Page 39 of Burning Crowns

‘She will be all right,’ said Tor, gruffly, and Rose didn’t miss the blush that stole across Wren’s cheeks. ‘You may surrender your worry to me, Queen Rose.’

‘I always worry,’ said Rose, with a small laugh. ‘But in this instance, I will put my faith in you, Captain Iversen.’

Alarik cleared his throat, pointedly. ‘What about me?’

‘And me?’ added Wren.

‘Must everything be a competition with you two?’ Rose chastised. Then she straightened her skirts. ‘Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go down to the tunnels to see if our ancestors have hidden anything useful down there. Tomorrow, I’ll leave for the Sunkissed Kingdom.’

‘And we’ll leave for the northern mountains,’ said Wren.

Rose turned to Thea. ‘Will you look after things at Anadawn while we’re both away?’

‘Of course, love,’ she said at once. ‘That’s what I’m here for.’

Rose gave her a grateful smile.

‘And just think, when I’m back and feeling better,’ Wren went on, ‘and we’ve dealt with Oonagh once and for all, we can throw the most extravagant ball this country has ever seen.’

‘I would very much like to have a ball.’ The thought alone helped brighten Rose’s mood. ‘A ball where nothing goes wrong and everything is perfect.’ She looked up at Tor and Alarik. ‘I’ll even invite the two of you, and Princess Anika, too. Celeste seems to have a soft spot for her.’

Alarik stood up. ‘If your magical mountain healer can cure me of this cursed affliction, I will attend whatever event you like so I can loudly toast your excellence.’

‘Just make sure you put on a shirt this time,’ teased Wren.

‘And disappoint the masses?’ he said, with a wicked smirk.

Tor chuckled. ‘I’ll admit I greatly enjoyed the last ball I attended here at Anadawn.’

Alarik frowned. ‘I can’t imagine why, Iversen. You were working.’

‘It had its moments,’ said Tor, with a lingering look at Wren.

‘It certainly did,’ she murmured.

Rose cleared her throat.Goodness.Was it really a good idea to send these three into the wilderness together? ‘Well, the next ball will be even better,’ she said, brightening at the thought of it. ‘I must say, now I am well and truly motivated to find a suitable weapon.’

‘Do you want me to go with you to the tunnels?’ said Wren.

Rose shook her head. ‘No. You get your rest. You’ll need it for the journey ahead.’

‘Ask Rowena, then. She has a good nose for magic. And snooping.’

Rose’s lips twisted. ‘You know Rowena doesn’t like me.’

‘Oh, she likes you fine. That’s just how she shows her affection. With insults and threats.’

‘Are you sure she’s not Gevran?’ remarked Alarik.

‘Fine.’ Rose sighed. ‘I’ll take Rowena to the tunnels. I’m assuming we can trust her with the delicate news about Oonagh’s impending return?’

‘Of course,’ said Wren at once. ‘She’s an Ortha witch. Loyal to her core.’

Loyal to whom?Rose wanted to ask, but she simply nodded.

Rose would have never admitted it to her sister, but she didn’t like the tunnels underneath Anadawn. Wren said they made her feel connected to the witch queens and kings of old, but Rose found them damp and eerie. To her, they felt haunted.

The everlights flickered companionably as Rose and Rowena journeyed deeper beneath the palace. While the biggest tunnel led to the banks of the Silvertongue River, they were exploring less-trodden, narrower passages that Rose had never been in.

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