Twice Upon A Time (Unfinished Fairy Tales #2)(95)
“On the contrary,” Mr. Davenport says. “It seems that Lady Pembroke, when she decided to take revenge on her own sister, found a woman who looked very similar to Katriona Bradshaw, and then accused the princess of identity theft.”
This time, Bianca loses composure completely. “How dare you!” she screams. “How dare you excuse me of doing such a despicable thing!”
The crowd starts to hiss and boo at her. Looks like Mr. Davenport has the upper hand. And I didn’t even have to claim that I am Katriona Bradshaw. Well done, Mr. Davenport. Even though it is a lie . . .
I glance toward the real Katriona Bradshaw. She meets my eyes, and I’m struck by the hardness in her gaze. While she looks nothing like Bianca, she also has the ability to glare with the intensity of a knife.
Yet, while I feel nothing but anger at Bianca, I can understand why Katriona hates me so. She didn’t ask to be transported to Moryn. Imagine how she must have tried to survive, and how she had to explain to the Moryn people when she arrived in the wedding dress. It took her several months before she succeeded in returning to Athelia.
Mr. Jones is calling me. I stand up, and it seems that the whole crowd is waiting with bated breath as I walk up to the box. And . . . I don’t know what happens, maybe it’s because I have been sitting for such a long time, or maybe that there are too many people in the courtroom, but suddenly my vision goes black, the familiar dizzy feeling returns to my head, and I collapse.
44
I wake up in pain. My shoulder—the part where Krev left his mark—is burning. I sit up, toss the blanket off, and totter to the bathroom. The size of the room and the relatively spartan layout tell me that I was lying on Edward’s bed before I woke up.
Grimacing, I try to remember what happened before I lost consciousness. I was in the courtroom, Bianca was furious, and I had a pretty good chance at convincing everyone else that she was out to get me. But somehow, I got dizzy again. Coldness surrounds me when I get out of bed, and I realize that I am wearing only my petticoats and a shift. I must have been carried from the court back to the palace and undressed.
I groan. Something is wrong with me. My shoulder feels like it’s on fire. I rush to the bathroom and turn on the taps, grab a towel, and dab at my shoulder. In the mirror, I can see that the bright red mark has faded, and it looks more like pink instead of red.
The cold dampness of the towel does nothing to ease my pain. I should see the doctor, but I’m afraid of what Dr. Jensen might say. It looks abnormal, sinister, like only a witch could bear such a thing. And considering my precarious situation, I can’t afford any more suspicion.
The familiar popping noise occurs. The next second, Krev hovers above my head in the mirror’s reflection, arms crossed and wings flapping.
“Finally.” I would have wrung his neck if my shoulder wasn’t in pain. “I’ve been waiting for you all this time. What did you do to my shoulder? It hurts like hell.”
Krev makes something like a blue fire appear on his palm, and he presses on my shoulder. Instantly, a cool, soothing power like water seeps through my skin.
“Ah, that’s much better.” I pull my shift back over my shoulder. “Krev, I know what you said last time, but I’m not going back to my own world. I’m staying here.”
“Not going back!” The goblin splutters. “Girlie, you have no choice. You must leave. Weren’t you desperate to be home?”
“This is my home.” I turn around so I’m facing him, rather than looking at his reflection. “I’m sorry that I didn’t listen to you, but considering the circumstances, it can’t be helped. I love Edward, so much that it hurts if I’m not with him. I’ll go back, but only temporarily. Edward wants to meet my family. I’ll say farewell, and then we’ll come back. Please tell me you have enough magic to do that.”
Krev shakes his head slowly.
“Are you saying there isn’t enough magic to transport both of us? Then is there enough magic to just get me back?” Then, seeing that his expression doesn’t change, I say, “Are you telling me that you can’t even get me back?”
Krev lets out a noisy sigh. “You’re getting this all wrong, girlie. It is not a question of taking you back to your own world. The problem is that you cannot stay in Athelia. Didn’t I tell you last time?”
“You disappeared before I could ask you for an explanation. Why? Why not? Is it because of Katriona Bradshaw? I promise you that I’m not going to regret it. I’m absolutely sure that I want to be with Edward.”
“Even if it costs you your life?”
I stare at him, dumbfounded. I have never seen Krev look so serious before. It almost seems that he has become a completely different person—goblin, I mean. “What are you talking about?” Then an alarming thought strikes me. “Does it have something to do with the mark you gave me? What does it have to do with my life?”
Krev pauses. “I suppose I can’t blame you for being ignorant, as there wasn’t enough time to explain it to you. Now listen carefully. The thing is, girlie, your human body cannot survive in Athelia. The air that exists here is of a different composition. It’s very different from the stuff you call oxygen in your world. You are only able to stay alive because of a spell.”