(CORRINE)
Two days I am kept without food or water. My lips are cracked, and the guard who gave me the blanket was severely punished and removed from his duty.
I feel bad for him. He was simply trying to pay me back for a kindness.
On the third day, I hear footsteps approaching my cell. I'm leaning against the back wall, my body limp. I don't even have the strength to move my arms. My vision is blurry.
Are they going to do it now? I wonder dimly. Can't they just get it over with? Is Locke back?
"Oh, Your Majesty," I hear someone cry, and then the cell door is opened. Something is pressed to my mouth, something wet, and I taste it. It's water. Eagerly, I swallow it.
Sigrid's voice is horrified. "What have they done to you?" I hear her sob. "Rothan!"
"I know, Mother."
Something else is held to my mouth, and this time it's not water. Medicine?
I feel my body tremble, and some of my energy returns. My vision grows clear, and I see Sigrid and Rothan crouching before me.
"I'm going to take you away from here, Your Majesty," Rothan says in a low voice.
"Has my execution been decided?" I ask hollowly.
"I'm not going to let that happen!" Sigrid grabs my hands fiercely. "Nothing will happen to you. Rothan is going to take you to Locke."
I don't understand what is happening. "But he wants me dead."
She shakes her head. "I don't believe it. Once he sees you, he'll change his mind."
"Change his mind?" I mumble, looking between the two of them. A stark realization forms in the pit of my stomach as my last delusion shatters. "He really did order my execution, then?"
Rothan looks away, but I have already seen the guilt in his eyes.
Sigrid denies it vehemently. "I refuse to believe it. Your Majesty, King Locke cares for you deeply. There has to be some misunderstanding."
I want to tell her she's wrong, but I don't have the heart to say it. "Rothan will take you to the king. The witch is waiting outside."
"The witch?" I'm struggling to follow her.
"Freya," Sigrid says quickly. "The girl, the young witch who helped you with the heated carpets and the plants. She's going to get you out of here. Rothan will bring you to Locke, and once he sees you, he'll make the right decision."
I see the look Rothan gives her, and I know he doesn't believe his mother. I give him a small, tired smile.
Maybe Locke will kill me himself. At least he might be merciful.
Sigrid wraps me in a thick cloak. "It'll take you one day to get there. Trust me, you'll see. The king cares for you."
"What about the guards?" I look toward the metal bars as Rothan replies.
"Knocked out. One of the maids put sleeping pills in their food."
"A maid?"
"A girl who once served you," Sigrid says. "She's the one who let me out and who informed Rothan about what was happening down here. She was determined to help us. Now, go. Hurry."
Rothan picks me up in his arms, but Sigrid stops him. "Wait. One minute."
She grabs my cheeks and presses a loving kiss against my forehead. When she looks at me, her eyes are red. "You will be fine. You will be absolutely fine."
I know I am never going to see her again, and I squeeze her hand with every bit of energy I can muster. "Thank you for being a mother to me, Sigrid. I never had one before."
Tears slide down her cheeks, and Rothan carries me out of the cell. He covers my face with the cloak, so I don't see where we're going. But he's moving very fast.
I'm feeling weak, but there's nothing I can do. I can only hope for a painless death.
When Rothan finally comes to a stop, he removes the cloak and helps me stand on my feet.
There is a young, redheaded girl standing a few feet from me, and her eyes fill with relief. "Your Majesty! You got here just in time. Mr. Rothan, can you go keep an eye out while I carve the pentagram?"
Rothan nods and hurries away.
Freya doesn't begin carving any pentagram, though. Instead, she takes my hands and begins to chant. I feel the energy return to me, and the exhaustion fades away. When I smile at her, there is a strange expression on her face. She's looking down at my stomach.
"You must live, Your Majesty. No matter what happens or what you believe, you have to live. There is something you must protect now."
"Protect?" My eyes follow her gaze to my stomach, and her meaning could not be clearer. My heart skips a beat. "You're wrong."
She shakes her head, her countenance grave. "I can sense it. I am never wrong, not about something like this. Here, bring this with you." She takes my hand and ties a small bracelet around my wrist. "It's a precaution I created for you. If you think you are in danger, head to the Veil. This will guide you to an opening there. You will have to protect yourself, but it will get you to the Veil. I can guarantee you that much."
She picks up a stick from the ground and begins carving in the dirt.
I clutch my stomach, trying to process what she has just told me. I can't be with child. I know I can't because a female shifter can only conceive on the full moon. Therefore, it is simply not possible. She has to be mistaken.
But when I first met Freya, she was working as a midwife's assistant in the village. She told me herself that she uses her magic to detect whether a woman is pregnant or not.
Is it a miracle? If what Freya says is true, then I can't—I can't die. If I'm carrying a baby, I'm not going to let Bella or even Locke kill it. Their reputations don't matter to me. Their hatred for me doesn't matter at all.
Amid the darkness and agony inside me, a seed of hope is planted, and it begins to bloom. And that is followed by a fierce desire to live.
"It's ready!" Freya calls out, and Rothan runs back to us.
Taking me by the hand, he enters the pentagram, and Freya begins to chant. I close my eyes, and when I open them, I'm no longer standing within the castle grounds.
"Where are we?" I ask slowly, looking around. There's nothing but land for miles.
"We're near the border. If we travel for half a day, we'll see the edge of the Misty Forest."
The Misty Forest. I've heard of it. In fact, I heard Locke talking about it. A part of the Veil is there.
"Should we shift?" I ask.
He shakes his head. "If we shift, our magical energy will draw the monsters to us. We'll have to walk from here."
I feel relieved by this. I need time to think about my next move.