Black Moon Draw(80)

These two are totally giving off a Romeo and Juliet vibe, and I realize how far I’ve come from the na?ve, enamored nineteen-year-old who thought her world revolved around someone like Jason. What did I find appealing about being constantly criticized? And why was I sad, as opposed to relieved, about not being married to him?

It’s hard to think poorly of the couple before me for trying to be happy and ensure everyone else was, too. They erred out of good intentions.

In doing so, they condemned the world to the curse. What would I have done, especially if I didn’t fully understand the impact of my actions? Would I have similarly betrayed the ruler of a kingdom for Jason and possibly destroyed the entire realm?

Yes, says a little voice inside my head.

But not now. Not ever again.

“I mean this gently, but I think you might’ve destroyed the world,” I say finally. Oddly enough, I’m not angry about it. If anything, I sympathize with them for wanting to be loved so much, they forsook everything else.

Westley says nothing. The princess’s eyes widen.

I share with her what I was told by the warrior queen about the curse – and the only way to end it.

She says nothing when I finish. For a long moment, she stares at me, frozen in horror, before she turns and flees.

“Are you certain?” Westley asks me once more.

“Yes.”

“What we have done cannot be undone. There is no time for his armies to march here, no way to dissuade my father. He smells victory and he will pounce.”

I wait, almost able to hear him thinking. With no real idea of the scale of war we’re talking about, I have nothing to contribute.

“The only thing we can do is return you to him,” Westley says quietly. “And hope you can use your magic to defend the kingdom.”

Tapping the medallion, I fight back the tiny voice that’s telling me I have a hand in destroying this world because I can’t be one hundred percent certain that the magic will work for me the way it should.

“You risk angering your father,” I murmur. “You’d both be in danger.”

“We can go to my brother.” The princess stands in the entrance, a tortured expression on her face. Even with eyes reddened from tears, she’s more beautiful than any actress or model I’ve ever seen.

“You sure about that?” I ask uneasily, recalling what happened the last time Westley saw the Red Knight.

“We may not have a choice,” Westley says. “If we can smuggle you to him, he can reach the Shadow Knight without the challenges we would experience.”

My heart flip flops at the idea of seeing the Shadow Knight again then falls to my feet when I realize how bad the situation is. We have today and tomorrow to save the world – and no idea how to do it.

“I’ll fetch him.” The princess leaves once more.

The yearning on Westley’s face as his gaze follows her almost makes me want to roll my eyes.

“Are you guys . . . bonded yet?” I ask.

“Aye,” he whispers. “Last year, in secret, the day we met.”

Love at first sight. I hate that in a book, LF. “I can’t believe you masterminded this whole thing.”

“We put everyone in great danger.”

“Everyone was in great danger already. You just raised the stakes a little.” Maybe I should be angry, but I’m envious of how they feel for one another. Deep enough to try to stop a war without knowing how much harm they caused. “Can we trust the Red Knight to help?”

Westley’s hesitation tells me what I need to know. “We have no choice.”

My thoughts return to the Shadow Knight. He must know by now how screwed he is. Is he sad? Desperate? Furious?

My heart aches for him and the people of this world, who can’t know how important he and his war are. They don’t understand that his heart is bigger than his sword, that everything he’s doing is to prevent a much worse fate from befalling his people. He alone is waging a war on a thousand year old curse.

Not alone. At least, not anymore. I will find a way to help him.

“Whatever it takes, Westley. We have to help him,” I say urgently. “Please.”

“Fetch your cloak. The Red Knight is here,” he says somewhat reluctantly.

“That’s why you aren’t excited about him. He’s part of this, isn’t he?”

“He did more than tell me about the Shadow Knight’s defenses,” he admits. “I dare not discuss it with you.” He’s troubled, his gaze stormy.

I swing on a cloak beside the uncomfortable bed I tried to sleep in last night. The teen looks ready to change his mind about helping me. I can’t imagine what’s going through his head, the enormity of his guilt.

“You’re doing the right thing,” I tell him, approaching. “Really, Westley.”

Pain flutters through his expression and I imagine him thinking about betraying his father.

I can’t even pretend to know how that feels.

He pulls my hood up and leads me out of the tree trunk.

We’re at the edge of the foothills on the side of the mountains opposite the emerald hills. The pass through the peaks is heavily guarded by the Desert Knight’s men, and the foothills and forest area around me jammed with warriors.

If the Shadow Knight was traveling with only a scouting party, the Desert Knight had taken no chances and brought his entire army. I’ve never seen so many people in one place and hurry to follow the teen boy.