Page 88 of Apples Dipped in Gold

The wishing tree.

It was more beautiful than I had imagined.

The trunk was massive and the roots were deep. The branches too were long and thick and dense with evergreen foliage and large golden apples. They were so bright against the dark leaves, they almost blinded me.

The raven carried me near, but panic rose inside me as I realized I couldn’t let this creature take me any farther, but I had no idea how I was going to get down with his claws locked so keep inside me.

“Please,” I tried to speak, but my throat was so dry, I could not raise my voice.

Then I remembered the claw. The one Lore had threaded into my hair as he kissed me goodbye.

I reached to pull it free, screaming through the pain as I hacked at the raven’s feet. The bird gave a harsh cry and released me just as he flew over the wishing tree.

I fell, hitting the branches as I landed hard on my back.

I knew I was broken as I lay there on the ground, yet I felt no pain, only wonder as I stared up at the emerald canopy, heavy with golden fruit.

Something dropped near me, and I turned my head to the side. An apple had fallen within reach. I stretched, grazing its smooth skin with my fingertips, rolling it closer until I could take it in hand. I held it against my heart, and closed my eyes, wishing that Lore was no longer cursed.

Then I took a bite.

The skin was crisp and broke easily, flooding my mouth with sweetness.

It was the last thing I remembered and nothing more.

Chapter Thirteen

True Love’s Kiss

Lore

“Samara!”

I don’t know how many times I screamed her name and waited for a reply, but nothing came.

Still, I continued, clinging to the hope that she was alive on the other side of the mountain. I did not even care if she’d found the wishing tree. I did not care if she had eaten an apple or made a fucking wish.

All I wanted was for her to be alive.

“Why isn’t she answering?”

“Do not think on it, Prince, just keep going,” said Fox—or rather, Friedrich, who was not a fox at all, but a man cursed to live as a fox. After I’d managed to cut Michal’s throat, I’d come face to face with him and punched him in the face.

“What was that for?” he’d demanded, holding a hand to his cheek.

“I warned you when you slept on Samara’s bed that you had better be a fox,” I said.

Now he climbed the mountain behind me, dressed in Samara’s brothers’ clothes.

“I heard her scream,” I said. “I know the raven has taken her. Fuck!”

I wanted to stop. I wanted to beat my fist against this fucking mountain until I shattered it into a thousand pieces but that was not possible, so I kept climbing.

When we reached the very height of the Glass Mountains, the sun shone brilliantly on the horizon, and in the distance, I could see the dazzling turrets of my father’s castle. It had been a long time since I’d looked upon his golden castle, though it held little interest as I hugged the narrow peak of the mountain, finally making it to the other side.

Relief washed over me as I observed the valley below, but I was soon overcome with panic as I saw Samara lying beneath the branches of a skeletal tree.

“Samara!” I screamed, but she did not move. “Samara! Fuck!”