Page 69 of I Ran Away to Evil 3
The princess and the troll werebothon the Blackfog hit list, and while his gut told him that he should place all of his trust in the troll—he would rather detain thembothfor questioning.
“John, stop those two.”
CHAPTER 39
Carefully Planned Foiling
Gerda
The second the battle started, I dropped everything to go after the Keeper of Fate.
I had no idea how I was going to talk my way into revealing her secret identity, but in the worst-case scenario, I could just blame [Sense Danger]. Or fall back on that well-timed Sleep potion to the face.
I finally spotted her on the opposite side of the hall. Pram had just iced the floor and was now making an ice wall to protect the noncombatants against the opposite wall of the sanctuary. To reach her, I’d need to circle around or brave the battlefield between.
The good news was, King Keith was on this side with me, safely tucked behind Julian’s [Barrier], where Alice couldn’t reach him.Henrietta’s oracle scenario had started when the battle was at an end and the damage already done. In that future, Chloe was permanently gone, and many of the guests had died in the chaos—unfortunate for them, due to their differing inheritance laws. It was a reminder that the keeper didn’t need to actuallykilleveryone to further her plan; half of her list could have their fates irrevocably altered with a simple unaliving.
Henrietta had been walking back to Keith so she could comfort her husband in his grief when the Keeper of Fate had hit the Dark Lord with a bottle of molten ash vane.
It had only gone further downhill from there.
So inthistimeline, I’d equipped one of my two life-saving phoenix tail feathers and waited until the keeper tried to cross the room before moving to intercept her.
Now hearing that John was on his way, I switched to a distraction tactic.
“Riddle me this,” I said, swinging my axe back until the smooth wooden handle rested on my exposed shoulder. “How are you going to escape now,spy?”
“Youbrute. Do you think they’ll listen to your nonsense?” The keeper glared from behind her fan, looking down her nose at me in her best princess fashion. “Iam no spy. You speak with the Princess Contessa la Rouche of Ildsfeld!”
The woman’s disguise was exemplary, as to be expected from the leader of an international spy organization.
“Areyou, though?” I goaded, trying to keep her attention from John’s shadow. It had started ten paces back where Julian stood, arms crossed and patiently waiting.
She narrowed her eyes. “Of course I am.”
I smiled a challenge. “I thought you were the Keeper of Fate?”
“How do you know that name?” she started, then her eyes narrowed. “Wait!”
I thought she’d noticed John’s shadow—but no, her eyes never left my face as she considered something.
“No … I don’t believe it.” She scoffed. “Itcan’tbe you.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m the one who found all of your traps—and now,youare trapped.”
“You think so?” She snapped her deadly fan shut and paused dramatically.
Nothing happened.
Her eyes went wide, then narrowed in pure, unadulterated hatred. “What did you do?”
“You won’t escape while I’m still here.” I smirked.
It was, in fact, Grand Duchess Calisto who’d taken my advice and used one of her enchantments to separate the sanctuary into a pocket dimension. It guaranteed that no one could escape—including the pink portal mage who had kidnapped her daughter.
But the keeper didn’t know that.
At that point, my perceptionfeltJohn’s shadow touch my own. Perfect. I wanted him safely under my feet for the next part of my plan.
