Page 40 of The Beautiful Blade

The problem was that he didn't have the capacity to make Charlotte happy. I couldn't stand by and watch her live an unhappy life. That just wasn't in me.

The wind roared past us as the pegasus soared higher into the evening sky. Beneath us, the rolling hills of Solmane blurred into shadowy streaks. Every muscle in my body ached from the awkward position I was bound in. I ignored the pain and began to work on my binds. There had to be a way out of them.

“Something’s wrong with the steeds,” one of the guards barked over the rush of wind.

I craned my neck, squinting against the blinding speed as I tried to catch sight of the problem. A series of jerky movements rippled through the pegasus herd. Their harnesses creaked ominously. The metal clasps strained against the force of the flight. One of the beasts emitted a distressed cry, its shimmering wings faltering before resuming their rhythm. I felt the uneasy shift in our altitude, the way the steed carrying us wobbled slightly.

“He’s good with beasts,” another guard shouted. “I remember him from the village. He can fix it.”

“We’re supposed to kill him, not give him busywork.”

“If he fixes the wing, we can offer to make it a quick death,” the second one countered, his tone laced with practicality. “It’ll save the lot of us from a crash.”

The first guard hesitated, grumbling under his breath. Finally, he shouted, “Fine. Let’s set them down and make him fix it quick.”

"Put her down over there. There's a blacksmith in that village. He'll have the tools we need."

We descended abruptly. Dust billowed around us as the carriage settled to the ground. The herd walked the rest of the way to the forge. The familiar sound of hammering reached my ears, the unmistakable rhythm of a blacksmith at work.

I was dragged from the carriage. I focused, letting my body go limp to make the guards think I was giving in. They grunted in frustration as they adjusted their hold. Good. The less they watched my hands, the better.

The alloy might have locked the larger mechanisms, but it couldn’t smother the micro-pulses in the fingertips. Those circuits weren’t made to power brute strength. They were made for precision. And precision was all I needed.

"Oy!" the guard called to the figures emerging from the forge. "We need some tools to fix our herd. We'll pay."

"You can take all the tools you want if you leave us him."

It was a voice I hadn’t heard in years but had never truly escaped. A voice that had haunted my nights inthe stables, shouted commands I couldn’t refuse, and spat insults that had taken root deep in my chest.

My knees truly did give out then. My hands were free of the shackles. But they dangled uselessly at my side. My mind screamed at me to run, to fight, to do something, but my body refused to move.

The years I’d spent clawing my way out of their shadows, building myself into someone stronger, someone untouchable—it all crumbled in an instant. My chest tightened, the air growing thin as hopelessness settled over me like a suffocating shroud.

I thought I’d buried this part of my life. I thought I’d left them behind in the ashes of my past. Seeing them now, I was that skinny, weak boy again, trembling under their fists and their jeers.

Uncle Maris’ smile widened, full of malice and triumph. “Did you miss us, boy?” he sneered, stepping closer. “Don’t worry. We’ll make you feel right at home.”

I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think. All I could do was watch as the shadows of my past closed in, and for the first time in years, I felt utterly, irreparably lost.

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

CHARLOTTE

The pegasus’s hooves pounded against the air as I leaned low over its neck, urging it faster. The wind screamed past me, whipping my hair into a wild, tangled halo. The familiar rolling hills of Evergrove came into view, their moonlit beauty tainted by the storm in my chest. The scent of nightblooming jasmine filled the air, but it wasn’t enough to soothe me. Not tonight.

Adom had lent me his fastest steed from the summer castle's stables after we'd found Belle wandering in the forests, intent on saving Adom from aloveless marriage with me. To her delight, she'd learned that her vows to the prince when they'd consummated their relationship the night before superseded any deals we'd made. She and Adom belonged together. Now I just needed to rescue the man who was mine.

If only this pegasus would fly faster. I knew my mother's intentions. If I didn't get there five minutes ago, an hour ago, it might be too late.

The stables came into view first. I leaped off the steed before all four hooves had made impact. I pushed open the doors of the stables. The emptiness inside felt like a physical blow. The place where Jorge’s forge once roared was cold and abandoned, its tools neatly stacked but untouched. The straw bed where we’d spent stolen moments together was clean, devoid of any sign that he’d ever been here.

No one had worked here since he left. We hadn't had the money to hire anyone to work for free. The only way we'd survived these last three years was because the Moonkeepers had kept us under guard. They were all gone now that their mission had been fulfilled.

The Beast Prince was wed. And to the right woman. Adom's vows to Belle had broken the curse. I was free to return to the promise I'd made Jorge when we were too young to understand what our vows to each other meant. I just had to find him.

My feet carried me to the manor before my mind could catch up. The grand doors loomed ahead, carved with intricate patterns that spoke of a time when Evergrove was wealthy and thriving. Now the wood was weathered, the edges frayed with neglect. I shoved the doors open, letting them crash against the walls as I stormed into the foyer.

Queen Indira stood in the sitting room, draped in silks and jewels. Her face was a mask of cold composure. Her gaze flicked up to meet mine. A smile that didn’t reach her eyes curled her lips.

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