Page 84 of Twin Crowns

“Well, that’s... disturbing,” she muttered.

Alarik jerked his head as though he had heard her. His gaze came to rest on their drenched huddle by the riverbank. There was a breath of confusion, his brows drawing close as he made sense of the scene, then he pulled his lips back, the scythe of his smile revealing his sharp canines.

Wren felt that smile all the way down her spine, cold and unforgiving as ice.

28

Rose

Rose had made up her mind—she was leaving Ortha tonight.

She had let Willem Rathborne poison her mind long enough. She had not only allowed but had abetted his scheme to wipe out the witches, and while she was certainly still wary of some of them, she would never forgive herself if the Gevrans descended on Ortha. The impending alliance was a precarious matter that required diplomacy and careful negotiation, and judging by her sister’s panicked note to Banba, Wren, raised in rags and seaweed, was clearlynotequal to the task. It was time to reverse the switch.

If Rose left tonight, with any luck, she would make it back in time for the official Welcoming Ball or perhaps the Gevran Feast the following night. It was at one of these important events that she intended to change the course of her destiny. And the fate of her country.

Down on the beach, word had spread quickly that she had helped Rowena the night before.

Rose didn’t miss the new nods of approval from witches who had previously snubbed her. Even Grady offered her a careful smile, Cathallooking awkwardly at his feet as she walked past him. The most surprising change came from Bryony, who sought Rose out after breakfast, carrying a basket of bright purple berries.

“I misjudged you, Rose Greenrock.” She held out the basket. “I would like to apologize for that.”

Rose didn’t move to take it. For all she knew, it was some kind of trick.

Bryony shifted uncomfortably. “I wanted to cut Rowena down myself but...”

“Nobody defies Banba?” said Rose. “Well. Nobody defies me either.”

“I guess you two have that in common.” Bryony cleared her throat, looking everywhere but at Rose. “I didn’t know Rowena was going to blow you off the cliffs. Honest. I would have told her not to do it. I know what we did to you on your first night was unkind, but I neverreallywanted you to die.”

Rose arched a brow.

“All right,fine. Imayhave wanted you dead before I met you,” Bryony admitted sheepishly. “But you were just some faraway evil princess wearing Wren’s face, and I thought you spent your days in a big fancy tower while plotting to kill us all.”

Shame flared in Rose’s cheeks. Bryony’s description wasn’t too far off from whom she had been. Or what she had wanted.

“And I’m really not trying to poison you either. Here, I’ll prove it.” Bryony plucked a purple berry from the basket and tossed it into her mouth. The juice spilled over her lips as she chewed. “See?”

“Moonberries! But Samhain isn’t for ages yet!” Tilda barreled into their conversation and plunged her hand into the basket. “Can I have one?”

Bryony swatted it away. “Mind your grasping, Tilda! These are a gift for Rose, and once she believes I’m not secretly trying to kill her, I think she’ll enjoy them.”

Tilda blinked up at Rose. “Don’t they have moonberries at Anadawn Palace?”

Rose thought of all the wonders Cam could make with such a brightly colored fruit. “It must be one of the few things we lack.”

“They grow by the light of a full moon, and when you eat them, you feel the love of all the stars in the sky. They’re really special.” Tilda flung her arms wide, as if she were trying to hug the air. “That’s why we only get to have them on Samhain, when we celebrate the first day of winter! Try one!”

“We don’t celebrate Samhain at Anadawn either,” said Rose, plucking a berry from the basket. She bit down on it gingerly, her mouth filling with a burst of tart juice. Her lips began to tingle, and she felt a spark of joy radiate through her.“Oh!”

“See?” Bryony was smiling broadly. “Now you really are one of us.”

Rose returned her grin, and a different kind of joy that had nothing to do with the moonberry spread from her fingers to her toes.

Long after sunset, when the witches of Ortha had retired to bed, Rose set her escape plan into motion. If she wanted to get all the way back to Anadawn in one piece, she was going to need a horse. And as luckwould have it, there was one in particular that she had her eye on.

Guilt churned inside her, but she shoved it down and focused on the crown—hercrown—as she sought out Shen. His hut was nestled at the edge of the cove, where the land jutted into the sea. She found him sitting out on the rocks and whittling a piece of driftwood.

“I looked for you today,” he said, tilting his head back to gaze at her. “I wanted to make sure you were feeling all right after what happened. But every time I spotted you, you were with someone. And you were smiling. It was nice to see.” His grin pressed a dimple into his cheek, and Rose ached at the sudden thought that after tonight she might never see it again. That he might hate her forever for what she was about to do.

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