“No, but it’s the truth. I am incredibly handsome.” He sauntered forward a step, cocking his head as he took in her face instead of her bare legs. “I can see why Jacks likes you. You’re a bit like her, you know?”
“Like who?” Evangeline asked.
The Handsome Stranger rubbed his jaw. “He wouldn’t be happy if he knew I said this, but if you’re not careful, you’ll end up like her as well.”
“Like who?” Evangeline repeated.
“His first fox.”
36
Birds were chirping and the sun was shining, but all Evangeline wanted to do was fall back to sleep and hear more about the first fox.
She closed her eyes, but she was too alert, and she had a feeling she already knew who this other fox was. If she believed the Handsome Stranger from her dream, then Jacks was really the Archer.
Evangeline had considered it before, but she’d dismissed the idea, even before she’d seen Jacks’s name and the Archer’s both etched onto the wall. A fact that had also made her doubt what the Handsome Stranger had said.
She would have asked Jacks about it, but Jacks wasn’t in the loft. And before she brought the question up, she wanted to be sure about it. All she had was the word of this Handsome Stranger.
The last “helpful” stranger that she’d met—Petra—had tried to kill her. And given the number of others who’d tried to murder Evangeline as well, it wasn’t unreasonable to imagine this Handsome Stranger wanted the very same thing—planting ideas in her head that would make her distrust Jacks.
Evangeline decided to dismiss the idea entirely and push all thoughts of the Handsome Stranger away as she made her way out of bed and then down to the cozy tavern to eat. She half expected this part of the Hollow to have been a dream as well. But just like yesterday, she sat down at a table and her food appeared before her like clockwork.
The only thing missing was Jacks.
As she ate, she kept expecting to look up and find him leaning in the doorway.
It was tempting to panic when she finished her meal and he still hadn’t appeared. But the Hollow was the sort of place that made it very difficult to hold on to any panic.
Everything about the whimsical inn inspired curiosity instead of fear. In a third-floor bathing room, Evangeline found the most delightful copper tub, reminiscent of the clock in the hall. It had lovely jeweled handles and a faucet that could pour out different-colored waters in a variety of scents:
Pink honeysuckle
Lavender rose
Green pine needle
Silver rain
She’d mixed the rain and honeysuckle, and now she smelled like a sweet and stormy day. She’d not expected to be able to take a bath, but her back was fully healed.
It was actually a little disappointing. Now that she was healed, she imagined that Jacks would want to take her from this place as soon as he returned. There was still one more stone left to find.
But Evangeline wasn’t feeling particularly driven to find it. As she’d noted earlier, the Hollow was not a place where it was easy to hold on to panic or fear, and her entire search for the stones had been inspired by fear. She wasn’t afraid right now. In fact, she couldn’t remember a time where she had been more at peace. And she knew, somehow, that Apollo was safe as well.
Without Jacks or anyone else, she kept expecting the Hollow to feel lonely. But strangely, Evangeline didn’t feel empty or alone. The Hollow felt like the safest place she’d ever been. She found herself wishing that she could share this enchanted place with her parents. Her father would have loved all the magical wonders, and her mother would have adored all the fairytale rooms.
On the fourth floor, Evangeline finally uncovered a wardrobe full of dresses that made her think of butterflies in gardens and the feel of holding someone’s hand.
From them, she chose a soft cream dress with golden embroidery and a thick pink ribbon that tied around the waist, matching the trim on the sweet, puffed sleeves.
All she needed now was slippers.
She imagined finding a magical pair of shoes as she rummaged through the floor of the wardrobe. Surprisingly, there were no spiderwebs or balls of dust, just boxes of gloves and ribbons, along with a curious little book.
It was the first book she’d found in the Hollow, and the side of it was locked. Evangeline searched for a key, until she remembered that she could simply use her blood.
The lock opened with a click, and the first aged page was covered in a very old-fashioned handwritten script.
Evangeline felt a thrill as she read the words. She’d found the diary of the mysterious Aurora Valor. Perhaps this would provide more clues about Jacks’s past—since he’d clearly known Aurora.