The Ballad of Never After (Once Upon a Broken Heart Book 2)

Evangeline listened carefully for the sound of horse hooves or footsteps or anything else that might have indicated Apollo was back to hunting her.

The leaf-strewn path of the old Northern forest was as quiet as the fog that licked her ankles, yet Evangeline quickened her pace, boots crunching too loudly against the frosty ground. She would have probably been safer if she’d asked Chaos to accompany her, but she’d feared he might not like the idea of her paying a visit to the young man who’d tried to kill her. So she hadn’t said a word of her plans, sneaking out as the vampires slept away the day.

There was an old path to the Tower, where Tiberius was being held. But she didn’t really need a road. The structure was tall enough that Evangeline could easily see it from the cemetery above Chaos’s castle.

The Tower rose out of an old forest that was just past the cemetery. According to the stories, the Tower wasn’t built until after the Age of the Valors. Their reign was supposedly so wonderful they didn’t need to worry about locking people up, for dangerous crimes did not happen while they were in power.

It was difficult to believe that was all true, especially looking at the Tower now. Its stones were so old and worn it was impossible to tell what color they had once been. There were no windows. No doors. No way to look out at the forest that surrounded it.

Evangeline felt a measure of pity for Tiberius. She told herself it was silly to feel bad for the person who’d tried to kill her, but the last time she’d seen Tiberius, he hadn’t been murderous, he’d been in despair.

He’d sobbed when he’d confessed to accidentally killing his brother, which was part of why she hoped he’d be willing to help her today.

And although she truly did feel bad about the dreary conditions of the prison, she imagined they might also aid her in gaining information. She just needed to find a way inside. In addition to possessing no clear door, there also appeared to be no guards who might give her entry.

Fortunately, Evangeline had ways to work around the lack of a visible doorway.

She dug into the basket of bread she’d brought for Tiberius and pulled out a dagger. Vampires were surprisingly careless with their weapons, so it had been easy enough to find a replacement for the knife Jacks had taken back. The dagger she’d chosen was gold, with pretty pink gems on the hilt and a tip that sparkled.

One touch and blood spilled freely from her finger.

After a silent apology to Apollo, who was now bleeding as well, she quickly started marking the stones as she repeated the words:

Please open.

Please open.

Please open.

She didn’t know how many stones she asked. It felt as if she’d tried to talk to the entire base of the Tower before one helpful stone finally cracked and a hidden door swung wide.

She took a deep breath and immediately coughed. The air on the other side of the door tasted like bones.

Two guards, who appeared to have been playing cards, immediately stood. One looked so startled, he knocked over his wooden stool, which thunked loudly against the damp stone floor.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he said as the other guard gaped, clearly recognizing her rose-gold hair.

“I’ll tell you what,” Evangeline said brightly. “I won’t tell anyone that the door to this place was so poorly guarded that I was able to simply saunter in if you just let me have a little chat with Tiberius.” She finished with a shake of her pink hair for the guard who didn’t seem to know who she was.

He still looked as if he wanted to argue, or possibly put her in a cell, until the second guard kicked him in the leg and said, “We’re sorry, Your Highness, but Tiberius isn’t allowed any visitors.”

“Then just don’t tell anyone I’ve stopped by,” Evangeline said. And before either guard could argue, she started up the cold stone stairs.

As soon as her boots touched the first step, she could hear Jacks’s voice. This is your worst idea yet, Little Fox.

The voice was so clear, she paused to look behind her, but there were only the guards closing the door she’d just entered through.

She waited another second in case Jacks knocked or slipped through the crack before the door shut. But Jacks didn’t appear, and she didn’t hear his voice again.

Evangeline shook her head and started back up the steps, determined not to think about Jacks. As long as Tiberius was still locked in a cell, he could not hurt her. She’d offer him some bread. They’d chat. She’d tell him he could help save his brother. He’d tell her where the three missing stones were hidden. And all would be right in the Magnificent North.

She climbed another set of stairs. She was on the third level now, and there was still no sign of Tiberius. There was no sign of anyone. Every cell she passed was empty, save for the occasional gust of wind slipping through the cracks.

A spider crawled over her boots. She jumped, nearly stumbling back a step.

“She put an end to a royal family, and yet she’s afraid of a spider.” The voice was followed by a droll snicker.

Evangeline’s shoulders tensed as she regained her footing and peered down the hall to where she finally found Tiberius Acadian. She flushed as he continued to laugh. Even in prison, he hadn’t lost his princely bearing. He held a crude cup of water as if it were a goblet of wine.

“I’d offer you some,” he said, “but I don’t have any poison to add to it.”

“I’d have thought you’d have learned your lesson about trying to kill people with poison.”

“Ah, but you’re not a person. You’re a key.” Tiberius curled his lip as he stalked toward the bars. “What do you want?”

Evangeline held out a loaf of bread from her basket.

Tiberius eyed the food suspiciously. Yet Evangeline could see there was hunger in his gaze. As he was a prince, she’d thought he would have been taken better care of. But luckily for her, that didn’t appear to be the case. His title didn’t matter here, and the Protectorate had clearly abandoned him. His cell was drafty and dark, lit only by a few foul-smelling tallow candles.

Evangeline ripped off a piece of bread and slowly started to chew. “See, it’s perfectly safe. I’m not your enemy, Tiberius. In fact, I came here to tell you some good news. Your brother, Apollo, is alive.”

Tiberius stilled. Then he sneered. “You’re lying.”

“You tried to kill me, twice,” Evangeline reminded him. “Do you really think I’d come here just to tell you a lie? Apollo is truly alive.” She paused, letting the words hang in the air until the derisive mask Tiberius wore slipped just enough to reveal he believed her—he didn’t look as if he wanted to, but in Evangeline’s experience, what people wanted to feel and what they actually felt were rarely the same thing.

“I know if given the chance you would probably still try to kill me, but I also believe that you care about your brother, and that is why I am here. The poison Apollo ingested put him into a state of suspended sleep that looked like death. About two weeks ago, he woke from it, but he’s still not himself. He’s been infected with another curse.”

“What kind of curse?”

“A very old one. It’s the same curse that was placed on the Archer in The Ballad of the Archer and the Fox.”

“And let me guess: you’re my brother’s fox.” Tiberius grinned. “This is too perfect. Apollo is alive, and soon you’ll be dead.”

Tiberius finally grabbed the offered loaf of bread and smugly began to chew.

“There’s one thing I left out,” Evangeline said. “If your brother succeeds in killing me, then he’ll die, too. Apollo and I are linked. Any injury that befalls me harms him as well.”

“Not my problem,” Tiberius said.

But Evangeline could not believe he was as callous as he seemed. She knew he cared for Apollo. She’d watched him weep and fall to pieces over his brother.

Evangeline set down her basket and retrieved her golden knife. Pushing aside her cloak, she shoved the long sleeve of her dress up her arm.

“What are you doing?” Tiberius asked, eyes going wide as Evangeline placed the blade to her arm and scored four words into her skin.

WHERE ARE YOU APOLLO?

The marks were light, just enough to scratch the words without drawing any blood. If it hurt, she couldn’t feel it over the tightness of her chest as she waited, hoping that Apollo would reply and Tiberius would believe everything she’d just told him.

“Are you mad?” Tiberius asked.

“Watch.” Evangeline sucked in a gasp as the first letter appeared. Apollo did more than scratch her skin: he carved back words until she bled.

DON’T LOOK FOR ME

Each word smarted. Then her other arm started to sting as more words appeared.

I DON’T WANT TO KILL YOU

Tiberius ran a hand over his face, paler than before.

Evangeline felt an unsettling chill at the words Apollo had written, but she also felt a whisper of victory. Tiberius looked as if he believed her now, and he seemed terrified.

“If Apollo succeeds in hunting me down, then he will die—in truth this time—and you will lose your brother forever. But if you help me break his curse, you’ll have your brother back, and I’ll ensure you’re freed.” She added the last bit hastily, and a part of her regretted it, but she needed to be as convincing as possible.

Tiberius pulled at his neck, still watching the last drops of blood from her arm drip onto the grimy prison floor. “Say I did believe you—what would you need me to do?”

“Tell me where the Valory Arch stones are hidden. I know you’re afraid of what the Valory holds, but I believe it contains a back door that will allow me to break the curse on Apollo and save his life. I just need to find the missing arch stones. Please, tell me where they are. Help me save your brother.”

Tiberius took a slow, beleaguered breath. “No.”

“What do you mean, no?”

“I’m refusing your request. Denying your plea. All of this changes nothing, Evangeline. I’d rather see you die than help you find the stones.”

She couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “How can you say that? This is your brother’s life.”

Tiberius’s eyes were glassy, but his voice was resolute. “I’ve already mourned his death, and better his one death than the deaths of countless others and the end of the Magnificent North as we know it, which is what will happen if you open that arch, Evangeline Fox.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I know more than you. Do you even know anything about these stones you’re searching for? They aren’t just bits of rock. And they haven’t been hidden just to keep the arch closed. These stones have powers that call to one another. They long to be reunited, and the last time all four stones were put together, one of the Great Houses was destroyed. I saw the ruins—I felt the horrible hollowing magic. Just bringing the stones together is potentially cataclysmic.” Tiberius met her eyes through the bars, his gaze still glassy and somber. “I do love my brother, but saving his life isn’t worth this risk. If you have a heart, let him shoot it with an arrow. Turn yourselves into another tragic Northern ballad and keep the rest of us safe from the power locked inside the Valory.”