Once Upon a Broken Heart, #2
The Ballad of Never After
by Stephanie Garber
Contents
Chapter 26
Overview
Shaken by Jacks, Evangeline resolves not to trust him and fears exposure when gossip columnist Kristof notices her. Sleepless, she consults her mutable book, uncovering a historical rumor linking Slaughterwood attacks to the Valors and an entry on Glendora.
Connecting flower and mirth clues, Evangeline suspects Glendora’s pendant is the mirth stone and plans a covert search via the “Glory in Death” corridor.
Summary
After Jacks departs, Evangeline steadies herself and recommits to avoiding him, recalling her warning letter and Apollo’s cursed pursuit. She refuses to let the hallway encounter repeat and turns her focus back to finding the youth stone, avoiding a return to dinner.
Reentering the noisy hall, Evangeline is intercepted by Kristof Knightlinger, who hints at a tryst. Fearing deadly consequences if Apollo learns she is present, she downplays her absence as harmless exploration and extracts his promise of discretion, though she doubts it.
Unable to sleep, Evangeline lights candles and opens The Rise and Fall of the Valors. The book transforms into The Inglorious History of House Slaughterwood, releasing an ancient Daily Rumor article by Kilbourne Knightlinger. It reports a series of monster attacks on the Slaughterwoods following Castor Valor’s death and rumors that the Valors created an abomination.
Though the text soon devolves into gibberish, the intact portions corroborate Jacks’s carriage tale. Evangeline weighs whether rumor, not truth, fueled the North’s turn against the Valors and suspects Slaughterwood motives, especially given Aurora Valor’s broken betrothal to Vengeance.
Exploring the book’s entries, Evangeline studies Glendora Slaughterwood’s page: an image of Glendora in a coffin labeled “Glory in Death,” alongside a history praising her generosity and love of flowers. Connecting “flowers” to her earlier “One for Mirth” clue and recalling Glendora’s famed winter garden, Evangeline notices a jeweled pendant on Glendora’s chain and deduces it could be the mirth stone, likely buried with her.
Resolving to act before dawn, Evangeline links the phrase “Glory in Death” to the inscription in the secret corridor reached via Glendora’s portrait. She readies herself to search Glendora’s grave, aiming to secure the mirth stone in secret.
Who Appears
- Evangeline FoxDetermined to avoid Jacks, evades scandal, researches Slaughterwood history, and targets Glendora’s grave for the mirth stone.
- Kristof KnightlingerGossip columnist who nearly exposes Evangeline’s presence; promises discretion after she deflects questions.
- JacksHis earlier encounter unsettles Evangeline; she resolves not to trust or pursue him.
- Glendora SlaughterwoodDeceased matriarch; book entry and coffin image suggest her pendant may be the mirth stone.
- Kilbourne KnightlingerAuthor of an old Daily Rumor article alleging monster attacks tied to the Valors.
- ApolloCursed prince hunting Evangeline; his threat heightens stakes if news of her presence leaks.