Page 75 of Twin Crowns

She took his hand. “I know how it feels to be alone as a child.”

Shen looked at her hand in his. “I was lucky Banba found me. She took me back to Ortha, and they welcomed me. I’ve never had to want for anything here. They’re not the people of my past, but they’re my family now.” He gave her an uncharacteristically serious look. “They can be your family, too, Rose.”

To that, she said nothing.

The hives were nestled in a natural alcove halfway along the next ridge. As they drew closer, the buzzing intensified. A handful of honeybees flew around them, but before Rose could startle herself off the cliff, Shen began to sing. It was a lilting, unfamiliar language, and as the notes washed over her, Rose felt strangely calm. The bees droned lazily, as if they were falling asleep.

Shen pulled her into the alcove.

Before them, dozens of hives hung from the cliff face, each one teeming with thousands of honeybees. The space was tight, and Rose found herself half pressed against him. She was suddenly conscious of where their arms were touching and how his leg brushed against hers. There was no sea breeze in here, only the heady honey-scented air. Still singing, Shen reached into a hive and deftly broke off a piece of honeycomb.

Rose’s eyes went wide as he held it to her lips. She felt as if she was in a trance as she took a bite. Honey spilled into her mouth anddribbled down his fingers. Keeping his eyes on hers, Shen licked them clean. Rose felt as if not only was she eating honey, but she was floating in it. Her limbs felt deliciously heavy. A bee landed on her shoulder, but she didn’t even flinch.

She didn’t want to break by speaking whatever spell Shen had cast on her. Because that was surely what was happening. Why she felt like this. Why she wanted to close the sliver of space between them and press her mouth to his and taste the honey on his lips.

Oh, how badly shewantedthat. Her head was spinning, her heart fluttering like a bird in her chest. What on earth was happening to her? This strange yearning... it was new, and frightening. Had she ever felt such a thing with Ansel?

Ansel! Oh, stars!

Rose stepped away from Shen, and backed out onto the cliffs. Away from the hives and the sweet scent of honey, the touch of his leg pressed against hers and his dark eyes drinking her in.

The rest of the world came rushing back. The furious crash of the waves, then the piercing cry of a gull. Rose returned to her senses with a violent blush. Had she really eaten out of his hand just now? Like some sort of squirrel?

“Rose? Are you all right?” Shen came after her, andoh no, Rose couldn’t face him, not after what she had done.

“I’m fine!” she called over her shoulder as she hurried along the cliff path. Back to the beach and to reality. “I just remembered, I promised Banba I’d help her with... um... some cooking!” She shuffled faster, nearly tripping over herself as she turned sharply around a steep curve.

“Hello, traitor.”

Rowena was suddenly standing before her.

Rose froze.

Rowena’s eyes flashed. “I’ve been wondering when I’d catch you on your own.”

“I’m not alone,” said Rose quickly. “Shen is right behind me.”

“Of course he is. Besotted with you, clearly. Although I don’t know why.” Rowena craned her neck to look over Rose’s shoulder. “But he’s not here now, is he?”

She raised her hand to her mouth, and for a fleeting moment, Rose thought she was blowing her a kiss. Then she felt the sharp gust of wind. It hit her squarely in the chest.

Rose didn’t even have time to scream before she realized she was falling. She tumbled through the air, plummeting down, down, down, toward the roaring sea. The waves swallowed her in a shock of cold, snatching the breath from her lungs as she sank like a stone in the darkness.

25

Wren

The sun hung high above the Eshlinn woods, sending golden light spiraling through the trees. Wren hummed to herself as she followed a well-worn trail deep into the forest. The saddle was stiff beneath her, and she was not yet used to the jangling stirrups, but the steady hoofbeats helped settle the riot of her pulse. She had braided her hair and chosen a soft yellow dress, and though her dagger was carefully stowed in her boot, to all who saw her that morning, she looked like a perfectly innocent princess.

She nudged the horse into a light canter, and after a while, the ancient Eshlinn woods parted to reveal a silver-blue lake in the shape of a horseshoe. It was here she spied Celeste’s beloved piebald mare, Lady, tied to a gnarled oak tree.

Wren’s hands were sweating as she slipped off her horse, her spelled footsteps silent on the trail. Nerves swilled in her stomach. She had tossed and turned for the last two nights, wrestling with what she was about to do, but her resolve had come steady as the dawn light. There was no other way but the blade.

It had been two days since Celeste had threatened to expose her in the palace baths. Wren had been careful to avoid her since then, but she knew her grace period was about to run out. She had made a promise she couldn’t keep. Celeste was expecting to see Rose tomorrow, and when the princess didn’t magically reappear at Anadawn, she would make good on her threat and turn Wren in.

No, Celeste would never let Wren make it to the throne. She had become an obstacle, and now Wren had no choice but to get rid of her. Her life and the lives of all the witches of Eana depended on Wren becoming Queen. She had made a promise to them, after all, and she would see it through—to the bloody, bitter end.

Celeste was sitting cross-legged by the lake, reading a book. A slant of sunlight cast her in spotlight, the warm breeze rippling in her skirts.

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