Page 65 of Cursed Crowns

The seer dipped his chin. “Tread carefully, Queen Wren. Both outside, and in.” At Wren’s look of confusion, he tapped the space above his heart. “There are some journeys we can never come back from.”

Caught in the unnerving brightness of his gaze, Wren found herselflost for words, but in the end it didn’t matter. The seer turned on his heel and was gone, his blue robe fading into the night.

Wren tried to shake off his warning, but it squirmed inside her. She was about to close the door behind her, when she caught sight of a familiar white blur moving in the bushes.

“Elske!” She clicked her teeth. “Is that you, sweetling?”

The wolf bounded out of the shrub and barreled straight into Wren, knocking her to the ground so she could lick her face. Wren burst into laughter, then sat up to scratch behind her ears. “What are you doing out here?” she said as she shooed the wolf inside. “You’re a princess. You deserve a proper bed.”

The wolf kept pace with Wren as she hurried back up the stairwell. She slowed at the sound of a door creaking, squinting at a figure in the dimness. A growl rumbled in Elske’s throat. The man had his hand on the doorknob next to Rose’s room, his ear pressed to the wood like he was eavesdropping.

“Who the hell are you?” said Wren.

He spun around, lightning fast. “Queenie,” he said, forcing a chuckle. “I thought you’d be asleep by now.”

“Oh,” said Wren, letting her shoulders relax. “You’re Shen’s idiot cousin.”

Elske growled again.

The man—Kai, Wren recalled—blinked. Then fell back against the door. “Wait. You’re the other one.” His gaze darted. “What are you doing here?”

“Just passing through,” said Wren, waggling the jar of dirt as she returned to Rose’s door. She paused, then, turning back to Kai. “The better question is, why are you skulking around out here in the dark?”

“I was just checking on my cousin.”

“Why?” said Wren. “I’ve never known Shen to have nightmares.”

Kai flashed a grin—and what a grin it was. “I’m the protective sort.”

Wren narrowed her eyes. “So am I.”

“Right, well... good,” said Kai.

“Indeed.” Wren waited for him to retreat. Eventually, he stepped away from Shen’s room and returned to his own.

Once Kai was gone, she turned back to Elske. “I was going to tuck you into bed, sweetling, but I think it might be better if you slept out here tonight and kept an eye on things.” She glanced at Shen’s door, listening to the light rumble of his snores behind it. “I don’t know what Kai was doing just now, but I’ve got a strange feeling about him.”

Elske dipped her chin, growling softly in agreement.

Wren cupped the wolf’s mighty head and kissed it. “Clever girl.”

24

Rose

Rose stood in the middle of Wren’s bedroom at Grinstad Palace, glaring at the mirror in her hand.

“Wren?” she hissed. “Wren! Where are you?”

Rose’s panic echoed around her. A moment ago, her sister had been inside the mirror, looking back at her—talkingto her—and now she had disappeared, leaving Rose all by herself. In Gevra!

“Whymust you be so infuriating?” she fumed, as she placed the mirror on the desk. It was then that she noticed the dead mice. She bit back a shriek, as she stumbled away from them.

Is this what King Alarik was sending Wren to eat? He was even worse than Rose thought!

Her stomach churned. The mice were starting to make her feel ill. In a bid to distract herself, she explored the decadent bedroom. She grabbed the mirror, in case Wren returned, and made a beeline for the armoire. “Now what do we have in here?” she murmured, as she swung the doors open. Her eyes went wide as she gazed upon the finest collection of dresses she had ever seen. “Ohmy.”

She trailed her fingers along a sumptuous silver stole, before yanking it out. She draped it around her shoulders, luxuriating in its softness.How peculiar, she thought, as she twirled in front of the full-length mirror.The king feeds Wren dead mice but dresses her like a queen.

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