“You’re a dark elf,” he said.
“Am I?” she asked sarcastically. “What gave it away?”
“I thought the shape changers were extinct.”
“They are. All except for me and one other.”
“How did you come to be here?” I asked.
“As I’ve said, that’s none of your business.” She got to her feet and straightened, facing us. An aura of magic radiated around her, persuading me to step away, but I stood tall. “My name is Odette Von Alarissa, reluctant protector of the caverns of Ice Crystal Mountains. You are intruders.”
“We thought we were prisoners. Although…” Drekken looked her up and down, his eyes lingering on her shapely frame, then he slung his lute over his shoulder and plastered on his charming smile. “To be honest, I think I could learn to live with being your prisoner. You’ll get no complaints from me so long as you stay in that form and not the other.”
She rolled her eyes, ignoring him. “You’re prisoners?”
“My aunts’ prisoners,” I clarified. “They sent us here.”
Her eyebrows rose. “Your aunts?”
“Gwynna and Neleia.”
“I see,” she said. “That’s a pity. I couldn’t imagine having them as relatives.”
“I deal with it.”
She walked around us, her bare feet quiet on the stone floor. “You should know I’m also their prisoner. It’s not a situation I’m fond of, especially since I despise the cold. I plan to escape as soon as I can.”
“Why did they imprison you?” Raj asked.
She smirked, and her eyes glittered as if she knew a secret. “That’s a long tale. I’ll have to save it for another time.”
“How long have you been here?” I asked.
“Too long. Many years. But the question is, why are you here?”
I filled her in on the story of Rapunzel and the shears—how High Sorcerer Varlocke would continue to ravage our world unless we got them and freed Rapunzel and saved Prince Merek.
“The witches would never give you the shears,” she stated matter-of-factly. “Even with the radish to trade. You’ve failed.”
“We haven’t failed yet,” I said.
She turned her sharp gaze on me. “Maybe. They allowed you to live, which they don’t do for anyone—especially for fools like you who choose to come to this gods-forsaken palace.”
“Can you help us?” Raj asked.
She eyed him. “Help you? I help no one. But perhaps we may come to an arrangement. I could aid you, but I have my price.”
“What’s your price?” I asked.
“I want you to help me escape.”
“If we do that, my aunts will kill us,” I said.
“They’ll also kill you for taking their precious shears. Either way, you’re doomed.”
She had a point.
“Do we have an agreement?” she asked.
I glanced at Raj. I half expected him to object, since we’d already helped two pitiful creatures already, but he didn’t speak up, so I took that as his answer.
“Very well,” I said. “We’ll do what we can, but only if you help us find the shears first.”
Her eyes glittered, and I didn’t like the look she gave us. “I give you my promise,” she said.
Could I trust her? I had a feeling she would help us if it meant she was freed of this place, but what if that didn’t happen?
“Well,” she clapped her hands together, all smiles now that we’d promised to help her escape. “Are you hungry? Let me prepare a meal.”
“We’re starving,” Drekken said. “And terribly thirsty, too. Do you have any elven ale by chance?”
“Elven ale?”
“Yes.”
“Perhaps,” she answered hesitantly. “As long as it doesn’t loosen your tongue and cause you to play that ridiculous lute again. Follow me this way.”
“Ridiculous?” Drekken muttered as we followed her around the pile of coins to the far side of the dungeon. An arched stone alcove overshadowed us, and colorful blue tiles decorated this section. A sheepskin rug covered the floor. She sat on it and motioned for us to sit in a circle around her. We sat, though I wasn’t sure what was happening. I didn’t want to be rude, but where was the food?
She cupped her hands, and blue light glowed, growing brighter, illuminating the white feathers lining the outer edges of her gown. As the light warmed us, a spread of assorted meats, cheeses, breads, exotic fruits, and tankards of ale appeared before us. The smell of seared meat made my stomach growl.
“Eat,” she said, motioning to the food. No one argued as we placed food on our platters. Drekken grabbed the tankard, of course. I savored the sweet tastes of honeyed fruit, fresh bread, and tender meat. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I worried the food might’ve been poisoned or tainted with magical spells, but I was too tired and too hungry to argue. Besides, if Odette wanted to kill us, there were easier ways to do it.
“We need to leave soon,” Odette said. “When the sun rises, I’ll be transformed into a dragon. I’ll have to leave the caves again, which means we only have until morning to find the shears and set me free.”
“Where are the shears?” I asked.
“In the palace vaults. Escaping the dungeons will be dangerous. We’ve got to get past the ophiotaurus.”
“Ophio-taurus?”
“Part bull, part serpent. A deadly creature. But…” she glanced at Drekken. “With the help of your lute, no matter how dreadful it may be, we should be able to escape.”
“Dreadful? I beg to differ.”
“Beg away,” she said demurely, then stood, ignoring his glare.
We stood and walked toward a narrow stone-lined hallway. Raj walked beside me, and I felt grateful for his presence.
“It seems like we’re finally getting somewhere,” he said.
“I agree. We’re so close to the shears now. I can hardly believe we’ve made it this far.”
He took my hand in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m glad we made this journey together. I couldn’t imagine doing it with anyone else.”
I almost had to pinch myself to make sure this was real. I’d never imagined a person making me feel so happy and loved—almost as if he were a
