As he switched his focus back to the road, out of the corner of his eyes he noticed a small-framed woman exit a shop. He couldn’t quite see her face, but the white-blonde hair wrapped in a coil on top of her head, along with her petite frame, seemed oddly familiar. He’d never met this woman, yet...how did he know her?
Immediately, the conversation he’d shared with Mr. Cook came to Ryder’s mind. Was this the old woman the dying man had talked about? So far, she fit the description, but then, he’d be more certain once the elderly women looked this way. He silently willed the woman to look at him, but she didn’t.
She reached into the satchel hooked around her arm and pulled out a red scarf, draping it over her head. Thismustbe the old woman Mr. Cook had spoken about, since she wore the same clothes. There was only one way to find out. He needed to follow her.
Although he should visit his mother, he’d put her off another day and see where this old woman led him. After all, he had a strong feeling this was the same older woman his father had mentioned helping before he’d taken ill.
He followed her on horseback, trying not to appear as if he followed her. The edge of town was getting closer, and he realized he would have to dismount and go the rest of the way on foot.
The sun continued to set, bringing more shadows into his path. Villagers were closing up shops, and working men and women were returning to their homes. Most of them looked at him as he passed, but they didn’t question. Thankfully, they didn’t even appear interested in the stranger passing through their town.
Calling out a command to his horse, he stopped the animal and dismounted. The old woman up ahead turned his way, so he quickly lifted the horse’s leg to examine the hoof. Hopefully, she wouldn’t question his actions. However, in just the brief second he saw her face, he noted she was wearing round glasses, just as Mr. Cook had described.
Confidence grew inside Ryder. Perhaps he just might stumble across some answers today after all.
Just inside the east forest, he found a tree and tied up his horse. The old woman would certainly notice if a horse was following her since keeping these animals quiet was almost impossible. As the evening shade settled over the forest, he was relieved to see a clear sky—and a full moon.
He kept his distance. When his father was alive, he’d spoken of the eerie feeling he received while coming to this section of the woods. His father was convinced there was something evil that lurked nearby. Ryder could sense it as well. Something didn’t feel right, but unless he could immediately put his finger on it, he wasn’t about to worry needlessly about the problem.
The old woman followed a path and seemed to know the way because she’d sidestepped some fallen logs and ducked under some low-hanging branches. Suddenly, she stopped.
He sucked in a quick breath and flattened himself against a tree, hiding from her view. He hoped she didn’t know he was following. Having her guess his purpose wouldn’t help him achieve his goal.
After a few, very long, very awkward minutes, he finally detected leaves crunching and twigs snapping as her footsteps grew farther away. When he felt it was safe to come out of hiding, he peeked around the tree and glanced toward the path. The woman was nowhere in sight.
Slowly, he moved from tree to tree as he followed the path. He listened closely to see if he could hear any sounds. Panic tightened in his throat, and he wanted to scream with frustration. He couldn’t have made it this far just to lose the old woman!
Through the thick trees, he noticed a light up ahead. He didn’t dare breathe a sigh of relief yet. Not until he spotted the woman.
He crept slowly toward the light, which thankfully didn’t move. As he neared, he could see it was a small hut placed back in the forest down a gentle slope. The old woman was out in front, picking some of the many weeds growing by the rundown shack. The door to the structure stood open, and although he couldn’t see what was inside, at least he knew this was where the light generated from.
After finding a nice, large tree to hide behind, he kept watch over the woman. She wandered around her garden of weeds, plucking off seeds or leaves and placing them in a cloth pouch. As she moved from one plant to the other, she muttered some disjointed words he couldn’t understand.
Curiosity tugged on his conscience. Was she some kind of witch? If she had anything to do with the king’s guards becoming ill—and dying—then she was indeed evil, which of course explained why his father had felt this way while in the forest. His instincts told him to wait and watch her carefully. He sat down on the bed of leaves by the tree and made himself comfortable. He prayed the weather wouldn’t turn chilly, or he would have to return home. He wasn’t wearing warm enough clothes to be out here all night.
He found a small stick and drew lines in the dirt to help pass the time. Off in the distance, the pounding of hooves and clattering of a coach echoed through the still air and shook the ground slightly. He peered into the darkness, hoping to see who came their way. A small lantern shone, growing brighter by the second. When he finally saw the vehicle, a lone driver rode on top. From what Ryder could tell, the coach wasn’t very fancy.
When the coach stopped in front of the shack, Ryder slowly rose to his feet. Being careful to stay hidden behind the tree, he carefully peeked around it toward the coach. The old woman hobbled toward the vehicle. The driver jumped down and opened the door, but of course, from where he stood, Ryder couldn’t see inside. He also couldn’t hear what the person inside the coach was saying.
The old woman shook her head and frowned. “What do ye mean it’s not working? Of course it’s working. All my spells work!”
Ryder grinned and nodded.She is a witch!
Mumbling came from inside the coach once again. The witch scowled. “Nonsense! All she has to do is smell the flowers. Are ya making certain she smells the flowers?”
Flowers?What were the odds these were the same flowers Clariss had received from Prince Ormond?
The witch was silent while the person inside the vehicle mumbled again.
The old woman huffed and folded her arms. “Yer too impatient! Give her time. She’ll come to love ye without being confused.”
There came another brief pause before the witch scowled. “No, I don’t need to give ye more flowers. The Rapunzel is very rare, and I only give them to people as I see fit. Besides, the flower will stay alive while the spell is upon it. Ye, my prince, have no need to worry. My spellwillwork. The princesswillfall in love with ye, and the two of ye will marry very soon.”
The witch grew the flower? Ryder’s heart dropped as panic rushed through him. They were definitely discussing Clarissa and Prince Ormond. Ryder couldn’t allow this particular spell to work. Just thinking about what might happen if everything went Prince Ormond’s way...
No! Ryder must stop this any way he could. He needed to inform Clarissa, immediately. Or her father. Or anyone who would keep her from falling under the witch’s curse. If the spell was on the flowers, then, before they could affect her anymore, he needed to destroy them.
Tonight!
