Page 42 of Rapunzel's Gambit (All That Glitters)

“Lucky you.”

“Itislucky me.” He curled his tail around my waist. “I don’t intend on ever letting you escape.”

“Well, that sounds possessive and creepy.”

“I’m a dragon; what do you expect?”

I swatted lightly at the tail binding me to Pollox’s side. “That you allow me to make my own choices. If Iwantto leave, I can.”

Smoke furled from Pollox’s nostrils and he lazily closed his eyes. “If you say so.”

CHAPTER19

Ijerked awake when Pollox rose suddenly, head raised and alert. “Wake up,” he told me. “There’s someone at the tower. Quick, into the wardrobe. I’ll give you some extra time; try to get some information about how your people are doing when youescapethis time.” He nudged me with his snout. “I’ll make sure they don’t take you too far.”

Still bleary-eyed, I stumbled out of our treasure room and wrenched open the wardrobe door. One stomach-dropping moment later, I hopped out in my tower room and ran to the balcony, where I heard a familiar voice shouting my name in the weak morning light.

“Griffin!” He had come alone this time, with a great deal of rope looped around his shoulder. He tried to call up to me, but the whistling wind carried his voice away so his words were lost. I threw my hands out to signal my confusion, and he mimed for me to move back. I did so and just like the previous time, he shot an arrow with a thin, strong twine attached.

It took him four tries before I was able to step on the arrow quickly enough to prevent the weight of the twine pulling it back off the balcony.

“Pull!”

I began to tug on the twine, and partway down, a small note was attached. I wrapped the twine securely around my hand and took a moment to unfurl and read the note.

Ingenious. Much safer than clinging like some leech to the back of a knight I hoped was strong enough to support us both. I pulled up the rope. It was difficult at first, but as I let the rope fall back to the ground, the counterweight made it progressively easier. Down below, Griffin waited with outstretched arms for the rope’s return. He caught hold of it and began pulling so that I didn’t have to do anything but wait for the harness and make sure to catch it so it didn’t slither back down like the rest of the rope.

But no, Griffin had thought of everything. He had bound a thick, cross-shaped stick to the end that acted like a grappling hook to stop the rope when the harness reached the top. I inspected the harness. Even there, Griffin had labeled each loop with things likeInsert right leg hereandwrap this around your waist and fasten above your left leg.

Who needed rippling muscles when wit and ingenuity were so much more seductive? A mind as sharp as his could cut through barriers no blade ever could. This was a man who truly was a match for a dragon.

After strapping myself into the harness, I looked over the edge and felt dizzy from fear. My desire to trust Griffin quailed as the long drop stared back at me and the rope attached to the harness suddenly felt very loose indeed.

I looked at Griffin, who had secured the rope’s other end to the horse’s saddle horn.

“You can do it!” he called encouragingly.

“I’m scared!” I shouted back, waving the rope to show the line’s slack. What if when I dropped from the balcony, the rope broke or the knot attaching it to the horse came loose? At least with Pollox, I knew he could remain airborne.

Griffin backed the horse up so I felt the rope go taut. I ignored how sweaty my palms had become and swung my legs over the balcony’s railing. It was a very long way down. After quadruple-checking that the rope was still securely fastened around the railings so I wouldn’t plummet to my death, I gripped the sides and gently lowered myself until I was supported by only my hands. The rope still did not feel secure enough.

Down below, Griffin called, “Rapunzel, trust me!”

Could I trust Griffin? Would he keep me safe?

I let go.

My squeak of fear was cut short as the rope caught and held fast a few feet below the balcony’s railing. Relief coursed through me. I felt just as secure as when Pollox flew me around. Griffin coaxed his horse to slowly step closer to the tower so that I was gently lowered. I managed to push off the tower’s wall with my feet, avoiding hitting my back or head against the stone.

“You’re doing great!” Griffin called up to me. “Almost there!”

Soon, I felt his hands slide up my sides, one arm wrapping around my waist while the other tucked under my knees while his horse stood at attention, ears pricked forward and waiting for the next command.

I draped my arm around his shoulders, slightly crowded by the quiver of arrows strapped to his back. At least this time, I didn’t look as though I’d crawled through all of Rookwyn’s underbrush like I had after Drake’s “rescue.”

“You did it,” Griffin breathed into my ear, holding me close to his chest. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m…great. You thought of everything.”

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