Rotting Beauty by Elizabeth K. King

Author:Elizabeth K. King [Elizabeth King]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Elizabeth King
Published: 2023-08-09T00:00:00+00:00

16

Ultimatum

Garrett thought neither Isabelle nor Demetri understood how much he did not want to pay a visit to the witch responsible for Snow’s death, given all the ways they tried to talk him out of it. But he saw no other solution, nowhere else they could turn for answers, so in the end, it was decided they would do just that. The train was still broken, and they all agreed it would be best if Briar had a few days to rest, per Thatcher’s instructions. And it just so happened that the queen’s prison was only a hundred miles south of Isabelle’s manor.

“It doesn’t bother you?” Demetri asked Isabelle. “Living so close to her prison?”

Isabelle glowered at Garrett. “I didn’t know I lived so close to her prison.”

Garrett looked unrepentant. “I thought best not to mention it. We can find you a manor in the Black Forest, if you prefer.”

“What a choice.” Isabelle rolled her eyes. “A witch, or ghouls and beasts?”

“There's no such thing as ghouls,” Garrett said. “And if there are, then someone find me some for my next quest.”

He joked, but inside, Garrett felt like his stomach was shriveling. He hadn’t laid eyes on the queen since she was tried a year and a half ago. He had no desire to see her again. He feared what memories and feelings she might drudge up. And then he felt annoyed with himself for fearing his own feelings.

“It should be a two-day ride on horseback then,” Demetri mused.

“Forget horseback,” Isabelle said. “There’s an old self-propelled carriage in the garage. I’m not sure it works, but you can try it?”

The black, four-wheeled carriage was old, a model that was used in the earlier half of the century before trains became the common mode. As a result, the carriage was not quite in working condition, but with Alec’s help, they got it up and running in time to leave first thing the next morning.

Before setting out, Garrett made a stop by the kitchen to pack some provisions. One of the soldiers had already seen to that, of course, but Garrett liked to have an extra snack or two on him.

He rounded the entrance into the kitchen and ran straight into Briar.

“Oh.” Before he could stop himself, Garrett reached up and grasped Briar’s arm, half to steady her and half to keep himself from toppling forward. Briar backed up a step, into the kitchen counter, and Garrett dropped his hand in a flash, as though he’d burned it. “Sorry.”

“It’s all right.” A brief smile touched Briar’s face. “My fault.”

“No, it wasn’t,” said Garrett, and then he cursed himself, wondering why on earth he was being so stupid and arguing with her. He stumbled back a step and bumped into the doorframe behind him. Quickly, he crossed his arms over his chest, trying to make it look as though he’d done it on purpose. He leaned against the doorframe, adopting a casual pose.

Another smile tugged at Briar’s lips, and Garrett couldn’t help but wonder if she’d seen through his pose.

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