LINDY
The pounding on the door matched the pounding in Lindy’s head.
“Lindy, wake up!” the harsh whisper as Elise shook her shoulder pulled Lindy free from the last holds of sleep. Her eyelids felt heavy and crusty as she blinked and looked up at the face of her lady-in-waiting kneeling above her.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, peeling herself up from the floor where she had cried herself to sleep the night before. A dull ache in her back reprimanded her for that choice.
“What did you do to the princes?” Elise’s face was tight and drawn, her lips pressed together in a thin line.
Lindy held a hand to her throbbing head. “I told them to get out and shut the door behind them.”
“You didn’t try to punish them?”
“What? No.” Lindy winced as the pounding at the door grew louder, accompanied by a shout from theguard outside demanding to be let in. “What happened? What’s going on?”
“The princes are missing.” Elise leaned back onto her heels and anxiously twisted the curled ends of her hair. “Corbin’s valet says that his bed was never slept in, and there’s no sign of His Royal Highness anywhere. The other princes’ servants all say the same thing.”
“Ah. And naturally, I suppose I’m the only suspect,” Lindy muttered darkly.
Elise hesitated. “The rooms were empty except for a single swan in each. They think it’s some sort of sick revenge.”
“I didn’t—” Lindy shook her head as she shifted her legs to stand, then froze at the sound of glass shards tinkling on the floor. A horrifying suspicion began to creep up on her as she took in the broken bottle and the faint black stain on the floor. She swallowed, and her voice cracked as she asked, “There was a swan in every room?”
“Yes. After the ridiculous stunt Jacques pulled, most of the servants think it’s retaliation—that you killed the princes and left a swan as a warning.”
Lindy’s hands trembled as she began gathering together the pieces of glass. “Ellie…I think I cursed them.”
Elise’s voice was sharp. “What?”
“It wasn’t intentional!” she rushed to clarify as her thoughts began swirling with panic. “But I was angry and I broke the bottle and…I think I cursed them.” Her voice dropped to the barest hint of a whisper at the end.
“What was in the bottle?”
Lindy kept her gaze on her hands, afraid to look up and see the disgust and revulsion that she knew she would find on Elise’s face. “The last of the magic-infused liquid I made when I cursed my sister. It wouldn’t have done anything on its own, but I’ve always used my voice to channel magic before and…” She let her words trail away, aware that anything else she said would sound as if she were trying to explain away her guilt.
“And you were crying last night,” Elise offered softly. “And because your anger and tears were directed at the princes, the magic must have latched onto them as well.”
She looked up, surprised to see her lady-in-waiting looking at her with a sad, sympathetic expression. “I didn’t mean to do it,” she repeated.
“I believe you,” Elise stated, rising and offering her a hand up. “But, unfortunately, I don’t think the rest of the court will. Haldrick is already campaigning for your arrest.”
Lindy wrapped her arms around her middle. Her shoulders deflated. “I should turn myself in.”
“No!” Elise shook her head vehemently. “If you do that, they’ll throw you into the dungeon and you’ll never get the chance to undo it. You can undo it, right?”
“I think so? There’s always a way, but since I wasn’t aware of casting it, I need time to figure out how to break it.” Her panicked breaths were coming in short, sharp bursts, and she pressed her shaking fingers to her temples.
“You’ll have to do that outside. You need to get out of here, Your Majesty.”
“And go where?” Lindy threw up her hands. “Thiswas supposed to be my home. It’s not as if I have family in the area.”
“But I do,” Elise answered calmly. “My parents own a strip of land near the shores of Lake Lossos. There’s a cabin—it’s small, but it should be empty this time of year. You can stay there.”
“Won’t they object?”
Elise’s jaw tightened. “Let me worry about that. Right now, all you need to think about is getting yourself out of here without letting Haldrick see you and then figuring out how to undo this curse.”
There was no stopping the tears now as they leaked out of Lindy’s eyes and down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry, Ellie.”
