Page 28

CLASHES AND COURAGE

R elief flooded through Lenka. “Fox! You’re here! This is Geoffroi, a magical horse. He’s great company. But where is Papa Hrabik?”

The fox stretched luxuriously like a cat. Lenka couldn’t help admiring his glossy fur. Strangely lush for summertime, but then, he was no ordinary fox. “I see that you resisted the temptation of the golden saddle.” He sounded peevish.

Lenka shrugged and slid to the ground, stroking the stallion’s neck.

“You warned me not to use it, and really, a golden saddle couldn’t possibly be comfortable for either a horse or its rider.

And Geoffroi isn’t just a horse—he is a fay horse, and he has proven himself a true friend even to a stranger like me. He should never be anyone’s slave.”

On a whim—or maybe not?—she stood directly before the golden horse, looked deep into his eyes, and said, “Geoffroi, I declare you truly free!”

A crash like lightning split the air. Frozen in shock, Lenka could only watch as Geoffroi bugled in joy and shook himself from head to tail, reflecting sunlight in shimmering rays.

The fox let out a shriek. “What have you done! How did you— You fool!” Ranting, he spun to curse Lenka, using ugly words she’d never heard before—yet not one of them touched her.

Geoffroi shook his head. “Fox, you’re a beast by nature, that much is sure.

” He then approached Lenka, dropped to one knee, and lowered his head, his muzzle touching her foot while she stood still and openmouthed.

His voice sent shivers down her spine: “Your mercy reflects the beauty of your heart.”

Lenka reached down to smooth the gold silk of his mane. “But you deserve to be free.”

The golden horse rose and gently bunted her cheek. “Truly, I deserve nothing. It is my honor to receive your grace.”

“Enough of this drivel. I ought to leave you to your own poor choices,” the fox addressed Lenka in a silky, languid tone she would not have expected from him.

Was that magic in his voice? “But I do feel pity for you, young man, so I shall once more aid you in your time of need. Come and ride on my tail.”

He extended his fluffy tail in invitation, and again she sensed something like a little push in her mind. This time, she realized he’d been doing that all along! She maintained her friendly smile and played ignorant, which she realized wasn’t much of a stretch.

“Thank you, but I can ride Geoffroi, as you see. So, will you please find Papa Hrabik and bring him to us?”

The fox stiffened. “I am not your servant to be ordered around.”

Lenka shook her head. “Of course not. You’ve been a helpful friend. But you must understand: Papa is family . He took a lost stranger into his home and accepted me as his child. Where I go, he goes too.”

Emotion radiated from the fox, and her new awareness recognized frustration and fury. But, why? He’d offered to help her, and so far they’d been successful, one way or another.

“Very well,” he spoke through bared teeth. “I shall find your useless old man and bring him to you.”

“Great! Now, where are we heading? Castle Valga?” Geoffroi inquired in a tone Lenka couldn’t quite read. “?yrardów is the third vassal state.”

The fox was silent, so she politely asked, “Is that our next destination, Fox?”

“It is.”

“What will we find there?”

“A castle filled with sleeping people.” The fox still sounded irritated, but he appeared willing to resume his role as her guide.

“The golden princess wakes every evening at sundown and heads to the bathhouse. During her hour of wakefulness, you must find her, charm her, and persuade her to run away with you.”

Lenka nodded even as she resolved not to lie to the princess. Trying to pass herself off as a boy only complicated matters and destroyed trust. Besides, hiding her femininity, especially her long golden braid, was increasingly difficult. Should she first confess her lie to the fox?

Then she noticed the fraught silence. Her animal companions eyed each other with open distrust. “Do either of you know how to find Castle Valga?”

“I can take you there,” the fox said quickly.

“I’ve been there,” Geoffroi stated.

“You never have!” the fox snapped.

“You don’t know the half of what I’ve done, fox. We’ll meet you there.”

“No! You’ll wait while I bring the old man,” the fox snarled.

“What is wrong with you two?” Lenka shouted, careful to keep her voice boyish.

Then, into the tense silence, a deep and wonderfully welcome voice spoke. “The old man is already here. Where are we going next?”

Lenka barely restrained herself from running into Papa’s arms. Instead, she moved at a deliberate pace and simply gripped his hand. “How did you find us?”

“That is a story for another time,” he said, arching one brow. “You ride the horse, and I’ll ride the fox to the castle these creatures so desperately want to visit.”

Lenka wanted him to ride with her on Geoffroi, but she agreed to Papa’s suggestion.

Resentment oozed from the fox. “You may follow, horse, if you can keep up.”

“I’ll manage.” Geoffroi’s reply held undertones of a stallion’s challenging squeal.

“Now, please make sure we all stay together,” she reminded the fox as she mounted the horse, welcoming the sense of living power beneath her.

The fox snapped, “I’ll do no favors. The beast will keep up if he can.”

Before she could point out the silliness of a fox calling the horse a beast, they were off. Her only real concern was for Papa Hrabik. If that fox allowed any harm to him . . .

I’ll keep watch on the fox, never fear. It was Geoffroi’s voice in her mind. You need time to rest. I will not allow you to fall.

What felt like minutes later, she awoke. We’re here, my friend.

“Where is here?” she mumbled. “Oh!” Remembering, she sat bolt upright and slid from his back, still a bit groggy, but she managed to stay upright.

Papa was already stretching. “The sun will soon set,” he observed. How had the day passed so quickly? Even time seemed messed up in this strange land.

“Yes, the hour is growing late, so you, young man, must hasten up this road while there is light enough to see,” the fox addressed Lenka.

“This is the mountain kingdom of ?yrardów, once ruled by King Ryszard Tarnowski of Castle Valga. For five years now, everyone within the palace grounds has been under a sleeping curse. By day, the beautiful Golden Princess also sleeps, but at sundown, when all is quiet, she wakes and goes to her bath. She awaits her true love, so you must enter the palace alone and kiss her. Her waking time is brief, so make haste.”

Lenka blinked in surprise, then blurted, “Kiss her? Why?”

“How else can a sleeping spell be broken?”

“But you said she would be awake.”

The fox actually growled in frustration. “Your kiss will rescue every living soul in the castle.”

“I thought I was supposed to help her escape to her true love.”

“Yes,” the fox used his smooth, soothing tones. “Once the curse is broken, we will transport the princess to the prince who loves her and longs to marry her.”

Lenka nodded. Something about the story didn’t add up, but she was so exhausted that she couldn’t put a finger on the problem. Was the fox setting her up for failure? After his reaction to Geoffroi’s liberation and Solara’s, she seriously doubted his motives.

“I guess we’ll make it work.” She could give the princess a kiss on her cheek and be done with this nonsense.

“Good lad.”

Wait. Did she detect a note of approval in the fox’s whiny voice? That was a first.

“Now, listen carefully.” The fox spoke with a voice of authority. “Once you free the princess with a kiss, you must lead her out of the palace, and we will take her to meet her True Love at Plock Castle. Whatever you do, you must not allow the princess to take leave of her father.”

“Why not?” Lenka asked, resentful on the princess’s behalf. “Is this a kidnapping? And what about the rest of the sleeping people?”

The fox scoffed. “Kidnapping? Certainly not! But her father—” The fox stopped short and heaved a sigh. “Boy, have you not already caused enough irreparable harm? Do you intend to break the curse over this kingdom or not?”

“If breaking the spell includes robbing a princess of her free will, then my answer is ‘not’! When I find the princess, I shall inform her of the situation and allow her to make her own choices before we proceed further.”

The fox tilted his head, blinked twice, and sighed. “You are proving more difficult than any of the other spoiled young royals, lords, and mercenaries I’ve escorted.”

“And how many of them got this far?”

His cold yellow eyes blinked. “If you intend to rescue the princess, you’d best get to it quickly.

Fortunately, darkness falls late at this latitude and season, and only one rescuer, you, must enter the castle before twilight.

Find the bathhouse and wait for her there.

Good luck to you.” He assumed a jocular tone that sent a chill down Lenka’s spine.

“Who knows? If your kiss is good enough, Princess Helena might just choose to marry you instead of her prince.”

Irritated on this cursed princess’s behalf, Lenka opened her mouth to ask where in the castle she might find the bathhouse, but before she could speak, the fox vanished into the underbrush beside the road.

Her heart sank. Now what? She looked to Papa and Geoffroi. “It shouldn’t be too hard to locate the only person in the palace who’s awake.”

Papa folded his arms across his chest. “I intend to go with you.”

“But you can’t, Papa. You heard the rules. The spell won’t allow you in, and if you try, it might block my entrance as well.”

His brows lowered. Then he gave her a short nod. “Be wary, child.”

“I will be.” She was already trembling in her boots. He knew her too well.

“Godspeed,” Geoffroi said, his voice resonant and encouraging.