Page 83 of The Abandoned Princess

I let them go and scrambled inelegantly to my feet. There was no one in the enchantment now, which meant this was our chance to destroy the ring forever without killing anyone in the process.

I rushed forward and tried to grasp Eulalie’s hand. She realized my intention and pulled it away from me, letting go of Danielle at the same time.

But the tables had now turned. Instead of fighting to free herself, Danielle latched onto Eulalie and wouldn’t let go, her dead weight anchoring one of her arms.

As Eulalie tried to pry the girl free with the other hand, I grabbed her arm. Pulling with all my strength, I stretched it away from Danielle.

“Xander!” I screamed. “Xander!”

He rushed forward and seized Eulalie’s forcibly outstretched hand. For a second he struggled with her writhing fingers and then he managed to pull the ring free.

He fell back panting as Eulalie began to convulse. Danielle and I both dropped her and backed away. We watched with wide eyes as she gave one final shake and fell to the ground.

William, having finally worked free of his bonds, leaped to his feet. Rushing over, he turned his daughter’s face into his jacket, shielding her from the sight of what had become of Eulalie.

We were all silent for a long moment, although I could see Danielle’s shoulders shaking as she quietly sobbed—a natural reaction to the release of tension.

Xander was the first to move, walking carefully forward and retrieving the earrings that could no longer disguise the reality of the dead woman. He also picked up the jewel of the true ruler, its blue still glowing brightly. I gulped and turned away from the little that was left of a person after four hundred years. I didn’t have my father there to shield my eyes, so I would have to do it myself.

Xander crossed to William and handed him the earrings and the jewel. He took them with a quiet thanks and glanced at his father who was still bound.

“I’ll do it,” Xander said equally quietly and hurried over to help the king extract himself from the ropes.

As soon as he was free, I addressed him.

“Did you complete the ceremony before Eulalie arrived, Your Majesty?”

“She was waiting in here with Danielle when we arrived,” King Richard said. “We couldn’t see Danielle at first, but she did something with that ring, and then we could.”

“She had us complete the handover before we tied ourselves up,” William said. “It didn’t happen in the way it was supposed to, but this is mine now.” He put the chain around his neck, the sapphire settling against his chest where it glowed a steady blue.

“She was trying to get Father to transfer his authority to me so she could kill them both when you arrived,” Danielle said, apparently having recovered herself, although I noticed she was carefully not looking at what remained of Eulalie’s body.

“The crowds are coming back,” I said. “I can hear a distant roar which must be them.”

“That means we need to get out of here,” Xander said urgently. “And we need to get Danielle to the front of that crowd to join her mother.”

“Quick, out the window.” I hurried back over to it, holding it high as William easily lifted his daughter through the opening.

“We’ll be together again in just a moment,” he promised her.

“Father, I’m fine,” she said in her usual voice.

I was about to hoist myself through the window when Xander’s hands wrapped around my waist, easily boosting me high enough to get through. Once I was standing outside, I turned back to help him, but he had already climbed through on his own.

William closed the window frame, carefully avoiding the broken glass, and turned toward the door.

“Come on.” Xander took my hand and pulled on it. “We have to go.”

We snuck back through the trees, the same way we had come with Celeste, but with Danielle at our side this time.

“I’ll join the crowd from here,” she said, “and work my way through to the front. That way it will look like I’m joining them from the palace. I may be the crown princess now, but I’m still young enough that they’ll forgive me being a little late. Better that than have anyone guess I was inside the pavilion.”

She had barely finished speaking when she darted out and plunged into the middle of a group of people walking past the trees. I took one step to join her, but Xander stood firm and still, pulling back on my hand.

I stopped and looked back at him. One glimpse of his blazing eyes, and I forgot all about the crowd only feet away beyond the trees.

I let him pull me gently back toward him, not stopping until there was only a hair’s breadth of space between us. My breath hitched as I looked up at him.

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