Frosted (Frosted #1 | Jackunzel)

{ Chapter Nineteen }

There wasn't a lick of blood anywhere. Evanora Hailwell's limp body simply fell to the willow table with a thud, blade slipping noiselessly out from her heart. Behind her stood a familiar, curly-haired figure, eyeing the seer's impaled figure with an amused look in her storm-grey eyes. Rapunzel and Flynn were long out of their seats by the time they finally lifted to take in her new company, (a company that refused to include Jack, of course).

"Flower," Dame Gothel's voice melted quite abruptly as she locked eyes with an understandably horrified-looking Rapunzel. "You have no idea of the dangers I went through to find you."

But Rapunzel's gaze was glued to Evanora's body in a way that made Jack want to take her away from the scene immediately. He had seen death before, and those memories were some he strongly wished he could unsee. But the dead did not deserve to be forgotten so easily either, despite his wishes to forget. There was hesitance in Rapunzel now—to avoid her mother or run to attempt to heal Evanora from her fatal wound. But she seemed to understand just as he did that, even if she could bring someone back from the dead, she'd need all of her energy to do so. And Jack could still see the hints of exhaustion hidden deep within the layers of her soul, tiring the edges of her bright eyes and adding the smallest of slouches to her shoulders.

Gothel sheathed her bloodless blade, opening her arms wide in welcome. "Oh, Flower, how I've missed you. Come to me—Mother will protect you."

"Why did you poison Zacharia Rettersonne?" Rapunzel's voice was so hard it shook.

Jack noticed her mother's spine straighten through her inhale, though it was only a minimal change in her demeanour. She was trying hard to make it seem as if she wasn't on high alert. Breaths passed in silence until, finally, she lowered her empty arms. "Did they fool you? Oh, Rapunzel, I thought I'd raised you far better than that. These people are sick and waiting for the perfect opportunity to snatch you away! A healthy girl like you makes the utmost meal." When Rapunzel did not reply, she continue with an exasperated sigh. "The Rettersonne's were the ones who created the plague in their attempts to take you away from me! Why do you think I was forced to build our tower so far away? It was to protect you from their hungered grasp."

It was only when Rapunzel glanced down in her indecision that Jack spotted the flicker of victory shining bright through Gothel's eyes. It vanished almost completely again as she continued in her attempts to lure Rapunzel to her side.

After she'd just murdered a woman.

Jack had to fight an urge to scoff at the absurdity of it all. If anyone in this tree-house was naive, it was her.

"Rapunzel," Jack tried softly, shifting forward on his toes. He could easily get them both out of here in a matter of seconds, but only if he had her consent to fly her away. And Flynn... Jack didn't know how he would get him out, too. Could he outrun a raging witch? He seemed capable enough.

"You—" Rapunzel worried at her wrists. Had she even heard Jack say her name? "Why would you—She's dead, Mother! The only thing she was guilty of was attempting to give me the answers—"

"Answers I could have given you if only you'd asked. Why would you ever think this stranger wouldn't lie to you, Rapunzel? I told you you were far too naive for the harshness of the world, and what do you do? You go out anyway, completely unprepared!"

Rapunzel frowned. "Believing in the good of others doesn't make one naive."

A scowl sharpened Gothel's features. Her growing irritation was evident in every line. "Oh," she drawled, "what a buoyant phrase. Would you like to write it down?"

Vulnerable hurt flashed over Rapunzel's face. Jack took a step closer to her, feeling a squeeze in his chest at the sight of her pain. This was not how this meeting was supposed to play out. Evanora's death was on his hands for not insisting more on their leaving for North's Workshop.