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Back The Ever After Save as PDF
Chapters (92)
  1. Cover
  2. TheEVERAFTER
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11
  14. 12
  15. 13
  16. 14
  17. 15
  18. 16
  19. 17
  20. 18
  21. 19
  22. 20
  23. 21
  24. 22
  25. 23
  26. 24
  27. 25
  28. 26
  29. 27
  30. 28
  31. 29
  32. 30
  33. 31
  34. 32
  35. 33
  36. 34
  37. 35
  38. 36
  39. 37
  40. 38
  41. 39
  42. 40
  43. 41
  44. 42
  45. 43
  46. 44
  47. 45
  48. 46
  49. 47
  50. 48
  51. 49
  52. 50
  53. 51
  54. 52
  55. 53
  56. 54
  57. 55
  58. 56
  59. 57
  60. 58
  61. 59
  62. 60
  63. 61
  64. 62
  65. 63
  66. 64
  67. 65
  68. 66
  69. 67
  70. 68
  71. 69
  72. 70
  73. 71
  74. 72
  75. 73
  76. 74
  77. 75
  78. 76
  79. 77
  80. 78
  81. 79
  82. 80
  83. 81
  84. 82
  85. 83
  86. 84
  87. 85
  88. 86
  89. Epilogue
  90. GLOSSARY
  91. TheEVERAFTER
  92. By Amanda Hocking

“Now, miss,” Margarit said. “I went ahead and told Knut, and he has the airboat all ready to go.”

“Okay,” I said, because I didn’t know what else to say about the Omte Queen summoning me for no apparent reason.

“If you need a moment, I still need to tell Mr. Dómari,” she said.

“Yeah, thank you.” I closed the door, and the sangria that had so nicely warmed my belly a couple hours ago now left it a burning sour pit.

Bryn was standing when I turned back around. I hadn’t heard her get up, but she moved like a silent ninja when she wanted to. “Do you want me to go with you?”

“I mean, I don’t think you should. Since the Queen didn’t request you, and it sounds like she doesn’t really like you.”

“Do you know what she wants?” Bryn asked.

I shook my head. “No idea.”

“I should go with.” She moved toward her luggage, where she stored a dagger and calfskin sheath.

“No, no, no.” I held up my hands. “I don’t think that’s necessary. Elof and I have faced worse than Queen Bodil. We can handle this.”

“Fine.” Bryn straightened up. “But if I don’t hear from you in an hour, I’m storming the palace.”

With that settled, I went into the hall and met Elof. As we rode the airboat through Fulaträsk, we speculated about why the Queen was calling us down to meet her. Elof guessed it had something to do with Rikky, either our visit to the clinic or the incident at the Ugly Vulture.

“I don’t know. It sounds like there’s incidents there a lot,” I said. “The King died there.”

“I’ve heard that before,” Elof said.

“He was a good King,” Knut said, apparently overhearing our conversation. “A strong, just man who died among his citizens. It’s a good death, because he died the way he lived, and our memory honors him.”

The Omte palace finally came into view, but it was a squat building, nearly flush with the swamp around it, and moss covered the walls, so it wasn’t that conspicuous, compared to all the other palaces I’d seen. The only real ostentatious features were the Gothic vulture statues on the eaves.

Knut waited in the airboat, and a palace guard led me and Elof inside. If he felt the same dismay I did when I first saw the musty interior of the palace, with its spiderwebs and snails on the walls, he didn’t show it. Elof wore his usual expression of polite curiosity.