Page 31 of The Abandoned Princess

I scanned the rest of the clearing. There was no sign of anything out of place, and even the delicate spring flowers that dotted the grass were intact. Whatever had happened had been limited to the base of the tower, but I couldn’t think what it might have been.

Could Xander have survived the fall? If so, he couldn’t have taken himself to a doctor for treatment, not while he was still under the enchantment. Had the worst happened, then, and Eulalie had dragged his body away?

I whirled back to the bed and started frantically tying together the layers of blankets and sheets. I needed to get down to the ground and find out what had happened.

But as my brain caught up with my movements, absorbing the full impact of everything that had happened, I slowed down. My entire time in captivity had been building to that conversation with Eulalie. Nothing about it had gone as planned, but apparently my years of compliance had achieved one positive effect at least. Eulalie had bought the image of me as a quiet, non-rebellious captive. Even after the appearance of Xander, she had still left me here, believing I would meekly wait for her return.

But I couldn’t stay in the tower any longer. I had played my final card and failed. She wasn’t going to voluntarily free me from the enchantment, and my visions of physically defending myself against her had been shown to be a fantasy. Whatever effect she had temporarily activated in the ring would be as effective against me as it had been against Xander. If he had been helpless to reach her, I would be even more so.

I wasn’t safe in the tower. And I would never be free if I stayed here. The time had come to leave for good. When I climbed down this time, I wouldn’t be coming back up. My only hope was to track Eulalie and find a different way to free us all.

I just hoped Xander would still be able to join me. I refused to believe Eulalie had dragged him away. If I thought too much about that option, I wouldn’t be able to get myself safely out of the tower.

Despite my racing thoughts, I still moved quickly, driven by images of Xander injured and alone in the forest somewhere. I selected a couple of dresses I hadn’t yet embroidered and bundled them up with some basic necessities. But I hesitated in front of the shelf of books. Some of them had become like old friends, but it would be foolish to take the extra weight.

I did add Xander’s sword, scabbard, and belt, though. He would want them returned to him.

When I was finished, I added the remaining dresses to my rope and secured it to the beam. I threw my bundle out the window first, followed by the blanket rope. Taking a final deep breath, I looked around the tower room. It had been my prison, my refuge, my home, and my cage for five years. It was difficult to imagine never seeing it again.

Turning my back on it, I faced the window and the world outside. Blue sky, green grass, and the vast openness of possibility was before me. This was my future.

I gripped the top dress—Sophie’s mix of snow and red roses—and lowered myself out the window.

“Thank you,” I whispered, although there was no one to hear my foolishness this time. “I’ll free myself just like you did.”

I worked my hands down the rope, crossing to Lily’s dress and then Snow’s. Step by step, I walked down the tower, passing each of my old friends. I knew it was only my fanciful imagination, but I felt like I was being handed from friend to friend, their silent voices giving encouragement and support. It was time for me to break my enchantment.

I reached the last dress—the sea-green that made me think of home. My breath caught, tears springing to my eyes and a lump forming in my throat. How I wished I could feel the real arms of my family around me.

My hands slipped, and I fell the length of the final blanket, landing with enough force that I had to stop and catch my breath. As soon as I was able, I stretched onto my toes and started working to undo the last knot. It took longer than I liked given the awkward angle, but I finally managed to free the bottom blanket.

With a grunt of satisfaction, I folded it up and added it to my bundle. The days had warmed up significantly, but I would still want a blanket for the nights to come.

Now that I had my feet on the ground, I could confirm that the litter of sticks and twigs covered only a small area at the bottom of the tower. But what I hadn’t been able to see from my window was that a light trail of them led off into the trees. I followed it, my heart rate increasing.

I had only risked venturing out of the clearing to Lori’s makeshift home once, but it had been in this direction. Had she been the one to find and assist an injured Xander?

My pace increased until I was running, my steps barely slowing as I broke through the tree line and into the cool shade of the canopy. The trees grew closely enough to earn the title of forest, but not so close as to make a hurried passage impossible.

I strained my memory to remember the path to Lori’s shelter. I veered toward the left, passing a large bush that was already covered in small berries.

As I rounded it, still moving quickly, I collided with a tall body. I gasped, rocking off balance as strong hands caught my arms to steady me. Looking up, I gasped again. Xander.

PART II

THE JOURNEY

CHAPTER 12

“You’re alive!” I cried and promptly burst into tears.

His hands, which had been falling away from my arms, reached for me again. He pulled me against his chest and wrapped me in a comforting embrace.

“It’s all right,” he murmured. “I’m all right. I promise.”

Embarrassment swept over me, and I pulled back, mopping at my face. He let me go, his expression warm as if he was touched by my emotions. I felt like a fool, though, blubbering all over him when he was practically a stranger.

“How are you here?” I asked. “Aren’t you injured at least?” I examined him from head to foot, pulling his arm to make him turn so I could examine his back. “You should be injured.”

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