Page 54 of Beguiled
The weight inside grew heavier, almost painfully so.
“I did not mean to reveal myself.” Ruby’s whisper came out in a rush. “But once I heard of her secret ingredient, I believed that was why she killed you, so she could have your heart. I was upset, and the words just came out.”
My every thought came to a standstill. All along I’d lamented my mother’s attempt to kill me, had wanted to understand what had driven her to do something so despicable. Was this, then, the answer? Had she wanted my heart for her alchemy?
If she needed my heart, why hadn’t she waited to take it after the sacrifice to Grendel? Why elaborately plot my murder when she could have obtained what she’d wanted the way she had from maidens for years?
I shook off the questions. Now wasn’t the time to dwell on them. What I did understand was that the queen hadn’t gotten the heart of the fairest maiden this year as a result of Vilmar’s valor, and now she needed mine more than ever. I also understood why she sought Vilmar. He had learned the secret ingredient of her alchemy, and now she needed to silence him. Just as she needed to silence Ruby.
“You must leave with me. The queen will surely kill you for knowing her secrets.”
“She has not done so yet.”
“If she captures me, she will no longer have any use for you.”
“All the more reason for you to be gone and never return.”
“I shall not leave without you.”
“Please, Pearl. She might keep me as her prisoner, but she will not kill me, not as long as you remain alive.”
“Father showed me a secret exit from the castle, one built for use during sieges. That is how I entered, and that is how we shall escape tonight.”
Ruby shot a glance toward the soldiers still standing on either side of the open door. “I am not allowed to leave my chambers. Only on rare occasions, and then only under heavy guard.”
We had to depart. I’d made it this far, and I couldn’t be thwarted. But what kind of excuse could we give the guards? With as much as they seemed to like Ruby, surely they would look the other way if we told them the truth about the danger Ruby was in if she remained anywhere near the queen.
On the other hand, if they allowed Ruby to sneak out of her chambers, the queen would put them to death for negligence. I couldn’t abide causing two deaths, not even to save Ruby.
“We have to think of something,” I whispered.
“The only way we can survive is for you to stay far away from Mother.”
My thoughts continued to swirl, moving faster and growing more desperate, and I lifted a prayer heavenward, one for wisdom and courage.
Ruby reached for my hand, her fingers trembling. I couldn’t imagine the heartache and fear she’d lived with over the past year.
There had to be a way to get her away from the guards tonight. Now. Before it grew too late. But what? Could I switch places with her and send her out of the castle in the nun’s clothing? We could convince the guards to close the door for a few moments, claiming the need to use the chamber pot, and then exchange garments.
I bit back a sigh. Our bodies were too different. Ruby was stouter like our father, and the guards would recognize that the nun leaving the castle was shorter than the one who’d entered.
At a sudden commotion in the doorway, I stood, determined to grab Ruby and run. But torchlight streamed into Ruby’s chamber along with several armed guards.
Ruby rose, and I pushed her behind me with one hand while the other fumbled for the knife hidden in my boot. Before I could slip it free, a woman appeared in the doorway. A beautiful woman with long dark hair, perfect creamy skin, and emerald-green eyes.
Her gaze swept over me, and her lips lifted into a hint of a smile—one that contained no warmth. “Welcome home, Daughter.”
Chapter
19
Pearl
“If you spareRuby and send her away, I shall do whatever you wish.”
The queen released a haughty laugh. “You shall do whatever I wish regardless of Ruby.”
My knife in hand, I stood taller, braced my feet apart, and lifted my chin. I counted three guards in the room and three more in the hallway, not including the two at the door. I was sorely outnumbered.
