“Says the woman who rode into the Forbidden Forest on a unicorn to hunt a witch.” He shook his head, still chuckling. “I suppose I deserved that aerial tour of the treetops.”
“You did,” I agreed, some of the weight lifting from my shoulders. “But I am sorry. I’m still learning how the magic works, especially here in the forest where everything seems... amplified.”
Alain nodded, sobering slightly as he mounted his mare again. “I promised to help you, not interrogate you. I’ll try to remember that.” He paused, then added with a small smile, “At least until we’re out of range of convenient trees.”
I laughed again, returning to the unicorn and swinging myself onto its back. The creature seemed pleased with the outcome, prancing in place for a moment before resuming its graceful stride. The raven cawed once overhead, as if urging us to continue our journey.
“Truce?” Alain asked, extending a hand across the space between our mounts.
I reached out, clasping his fingers briefly. “Truce. Just remember—”
“Fewer questions,” he finished for me. “I understand.”
We rode on, the forest quieter around us now, as if satisfied that harmony had been restored. The claiming mark on my shoulder pulsed gently, reminding me of what waited ahead.
But for now, riding beside a prince who had somehow become an ally rather than a captor, I allowed myself to hope. That maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t as alone in this fight as I had thought.
Even if I did occasionally need to toss him into a tree to get some peace and quiet or bat him with a branch to knock some sense into him.
fifty-eight
Alain
Night crept through the forest like a predator, swallowing what little light remained between the twisted branches overhead. My mare’s ears flicked nervously as shadows lengthened around us, and even Isabeau’s unicorn seemed to lose some of its ethereal glow in the gathering darkness.
We needed shelter, and soon. The forest transformed at night. I’d learned that much during my desperate ride to find Isabeau.What walked these woods after sunset wasn’t meant for human eyes, and I had no desire for a second introduction.
“We should stop,” I said, pulling gently on the reins. “Riding blind through this forest is asking for death.”
Isabeau nodded, sliding gracefully from her unicorn’s back. “I know. I can feel them stirring.”
The casual way she referenced the forest’s horrors sent a chill down my spine. Not for the first time, I wondered exactly what she’d experienced during her time alone in these woods. What nightmares she’d survived that made her speak of monsters with such calm acceptance.
I dismounted, wincing at the stiffness in my legs. Even with her healing magic, the river, the gryphon’s attack, and being spun from my horse had taken their toll. I watched as Isabeau moved purposefully among the trees, placing her palms against their trunks one by one, head tilted as if listening to voices I couldn’t hear.
“What are you doing?” I asked, keeping my voice low. Something about the deepening darkness demanded whispers.
“Looking for the right one,” she replied, moving to another tree. “One with enough old magic left. Most are... sick now.” Her fingers traced patterns over the rough bark, her expression a mixture of concentration and sorrow. “The corruption spreads through their roots like poison.”
I followed her, leading both horses, fascinated by the way she communicated with the forest. This wasn’t the frightened, desperate woman I’d found in the castle dungeon. This was someone else entirely. A creature of magic discovering her power, accepting it. Every day revealed more of what she could truly be, and every revelation left me more in awe of her.
She paused before a massive oak, its trunk wider than three men standing shoulder to shoulder. Unlike many of the trees we’d passed, its leaves hadn’t succumbed to the unnaturalblackening that plagued the forest. We were leaving the heart of the curse, so some held on longer here. When her hands pressed against its bark, her whole body seemed to relax.
“This one,” she breathed, a sigh of relief escaping her lips. “This one still has its heart. The darkness hasn’t reached its core.”
I stood back, unsure of what to expect. Isabeau closed her eyes, her lips moving in words too quiet for me to catch. The claiming mark on her shoulder glowed faintly through the fabric of her dress, pulsing like a second heartbeat. The sight transfixed me. This visible evidence of her connection to beings I’d never seen but whose existence I could no longer deny.
A low groaning sound made me step back. The tree’s trunk was... shifting. Moving like flesh rather than wood, opening from the center to reveal a hollow space inside. But no, not hollow. As the opening widened, I realized the space within was much larger than the tree’s exterior should allow.
“Bring them,” Isabeau said, gesturing to our mounts.
I hesitated only a moment before guiding the horses toward the impossible doorway. My mare balked, but the unicorn stepped forward without fear, ducking its head to pass through the opening. My mount followed reluctantly, drawn by the other animal’s confidence.
Once inside, I could only stare. The interior space was as large as a decent-sized chamber in the palace, with a floor of soft moss and walls of living wood that seemed to pulse with a faint amber light.
After ensuring our horses were secure, Isabeau turned back toward the opening and made a twisting motion with her hands. The doorway sealed itself seamlessly, leaving no trace that it had ever existed.
“We’re safe now,” she said, her voice echoing slightly in the enclosed space. “Nothing can find us here. Not the wolves, not the hunters.”
