Page 21 of To Steal the Sun

“Gwen!” Charlotte called, her cry muted, and Gwen swung around.

Racing through the archway in the tall hedge, Gwen came to a stop in front of her friend.

“What are you doing here?” she panted, struggling to catch her breath. “You can’t be here. Seriously, I mean it. It’s too dangerous.”

A militant light came into Charlotte’s eyes. “Henry is here.” She raised her chin stubbornly. “I won’t leave him in danger while I lurk behind in safety.”

Gwen huffed in frustration, distantly noting that Natalie had slipped away. She was too focused on Charlotte to ask what harebrained scheme the two had concocted.

“Henry being here is exactly why you can’t be!” she protested, struggling to keep her voice low. “The queen is already threatening you to manipulate him, and that will only get worse if she captures you as well.”

Charlotte’s eyes lit up. “You’ve seen him? Is he all right? The queen hasn’t hurt him?”

“Not physically,” Gwen said, unable to help reassuring her friend. “At least not that I can see. But he’s desperately worried about you.”

Charlotte smiled softly, a dreamy look in her eyes. “Of course he is. That’s very Henry.”

Gwen sighed in frustration. Were she and Easton this irritating?

Discomfort filled her as she remembered that she and Easton were far from the position of Charlotte and Henry. The other two were not only married, they had each declared their love already. Gwen still had no idea how she was going to find out Easton’s true feelings.

“The best thing you can do for Henry is leave immediately,” Gwen said, trying again.

Charlotte shook her head stubbornly. “I won’t leave without seeing Henry. There has to be a way to see him. I’m not going to sit around and wait and hope for the best without doing anything.”

Gwen frowned. “Don’t you trust us?”

Charlotte sighed. “I’m not saying I don’t trust the count, but Henry isn’t his priority. He’s focused on breaking the enchantment, saving your kingdom, and putting you and Easton on the throne. That makes sense, but now that he knows Henry isn’t part of breaking the enchantment, Henry has become little more than an afterthought for him.”

Gwen sank back and let out a slow breath. She couldn’t deny her friend’s words. And while she wanted to assure Charlotte that Gwen herself wouldn’t forget about Henry’s safety, could she really guarantee it? She couldn’t even guarantee her own safety.

She sighed. She didn’t have the words to convince Charlotte to go back to the city, and neither could she physically force her to do so. In fact, Charlotte would only be in more danger if Gwen didn’t get moving soon. Gwen’s best hope for helping her friend was to think of a way for Charlotte to safely see Henry. But with Henry locked up and the key with her mother, how could Charlotte possibly get in to see him secretly?

Gwen strode across the small garden and back again, wracking her brains for a solution. As she walked, the apple in her pocket bumped lightly against her leg, causing her mind to briefly wander. With the apple, they could discover the extent of her mother’s power. They might even be able to find a weakness they could use to bring her down or an object they could use to restrain her during the wedding ceremony.

But the apple hadn’t revealed much the first time it came into contact with the plaited cords. It was as if it needed to get to know the other object first. And that meant if Gwen broke into the queen’s display room right now, the apple wouldn’t do her any good at all.

She groaned in frustration. Did she really need to break in more than once? The impossibilities only seemed to be mounting. Why couldn’t she find solutions instead of more problems?

“What is it?” Charlotte asked, watching her pacing with concern. “Is it Henry? Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“It’s not that…” Gwen’s voice trailed off as something occurred to her. What if there was one solution to multiple problems?

She turned to Charlotte. “I have an idea.”

Charlotte rushed forward to take her hands. “What is it?”

“I’ve been trying to think how you can get in to see Henry without the queen knowing, but what if you don’t try to avoid the queen?”

Charlotte frowned, letting Gwen’s hands drop. “I thought you said I had to avoid getting captured at all costs?”

“I’m not saying it’s not without risks, but your being here is already a risk. My preference would be for you to agree to leave now…” She looked at Charlotte inquiringly, but Charlotte shook her head, so Gwen continued.

“This is the solution.” She drew the apple out of her pocket, extending it on her palm so the late afternoon light caught on the gold.

Charlotte sucked in a breath. “What is that?” she whispered.

“I got it from my godmother, which means it’s the bait we can use for the queen. If there’s one thing she’s obsessed with, it’s accumulating godmother objects. They’re the basis for her power. If she sees this, she’ll want it.”

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