ALICE
The air warms as soon as we cross the bridge into Faerie, though it takes a little bit for it to chase the chill from the inside of the carriage. But soon, I’m able to push away the blanket. The smell of the rosy woods greets us, but it’s no longer an ominous fragrance.
I belong here now, and I think the woods approve.
We arrive at Brahm’s estate just after dark, and I yawn as I step out of the carriage.
No one comes out to greet us, which seems strange. I expected to see Regina at least.
Brahm frowns as Darren tends to the horses, walking toward the door. I take his arm, holding him back.
“Something doesn’t feel right,” I say quietly.
He nods, pressing his hand over mine.
Just before we reach the door, Regina steps out. Her expression is flat, but when her eyes meet Brahm’s, the barest hint of anxiety crosses her face. “Your mother has come for a visit.”
Brahm’s arm stiffens under my hand, and he gives Regina a curt nod.
We take the remainder of the stairs quickly, entering the foyer together. As I feared, Queen Marison waits for us, with Ian at her side.
At least a dozen castle guards are here as well, standing expressionless in their posts around the room.
Three of them hold Drake, keeping the prince in place.
Sabine sits on the floor next to her mother, face in her hands like a child. When we step inside, she looks up, and I gasp.
She’s pale, and her skin shines with perspiration. Dark circles rim her eyes, and her lips are almost white.
“Sabine,” Brahm breathes, crossing the room.
“Stop.” Queen Marison raises her hand, adding magic to the command. Brahm freezes halfway to his sister, leg stretched oddly in front of him. He should fall, but the spell must be keeping him in place. His eyes blaze, and Regina takes a step closer to me, grasping my arm as she tries to draw me back.
Her fingers tremble, and my stomach begins to roll.
“Do you know what your sister did, Brahm?” Queen Marison asks in a conversational tone that’s at odds with her flashing eyes.
Refusing to answer, Brahm stays silent.
Marison’s smile flickers. “She tried to lie to me.”
A sob escapes Sabine, and the princess clutches her stomach.
“Foolish girl.” Marison casts a scathing look at her daughter. “Perhaps she thought she could hide the pain. She didn’t realize it increases as we age.”
Regina chokes beside me, trying not to cry as she watches the scene between her aunt and cousins. I grasp her hand, clutching it tightly to offer comfort even though I’m terrified as well.
“Do you know what she lied about?” Queen Marison continues, sounding as if she’s scolding a disobedient child.
But again, Brahm defies her by staying silent.
With a flick of her wrist, Marison releases Brahm. He stumbles, nearly falling before he catches his balance. He rights himself, standing tall even as his mother steps up right in front of him. She’s far shorter than he is, slender and slight, and yet she’s easily the most terrifying thing in the room.
“She lied about you,” Marison says. “About your whereabouts.”
Still, Brahm refuses to answer.
“Tell me, where were you? Why did your sister stoop to such a level?”