“Will we all be safe?” Ollie asks, ducking down with a caramel cake in his hand. A gargoyle snatches it. “Hey! That was mine!”
“We got this all wrong!” Maxine cries. “I can’t believe Princess Rose is the traitor, not Rapunzel! Speaking of which, where is she? And Jax? Or Jocelyn? Where did everyone go?” Her good eye widens. “Do you think Rose captured them too?”
Dinner plates crash off the tables around us. “I don’t know! I just saw Pete and Olaf dragged off to the second-floor balcony,” Ollie says. “People are running in terror. We have to get word to Flora.”
Maxine finds a piece of glass. “Will this reach Miri?”
“Good thinking!” Kayla says and pulls a training wand from her pocket. She’s obviously stolen it from school. “Let there be light!” she shouts. The wand illuminates briefly, then flashes red. “Illegal use of magic!” Miri says.
“Miri!” The others hover around the shard of glass in Maxine’s hands.
“My heavens! What is that screeching?” Miri asks, but her voice is drowned out as a gargoyle yanks the tablecloth above us off our table and sends everyone scurrying. In the chaos, Maxine drops the glass and it shatters. I definitely felt a shard hit my leg. The spell is lifting! My legs are tingling now and so are my arms.
“Princesses, it’s so nice to see you all wrapped up like a present,” I hear Alva say. I see her shoes heading toward us. Maxine pulls my body closer, and this time I’m certain I can feel her touching my side!
“She’s got them boxed in a corner with the gargoyles surrounding them,” Ollie reports in a whisper. “Should I throw some radishes?”
“No, they’ll see you! Wait ’til the coast is clear and we’ll get Gilly out of here before Alva spots her,” Kayla suggests. I’m loving how she’s taking charge. “We’ll come back in to save the others somehow.”
“Mrwrh,” I say. My lips are moving!
“She’s coming out of it!” Maxine whispers. “She’s moving! Her arm is moving! Her—” I wiggle around, still floating under Rose’s spell. I’m still hovering. “She’s back! Sort of.”
“I can fix that,” Kayla says and flicks the wand at me. I fall into Maxine’s lap.
“Wrong,” I say in between short breaths. “Mistake. Rose. Not Rapunzel. Harlow. Jocelyn.” I’m having trouble forming sentences.
“Alva, let these innocents go!” Ella cries and I’m impressed again. “It’s the royal court you want.”
“Now, now, Ella, is that any way to talk to an old friend?” Alva purrs. “Especially one who is so close with one of your fellow princesses? I mean, I’m practically a sister. Or should I say, your new ruler?”
I crouch under the table with the others. I can see Alva putting her arm around Rose, who starts coughing.
“Wicked One, don’t you mean I’m their new ruler?” Rose’s voice is light, but her brow furrows. “We had a deal. You get all the other kingdoms while I rule Enchantasia and keep those delinquents at FTRS locked up to do my bidding. I already have a way to keep them in line.”
Alva examines her wickedly long, dark nails. “Rose, dear, if I’m being truthful for a change, I must admit being back here in Royal Manor where I cursed you as an infant makes me long for this kingdom too.” She waves a jeweled hand around. “I want them all, darling! And let’s be honest. Who are we kidding? You are in no shape to rule! You slept a hundred years! Your reign has been shorter than the others so you have no clue what’s going on in your own village!”
“We need to move,” I whisper. “Before she knows I’m gone.” We begin to crawl over broken glass to get to the other end of the table. I can see the ballroom doors open a few feet away. Closer. Closer. We are going to make it.
“I do too,” Rose whines, sounding like one of my little brothers. “We had a deal! I already gave you the girl like you wanted.” She points to our table and sees no sign of my body. Her mouth twists in anger. “Where did Gillian Cobbler go?”
I stop short with a shiver. Alva’s laugh is so cold that I hear ice cracking in our water goblets. “I should have known you couldn’t even manage a task this simple! Boys!” Alva commands her screeching gargoyles. I see one land right at my feet. “Bring her to me!”
CHAPTER 18
Heroes Unite
The gargoyle’s rancid breath makes me inhale sharply, and I shrink back as I see its gray claws reach under the table for us. Ollie bats at it with a broken goblet, and the gargoyle screeches and flies away.
“Move! Move!” Ollie cries and we crawl faster and faster, ignoring the cracking sound and the bolts of lightning until they split our table in half. The sides collapse, leaving us out in the open.
“Ah, there she is. Lovely!” Alva says.