“Then why are you happy the curse was broken?” Fitz asked.
The mayor perked up immediately. “Because my own house was near the danger zone this year, and I was not looking forward to moving. I’d have a few months to prepare of course, but it’s sotediouschanging houses, only for it to be threatened again in five years.
“Besides,” he added with a flippant wave. “Whatever the Lord of Grimnight is planning likely has nothing to do with us. So long as we stay away from the forest, he has no reason to care about our little Hud.”
“Do you know anything else about him?” Fitz asked.
“Like his weaknesses,” Maximus said.
The mayor shook his head. “Evil mages are not known for advertising their weaknesses. I know he controls the trees, the shadows, and every inch of that forest. He can appear and disappear in the blink of an eye. And he has an army of minions patrolling the woods. Every manner of fiend in existence serves him, even a manticore.”
I donothave a manticore!At least, I didn’t think I did. The orcs had eaten it, hadn’t they? Or was that a different timeline?
Fitz clapped his hands together, beaming in excitement. “That’s perfect.”
“It is?” Mayor Brando blinked in bewilderment.
“Yes, we need to defeat a Great and Terrible Evil.”
“Defeatbeing the keyword,” Angelica said. “Are you sure we can fight him? I know this quest is meant to be dangerous, but I would rather not beerased from existence. If I die, people need to remember me.”
“We should at least try,” Maximus said, his gaze once again locked on me. “Evil doesn’t deserve to exist in this world.”
Delilah inched forward, placing herself between Maximus and me. Since he was more than a foot taller than her, it did nothing to block his challenging stare, but I appreciated the effort.
“If you insist on facing the Lord of Grimnight, promise me one thing, children,” the mayor said. He raised his hands and began nudging us out of his office. “Don’t bring his wrath down on us!”
He slammed the door in our faces.
Angelica scowled and plopped her hands onto her hips. “You would think he’d begratefulthat we are removing an evil mage.”
“Only if we succeed,” Fitz said, turning his gaze toward the forest.
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Trey
Midafternoon
The Edge of the Grimnight Forest
Embarking on a Quest (Finally)
The moment the trees came into view, Wilde held up his cuffed wrist. “Release me.” The imperious I-expect-to-be-obeyed tone was almost cute when I was in control.
I could keep him chained to my side for eternity, and he was powerless to do anything about it.
Except maybe turn me into a cat. I’d stuffed the collar to the bottom of my bag to prevent him from getting any ideas.
I had to let him go eventually—despite what I’d said about fighting or running away together, navigating the trees while chained to someone else was a good way to get tangled around a trunk. But that didn’t mean I’d release him for free. “Say please.”
His eyes flashed defiantly. I had a vague memory of being in his position once, going to my knees and begging him to kiss me.How far could I push him?Heat curled in my stomach as something else occurred to me:What will he do in revenge?
Every tense muscle in Wilde’s body promised retribution. Then his shoulders relaxed, and his expression shifted into something like sorrow before it became carefully blank. “Please.”
Teasing him was only fun if he played along. “Cramp,” I said aloud.
The cuffs snapped open and fell to the ground. Shock broke Wilde’s calm as he stared at his bare wrist. “Why ‘cramp?’”
I sighed. “Sometimes it’s better not to ask my dad about his choices.” I gathered up the cuffs and stuck them in my bag in case I needed them later. “Try not to panic-teleport when we face the inevitable monsters.”
