore of rough, pebbled sand, finding a sun-warmed rock that was large enough for her to sit on but still dangle her feet in the water.
The largest of the swans hissed as they followed her.
“Don’t talk to me like that, Corbin. I didn’t do it on purpose.”
He lunged forward, trying to bite her toes. Just as quickly, she grabbed his neck, holding him in place so that he was forced to look her in the eye.
“But just because I didn’t mean to do it doesn’t mean I don’t have the power now to snap your neck as easily as breaking a twig. It would be wise of you—allof you,” she added, glaring at the rest of her stepsons. “—to think twice before trying to harm me any more than you already have.”
Corbin puffed out his chest and flapped his wings angrily as she released him, but kept his distance.
“Of course I’m going to fix it,” Lindy said on a sigh. She pulled up her knees to her chest, resting her chin and wrapping her arms around her legs. “I told you it was an accident; I’m not going to just leave you as birds. For one thing, I doubt Cygnus will allow a swan to sit on the throne.”
Another swan—one of the twins, she guessed—snorted.
“I told you before, I don’t want to be queen. I don’t understand why this is still somehow a surprise to you. If your comprehension is this lacking, perhaps you should take a closer look at your education system.”
Corbin hissed again, and she rolled her eyes.
“Yes, I can do it. All curses have a counter, I just have to figure out what it is. Lucky for you, since it likely is tied completely to me and my emotions, the counter won’t be something like requiring someone to pledge you their undying devotion or give you True Love’s Kiss or something of that nature. I don’t think I could convince that many girls to kiss a swan, even without taking into account your positivelycharmingpersonalities.”
She hopped to her feet and retrieved her shoes as she walked back to the shade of the trees. Memories, drawn to the surface by her current circumstances, played in her mind.
“Shhh! Lizzie, be quiet!”Lindy threw a hand over her little sister’s mouth, attempting to stifle the wailing cries of the six-year-old. “If Father hears us, he’ll be angry. I’ll fix it, I promise.”
The mention of their father’s temper was enough to frighten Lizzie into silence. She drew a deep, shuddering breath and rubbed her eyes with her fists, leaving streaks of dirt on her pale cheeks.
“You have to fix him, Lindy. You have to fix Popo.” Lizzie pointed at the long, wriggling worm in the bottom of the birdcage. “If you don’t, his mother will eat him.”
Lindy twisted the ends of her hair. “I know. I will. I just…” Her voice trailed off in despair as she realized she didn’t know how to fix the damage she had done.
“Ah, here are my missing students.”
The two sisters both jumped and turned to the doorway of their shared sitting room at the sound of their tutor’s voice. Master Pickering crossed his arms over his long beard and his fond, amused smile quickly turned into concern as he took in Lizzie’s tear-stained face and trembling lips. “What seems to be the trouble?”
“Lindy turned Popo into a worm!” Lizzie’s voice reached near-shriek levels again as she threw out the words. “Make her turn him back!”
Master Pickering stepped into the room, shushing Lizzie just as urgently as Lindy had done. “Now, now, Your Highness, there’s nothing to cry about. We’ll have Popo back to singing condition in no time.” He patted her shoulder. “Why don’t you run to the kitchens and see if Mrs. Clark has any shortbread left?”
Lizzie perked up at the idea,and with a last sniffle she gently stroked the back of the worm lying in the bottom of the cage and slipped out the door, closing it softly behind her.
As soon as she was gone, Master Pickering regarded Lindy with a serious expression. “What happened?”
Lindy’s shoulders drooped as she wrung her hands. “I was trying to read and that stupid bird wouldn’t stop chirping. I just wanted him to be quiet; I didn’t know it would dothat.”
Master Pickering sighed. “Magic is a powerful tool, Lindy. It can be used to do wonderful things, but it’s also capable of doing great harm. It’s like a heavy hammer—in the hands of a skilled, industrious worker, it can help build a house, but in the hands of an angry man those same walls will be demolished.”
“Then why would you even teach me?” Lindy crossed her arms over her chest, latching onto the argument that would place the blame for the guilt she felt at someone else’s feet. “You shouldn’t have shown me how to use magic, then.”
Her tutor studied her for a long moment. His eyes were often sad when he looked at her, but usually they were sadforher, and notbecauseof her.
She didn’t like the difference, and squirmed uncomfortably under the weight of his consideration.
“I agreed to teach you magic because I saw in your heart a desire to do good in the world. I recognized your love for your sister and the willingness to protect her, and I hoped those same instincts would carry over to your people when you become queen. Magic in such hands is a beautiful thing, and I believed it would serve you well,and that you would not abuse the power that was given to you. But it seems I have been mistaken.” He sighed heavily. “And for that, I will accept my part of the blame.”
