Page 95 of Twin Crowns

Then she leaped at her.

32

Rose

Rose pinned Wren against the wall, away from the glare of the ballroom windows. She studied her long-lost twin. It was like looking into a mirror and seeing the reflection of how her life had been only a few weeks ago. But it wasn’t just the resemblance that startled her. Rose was overwhelmed by the strange pull inside her. It was like some innate part of her recognized Wren and was trying to answer back. Her blood was hot and her pulse was racing, and for a fleeting moment, she felt as if her heart might burst open.

Her sister was silent. Unblinking.

Rose searched her face for the barest difference—a mole, perhaps, or even a stray eyebrow hair—but found none. “You lookjustlike me.”

Wren’s lips twisted. “Andyoulook like hell.”

And just like that, the spell of silence—this strange reverence—was broken.

Rose pulled back from her sister, all the stress and exhaustion of her journey home rearing up in a swell of anger. “I’vebeenthrough hell and back,” she hissed. “First, I had to climb those forsaken cliffs.ThenI hadto trek through the Weeping Forest with all those ghosts trying to claw at me, cursing me with visions of the Protector himself, who Iswearnearly skewered me with his sword!” She shuddered at the memory of Ortha Starcrest’s death, then pulled a twig out of her matted hair and flung it at her sister.

Wren caught it easily.

Rose wasn’t done. “ThenI had to ride through the Restless Sands, whichby the wayare restlessall the time. And just when I thought I was through the worst of it, the desert tried toswallowme. Because apparently that’s a thing it can do!”

Wren raised her eyebrows.

Rose shook a deluge of sand out of her tunic, making sure it landed on her sister. “I rode all night and all day wearing nothing but this... this...awfultunic. I am thirsty. And hungry. And dirty. And exhausted.” She jabbed an accusatory finger at Wren—this imposter who thought she could be Rose simply by putting on her clothes. “Thatis my best dress! And you’ve spilled your drink on the sleeve!”

Wren lifted her sleeve, noting the tiny stain with mild interest. “Well. Barely.”

Rose was so full of anger, she felt as if she might explode with it. And worse, there seemed to be no emotion at all coming from Wren—just a simmering impatience that pinched the corners of her lips.

“There are more important things to worry about right now, Rose,” she said sharply. “And your ridiculously large andfrankly unnecessarycollection of uncomfortable dresses is not one of them. What are you even doing here? You’re supposed to be in Ortha.”

“No.You’resupposed to be in Ortha.Iam the princess.”

Wren’s eyes flashed. “You’re going to ruin everything.”

The twins glowered at each other for a long moment, their chests heaving in perfect harmony. There was so much to say, and somehow it was all crowding together on the back of Rose’s tongue, her anger warring with disbelief, old pain, and new longing, all mixed up in confusion and frustration.

Then came the unmistakable patter of approaching footsteps.

Wren opened her mouth to say something, and Rose slapped her hand over it, stuffing the words back in. “Shh. Someone’s coming.”

She pulled her sister away, moving quickly across the courtyard.

“You need to get out of here.Now,” warned Wren.

“No, youneed to get out of here.” Rose pulled her sister through the side door that led to the library. It closed behind them with a groan, and then there was nothing but Rose Valhart and Wren Greenrock seething at each other between the winding stacks of a thousand leather-bound books. Moonlight slipped through the windows, casting silver pinwheels along the furniture. Rose glared at the pearl-drop necklace around Wren’s neck.Hernecklace. “This life does not belong to you and neither does the throne of Eana!”

Wren folded her arms. “If the throne is so important to you, then why are you in such a hurry to give it away? You bartered your freedom and the fate of the witches for a life withAnsel? What were you thinking?”

“Not that it’sanyof your business, but I was thinking we might make a good match,” said Rose sourly. She had not come back here to defendherself to this poor excuse for a princess. “I was thinking that I might not want to rule this kingdom all by myself.”

“Well, now you’re not going to rule it at all!” fumed Wren. At Rose’s look of alarm, she shook her head. “You really had no idea that you were going to be shipped off to Gevra the moment the wedding was over? That there was no longer going tobea coronation?”

Rose recoiled from her sister’s words. Shock coursed through her as she searched for a response, but her mind was reeling. The floor felt unsteady beneath her, as if the entire world had shifted on its axis.

“You’re lying,” she said hoarsely. It was just a bluff, surely, a way to get Rose to flee Anadawn and leave Wren free to steal her life.

But then her sister curled her lip, and Rose knew by the furious blaze in Wren’s eyes that it was true. “You let Rathborne trade your crown for a Gevran veil,” she said scornfully. “You don’t deserve to be Queen.”

---