Little Fox,
If you were attempting to write a threatening or persuasive letter, your skills need work. I donโt have time to tromp through the woods with you, but you can meet me at noon tomorrow in Capricorn Alley.
โJ
Dear Jacks,
I was only trying to be polite. Itโs a shame youโre so used to conniving and deception that you cannot even recognize courtesy. Not all of us rely on manipulation to get what we want.
Sincerely,
Evangeline Fox
Of course Evangeline couldnโt send that message, but it had felt good to write it before sneaking out to meet Jacks on the following day.
Sheโd been a little worried as to how sheโd manage it. After the incendiary scandal sheet article about her safety, Apollo had given her a pair of guards to make sure no one hurt her. But he also gave her absolute
freedom to do as she wished, and she used that freedom to gain information about Wolf Hallโs secret passages. There was one conveniently located in her room that sheโd used to make her escape.
Evangeline didnโt know if anyone would notice she was gone. But she hoped they wouldnโt track her down to the narrow strip of fog and dark that was Capricorn Alley.
She huddled deeper into her fur-lined cape and rubbed her hands together, wishing sheโd worn thicker gloves. Away from all the docks and shops, this alley felt like the sort of place a person would only find if they were lost. Snow had fallen across all of Valorfell overnight, but it seemed to have missed this uninviting spot, leaving its grim gray stones untouched. The only door had a ring of skulls emblazed upon it, which made her think the business done here was not the savory sort.
An unmarked black lacquered coach pulled up.
Her heart kicked out several extra beats. She wasnโt doing anything illicit or wrong. She was trying to do something right, something noble. But her heart must have felt a threat, for it continued to race as the door swung open and she slipped inside the carriage.
Jacks looked like a debauched stable boy whoโd stolen his masterโs coach. He lounged across one side of the carriage, one scuffed leather boot propped carelessly up on the cushions. A smoke-gray doublet was crumpled on the soft leather seat beside him, leaving him in a linen shirt with rolled- up sleeves and half-done buttons. Evangeline caught a hint of a rough scar on his chest, right as he set his jeweled dagger to a silver apple and began to slice.
โDo you stare at everyone like that, or just me?โ Jacks looked up. Vivid blue eyes met hers.
It shouldnโt have made her blood rush the way that it did. It wasnโt even that much of a gaze, more of an idle glance before he went back to slicing the metallic peel off his apple, filling the air with crisp sweetness.
Evangeline decided to get straight to the point. โI need you to undo whatever youโve done to Prince Apollo.โ
โWhatโs the matter?โย Slice.ย โHas he hurt you?โ
โNo, I donโt think Apollo would harm me. He practically worships me
โthatโs the problem. Iโm all he thinks about. He gives me bathtubs of jewels and tells me that Iโm the only thing he needs.โ
โI fail to see how thatโs an issue.โ Jacksโs sullen mouth settled somewhere between a frown and a laugh. โWhen you first came to my church, youโd lost your love. Now Iโve given you a new one.โ
โSo this is your doing?โ
Jacksโs eyes met hers, returning to ice. โLeave, Little Fox. Go back to your prince and your happily ever after, and donโt ask me that question again.โ
In other words:ย yes.
One by one, the tiny bubbles of hope inside of Evangeline broke.ย Pop.
Pop. Pop.
She had known it was all too much to be true. She sensed that she was living in an illusion and if she looked closely, sheโd see that everything sheโd thought was stardust was really just the burning embers of a wicked spell. Apollo didnโt love her; for all she knew, he didnโt even like her. Heโd once said she was his dream come true, but she was really his curse.
โIโm not leaving this carriage until you fix Apollo.โ โYou want him to fall out of love with you?โ
โApollo doesnโt actually love me. What heโs feeling isnโt real.โ
โIt feels real to him,โ Jacks drawled. โHeโs probably happier than heโs ever been in his life.โ
โBut life is about more than happiness, Jacks!โ She hadnโt meant to yell, but the Fate was absolutely maddening. โDonโt pretend youโve done nothing wrong.โ
โWrong and right are so subjective.โ Jacks sighed. โYou say what Iโve done to Apollo is wrong. I say Iโve done him a favor, and Iโm doing one for you as well. I suggest you take itโmarry the prince and let him make you a princess, and then a queen.โ
โNo,โ Evangeline said. This was not as bad as when Jacks had turned an entire wedding party to stone, but Apolloโs condition wasnโt something she could live with. She wanted to be someoneโs love, not their curse. And if
Apollo knew what had been done to him, she imagined he wouldnโt want to live with it either.
She also didnโt believe for a second that this was some sort of favor. Jacks wanted this wedding to happen. She still didnโt know why, but heโd gone to a lot of trouble for it.
โFix Apollo, or Iโll call off the wedding.โ
Jacks smirked. โYouโre not going to break an engagement with a prince.โ
โTry me. You didnโt believe Iโd drink from Poisonโs goblet either, but I did it.โ
Jacks clenched his jaw. She smiled, triumphant.
Then the coach started rumbling ahead.
Evangeline clutched the cushions to keep from falling forward into Jacksโs lap. โWaitโwhere are we going?โ
โYour next assignment.โ Jacksโs gaze landed on her wrist, and the two remaining broken heart scars started to burn.ย Prick. Prick.ย It was like hot teeth digging into her skin.
Evangeline gripped the cushions tighter, suddenly feeling queasy. She was still dealing with the consequences of her last kiss. She wasnโt ready for another one. And she was engaged, at least for now.
Jacksโs blue eyes twinkled as if he found her worry amusing. โDonโt fret, Little Fox. This will be a different sort of kiss. Iโm not about to ask you to do something that could put this wedding in jeopardy.โ
โI already told you. Thereโs not going to be a wedding if you donโt fix Apollo.โ
โIf I fix Apollo, there also wonโt be a wedding.โ โThen I guess Iโm canceling my engagement.โ
โDo that, and youโll be the one destroying him, not me.โ Jacks stabbed his apple with the knife. โIf you donโt marry Apollo, heโll be more heartbroken than you can imagine. And it will never heal with time, it will only grow and fester. Unless I will it, Apollo will never get over his unrequited love for you. He will spend the rest of his life consumed by it until it eventually destroys him.โ
Jacks finished with a smile that bordered on downright cheerful, as if the idea of leaving someone forever brokenhearted put him in a better mood.
He was terrible. There was no other word to describe himโexcept maybeย heartlessย orย depravedย orย rotten.ย The way Jacks seemed to enjoy pain was absolutely staggering. The apple in his hand probably possessed more sympathy than he did. This was not the same young man whoโd practically bled heartbreak all over the knave of his church. Something inside of him was broken.
LaLa had said there was a rumor that Jacks had been heartbroken by the empressโs younger sister. Evangeline hadnโt believed it initially. Jacks hadnโt appeared sad her first night in Valorfell, just crueler and colder. But maybe thatโs what heartbreak did to Fates? Maybe it didnโt leave them hurt and lonely and horribly unhappy. Maybe broken hearts just made Fates even more inhuman. Was that what had happened to Jacks?
โAre you feeling sorry for me?โ Jacks laughed, harsh and mocking. โDonโt, Little Fox. It would be a mistake for you to tell yourself that Iโm not a monster. Iโm a Fate, and you are nothing but a tool to me.โ He brought the tip of his dagger to his mouth and toyed with his lips until he drew several drops of blood.
โIf youโre trying to scare meโโ
โCareful with your threats.โ Jacks shot across the carriage and pressed the bloody tip of the dagger to the center of her mouth.
Evangeline might have gasped if sheโd not feared heโd slip the blade between her lips. His blue eyes were back to bright as he taunted her with the blade, pressing it to her closed mouth until she could taste the disturbing sweetness of his blood.
โThe only reason Iโm entertaining this conversation is because, as youโve realized, I need you to marry Apollo. So, I will give you a wedding gift. I promise to restore the prince and erase all his artificial feelings for you after you marry him.โ
The coach rocked to a sudden halt. But Jacks didnโt move, and neither did Evangeline. She didnโt even look out the window to see where theyโd stopped. She just kept her gaze on him.
Jacks had backed her into a corner. She had to marry Apollo to save him. And if she saved himโif Jacks erased Apolloโs feelings for herย afterย they were marriedโApollo would surely hate her almost as deeply as he thought he loved her right now.
The only person whoโd truly win would be Jacks.
Cautiously, she leaned back until Jacksโs knife was no longer at her lips. But she could still taste the sharp of his blade, the cold of the metal, and the sweet of his blood still staining her lips. She felt as if sheโd taste it forever. โAt least tell me why you want this wedding.โ
โJust accept the gift. What I want isnโt going to hurt anyone.โ
She eyed the jeweled dagger heโd just pressed to her lips. โI donโt think you and I have the same definition of hurt.โ
โBe thankful for that, Little Fox.โ Jacks gave her a smile that was all sharp edges. A drop of blood fell from the corner of his mouth, and something godforsaken washed over his expression. โHurt is what made me.โ