Page 20 of Those Fatal Flowers

Another sign the gods are punishing the colony.

The sound of waves interrupts us, and the trees finally part to expose the sea. A thin strip of rocky beach is all that separates the tangled woods from the ocean, but there, stranded high on the smooth stones, is my little skiff. Beyond it,anchored offshore, is the colony’s ship. Too small to carry the entire city to Scopuli, but plenty large for what I need.

“John was the one who found you.”

“The guard from this morning?” I ask for the sake of maintaining my cover.

She nods. “He came tearing through the village in the middle of the night screaming for Thomas. His poor wife, Alis, she was so embarrassed. We all thought he’d imagined you, but here you are…though he reported that you were bewitched.”

I turn away from the boat, from the sea, to look to Cora. A gentle breeze blows wisps of her dark hair across her face, and she reaches to tuck them behind her ear. In the full light of midmorning, I can see the light dusting of freckles that adorns her nose, and I think of the mole on Proserpina’s left shoulder. Would I find its twin on Cora’s?

“Bewitched?” I repeat, a bemused smile overtaking my lips. “Do you believe him?”

Her eyes bore into mine as if they can find the answer there. “You were unconscious when we found you. He was drunk and imagining things.”

“The night will play tricks on a drunkard’s mind.”

She nods as her eyes wander to the blue-green waves that lap at the shoreline, but her thoughts are etched in the way her brow furrows:What if…?

I’m a woman, and I’m alone, two facts that immediately make me suspicious.

The distant expression her profile wears should be a reminder to tread carefully, but instead, my instinct is to do anything, say anything, to bring her attention back to me. “I prefer that to Mistress Bailie’s theory. She thinks I’m a Spanish spy.”

Her face snaps back to mine as she sucks in a sharp breath. Gods, those green eyes are bulging. I can’t help myself—agrin cracks across my lips.

“Evidently a poor one,” she says slowly, a mirrored smile slowly emerging. “Given that you’d tell me so.”

We both dissolve into laughter.

“It’s wise of her to be wary,” Cora adds once we’ve finally regained our composure. “The Spanish are unbelievably cruel.”

“And the English aren’t?”

“I didn’t used to think so,” she admits. “Now I’m not so sure. What does it feel like, to find yourself among us?”

“Like a dream, mostly.”

“I know that feeling well. Sometimes in the mornings before I open my eyes and remember I’m here, I’m certain that I can feel my old bed. It’s so real that I hear my old town waking up around me.”

Her words spark an idea, and I take her hand and drag her toward the sea.

“What are you doing?”

I’d answer, but we’re already at the water’s edge, and I’m collecting salt water in my hands. Before she has a chance to process what I’m about to do, I hurl the water at her, hitting her playfully in her midsection. The ocean is cold, and she shrieks at its touch.

“Looks like you’re awake after all!” I grin as she stares incredulously at the stain that blooms across her bodice. Her mouth hangs open, and when she raises her head to meet my gaze, her eyes are filled with fire.

Oh, gods, I’ve made a grave mistake—but then she’s reaching into the water to splash me back. A laugh erupts from my chest, and I turn to dodge her attack. She doesn’t relent, and I’m left with a soaking wet shoulder.

The heavy garments dull some of the water’s bite, but not much. I must look surprised, because Cora laughs as well.

“And I suppose you’re not actually dreaming!” She cackles with delight, and I’m stunned by the sound of it—the pure, uninhibited joy. When did I last hear a laugh like that? I scour through memories of Proserpina’s for one that could rival Cora’s, but Proserpina was a princess always destined to be a queen. A goddess. The only times I saw her composure truly melt away were when we found ourselves circling each other, enchanted by the promise of being tangled together…

“Are you all right?” Cora asks. “You look a little red.”

Gods, what am I doing, allowing myself to get distracted like this?

“I’m such a fool! You’re still recovering, and I dragged you all the way out here!” She reaches a hand toward my face, likely to check for a fever, but before she can, I’ve already flinched away, out of her reach.

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