Page 82 of Those Fatal Flowers

“What do you mean?” Rose asks. The other women wear similar confused expressions.

I take a deep breath, steeling myself for my confession. The colony’s articles pinned proudly on the meetinghouse’s door flash before me. They beg me to keep my mouth shut.

No man may speak impiously or maliciously against the holy and blessed Trinity or against the known Articles of Christian faith, upon pain of death.

No man shall use any traitorous words against her Majesty’s Person or royal authority, upon pain of death.

No man shall commit the horrible and detestable sins of Sodomy, upon pain of death.

My throat tightens. Oh, gods, I’m guilty of all three counts, and though these women have been kind to me, will they truly forsake their countrymen, their queen, their god for me? A stranger? But what other choice do I have? If I don’t trust them now, I risk having to bury their corpses on Scopuli’s bluffs. I risk having to bury their children’s. Raidne and Pisinoe wouldn’t want freedom, not if it came at that price. And I don’t, either.

“You’re not an agent of Spain, are you?” Emme asks.

“No. But I’m also not a princess.”

A collective gasp ripples across the room.

“I’m going to trust you, but you must trust me, too. Can you do that?”

Each woman nods.

“My sisters and I…we’re cursed. When we were girls, I angered someone very powerful. She was a goddess to us—Idon’t know what you’d call her. A witch, perhaps, though she’d punish you severely for diminishing her like that. A fallen angel, then. A fairy queen. I was given a chance to break this curse, but it can only be done by spilling the blood of treacherous men.Thesetreacherous men. I wouldn’t have landed here if it wasn’t supposed to be them. But without your help, I can’t stop our magic from endangering the innocent.”

I hear my heart beat once, then twice, but no one speaks. Cora’s chin drops to her chest, and dread swirls in my belly, its claws looking for purchase to tear through the rest of me. The other women watch her just as intently; we all hold our breath waiting for her verdict. But when she lifts her face again, her eyes are glistening. She nods to them, determination settling into her features.

She believes me.

“God works in mysterious ways, but what can we do?” It’s Elyoner who speaks. A few short months ago, she would’ve delighted in watching my neck grace the pillory, but tonight, she joins my side.

“We need a plan, and quickly,” Cora says. “Thomas will ask you about Scopuli tonight, and as soon as he knows its location, they’re going to imprison you.”

I take a few moments to appraise them. My friends. Their faces are creased with worry, yes, but Cora’s conviction is infectious. One by one, courage makes them each stand a little taller, and I know my faith has been well placed.

When I speak, there’s a smile on my lips. “So we’ll let them.”

After we settle on a rough course of action, Wenefrid finds me to tell me she intends to remain behind.

“I’m too old for another voyage,” she says with a smile. “I’ll be happier here.”

“With Sybil?” I ask.

“With Sybil,” she confirms, and her eyes sparkle like stars as they wander from me to Cora. When she speaks again, her voice is as soft as a sigh. “If you love someone, make sure they know it. Don’t make the same mistake I did. You can lose so much time that way.”

Her words haunt me as Cora and I walk through the darkling streets to the Bailies’, Cora’s hand swinging dangerously close to mine. My fingers itch to take hold of hers, but I force my arm to stay at my side. We need the colonists to believe that Cora’s one of them, that they’ve all caught me unawares. Which means that for now, the ghost of her touch must be enough.

“What’s going to happen to us all?” she whispers, eyes scanning the shadows between the cottages for potential spies. But the village is quiet.

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