Page 48 of A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart)

“If you’re the unicorn,” Hale explained, “and you can make it through two nights and three days without being caught, you get a proper knighthood and a squire and a pile of gold.”

“And if you get caught?” Evangeline asked.

“Well,” said Joff a little less enthusiastically, “whoever dresses up like the unicorn usually gets maimed pretty badly if captured. And whoever catches them is the one who gets the title—if they need it—along with the pile of gold and the squire.”

“So… people love the Hunt because of the prizes at the end?”

“There’s also a big celebration afterward,” said Hale.

“And,” added Joff, “it’s the only time of the year anyone is allowed to enter the Cursed Forest.”

Evangeline had never heard of the Cursed Forest. “And people want to enter this forest?” she asked.

“Oh yes, the Cursed Forest is aspecialkind of cursed. But you should really change into sturdier shoes and put on a cloak or two before we go,” said Hale. “It always rains on the path, which was what I was trying to warn you about before.”

23Evangeline

Once upon a time, the Cursed Forest was supposedly not cursed at all. It was said to have been the loveliest forest in the Magnificent North. The sort of forest that the best parts of fairytales were born from, full of friendly forest folk willing to guide lost travelers back to their paths or help wounded ones find aid. This forest was filled with flowers that produced light at night and birds that sang music so sweet even the hardest heart wept at hearing it.

It was believed to have been a favorite forest of the Valors, and the Valors were said to be the forest’s favorite family.

Thus when the Valors were all beheaded, the forest grieved for its beloved family. It grieved so deeply that it transformedinto something else entirely. Somethingcursedthat in turn cursed all those who dared to enter it.

Some say this curse was the forest’s way of trying to make others love it the way that the Valor family had loved it—for the curse of the forest was a peculiar sort of curse. At first it didn’t even seem like a curse, it seemed a bit like a wonder. Until more and more Northerners went into the forest and never came out.

And so in true Northern fashion, it was decided that all paths to the Cursed Forest should be cursed as well, so that Northerners would stop disappearing inside of it.

Unfortunately, there were disagreements on how best to bewitch the roads, so several sloppy spells were all cast at once.

Evangeline was unaware of this history. But as soon as she reached the path she’d chosen to take with her guards, she immediately saw the evidence of such spells. It began with a sprinkle that was not too bad at first, but the rain grew heavier as the road went on. Suddenly there were gusts of wind and lashes of rain that pelted her sideways and slantways.

Soon she was soaked. She wasn’t sure how long the road was, but it felt like the rain beat down on her forever. It was so tempting to turn around. But she had to tell Apollo that Jacks had been sneaking into the castle to see her.

The only weapon Evangeline had was the jeweled dagger Jacks had given her. It was tucked into a little green velvet belt that circled the waist of her gown, and she told herself if she saw him again, she wouldn’t hesitate to use the blade. And yet,a part of her feared she might not actually be able to stab him. There was also a twisted part of her that was scared she might never see him again. Her stomach clenched as she remembered how she had turned her back on him last night and how he hadn’t chased after her.

She knew Jacks was the enemy, but a part of her still felt bewitched by the thought of Archer. On her own, she would never defeat him. Evangeline needed Apollo and his army and whatever else he had, and tromping along a rainy path was a tiny price to pay for that.

“Just keep going,” Joff said as the wind whipped his cape around his face and spattered his boots with mud.

Evangeline was grateful the men had not let her leave the castle wearing only slippers or they would surely have gotten stuck in the path, like so many others had before her. Instead of cobblestones, bits of the road were entirely paved with shoes. Then there were the overturned carriages that lined the way—all of which appeared to be very old. It seemed most Northerners were now familiar with the spells that prevented all manner of transportation, save for one’s own feet, into the Cursed Forest.

“We’re almost there,” called Hale. As he spoke, a sign popped up on the side of the road.

ONE HUNDRED STEPS TO THE CURSED FOREST—

You Can Still Turn Around!

The rain poured harder as Evangeline passed it, making loose bits of hair stick to her face. She was barely able to make out another sign a few moments later:

WHY HAVEN’T YOU TURNED AROUND YET?

The rain became angrier, falling in sheets until she reached a final sign that read:

WELCOME TO THE BEST DAY OF YOUR LIFE!

The wood was pink and the words were gold and it was the most peculiar thing. As soon as Evangeline reached the sign and read its words—which happened all at once—the rain suddenly ceased. She could still hear the harsh pound of its fall against the ground. But when she turned around to look at the path she’d just trod, it appeared as dry as a valley on a hot sunny day.

“There’s no rainfallinthe Cursed Forest,” said Joff. “That’s the other reason all the paths in and out of it are spelled. If you get lost, the rainfall is the one way you can be sure you’re out of the forest.”

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