He had come back for me, just like I’d hoped.
I hurried to find the next foothold. How far away was the ground? Eight feet? Ten? I shifted my weight downward, ignoring the pieces of bark that bit into my hands.
Below me, Tristan knocked the swords away from one guard and then another. Still he managed to hold the flashlight steady with one hand as he fought with the other. With a kick to the chest, he sent one guard flying into two others. In between all of this, he slowly made his way toward me.
“So,” he called over to me when he was close enough that he didn’t have to shout. “Any particular reason you’re hanging from the castle vines?”
“I’m escaping,” I told him. “What brings you here?”
“I’m rescuing you. Hold on a second.” He knocked the last guard’s sword to the ground. The man held up his arms in a manner of surrender, backing up slowly, then turned and ran into the darkness.
Tristan walked over to me and offered me his hand. “You’re almost to the ground. Just a few more steps.”
I took his hand and jumped down the rest of the way. I wanted to hug him, but instead he pulled me along the grass. “We need to run to the wall.”
But my feet stung from where the vines had cut into them and I couldn’t think of running barefoot across the grounds. I slipped my hand out of his, reached into my pocket, and put one slipper on my foot. “Please tell me you still have the other one of these.”
He took my other slipper from his pocket, then knelt down and placed it onto my foot. “I guess I’m your Prince Charming tonight.”
I smiled back at him. “Thank you.”
He stood up and took hold of my hand again, already pulling me forward. “Now we’ve got to run.”
We went across the grounds and Tristan turned off the light so that we’d be harder to spot if the guards were planning another offensive. I hoped Tristan’s senses were still working and he could see through the darkness, because I couldn’t. Everything was dark shapes. It was like running blind.
Tristan took me to one of the towers and we hurried up the stairs. When I started to slow, he tugged me along. “Come on, this is just like track practice. Pretend we’re running up the bleachers.”
We reached the level of the wall, and I saw he had a rope hooked to the side.
I peered over the wall. It was a long way down. In the dark, I couldn’t see the ground at all.
“You can do this,” he told me, and put my hand on the rope. “There are knots along the way to help you get footholds. It’s easier than climbing the rope in PE.”
It was wonderful, really, how well school had prepared me for life as a medieval fugitive.
I went down the rope first, trying to ignore the fact that my hands were stiff from the cold, and it was hard to get a foothold in dancing slippers. Finally I reached the ground. In moments Tristan was beside me again, holding my hand and guiding me along the wall.
We came to where he’d tied a horse to a post beside the wall. Tristan untied the horse and helped me up, then mounted the horse himself. He turned on the flashlight then, trying to light the way for the horse as it walked toward the forest.
I tucked my arms around Tristan’s waist, but looked back at the castle. By the dim light of the torches on the wall, I could make out figures, people watching us. “They can see us,” I told Tristan. “Shouldn’t you turn off the flashlight?”
He shook his head. “It doesn’t matter if they see us now. They won’t be able to surround us—and if they come after us, their horses won’t move any faster in the dark than ours. Besides, I think they’ve figured out that I’m invincible.” He put his hand over mine and gently squeezed my fingers. “You can stop worrying. You’re safe as long as you’re with me, and I’m not letting you out of my sight again.”
I leaned against his back, just like I’d wanted to do on our first ride, but I couldn’t stop worrying. “Where are Jane and Hunter?”
“Safe,” he said.
I wanted to ask more, but Tristan was busy trying to hold the flashlight steady with one hand and guiding the horse with the other. I’m not sure how much having the flashlight actually helped. The horse seemed to be spooked by the beam and kept stopping and jerking his head as though trying to get away from it.
We probably could have walked through the forest just as quickly ourselves, but I was glad we didn’t have to. I was tired and the frigid night air pushed through my dress and swept across my face. I shut my eyes, enjoying the warmth of Tristan’s back.
I didn’t remember falling asleep, but suddenly Tristan was dismounting. “Let’s make camp here. We’re both tired and not making much progress. It’ll be easier in the daylight.”
“Here?” I asked, because it was nothing but dirt, trees, and bushes.
“I’ll start a fire.”
I wrapped my arms around my chest and didn’t get off the horse. “Won’t that give away our position?”
“They won’t be able to see the smoke in the darkness and the forest should hide the light from the castle. The only people who will know we’re here are those that are close by. And if any of them attack, I’ll be able to take care of them.”
I slid off the horse, still muddled with sleep, and helped him gather up twigs and branches. We also piled up handfuls of dry leaves. Finally, after a very long time of rubbing sticks together, he coaxed a small fire to life.
Then I sat on the ground, my hands wrapped around my knees, and wondered where we were heading. Not to the inn— the king’s guards would look for us there. Tristan sat down close beside me and didn’t speak. I could tell from his posture that he was as tired as I was.
“Where are Hunter and Jane?” I asked.
He didn’t answer, which made me panic.
“You said they were safe. Where are they?”
He looked at the fire, not me. I could see the flames reflected in his eyes. “I found them on the roadside. Their horses had turned into mice, and the carriage into a turnip. They were trying to decide what to do. Hunter had been hit pretty hard. I guess he put up a fight back there at the castle. Jane was worried that he might have broken ribs.
“They told me what had happened to you, and I told them that I had the invincibility enchantment. I figured I’d go back, rescue you, and then meet up with them again.”
He stopped talking for a moment and I had to prod him to continue. “And?”
“Then your fairy godmother came. All of a sudden she was there like some magical stewardess telling us she hoped we’d enjoyed our visit to the Middle Ages. She said the terms of my enchantment no longer applied and she’d take me back home with Jane and Hunter.”
He glanced over at me. “Jane didn’t want to leave you, but Hunter wouldn’t go unless she did, and she thought he needed to see a doctor.”
“They left?” I asked. Part of me felt glad—they should have never come in the first place, and now it was even more dangerous for them to be here. Jane should be home, where it was safe. But another part of me was devastated. I’d never see her again.
I felt tears pressing against my eyes but didn’t want to wipe them away. That would just draw attention to them. I looked into the fire instead. “When is Chrissy coming back for you?”
“She isn’t.” He took hold of my chin and brought my face around to his. “I told her I wouldn’t go home without you.” His thumb caressed a line across my jaw. “Savannah, you came back to the Middle Ages to help me. You gave up any chance to go home so I could escape from the guards. How could I leave you here alone?”
My voice had nearly fled altogether, but I managed to say, “You shouldn’t have stayed just because you felt obligated to me.”
“I didn’t,” he said, and he leaned over and kissed me.
I kissed him back, thankful for the warmth of his arms. And really, I’d been wrong to ever think he wouldn’t kiss as passionately as the Black Knight.
Chapter 28
I’m not sure what time we fell aslee
p, only that it was very late. Eventually I felt the sunshine drifting through the treetops in patches. A part of my consciousness registered that birds were chattering in the branches around us, but I didn’t want to wake up. I was still too tired. Every time the fire had died down, one of us had to get up to throw more wood onto it.
Besides, I felt perfectly safe with Tristan sleeping just on the other side of the fire. He was invincible.
As I drifted into another dream, I felt lips brush against mine. I smiled and opened my eyes, already thinking of what I would say to Tristan.
Only it wasn’t Tristan. I was looking directly into Hugh’s face.
I let out a startled gasp and sat up, my heart pounding and my head still dizzy with the remnants of sleep.
Beside me, Tristan sat up, reaching for his sword. Before he pulled it from its sheath, Hugh said, “It won’t do you any good. I’ve already kissed her.”
Tristan paused. “You what?”
Hugh stood and looked down at us with a triumphant smile. He still wore his clothes from the ball, although they were rumpled and stained. He had an air of weariness about him, and I wondered if he’d walked all of this way. “Didn’t you know she had the invincibility charm?” he asked Tristan. “She stole it from me, and now I’ve stolen it back.”
To me he said, “You should have understood how it worked before you told anyone you had it. It only sharpens your senses when your enemy has a weapon pointed at you.” He held up his hands, showing me they were empty. “I don’t have a weapon, so I was able to sneak up on you without detection.”
He walked over to our horse as though we no longer concerned him. “It was thoughtful of you to make it so very easy to find you. What with the light pointing the direction you went last night and then the smoke showing your location this morning.” He patted the horse’s mane. “Thoughtful of you to provide me with a horse too. I suppose it was the least you could do after you turned my father and brother against me.”
He turned back to us, his gaze suddenly chilling. “Of course, that doesn’t mean the two of you won’t pay for what you did to me, because you will.”
He walked slowly back toward us, picking up one of the sticks we’d gathered for the fire. As he gripped it he looked at me. “You were a fool to choose him—he’s nothing but a storyteller. I would have come for you. I wouldn’t have let my father hurt you.”
He may have meant it, but I didn’t regret choosing Tristan. I glanced at Tristan to see what he would do, but he was only gazing at Hugh patiently.
Hugh held out the stick, making it into a weapon, then turned to Tristan. “What will you do now, page? If you don’t draw your sword, I will strike her. Draw it, and it will only make your end come more quickly.”
Tristan stood up slowly, faced Hugh, then pulled his sword from the sheath. “Do you feel anything happening?”
Hugh took a step away from him. A flash of uncertainty crossed his expression.
I stood up but made sure to stay near Tristan. “You don’t understand magic either, Hugh. If you did, you’d know that you can’t switch the same enchantments.”
Hugh took another step backward, this time as though he’d been knocked by a fist. His eyes had a wild look to them and his voice came out strangled. “I still have the same enchantment?”
“No. I switched with Tristan last night. Now he has the invincibility enchantment and you—well, you can’t go home until you’re a prince.”
As soon as I spoke the words, a stream of sparkles swooped down from the sky. Like thousands of little fireflies, they encircled Hugh and lifted him from the ground.
He put his hands out as though trying to swat them away. “What’s happening?”
“I think you get to go home now,” I said. Then the lights drew together and he was gone.
Tristan and I stood looking at the empty space for a few seconds, checking to make sure he’d really left. At last Tristan lowered his sword. “Well, they’re going to be happy to see him back at the castle.”
I nodded. “I think so.”
Then we both laughed and Tristan wound his arms around me. He laid his head against my hair, holding me close. “You still smell good.”
“Better than cough syrup?”
“Way better than cough syrup.”
The lights came again, a shower of sparklers this time, and then Chrissy stood before us.
She wore a tropical blue swimsuit and a pink terry cloth cover-up, and she smelled of suntan lotion. She took her sunglasses from her nose and slid them on top of her hair. “Okay, I’m saving myself the fifty voice mails you’ll be sending me shortly and taking care of this right now.” She tossed her blond hair over her shoulder and held up her hand to keep me from speaking. “I already know you no longer have that can’t-go-home-until-you’re-a-prince enchantment. So what will it be, are you happy with your prom date now, or are you going to claim that I still messed up your wish?”
I held onto Tristan’s hand tightly. “I’m very happy with my prom date.”
“Good.” She smiled at me, satisfied. “All that anxiety you had over the dance and what everyone at school would think of your date—I hope you’ve learned that you can’t let people in high school hand your happiness to you.”
I nodded.
“I’m the one with the wand,” she went on. “Leave it to the professionals.”
“What?” I asked, because it wasn’t what I’d expected her to say at all. But I don’t think she heard me. She flicked her wand in our direction and the next thing I knew, we were standing in my bedroom.
• • •
Tristan turned in circles around my room. “Wow,” he said.
I let out a sigh of relief. “We’re back in the modern world.” Just because I could, I walked over to the light switch and flipped it on. “Look, electricity.”
His eyes kept roaming around my room. “You have a ton of clothes.”
“Not really,” I said, and shut my closet door. I hoped he wasn’t referring to all the clothes sprawled over my bed and thrown across the top of my dresser. In truth, it did seem like an overabundant amount. Everything in my room seemed luxurious now. Even Princess Margaret hadn’t had such nice things.
“I need to call my parents,” Tristan said.
“What are you going to tell them?” I asked.
Which was the reason he didn’t call them right away. I gave him a haircut first, then he showered, and I gave him a pair of my dad’s sweatpants and a T-shirt.
I also called Jane’s cell phone to let her know that I was home and to find out how Hunter was, but she didn’t pick up. And then I remembered that she’d taken her cell phone to the Middle Ages.
Yeah, so Jane probably wouldn’t be answering that anytime soon.
After Tristan was clean, shorn, and standing in my kitchen, I helped him with his story. “You leaned out of your window and fell out. Head injury. You wandered around for two days and don’t remember anything.”
“Wouldn’t my window have been left open if I fell out of it?”
I looked at him and sighed. “It’s not going to matter what you tell them. They’ll know something odd happened to you—you’ve grown at least an inch and filled out. You’ve got scars on your arms. Plus you’ve turned into this total hot guy.”
He took my hand and squeezed it. “I saw myself in the bathroom mirror. I don’t look that different.”
“Yes, you do,” I said, because it was true.
He shook his head. “You just see me differently now.”
I knew he was wrong, but the funny thing was that when he went home—he gave me a blow-by-blow description later— his parents only noticed the new haircut. They thought that’s why he looked so different.
He ended up telling them this very creative tale about how he’d snuck out of his house Saturday night because he was going to come to my window and ask me to prom in the moonlight like Romeo and Juliet, but in the dark he’d gotten lost and accidentally fell into someone??
?s underground cellar. When he finally came to, he realized that the owners must have locked the cellar without realizing he was in there. It took him an entire day of banging on the door before someone heard him and let him out.
And the haircut? He’d trimmed his hair himself before he came to see me because he wanted to look his best.
Tristan wasn’t sure they completely believed him, but that’s the thing about being the responsible honors-kid type of guy. Your parents are willing to cut you a lot of slack. They were so happy and relieved to see him that they overlooked the minor details.
Not long after Tristan left, Jane called from the ER to check and see if I was home. She cried when she heard my voice. “I just knew your fairy godmother wouldn’t leave you stranded at that castle.”
Uh, right. I thought it was entirely possible that not only could Chrissy have left me stranded there, but decades could have passed before I crossed her mind again. The one thing I had learned from all of this was that magic shouldn’t be meddled with and that fairy godmothers were an unreliable bunch. Okay, technically that’s two things. Plus, I’d also learned that Tristan was a total catch, so I guess that’s three.
Hunter had X-rays taken and he didn’t have any broken ribs. He told the doctors and his parents that his injuries had been from a car accident, but since his car didn’t have a dent anywhere on it and he also had a huge bruise on his cheek from where one of the castle guards had punched him, this story was somewhat suspect in nature.
I was just glad I didn’t have to lie to anybody about all of it. Even though the reptiles-on-my-tongue enchantment was gone—Chrissy had said it would only be there until my wishes were complete—I still got a sick, watery feeling in my mouth whenever I even thought about lying.
Tristan went back to school Tuesday morning, and despite his assurances that no one would notice a difference in him, people did. Perhaps it wasn’t his looks so much as it was his walk and his new air of confidence. Or, as he told me, life looks different when you’re invincible.