Page 68 of Kingdom of Briars and Roses

“You didn’t ask.”

I rolled my eyes. “Is an entire unit really necessary?”

His brow rose. “Have you not traveled beyond the walls of this place in all this time?”

“Of course I have. But I make it a point not to draw attention while I do it.”

Callan’s mouth curved into a faint smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “Noted.”

My fingers tightened on the reins as I glanced back at the castle—my home. Its beautiful whitestone towers stood pale against the horizon, forlorn and forgotten, like a promise I couldn’t keep. Memories washed over me until my vision blurred. I blinked, and the towers wavered.

It took a few more blinks to realize it wasn’t my eyes blurring.

A glamour rippled over the castle grounds, casting a haze over everything it touched.

“What is it?” Callan asked; then his breath caught in a quiet gasp.

Magic shoved at me so hard I wobbled in the saddle. One of the soldiers behind me doubled over. The rest grunted in response to whatever force had knocked into them.

Behind us, powerful magic slid across the whitestone like an otherworldly pulse. Slowly, the castle faded from sight, its mighty walls vanishing against the backdrop of rolling hills and mighty trees. Farther north, the rooftops that marked the city of Rosewood flickered like a mirage until they, too, winked out of sight.

I exhaled, silently thanking the Furiosities for their help.

The Summer Court was gone. Hidden away one last time. All that was left was the earth itself—withering a bit under the effects of a fast-approaching winter.

Looking out over the landscape, it was almost as if Sevanwinds had never existed at all.

A hollow ache settled in my chest, but I shoved it aside. The Furiosities’ wards would protect this place better than the Aine ever could. All it had cost me was my mother—and my freedom.

“How did you do that?” Callan’s voice, laced with awe and suspicion, cut through my thoughts.

Straightening my shoulders, careful to keep any trace of the truth off my face, I said, “Explaining myself isn’t part of the deal.”

He frowned but let it go. “Shall we?”

I forced a nod, though everything inside me screamedno. “Lead the way.”

With a command from Callan and a reminder to remain silent on the road, the soldiers moved out, the sound of hooves a steady rhythm as we began the journey into the Emerald Forest.

Once we entered the trees, the formation changed.

Several soldiers rode out ahead to scout the way. And the ones behind us spread themselves thinner so that we had a watchful eye on our rear. I tried not to think about what sort of creatures we might come across.

We stopped for lunch without incident, filling our bellies with cold sandwiches and water. My thoughts drifted to my birthday last year when Lesha, Amanti, Sonoma, and I had spent the day at the falls just south of Sevanwinds. We were still inside the wards but only just, and because of that relative safety, we’d been safe enough to relax. To eat and smile and swim like we’d done when I was a kid.

For that one day, we’d let ourselves forget.

It was the last happy memory I had with all of us together. Now, it was the last happy memory I’d ever have with them. Lesha and Amanti weren’t coming back—because there was nothing left to come back to. Even they wouldn’t be able to get past those wards now. And if they did manage to return, they wouldn’t know what had become of me. Or Sonoma.

The thought soured my appetite.

Fletcher appeared before me, his eyes darting from me to the half-eaten sandwich I’d abandoned. Without a word, Ihanded it to him, and he took it, flashing me a grin before hurrying off.

A moment later, we were all mounted and ready to resume our trek.

By mid-afternoon, the forest had thickened.

The air grew cooler as we rode deeper, the dense canopy of trees overhead blocking out the sun. Shadows slanted across the path, and the silence that settled took on an edge that felt unnatural. The Emerald Forest had once been a welcoming place, but it didn’t feel that way today.

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