Page 23 of Twin Crowns

Tor’s lips twitched, but he resisted the smile. “As you wish, Your Highness.”

Elske began to sniff at Wren’s drawstring pouch. Wren pressed her hand over it, terrified the wolf might sense, somehow, what was inside. And what that made her. “And speaking of dear Ansel, you’ve left your sleeping prince all alone.” She raked her fingers through her hair to draw the guard’s keen gaze away from her waist. “Shouldn’t you be at your post?”

Tor stiffened. Wren had clearly caused offense by questioning his sense of duty, but she didn’t regret it one bit. His frown was exquisite. “I’m on my way back,” he said. “Elske was feeling restless so I took her for a walk.”

Wren smiled at the wolf. “I know the feeling.”

Tor scratched behind Elske’s ears, and a certain softness came over him, at odds with the sharp lines of his uniform and the menacing glint of his sword. “She is far from home, but the midnight moon soothes her.”

“And what about her master?” said Wren, unable to help herself. Even as a child, she would stick her fingers too close to Banba’s bonfires, relishing the crackle of danger. Besides, in her filthy nightgown on the muddy banks of the Silvertongue, she was practically dancing in the flames already. “Are you homesick, too?”

“A soldier’s home is where his sword is.”

Wren snorted. “You can’t really mean that.”

“I mean everything I say, Your Highness.” He looked at her, and Wren noticed the flecks of silver in his eyes.Well.“I apologize for interrupting your exercise.” She wondered if he was making a point about her own truthfulness. “Would you like me to escort you back to your tower?”

They had lingered too long in the darkness, and the Gevran was uncomfortable. If anyone saw them down here together, questions would be raised. Princess Rose would never let herself get caught in such a compromising position. Wren only wished she had thought of that before she climbed out of that bloody tunnel.

“I’m afraid I’ve not quite finished my route yet.” She pointed vaguely over her shoulder, hoping he wouldn’t ask where she was going. “Don’t let me keep you from your post, soldier. You’ve been absent far too long already.”

Tor’s jaw twitched as the barb landed. He dipped his chin. “Very well, Your Highness.”

Wren swung her arms as she flounced away from him. She could feel the Gevran’s eyes on her as she waded back through the reeds, her feet squelching in and out of the soupy mud. Only when she was sure Tor had relinquished his curiosity and returned to the palace did Wren sink onto her hands and knees to crawl back into the storm drain. Back in the tunnel, her ancestors’ everlights danced as she passed them, and though deep down Wren knew it was her own addled imagination, she could have sworn they were laughing at her.

10

Rose

Rose and the bandit rode long into the darkening night. The sand went on and on and on, swallowing the horizon. The sky was a velvet tapestry, melting from purple to indigo and finally to an inky black. The stars came out in full splendor, each one shining brighter than the last, as though they were trying to outdo each other.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” said Shen, close to her ear. “I bet you never knew the desert could look like this.”

“I suppose it is nice,” Rose conceded. “If you like this kind of thing.”

He laughed, and Rose was perturbed by how familiar the sound had become... by how pleasant she was starting to find it. She shifted in her seat, trying to put some space between them. A breeze stirred the end of her cloak, and the faint smell of seawater tickled her nose. “Who does this cloak belong to anyway?”

“A friend,” said Shen. Then he paused. “A friend who wanted you to have it.”

“Sounds like a loyal subject,” said Rose, drawing the cloak tighter.

Shen snorted. “Something like that.”

Riding at night was infinitely more pleasant than riding by day. Thecool air kissed Rose’s cheeks, the crescent moon grinning over her as if it knew a secret and wasn’t telling. Shen hummed as they rode, and even though Rose would never admit it out loud, it was rather a pleasing sound.

And, cheering her even more, in the far distance she could soon make out the moon-shadow of the Mishnick Mountains. They were still impossibly far away, but the sight of them bolstered her confidence that they might soon come upon other signs of civilization—a town or village, perhaps.

She clutched the locket around her neck.I’ll be back to you soon,my sweet Ansel.

By now, she’d already missed their second date. The poor prince must be going out of his mind with worry! Guilt sluiced through her at the thought of how empty Ansel’s days at Anadawn would now become after he had journeyed so far to spend time with her. She wondered if he had joined the search party and was trawling through the Eana countryside at this very moment, looking for her. The thought brought a secret smile to Rose’s face.

“What is that?” said Shen, leaning over her shoulder. “That thing you keep playing with?”

Rose closed her fist around the locket. The encrusted diamond snowflakes dug into her palm. “It’s a gift from my beloved, if you must know. He designed it himself and brought it all the way from Grinstad for me.”

“Can I see it?”

“Of course not. This locket is worth more than any trinket you have ever stolen.”

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