A Shattered Song ✔️

Chapter Nineteen: Escape

CHAPTER NINETEEN: Escape

Evelyn felt like screaming as she and Melody walked along at a leisurely pace, side by side, no sense of panic or nervousness showing on either of their faces. There was nothing in Melody's expression because Melody was faerie, and as such, most likely good at avoiding the truth. And there was nothing in Evelyn's because Melody's glamour was draped upon her, forcing Evelyn's face into a beautiful smile. It felt like pine and rainstorms. It felt like night skies and stars.

It felt like ugly truths and brittle smiles.

And it didn't help that Melody insisted on stopping whenever they passed someone, which happened more and more often as they reached the more crowded portions of the manor. Evelyn knew enough to understand that Melody did this because it was what Melody always did - but still, each cheerful wave and greeting felt like a punch in the gut. These people - the butterfly-winged boy, the muffin-carrying child - knew faerie Melody better than Evelyn ever had. And with each "come see us later", Evelyn could see Melody's resolve crumbling. Her cousin belonged here. And she was leaving.

For Evelyn.

The weight of that revelation nearly crushed her.

Smile. Skip. The glamour instructed.

Evelyn did, but her thoughts were spinning.

What was she doing?

✿ ✿ ✿

They stood together behind a pillar, watching the gates that led outside.

They were metal, connected to a stone wall that encircled the entirety of the manor property. The wall inself was too tall to climb - and, Melody asserted at a whisper, most likely heavily enchanted. According to Evelyn's cousin, the gates were the only way out. It wasn't like Evelyn could contest this - she had to admit that Melody knew much more about this world than she did.

The only problem was that the gates - the escape, the way out, the last chance they had - were guarded by a single male faerie. A faerie that would undoubtedly raise an alarm if they left him anything but dead.

Melody couldn't accept this. "I know him." She hissed, almost hysterical. "He's my friend."

"Kayleigh was mine." Evelyn responded furiously. "You didn't care then."

Melody shot her a withering look. "Yes. I didn't. Now I do, and I can't kill him."

"Well then, what are we supposed to do? Ivy's distraction won't last forever."

Melody hesitated. Then, slowly, she pulled a single gleaming knife from her hair. It was small but obviously sharp. "Ivy gave it to me." Melody said by way of explanation. Evelyn shivered and wondered how long the faerie had had it, and whether she'd ever considered slitting Evelyn's throat with the deceptively pretty blade.

She placed the knife in Evelyn's palm, and Evelyn glanced up in surprise. Her dark eyes met Melody's grey ones.

"Go for the throat." Melody told her.

Evelyn stepped forward and did.

She went at a run, for the guard was facing out to the rolling hills beyond the gate, not looking for intruders from within. By the time the poor faerie heard her footsteps, Evelyn was already tackling his back. He was so much smaller than her, almost a child, really, and suddenly the reality of the situation caught up to her.

Was she really going to do this?

Then she felt a glamour pressing at her - not Melody's, but something rusted and wind-blown and strange.

The guard.

Her hesitation fled like the wind.

With that - almost against her will, but not really - Evelyn leaned down and shoved the knife into his throat, Melody's words echoing in her ears.

Evelyn hadn't had any practice with this kind of thing. She wasn't a killer. She was just Evelyn, maybe-twelve-maybe-not, and the faerie was beginning to choke on his own blood and-and-and-

Then the guard began to buck, attempting to throw Evelyn off his back, and the knife was still in his throat and it was instinct, maybe, that had her twisting the blade deeper, harder -

He slackened, went limp, sending Evelyn tumbling to the ground. Her hands were red, the knife was red, and suddenly Evelyn was retching onto the ground because she wasn't a killer and the sight of the guard's eyes, blank and forever unseeing and his throat, a torn, bloodied mess, made her sick.

Then Melody was pulling at her, saying things like we need to go and no time to waste, and Evelyn followed, numbly, blindly, wondering why she obeyed.

Then she made the mistake of looking back, and then there was Briar, watching with something akin to horror-

The sky was dark and speckled with stars. Only after Melody turned a key in the lock (where had she gotten it?) did Evelyn realize Briar wasn't using her glamour to bring them back.

Briar was letting them go.

Melody and Evelyn ran.