Page 125 of Down from the Tower

“What’s that?”

She purses her lips, leaning closer. “The lake? It’s right next to the castle and directly across from the village. There are rumors that odd things go on underneath.”

“Under the water?”

“No,” she replies, shaking her head. “Beneath the lake. Lakes bottom out. It’s not like the Endless Sea that goes so deep only the merfolk can reach the bottom. The lake isn’t as deep as that. There are these caves near it though, and I heard some travelers talking once that the caves twist and turn so people get confused if they trespass.”

She swallows, and I almost think that’s the end of the tale. “There are things down there. Creatures. Mutated monsters cursed with black magic and tortured beneath the lake.”

My eyes widen and I sit back in my seat. Her lip twitches slightly as she leans back too. “You didn’t think Tressa was the only kingdom with dark secrets, did you?”

I shake my head slowly. I have pieces that Zarev’s told me, but nothing concrete to study. Everything I learn is by word of mouth.

My mind drifts to the book Dorah was looking at before she died. I’d almost forgotten about that. It would be interesting to read and study what seemed so imperative to my mother in the last minutes of her life.

Glancing down, I expect to see blood on my hands and staining my hair. It’s all memories, washed away with water and shadows. The blood is gone, and my hair is over a foot shorter since Elsie helped cut off the blood-stained ends. It’ll grow back soon, like it always does. I like the lighter feel for now though.

I clench my hands into fists but try as I may, the guilt won’t come. For everything they tried to do and give me, I’m glad they're gone. They can’t poison the land or their daughters anymore. The only part of it that makes my heart ache are the lives Midas stole. He wanted absolute power, so he committed absolute horror by killing the citizens of the kingdom. He stole the last bits of Tressa long before the wall exploded.

“Genevieve!” Dahlia’s voice echoes across the tavern. “Lunch rush is coming in. We’ve got a good rush according to Saul.”

She gives me a playful sigh before she stands. “A daughter’s work is never done. Don’t fret over Zarev, Princess. I’m sure they'll be back by dark.”

Right, dark. Zarev promised me they would return by tonight.

I press a hand to my chest, an ache lingering since he left. I need to learn to spend time without him as well.

Tonight isn’t far off. We’ll be back together again soon.

34 Raymundo

I know without saying a word that Zarev doesn’t want to be here. Dragging him away from Rapunzel’s side is next to impossible, and while I’m happy my friend found some peace with the princess, we will only be gone for the day.

There isn’t much to do in Tressa. This is my first visit to the Golden Kingdom, and it’s rather unremarkable with every occupant dead. We checked the village as soon as we arrived, and true to Midas’ words we found no one living. Their souls were gone, all the bodies crumbled and broken throughout the village. This was a mass murder.

All for the greed of a King.

I kick a stone, the small, shattered piece skittering across a half-constructed hallway. Zarev is down in the gardens, a blip in the distance where I left him, and I’m just wasting time as he observes whatever it is that’s caught his attention.

Maybe this place was marvelous before the royals died, but now it’s a sad excuse for something that should be amazing. The gold is missing in large part all around the kingdom, and even Midas’ golden hand is gone. Someone cut it off at the wrist, doing a bad job separating his flesh from the gold so it looks like a hack job.

I look down into the garden again. Zarev’s spending a strange amount of time with a gigantic rose, and after he muttered about Legs, I stopped questioning him. That woman has more magic than she knows what to do with. I wouldn’t be surprised if the crushed flower twists back to life and eats him while he stares.

It would be a very Wonderland move.

Kicking another chunk of stone, my foot catches on something beneath. I have no idea where I am supposed to be in the castle, but this room seems to be some weird space between levels, almost like it had been hidden.

Bending, I tuck my bow and arrows back into their spots on my back. Unlike the ungodly size of Zarev’s scythe, my weapons can blend in and are easy to store. I never envied the weapon he chose to fashion back in Wonderland.

Pulling the item free, I glare down at the title of a book that’s been partially crushed by the crumbled castle. Into the Looking Glass.

Curiously, I start fanning through the book as I stand. The spine is broken and the front cover pulled most of the way off the binding. Someone took incredibly poor care of this book even before the castle came down on it.

The book makes no more sense when I open it, the table of contents in the front just a confusing mess:

Fountain of Youth

Swanling Lake

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