The Witch’s TowerTwisted Ever After, Book 1
Tamara Grantham
Contents
Content Disclosure
Also by Tamara Grantham
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
The Dragon Swan Princess
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Afterword
Also by Tamara Grantham
Dreamthief
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To new beginnings.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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The Witch’s Tower
Copyright ©2018 Tamara Grantham
All rights reserved.
Summary: Gothel’s choice is simple: either stand guard over Princess Rapunzel—or die. But just because a choice is easy doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. Protecting Rapunzel means watching her lay trapped in a tower, bedridden by hair that is so long and heavy it’s driving her insane. Gothel’s life has become one of imprisonment and solitude, too—until a prince and his handsome squire appear at the tower…
ISBN: 978-1-63422-334-8 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-1-63422-335-5 (e-book)
Cover Design by: Marya Heidel
Typography by: Courtney Knight
Editing by: Kelly Risser
Twisted Ever After
Book 1: The Witch’s Tower
Book 2: The Dragon Swan PrincessOlive Kennedy, Fairy World MD Series
Book 1: Dreamthief
Book 2: Spellweaver
Book 3: Bloodthorn
Book 4: Silverwitch
Book #6 (Novella): Goblinwraith
Book #5 Deathbringer
Book #6: Grayghost
The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.
-W. B. Yeats
1
Blood. My blood.
Rapunzel was getting bolder. A gust of rain-scented wind rushed through the clearing as I pulled a scrap of rolled linen from my cloak. I wrapped it around my wrist where she’d clawed my skin. Droplets soaked through, staining the fabric.
Sighing, I straightened to stare at the moonlit tower looming over me. I didn’t know what to do with Rapunzel. She was growing more unstable. It didn’t help that my mother had placed a curse on her. How could Rapunzel’s mind be right when she was forced to lie in bed all day, a prisoner to her hair that was so heavy, it prevented her from moving?
The clouds thickened, covering the sky, making the tower seem to disappear. I lit my lantern. The flame burned bright inside the glass as I started down the trail through the forest. As I walked, twigs snapped under my boots. The sounds of chirping crickets, and the occasional hoot from an owl, filled the air.
The scent of rain lingered on the wind. I hoped it held off until I made it to the village. The trail sloped downward, and I followed it over a narrow footbridge spanning a stream. As I crossed, my footfalls echoing over wooden planks, I reminded myself why I was traveling through these cursed woods. We needed supplies. Going into the village was the only way to get them, although leaving the tower was risky. If the high sorcerer found me gone, he’d hang me for sure, but what choice did I have? The flour was growing rancid, I would eat dirt before I touched another wild beet, and I was certain the dirt would taste better. It would help if I had skills in gardening, but I’d always had rotten luck when it came to growing things.
A breeze rushed through the woods, stirring the turquoise blue strands of my hair. I tucked it beneath my cowl, hoping to keep it hidden. It made me easily identifiable, and if anyone saw its strange color, they’d start asking questions.
I hated questions. I hated answering them even more.
The trees grew thicker along my path, making it hard to see anything.
A noise caught my attention.
Hoof beats came from up ahead. I ducked behind a briar bush as two forms emerged from the trail. Dousing my lantern’s flame, I stared at the shapes of two men on horseback approaching me.
I held my breath, my own heartbeats sounding too loud.
“Halt!” one of the men called. “I see you there.”
“Come out,” the other man shouted.
Under the light of their lanterns, the gleam of their swords’ pommels shone, peeking from their scabbards strapped to their backs. Would they use their weapons?
Breathing deeply, I attempted to keep my cool. They had no reason to harm me. I kept that in mind as I stood and stepped away from the bush.
“What are you doing out here?” one of the men asked.
“I’m on my way to Willow Wood village.”
“At this time of night?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“That’s my business, if you don’t mind.”
“Very well, then. What’s your name?”
Should I lie? If I did and they found out, what then? Better to play it safe. Hopefully, they’d never heard of me.
“I’m called Gothel,” I answered.
His eyes lit up. “Gothel. What luck! You are just the witch we seek.”
Drat.
Both men dismounted. Holding their horses’ reins, they approached me. The man nearest me wore armor that gleamed in his lantern’s light. He also wore a cloak and cowl that partially hid his face, though from the light stubble sheathing his jaw, and his full lips, I got the impression he wasn’t much older than me. The man behind him was taller, and he stayed in the shadows. I couldn’t distinguish any of his features.
“We are seeking the princess in the tower. Do you know where it is?”
Double drat. Now I had no choice but to lie.
“I’m afraid I don’t.”
“Really? That is odd. We were told a witch named Gothel could show us the way.”
“It must’ve been someone else. Now, if you’ll please excuse me.”
I attempted to brush past them when the tall man caught my arm. I gasped as
