Page 19 of Cursed Crowns

“Tilda,” said Wren, the name spilling out before she could think on it.

“What are you doing on my ship, Tilda?”

“Admiring the carpentry.”

He laughed again. “A stowaway who tells jokes. Maybe you do possess a measure of charm.” He wagged his finger, and Wren got the sense he was making fun of her. “But I’m afraid charm won’t be enough to barter free passage on my ship. I already possess an abundance of it, you see.”

Wren was beginning to believe it. The captain was proving to be remarkably good-natured, and the crinkles around his eyes told her he was used to smiling. She decided to try to reason with him. “In that case, the truth is, I need to get to Gevra as soon as possible.”

The captain raised his eyebrows. “In all my time sailing, I’ve never heard anyone say those words. Fleeing from Gevra is more of the done thing. Cursing it. Wailing at it. Complaining about it. Shaking your fist at it.” He rolled his hand. “And so on.”

“My father’s in Gevra,” lied Wren. “His fishing boat washed up in a storm last month and he’s been stranded there ever since. His leg is badly broken.” She wrung her hands. “We’re sick with worry about him. My dear mother hasn’t slept in weeks.”

“Mercy,” muttered the captain. The amusement drained from hisface. “Gevra is no place for an Eanan right now. Especially after what happened to their prince on our shores. If I didn’t have a trade to see through, I’m not sure I’d go myself.”

“I have an address,” said Wren quickly. “He wrote to me just last week. I know I can find him and bring him home.” She started rummaging around inside her satchel. “I don’t have any money, but I’ve got this—”

“Save your possessions.” The captain raised his hand. “I’ll take you to Gevra. I won’t be staying long, mind. And I suggest you don’t either.”

Wren was seized by such a rush of relief she nearly burst into giddy laughter. She dropped to her knees instead. “May the stars bless you a thousand times, Captain! Yours is a heart of gold!”

The captain cleared his throat, embarrassed. “On your feet, Tilda. There’s no need to make such a fuss. I simply recognize the importance of family. I would do the same for mine.”

Wren smiled as she stood up. In another lifetime, she might have grabbed the young captain and kissed him for his kindness. And his handsomeness. Instead, she said, “There’s nothing in the world that matters more to me than family.”

And that, if nothing else, she truly meant.

“Go and find yourself a bunk belowdecks. I’ll tell the crew not to bother you.” He stood back to let her pass. “And fair warning, it’ll be a long and choppy voyage.” He gestured to her satchel. “I hope you’ve packed some ginger root in there.”

“Oh, I surely have!” Wren hugged the satchel to her chest as she skipped down the stairwell. She was lucky to have found her way onto a ship helmed by a soft-hearted merchant and not a pirate. The onesdown at Braddack Bay would have chucked her in with the sharks for that sorry performance.

While the crew of theSiren’s Secrethoisted the anchor and prepared to set sail for Gevra, Wren made her way to a storeroom full of wooden barrels and old sails for mending. She grabbed a tattered sheet and strung it up between two rafters, using the rope she had stolen to create a makeshift hammock.

She grinned as she rolled into it. She was just considering prying open a barrel of rum when the floorboards creaked behind her.

Wren shot up in the hammock.

A familiar pair of brown eyes glared at her from across the cabin. “If you think that terrible disguise is going to fool me,Tilda, you’re sorely mistaken.”

Wren’s throat tightened. “What in hissing hell are you doing here?”

“I was just about to ask you the same question,” said Celeste.

8

Rose

Rose woke up as the sun was rising over Anadawn Palace, feeling like she had slept for an entire year. She stretched her arms above her head, then froze mid-yawn.

Wren was gone. Rose frowned. It wasn’t like her sister to get up earlier than her. Usually, she woke to find Wren facedown on her pillow and still snoring. She must have been more nervous for their royal tour than she was letting on. If only she had woken Rose, so they could be anxious about it together, but Rose knew her sister liked to be alone when something was bothering her. Wren was probably down in the kitchens making a mug of tea or walking Elske in the gardens.

Rose turned over to snatch a few more minutes of sleep when she heard a strange rustling on her sister’s pillow. She patted around, finding a piece of parchment. She sat bolt upright, suddenly wide awake. With trembling fingers, she opened the note, somehow already knowing what it was going to say.

I’m going to Gevra. Don’t come after me. I’ll be back soon—with Banba.

“WREN!” Rose leaped out of bed. She bolted from the bedroom, and raced down the corridor, screaming her sister’s name. “WREN!”

She was still in her nightgown, her feet bare on cold stone. Maybe she wasn’t too late, maybe she would catch her, stop her...

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