I stand to my feet. “You have five seconds to tell me where they fuck they went.”
Finding Another Way
Belle
The Eighth Kingdom lies at bottom of a hill, tucked between a green river and an abandoned village.
The castle at its center is covered in overgrown rose vines, and from where Sola and I are standing, the causeway looks as if no one has crossed it in years.
“Are you sure about this, Belle?” Sola looks over at me. “You’re confident this can work?”
“No, but if I told you otherwise, you wouldn’t have come.”
She lets out a sigh. “You’re wrong…I would do anything to see my family again.”
“Where are they exactly?”
“Inside that castle,” she says, pausing. “They’re all frozen in stone…”
“Not for long.” I pull the reins on my horse, commanding it to ride down the hill as Sola follows.
From what I’ve gathered about the curse from Gabriel, there’s a way that he and his brother can break it without killing each other, without both rushing to beat the final petals from falling.
At least, I hope I have this right…
We move across the fog-covered causeway in silence, shooting looks at each other as the cobblestones creak beneath us.
The front gate bears a golden sign with the Kingdom’s name, but there’s small print underneath it:
* * *
Our kingdom welcomes all nomads in search of a home.
* * *
Love,
The King & Queen of Roses
& our sons, Prince Gabriel & Prince Charlie
* * *
Hopping off the horse, I tie him to the gate and run my fingers along the engraved words.
“Come on, Sola.” I motion for her to follow me under the arch. “Let’s see if we can find a way inside.”
“We?” She looks over her shoulder. “I um…I’m not sure if I should go inside. It’s been so long, you know?”
I clasp her hand and pull her alongside me.
As the sun falls behind us, we walk around the grounds—looking up at every opening, but there are no signs of life.
When we reach the east wing, Sola points to a candelabra flickering in a window.
The arms of the candelabra sway and move, and I’m tempted to write it off as nothing more than an illusion, but a woman in a beautiful golden dress suddenly picks it up and twirls around a room.
Izzie?
I watch as she laughs and dances without a care in the world, and my heart begins to ache.
I’d believed Gabriel when he said that she was more than fine, that I shouldn’t be concerned about her in the slightest, but seeing her so close and oblivious to what’s at stake hurts far too much.
I could easily accept being abandoned and forgotten by my father, but not by Izzie…
Pushing aside the pain, I pick up a handful of stones and throw them at the glass.
“Start throwing, Sola,” I say.
She obliges, and her first rock cracks the window, forcing Izzie to halt her twirling.
“Izzie!” I throw another rock—shattering the full frame to pieces—and Izzie presses a hand against her chest. Then she steps onto the balcony.
“Izzie!” I jump up and wave my arms. “Down here!”
She moves closer to the edge, slowly looking around.
“Izzie!”
Her gaze finally meets mine, and her eyes widen. “Belle? Belle, how did you get here?”
“Can you let us in?” I yell.
She hesitates for a few moments.
“It’s important, Izzie!” I call out. “Please.”
“Stay right there,” she says. “I’ll be there soon!”
Sola shoots me a concerned look, but she doesn’t say a word.
We wait for Izzie for what feels like forever, and she finally bursts through the set of doors ahead of us.
“Oh my god, Belle!” She rushes toward me, pulling me into a hug. “I can’t believe you’re not dead!”
“What?”
“This place is a long way from home,” she says, letting me go. “I’m just…surprised you made it all the way without running into wolves or anything. Again, how did you know where to find me?”
“We can talk about that later.” I roll my eyes. “We need to discuss something important.”
“Did Gabriel ever come back to the house? What about one of Father’s old friends?” The words are flying from her mouth. “I’m so confused and lost.”
“Gabriel did come by.” I grit my teeth. “He kidnapped me, actually…”
“Oh, wow.” She doesn’t sound the slightest bit concerned, but the look in her eyes confirms she knew all along what would potentially happen. “That’s so awful. So, you’ve found a way to escape and be with me here?”
“No. I—” I bite my lip, not wanting to tell her too much. “I just need a few moments to speak to you.”
“After I give you a tour of my new life!” She clasps my hand, pulling me forward. “You too, Belle’s little friend. Come with me.”
When we make it inside, a silver serving tray—seemingly under magic—rolls over to us and prepares two cups of tea.
“How amazing is that?” Izzie smiles. “Wait until you see how all the dishes dance and sing for us at dinnertime tonight.”