Blinding Beauty (44 page)

She did no such thing though. Ever
leapt to the center of the room and began kicking down piles of
cloth. Isa froze, praying for him to just go away.

“
I know you’re in here,” he
bellowed. “I can see the trail of blood!” Isa instinctively put her
hand up to her cheek. The cut was still bleeding. Before he could
come any closer, she took her chances and bolted for the door,
which put her back in the hallway once more. She didn’t pause to
look back this time. Instead, she dashed towards the back of the
castle, where she knew the greenhouse lay.

Her strength was so spent from
running down the stairs, through the throne room, and down the
secret hall behind the thrones that Isa nearly gave up by the time
she reached the greenhouse. The light outside was beginning to fade
into twilight, and it was hard to see as she worked her way towards
the back. She could hear Ever thundering down the last hall. Her
progress was infuriatingly slow as she continued to bump into pots
of soil and buckets for water. As she squeezed down behind a pot
that grew something with thick, furry leaves, she began to plead
with the Fortress.

Let him... But she didn’t know how
to finish. Let him what? Let him get confused and give up? Let me
best him in swords?

Let him see.

Isa looked down at her hands in
the dimming light. Though a bit of her flame could flicker, it was
no more than that which might light a candle. She couldn’t beat him
in swordplay, particularly not without her full strength, and
Ever’s surrender was out of the question, unless the Fortress
knocked him down on its own accord. Ever didn’t give up even when
he was his own self.

But how do I open his eyes? she
whimpered, more out of habit than out of an expectation of an
answer. The blue glow grew brighter as it moved down the hall
towards her, its light already bouncing off the oddly angled
windows.

Love him the way he tried to love
you.

Isa gasped, nearly giving away her
hiding place, when the Fortress spoke to her. How long it had been
since she’d heard that voice! How she had yearned for it! But it
didn’t work, she stammered in her head. And I can’t go near him. He
will kill me!

Leave his heart to me. Just trust
me and do as you know you should. I will bring about the
rest.

Isa drew in a shaky breath. Ever
had entered the greenroom. Just as she’d hoped, the light of the
dying day cast eerie reflections upon the hundreds of concave
panes, making it difficult to tell illusion from reality. She
nestled even deeper into her hiding place.

“
I can sense you in here,” Ever
hissed. “And I can smell your blood.” Isa peeked out just enough to
see him crouched, tightly coiled like a predator ready to strike.
His face was unshaven, and his eyes burned with a hatred Isa hadn’t
known him capable of. Perhaps brightest of all were the blue-violet
slivers at the edges of his eyes. All the courage Isa had gathered
fled her again. How was she to conquer her own power?

Isa cringed as he passed her,
circling the room. It was only as he walked away, still circling,
that she realized that there was another power present besides her
own and the enchanter’s, one that she might use.

She would have to harness Ever’s
strength in place of her own. If she could hold it just long enough
to slip past his defenses, there might be a chance. The Fortress
had provided a way.

Ever had finished his first circle
around the room, and was beginning his second. If she didn’t strike
now, she might lose her chance. Fear made her tremble, but Isa
swallowed hard and silently laid her sword on the ground. She felt
around her feet until her hands found a clod of dirt. She would do
her best, but everything was up to the Fortress now.

As hard as she could, Isa flung
the clod across the room, where it hit the window with a loud
thunk. When Ever flipped his head to look towards the sound, Isa
jumped up from her hiding place, landing before him. She seized
Ever’s cloak and pulled so that his face was almost touching
hers.

As was his sword.

Somehow, he’d managed to bring his
sword up to her neck in the split second she had moved. He had not
only evaded her trap, but had set one of his own. And Isa had
walked right into it. She could feel the edge of the blade
beginning to cut into her skin. Her breaths were ragged and fast,
as he held her there, neither of them moving. She still clutched
his cloak in both hands, unable to move even if she’d wanted
to.

“
You stole her from me.” Ever’s
breath was hot on her face. “Now I will do to you what you did to
me.”

“
Ever!” Isa squeaked, but her
husband only shook her with his free hand, so hard it felt like her
head was rattling.

“
Ever, it’s me!”

“
Silence!” Pressing the blade even
deeper into her throat, Ever leaned down and whispered in her ear,
“Now I will do to you just as you did to her. It will be meticulous
and slow.” A trickle rolled down her neck, though she couldn’t tell
if it was blood or sweat. She had no more time. Closing her eyes,
Isa reached out the way Ever had taught her to.

And felt nothing. If she hadn’t
been able to see the blue light in her husband’s eyes, she would
have thought none was there. But it was there, and she was
determined to find it. Or she would die.

Again, she reached out, but still,
there was nothing. Isa reached further. She only had a little air
left...

It was hardly even warm at first,
more like a tingle than a flame. But she more she concentrated, the
more Isa remembered the feel of Ever’s strength. Whereas her own
strength had often felt like a stream of joy, bubbling delightfully
as it danced along its banks, Ever’s was more like a river that had
exceeded its capacity to hold rain. Strong and swift, it moved to
envelop everything it touched. And now, Isa needed it to envelop
them both. After drawing in what might be her last breath, Isa
pulled Ever and the blade closer.

Her lips met his, and they tasted
of salt. Pain bit her neck, but Isa let it. He fought her. Instead
of the predator, he was now the hunted, trapped in a net and
wriggling in confusion. In her mind, Isa wove their strengths
together, braiding them into a rope that could not be severed. Her
weak light and his strong one. But the sword was too sharp. Too
much blood was spilling down her neck.

Just when she could not hold the
blade off any longer, Ever leaned in.

Dropping the sword, he crushed her
to himself as he kissed her with a desperation he’d never had
before. A wave of blue light exploded out from them with a boom,
and with a cry, Ever let go and dropped to the floor, pressing his
eyes into his palms.

“
Ever!” she tried to scream, but
her call was lost in the deafening crack that echoed throughout the
entire castle. Isa hit her knees beside him, holding him as he
clutched his head. Beneath them, the entire island
shook.

Somehow, despite his pain, she
felt Ever throw up a shield of light around them. Through the
shield, Isa watched as the queen’s tower gave way first. The cracks
appeared in the center of the tower itself, then crawled both up
towards the six-sided bedroom and down to the rest of the castle.
Like the plague it spread. Even in the near darkness, splinters
visibly worked their way loose from the cracks. The castle was
collapsing.

Once the tower could no longer
support itself, the queen’s room fell. Hitting the main roof on its
way down, it was as though the tower had claws, and used them to
ensure it wasn’t alone. Chunks of tower and rooftop and walls
mingled as they sank. The castle groaned as it began to break
apart.

Isa didn’t have to watch the
pieces plummet into the depths of the chasm that surrounded them to
recognize that the cracks were moving towards them. Her ears began
to hurt as larger chunks of towers and upper floors caved in on
themselves.

Finally, it was their turn. Isa
screamed and clung to Ever as the roof above them collapsed. The
shattering glass was deafening. Isa wondered if the island itself
might topple. The ground beneath them shook, and even the moon was
blocked by the cloud of dust and debris as the Glass Castle
crumbled. It felt as though it would never end.

Eventually, the ringing in her
ears did stop. Isa dared to look up, and Ever let the shield fall.
In the light of the moon, they crouched, surrounded by a sea of
blue-green dust. What had been proud pillars and arches was now
reduced to sparkling sand beneath their feet. After surviving myth
and legend, time and spell, the Glass Castle was truly
gone.

CHAPTER
FORTY-FIVE

Treading with
Care

“
Shouldn’t
we have been there by now? They said it would only take four days.”
Olivia grimaced and shivered. Despite the thick fur cloak her
maidservant had brought along, she was somehow still cold. How she
was still cold under all those petticoats, Launce would never know.
With the vast layers of clothing women had to wear, he was amazed
they didn’t sweat all the time. Launce knew better than to say such
things aloud though. His mother and sisters had chastised him for
pointing out such truths on more than one occasion.

As the mountain road wound higher,
travel had become more difficult for the carriages and supply
caravans. So difficult that the trip had so far taken eight whole
days. Of course, Launce had anticipated this, reveled in it,
actually, and had suggested they take the longer road around the
mountain in order to extend their slow trek.

“
We don’t have the time to dally,
but it is good of you to consider of such things,” Rafael had
gushed. “That’s kingly thinking for you already. Is it not so, Your
Holiness?”

“
Quite so,” Bronkendol had replied
placidly. From the look he and Launce shared, it was clear he knew
what game Launce was playing at. Taking the longer road would buy
Garin at least another week to prepare for what was coming. And
since he’d not been able to send out any messenger birds, Garin
must know by now that something was wrong. Had Rafael taken
Launce’s suggestion, it would have bought Garin at least three more
days’ time.

And yet, it was for naught. The
mountain road it was. All Launce could do was pray that the
caravans carrying weapons Rafael had ordered to be taken would roll
back down the mountain and be dashed to pieces. Without their
drivers, of course. But thus far, no such good fortune had come.
Even the mirror, which Launce had hoped to dash again while the
enchanter was gone on one of his many disappearances, was wrapped
up tightly in bedclothes, and guarded fiercely by two soldiers. The
soldiers had been added after Launce’s first attempt at ridding
them of the glass. Now, all he could do was pray and try to prepare
Olivia for the difficulty that laid ahead.

Bronkendol’s good mood had
disappeared along with the last of the autumn warmth. After his
last disappearance through his mirror, he’d returned with just a
vestige of his easy mirth. Instead of watching Launce and Olivia
with the contentment of a grandfather, he simply stared vacantly,
or spoke to the stupid little mirror he kept in the pocket of his
robe. Despite the unfortunate consequences this dark mood promised
for Launce and Olivia, Launce found an immense deal of pleasure in
seeing the mysterious bruises on the enchanter’s face, as well as
the way he kept an arm protectively over his side. Launce didn’t
know where the man had gone, or what he had done to earn himself
such injuries, but Launce hoped they would hurt for a very long
time. Launce also hoped they were one more sign that Everard was
still alive.

Today, however, Launce had no time
to dwell on such niceties. “Before we reach the Fortress, there are
a few things you need to know,” he told Olivia in a low voice.
Olivia regarded him with a keen eye before nodding.

Thankfully, the narrowness of the
mountain path had made it impossible for more than two people to
ride side by side, which gave them at least a small bit of privacy.
This would be the last part of the journey that would be safe
enough for them to share secrets. Launce decided to make it
good.

“
You asked me how my sister and
her husband met. Are you still interested?”

“
As you can see, I am much too
busy.”

Launce nearly laughed aloud as she
rolled her eyes at him. He sobered quickly, as the story began to
bring about all sorts of memories that he would rather have done
without.

“
When my sister was just nine, our
family went to see the annual parade that Everard and his parents
were to participate in. She was shoved into the street right in
front of his horse, and he helped her to her feet. My sister didn’t
know royal etiquette, and in her haste to thank him, grabbed his
arm. He shoved her off, but didn’t control his power.” Launce drew
in a breath, the bile rising in his throat the way it always did
when he remembered. “Everard’s force shoved her beneath a rearing
horse. She nearly lost the use of a wrist and ankle. Then, for
thirteen years, Isa lived as an outcast. He took everything from
her, and he never cared to know it.”

Olivia watched him with large
eyes, but didn’t speak. He could see from her expression that she
hadn’t heard this version of Isa and Everard’s story before. It
made him wonder how many people really knew.