Page 15 of To Wake a Kingdom

Reins gripped in my hand, I spoke softly to the horse, rubbing its neck. Kianna continued to hover, wringing her hands.

“Lock yourself inside. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Be careful, Your Highness.”

I nodded and trotted away.

Passing the abandoned village, I rode into the dense forests that surrounded the castle, thick with pines and silvery royal birch, their leaves almost completely white now. I looked behind me. Once visible from the road, the castle was now obscured by a hundred years of growth, and I breathed a little easier.

There was something permanent about this moment. Something that marked me forever, so deep it formed roots in my limbs. From the day I’d been born, Mare’s hand had written my future. One I couldn’t escape.

But all of that had fallen away, and suddenly, anything was possible. Even with her threat still hanging, at least a fork had appeared in the road. One that might lead to a happy ending if I chose the right path. Good or bad, potential glimmered like a beacon. I had woken up. I was here and in control of my destiny. As the horse trotted forward, I couldn’t shake the feeling I’d taken a step from which I could never go back.

After several long hours of riding, I saw signs of an approaching town. Farmland transformed into homes and cottages lining the road. Before long, Tenby’s stone wall came into view. Its enormous gates stood open as a stream of people and carts and horses passed in and out of the city.

No one marked me as I entered. Even before the curse, I had spent little time beyond the castle walls, and being here all alone gave me a curious thrill.

Along the busy streets, vendors sold fruit, bread, cheese, and wine. I got down from the horse, buying as much as I could fit into my pack.

As I tightened the straps over the horse’s backend, I asked him, “What did that bastard call you? How about I name you Slumber?” I snorted at my own joke, but no one was here to care it wasn’t all that amusing.

I spent the afternoon wandering the streets, enjoying the bustle of life and activity. Whatever this was, it was still all a second chance at something. What would happen if I disappeared and hid myself away forever? How hard would Mare search for me? Maybe she’d assume I was dead and give up. But I knew that path was impossible. Mare would kill Kianna and everyone in the castle; I needed to break this curse.

In front of a bookstore, I tied Slumber to a post. Inside the shop, crammed shelves ran through every inch of space, so crowded I had to shuffle sideways to fit through them. At the back of the store sat an old man at a desk piled with even more volumes.

“Hello?”

He pinned me with a watery blue stare. “Heh?”

“I’m wondering if you could help me?”

“Heh?”

“Can you hear me, sir?”

“Did you say something?”

“Do you have any books on breaking curses?!” I shouted.

He jumped in his seat and glared. “Why are you shouting at me, girl?”

“I, uh…”

“Curses? You want a book on breaking curses? It’s not a curse, dearie. Go see the midwife. She’ll help you take care of your little problem.”

He gestured at my midsection, where I had my hands pressed to my stomach.

“No,” I said. “That’s not… What? No, a magical curse. I need to break a curse.”

The man peered over the glasses perched on his nose, interest now piqued. “Is that right?”

I nodded, looking around me at the hundreds of books, reasoning there must be something more useful than what I’d found in the castle.

“That kind of knowledge isn’t kept in books,” he said, and my chest crumpled.

“Where is it kept? Please, I need your help.”

The man tapped his temple with a bony finger. “Secrets like that are kept up here.”

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