“It’s time for the first dance.” Kieran puts his hand out to Raven. “My love?”She takes it with a smile, and they leave.Candace nudges me. “Do you think we’re supposed to dance too?”“With you?” I scoff. “If Kieran wants me to dance, he’d better let me pick my own partner.”Candace sighs. “Always
EstrellaTess laughs and pats my arm. “Now, you’ve shown everyone the real abilities of Sundrop.”“The real abilities to stumble all over each other?” I smile.“Excuse me,” someone says behind me.I don’t know who I think I’m kidding. I recognize Anwen’s voice instantly, and even if I didn’t, Tess’s
AnwenA scream splits the air. If I wasn’t already watching Estrella like a hawk, I would still look over just in time to see King Isai touch one finger to the arrow through the center of his chest, then slump. Estrella tries to catch him, but she’s not strong enough to support his bulk, so they go
“I was in the hall,” he whispers. “I didn’t—”“We have to move him,” I say. “Now or never.”Queen Suniva smiles softly down at her husband. “I’m afraid, Prince Anwen, that we have already arrived at never. There’s nothing your healer could do for him now.”Estrella closes her eyes, and fresh pain te
EstrellaMy heart stopped in the moment Father’s did. I have a vague and distant sense of being moved—someone says Father may be crushed if we don’t—but no idea where I’m being sent. The noise of the ballroom dampens. There’s less screaming, or at least, less outside of my head.Father is dead. Not
‘I’m going to look into the matter myself,’ I tell Mother and Castor. ‘You will know what I do.’Before we reach the voices, Anwen leads me into a passage behind a tapestry which releases us into an empty hall I’ve never seen before. For a moment, I consider that Anwen is actually part of the plot,
AnwenI blink awake the next morning, sore and scraped. For a second, I stare at the ceiling, trying to remember who I fought. Then, someone shifts in the bed beside me, and everything snaps into place.The assassination of King Isai. Estrella yelling at me. Falling into bed with her. And collapsing
I blink. “What?”“It’s an idiom.” She flips her hand dismissively. “I mean to say you have nothing, and you’re pretending otherwise.”I swallow. In that moment of hesitation, a lance of pain rips through my chest, nowhere near my mark. I put my hand to it.“Did you feel that?” I ask.“Feel what?” Sh
My quill flows across the page, writing down every word of the story. Mother’s voice rings in my ears, soft over familiar phrases. When I’m done, I don’t read it over. I’ll just crumple it up if I do. But I scribble one last thing at the end.Even if the tower never falls….Seconds tick away as I st
HollisI’m a moron. Worse than that, I’m insane. That’s what Mother said when she found out I’d stuck my tongue to the frozen pole outside of the kitchen three times in a week and basically skinned the damn thing every time. But every time, I thought it would be like in a story Eva and I read, where
“I want something more active,” I say. “Like you. I want to… I don’t know… make something?”“Easy.” Ingrid claps her hands together. “Have you ever done any fine arts? Drawing, painting, sculpting?”I shake my head. Yet another class Mother thought was filling my head up with nonsense.“Okay. I know
CandaceI’m sitting at the dressing table, fixing my hair for the first time in days, when a bird starts singing right outside my tent. An ash warbler. For the third time since sunset yesterday. I almost smile.When it first happened, I made Ingrid go check. We were way outside of where the warbler
‘Catch me if you can!’ she calls through the mind-link.In wolf form, I can’t give her the necklace if I want to. I stuff her clothes and mine in her sewing bag, then shift and give chase.Escuro flies by. I barely notice it. My attention remains locked on Eva’s bright-red tail disappearing between
HollisMy plan to act like I actually believe Eva is going to be my wife is going great—except for the fact that I basically haven’t slept since I started it because my mark hurts so Goddess-damned bad. That’ll fade. I know it will. Because I do believe Eva’s going to be my wife. It’s what everyone
Outside the tent, someone makes the tiniest whimper I’ve ever heard. My heart squeezes.“They can come in, but no lights.” I sit up. “And don’t ask, please.”Ingrid nods and starts to turn away, but her gaze locks on mine. She’s noticed. Of course. Every muscle in my body tenses.She turns back for
CandaceFor the third morning in a row, I pull my covers over my head as lunch approaches and rub eyes gritty from crying.Well, not exactly the third morning in a row. The very next day, I tried. I got up, made myself beautiful even as Ingrid fluttered around me, saying I didn’t have to go out if I
Not that I’m keeping track. I, in fact, am doing the exact opposite. I’ve been so caught up in her that I’ve been neglecting my responsibilities. Even if she’s not the person I’m going to spend my life with, I still believe in her dream. There’s just no reason for her to lie, or to seem so scared if