Page 3 of Legacy of Roses

She seemed to think she had made her point effectively because she seized his arm and dragged him toward the drive. He allowed her to tug him along, his protest silenced by the combination of confusion and fascination that she evoked in him.

“Since I stopped you in time, we should be able to escape the grounds before the Beast appears,” she said over her shoulder.

He stiffened, his mind flashing to the sword he hadn’t brought along. He was never leaving the manor house without it again.

“What sort of beast?” he asked.

She rolled her eyes. “How should I know? It isn’t as if the Legacy is entirely predictable. Life would be a lot easier if it were.” She grumbled the last line under her breath, still towing him along with more energy and strength than he’d expected from her small frame.

“I just feel sorry for the poor soul,” she added. “They must have bungled things badly for it to get that far. There hasn’t been a Beast in this region for several generations.”

“You feel sorry for…the beast?” Dimitri asked tentatively, feeling more and more as if he had strayed into a dream.

The girl pulled him over the boundary of the manor grounds onto the public road and immediately released him. She didn’t leave, however, her eyes fixing on him and her brow creasing.

“Of course I feel sorry for the man. Would you like to be cursed to take the form of a terrifying animal?”

“No?” he said tentatively. Was the beast she kept referring to a cursed man? He had seen no sign of such an unfortunate individual since his arrival.

The girl shook her head and spoke slowly, as if it was his understanding that was lacking rather than her own nonsensical words. “Now that the Legacy has found a Beast for the castle, the roses are back in the garden and trying to lure unwary passersby into plucking them. Even if you didn’t realize the castle was inhabited again, you should know better than to pluck someone else’s rose! The presence of both a castle and a Beast will make the Legacy incredibly potent right here, but that doesn’t mean there’s no danger elsewhere. It can still find a way to trap you with a flower from a different garden.”

Dimitri finally gathered his wits enough to intervene. “I think there’s been a misunderstanding. I’ve only newly arrived in Glandore, and?—”

He had intended to claim ownership of the castle, but the girl cut him off with a dramatic gasp. He’d already gathered that travelers from beyond the kingdom’s borders were rare, but it seemed an excessive reaction.

“Don’t tell me you came into Glandore without researching our Legacy!?” She shook her head. “You really must be a fool.”

He flushed and straightened. He had been raised in a remote area, but that didn’t make him deficient in understanding. He opened his mouth to repudiate the accusation, but she spoke again.

“Where are you from? You haven’t shown any inclination to nap so far, so I’m guessing it isn’t Oakden.”

His earlier protests dissipated in the face of fresh confusion. Half of the girl’s sentences made no sense.

“Are you from Sovar then?” She scanned him up and down as if looking for something. “Do you have anything made from glass? One of the girls in town has the most useful pair of glass gloves that her father bought for her from a peddler. I’ve been waiting and waiting for the peddler to come around again.” She wilted. “Not that I could afford something like that now, even if she does reappear.” Her voice lowered, her eyes clouding over. “Not after him.”

The combination of anger, sadness, and resignation on her face shook Dimitri. He was seized with the unfamiliar desire to seek out a man he’d never met and squeeze restitution out of him. He bit his tongue on the hot words that wanted to pour out, reminding himself they were complete strangers. Instead, he tried to distract her.

“Glassgloves?”

As he had hoped, the girl’s expression changed completely yet again, her eyes lighting up. “Avery is one of the few peddlers who actually travels between the kingdoms herself instead of exchanging goods at the border like most merchant trains. She acquires the most amazing items. Last time she visited, she had just been in Sovar. Her cart was full of useful items made from glass.” She sighed. “But she doesn’t come through often.”

Dimitri still didn’t know how you could possibly make gloves out of glass, but at least the girl no longer looked as if all her fire had been extinguished.

“Daphne isn’t from Glandore, either,” the girl continued. “But she’s not just traveling through like you. She actually lives here.” She peered up at him. “What discomfort are you afflicted with? Is it very terrible?” Sudden understanding illuminated her face. “Has it clouded your mind? Is that why you fell prey to the Legacy so easily?”

“Ah…” Dimitri had no idea how to answer her question, instead seizing on one of his own. “Who’s Daphne?”

“My friend.” The girl gestured to the side of the road, and he started, not having realized they weren’t alone.

But as he took in the second girl’s appearance, his brow slowly creased. She was propped on her arms on a fence post, which was already strange enough in the circumstances. But more remarkable still was that she looked utterly at peace, her eyes closed and her breaths rhythmic and slow despite the conversation taking place right beside her.

“Is she…asleep?” he asked.

The first girl giggled at the obvious wonder in his voice, and he forgot all about the sleeping girl. The teasing twinkle in the first girl’s eyes was just as charming as he had imagined.

“Daphne can sleep anywhere,” she said. “It’s the Oakden Legacy’s punishment for leaving her kingdom. You know what it’s like over there.”

Dimitri didn’t know. He knew almost nothing about Oakden. Just like he knew nothing about these Legacies she kept mentioning. He knew he should tell her as much and request an explanation, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything that might drive away the amusement lighting her face.

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