“That—that’s preposterous,” Enver blusters. Rapunzel can see desperation tightening a winch in him as he searches the crowd for allies. “You don’t expect anyone to believe this, do you?”
The last of the root tears free in Rapunzel’s teeth. She coughs it out with a muffled“pleh,”then raises her voice. “How did you save yourself?”
“What?” Enver’s erratic stare lands on her.
And Rapunzel knows she’s struck true when the king’s fingers graze his stomach.
“The Night of the Poisoned Dagger, you should have died from your stomach wound. You’re still bleeding right now.” Red flashes as the king tries to hide his hand behind his back—but there are witnesses on every side now, and the ones behind him stare and point. “You said the apple wasn’t ready in time to save the queen, and she died that night, too. So how did you save yourself?”
A terrible look breaks across Verette’s face as she, too, makes the connection.
“It wasn’t that serious,” Enver sputters, even as an undeniable wet gleam slicks his red doublet. “I just drank from the Starlight Spring—”
“You said they poisoned it!” someone shouts from the crowd.
“I-I had some in reserve for the queen,” Enver lies. “I’ve been fine with just the starlight water—” His eyes graze a window, and something shifts in his face, moving from near panic to triumph. A broad, relieved smile breaks like porcelain as he laughs, “And it doesn’t matter anymore! It’s done! There’s nothing that can be done to stop it!”
Rapunzel follows his gaze to a window overlooking the island’s edge.
Warship sails jab into the horizon like thorns.
They didn’t stop the fleet after all.
And now they’re going to return to her mother and tell herRapunzel couldn’t keep the one promise she made: to come back.
A hush falls over the hall, sickened and awful.
It makes the explosion that engulfs the flagship all the louder.
Another crash follows as a fireball swallows a warship whole. And another, and another, tearing ship after ship apart.
In seconds, all that’s left of Enver’s armada is charred ribcage hulls and fire on the waves.
Twenty-Two
Eugene
All things considered, Eugene would have to rate destroying a fleet with its own munitions a solid ten out of ten. And admittedly, Verette made it easier by clearing any sailors who had not already cleared themselves from the ships. The trickiest part for him, really, was making sure the powder kegs wouldn’t light until the ships made it out of the harbor.
And, about five minutes from now, explaining to Leona that he just blew up her flagship.
But that’s a problem for future Eugene. Right now, Eugene is infinitely more concerned with getting back to Rapunzel, and the one part of this plan that hasn’t worked out so well isfiguring out exactlywhereshe is. He has a hunch it’s wherever Verette got dragged off to; when Verette sensed Enver fighting for control of the roots, they decided to let him take her just to buy time for the ships.
Which is why he’s taking a page out of Verette’s book. Specifically, the horse page.
When he runs into the stables, he finds Maximus already standing over the shattered ruins of his stall door, nostrils flaring. He tosses his head and snorts at Eugene as if to say,About time.
“Sorry,Iwas busy committing grand acts of sabotage,” Eugene says airily as he grabs a fistful of Max’s mane and swings onto his back. “Let’s go get our girl.”
Maximus takes off, careening past palace guards who look like they’re having about the weirdest night of their careers. It takes a couple halls and corners for Eugene to realize they’re bearing toward the audience hall.
Of course.
A man like Enver will always want an audience.
Eugene slides off Maximus when they reach the doors; the chaos inside says it’ll be easier to go on foot. “Keep an eye on our backs.”
Max snorts again and starts snapping his teeth at the nearby guards.
