Page 40 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

“Anything from Lesha?” I prompted.

“No.”

“Didn’t she promise to send updates weekly?” I asked, knowing full well she had.

The Aine had a secret code for communication, and the three warriors I knew were fond of using ravens to do it. Amanti had sent a raven with a small scroll tied to its leg every two weeks. Her updates had stopped coming months ago, which was the only reason we knew something had gone wrong. Lesha, so far, had sent nothing.

“I’m sure she just lost track of time.”

The words were her way of softening things for my sake, but I could hear the worry beneath them. Still, I couldn’t let myself think the worst. Not yet.

Her attention shifted to the rabbit slung over my shoulder. A brow lifted. “Dinner?”

I shrugged. “Only the best for us.”

Her lips twitched, her frustration giving way to an easygoing nature few others had witnessed. “A princess deserves nothing less,” she teased. “Come on. I’ll help you dress it.”

I rolled my eyes and let her lead the way into the royal kitchens.

The space was vast with enough ovens and countertops to feed the entire royal court. Once upon a time, that was exactly what they’d done here. Lavish dinners and fancy balls catered by the best fae chefs in the realm. Pastries and spiced meats one would’ve sworn had been infused with magic itself. Then there was the wine... Fermented on these very grounds in greenhouses that were now planted with potatoes, lettuce greens, and other fresh foods we could harvest even when the weather tried to freeze everything to stone.

I hadn’t been born into a world where winter existed inside our borders, but ever since the curse, it grew colder and more brittle every year. Proof Summer’s magic was fading. And when it was gone, I wasn’t sure what would become of us.

Over dinner, Sonoma talked about the coming harvest, droning on about soil nutrients, but I only half-listened, distracted by the empty chair beside me. Lesha’s absence was a stark reminder of how precarious things were. How easily this could all end. If something happened to Sonoma, the wards around this castle would disappear. Seven years of determined effort gone, just like that, leaving the sleeping fae vulnerableto any threat.

I couldn’t let that happen.

We ate until we were stuffed, thanks to the rabbit along with potatoes from the garden. When we were finished, the sun had nearly set, plunging the room into shadows. The days had grown shorter already.

Candlelight flickered against our empty plates, casting a happy glow over the absolute mess we’d made. Teaching myself to cook had been one thing. Learning how to do it without turning the kitchen upside down was a work-in-progress.

“I should clean up,” I said, pushing to my feet. “Tomorrow, I’ll search again, farther west maybe. See if Lesha’s intel on the healer might’ve been off somehow?—”

“Aurelia, wait.”

Sonoma remained in her chair.

It wasn’t her words but the look she wore that had me sinking back into my seat. Dread crawled up my spine as she stared down at her hands, shoulders hunched. Sonoma never hunched. Willowy and straight-backed, her posture was that of a warrior imbued with the magic of the Fates themselves.

Or it had been—once.

Seven years of expending powerful magic to maintain the wards around this place had taken its toll. I could see it in the way her white-blonde hair had dulled and small lines crept in around the corners of her eyes. Even her faery wings—a gift given only to the Aine—were dim and sagging.

Sonoma was aging.

“What is it?” I asked, concern for her softening my tone.

She hesitated before meeting my eyes. “The wards are failing.”

I frowned. “They’re a bit frayed in places, but it’s nothing we can’t?—”

“I’m afraid it’s more than that.” She cleared her throat. “Amonth ago, two Aetherfox came through the northern border.”

My brows pinched as I recalled that day. “You said you called them through and trapped them—for making pelts.”

“And last week, a glimfang slipped through and nearly got one of the chickens,” she went on.

I frowned. “But?—”

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