Before Beauty (22 page)

Garin had always made Nevina
nervous, so she would have seen his absence as a golden
opportunity. Nevina must have suspected that with only the prince
guarding the Fortress’s inhabitants, it would be easy to slip past
him. And it had been, it seemed.

As he had imagined all of the
horrible things the princess could be doing to Isa a cold, steely
fear had gripped his heart.

When he had first arrived in her
room, the young woman had been unresponsive to his initial attempts
to draw her from the nightmare. He’d cursed the dark princess as he
struggled to keep Isa from falling completely into her grasp. Isa’s
face had been ghostly, and sweat sheened her skin. As her breathing
had faltered, Ever had desperately poured even more strength into
drawing the poison from her mind. For a moment, it felt as if he
was losing his father again. But no, a part of his mind had
whispered to him. This would be worse.

Hours had passed as he’d gripped
her soft, crooked hand in his own bent claws. The servants had
watched in panic. Nothing like this had happened in the Fortress
since he was a small child, and few of them had ever been privy to
those awful episodes, spare Garin, Gigi, and the few servants who
had assisted them. Not even his parents had known about the
horrible nights he had passed, screaming as the darkness had tried
time and time again to poison his mind. And this time Nevina was
doing it to Isa.

Now that it was all over, Ever was
more exhausted than he’d ever been in his life, and yet, he
couldn’t sleep. The new knowledge that Nevina was handing out
weapons of her power to these strange Caregivers in Soudain
disturbed him. How long had the Tumenians been infiltrating the
capital, and wearing weapons of dark magic at that?

King Rodrigue had once suggested
that he and Ever create similar weapons for their own men,
talismans to hold a bit of the monarchs’ strength. Ever had pleaded
with him not to, however. Such power wasn’t meant for just anyone,
only those the Fortress had chosen, he had insisted. Ever had been
grateful when his father listened to him, but apparently, the idea
was not original to Rodrigue. Who knew how many men Nevina now had
in Soudain, armed with her twisted rings?

Ever hobbled over to the great
wardrobe in the center of the room, just beside the hearth. A weak
shine spilled out from the wardrobe as he removed the ring from its
case. Sitting, he turned it over again and again in his
hands.

If he had removed this ring from
its case ten years ago, it would have lit the whole tower in its
brilliance the moment he’d touched it. Even a year ago, the ring
had still shined for him when they had taken it from the queen’s
finger and given it to him for safekeeping. Now its shine was
little more than a reflection from the sun that was just beginning
to rise. As he held the ring, shame warred with desperation as it
never had before.

Ever finally fell into a restless
sleep with the ring still clasped in his hand. When he awakened, it
was nearly noon, and he could see Isa venturing out to the rose
garden. He had a sudden urge to go to her. Without thinking about
what he was doing, he put the ring away and made his way down to
the girl.

She was already dancing by the
time he arrived. He stood at the edge of the walk so as not to
startle her. When she finally stopped, he could see her cheeks were
flushed with the effort, and there were dark circles beneath her
eyes. She wore an expression of deep concentration as she danced
today. When she heard him approach, however, she stopped and dipped
into a quick curtsy.

“
Do you mind if I watch?” Ever
gestured to the stone bench nearby.

She gave him a wry smile. “My
guess is that you have been watching, otherwise you wouldn’t have
known where to find me.”

Ever smiled and conceded it was
thus. He was impressed as she resumed her movements. Compared to
the first time he’d seen her dance, her legs had grown noticeably
stronger, and she was more confident in her lunges and turns. A
tranquil smile lit her face as she moved, and sometimes, she closed
her eyes briefly as she slowed, as though not seeing would make a
movement just right.

“
Where did you learn?” he asked
when she was finished.

A bit breathless, Isa sat down
beside him. “I started dancing when I was very small. Too young,
really. I would go to the smaller square and watch the Soudain
dancers practice when I was four, and I would mimic them. Madame
Nicolette saw me once, and decided that I had some
talent.”

“
I remember her,” Ever said. “She
brought her students to the Fortress to perform at celebrations. I
remember hearing that they performed at official city events as
well.”

Isa nodded. “She took me under her
wing, and I became her special pupil as I grew older.” Isa’s eyes
took a far-off look. “I’m not sure if I was really as good as she
claimed, or if it was simply all the extra instruction, but by the
time I was eight, there was talk that I would–”

She stopped suddenly and shook her
head at the ground. “It doesn’t matter now. That was a long time
ago.”

The wistfulness in her voice made
Ever suddenly uncomfortable. Still, for some morbid reason, he
wanted to know. “Please tell me.”

After a moment, Isa spoke slowly.
“There was talk that I would be her lead dancer by the time I was
twelve.”

Ever sat quietly as the entire
weight of his foolish boyhood action threatened to drown him. In
addition to all the other things he had taken from her, this future
had been stolen as well. As always, there was one more sin, one
more piece of her life that he had stolen in his youthful
foolishness and never sought to repair.

“
I am sorry,” was all he could
say. He didn’t dare to look into her eyes.

“I think that is the reason I was
so angry for so many years.” When she spoke, however, Isa’s voice
wasn’t tearful as he’d feared it might be, but thoughtful instead.
“I felt like I’d been robbed of my purpose, like I had no other
reason to survive, other than not to be a burden to my family.
I
needed
to be
needed.”

“
You’re needed here.” An odd wave
of boldness struck Ever, and he reached up and gently cupped her
face in his hand, turning it so that she had to look into his eyes.
As he touched her, he couldn’t help but notice the strange ripples
of energy that it sent through him. Even more enthralling was that
she simply gazed back at him, and to his delight, she didn’t pull
away.

“
Why?” she breathed. “Why do you
need me?”

“
In truth, I know not sure why the
Fortress chose you,” he admitted, still touching her face. “But the
Fortress doesn’t choose people by accident. What I do know is that
we needed a light in the darkness of this curse, a beacon to follow
in the night. You have been, and will continue to be that
light.”

He let go of her chin, but ran his
fingers lightly across her jawbone, and to his surprise, she smiled
hesitantly. Gingerly, with a great deal of reluctance, he pulled
his hand back before it decided to touch her again on its own
accord. “Do you feel like you’re needed now?” he asked
breathlessly.

She studied him for what felt like
a long time before answering. “I’m beginning to.”

An idea hit him, and with it, a
pang of guilt, but he acted upon it anyway. “Come with me. I need
to show you something.”

Back in the Tower of Annals, he
went to the wardrobe for the second time that day and opened up the
case. “This is the Queen’s Ring. Every queen has worn this since
the Fortress was created.”

“
It’s lovely,” Isa whispered,
staring wide-eyed at the silver ring. At its center, a flat, round
blue crystal was surrounded by smaller white crystals that lay in
silver vines that weaved in and out of one another. Still holding
the ring, Ever led her over to the full-length oval mirror that
stood near one of the window walls. Gently, he pressed the ring
into her right palm.

“
Now,” he pointed to mirror,
“look.”

Isa gasped as she gazed into the
glass. Her eyes flamed bright blue, and the ring threw bright
streaks of its own light across the room as she held it.

“
What’s happening?” she
murmured.

“
Your power has been maturing
since you arrived. You just weren’t ready to see it yet. Until
now.” Taking her by the shoulders, he pulled her away from the
mirror to face him. “You are stronger than you think,
Isabelle.”

“
But…I don’t know what to do with
it, or even how it works!” she protested, looking back into the
mirror.

“
I can teach you!” he insisted,
hoping to quell her fears before she thought too long about them.
“And the Fortress will give you what you need! Your power is still
young, and yet, you cannot deny that you’ve brought the Fortress
back to life!”

Isa frowned a bit. “You’re still
not healed. And neither are the soldiers.”

Ever wished briefly that he hadn’t
told her about the stone army that still stood on the back lawn.
“You will be capable of even more very soon. Trust me.” The words
tasted sour as he spoke them.

As he took the ring back, it
immediately dulled at his touch. She eyed him suspiciously, but he
ignored it, gently taking her by the hand and leading her to the
door. “I will see you tonight. We will have much to discuss, but
you need to rest first. Last night was a long one.”

She gave him a funny look, but
finally nodded before beginning down the steps.

As she left, Garin walked up.
“Sire,” he gave Ever a long, dissatisfied look up and down, “you
should be resting.”

“
I take it then that you’ve
heard.”

“
The servants can speak of nothing
else.” Garin frowned as he poured a glass of the nectar tea he’d
brought with him, and handed it to Ever. “I thought Nevina might
try something while I was gone, but I didn’t think she would be so
bold. However, I see that the night’s events haven’t frightened
Isabelle off completely.”

“
She is ready, Garin.” Ever had
taken the ring out again, unable to keep it locked away this
morning, it seemed, and was turning the silver band over in his
hands once more.

Garin frowned again, even more
deeply this time, the thin lines on his forehead wrinkling in
disapproval. “If that is so, then why do you look so guilty?” When
Ever didn’t answer, his expression softened a bit. “You love her,
don’t you?”

Ever still couldn’t answer. His
mentor, however, was too familiar with his ways to be
fooled.

“
You know you could heal her
now.”

“
I would if I could!” Ever threw
his hands up in frustration. “But if I used that kind of power now,
my flame would be extinguished.” He shook his head and walked over
to the window wall to stare at the great valley below
him.

“
I will pay her back one day. I’ll
make it right. One day, she’ll understand…” His voice trailed off.
He wasn’t even convincing himself, let alone the
steward.

“
Or,” Garin interjected, “she will
be unprepared and vulnerable, and she won’t be able to heal you.
You will die, and she’ll be left to rule a cursed castle without a
guide or companion.” He shook his head. “What kind of life is that
for the woman you love?”

“
What choice do I have?” Ever
exploded. He dropped into a chair and buried his head in his hands.
“Either way I die. Either way, I lose her.”

Garin’s voice was kinder this time
as he softly called the prince by the nickname he’d given him as a
small boy. “Ever, has it crossed your mind that perhaps the
Fortress hasn’t done all of this simply to spite you? That perhaps,
there is a lesson to be learned?”

Ever looked at him miserably, so
Garin continued. “If she was truly ready, she wouldn’t have
trembled so as she ran down those steps just now. Gigi says we
nearly lost her last night. Just as you weren’t ready when you were
seven, I’m telling you, she is not ready now. Trust the Fortress!
You weren’t born with your strength by accident, and she wasn’t
brought here by chance. There’s a purpose in all of this, I
promise! The Fortress never forsakes its chosen! The fact that it
brought Isa to you should be proof enough for that.”

But Ever shook his head.
“Unfortunately, , as much as I would like to, I have seen too much
to hold onto such a childish hope as that.”

And with that, he slipped the ring
into his pocket. After last night’s assault, it was clear that the
Fortress no longer cared what befell them inside its own walls. He
would have to do this on his own.

CHAPTER
SIXTEEN

The Best Laid
Plans

As soon as she returned to her chambers, Gigi
fussed at Isa until she agreed to lie down and rest before dinner.
But it was hard to sleep. The memory of last night’s terror still
lingered fresh in her mind. Even stronger than the memory of the
terror though, was the foreign excitement she felt in her body and
soul as she tried to close her eyes.

How odd to think that just at the
end of last summer, she had been abandoned and directionless. Now,
at the dawn of this spring, she had both a purpose and, she hoped,
someone who cared as much about her as much as she did him. The way
he had looked at her that morning sent shivers up her spine, the
fervor of his protection last night through her terrors, how he
somehow believed in her even when she couldn’t believe in herself
were all pieces of a dream she could not have imagined last
year.