Minutes later the door burst open and Henry was there, kneeling at her side. When Briar reached out, he took her hand in his. His breath came in gasps like he’d just run halfway from town. She was in full panic now. Her focus was gone. She could no longer retreat into her mind; the stress of breathing was all she had. Isodora had won. After all these years the curse would be broken.
“No, no, no,” Henry coaxed, eyes fixed on Briar’s. “Follow me. Breathe with me.” He mimicked taking in deep breaths. “Come on, Briar, breathe with me.”
A commotion was going on outside, noises with no meaning, getting louder and louder.
Briar shook her head. No. Keep Pansy away. Mim and Ethel okay. Breathe. Breathe. She gasped in air, but it burned like sparks and wasn’t enough. The sounds died down to silence and Briar wondered if this was the end. She fought for each breath.
A woman in a rose-colored gown, plain bell skirt with layered lace bodice, strode into the room, Fanny at her heels. The woman’s silver hair was tucked up into a matching rose-colored felt hat adorned with white flowers. She was aged but held herself proudly as if she refused to believe she was not in the prime of her life. To see her in the street, one would think she was an uptown society lady. But to see her in the country cottage was out of place.
“I tried to stop her.” Fanny held out her hands, looking like a frustrated child. Her hair was askew is if she’d been in a fight and a scratch on her cheek was starting to bleed. Beyond the front door were oddly shaped trees, sprung up from nowhere, a dense forest with sharp branches.
Briar could only blink and continue to struggle to breathe. Who was this? Why was she in the cottage, crowding out the air with her smile?
Fanny threw some pebbles above the woman, and in midair there was a burst of pink, a smell of roses, and then the pebbles stretched and joined, transforming into a large silver birdcage with bars encircling the intruder. With a wave of her hand the woman walked through the bars and then sent them to encase an enraged Fanny.
“Let her go, Prince,” the woman said. “It’s too late now. She’ll die, and I’ll be released. I can already feel myself getting stronger with each breath she loses. And you’ll have to live with the guilt that it was all your fault for losing the spindle.”
Isodora. Her turquoise eyes were the same as the peddler’s.
“Oh, look. She recognizes me.” Isodora tilted her head, examining Briar. “The eyes, isn’t it? Eyes are hard to change. Not that I needed a disguise to fool you, but it amuses me to play a role. A peddler is oft more trusted than a gypsy woman, and an overseer can push a spinner girl to her limits.”
Briar blinked. Isodora was also her overseer? She imagined dark glasses over the face. Fanny was right, Isodora had been close by all along.
Henry stood protectively between Briar and Isodora. “Undo it. You have no reason to hurt this girl. She isn’t a part of this.”
“She is now. I’ve come too far to turn the other cheek, if that’s what you want me to do. Silly notion. Your family line hasn’t produced a girl since that ugly baby Aurora. It has to be an innocent. Don’t blame me, blame them.” She pointed at Fanny who was busy trying to break out of her own cage.
“Please,” Briar gasped. “The children.”
Henry looked pleadingly at Fanny. “Is there really nothing we can do?”
“Stay where you are, Henry,” Fanny said. She rattled the cage door. “Love is the only thing that will protect Briar now. Isodora’s magic can’t get past it. Don’t let her intimidate you.”
“Where’s Prudence? I thought she was coming?” he asked.
Isodora laughed. “Are you talking about that old tracker the fairies sent after me? She’s not as good as she used to be. I lost her long ago. Doesn’t matter. The Prince family doomed a girl the moment the young one here set foot on a ship. It was only a matter of time before a Prince became reckless. Or forgetful. People’s memories are so short. They claim to learn from the past, but they don’t. They think they can change destiny, but they can’t.”
The edges of Briar’s vision began to blur. Isodora was smiling. She was happy Briar was dying. She was happy Briar’s lungs were on fire and each breath brought sharp daggers edging their way into her heart, leaving tiny cuts behind. But Briar wouldn’t stop trying to take a breath. Trying to live.
“There is a world beyond which human eyes cannot see. The elder Princes could tell you that my spindle calls to me. It had been dark for so many years. I’m not sure how you managed that.” She looked at Fanny. “Your doing?”