“So, uh, I guess we should talk about this,” I say, trying not to sound awkward. “Something happened with Farron and I…”
“Rosie.” Farron weaves his fingers through mine. “I’m pretty sure they already know.”
My gaze locks with Keldarion’s. “You felt it, didn’t you?”
To my surprise, only a rueful grin breaks across his face. There isn’t a hint of jealousy or possessiveness in his features. “You are mates. Of course, I felt it.”
“Your curse?” Dayton asks.
Farron looks at me with a look of genuine love, then turns to the princes. “My curse is broken.”
Water brims in Dayton’s eyes, and he pulls us both into a massive hug. “Fare, I’m happy for you.” He presses his lips quickly to Farron’s cheek, before turning to me and muttering in my ear, “Thank you, Rosie.”
I clutch him tight, feeling his salty tears on my face. Relief floods through me. I was worried about how he would react to me and Farron being mated. But his joy is so pure, it’s like I can feel it coursing through me. To see that Dayton is okay… I don’t think my heart could take it if we lost him.
Ezryn clutches Farron’s shoulder. My mate wraps an arm around his waist. “Ezryn,” I say, “please tell me, is there a smile beneath your helm?”
“There is, Petal.” I hear the truth of it in the light reverberation of his voice. “I’m overjoyed for you both.”
Only Keldarion does not join the embrace. “We should make a quick return to Castletree before the war council and observe the state of High Tower. We can return through the door to Keep Oakheart.”
“Wonderful.” Farron pops his head out of the group hug. “I want to observe what’s happening with our roses.”
“My necklace was a no-go last night,” Dayton says. “Been too long since I was at Castletree. Kel, you were there most recently, so try yours.”
Keldarion reaches beneath his shirt to pull out his snowflake necklace. Like a weight, I feel the rose locket at my breast. “I want to try something.”
“By all means,” he says.
I slip the necklace over my head and open the locket, revealing the mirror. “My mother always wore this. But it’s a part of Castletree, a part of all of you. I was able to use it to contact Ezryn even when it was broken. So maybe I can use it to get us home.”
“As with all our experiments, Rosalina,” Farron steps up beside me, “you can certainly try.”
“Right.” I angle the necklace and try to catch the light like I’ve seen the princes do before. I draw in a deep breath, centering my thoughts. I am a vessel, and pinpricks of magic shudder through my body, filling and emptying me all at once.
Castletree, I want to go home.
My bond with both Farron and Keldarion blooms bright within me, but there’s other magic here, the magic of the High Princes of Spring and Summer.
Castletree, take me home.
The light catches and bounces, forming a shimmering oval. Energy builds within me, a fire growing hotter with each passing moment.
“I did it,” I whisper.
The princes stare at me, faces cast in the bright glimmer of the portal.
“To Castletree,” Farron says. He’s the first one to step through, trusting me, trusting my strange magic.
The others quickly pass through the shimmering glow. A rush of exhilaration flows through me, as if I’ve tapped into a wellspring of power and knowledge. It’s a feeling of connection to something greater than myself, a sense of belonging to the Enchanted Vale that is all my own.
The world shifts and blurs as I follow them. My stomach lurches with the sudden movement. And I’m home.
We emerge through the mirror into the grand entrance hall. There’s still ice on the ground, though it’s dissipated a bit with Kel spending so much time in the Autumn Realm. The thorns are as present as ever.
“Masters!” Rintoulo the butler rushes up, followed by several other staff members. “We’re so glad to see you. Something’s going on with us Autumn staff. We felt… strange this morning. In a good way. There’s a change stirring.”
“It’s my curse.” Farron smiles. “It’s broken. Lady Rosalina is my mate.”
Rintoulo’s eyes widen, and there is a collective gasp from the surrounding servants.
“I can yet sense the bear inside me,” Rintoulo says, “but it’s different.”
“My wolf no longer has dominion over me, but the magic remains,” Farron continues, voice full of confidence. “I believe the curse that forces you to turn into an animal has dissipated, leaving the gift of shifting at will.”
Farron places his hand on Rintoulo’s shoulder, and the butler pulls him into a hug.
More of the Autumn staff surround us and tug me into the embrace. Thank yous ring in the air, and my heart warms. This is about more than just freeing the princes; it’s about freeing the people of Castletree, as well.
This curse can be broken for all of us.
The staircase up to High Tower is still tangled with interlocking thorns. A strange anticipation fills my chest. I know Farron’s curse is broken with all my heart, but I wonder what remains in the Enchantress’ wake. What will we find where the seeds of torment were sown?
The High Tower is very much the same, thorns lining every wall except for the line of dirt where the four roses grow. But Farron’s rose is tall, bright, and glowing, as though life radiates from it. The petals, which were once orange, are now gilded gold.
It is so beautiful, but that’s not what has me clutching my chest. The thorns around his rose have changed too… The purple briars have turned golden, blooming with yellow and red roses.
“It must be Rosalina’s own magic,” Ezryn says cautiously. “She has a strange connection to these thorns.”
Farron casts a wary glance before kneeling beside one vine and tugging on it. It barely moves. “Very sturdy,” he says.
“So, Rosalina’s magic made Caspian’s thorns stronger?” Dayton asks, raising a dark brow. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
Keldarion steps into the room, observing silently with a keen eye, his jaw locked and rigid.
Farron gently touches the new golden briars. His eyes flutter closed. “It feels like Rosie, but her magic is good. I know it.”
Fearful uncertainty wavers inside me. Why do I have power over the briars? Why did some of them change color and strengthen around Farron’s rose?
And there’s the ever-plaguing doubt of why can I hear Caspian in my mind?
Asking questions only the stars know the answer to. That’s what he told me. I clutch my chest. Caspian is a liar and a traitor. He betrayed us and nearly got Dayton killed. I’ll never forgive him for that.
“The briars don’t seem to harm your rose,” Ezryn says. “Rejoice, for your curse has been broken for your people and yourself.”
Farron walks over to the wall, the sturdy mix of stone and bark that runs with sickly black lines. “I knew it the moment we accepted the mating bond. The beast remains in me. My magic feels… richer. The well deeper. Yet, something’s still not right. Castletree is the source of our magic, and it’s still sick. Until Caspian releases his hold on us, I don’t think I will understand my true might.”
Ezryn presses a firm hand on his shoulder. “Trust in what power you have earned. You’ll need every bit of it for the battle to come.”
“I can’t do this without my brothers,” Farron says. “Will you ride out and stand beside me to face our enemy?”
“I stand with you,” Ezryn says, “High Prince of Autumn.”
Dayton ruffles Farron’s hair and gives him a rueful grin. “Like I’d let you go out there without me.”
But Kel turns away, staring at the sun drifting through the window. “You know I would be by your side, Farron. But I cannot stand with you tomorrow. There is something else I must do.”
“Kel—” Ezryn and Dayton both start.
But Farron holds up a hand. “You will not fight with Autumn tomorrow, Keldarion?”
Kel doesn’t meet his gaze. “There are things I must set right.”
Then he turns and storms out the door and down the stairs.
I exchange glances with the other princes.