Chapter 16 Rose
After Rose failed to find a weapon in the tunnels of Anadawn, she set about planning her imminent trip to the Sunkissed Kingdom. She didn’t want to go on her own, and with Wren embarking on her own journey, Rose had decided on the perfect travelling partner.
‘Of course I’ll come with you!’ Celeste squealed when Rose invited her. ‘I’ve been dying to see the Palace of Eternal Sunlight since you first told me about it.’
It was late evening, and they were meeting in the palace baths, where there was no risk of anyone overhearing them while Rose filled Celeste in on everything that had transpired since Oonagh had crashed into her bedroom at midnight, and Wren had returned from her trip to Sharkfin Point. Despite the grim tidings, Rose was glad to be alone with her best friend. It had been far too long since they had sat in this beautiful bathing hall, with its dramatic domed ceiling and mosaicked walls, gossiping and laughing in the steam.
‘You should have said something earlier. Shen would have gladly welcomed you as his guest,’ said Rose, as she lowered herself deeper in the water, making sure to wash away all the grime and dust from the tunnels. ‘You don’t need to wait for an excuse to go.’
Celeste, who was sitting across from her on the edge of the marbled basin, raised her eyebrows. ‘It seems as if you were the one waiting for an excuse.’
Rose flushed, and it wasn’t due to the temperature of the water. ‘Well, I couldn’t exactly abandon my throne to gallivant across the desert just to …’
‘Romance Shen?’ Celeste needled. ‘Of course you could. You’re the queen.’
‘Which means I have royal duties.’ Rose gave her friend a bashful smile. ‘And as it happens, now those royal duties necessitate me travelling post-haste to our nearest, and dare I say dearest, allies to discuss a very important and highly clandestine piece of news.’
‘I do love a clandestine mission,’ said Celeste, thoughtfully.
Rose wrung her hands, feeling a sudden swell of nerves. ‘I just wish I was going with better news. Other than the whole, “Sorry my evil ancestor is back from the dead and has a vendetta against me, my sister and our entire country, which she intends to destroy if we don’t give it up, which means we’re going to war, so I need to borrow one of your deadly witch-made weapons and also your army. Again.”’
Celeste swished her toes in the water. ‘The Sunkissed Kingdom may be its own sovereign nation, but Shen will fight for you. And so will the witches. You know that.’
Rose lay back in the water until she was floating. She gazed up at the mosaic above them, which was, rather fittingly, of a desert sunset. Being able to swim was still a novelty to her. After her near drowning in the Ortha Sea, Shen had insisted on teaching her how. Rose hadn’t wanted anyone to see, so their lessons had taken place in secret over Yulemas when he had come to visit her and Wren at Anadawn.
Every night, they’d sneaked out of the palace and gone down to the Silvertongue River, giggling as they’d picked their way through the reeds. The secrecy of it had been part of the fun. Of course Rose knew Wren was feigning ignorance about her nightly excursions with Shen, but for that she was grateful.
Rose was grateful to Shen, too, for his kindness and patience. He had been sure to find the gentlest stretch of river, and hadn’t once laughed at her fear, only encouraged her to tread deeper as her confidence grew. On the final night of his visit, Rose had been able to swim across the river on her own. Shen had met her on the other side of the riverbank, whooping with pride. Then he slipped right into the water and kissed her deeply under the light of the Yule moon.
In her heart, Rose knew that Shen Lo cared for her, but she didn’t know how much she could ask of him. What was even fair to ask of him.
‘He’d do anything for you,’ said Celeste, reading the anxiety on her face. ‘He’ll be there, Rose, however you need him to be. We all will.’
Rose stared at the golden sun above her and sighed. ‘I hope so.’
Rose woke early the following morning, her heart racing at the thought of her upcoming journey, and the king she would find at the other end of it. She yawned and stretched, before going to open the window to welcome the stirring morning breeze.
That’s when she saw the smoke.
Her heart leaped into her throat as she realized where it was coming from. The royal stables were on fire.
With a strangled shout, Rose bolted from her room and raced down the tower stairs, caught in such a panic, she didn’t even bother to put on her shoes or reach for her dressing gown. By the time she reached the stables, breathless and barefoot, there were soldiers and witches everywhere, and the raging fire was no more.
Through the dissipating smoke, Rose glimpsed her sister and what appeared to be Captain Iversen, standing side by side, glaring down at a figure on the grass. Was that … Prince Felix?
Rose frowned as she stalked towards them. ‘What’s going on?’ she called out. ‘Is everything all right?’
‘It is now,’ said Wren, stepping back from the quivering prince, who Captain Iversen had pinned to the ground with the sharp end of a shovel. ‘We’ve found our arsonist.’
‘Queen Rose!’ Felix croaked. ‘Mercy! Please! Tell your sister and this Gevran oaf to let me go this instant!’
‘No,’ said Wren, unmoved by the plea. Then she turned to Rose. ‘Felix just sent our stables up in flames and he claims Oonagh told him to do it.’
‘She promised me magic!’ cried Felix, desperately. ‘I was powerless to resist!’
Rose stared at the prince of Caro in muted horror. She was about to ask how on earth he had come into contact with their dreadful ancestor when it suddenly occurred to her. ‘The mirror,’ she muttered to herself, remembering his furtiveness in the library, that last telltale sapphire winking out.
She raked her hands through her hair. How could she have been so foolish not to put it all together? ‘This is my fault,’ she told Wren. ‘I saw Felix in the library with my mirror, and that very same night, Oonagh rose out of it. He must have been talking to her before I stumbled upon him.’
‘She came here? In all her glory?’ said Felix, sounding like a fanatic. ‘Did she ask for me? She promised me I would have my own magic!’
‘Oh, shut up,’ said Wren, taking the shovel from Tor and thumping him on the head.
Rose knelt next to the prince. ‘Felix, you have been used. Oonagh would never grant you power. All you have done today is prove that you are a traitorous wretch. We will send you back to Caro, under armed guard, with a missive to your mother the queen explaining what has happened here. From now on, you are not welcome in Eana. Do you understand? If you step foot on these shores, you will be killed on sight.’
‘Come to Gevra if you like,’ said Tor, his voice low and menacing. ‘We’ll show you first-hand what we do to traitors.’
Felix grabbed the hem of Rose’s nightgown. ‘Please, Queen Rose, you must forgive me.’
Something else occurred to Rose. ‘Felix, you had something else in your possession that morning. What was that parchment you were clutching?’
‘That was simply part of my plan to see you that morning. To woo you.’ He swallowed thickly. ‘I went to the mews to find your post so I could take it up to you.’
Wren kicked him in the shin. ‘You weasel.’
‘You read my royal correspondence?’ said Rose, horrified.
‘That seems … very anti-climactic,’ said Wren. ‘Conspiring with our undead ancestor is significantly worse than him reading your letters, Rose.’
‘It is still rude!’ said Rose.
Felix let out another wail. ‘I just wanted to get to know you better! I had to have you, Rose! You were my only way to bring magic to Caro. And the last thing I needed was you leaving to go to a party. Without me! But then … then I saw the mirror … and she appeared.’
‘And you fell at her feet like a blundering fool,’ said Wren.
Rose kicked him away. ‘Chain him,’ she cried to the soldiers now swarming at her back. ‘In chains of iron, and chains of magic. And send him back to Caro. His mother can deal with him there.’
‘Good riddance,’ said Wren, tossing the shovel aside.
Later, after she had recovered from the shock of Felix’s betrayal, scrubbed the smell of smoke from her skin and got dressed for the day ahead, Rose went to Wren’s bedchamber in the west tower, where her sister was packing for her own journey.
‘I’m frightened, Wren,’ she said, closing the door behind her. ‘Oonagh feels closer every moment. What are we going to do?’
‘We’re doing everything we can do,’ said Wren, setting her satchel aside. ‘I need to be at my strongest to face her, and you need to find a weapon that can kill her.’
‘I don’t like that we’ll be apart,’ said Rose. ‘It makes me feel uneasy.’ She let out a humourless laugh. ‘And we can’t even take our magic mirrors with us this time.’
Wren took her sister’s hand. ‘Have hope, Rose.’
They hugged each other, and Rose desperately hoped her sister was right.