Page 44 of Façade

Curious, I craned my neck for what had drawn his notice; anything that compelled him to slow the journey would be interesting enough to offer a welcome reprieve from the tedium of travel.

Unfortunately, his body blocked whatever occupied his attention, making it impossible for me to see even from my elevated perch, so I slid off my horse in a less-than-dignified manner for a better look. The sound of my footsteps tore his focus away long enough to cast me a sharp, disapproving glare.

“Evelyn, I told you to—”

“You didn’t tell meanything,” I snapped. “I claim ignorance on your cryptic hand gestures. Besides, you have no right order me about like some servant—”

“Will you please be quiet?”

Only his urgency compelled me to rein in my usual defiance to hold back a much-deserved retort. He gave up ordering me back to the horse—knowing me well enough to guess it’d be a command I’d simply ignore—and returned his attention to the foliage.

I cautiously approached and squinted at the area but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, except…I frowned as I suddenly noticed something. Wait…

I crouched beside Ryland to better see. The sunlight cast cheerful dancing patterns of golden sheen against the wildflowers growing alongside the path, many of which had begun to…vanish. For some it was their colors, others their shape, and others their petals or part of their stem; in some places entire plants had disappeared, creating splotches of nothingness against the foliage.

I’d never seen anything like it. For a moment I could only stare, breathless with shock and confusion. “Whatisit?”

Ryland didn’t immediately answer, his breaths heavy as his sorrowful eyes took in the vanished sections marring the undergrowth. “The disappearing curse.”

A chill curled up my spine at the ominous words. I didn’t need him to confirm to know that this curse was the mysterious affliction against his kingdom that I’d heard vague rumors of. My magical studies had been clear that curses could only be broken by magic, which meant his kingdom needed the one resource they lacked…unless they acquired it through marriage.

And suddenly everything concerning Ryland’s motives became clear. “Thisis why you want to steal Estoria’s magic?”

His jaw tightened. “If you have a better plan, I can’t convey how much I’d welcome it. Please.”

Agitation tainted his movements as he hastened to his feet and searched the surroundings for other tainted areas, but this section appeared to be an isolated case. Worry and confusion furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand. How is the curse spreading?”

In hopes of discovering a clue to the answers that eluded us, I leaned closer for a better look, even reaching out to touch one of the flowers…but before I graze them, Ryland snapped out of his confusion and flung his arm out to hold me back.

“Don’t touch it! We don’t know how the curse spreads, only how devastating it is to all it afflicts. We shouldn’t even be this close to it.”

He firmly gripped my arm and jerked me to my feet to lead me away. I was too startled by his rare show of consideration to put up much of a fight, more out of place considering he no longer had any reason to get in my good graces without the promise of my magic. “What does the curse do?”

“It’s as the name implies: it causes things to disappear.”

“Forever?”

My breath caught at his grim nod. “It’s afflicted us for several years, starting out slow and recently increasing in speed and severity. We have yet to discover the cause. It’s already claimed nearly a quarter of our kingdom and all the crops and resources along with it, resulting in political upheaval and a diminished work force as many of our citizens have escaped to other kingdoms…at least those who’ve survived. Nothing is immune, not even people.”

The information shocked my mind into silence.People were vanishing?For a long moment I couldn’t speak, paralyzed by shock.Thishorrible curse was Brimoire’s motive in exploiting my kingdom?

It took considerable effort for me to find my voice. “What do you think—”

But he didn’t seem keen on discussion but action. With hastened steps, he strode back to our horses and guards awaiting us on the road, pulling me along with him. “We need to be on our way. The sooner we get to the monastery, the sooner I can dosomething…”

I scarcely heard him, my mind still frantically trying to sort out the phenomenon we’d just discovered. I took in his wild expression. Despite how harsh and angry I’d been towards him, for the first time I realized how deeply he cared for his kingdom. It was a difficult admission to make considering I didn’t want to even begrudgingly understand the motive behind his scheme against the kingdom I’d sacrificed everything to protect.

These confusing thoughts quickly grew wearying. Desperate for a distraction, I cast my gaze around the clearing and quickly found one, waiting patiently to rescue me from my escalating anxieties—the sound of rushing water drawing my attention to the other side of the path. I promptly unwound my arm from his.

“Evelyn? We need to be on our way.” Ryland’s stiff tone bordered on impatience.

I cast a reluctant glance towards my waiting horse. “I’m not keen on returning to that prison.”

“So dramatic.” But his lips twitched, a victory I hadn’t anticipated with the tension lingering from our sudden discovery of the disappearing curse. His amusement immediately vanished when I followed the sound of rushing water capturing my attention from the other side of the path. “What are you doing?”

I ignored him and wandered in the direction of the soothing sound of rushing of water to discover a stream running alongside the surrounding copse of oaks and pines, the perfect backdrop for a respite from the tedium of travel.

I hiked up my skirts higher than was likely proper but couldn’t be bothered when my only audience was my husband and the guards standing a discreet distance away. He tried to block me, but I only stepped around him and continued to the bank. I had no need to take off my shoes since I’d never put any on in the first place, leaving me ready to go wading.

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