Page 102 of Burning Crowns

Wren’s cheeks flushed and she stared at her boots, trying to think of something clever to say. But it felt as if her heart was swelling in her chest, and her breath was coming quick and sharp. ‘Thank you for coming back with me to Anadawn. I don’t know what I’d do without you.’

It was the truth, as plain as she could say it.

‘I’ll go with you as far as you want me to, Wren. To the fires of war and beyond that still,’ he said, and when she looked at him – and saw the storm in his eyes, fierce and unyielding – she knew his words to be true,too. ‘So long as I don’t have to lose you again.’

‘Never,’ said Wren. She paused. ‘Well. Unless I die.’

‘I’d find you even in the starless afterlife.’

Wren’s blood roared, heat gathering in her cheeks until she had to look away to weather the sudden swell of her emotions – her happiness at his words, her need to bury them in her soul. They soothed the jagged shards of her heart, filling her with such warmth, she felt as if she could do anything with him by her side. But she couldn’t say any of that. All the words, the feelings, crowded together on her tongue, and instead, she let out a soft laugh. ‘A little overconfident, don’t you think?’

He flashed his teeth, seeing easily through her veneer. ‘Never underestimate a Gevran in love.’

She smiled back. ‘Is this the part where you say your heart is your greatest weapon?’

Now it was Tor’s turn to burst into laughter. Wren wrapped herself inside the sound, glad to be near it once more. They wandered on. Despite the ancient magic of the sword at her hip, it was not a true cure for the curse inside her. After a couple of hours, Wren began to tire. Her legs grew leaden, and her head began to spin. She tried not to show her discomfort on her face, but Tor was watching her more closely than she realized.

‘Are you all right?’

‘Just a little tired.’

His brows hunched. ‘You’re pale.’

‘I’m just—’ She stumbled on a wayward rock. He lunged, grabbing her by the waist.

‘Let’s stop a moment. Drink some water. Have some food.’

‘I’ll be fine,’ said Wren, stepping out of Tor’s embrace. ‘We’re making good progress.’

‘Wren,’ he said, his voice a growl.

She glared at him over her shoulder. ‘You can’t wrangle me, Captain Iversen.’

His eyes flashed, streaks of lightning cutting through the grey. ‘Care to wager?’

A delicious shiver rippled up Wren’s spine. ‘I like this game.’

‘Sit,’ he said, gesturing to a nearby cluster of rocks. ‘And we can play any game you like.’

Wren sat. At Tor’s request, she drank some water and ate some bread, along with a thick slice of hard cheese. After, she felt better, if only a little. She rolled to her feet and he leaped up, too, as though he was waiting to catch her.

‘I’m all right,’ she said.

He reached for her, cautiously. ‘Are you sure?’

‘I’m sure,’ she said, touching the hilt of Night’s Edge and feeling the warm buzz of its power.

They journeyed on, through the northern plains, talking and laughing as the sun arced over them. Every so often Wren tired. Sometimes, Tor noticed before she did, pulling them off the path and setting up camp somewhere nearby for her to eat something, drink something, rest a while. As the day wore on, the stops got longer. Wren resorted to sitting on Tor’s lap, letting him hold her as she closed her eyes.

By evening, they were still far from the town of Glenlock, where the royal carriage awaited them. The sun had set, and night was falling, casting a chill in the wind. They stopped to eat. Tor built a fire, and after, Wren curled up under a blanket,determined to steal an hour or two of rest. Sleep came swiftly, and when it got its claws into her, it did not easily let go.

When Wren woke, the dawn birds were singing, and the sun was rising over the distant hills. She sat bolt upright to find Tor stoking the dwindling fire.

‘You were supposed to wake me!’

‘Was I?’

She flung her shoe at him.

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