The Witch's Tower Read online

  The Witch’s Tower

  Twisted Ever After, Book 1

  Tamara Grantham

  Contents

  Content Disclosure

  Also by Tamara Grantham

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  The Dragon Swan Princess

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Afterword

  Also by Tamara Grantham

  Dreamthief

  CTP Email List

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  To new beginnings.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  The Witch’s Tower

  Copyright ©2018 Tamara Grantham

  All rights reserved.

  Summary: Gothel’s choice is simple: either stand guard over Princess Rapunzel—or die. But just because a choice is easy doesn’t mean it’s pleasant. Protecting Rapunzel means watching her lay trapped in a tower, bedridden by hair that is so long and heavy it’s driving her insane. Gothel’s life has become one of imprisonment and solitude, too—until a prince and his handsome squire appear at the tower…

  ISBN: 978-1-63422-334-8 (paperback)

  ISBN: 978-1-63422-335-5 (e-book)

  Cover Design by: Marya Heidel

  Typography by: Courtney Knight

  Editing by: Kelly Risser

  Twisted Ever After

  Book 1: The Witch’s Tower

  Book 2: The Dragon Swan Princess

  Olive Kennedy, Fairy World MD Series

  Book 1: Dreamthief

  Book 2: Spellweaver

  Book 3: Bloodthorn

  Book 4: Silverwitch

  Book #6 (Novella): Goblinwraith

  Book #5 Deathbringer

  Book #6: Grayghost

  The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.

  -W. B. Yeats

  1

  Blood. My blood.

  Rapunzel was getting bolder. A gust of rain-scented wind rushed through the clearing as I pulled a scrap of rolled linen from my cloak. I wrapped it around my wrist where she’d clawed my skin. Droplets soaked through, staining the fabric.

  Sighing, I straightened to stare at the moonlit tower looming over me. I didn’t know what to do with Rapunzel. She was growing more unstable. It didn’t help that my mother had placed a curse on her. How could Rapunzel’s mind be right when she was forced to lie in bed all day, a prisoner to her hair that was so heavy, it prevented her from moving?

  The clouds thickened, covering the sky, making the tower seem to disappear. I lit my lantern. The flame burned bright inside the glass as I started down the trail through the forest. As I walked, twigs snapped under my boots. The sounds of chirping crickets, and the occasional hoot from an owl, filled the air.

  The scent of rain lingered on the wind. I hoped it held off until I made it to the village. The trail sloped downward, and I followed it over a narrow footbridge spanning a stream. As I crossed, my footfalls echoing over wooden planks, I reminded myself why I was traveling through these cursed woods. We needed supplies. Going into the village was the only way to get them, although leaving the tower was risky. If the high sorcerer found me gone, he’d hang me for sure, but what choice did I have? The flour was growing rancid, I would eat dirt before I touched another wild beet, and I was certain the dirt would taste better. It would help if I had skills in gardening, but I’d always had rotten luck when it came to growing things.

  A breeze rushed through the woods, stirring the turquoise blue strands of my hair. I tucked it beneath my cowl, hoping to keep it hidden. It made me easily identifiable, and if anyone saw its strange color, they’d start asking questions.

  I hated questions. I hated answering them even more.

  The trees grew thicker along my path, making it hard to see anything.

  A noise caught my attention.

  Hoof beats came from up ahead. I ducked behind a briar bush as two forms emerged from the trail. Dousing my lantern’s flame, I stared at the shapes of two men on horseback approaching me.

  I held my breath, my own heartbeats sounding too loud.

  “Halt!” one of the men called. “I see you there.”

  “Come out,” the other man shouted.

  Under the light of their lanterns, the gleam of their swords’ pommels shone, peeking from their scabbards strapped to their backs. Would they use their weapons?

  Breathing deeply, I attempted to keep my cool. They had no reason to harm me. I kept that in mind as I stood and stepped away from the bush.

  “What are you doing out here?” one of the men asked.

  “I’m on my way to Willow Wood village.”

  “At this time of night?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s my business, if you don’t mind.”

  “Very well, then. What’s your name?”

  Should I lie? If I did and they found out, what then? Better to play it safe. Hopefully, they’d never heard of me.

  “I’m called Gothel,” I answered.

  His eyes lit up. “Gothel. What luck! You are just the witch we seek.”

  Drat.

  Both men dismounted. Holding their horses’ reins, they approached me. The man nearest me wore armor that gleamed in his lantern’s light. He also wore a cloak and cowl that partially hid his face, though from the light stubble sheathing his jaw, and his full lips, I got the impression he wasn’t much older than me. The man behind him was taller, and he stayed in the shadows. I couldn’t distinguish any of his features.

  “We are seeking the princess in the tower. Do you know where it is?”

  Double drat. Now I had no choice but to lie.

  “I’m afraid I don’t.”

  “Really? That is odd. We were told a witch named Gothel could show us the way.”

  “It must’ve been someone else. Now, if you’ll please excuse me.”

  I attempted to brush past them when the tall man caught my arm. I gasped as he gripped me.

  “Release me,” I said.

  “Gothel, listen,” the first man said. “We really must find that tower. We’ve been riding for weeks trying to find it. Please, the war must end, and the only way for the fighting to stop is for the high sorcerer’s daughter to be united with a prince of our kingdom. We left the war in search of the princess in the tower—the woman rumored to be the high sorcerer’s only offspring—the last princess left alive in the land.”

  He seemed to know a lot, which piqued my curiosity. “Who are you?”

  The man threw back his hood, revealing a silver crown atop his crop of unruly blond hair. His eyes were dark blue under the firelight, and the shape of his nose and jawline made him look as if he came from nobility.

  “My name is Prince Merek Duc’Line.”

  “You’re the king’s son?”

  He nodded.

  My stomach knotted. A prince? Could he be the one? If he was, then I should’ve fought him off. I should’ve kept him as far away from the tower as possible. There was a foretelling that a prince of noble blood would free the princess and kill the witch.

  Kill me.

  But after five years of being trapped inside a tower, I no longer feared soothsaying. Those tales were usually rubbish anyway. If he could save Rapunzel, shouldn’t I let him try?

  “The tower is down that path,” I said. “But there’s a spell in these woods to keep it hidden, which is why you couldn’t find it.”

  “Can you remove the spell?”

  “Perhaps.”

  “Will you do it for us? Please?”

  He sounded sincere, but I still wasn’t sure if I should help him. If the high sorcerer found out, he’d have my head. But if there was a chance the prince could undo the curse, wouldn’t it be worth it to tell him?

  “I can show you the way, but once you reach the tower, you must speak the spell to get inside. Call the princess’s name two times, then command her to let down her hair.”

  His eyebrows rose. “Her hair?”

  I nodded.

  “Very well, and what is the princess’s name?”

  I hesitated. What if he wasn’t the one? Then again, he was the king’s son. If anyone was worthy, it would be him. I hoped.

  “Her name is Rapunzel.”

  “Thank you,” he said, heaving a relieved sigh. The tall man with the hood held my arm a moment longer than necessary, then released me. I rubbed my arm. He’d m
ost likely left a bruise.

  Filthy knave.

  “Be careful,” I said as the men mounted their horses. “There’s a spell on the princess. If you are not worthy, if your heart is not noble, or if you have ill intentions, you will be under her enchantment.”

  “I do not fear enchantments,” the prince said. “I’ve vanquished many enemies in the war, fought dragons, slaughtered giants, and delivered justice to my enemies. Magic doesn’t scare me.”

  He sounded overconfident, but maybe if he were as brave as he said, he would be the one to break the curse. I opened my pack and removed a vial of crushed primrose petals. After uncorking the glass, I emptied its contents on my open palm, then with a whisper of magic, I gently blew the petals across the path.

  A blue glow appeared, snaking along the trail and through the forest, leading the way to Rapunzel’s tower.

  “Follow the magic to the tower,” I said. “And do not forget my warning.”

  “No need to remind me,” he shouted, then kicked his horse. The two men galloped away. As I watched them go, their lantern’s light quickly disappearing in the thick foliage, I regretted my decision to help the prince. Someone so self-assured could never beat the spell, but one could always hope.

  “May the goddess protect your souls,” I said, my words a quiet whisper that got lost in the wind.

  2

  “How much do you want for the herbs?” the old lady asked, the afternoon sunlight beating down on her weathered skin.

  “Five pence, if you please,” I answered.

  “Nay.” She spat. “I’ll give you three. Not a pence more.”

  Sighing, I held on to the satchel. It had been a slow day. At this rate, it would take me until nightfall to earn enough money for our supplies.

  “Four,” I said, “and I’ll throw in an extra sprig of lavender.”

  “Is it fresh lavender?”

  “Yes. I gathered it myself.”

  “Ah, very well then. Four it is.” She fumbled with her coin purse and pulled out four copper coins, then pressed them into my hand as I gave her the satchel and the lavender.

  Around us, carts rolled past, their wheels creaking, and voices of the street vendors carried through the narrow lanes. I wiped beads of sweat from my forehead as the woman ambled away.

  Checking my coin purse, I counted my money. Seventy-five shekels. I could buy a cask of flour and a few apples, enough to last a week, but that wouldn’t do. I’d need more than that if we wanted to survive through winter. This wasn’t going how I’d planned.

  I walked down the lane, hoping a different spot would attract some new customers. My stomach rumbled as I walked, and I realized I hadn’t eaten anything all day. I blamed my coin purse.

  A shadow loomed over me, and I stopped, staring up into the dark eyes of a man with deep bronze skin.

  “Gothel?” he asked.

  I eyed him. “You know me?”

  “Yes, we met last night. Don’t you remember?”

  “Last night?” I studied him. Was he an Outlander? No one in Willow Wood had such dark skin, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever seen an Outlander here. I wasn’t even sure there were any left. I thought they’d all been killed.

  “Were you the man with the prince?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “You hurt my arm!”

  “Did I?”

  “Yes! You almost bruised me.”

  “I’m sorry. It wasn’t my intention. I was only trying to protect the prince.”

  “Against me?”

  “I had no idea who you were. Plus, it was dark. You could’ve been anyone.”

  “Fine. What do you want?”

  “I need your help. You must return with me to the tower immediately.”

  “Why?”

  “Because something happened to the prince.”

  My heart sank. The prince had failed. I wished I was surprised, but I was beginning to believe that a noble-hearted prince didn’t exist.

  “I’m sorry,” I said.

  “Yes, I told him he needed to stop and think before he climbed into the tower, but he never listens to me. I’m only his squire, anyway. And now something has happened to him and I need your help.”

  “Sir, I’m sorry, but I can’t help you.”

  “No, you have to. Don’t you see? It’s the prince. If something happens to him, I lose my head. I’m supposed to be his protector. And I’m not a Sir, by the way. I’m merely a squire. My name is Raj Talmund.”

  “Raj?”

  He nodded. With a name like that, he had to be an Outlander.

  “Raj, I’m very sorry, but there’s nothing I can do. I warned the prince not to enter the tower unless he had a noble heart. If he never returned from the tower, then he must’ve fallen under the spell. If that happened, then there’s nothing I can do to help him.”

  “Nothing at all?”

  “I’m sorry, no.”

  His face fell. “Then what am I to do?”

  “The spell most likely put him to sleep. If that’s the case, then he’ll wake in a week or two. I would suggest bringing his body back to the king and explaining what happened. It was the high sorcerer who locked his own daughter inside that cursed tower. If the king wants to be angry with someone, it should be with the sorcerer. Now, if you will please excuse me, I’ve got a million herbs to sell before I can buy my supplies and leave this village.”

  I brushed past him. He grabbed my arm. Again. In the very same spot where he’d grabbed me last night. This was a habit I was hoping he’d break.

  “Release me,” I said, hoping he heard the steel in my voice.

  “There has to be a way. I can’t wait a week or two. Please, if you’re to earn money, then let me help. I’ve more than enough to buy all your supplies. Let me buy your evening meal. There’s a tavern down the way that serves the best honeyed baguettes you’ve ever tasted.”

  “I know of the baguettes. I’ve lived near Willow Wood for a few years, you know. Word gets around. And I’m shocked that you want to buy my supplies and my meal? How desperate are you?”

  “I will do whatever it takes to restore the prince. There must be something you can do for him.”

  I pondered his offer. If it meant I got my supplies and a meal, wouldn’t I be a fool to pass up such an opportunity—especially with the lure of honeyed baguettes involved? But it wouldn’t be right, and I knew it.

  “I wish I could take you up on your offer, but I’m afraid it wouldn’t be fair. I wish you would understand that I’m powerless to help the prince. I can’t take your money.”

  He flexed his jaw as he glanced at the sun sinking toward the horizon.

  “You live in that tower?” he asked.

  I nodded.

  “The high sorcerer put you there?”

  “Yes. I’m bound to the tower and the princess. I can only leave if an emergency arises, such as when we’re starving—and we are.”

  “Then let me buy your evening meal and your supplies. It’s not right what the high sorcerer does to people. If I can help you in any way, then I feel I must do this, especially if you’re starving as you say.”

  I grumbled under my breath, wishing I’d never brought up the state of my empty stomach.

  “Fine,” I relented, “but only if you let go of my arm.”

  “Oh.” He released it quickly, as if he’d forgotten he was still holding it. I wasn’t sure if he realized what a strong grip he had.

  “Come, let me escort you to the tavern.”

  “You have no need to escort me. I know the way.”

  “Nonsense. I’m a knight in training. It’s my duty to escort you.” He held out his arm, and I looked at it. No one had ever paid me any attention since I’d come to Willow Wood, and certainly hadn’t thought to lend me their arm. I had half a mind to refuse him, as I knew he was only trying to get my help, but I wasn’t a complete imbecile. If it meant I got a free meal, I wouldn’t turn him down.