A spider crawled over her boots. She jumped, nearly stumbling back a step.
“She put an end to a royal family, and yet she’s afraid of a spider.” The voice was followed by a droll snicker.
Evangeline’s shoulders tensed as she regained her footing and peered down the hall to where she finally found Tiberius Acadian. She flushed as he continued to laugh. Even in prison, he hadn’t lost his princely bearing. He held a crude cup of water as if it were a goblet of wine.
“I’d offer you some,” he said, “but I don’t have any poison to add to it.”
“I’d have thought you’d have learned your lesson about trying to kill people with poison.”
“Ah, but you’re not a person. You’re a key.” Tiberius curled his lip as he stalked toward the bars. “What do you want?”
Evangeline held out a loaf of bread from her basket.
Tiberius eyed the food suspiciously. Yet Evangeline could see there was hunger in his gaze. As he was a prince, she’d thought he would have been taken better care of. But luckily for her, that didn’t appear to be the case. His title didn’t matter here, and the Protectorate had clearly abandoned him. His cell was drafty and dark, lit only by a few foul-smelling tallow candles.
Evangeline ripped off a piece of bread and slowly started to chew. “See, it’s perfectly safe. I’m not your enemy, Tiberius. In fact, I came here to tell you some good news. Your brother, Apollo, is alive.”
Tiberius stilled. Then he sneered. “You’re lying.”
“You tried to kill me, twice,” Evangeline reminded him. “Do you really think I’d come here just to tell you a lie? Apollo is truly alive.” She paused, letting the words hang in the air until the derisive mask Tiberius wore slipped just enough to reveal he believed her—he didn’t look as if he wanted to, but in Evangeline’s experience, what people wanted to feel and what they actually felt were rarely the same thing.
“I know if given the chance you would probably still try to kill me, but I also believe that you care about your brother, and that is why I am here. The poison Apollo ingested put him into a state of suspended sleep that looked like death. About two weeks ago, he woke from it, but he’s still not himself. He’s been infected with another curse.”
“What kind of curse?”
“A very old one. It’s the same curse that was placed on the Archer in The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox.”
“And let me guess: you’re my brother’s fox.” Tiberius grinned. “This is too perfect. Apollo is alive, and soon you’ll be dead.”
Tiberius finally grabbed the offered loaf of bread and smugly began to chew.
“There’s one thing I left out,” Evangeline said. “If your brother succeeds in killing me, then he’ll die, too. Apollo and I are linked. Any injury that befalls me harms him as well.”
“Not my problem,” Tiberius said.
But Evangeline could not believe he was as callous as he seemed. She knew he cared for Apollo. She’d watched him weep and fall to pieces over his brother.
Evangeline set down her basket and retrieved her golden knife. Pushing aside her cloak, she shoved the long sleeve of her dress up her arm.
“What are you doing?” Tiberius asked, eyes going wide as Evangeline placed the blade to her arm and scored four words into her skin.
WHERE ARE YOU APOLLO?
The marks were light, just enough to scratch the words without drawing any blood. If it hurt, she couldn’t feel it over the tightness of her chest as she waited, hoping that Apollo would reply and Tiberius would believe everything she’d just told him.
“Are you mad?” Tiberius asked.
“Watch.” Evangeline sucked in a gasp as the first letter appeared. Apollo did more than scratch her skin: he carved back words until she bled.
DON’T LOOK FOR ME
Each word smarted. Then her other arm started to sting as more words appeared.
I DON’T WANT TO KILL YOU
Tiberius ran a hand over his face, paler than before.
Evangeline felt an unsettling chill at the words Apollo had written, but she also felt a whisper of victory. Tiberius looked as if he believed her now, and he seemed terrified.
“If Apollo succeeds in hunting me down, then he will die—in truth this time—and you will lose your brother forever. But if you help me break his curse, you’ll have your brother back, and I’ll ensure you’re freed.” She added the last bit hastily, and a part of her regretted it, but she needed to be as convincing as possible.