Reign (An Unfortunate Fairy Tale, #4)(64)

“Here. Put it here,” the girl piped up. Apparently, Mina hadn’t done such a good job being stealthy. The brownie pointed to a hidden slit in Mina’s dress, a pocket big enough for a small mirror, handkerchief, or small book. Mina slipped the Grimoire inside and turned to her, trying to gauge her reaction. Maybe she simply assumed it was Mina’s and didn’t realize it had been stolen from the prince.

The brownie just smiled widely at her, pleased that she was able to help.

Mina still felt disheartened about her missing shoes as she was led down to dinner and escorted to an empty chair next to Dinah. Teague sat at the head of the table, with Annalora at the place of honor on his right, followed by Ever, and Dinah sat to his left.

This dinner was supposed to be a special occasion—for Teague to congratulate the four ladies who had made it through the second test. Tomorrow would hold the last test followed by the official announcement to the whole land. The other three girls genuinely sparkled with excitement, their faces glowing and smiles lighting up the room. Mina couldn’t even gather the courage to plaster on a fake smile.

She found the strength to answer a question when directly spoken to, but she floundered when it came to entertaining. She felt hollow, an empty shell of herself. Here she was, at a beautiful table, eating the most extraordinary food, in a fairy-tale castle, and all she could think about was she was now stuck here—permanently.

The only thing she could come up with was that the shoes might have run out of time and gone into the future—without her. She had made a stupid mistake. Now she’d never see her mother or brother again.

Mina turned her head at the sound of Annalora’s voice and noticed how often she accidentally brushed against Teague’s arm, or ran her fingers along the cuff of his jacket. She was marking her territory. And at this point, Mina didn’t care.

Dinah dropped her napkin between her chair and Mina’s, leaning close enough to grab it and whisper, “What’s wrong with you? This is no time to give up just because that harlot is trying to mess with your mind.”

When Dinah looked into Mina’s tear-filled eyes and read the pain there, her voice changed. “Something else has happened.”

Mina nodded her head, “Yes, the worst imaginable.”

Dinah pinched her lips together and gave Mina’s hand a quick squeeze. “Don’t worry. It will all be over tomorrow and you can go home.”

“That’s just it. I can never go home, regardless of the outcome,” Mina confided. A single tear slid down her cheek. She tried to wipe it away without making a big fuss about it, but Annalora saw and moved in for the kill.

“So, Elle, crying about the next test already, I see.” Her smile was filled with delight. “Maybe you should quit now and save your breath.”

Teague didn’t say anything. He just sat back and studied the two of them with interest.

Mina didn’t have the heart to exchange barbs at the moment. She just reached out and took a sip of water.

Ever, on the other hand, had plenty of fight left. “Why don’t you worry about yourself, Annalora?”

“Because I don’t have anything to worry about.” She scooted closer to Teague and proceeded to look down her nose at the pixie. “But you on the other hand…do. I’ve heard how you’re an embarrassment to your family. Don’t go doing something stupid tomorrow, like actually trying to win. Because we all know you’ll fail.”

Mina felt the air in the room stir as Ever tried to get her temper under control.

Dinah gasped and clasped her hands over her mouth.

The candles flickered more. Ever was about to truly embarrass herself. And that was something Mina didn’t want her friend to do. What did she have to lose at this point? She really couldn’t stand to see Annalora freely pick on the other girls.

Mina picked up her glass of water and walked past Annalora, dumping it in her lap. Annalora shrieked in anger and jumped up.

“I thought you needed a bath. Oh wait, I forgot. You already had one in the fountain.” Mina snarled and let a smile of pleasure show on her face.

“You! You pushed me in the fountain.” Annalora’s face turned purple with rage. She really looked ugly when she was mad.

Mina shrugged her shoulders, “How could I? I was in my room. Alone.”

She had forgotten about Teague, but his laughter was a sudden reminder. Mina raised the empty glass in her hand and made a play of saluting him. He drank the rest of his and returned her salute.

Mina placed her glass on the table and left. Instead of making her way back to her room, she picked up the edge of her skirt and wandered down the corridors until she found the main palace doors. She should have escaped as soon as she could with the shoes and found a way to her ancestors instead of getting distracted by helping Teague. But now, she was trapped on the Fae plane, and she hadn’t even been able to help anyone.

The guards at the gate gave her a cursory glance, but let her pass without stopping her. She continued down the steps and walked up to the bridge, looking out over the lake. It was nearing sunset, and it was a terrible time to leave, but she couldn’t stay. She needed to find help, to find an ally that would help her find a way back home.

Her feet carried her over the stone bridge, and she hesitated a moment when she heard the sounds of the trolls underneath, their claws scraping along the stone. Her steps piqued their curiosity, and she could see their red eyes watching her through the holes in the bridge. Since she was leaving they had no reason to bother her. Their job was to prevent unwanted arrivals.