His comment brought a fresh wave of sound. Boris beckoned to one of the guards and started speaking to him in low, clipped tones. Pink and purple streaks appeared in the sky above them.
Jax’s cheerful whistling preceded him, and he strolled into the courtyard with unbothered steps. He grinned and waved at his audience. “Nothing more to worry about, folks. Your fowl visitors have been returned to their nests.”
Boris called out a sharp command to the guards, and two of them rushed to flank Jax, grabbing his arms and dragging him forward to Boris.
Odessa started forward, but Bean stopped her.
“Wait.”
“I’m not going to let Boris hurt him,” she hissed.
“And neither will I. But he looks like he’s up to something and I want to see what it is.”
“Easy, gentlemen. If you wanted to hold my hands, all you had to do was ask.” To the guard’s evident surprise, he pulled his arms free from their grip, only to link their arms together as if they were a trio of children skipping down a path.
He stopped in front of Boris, and the guards hastily pulled back, looking at one another with confused, almost horrified expressions.
“What kind of magic was that?” the Menagerie Keeper barked. His eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”
Jax held his bandaged hand to his chest. “Have you forgotten already, Bart? Well, I suppose that’s forgivable, given your age and all that.” He bowed theatrically. “Jax Papageno, Bird Catcher and Dragon Charmer, as well as the Assistant to the Assistant Keeper here at the Menagerie.” He beamed. “And, most recently, your daughter’s future husband.”
Odessa stilled.Did he just…?
Boris was similarly taken aback, but a slow, delighted smile spread across his face as Katrin, once again a doe, walked sedately into the courtyard with Sonya trailing behind. “Is that so? I must extend my sincerest congratulations.”
“I mean, I wouldn’t make it mandatory, but it does seem like the polite thing to do. Although, I’m sure Odessa would like to be here to hear it as well.” He turned in a slow circle, pretending to search for her.
Bean nudged her forward and he retreated further into the shadows, and Odessa grinned as she realized what Jax was doing. She smoothed her hair and stepped into the courtyard. Her current position put her just out of Boris’s periphery, but when Jax fixed her with a bright, beaming smile, her father turned to look over his shoulder.
His face went slack with shock, and she could see the thoughts racing behind his eyes.
“There you are, my love.” Jax held out his hand as he greeted her. He pulled her into his side, tucking an arm around her waist and kissing the side of her head. “Your father has already extended his sincerest congratulations—which is fortunate, as now he can’t take them back.”
“I…you…” Boris floundered. His face alternated between shades of white and red. “What have you done?” His eyes flicked to the sky, as if to confirm that dawn had indeed come.
Jax followed his gaze. “It’s a beautiful sunrise this morning, isn’t it, Swannabelle? The colors just seem so much more vibrant andfreetoday, don’t they?”
Boris’s upper lip curled in a snarl, and he snapped at the guards, “Arrest him.”
Odessa pressed herself into Jax’s side, determined that they would not be separated. Before the guards could move more than a step, however, the queen’s voice sliced through the air.
“Boris!Whatis the meaning of this?”
Odessa turned to see the crowd parting like water in front of Queen Ivana, escorted by her son. Despite wearing a dressing gown with her hair long and loose around her shoulders, she still somehow managed to look regal and commanding.
She lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow. “Why are you arresting one of my son’s guests?”
Boris pointed an accusing finger at Jax. “He’s done something to my daughter!”
“I did,” Jax answered matter-of-factly. “I loved her, which is more than I think I can say of you. And I will continue to love her for the rest of my life, and if you so much as turn that finger in her direction, you will regret it. Her curse is broken; your power over her is gone.”
“Curse?” Queen Ivana’s voice was sharp. “What is he talking about, Boris?”
“How should I know? The boy is obviously not right in the head.”
“Your Majesty,” Odessa spoke up. “I’ve been living under a curse for the last seven years—a curse cast by my father—under which I was forced to live as a swan from sunrise to sunset.”
“See? He’s addled her mind! We saw him use strange magic earlier.” Boris’s voice was beginning to edge on desperate.
