Page 17

“Or you could bring me to her. No harm will come to the young woman; I am a good fairy godfather. The golden princess is key to the success of my mission.” He spoke with all the charm of a drill instructor.

“Good to know, good fairy.”

Bogumil gave him a gracious nod.

So, were all fay beings unable to process sarcasm, or was it just this one?

“What exactly do you mean by ‘golden’ princess?” Kazik asked.

The mage visibly stiffened. “I was informed that the princess of Castle Valga has long golden hair.”

“She does, but why is her hair color connected with saving Wroc?aw?”

Visibly relieved, Bogumil looked down his long nose at Kazik. “The three elements I have chosen to play a key role in my corrective plan for this grand duchy are all golden and magical.”

“Why?”

“Why not? The three diverse creatures of gold—in hue if not in essence—shall anchor my civilizational curse-cure.”

“Did you just call it a ‘curse-cure’? If that isn’t an oxymoron, I don’t know what is!” Kazik folded his arms and lowered one brow.

“Do not regard me with judgment in your heart, human. This type of curse brings about restoration, not destruction. Have you never encountered such a spiritual paradox?”

Kazik opened his mouth to mock the mage, then paused to reconsider.

“Now”—Bogumil made a shooing motion—“find her for me. The other two elements and the stumbling block and the guide are now in place, so once the golden princess is situated, the Restorative Quest Curse of Wroc?aw will commence.”

“Have you done something like this before?” Kazik inquired. “And how many names does this curse go by? I’ve counted two now.”

“This is my first attempt at a complex combination curse,” Bogumil admitted. “Choosing its name has proven more difficult than expected. Now, go and find the golden princess.”

Kazik didn’t bother to fight the compulsion in the mage’s voice. After all, he wanted to find Helena, and he intended to be the one to wake her. She wouldn’t be sticking around to get kissed by anyone else.

He first checked the stables and found dormant horses, stable hands, the coachman, dogs, and cats scattered about.

As far as he could tell, not even the mice were awake.

The king’s coach was parked in the coach house—he recognized it, still dirty from travel.

Exactly when had King Ryszard and Helena left Mnisztwo Castle?

They couldn’t have arrived home very long before Kazik rode through the gates.

He’d asked Helena to wait for him in Geoffroi’s pocket world.

How long had she waited before she realized he wasn’t coming?

He didn’t look forward to explaining his failure to meet her, but at least then she would know he hadn’t forgotten her.

And once he kissed her awake, everything else should fall into place.

As he searched, he felt sad that he’d never seen the inside of Helena’s home before; there had always been some excuse preventing a visit.

Of course, his father had never intended the betrothal to end in marriage.

Apparently, the grand duke’s friendship with King Ryszard mattered only as it benefited his ambitions.

Had his father ever really loved his mother?

They had always been respectful to each other in his presence, and he’d seen his father’s expression soften when he looked at his wife.

But did he truly love her? Did she love and respect him?

Kazik had never seriously considered their relationship before.

How self-absorbed was that?

Kazik didn’t know the first thing about being a husband.

Maybe Helena and he understood each other reasonably well for two overgrown children who’d exchanged a few words, held hands on rare occasions, and promised before a crowd to love each other .

. . but that wasn’t saying much. He couldn’t begin to explain his devotion to her with words that would make sense to anyone else.

He simply knew that Helena Tarnowska was the only girl he would ever marry.

He hadn’t chosen her only for her gorgeous hair and smile and eyes and skin and .

. . yeah, everything else. She was also brave and independent and intelligent and kind and .

. . well, he believed they had a deeper connection that words couldn’t describe.

As if someone had planned the two of them for each other.

Such thoughts filled his head while he scoured every level, room, passage, stairwell, corridor, closet, and cupboard of Castle Valga in search of his intended bride.

Sleeping guards and servants dotted the hallways and cluttered the kitchens.

Some of the rooms were well lit, but Bogumil’s lantern came in handy in the dark corridors and staircases.

Its light flickered across inert bodies in nearly every room and passage.

Partway up one spiral staircase he found the lamplighter sound asleep, his wick still glowing.

Kazik grimly focused on finding Helena, refusing to let the weirdness faze him.

In the royal chambers, he found King Ryszard asleep in his armchair in a drawing room, with two spaniels dozing in his lap and a large hound at his stockinged feet, which extended toward the shimmering coals on the hearth. Even the fire seemed to burn in its sleep.

Farther along that corridor, he found a suite of rooms that Kazik knew must be Helena’s.

A fire burned in the sitting room, but only one candle lamp illuminated her bedchamber.

Silky blue cloth curtained her platform bed.

Tapestries depicting horses and flowers lined the walls, and a collection of toy birds and animals cluttered her dressing table.

Sadly, the little horse he’d carved for her years ago wasn’t among them.

Where was his princess? He combed her suite and then the entire castle from top to bottom all over again. When he located a door chained shut in the castle’s basement, he first suspected Helena might be imprisoned there. But that made no sense.

Maybe a monster lurked beyond that door? The silence and solitude worked on his imagination.

Setting his jaw, he used a mental trick he’d figured out before he even knew magic was a thing—and opened the padlock.

What lay beyond that door took him by surprise.

A tunnel cut through solid stone exited into a high-ceilinged cave brimming with magic.

Wardrobes full of women’s garments and shoes lined its walls.

Kazik thought the clothing looked too mature for Helena, but he was no judge of fashion.

His reflection in an unnaturally flawless wall of mirrors startled him; he scowled at his own dirty face.

The distant roar of water drew his attention to another stone corridor, which he followed, almost mesmerized by shimmering ambient light.

He emerged into a wonderland. Before him lay an indoor-outdoor luxury spa of pools, luminous hot springs, and waterfalls somehow positioned between the castle’s back wall and the steep hillside. Who would lock away such a marvel? Nothing about it seemed dangerous or illicit.

But of what use was a magical spa? He’d discovered no evidence whatsoever that Helena returned home with her father. What if she never left Mnisztwo Castle?

But why would King Ryszard drive off without his only child? Was he forced to leave? If Helena hid somewhere in the gardens behind Mnisztwo Castle and waited for Kazik like he’d asked her to do, she must think he’d deserted her! What a fool he was!

Back in the Great Hall, he found the council mage pacing the flagstones. “Princess Helena isn’t here,” Kazik told him outright. “The king is sound asleep in his chambers, and I found many sleeping servants, but no princess. I’ve got to go find her.”

The fay mage’s expression turned thunderous. “She must be here! Yesterday, I stood invisible in your father’s Council Chamber when he told King Ryszard the betrothal was broken.”

“What happened next?”

“The king called for his coach and left.”

“Did the princess go with him?”

“He certainly wouldn’t have left without his daughter. He was furious!”

Kazik wanted to say “Never assume,” but he’d made the same assumption, so he asked the mage, “Did you ever see her at Mnisztwo Castle? She is quite tall—taller than I am—and very slim. Her hair is golden, and her eyes are blue.”

Bogumil went still. “Was she wearing blue?”

“Yes. So, you did see her?”

“You say she is tall for a girl her age?”

“Yes. About this tall.” Kazik approximated her height with one hand. “And very pretty.”

“Oh.” The mage cleared his throat. “Yesterday afternoon, when I first arrived at the grand duke’s castle, I sensed unusual magic emanating from unlawful containment spells concealed on the property.

I made good use of their contents—a captive golden horse and golden bird actually volunteered to take part in my Kingdom of Gold Curse. ”

“I know them,” Kazik said. “They were captives?”

“Yes, and I also discovered an orchard of quite extraordinary golden-apple trees.”

“At Mnisztwo Castle??” Kazik scoffed. “I’ve never seen any golden-apple trees.”

“The orchard was inside another containment spell. I would guess the duke’s been trading bushels of golden apples for political favors or treasures on the covert market. Your father has, or maybe had , quite the collection.”

“But about Helena . . .” Kazik continued his tale: “After the melee ended, I promised to meet her, but you already know my father delayed me for hours. Did you happen to see her in the gardens behind the castle?” He gave his head a shake.

“My father tried to break our betrothal. What if she thinks I don’t care about her anymore? ”

A strange expression spread across Bogumil’s face. “Break betrothal— Oh! Ohhhh- eeeee -noooo!” Clutching his head with both hands, he blew out quick breaths, pacing back and forth. “I may have pursued a certain action with undue haste . . .” Speaking the words seemed to cause him pain.

“What did you do?” Kazik demanded.

“Well, you see, when I discovered the orchard, there was a weeping maiden in a blue gown clinging to one of those golden-apple trees. When she told me of her young man’s betrayal in love, I kindly transported the poor girl and the tree that sheltered her to a kingdom where her heart would be safe, as any good fairy-godfather would do.

She might even marry a handsome prince there. ”

“You transported—! I never betrayed her! Never! ” Panic and fury roared through Kazik. “Sending her away was your idea of fixing things? Bring her back! Where is she? When did you send her? She must be terrified!”

Bogumil raised both hands. “Oh no, never fear! You see, I blocked her painful past. She is peaceful and happy in a land where everyone is diligent, honest, and good. I was raised there.” Bogumil spoke with nostalgic pride and a hint of defensiveness.

“She will thrive in that place, and so will the tree.”

Kazik managed to speak through his clenched teeth: “You . . . blocked . . . her memories ?”

“It was the only way to relieve her sadness. How was I to guess that such a disheveled damsel was a princess? Now you must take her place.”

“I— Whaaaat ?” Kazik’s voice slid up an octave or two.

“You see, my curse-breaking puzzle is, as I mentioned earlier, mapped around three golden treasures—one planted at each vassalage of Ostrów. Since Princess Helena is no longer available to be the third treasure—the golden princess, of course—it is obvious that you must take her place. It’s a shame that your hair is coppery, not golden, but one must make do in a pinch. ”

Much though Kazik wanted to throttle the mage, he simply stared at him.

Bogumil stared back.

“You detect no weakness in this plan?” Kazik asked, tucking his clenched fists behind his back while drawing elemental magic into his core.

“Only you and I will know,” Bogumil explained, “that the ‘beautiful princess’ trapped in Castle Valga is really a prince. Once an adventurer arrives here, it will be too late for him to turn back. The curse will break as soon as some hero in the land follows all the rules to the letter.”

Kazik struggled to make sense of this. “You failed to specify a sleeping princess in your curse?”

Bogumil shrugged. “It won’t matter. The point of this entire curse is to teach the wicked grand duke—your father—a lesson as a warning to other greedy magic-hoarders worldwide.

Now, I must complete my assignment by coordinating the final feat.

” He paused, frowning. “Epic curses frequently involve loose ends that refuse to be neatly tied off.” He gave Kazik a disapproving glance.

Kazik shook his head while completing his invisible shield. “I prefer to tie my own knots, thanks. If some idiot adventurer mistakes me for a princess to kiss, I’ll soon teach him otherwise.”

Bogumil slowly paced away, then back again.

“Your rescuer must follow all the rules to awaken this castle’s denizens.

If you don’t allow yourself to be kissed—” In a flash, the fay mage underhanded a powerful spell at Kazik, who dissolved it, then tackled and pinned the fay mage in a wrestling hold augmented with magic.

While Bogumil howled, Kazik demanded, “Submit? No more curses or spells? No lies?”

“I submit!” the mage groaned. “Now let me go, and I will try to help you, even though you may have ruined everything.” He sounded petulant, but his promise was genuine.

After releasing the mage, Kazik kept his guard up. “I will not allow any fool to kiss me. Send Princess Helena back here. I’ll accept any number of kisses from her.”

Bogumil scowled but nodded thoughtfully.

“I’ll do what the rules allow, but I cannot force her or anyone else to choose wisely.

The Magic Council never allows cheating.

Princess Helena’s free will is involved, which complicates things, and heroic feats are tricky.

I am honor bound to do everything possible to promote the land’s wellbeing and to encourage all greedy lords and kings to repent and do good.

” Cynicism sharpened his voice and eyes. “If such a change is possible.”

Apart from King Ryszard, Kazik shared that doubt. “So, what next?” he asked.

“Some humans would rather die than make the right choice, and far too often they get away with it.” Bogumil sent him an accusing look.

“You’re the one who sent the golden princess to another country,” Kazik pointed out.

“Yes, but I made that choice in ignorance. Humans nearly always make the wrong choice even after they’ve been clearly instructed and warned.

Rules regarding epic quests are constricting.

I am not allowed to kill anyone, and when humans are involved, nothing ever goes the way it should. No one needs to know?—”

Kazik blinked, and the mage was gone.

No warning, no solution.

He knew even before he tested his boundaries that he was trapped in Castle Valga—an unwilling Copper Prince substitute for the Golden Princess.

Just great.