Page 3 of Crownless King

“Here.” He stifled a yawn. “I’m in bed. Will you go to sleep now?”

“Now, I will.” I giggled, which earned me an amused glance from him. Come to think of it, I didn’t remember ever giggling before, not since I came to Sky Kingdom at least.

He turned with his back to me and stuffed a pillow under his head. “Good night, Sparrow.”

But there was one question I needed to know the answer to before I could even think about sleeping.

“Voron?”

“Hmm?

He didn’t turn around, so I kept talking to his back.

“What do you want for hiding me here?”

“What do you mean?” Now, he turned. His eyes looked dark blue in the night, reflecting the deep glow of the crystals.

“Nothing is for free,” I explained. “In Sky Kingdom, everything has its price. I learned that much.”

“Right. Well…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “If you absolutely insist on paying me, I’ll take another one of those meringue swans. With a neck to snap,” he added with a cold glint in his eyes.

“That may be difficult to do, since I probably won’t see the head chef any time soon. How about I’ll make you a meringue with whipped cream instead? Without a neck to snap?”

I’d ask Brebie to show me how to make meringue. It might take me all day to make it, but I would learn.

“Fine.” He turned back around again. “I’ll find a way to wringhisneck instead.”

I didn’t clarify whose neck he meant, but it was safe to assume it wasn’t the head chef’s.

“It’s a deal then.” I shifted a little closer to him. We were in the same position we had taken a nap in the woods once. Only this time, I had no intention of running anywhere.

Pressing my forehead to his back, I closed my eyes. “Good night, Voron.”

ChapterTwo

SPARROW

When I woke up in the morning, Voron was gone. Brebie came in to help me get dressed and brush my hair. She told me Voron wished to have breakfast with me on the patio off his library. Then, she showed me the way through the wide corridors of Voron’s elegant home.

When I came out onto a wide stone patio shaded by overhanging vines dripping with pink and silver flowers, Voron was already there, waiting for me at a small table set with breakfast dishes.

“Did you sleep well?” I asked, taking a seat across the table from him.

He gave me one of his infrequent half-smiles.

“Splendid. Thank you for asking. How about you?”

I’d woken a couple of times through the night. Voron proved to be a restless sleeper. He tossed and turned. Once, he’d made a strangled noise in his throat—a half-moan, half-whimper. He’d sounded in pain, and I’d gotten up to see if he was okay, wondering if I should shake him awake. But he’d just rolled over onto his side and blindly found me by patting around. Tucking me into his chest, he’d calmed down, sleeping more soundly after that.

“I’m fine,” I assured him. “I’ve slept close to thirty hours in the past day and a half. I definitely got a lot of rest.”

I drank my tea and ate most of my porridge. This one didn’t have any maggots, of course, but just thinking about the food in the dungeon made me lose my appetite. I smeared the last remaining spoonful of the porridge over the plate, poking at it without eating.

With a soft caw, Magnus landed on a branch nearby. I smiled, as if meeting an old friend.

“Hi, buddy. We didn’t part well last time, did we?”

“Last time?” Voron tilted his head.

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