Page 91

As the black behind her eyes swooped, threatening to steal her away, Marcellus finally said, “I don’t know.” The soft, breathless way he said it made it sound more like a confession. “For the last century, I have only worked towards a single goal. Ensuring the Soumort Princess pays for her crimes and enacting justice for my family. To me, there is no after.”

That made it sound like his position as her guard was temporary, meant to last as long as he needed to accomplish his goal.

Marcellus hated Thicket’s sister for what she did to his family. Maybe by extension, he hated her, too. Maybe, once she beat Lavender and solidified Vindrya’s future, he would wash his hands of the royal family—and of her.

“That is enough for tonight, Princess,” he said, withdrawing his hand from her hair. The absence of his touch left a chill cascading down her body. “Now sleep.”

She wanted to stay awake. To ask him more questions. To see if she could break through those walls he guarded so fiercely.

But her body was not on her side. Her eyelids fluttered and she was pulled into darkness.

Thicket lay beneath a beautiful canopy bed. Rich purple curtains were tied on either side. She turned her head and her blood went cold. Hundreds of roses were sprinkled around her. Only the scent of them was wrong. They were burnt—charred. Just like the flesh of a raven.

“Welcome back, little Rose,” Lavender purred in her ear.

Thicket thrashed but her limbs stayed shackled to her sides. She glanced down to see her wrists and ankles bound by chains of astromeia, banded so tight every movement had the vine’s thorns digging into her skin.

Lavender laughed as she made her way around the bed. She smoothened the skirt of her dress and perched on the edge. Her movements were graceful and her expression was as soft as a mother about to lull her child to sleep. “Did you really think you could stay awake forever?” She trailed a long, pointed nail down Thicket’s cheek. “Our reunion is inevitable, yet here you are, doing everything you possibly can to avoid it.”

Fingers splayed across Thicket’s chin, yanking her head up to meet Lavender’s.

“Your efforts to save the Dymrian princess have been tenacious, but with the way you abandoned your kingdom, it makes me wonder whether you care about them at all. So how about we test your loyalty?” Lavender leaned in close, her face just a breath away. “I have sent a little birdie to inform the Emperor about two Dymrian rats who have gone scuttling into his palace. You must choose, dear sister. Dymree or Vindrya. You have until sundown to return to Sleeria, or else you won’t have a kingdom to come back to.”

Lavender stood and peered over her shoulder at Thicket, her long, brown hair rippling down her back. “You are out of warnings, little Rose. This is a promise.”

Chapter Thirty-Four

Thicket jerked upward, cold sweat slipping down her face. The room around her was dark, illuminated only by the hazy stream of moonlight that had snuck through the curtains.

“Princess, are you alright?” Marcellus sat up from the crumpled blanket he had laid across the floor beside her. Guilt writhed in her stomach. She had meant to share with Lotta, but Marcellus must have given her his bed after she fell asleep.

“Princess?”

“I-I’m fine.”

“Another dream?” he asked, coming to sit beside her.

Thicket hesitated. Marcellus reminded her constantly that it was his job to protect her. If she told him about her dream with Lavender, he would rush them back home, everything else be damned. She didn’t want to hide this from him, yet she also didn’t want to give up the hope that she could still return with Alouette and secure Dymree’s army.

She remembered the time she had wanted to stay behind to hold off the wall and give her people a chance to evacuate. And then again at the Lost Soul Lagoon. Even her desire to come here. The old Marcellus would have dragged her away, kicking and screaming. The Marcellus sitting before her may not always agree with her decisions and may on many occasions admonish her for her recklessness, but he wouldn’t stop her from doing what she thought was right. Instead, he would be right there beside her, catching her when she stumbled.

Do you trust me, he had asked her.

It was time to prove that she did.

“Lavender says if I don’t return to Sleeria by sundown, she’ll attack.”

Marcellus studied her for a long moment, most likely weighing the pros and cons of the situation. His eyes fell to her fingers, watching them tear at her skin. His lips pursed and he reached out and grabbed her hands, stilling them. “Then we have until sundown,” he said.

Her heart fluttered, but the wings of relief were quickly shredded. “That’s not all. Lavender said she told the Emperor that two Dymrians had snuck into the palace.”

Marcellus’ brow furrowed. “So? What do we care about…” he trailed off. “No,” he said, then cursed. They raced to Elian and Alouette’s room, pounding on the door.

No response.

Marcellus tried the handle and Thicket’s stomach dropped when it swung open. The room inside was dark. Abandoned. The only indication that they had ever been there was a single note propped on the unmade bed.

Dear Thicket,