Rapunzel and Eugene were sitting silently. They were both trying and failing to think of a way out of their current predicament when the door to the room began to open. They looked up to see Cassandra step into the room.
"Cass!" Rapunzel gasped.
The girl closed the door behind her and walked over to them, not saying a word.
"Cass, it's us," Rapunzel said desperately.
Cassandra stopped in front of them and suddenly grabbed the front of Eugene's shirt, hauling him to his feet.
"What are you doing in my kingdom?" Cassandra said quietly and menacingly through gritted teeth, her face an inch from Eugene's.
He glanced up nervously at the vial suspended from the ceiling. It was tipping dangerously.
"Well," Eugene said carefully, glancing back down to her eyes, "to be honest, it was supposed to be a rescue mission for Varian."
She threw him to the ground disgustedly.
"I've already taken care of Varian," she said with a sinister sneer.
Rapunzel's eyes widened. "What do you mean?"
"Well, it's safe to say he won't be boring anyone with his alchemy talk for a while," Cassandra replied.
Suddenly, the door began to open behind Cassandra. She whirled around, but relaxed when she saw who was coming inside.
Rapunzel and Eugene's eyes widened. "That's…"
The gray girl stepped up beside Cassandra. "Zhan Tiri," she said, giving a little mocking curtsey. "Pleased to make your acquaintance again, Princess."
"Cass, you can't seriously be-"
"Be what, Rapunzel?" Cassandra cut her off. "Be working with Zhan Tiri? And why not? She's acknowledged me for who I am, and recognized that I come second to no one. Unlike you, might I add. So why can't I choose who I want to collaborate with?"
"But...but Cass…"
"Listen, Cassandra," Eugene spoke up. "We all know you haven't come here to make small talk. What do you want?"
"Oh, so now you care about what I want?" Cassandra said, rolling her eyes. "Well let me tell you what I want, Fitzherbert. I want to be known across the seven kingdoms as someone powerful. I want to be viewed as someone who wasn't afraid to do what she had to do to get what she wanted. I want the whole world to know that I am done being used by everyone else. I want them all to know that I will not be underestimated or cast aside again."
"So, you've got it all planned out, then," Eugene said.
Cassandra looked ready to impale him with a black rock, but then Zhan Tiri stepped forward. "Joke all you want," she said, her smile growing wider, "but we all know Cassandra has power enough to destroy you both in an instant. She is not the girl you remember. No, she is now a queen."
"And I will not hesitate to take what is mine," Cassandra said, stepping forward, "no matter what I have to do to get it. Even if that means encasing Varian in amber."
Rapunzel's eyes widened in horror. Beside her, Eugene was stammering, "You...but...how did you…"
"Save it, Fitzherbert," Cassandra said. "Let this be a lesson to you, now that you know what I am capable of."
With that, she turned on her heel and walked out of the room, Zhan Tiri trailing behind her.
Jaiden wasn't sure how long she and her dad stayed there, unmoving, crouched in front of the amber encasing Varian. All she knew was that when she finally lifted her head up, there was a look of fierce determination in her eyes.
"Jaiden," her dad whispered, "we have to get away from here."
"No," she said. "We have to help Varian."
"Jaiden, even if there was something we could do-"
"Dad, there is something I can do," she said, standing up. He followed, looking apprehensive.
"What do you-"
"Dad, the decay incantation has the power to melt the amber," Jaiden said, making her dad's eyes widen. "You told me that's how Rapunzel freed Quirin the last time this happened. If I use it on this amber, it could free Varian."
"But, Jaiden…"
"Dad," she said, "this may be our only option. Please. I have to do this."
He gazed into her eyes for a moment more. Maybe he saw it in her eyes how set she was on freeing Varian. Whatever the case, his eyes softened. He pulled her into one more hug and kissed the top of her head. Then he stepped back.
Jaiden gave him a small smile. Then she faced the amber and placed her hands once more on the smooth surface.
If she thought about this too much, she was going to back out. So she closed her eyes and began to recite.
"Wither and decay."
Her hair turned jet-black. She felt something inside of her, rearing up like a python.
"End this destiny."
Jaiden couldn't see it, but spreading outward from where her hands lay on the amber, the amber was slowly melting away.
"Break these earthly chains."
The snakelike thing inside of her reared again, wanting to be set free. With her words, she turned it loose.
"And set the spirit free."
The feeling burst out of her, disintegrating the amber. But she managed to keep it in check, and do no more than that.
"The spirit free."
On the last word, she felt something heavy fall to the ground beside her. She tried to open her eyes, only to find, she couldn't.
What? It was as if some force was preventing her eyelids from rising. Then she realized that strange python feeling had yet to return to her body. With all her might, she called it back. It didn't want to come, but using all her strength, she forced it to obey.
She gasped as it suddenly rushed back inside of her. Her hair returned to brown and her eyes snapped open.
She found herself on her knees. She gazed around for a moment. A huge chunk of the amber had melted away and become a liquid sizzling on the floor. All of a sudden, her dad appeared and took her by the shoulders. He seemed amazed.
"You're...you're awake!"
She cocked her head to the side quizzically.
"It's just, whenever Rapunzel does it, she...you know what, never mind."
Jaiden grinned a little and then turned to Varian. He was lying motionless on the ground.
"I...it worked," Jaiden said in awe, rushing to his side. Her dad was quick to follow her.
She grabbed the alchemist by the shoulders. Oh God...was he even breathing? She relaxed slightly when she saw the small rise and fall of his chest.
"Come on, Varian, wake up," she murmured.
"I don't think that's going to happen," came a voice from behind her.
Jaiden's brain told her to turn around, but her instinct told her otherwise. She dove to the side.
And it was a good thing she did. She glanced back and saw a sword impaled in the ground right where she had been a second before. She gazed up into the fierce face of Adira before the woman pulled her sword out of the ground and came after her again.