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Thicket eyed the tub, lips pinching together.

Marcellus latched onto the movement, brows furrowing. “You didn’t even attempt spell alteration, did you?”

Thicket averted her gaze. She had struggled enough with wielding two spells at once that she hadn’t even bothered attempting it. “I’ll do it now.”

Marcellus nodded and raised his pear in farewell. “Good luck.”

She waited until he left to turn her attention to the tub. “Here goes nothing,” she muttered. After making sure the drain was plugged, she closed her eyes, envisioning her fire mixing with the water until it started to bubble. “Yoa yt fya.”

Water swirled at the base of the tub, slowly rising as she funneled more inside. Once it reached the top, Thicket released the spell and dunked her finger into the shifting liquid. She drew back out a moment later, frowning.

It was cold.

Thicket sighed, resigned as she peeled the filthy dress off and dropped it in the corner. She didn’t linger in the bath long. Once she was dry, she reached for her change of clothes. A piece of paper fluttered to the ground. She dried her hands on the side of her towel before picking it up and unfolding the creases.

Dear Kit,

Are you okay???? We were all so worried when you disappeared only to later hear that Marcel has you sequestered away somewhere. I demanded to come see you but Caspian refused, the jerk! He and I will have some words about isolating me from my best friend!

Anyhoo! Lotta let me sneak this inside when he wasn’t looking. I hope you are okay! Please, please, please with multiple cherries on top, write back to me soon and know that I am here for you no matter what. And if Marcel is being too mean to you just send word and I will be there before you can say potato!

Love,

Your best friend

P.S. Have fun with mister grumpy ;)

Thicket laughed.

Thank you, Bern, she thought silently, clutching the note tightly. She wondered what they thought about her, running off like that. And Elian—she had promised to see him after the meeting, yet once again she had abandoned him. Guilt was a knife in her gut, twisting and painful.

She would make it up to him, she vowed. She would make it up to all of them.

By some miracle, she had been given this time to prepare. She couldn’t waste it.

Chapter Twelve

“Let me tell you a story, little Rose. A story about two sisters.

“Once upon a time, there were twin phoenixes. They were beautiful and brilliant, with feathers made of ruby and gold and powers beyond imagination. The phoenixes were close as siblings could be. They were born together, they lived together, and they even died together.

“When the fire came for them, the siblings did not cower for they knew death could never truly touch them. Instead, they looked into each other’s eyes and smiled, letting their bodies crumble to ash, awaiting the moment they would be reborn again, renewed and reunited.

“Once the final piece of cinder fell, its spark winking out, one of the piles began to shift. From the ashes, a tiny beak shook itself free. But the second pile didn’t stir. It was sullen and gray and bore no hope of life. The phoenix lay beside the heap of ash that had once been her sister, confused and utterly lost.

“Then, by some miracle, the pile started to move. The phoenix backed away as a black head emerged, nothing like the golden mane of a phoenix. The creature shook itself off, revealing more of its blackened body. The phoenix recoiled as the pungent smell of decay and burning flesh curled around them.

“Horror dawned upon the phoenix. Her sister had come back, but not as a bird of fire and ash but as a bird of death and rot.

“A raven.”

Something collided with Thicket’s chest. She gasped, eyes flying open. Marcellus’ face hovered over her. “Good morning, Princess.” Feeble light stole through the open curtains, barely enough to illuminate the amused smile curling at his lips. “Get enough beauty sleep?”

“You need to work on your waking people up skills,” Thicket groaned.

“But mine are so effective.”

She sat up, the object Marcellus had used to wake her up tumbling into her lap. After a few blurry blinks, she recognized the bag Bayo brought yesterday. She hugged it to her chest, taking a moment to calm the race of her heart and ward off the chill left by Lavender’s words.