‘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
EstrellaI scratch at the second plain, shapeless Dun’s Crossing dress I’ve worn in four days and try not to cry. My gown lies on the floor of that ridiculous room Anwen took me to, and as much as I’ll miss it, I think I’ll be happier if I never see it again. My scalp aches from leaving the braids a
My cheeks burn. I had my suspicions, watching Anwen at the ball, but Nessa doesn’t need to say another word to confirm every one. I don’t even know if that room is kept for royalty in need, or just for Anwen to bed women he’s too ashamed to bring to his royal bedchamber.“Thank you,” I say.“You’ve
“Powerfully,” Nessa agrees.I swallow sudden worry. Rumors of Escuro reached Sundrop Gem, but I had no idea what we were really dealing with. Mother has some magic, simple weather prediction and plant control from her original pack, and Castor hasn’t come of age yet. We are outmatched, even though D
AnwenKieran paces back and forth in front of the thrones, his royal robes flapping in a wind he’s creating, a habit we both picked up from Father. The Sollabellas called a meeting with him to discuss the events of the ball last night, and Raven is too ill to do more than sit up in bed, so he asked
“When do you intend that return to be?” Kieran asks.Castor clenches his jaw. Some expression flickers across Estrella’s face and away again, too quickly for me to read, but the stab of pain in my chest tells me the question isn’t a pleasant one. Automatically, I start to share the information with
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