Page 74 of Twin Crowns

“The Ganyeve possesses its own special kind of magic,” he said, his gaze turning distant. “Legend says that before Eana brought her hawk to land in the sea, she and the sun were lovers. And when she left for another life in a new world, the sun came down from the sky to kiss her goodbye. But while Eana could withstand the heat, the land could not. The kiss scorched the earth and the desert was born. It was a gift to this new land, sun-warmed and golden. A gift to the witch who made it. But the desert never forgot the sun. That’s why the sands are alwaysmoving, always shifting—they’re trying to go home.”

Rose came to a stop, entranced by the tale. Where once she might have thought such a story ridiculous, she found she wanted to hear more. “I’ve never heard these legends before.”

Shen turned back to the cliffs. “The Valharts have always feared our tales. After all, the legends speak of power they can never hope to have. The best way to kill a memory is to stop speaking it aloud.” He pressed a hand against Rose’s back, nudging her on. “But we will never stop speaking our stories. And you deserve to hear them, Princess.”

Rose tried to ignore the feeling of Shen’s hand on her lower back, his breath on her neck. The path narrowed, climbing steeply up the cliffs, and it took all of her concentration now to steady her feet.

When another gust came howling, Rose stumbled. Shen caught her in the same heartbeat, his arm tightening around her waist.

“Oh!” Flustered, she quickly stepped back. Her foot dangled in midair.

Shen yanked her into his chest and twirled her until her back was flush against the cliff. “Careful, Princess.”

They stared at each other for an aching moment, almost nose to nose, before he loosened his grip. He passed a hand across his jaw, his expression unreadable. “We’re almost there. The alcove’s just up ahead.”

“It’s a shame I can’t control the wind the way Banba does,” said Rose, striving for breeziness.

Stop being silly, she scolded herself. She’d ridden on a horse with Shen for two days. She shouldn’t be so affected by him grabbing her for a moment out of sheer necessity.

“Growing up, Wren always envied your grandmother for that,” said Shen fondly. “She badly wanted to be a tempest.”

“Doesn’t an enchanter have their own charms?”

“Of course. Just as healers do.”

“And then that leaves you, Shen Lo.” Rose stole another glance at him. “The warrior witch.”

Shen flattened his hand on the cliffside, then kicked his legs out over the edge, clicking them together at the heels.

Rose shrieked. “Shen!”

He landed neatly on the ridge, then dropped into an elaborate bow. A strand of black hair came loose, dipping into his eye. “At your service,” he said, sweeping it away.

Rose pressed a hand to her chest to calm her thundering heart. She was sure it was about to gallop right out of her chest. “Don’teverdo that again.”

Shen’s smirk revealed his dimple. “Weren’t you impressed?”

“No,” lied Rose.

A low droning up ahead alerted them to the nearness of the hives. Rose kept her eyes on her feet and her curiosity on Shen. “Tilda told me you two are the only warriors left in Eana.”

“Luckily for her, I am an excellent tutor.” Shen’s smile was short-lived. He had that faraway look in his eyes again. The shadow of sadness Rose couldn’t guess at. “There used to be more of us, once.”

She let the silence linger, hoping he’d fill it.

“Many of my people were warriors,” he went on after a moment. “We lived in the Sunkissed Kingdom in the heart of the Ganyeve Desert.”

Rose recalled the tale he had told her in the Golden Caves, of akingdom that had been swallowed by the desert. It had sounded like a fairy tale, then... or at least some half-embellished legend from long ago. “You mean you’ve seen this place with your own eyes?”

“I was born there, Princess.” Shen moved so swiftly Rose didn’t realize what he was doing until he had pulled the dagger from his boot. He flipped it in his hand, holding the blade flush against his wrist. The hilt was pure gold and inlaid with a row of delicate rubies. “After Lillith’s War eighteen years ago, Banba found me wandering alone in the desert. I was just a child, then, with nothing but this dagger in my hands.”

“You were all alone?” said Rose, aghast. “Witha dagger?”

Shen nodded grimly. “I have few memories of the Sunkissed Kingdom but enough to know it is real. Or at least it was. I remember great halls of shining gold. A sun dome so high and bright, it flooded the entire palace with light. There was a throne fashioned in the shape of a sand beetle, with mighty pincers and glowing rubies for its eyes.”

His voice softened. “I remember a woman with long black hair singing me to sleep. A little girl chasing me across the sands. The sweet smell of candied pears baked by an old lady with a wheezing laugh.” He closed his eyes as if he could hear it. “A tall man with smiling eyes showed me how to mount a horse and then fling myself free of it without injury. I think he was my father. And there was a boy. He was older than me, and a lot mouthier. I think he was a warrior, too. He taught me my first fighting stance. And then...” Shen opened his eyes, his voice turning quiet. “They were all gone. And I was alone.”

Rose’s heart ached. For the boy who had lost his home and hisfamily. For the young man who stood before her now, baring so much of himself.

---