I take a deep breath and tighten my fists, but Rowenna interjects before I can speak.
Let them laugh now, little sister. We’ll be laughing in the end.
Why would I back down now when I’vefinallysummoned the courage to stand up for myself and for you?I silently argue.
Patience, Ro says soothingly.It will all be worth the wait.
I don’t want to wait. Waiting feels like the exact opposite of what Rowenna would do, but I trust her instincts more than my own, so I grit my teeth and begin a slow, humiliating rotation.
“Stop, Indira!Stop!” Queen Tessa lets out a great whinny of laughter before I complete the turn, and the rest of the room joins in. “I was only teasing. I never dreamed you’d actually comply. Do you truly think us so monstrous?”
Yes, I want to say.You killed my sister.
But I can practicallyfeelRowenna’s cold dead hand plastered across my lips.
Queen Tessa pats the striped divan beside her and smiles. “Please, join me. There’s no need to be shy. We’re family now.”
That word, and her sudden shift in demeanor, is so jarring, I stand there like a pumpkin rotting on the vine. How can she go from inspecting me like livestock to proclaiming mefamilyin a matter of seconds?
“Go on.” Elodie ushers me forward. “Her Majesty simply likes to have a little fun. She’s quite fond of pranks—it’s one of the reasons she and Rowenna got along so well.”
“What?” Every time I think I’ve gotten my bearings here on the mountain, the soil shifts and the ground slides out from under me again.
Rowennadidlove pranks. When we were young, she’d do little things like swap the sugar for the salt and laugh hysterically as Birdie chased her around the ovens. And she loved nothing more than to pester Father’s irritating advisors. We’d plop frogs in their porridge or exchange official scrolls with scandalous love letters we penned ourselves, then listen at the door of their meetings as they babbled with embarrassment.
But why would Ro reveal that side of herselfhere? When none of this was supposed to be real?
“Forgive me for playing that little trick on you,” Queen Tessa saysas I thump down hard on the divan beside her. “It was clearly too soon. I can’t imagine how difficult losing your sister must have been. Not to mention growing up in such agruelingenvironment. But that’s all behind you now. I have no doubt you’ll adjust to life in Vanzador as splendidly as Rowenna did.”
She smiles kindly and pats my arm, and it’s too much.
Rowenna is dead!I want to scream. Last I checked, there’s nothingsplendidabout that.
But the words won’t come—probably because Rowenna’s still holding my voice box in her death grip.
You’ll never learn anything useful if you’re hostile.
“Now, tell us all about yourself, Indira,” Queen Tessa says with a delighted clap. “What’s the single most memorable thing about you?”
I narrow my eyes and hold my tongue because they alreadyknowthe “most memorable” thing about me. It’s the reason Soren brought me here.
“Go on,” Elodie prods, “don’t be shy.”
Instead of answering, I ask, “What did Rowenna consider to be the most memorable thing about herself?”
Queen Tessa looks up at the intricate ceiling tiles with a thoughtful expression. Then she says on a breathy sigh, “Rowenna was such a delight. So witty and charming. She truly embraced our way of life. I often forget she wasn’t one of us by birth.”
Her musings receive a bevy of appreciative nods, even though she didn’t answer my question. I don’t care what the queen of Vanzador thought of my sister. I want to know what Rowenna said about herself.
“And she hosted the loveliest luncheons,” an elderly woman with a pouf of purple-gray hair says, corroborating Elodie’s claims.
“Let’s not forget the time she asked if she could try her hand at stone throwing,” a muscular man with a thick black mustache adds. “I’m certain she would have excelled at it, too, had it been fitting for our future queen to engage in such antics.”
This elicits even more smiles and laughs, and I almost find myselfsmiling too. I’m not surprised they have so many fond memories of her. Ro was gregarious and impressive and thrived in the spotlight. Even though they didn’t know therealversion of her, they clearly admired the version she let them see.
Though, if that were true, how did she end up dead at the bottom of a cliff?
“Her tenacity,” a young man standing near the door interjects, pulling me back from my thoughts. He’s dressed the same as the people who were gathered around Soren when Alaric carried me into the Fortress—his smooth copper skin gleaming against stone-blue robes and the tassel on his cap a perfect complement to his deep auburn hair. He holds my gaze with startling intensity as he repeats himself. “Rowenna said the most memorable thing about her was her tenacity.”
