Page 76 of Down from the Tower

A disembodied voice speaks, sending chills down my spine.

“They locked her in the tower, and grew out all her hair. They laid a trap so perfect, and lured us to the snare. A princess so kind, no one would contend. That to end the tyranny of a King, her life we must end.”

Rapunzel reaches for the stone, and I snatch it back before she can grip it in her hands. Ray’s voice carries through. “The princess of Tressa is a mystery. One who hasn’t visited here. If she is the key to ending the Golden King, we wouldn’t stop that demise.”

Her shoulders stiffen, but I think it’s more from surprise than terror. Her love for her parents dwindles by the day.

Turning the stone back, the flower that recited the riddle wilts over and dies, the black stem and dried up head breaking apart. The middle flower wilts, looking between its two still friends.

The pink face turns back up, looking between Dahlia and Ray. “The Queen will have the walls fall down. Fall down! Then the kingdom Tressa will be forever known.”

There needs to be more words to that, but the flower gives up, falling forward as well. The greens of its body turn brown then black, and in a few short minutes all three Flowerborne are dead.

She’s shaking her head at my side, looking ready to get up and run. “What’s happened?”

“They were messengers,” I grumble, tapping the smooth face of the stone. The images disappear, and I’m sure I will hear from Ray soon. “That’s why they crept so far into Sherwood. They were to deliver that riddle.”

“But why? Did they know I was there?”

“Does it matter? If there’s any question of the chain of connections, it’s been dashed. Arthur of Camelot must have shared something with the Mad Queen, or an informant from his crew did. For a person of Tressa to get news back to the Mad Queen would be almost impossible. Someone leaked your kingdom’s secrets back to the Queen. She must know that you’re somewhere outside the walls. And they want you.”

Rapunzel’s hands move to her hair, gripping at the strands like she does when she’s nervous. “So… the Mad Queen is looking for me.”

“No,” I say, glaring off into the distance. “Didn’t you listen to the end of the riddle? The Mad Queen is petitioning for your death, and she’s sending the message on a bed of lies.”

Part 3:

The Garden of Legs

19 Rapunzel

Zarev makes us shadow hop for another half hour, and I’m dry heaving by the time we finally stop. When he deems us far enough from the tavern, he goes off to hunt.

I don’t stop him this time. I need meat to fuel my body as well as a game plan to help calm my nerves.

Her life we must end.

The Queen more or less put a hit out on me, knowing that I’m outside the walls of the kingdom. There goes the vague memories I have of her not being a tyrant and forgetting her cat. It took very little time for her to decide to try and end my life.

Those Flowerborne weren’t fighters. They were messengers. And in hindsight, it’s clear they were weak. I don’t know if I should be offended or grateful that she didn’t bother with something stronger.

While Zarev might be gone to hunt, his shadows remain. It was bizarre watching him drag his fingers around the little clearing we stopped in, spiderwebs of inky blackness growing all around the space. Now they move like the shadows I’m familiar with, friendly wisps that tickle my legs and make me want to open up.

But I need the man attached to turn off my brain. Right now, all I can do is stress.

It’s not dark yet, so I dig around in the bag. The letters that Dahlia gave Zarev sit heavily in my hand, and I’m almost afraid to open them. This was important enough that he brought them along when we ran, so that must mean something.

Or maybe she’s just like me, holding onto things hoping someday they mean something.

I wait a few minutes to see if Zarev returns, and between the shadows and the breeze, I’m not really sure if there are creatures here or not but I know he wouldn’t leave if he wasn’t sure I was safe. After the gingerbread house, he understands my apprehension. But when another few minutes pass and nothing happens, I dig out the letters and open the first one.

It doesn’t make a lot of sense on the first read through.

June 18,

I hope my dear Priscilla and Anastasia understand why I had to do this, but if I can make my King see reason, perhaps he’ll bless me with the Golden Gift, too. Things across the land are changing, and I want to be on the winning side.

Last week my King snuck me off while the Queen was napping, and he took me hard behind the secret door to the throne room. The servants don’t even know about that one! I know that after I’ve completed my task and secured the next generation of golden royals, he will see my true worth and let me take the Queen’s place.

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