Even the air above me seems too heavy a weight. I collapse to my knees with a resounding thud, ice sword clattering out of my hands and shattering.
A profound sense of loss fills me. For my brother, for Rosalina, to be so truly trapped in this weak and dying shell of Castletree.
There’s a light tug on the front of my shirt as Caspian pulls himself up before me. His eyes narrow and he studies me before wiping his mouth with the sleeve of his tunic.
“Kel,” he says lowly.
I don’t reply. Can’t.
“Keldarion,” he purrs, and his hands rest upon my neck. He leans against me, blinking up with those enormous, violet eyes.
A smile tugs at the edges of his full lips as he draws even closer, then presses those lips against my own.
It’s been decades since he’s kissed me, and yet it’s as if time has simply melted away. The softness of his hair as I grip the back of his neck, the fierce urgency of his hands clutching my shoulders, and the passionate dance of our bodies pressed close together—every sensation, every touch ignites a blaze of longing that defies the long years that have passed.
He kisses me like he did the night we first made the bargain, full of desperation with the whispers of dark promise. The bargain that still digs into my wrist because I cannot banish my love for him.
That love that has cost me my brother, my realm, but maybe not Rosalina.
“Do not fret, Kel,” Caspian laughs darkly as he pulls away, lips moving to my ear. “No one will take your mate from you but me.”
110
Dayton
I wish I knew what damned cosmic entity I pissed off, because we really can’t catch a break.
“Come on, Fare,” I say, holding his shaking body. Sweat beads on his forehead, and his fingers clutch the ground. “Where is she?”
His head whips up, auburn hair wild, and takes off running across the flower field. Stems snap beneath our feet, the bobbing blue lights fluttering away.
“Where is he going?” Wrenley yells, cloak blowing in the wind.
“I don’t know,” I call back.
A rumble shakes the ground, and I swear I see the entire mountain range move. Fluorescent green smoke billows from beyond the walls of Florendel. Then a massive dark shape emerges from the clouds.
“Is that a fucking…”
“It’s a flying ship.” Wrenley gazes up, eyes wide.
The black sails and hull cut through the air. The windows gleam with that same strange green magic that infected Farron’s realm. The magic Caspian used to save our asses.
Farron raises a shaky finger skyward. “There,” he rasps. “She’s there.”
I grab his shoulder and spin him around as the shadow of the ship passes above us. “We’ll get her, Farron. That ship is heading to Summer. I won’t let anyone harm my realm, and I won’t let anyone harm her. You know me, Fare. You know this.”
“I love you,” he whispers. “And so does Rosie.”
He gives me a weak smile and leans in toward me. But then pauses, his features suddenly lit up by a bright golden light, casting his hair copper. The light … It’s coming from my chest, glowing like the goddamn sun itself.
The light of a mate bond.
Slowly, I turn, following the line of light, so bright and true, to see its origin.
Wrenley stands in the middle of the field of flowers, brown hair blowing around her face. One of the will-o’-wisps is spread across her chest, causing her bond to awaken the light that leads her directly to her mate.
And like an arrow of gold, it strikes me in the chest.
“Dayton,” Wrenley says, “we’re mates.”
111
Rosalina
My mouth is bone-dry, joints sore. A dull ache pounds in my temple. Dusky red light filters in through my blurry vision.
I blink my eyes, trying to force myself to focus. Last thing I remember…
I sent Keldarion, Ez, and Caspian to Castletree. I have no idea where Dayton and Farron are. As for myself— Kairyn took me.
Shaking my head, I look around. My arms are bound in two huge steel manacles. They’re chained to a pole. I’m in a small wooden room, dark except for a window letting in the fading red light.
My legs shake, but I force myself to stand and peer outside.
Sky as far as I can see, with clouds drifting past at an incredible speed.
I’m flying.
This must be Kairyn’s ship. Where is he taking me?
My stomach lurches as I peer over the side. A sparkling ocean lies beneath us, waves crashing upon cliffs of white rock. I recognize the sandstone from a fateful night months ago.
The Summer Realm.
I can feel it creeping up: the panic, the terror. But I close my eyes and force a few deep breaths. More than ever, I need to be strong.
They’ve taken my bow. But they can never take my heart.
Beyond anything else, I know I will escape. My friends are counting on me. I will not forsake the people of Castletree to the chains of their curse or abandon my father to the desolation of a daughter lost.
Somewhere, across the realms, my mother is out there. I will find her, wherever she is.
The Enchanted Vale is not only my home, it’s my legacy. I won’t let it fall.
And more than anything, I know I will tear this ship apart, obliterate Kairyn’s entire army with thorns and curses, and uproot the Below itself to return to my princes.
Spring may be lost, but not my hope.
It’s time the Enchanted Vale had a queen again.
112
Queen Aurelia
The boy is coming. I know the near silent tread of his footsteps well.
His screams were particularly loud this time. I can always hear them as they rise through cracks in the pit. But today they filled my whole cell with the agonizing sound.
Does she know the sound carries to me? Is it another part of my torment, or just one of the multitude of horrors in the Below?
He doesn’t look at me—he hardly ever does—but simply sits down against the wall of green crystal that serves as the border of my prison. His dark hair is spread against the flat, sheer gem. A few drops of blood splatter from the wounds on his back. He’s shirtless. It would be too painful to wear a shirt until he heals.
I kneel, waiting for him to speak. A wave of dizziness overtakes me, and I grasp the wall to steady myself, fingers clutching some of the multitude of green crystals growing along the rock wall.
The crystals she uses to slowly drain away my power, drop by drop. All at once would ruin her plan, after all.
“He’s fallen ill,” the boy says dryly.
My heart clenches. I don’t let it show on my face. “What?”
“Your husband.”
“How?”
He turns slightly, just to display that he’s rolling his eyes. “Oh, maybe that’s what happens when you bind someone’s life force to a dying tree.”
“Create more thorns!” I snap.
“That won’t help. They keep the structure intact, but they don’t give the magic back. The Briar has already given what life it can. My thorns are cursed. I knew even as a child when you gave me this stupid power.”
He waves his wrist, the golden rose bracelet dangling.