While we waited for the antidote to work, Tarben helped me slowly sit up, but he wouldn’t meet my eye.
The scene before us was grim and bloody. I tried not to look at Livia and Magnus’s corpses which had now, thankfully, been moved to the edge of the clearing.
“Here, drink this,” Filip offered me a flask.
I mustered a small, grateful smile. At least the truth of my identity didn’t seem to upset Hugo and Filip. In fact, they were taking it remarkably well now that their initial shock had lifted. By the time I had gulped down half of the water in the flask, a thought occurred to me. “How did you know where to find me?”
“Not long after you fled Oriane’s chambers, we heard that Amalie was missing,” said Filip. “We went looking for you inyour bedchamber. We wanted to tell you the wedding was on hold until Amalie was found, but you weren’t there. We saw the book—you left it open on the page about the amulet—and realized you had found a way to break the enchantment. Then we saw the note on your floor.”
“It didn’t take him long to figure out where my sister had been taken,” Hugo interjected, from where he sat next to Amalie.
Filip continued. “But we needed Tarben. We found him with Oriane and told him about the amulet. It took some convincing, but eventually she agreed to take it off. As soon as she did, he was completely over Oriane.” I felt Tarben stiffen next to me.
“She denied having any knowledge of the amulet’s powers, insisting it was given to her as part of her inheritance from Lord Hywell,” said Hugo. “She said that Livia had instructed her to wear it at all times.”
“As soon as the spell was broken, and we realized Livia was behind everything, we raced into the forest to find you two,” said Filip.
“Now, your turn. Why was Magnus here? What happened to him?” asked Hugo.
My lips pressed into a thin line. “He was Livia’s accomplice and lover, that’s why. He attacked Hugo and killed Runa.” Their expressions changed from disbelief to fury as I recounted all that had happened with Magnus.
“Traitorous bastard,” spat Tarben, clenching and unclenching his fists. “I only wish I could have ended him myself.”
“He got what he deserved,” snarled Filip, looking equally murderous.
“I always warned you two that something wasn’t right about him,” said Hugo. “Remember how excited he would get about killing things when we were children? It was deeply unnatural.” He shook his head, his face twisted in disgust.
Before anyone could respond to that, a small voice croaked,“What happened?”
Collectively, our heads turned to the groggy-looking Amalie. My chest lightened in relief—she was awake.
Before she could utter another word, Hugo and Filip enveloped her in a bear hug. Tarben helped me to my feet and guided me over to where the others knelt around Amalie. I definitely wasn’t back to my full strength, and my chest, though nearly completely healed, still felt tender.
This time I didn’t hesitate to embrace the little girl. “Thank Tuli you’re alive. You really know how to frighten a female half to death.”
We gave her a quick overview of everything that had happened and, when we were done, she stared at me in amazement.
“You’re a mermaid,” she said, wide-eyed and spellbound.
“That’swhat you took out of the story?” I laughed.
She nodded her head vigorously. “Would you show me your tail sometime?” she asked.
“Of course.” I squeezed her hand and winked at her.
Hugo cleared his throat. “As pleasant as this reunion has been, it’s time we return to the castle. Amalie needs to be examined by a healer.”
We all muttered our agreement and got to our feet, dusting ourselves off.
“Touching,” came a voice that made my blood chill.
The others searched for the source of the voice, but I didn’t have to. I knew who had come.
A gust of wind sent shards of twigs and leaves dancing in the air. The flames of the fire flickered and flared underneath the cauldron. Tendrils of matted hair came loose and billowed around my face.
I locked eyes with Tarben, my heart pounding violently in my mended chest. Before I could tell him to run, the voice spoke again. “This entire display has been most touching. It’s a shameAlara will not be going anywhere.”
A figure emerged out of the trees—darkness incarnate in her black robes. “Well, not with you anyway.” The Crow had come to collect her bounty.
