Chapter 55

55

Ella

A couple of hours later, I found myself crouched beside Siggy, lurking at the edge of the woods like a highwayman—that was, if highwaymen wore blue ball gowns. Dusk had settled over the sky. While the spreading darkness would hide me among the bushes, the setting sun also meant time was running out.

I peered through a branch at the deserted road. "Do you really think this will work?"

"I hope so," Siggy whispered. "You should be more confident, though. It was your idea, after all."

"This was your idea."

"I might have been the inspiration, but only a whisperer could come up with a hairbrained scheme like this. I might have tried the damsel in distress card, myself, but to each their own."

"Then why didn't you propose that an hour ago?"

"Not my plan, not my story," she muttered.

My palms grew sweaty. As if sensing my rising panic, she reached over and patted me on the back. "There, there, it will all go fine. Just trust yourself and your magic. I'm only teasing."

Zero extra confidence—that's how much her pep talk gave me. I knew she could see bits of the future, but where her gift ended and sheer audacity began, I wasn't so sure.

"Probability of success?" I asked as I fiddled with my left fang for the third time.

She shrugged. "I don't like math, but we'll find out soon enough."

The sound of hooves and wheels split the silence. My heartbeat quickened, and a minute later, a team of horses came into view, followed by a black coach decorated with the crest of a house I didn't recognize—a heron swallowing a snake that was wrapped around its neck.

A high lady headed to the ball to win the prince's hand.

Not if I can help it.

My limbs tingled with anticipation, but my stomach was swimming. Siggy and I had practiced our plan twice, but our success would depend as much on luck as on magic, so I didn't dare get my hopes up.

"Whoa!" the driver called, and the coach and horses slowed, coming to a stop in front of a large tree that had fallen across the road.

"Arms out, and keep your wits about you, boys!" the coachman shouted to the footmen riding on the back, then pulled a flintlock pistol out and scanned the woods.

They weren't entirely fools, it seemed.

The footmen hopped off the back of the coach, their pistols drawn as well.

"What's the problem?" a woman shouted from inside. I could barely make her out through the glass windows of the carriage.

"There's a tree down across the road, my lady," the coachman said. "It could be highwaymen."

The glass window opened, and a woman poked her head out. Her hair was bound up in golden ringlets, and her features were pinched with anger. "We're running late as it is. If it's highwaymen, let them come, and I'll tear them limb from limb myself!"

She cursed, ducking back inside.

The coachman, not entirely placated, swept the tree line again, then holstered his pistol and leapt down. "You heard Lady de Montague. Let's get this tree out of the way."

The three footmen braced and strained against the massive trunk, but it didn't budge. Siggy nodded next to me, but still, I didn't make my move.

The men grunted and cursed, and finally, the far door of the carriage opened. "What is taking so long, you bloody fools? I have a date with the godsdamned prince , and I'm going to be late!"

My heart hammered against my chest. I just needed her to step away from the carriage…

The coachman stood and wiped his brow. "I'm sorry, my lady, but the tree is too large. There's no chance the three of us can push it alone."

And there it was—the only solution if she wanted to get to the ball.

The high lady cursed as she climbed out. "Do I have to do everything myself? If I ruin my dress, I'll drain you dry and leave your corpses for your family to find."

Fates, was she related to Lorayna?

The immortal woman strode over with furious purpose, her elaborate golden gown swishing around her legs. The men stepped back as she pressed her hands against the massive trunk, and with an unladylike grunt, shoved. The tree shuddered and moved a fraction of an inch.

"Don't just stand there! Help me, you useless dolts!"

The three dim humans hurried to her side, and soon, all four were straining against the massive tree.

My stomach lurched as the trunk moved again. Showtime .

Siggy squeezed my hand. "Good luck, honey."

"Thank you for everything," I whispered, and squeezed it back, then slung my bag over my shoulder and addressed the bushes. "Let me through as quietly as you can."

They parted before me, and hitching up my gown, I carefully and silently picked my way toward the carriage, barefoot.

The horses looked in my direction and nickered as I emerged from the brush at the side of the road. One started to back away nervously, so I raised my hand and whispered, "Please don't be frightened. I desperately need your help…and a ride."

The gelding, clearly the lead animal, shook his mane. Why?

Ahead, the heavy tree shifted another foot. All four were still bent to their labors, and hopefully wouldn't hear me.

I crept quietly to the gelding's side and brushed my hand over his brown coat. "Because I need to save a lot of people from people like her ."

He tossed his head. Get in.

"Thanks," I said, then stepped lightly up onto the runners of the coach. "Once the tree is clear, make a break for it. I assume you don't need a coachman to find the way to the castle."

Of course not. The horse nickered. They're just for decoration.

The woman had left the carriage door unlocked, so I quietly opened it and eased myself into the seat. Thankfully, the noblewoman hadn't been travelling with a handmaid.

I set down my satchel and quietly locked both doors, then I peeked out the far window. The woman and her three servants were still struggling with the massive tree, but they'd actually moved it much further than I'd expected—about a quarter of the way clear. She had to be impressively strong, even for an immortal. That meant she'd be fast, too. Could she outrun a horse?

Not in those shoes.

I took three deep breaths, then stuck my head out of the window. "Clear the trunk!"

The two massive oaks at the side of the road shook themselves to life and bent down like ancient, weathered giants, shoving the fallen tree out of the way with their thick branches. The trunk tumbled across the road in a shower of leaves and bark.

The high lady screamed and stumbled to the far side of the road as her henchmen dropped to the ground beside her.

"Go now!" I shouted to the horses, then waved to Siggy, still hiding in the woods.

The horses reared in fright but gathered their wits quickly and charged forward. The coach lurched, and we were rolling toward the gap in the road.

I pulled the curtain covering the rear window aside and stared out the back. The woman in the gold dress was gaping at me in astonishment as her men picked themselves off the ground. Her face contorted with rage, and then she kicked off her shoes and began to run.

Oh, no. Even in her giant gown, she was impossibly fast.

"As quickly as you can!" I called to the horses, and the coach shook as they accelerated. A cloud of dust and gravel sprayed up behind us, but it wasn't enough. The immortal in the golden dress gained on us with every stride.

I flung myself to the window and called out to the trees, "Block her path!"

The forest stirred like grass in the wind, then began to swipe and bat at my pursuer with their lithe limbs. Birds rose up from the darkness and dove at her, screeching and cawing.

The immortal screamed as the living forest closed in, driving her to the ground. Soon, she was far behind, and my heart swelled with thanks.

I slumped back against the seat. "I can't believe that worked."

Pip scampered out of my bag. Neither can I. Does she have any food in here?

Her footmen had probably been both escorts and snacks, but I looked around anyway. The woman had left her handbag. With a quick glance over my shoulder to make sure she'd been left completely in the dust, I popped it open. The bag held a letter, some coins, a jeweled folding hand mirror, and a number of small bottles. "Sorry, no cheese, but there should be some in my pack."

I ate that while we were waiting. Pip began investigating things on his own.

I unfolded the letter and drew my eyes across the elegant writing—an invitation to the ball, and at the bottom, the prince's signature.

My mouth turned sour.

"Apparently, I'll be playing the part of Lady Eva de Montague tonight," I said, and tucked the letter back into the little golden purse. "Hopefully, no one has any idea what she looks like."

I rummaged through the bottles. A few seemed to be some kind of alcoholic tincture or medicine, and I set those aside. There was a rather large spray bottle of perfume, which I tested. Citrus and rose. "Not unpleasant," I mused.

The rest of the items were all cosmetics, a selection of paints and powders to whiten the complexion and redden the lips. I dabbed a touch of bright rouge on my lips, doubtful I had the skill to apply the rest in a rumbling carriage. Rouge was illegal for our kind to wear. Bloodred lips were the mark of an immortal, after all.

I rubbed my lips together as I'd seen some of the noblewomen do and held the mirror up to examine my work. My lips were a luscious cherry red, almost the shade of fresh blood.

I pursed them, loving the color.

The coach lurched, and a livid face appeared in the mirror.

I screamed and spun around. The lady in the golden dress was glaring at me through the back window of the carriage.

"I'm going to wear your entrails as a stole, you treacherous wench!" She flung herself around the side of the coach. The door jerked, and when it didn't open, she punched her hand through the glass, sending shards raining down across the seat.

I scrambled to the opposite side as she dove at me, flailing with her bloody arms.

Holy fates, was she going to crawl through the broken window?

I turned and kicked at her wildly. My bare foot swept her arm out of the way, and the next kick connected sharply with her jaw.

She froze in surprise, and then her face contorted into a vicious leer. "You're a human. A filthy, weak human !"

The immortal lunged partway through the window and seized my ankle. My body jerked forward, and she grinned. "I'm going to feast on your flesh, then let the prince lick your blood from my lips. What a fine gift you will be!"

"He's already had me," I snarled, then drove my free heel into her nose.

Her grip on my leg released, but she laughed as blood streamed from her face. "Now this is what I call a party!"

She pulled back and grabbed for the door lock.

I seized the perfume and spritzed it in her eyes. Twice.

She screamed and let go of the handle, clawing at her face. "You little bitch!"

I threw myself across the seat and slammed my shoulder into her. She yelped as she slipped backward and barely caught the windowsill with her hand. Blood welled up where the broken glass cut her fingers.

Panic and anger threaded through me as I smashed the large perfume bottle down on her knuckles again and again. Her grip slipped, and she disappeared into the darkness. The coach rocked to the side as it rolled over something, and the immortal let out an agonized howl.

I crouched at the window with the bloody perfume bottle raised, my chest heaving, but she didn't return.

Are you okay? Pip asked, appearing on the seat.

My heart was pounding as fast as the hooves outside. "Yeah. I think so."

Is she?

I glanced out the back window, then sat back down and swallowed bile. "Nope."

Will she come after us?

"Not if she needs her legs to run," I said weakly, then looked at the little rat. "Immortals heal, right? Like, after really bad stuff?"

He looked at me blankly.

My stomach turned. She was probably a bloodthirsty tyrant, judging from the few minutes I'd known her, but I still felt bad. I'd just planned to borrow her coach. It had been a nice, bloodless plan, one in which nobody got hurt.

Something told me there was going to be a lot more blood before the night finished.

I looked around the ruined interior of the coach. "How am I going to clean this up?"

I'll help , Pip said as he ripped a little stuffing from the bottom of the seat.

Miraculously, my dress was almost unscathed. No rips or tears from the glass, just a light splattering of blood on my arms, which I suspected was reasonably common for immortals. Dinner could get messy, so it probably added a touch of authenticity.

I grabbed my satchel from the corner and breathed a sigh of relief. My glass shoes and delicately packed mask hadn't been crushed.

Using spit and tufts of stuffing, I began wiping the blood and glass off the seat, and by the time the castle came into view, Pip and I had the interior of the coach as tidy as it could get—minus one window.

As the brightly lit spires of the castle loomed overhead, a shudder raced down my spine. The mages, the sisters, and the assassins were all inside, along with the prince and scores of other bloodsuckers, all vying for his heart.

"Stop at the gate," I told the horses as I tucked my feet into my glass heels. I quickly tied my hair in a loose bun and pulled on the delicate mask of flowers. With the veil of woven leaves hanging over my hair, hopefully no one would notice the telltale glints of silver.

I checked myself in the mirror one last time and practiced baring my fake fangs. "I'm a bloodthirsty immortal. I'll eat you for breakfast, you weak little human."

There was a bit of rouge stuck to the pesky left tooth, and I rubbed it off with a curse as the carriage rolled to a stop. The tricky part was going to be explaining where my footmen were, not to mention the driver.

A pair of heavily armed guards approached, and my chest tightened. This was it. No going back.

Time to crash the ball.