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Mother scoffs. “Yes. The crack I’m supposed to fill is large. Larger than this tower.” She looks me up and down. “If you knew how to use magic, I might have considered taking you with me. This problem will drive me mad. I can’t believe the king isn’t providing me more help. Only one lowly assistant.”
“I’m sorry,” I say, making sure my voice sounds forlorn.
Mother empties the baskets. “I need everything sorted by category. You do this while I bring down the rest of my belongings.”
My face passive, I begin to do as Mother asks while she disappears upstairs. She comes back carrying bundles in her arms, followed by even more floating bundles. They settle at my feet while I continue to sort. Mother is bringing more than I’d ever seen her take on a trip before. Scrolls, quills, herbs, strange amulets. My heart falls when I notice her magic mirror on the pile. Now I won’t have the chance to use it until she brings it back.
She begins to pack her saddlebags muttering to herself. “What else do you need?” I ask.
Mother grunts in frustration. “What?”
“What else do you need?” I repeat.
“You made me forget what I was doing. I do not know. Just help me.”
I turn around and face the table, sorting the bags at my feet. I cannot help my eye roll. Since not much is left, I pause my menial task and head to the stove to make hot tea. Mother continues to mutter as she packs her bag.
I set the hot cups on soft pads next to the stove and return to helping while it cools down. I finish the last bag. “It’s all finished, Mother.”
“What?” She glances up at me, momentarily distracted. Her eyes clear and she nods, furrowing her eyebrows. “Finally.”
I nod, then sit down at the table to sip my tea. The day already feels muggy. Living in the forest helps, with the trees shielding the densest sun rays. It does nothing for the rain, though. “Do you have your rain robe?” I ask. “It’s muggy today.”
“I am not a fool, Rapunzel.” Mother stands and takes her cup off the counter. She leans against the sink and surveys her work. “I am almost finished packing. I will leave soon, while the day is young.”
“How long will you be gone?”
“I told you already, at least a month.”
“I see.”
“You know the rules. Do not disobey me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Mother.”
She finishes her tea in silence, leaving the cup in the sink, then finishes packing. She climbs down my hair to the donkey, who miraculously is still alive. Mother’s protection spells for animals fail frequently. In my opinion, it is because she hates them. She begins attaching the saddlebags and, leaning my chin in my hands, I watch from my window. I’ve never seen her take an animal onto the portal stone before, and I will how it would work.
She leads the donkey to the portal stone. The poor animal starts braying as they near it. I snort. Clearly, he remembers what happened last time. Mother curses loud enough I can hear, and cuffs the donkey across the head. I wince, knowing how that feels.
With a combination of pulling and kicking, Mother eventually has as much of the donkey on the portal stone as can fit. Wind flies up from the stone, swirling around them. Usually, she is gone in seconds. The animal slows her down, though, and it takes a full minute before they fully disappear. I laugh as I walk back down to my floor, intent on sleeping the rest of the day away until Raúl comes by.
I yawn as I slide into my bed, closing my eyes and smiling happily. Since she’s is gone, I’m taking a nap while I can. Tonight, I’ll see Raúl again, and maybe return to the castle for a visit. I can’t wait to sleep in a real bed and bathe in a real tub, even if for only a short time. My blissful thoughts were quickly dashed apart, though, with news from Nava.
We found Dreselda, Nava says.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
I pace my floor, the clean tile cold against my bare feet, waiting for night. I shake my fist at the sky, hating that I have to wait for the sun to fall, then feel foolish. It is not the sun’s fault Raúl can’t walk during the day.
I lay back down in bed again, trying to sleep. When thoughts crowd my head, I stare at the ceiling unblinkingly. At last, I’ll be able to meet the woman shown giving birth in the mirror. “Nava, tell me about your kind.”
I need something to distract me, and what better way than to learn more about my new companions? Nava launches into their tale, saying their kind goes back to the beginning of time. I am not the first who called them companions, but she refuses to tell me who, saying it is a story for another time.
Finally, night is on the horizon. I sigh with relief, then head upstairs. If we are possibly going somewhere, I need to prepare. I have a satchel from years ago, one I never used. I make sure it is sturdy, glad it still is.
Not sure what to fill it with, in the end, I decide on snacks and a journal, to take notes if needed. As I’m packing, Raúl slides in through the window.
“Nava has told me they know where Dreselda is,” I say, throwing items into my satchel. “Will you take me there?”
