Page 56 of Cursed Crowns

Meredia picked up a stick and prodded Shen. “And what of the queen’s companions, Fathom? I don’t recall you mentioning them.”

“Hey!” Shen snatched the stick and broke it in two.

“They’re warrior witches.” Pog gestured at Kai, who was making ashow of unwinding his whip. “Isn’t it obvious?”

Fathom frowned. “The birds are keeping secrets from me again.”

“It’s because you forget to feed them.”

Fathom glared at the boy. “Yes, thank you, Pog, that’s quite enough out of you.”

“Hmm.” Meredia closed her eyes. When she opened them again, they were cloudy white, as if a fog were passing over her irises. She turned on Kai, her voice deepening as though she had fallen into a trance. “Kai Lo of the Sunkissed Kingdom, you hold great power in your fist. But inside you lies a darkness you must fight to resist.”

She blinked and the mist was gone.

Kai wheezed an uneasy laugh. “I think someone’s been inhaling a little too much poisonweed.”

Meredia pursed her lips, and Rose made a note to find out exactly what she had meant by those words and why they were making Kai squirm.

“What about me?” said Shen, stepping forward. “Don’t I get a welcome rhyme?”

“We try not to make a habit of it,” said Fathom pointedly. “But sometimes, Meredia does like to show off.”

“Well, you started it,” said Pog.

He glowered at the boy. “Don’t you have a bed to turn down somewhere? A privy to clean?”

Meredia cocked her head as she came toward Shen. “Shen Lo...” she said slowly, as though plucking his name from the ether. “Your heart is split in two.”

Kai raised his brows. “So heisin love with the other twin!”

Shen elbowed him in the stomach.

“Your home is your heart,” Meredia clarified. Her frown deepened, as the strange fog returned to her eyes. “But I see a foot in two worlds. A future that forks, where both paths are hazy. It’s hard to see...”

“Then stop looking,” said Kai impatiently. “No one cares about his future.”

Meredia quirked a brow. “Is that really so, Kai Lo?”

“Stop rhyming at me.” Kai turned on Rose. “Can we get to the point now?”

“I think we’d better,” said Rose. “I’m afraid time is of the essence. We’ve come here to ask for your help.”

Meredia dipped her chin, offering Rose a tentative smile. “Our promised witch queen has at last returned. We are honored to welcome you to Amarach, Your Majesty. And, of course, we are at your disposal.”

“Come inside,” said Fathom. “Pog will see to your horses.”

“What about the wolf?” said Pog.

“What wolf?” said Fathom, looking to the treeline, where Victory and Storm were grazing.

“The one in my head.” Pog’s eyes darted fearfully. “I canseeit.”

Fathom sighed wearily. “Remember what we talked about in your lesson last week, Pog? Regarding the difference between imagination and prognostication?”

“But—”

“Pog,” snapped Fathom. “If you want to be a trained seer, you must let yourselfbetrained.”

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