The Witch's Tower by Tamara Grantham (top novels .txt) 📕

was several stories tall, with the mosaic decorating the outer walls, trailing up toward the top floor in a pattern of vines and flowers.

The desert blooms here.

“My goodness,” I said, stopping short. “Did all buildings look like this one before the war?”

“No,” Anahita said, her eyes smiling sadly. “They were much larger and more beautiful. This is only a taste of what was here before.”

I stepped to the structure, running my fingers over the glass tiles, the surface warm and smooth.

“Raj lives here?” I asked.

“He lived here, yes. This is his family’s home. Come, I will show you inside.”

She brushed past me and walked toward the entry. The doorway was impressively tall, with the top of the arch tapering to a point. I followed her into the building.

The sound of running water echoed through the open rooms, and flowering plants and cacti potted in large painted jars lined the corridors. We entered a round space with a fountain situated at the center. Water streamed from the top of the fountain, flowing around petal-shaped platforms jutting from the center, then pooling in the basin at the bottom.

The same colorful tiles I’d seen outside had also been worked into the fountain’s construction, lining the sides of the basin in jewel-toned colors that glinted in the sunlight streaming inside.

As I looked up, the ceiling opened all the way to the top of the building. A circle of faded blue sky peeked from the top of the opening. Below it, railings lined the floors overlooking the fountain. Plants in colors of verdant green hung from the balconies, their trailing tendrils stirred by a gentle breeze.

“This is an amazing place,” I said, looking from the fountain to the top of the open-air dome. “It’s magical.”

“Not magical, my dear, but close enough. Come, they will be leaving soon to join in the celebration.”

I hurried as Anahita walked past the fountain to an open doorway. As we crossed through, we spotted a staircase and took it up to the next level. Animated voices came from above. We stepped off the staircase and entered a long hallway. Children’s laughter echoed as we walked toward a doorway at the hallway’s end.

The familiar feeling of nerves pinching my insides returned, and I ran a hand over my gown, self-consciously smoothing the wrinkles that weren’t there to calm the turmoil in my mind.

If I was being honest, I held out hope that I had a chance at a life with Raj. The thought made me happier than anything I could imagine. It made my head feel light and my heart race with a feeling of euphoria. Perhaps that was why I wanted so badly to shut those feelings away, because if a relationship never worked out, I wouldn’t be crushed.

Exhaling nervously, I followed Anahita through the doorway and inside a brightly lit room. Bodies crowded the space. Some sat cross-legged atop pillows covering the floor. Others stood in the corners talking quietly, while children raced through the open spaces.

I spotted Raj across the room. He wore the clothing of an Outlander, with dark, plum colored robes thrown around his shoulders, accentuating his broad frame. His black pants and shirt were adorned with a simple golden belt. Without his armor, he looked like a true Outlander. His feet were bare, and his dark hair, washed and combed, fell in soft waves to his chin. He’d shaved, and his smooth skin glowed in the waning sunlight streaming inside through the room’s many windows.

He smiled as he looked up at me, setting my insides on fire. His brilliant countenance lit up the room. I couldn’t draw in a breath of air, and I had the urge to leave as quickly as I’d come. But I hadn’t come this far just to turn away.

“Gothel,” he said, crossing the room in three strides. He stood before me like a prince of the Outerlands, and I was positive this couldn’t have been the same man who’d traveled with me, went without bathing, slept on the ground, and ridden through sandstorms until we’d both been covered in dirt. No. This was someone else entirely. Someone noble.

“I’m so glad you’ve come,” he said, sounding like the Raj I remembered, slightly giddy and boyish. He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. His soft lips lingered only a moment, yet it was long enough to set my skin tingling.

“You look breathtaking,” he said, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes as he reached out and touched my hair. This time, I didn’t flinch.

“Thank you,” I replied, not knowing what else to say.

“Are you feeling better?” he asked.

“Yes. The pain is gone. I’m only a little weak, but I’m sure that will pass.”

“Good. I knew Anahita would heal you. She’s a miracle worker.”

Anahita smiled. “Bless you, child, for returning to us. We needed you here.”

“Only for a short time.”

“Yes, but a short time is better than none. It’s not the same without you.”

“Someday, I hope to stay longer.”

“I should hope so. Have you spoken to your mother?”

“Only briefly. She wants to speak to me tonight.”

Anahita cleared her throat, and I detected a hint of sadness in her eyes, but I wasn’t sure why. “Good. You must speak to her, but wait until after tonight, after the dancing.”

“I will, but I don’t understand. What’s so important that I must wait until tonight?”

She patted his hand. “You will see.” She smiled, though her voice took on a melancholy tone. “Now, let me greet the others. I believe Gothel is anxious to see you again, so I will let you be.”

She wandered away from us to speak to the others. Confused, I watched her go.

“What was that about?” I asked.

“I’m not sure. When I arrived, my mother asked to speak to me tonight, but she wouldn’t tell me why.”

“It must be important if she’s waiting all this time to tell you.”

“I agree. Most likely it’s about my inheritance. They always bring that up every time I visit.”

“Your inheritance?”

“Yes. They want me to stay and rebuild our city. Get married. Claim my inheritance and eventually take the throne.”

My insides squirmed. “Take the throne? What do you mean? Are you a—a prince?”

“Prince of a decimated city. Yes.”

Suddenly dizzy, I sat atop the nearest pile of pillows, my ankle bracelet jangling with an unceremonious clatter.

“Gothel, what’s the matter?” He knelt beside me. “Are you unwell again? Let me fetch Anahita—”

“No.” I grabbed his arm. “Raj, why didn’t you tell me you were a prince?”

“Does it matter?”

“Yes! Don’t you understand—that’s the reason the curse didn’t affect you when you went inside the tower. I wondered why the prince fell under the spell and you didn’t. I thought it was because you weren’t of noble blood. But that wasn’t the reason. It’s because you’re the prince spoken of in the foretelling. You’re the one who will free Rapunzel. And…” I couldn’t finish. Some things I’d never spoken of, and for good reason.

“And what?” he asked.

I shook my head.

“And what?” he repeated.

“And kill the witch who guards her,” I whispered, my voice haunted.

“What?”

“That’s what the foretelling says. I’m sorry, Raj.”

“Don’t be. That’s ridiculous. I would never kill you.”

“But I’m a witch. You’re a prince. Foretelling or not, that’s how these stories end.”

“No.” He took my hand. “That’s not how our story ends.”

I swallowed hard. He’d said our. “You mean that?”

“Absolutely. I swore to protect you and so I shall. I swear to you that I will never harm you.”

He smiled, showing his dimples, and I couldn’t help but reach up and cup his cheek. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

“I supposed it wasn’t all that important. I’m hardly a prince. Not anymore. How can one be a prince if they have no kingdom?”

“But you still have your people.”

“A very small number of them. That’s true.”

“I don’t understand. Why did you leave the Outerlands when you could have stayed here to become their king?”

“Because I knew that if our people were to survive, I’d have to know more about the world. I couldn’t let what the high sorcerer did to us happen again, so I swore I would learn everything I could about war and swordplay. If he came at us again, we would have a fighting chance. Becoming Prince Merek’s squire wasn’t my first choice, as I was willfully coerced into doing it, but it suited my purposes well enough, so I went along with it.”

“But if you’re truly a prince and you broke Rapunzel’s spell, that means you’re destined to marry her and rule our kingdom.”

“Then I won’t marry her. I’ll let Prince Merek do that instead.”

“No, you can’t. Don’t you see? The only way this works is for the one who breaks the spell to marry Rapunzel. That’s the only way to free her from the tower.”

“Why?”

“Because that’s the way my mother’s curse worked. I’m sorry, Raj, but if you’re truly the prince who freed Rapunzel, then to save our kingdom from Varlocke, you have to marry her.”

He sat up straighter, his shoulders taut, the smile gone from his face. “All these