Once upon a time, the Cursed Forest was supposedly not cursed at all. It was said to have been the loveliest forest in the Magnificent North. The sort of forest that the best parts of fairytales were born from, full of friendly forest folk willing to guide lost travelers back to their paths or help wounded ones find aid. This forest was filled with flowers that produced light at night and birds that sang music so sweet even the hardest heart wept at hearing it.
It was believed to have been a favorite forest of the Valors, and the Valors were said to be the forest’s favorite family.
Thus when the Valors were all beheaded, the forest grieved for its beloved family. It grieved so deeply that it transformed into something else entirely. Something cursed that in turn cursed all those who dared to enter it.
Some say this curse was the forest’s way of trying to make others love it the way that the Valor family had loved it—for the curse of the forest was a peculiar sort of curse. At first it didn’t even seem like a curse, it seemed a bit like a wonder. Until more and more Northerners went into the forest and never came out.
And so in true Northern fashion, it was decided that all paths to the Cursed Forest should be cursed as well, so that Northerners would stop
disappearing inside of it.
Unfortunately, there were disagreements on how best to bewitch the roads, so several sloppy spells were all cast at once.
Evangeline was unaware of this history. But as soon as she reached the path she’d chosen to take with her guards, she immediately saw the evidence of such spells. It began with a sprinkle that was not too bad at first, but the rain grew heavier as the road went on. Suddenly there were gusts of wind and lashes of rain that pelted her sideways and slantways.
Soon she was soaked. She wasn’t sure how long the road was, but it felt like the rain beat down on her forever. It was so tempting to turn around. But she had to tell Apollo that Jacks had been sneaking into the castle to see her.
The only weapon Evangeline had was the jeweled dagger Jacks had given her. It was tucked into a little green velvet belt that circled the waist of her gown, and she told herself if she saw him again, she wouldn’t hesitate to use the blade. And yet, a part of her feared she might not actually be able to stab him. There was also a twisted part of her that was scared she might never see him again. Her stomach clenched as she remembered how she had turned her back on him last night and how he hadn’t chased after her.
She knew Jacks was the enemy, but a part of her still felt bewitched by the thought of Archer. On her own, she would never defeat him. Evangeline needed Apollo and his army and whatever else he had, and tromping along a rainy path was a tiny price to pay for that.
“Just keep going,” Joff said as the wind whipped his cape around his face and spattered his boots with mud.
Evangeline was grateful the men had not let her leave the castle wearing only slippers or they would surely have gotten stuck in the path, like so many others had before her. Instead of cobblestones, bits of the road were entirely paved with shoes. Then there were the overturned carriages that lined the way—all of which appeared to be very old. It seemed most Northerners were now familiar with the spells that prevented all manner of transportation, save for one’s own feet, into the Cursed Forest.
“We’re almost there,” called Hale. As he spoke, a sign popped up on the side of the road.
O N E H U N D R E D S T E P S
T O T H E C U R S E D F O R E S T —
You Can Still Turn Around!
The rain poured harder as Evangeline passed it, making loose bits of hair stick to her face. She was barely able to make out another sign a few moments later:
W H Y H AV E N ’ T Y O U
T U R N E D A R O U N D Y E T ?
The rain became angrier, falling in sheets until she reached a final sign that read:
Welcome to the Best Day of Your Life!
The wood was pink and the words were gold and it was the most peculiar thing. As soon as Evangeline reached the sign and read its words— which happened all at once—the rain suddenly ceased. She could still hear the harsh pound of its fall against the ground. But when she turned around to look at the path she’d just trod, it appeared as dry as a valley on a hot sunny day.
“There’s no rainfall in the Cursed Forest,” said Joff. “That’s the other reason all the paths in and out of it are spelled. If you get lost, the rainfall is the one way you can be sure you’re out of the forest.”
“So we’re in the forest now?” Evangeline asked, looking at all the camps surrounding them.
After the difficult road to get here and all the warning signs, she’d expected something a little more sinister. She’d pictured shadows, spiderwebs, and lots of creepy-crawlies, but all she saw was a dusky sky on the verge of sunset above a village of colorful silk tents festooned with flag bunting—as well as lots of men and women all dressed for an adventure.
There were horses, too, a number of dogs, and quite a few falcons perched on shoulders.
Evangeline strained to see beyond the camps, looking for trees or even just leaves. But past the tents, all she saw was a misty blur of colors that made her think of the end of the rainbow.
“We’re in the in-between,” said Hale.
“You’ll know when you’re in the forest,” added Joff.
“Evangeline! I mean, Your Highness!” cried Aurora Vale as she skipped forward, her perfectly curled violet ringlets bouncing.
While everyone else in the nearby campsites looked frazzled by the rain, Aurora appeared as fresh as a flower. Her light gray boots, which laced up to her knees, were pristine, as was her short armor-plated dress and the quiver of silver-tipped arrows at her back.
Hale stood straighter at the sight of her, while Joff quickly smoothed his unruly hair.
“I didn’t know you were joining the Hunt!” Aurora said excitedly. “You can be on a team with me and my sister, Vesper.”
“Thank you, but I’m only here to find Apollo.”
“You could always join the lovely miss after you find him,” offered Joff. “I’m sure the prince wouldn’t mind,” added Hale quickly.
Evangeline wasn’t sure she agreed. But she also wasn’t sure the guards were quite in their right minds. Even before the lovely Aurora had dazzled them with her arrival, the men’s faces had filled with adventurelust at the sight of all the flapping tents and sharpened weapons.
“Oh, please, do ask your prince to join! We would have so much fun together.” Aurora looked up at Evangeline with an expression that was a bit like a puppy that hoped it could go out to play. Of course, puppies didn’t usually have arrows at their backs, arrows that they planned to shoot at other puppies.
“I’ll think about it,” Evangeline said. “But I must find Apollo first.”
“I can take you to him,” Aurora said. “I just saw him over that way. His camp is beyond the collection of tents from House Casstel.” She pointed north, where there was a stretching village of pale blue tents striped with silver and a number of rather tall men and women all dressed to match.
“I’m afraid the lady is mistaken,” said a new voice that Evangeline didn’t recognize, at least not at first. But as soon as she turned, she saw the friendly face of Lord Byron Belleflower.
He smiled kindly, just as he had last night when she’d met him at the dinner and he had regaled her with all sorts of humorous stories about Apollo. She wasn’t sorry to see him again, but now was not the best time.
“I didn’t even hear you arrive, my lord.”
That wasn’t all too surprising when Aurora Vale was captivating everyone’s attention and Lord Byron Belleflower looked as if he’d dressed to be overlooked.
Today he wore brown pants, a leather vest, and a beige shirt with sleeves rolled up to the elbows. Unlike Aurora, Lord Belleflower didn’t wear any arrows on his back. All he had was a small dagger at his belt and a knife at his hip.
“I thought we were friendly enough that you could call me Byron. And forgive me for startling you, Your Highness. I just came from seeing Apollo. He was speaking with the Guild of Heroes over there, right next to where his camp actually is.” Byron indicated the opposite direction, past a row of food tents, where Evangeline spied a valley of dark green tents, surrounded by clusters of men and women who all seemed to either have a pet dog or bird of prey.
“That’s impossible,” said Aurora, a sudden flush rising to her cheeks. “The prince along with his royal camp are in the other direction. I was just there a few minutes ago, before I found Princess Evangeline here.”
“Your Highness,” said Byron calmly, “forgive me for insulting your friend, but I fear she’s either addled or lying. The prince is not that way.”
“I am not—”
Da-da-da-da! A host of trumpets sounded in the distance, interrupting Aurora’s protests. A moment later, a nearby herald dressed in royal colors cried:
“Attention! Attention! The Hunt will officially commence in ten minutes. Ten minutes until the Hunt begins!”
Evangeline was running out of time.
“Well then, it looks like we should all be off,” said Aurora, as if the argument had never even happened.
Joff and Hale immediately started to follow her with their heads held high and their shoulders back. They would have probably followed her into a volcano if she asked.
Byron was not as dazzled. He gave Evangeline a quick pleading look. “You’re making a mistake if you go with her,” he said quietly.
Evangeline quickly peered around the closest campsite, hoping to ask a passerby if they had seen the prince. But everyone was heading in the opposite direction toward the misty edge of the Cursed Forest, and Apollo was probably doing the same. She needed to make a decision if she wanted to tell him about Jacks before the Hunt began and Apollo entered the forest. “I’m sure one of you must be simply mistaken,” Evangeline said
sweetly.
Although she didn’t actually believe this. One of them was lying. Both of them looked offended.
Aurora had stopped walking away. She looked as if she wanted to swear that she was virtuous and would never tell a lie, but then she simply pursed her lips and gave Byron a venomous look that turned her face from lovely to ugly in an instant.
Evangeline didn’t trust her. Something about Aurora just didn’t sit right with her. She’d started to feel suspicious after she’d drawn attention to Evangeline’s knife and then waylaid her in the hall with accusations of an affair.
She wasn’t sure she trusted Byron, either. After all that had happened within the last few days, Evangeline was feeling rather distrustful of everyone. But the young lord also hadn’t given her a reason not to trust him. “Joff, why don’t you go with Aurora,” Evangeline said. “If you find the prince first, tell him I’m looking for him and not to join the Hunt until I find him. It’s important. Hale and I will head the other way with Lord
Belleflower.”
Hale looked dejected at having to leave Aurora.
“I’m sure we’ll see her again,” said Evangeline as they followed Byron toward the food tents, which actually appeared to serve far more ale than food.
Torches illuminated the people who lingered around them. Evangeline watched as a group clinked their glasses together and cheered, “To the Hunt!”
“Good luck, my friends!” said Byron with a wave.
The men and women all lifted their glasses and cheered again.
“Five minutes!” cried a herald in the distance. “Five minutes until the Hunt begins!”
This herald was farther away than the last one. Evangeline didn’t even see him appear. She just heard his voice, fainter than earlier, before it trailed
off entirely.
The tents they walked by now, apparently belonging to the Guild of Heroes, were quiet as well. It seemed all the heroes had already started toward the forest. All that lingered was a thin spiral of smoke from a freshly doused fire. The chatter, the laughter, the sharpening of swords had stopped.
Evangeline hoped they weren’t too late. She didn’t want to chase Apollo into the actual Cursed Forest, especially now that the sun was setting.
“Are we almost there?” she asked.
“It’s just a little farther,” said Byron confidently.
But as the sky darkened and tendrils of fog crept in around them, it seemed that they were moving closer to the edge of the Cursed Forest instead of toward a camp.
Evangeline feared she’d perhaps made a mistake to go with him. She pulled away, moving closer to Hale.
“You should stay by me.” Byron took Evangeline’s wrist, bringing her back toward him. The fog had grown thicker, turning from mere tendrils to a dense mist that came up to their knees, but it was Byron’s hold that now made her nervous.
“Please, let me go,” she said, and she tried to tear away. But Byron held on tighter.
“Lord Belleflower.” Hale’s hand hovered over the hilt of his sword as he spoke. “Princess Evangeline asked you to release her.”
Byron’s mouth tipped into a smile. It was one of those moments that moved slow and fast all at once. As Byron’s smile slid slowly into place, he reached for his knife so quickly that Evangeline didn’t even see it until it shot through the air and buried itself in Hale’s throat.
Hale dropped to the ground and blood poured from his neck. “No! Hale!” she screamed. “Hale!”
Byron quickly cut her off. He clamped one hand over her mouth and wrapped his other arm around her tightly. “Time to pay for what you did to Petra.”
“Who is Petra?” Evangeline cried, not that the words came out. She thrashed, but Byron only constricted his grip on her and dragged her backward through the dirt. There were no more tents now, just heavy fog and the two of them—alone.
She tried to kick, to step out—to do everything Archer had taught her— but her feet were barely on the ground. Only the tips of her toes were
scraping the dirt. She had no leverage.
She did, however, have a hand that was just close enough to grab the dagger wedged in her belt. She imagined she had only one chance to use it, one chance to save her own life.
She grabbed the dagger and thrust it up, slicing through Byron’s wrist. “You bitch!”
“That was for Hale!” Evangeline yelled as Byron’s hands fell away. Then she ran.
