Page 79 of The Masked Princess

“This could be a trick,” Helene said under her breath, hand on her sword.

“She’s the one who rescued me,” Soren replied. He cut his eyes toward Annalise and lowered his sword. “She gave me the means of escape and told me where to go. If it weren’t for her and Matheus, I’d still be locked in the dungeon.”

Annalise looked down at her hand, which still oozed blood, back to Codela, who was turning whiter with every passing second, and stepped forward, hand held out. “I still don’t know how my curse works or if this will only harm you further, but you saved Soren, and for that I owe you a great debt. If the Goddess wills it, I will do whatever I can to help,” Annalise said as she took Codela’s bloody hand in her own.

For a moment, silence hung heavy in the throne room.

Codela squeezed Annalise’s hand. In the next breath, she went rigid.

Annalise tried to draw her hand away, but Codela refused to let go. She gritted her teeth and furrowed her brow, but didn’t emit a sound even as her face was wracked in pain.

“Your Majesty,” Captain Risebach said, stepping forward with his sword drawn.

Annalise felt Soren’s presence at her back.

“Please stay away for your own safety,” Annalise said through a clenched jaw.

Codela’s grip on her hand was crushing, but there was no escaping it, and they stood frozen like statues as the seconds stretched on.

Then finally, Codela relaxed her grip and took a great heaving gasp, releasing Annalise from her grasp and stumbling back as if she’d been hit by lightning. Her neck was still stained red with blood, but the gash was no longer there.

Annalise stepped forward to help, but stopped at the forward rush of the Rhinnean guards, who surrounded the Rhinnean princess. Soren shouldered past her, placing himself squarely between the two contingents, sword at the ready. Brunen squealed, and a few loose strands of Annalise’s hair shifted in the stiff breeze as the rhys flapped her wings.

“I’m fine. I’m fine! Rhinneans, stand down,” Codela yelled above the clank of armor and rustle of drawn swords. She swallowed, then stood tall. “Your Majesty, you have both saved my life and healed my injuries. I will be forever in your debt.”

Annalise’s heart jumped as she finally processed what had just happened. “Princess Codela… your throat…”

“Is healed, yes. Queen Annalise, you may be cursed, but the Goddess has also blessed you greatly.” The princess closed her mouth and looked up at the ceiling, briefly overcome with emotion, before lifting her skirts to reveal a leg twisted so terribly her foot pointed completely to the side. “I sense our countries are standing on the precipice, and I will repay your mercy with honesty. I wasn’t born with this twisted leg of mine, which many of this court scorn, and which is why I am so rarely here. When I was a girl, I was strong and carefree and could ride and run as far and as fast as my brother or any of my peers. My injury was the result of an accident, one that I fully believe Nelan engineered so he could take my place as heir. At the time, I was grateful I had escaped with my life, even if it meant losing the throne. Now, though, I have persevered, and the Goddess has seen fit to deal justice to my evil brother and his minions, and to place my rightful crown on my head. Thank you, Queen Annalise, for giving me this second chance.” She dropped into a deep curtsy, her twisted foot just barely visible beneath the hem of her skirt a reminder of what she’d survived.

Annalise returned the curtsy, her eyes filling with tears as she processed what Codela’s healing might mean. “Thank you, for confirming that perhaps there is more to my curse than I originally thought.”

When she rose, Annalise heard a snort and felt a puff of air at her back. She turned with her hand raised, ready to pat Brunen on the nose and thank her for all her help, but froze when instead of the seal brown mare, she found herself face-to-face with a chestnut rhys the color of a newly minted copper pot.

Before Annalise could lower her hand, the chestnut mare shoved her nose into her outstretched palm. A chill spread from her hand to her entire body, followed by a wave of goosebumps. As Annalise stared into the dark brown eyes of the rhys in front of her, a faint wild melody began to play, one that spoke of alpine breezes, and clear forest pools, and dawn breaking over snow-capped mountain peaks. A voice spoke directly into her head, one that warmed her to her toes and made her feel as though she’d finally come home.

Hello, Bright One. My name is Gryna, and I’m glad to finally meet you.

EPILOGUE

As Annalise looked out over the Dovean court room, she wondered for the thousandth time if she was dreaming. The reassuring presence of the throne at her back comforted her; its cold stone was a reminder of the many generations before who’d sat there and doled out judgments to the kingdom—some for better and others for worse.

She certainly wasn’t the first Dovean monarch, or the youngest, but Annalise hoped she would be known for her compassion, mercy, and just rulings, and that the shadow her father had long cast over the court would soon only be a distant memory.

“You may let the petitioners in,” she said to the head seneschal, who bowed and motioned for the doors of the throne room to open.

It was the first time she’d presided over the court as queen, and Annalise couldn’t help but fear that she was unworthy. As she waited for the lords and ladies of the court to enter and find their places, she clenched her fist and dug her fingernails into her palm until it smarted.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she didn’t wake up.

Stop that, or I’ll nip you. If you’re going to make me feel pain, I might as well be the cause of it, Gryna’s voice whispered in her head, breaking her concentration and bringing a smile to Annalise’s face.

Her rhys might be sassy, but she had Annalise’s best interests at heart. She reached to the side and stroked Gryna’s fiery chestnut wing in apology, marveling at the silken soft feathers.

The mare flicked her ear at Annalise, then turned her head and nuzzled her hand. If they’re going to make you fret, I’ll trample them all.

Thank you, Gryna. After this we can go for a ride, and I’ll give you an extra carrot for supper, Annalise responded.

A chuckle at her side made her turn. Soren sat next to her, a thin silver crown on his head. When they made eye contact, his grin stretched into a smile, and he reached for her. “Worried that you’re still asleep?”