Page 58 of Feathered Thief

When she turned away from the wardrobes, magic still glimmered in the walls and ceiling, but the light focused on broad stone steps that led her up to a steaming marble bath that was large enough to swim in. A shimmering sheet of waterdropped from a ledge in the darkness above into the hot spring, sending up clouds of steam. Lenka cautiously dipped one finger into the pool and found its temperature perfect—hot enough to send a delicious thrill up her arm but not burn. Stone shelves carved into the rocks were within easy reach of the bath, displaying bottles of lotion and scented bars of soap.

A wave of something like nostalgia swept through her. Perhaps in her old life, before she appeared in King Gustik’s magic garden with her tree, she had seen something like this?

Maybe she’d been a servant in a royal household. Who could tell?

She continued past the hot-spring bath, descended several steps that were just rough enough for secure footing, and continued down the path through a tunnel until she passed a lacy waterfall pouring into one end of a long narrow pool, which caused even more steam to rise toward vents in the stone ceiling. By that time, she was drenched with steam and mist, yet she wasn’t a bit cold.

The roar of water blocked other sounds, and the magic of it all sent a strange thrill through her. Glancing straight up through the steam as she walked, she glimpsed stars in a black sky. She was outside!

Fearless, she walked toward the downhill end of that pool to see where the water flowed next, but dense roiling steam obscured her view. Where did the pool end?

She was half-tempted to enter that cloud, but . . .

Oh! Wait!She clapped her hands to her cheeks as if to wake herself.The princess! What am I thinking? She could show up at any moment.

The princess might already have slipped into the hot bath in the first cave while Lenka wandered around.

She really didn’t care to be sentenced to death, or whatever else might happen if she messed up again. But just as she startedto turn around, something cold and clammy grabbed her from behind, and a deep voice shouted in her ear, “Watch out!”

PART III

Euzebia

After locking the inn’s door for the night, Euzebia yawned and headed to her small suite on the ground floor. Business had picked up recently. Not every guestroom was filled, but she was content with small successes.

And yet, even now, after midnight, she could dimly hear lively music from the Quest Inn. She would pity the fools trapped in that place more if they weren’t having such a great time. She shook her head, smiling. But as she opened the door, golden light from within nearly blinded her, and she let out a squeak of protest.

Immediately the light dimmed to a soft glow. “I apologize, Madame! I was so excited that I forgot?—”

“Never mind that, my dear. Come on in.” Squinting and blinking, Euzebia closed the door carefully to avoid catchingSolara’s jingling tailfeathers, then braced for the worst. “What’s happening?”

“She’s doing it! Princess Helena is breaking the curses, one by one! She doesn’t yet know who she is, but she freed me yesterday, and just this morning she freed Geoffroi. Now she is at Castle Valga! But the fox—” Solara stopped short. “Oh, I mean?—”

“I’m not offended, my dear bird—I know my husband quite well—and I am delighted that Helena is defeating Warin’s plots. Honestly, I couldn’t imagine a better outcome than the one currently unfolding.” Yet tears began to roll down her cheeks, and not from the bird’s blinding glow. “Is Warin still with her?”

“Yes. He is increasingly angry and frustrated, but he isn’t finished yet.”

“Bogumil severely limited his magic when he transformed him, but my husband doesn’t give up. He is truly as crafty and sneaky as a fox.” While dabbing her eyes and cheeks with a handkerchief, Euzebia calculated her next move. “I shall notify Bogumil and the rest of the World Magic Council of recent events and request them to convene at Castle Valga. I believe Helena and Kazimierz will find a way to break Bogumil’s spell on their own. The power of true love is often underestimated, but in this case, that fact might very well work in our favor.”

“What fun!” Solara glowed with anticipation. “I shall meet you there!”

16

KNOW AND TRUST

Instantly terrified, Lenka kicked and thrashed, but her attacker easily thwarted her escape attempts by scooping her up and carrying her back up the slope toward the baths. Panic squeezed her screams into squeaks, but she was still flailing when he set her down and spun her to face him. His eyes went very wide, and his lips moved.

Before she could draw breath to protest, the handsomest man imaginable folded her into a hug so close that water from his wet shirt seeped through her layers of clothing. When he spoke, his deep voice rumbled through her. Not one word he spoke registered in her brain, yet she somehow felt . . .loved. But no, he must be mistaking her for . . . the princess?

When he loosened his embrace, lifted her chin with one curled finger, and pressed kisses on her jaw, her cheek, and finally her lips, each kiss warmer than the last, her brain told her she should be terrified and trying to escape. But with each sweet kiss she relaxed further, and her hands slid up to his big shoulders. Oh, he smelled so good! And the gentleness of his strength stole every coherent thought from her head except one:I know and trust this man—I love him.

It made no sense, yet it was true. When she looked into his eyes, tears shimmered there. She could scarcely breathe. It was all so beautiful . . . and impossible . . .

And she would surely have crumpled to the cave floor without his support.

But then she remembered her quest and turned away. Even as he released her, she felt unsteady and wished he hadn’t let go. “You’re”—her voice cracked—“You’re a man! But . . . you’re supposed to be Princess Helena of Zyrardów.”

No, that didn’t come out right . . . “Only the princess is supposed to be awake.”

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