“I can’t do it anymore,” she says, almost conversationally. “I hate having my loyalty torn the way it is. I can’t be a true friend to anyone when I must answer to the Crown and the Crown alone. Researching this curse, seeking a solution…well, I received an intriguing job offer, and I think I’d like to explore it.” She looks at me. “That way, at least, I can write toyouwithout worrying about who’ll be reading it.” Something inside me pops at her words. She’s leaving…but she’s leaving to live her own life. I won’t lose her entirely.
“Who onearthhas offered you ajob?” Mother gasps, clearly totally agog.
“The Dark Wizard,” Honey says, evenly.
“Are youkidding?” Sasha gasps. “The guy in the castle? With the, like, bats and snakes?”
“Among other things, yes,” Honey says.
“Honeyrose Brambling,” Mother says, in the tone of voice that means she’d banish her from the Widdenmar for treason if she could, “you cannot be serious.”
“As a curse,” Honey says. And then she smiles at me, and I feel some sort of weight lift from my chest. She opens her dossier and pulls out a slip of paper. “Here’s my letter of resignation.”
“Mother of all the gods,” Mother says, taking it. “My daughter has decided she’s fallen in love with a pirate who’s terrified of water, and the only sensible person in the room has just resigned.”
“Hey,” Sasha says. “We’re sensible.”
“You’re twelve,” Mother says.
“Fifteen!” Amaritha yelps.
“The point being,” Mother continues, “that absolutely none of this is acceptable.”
“I’m not going back,” I say again.
“And I’ve quit,” Honey adds.
“And I do love her,” Bash says. “Though I can’t say that’s worth very much.”
Sasha punches him in the arm. “That’show you do it, you weird hot idiot,” she says, as he rubs the spot she hit.
“I am in love with him,” I add. “But that’s not why I’m not going back. He’s very irritating.”
“They’rebothweird,” Amaritha whispers to Sasha.
“I confess, I’m very curious about this ‘ironic curse meets water magic’ business,” the sorcerer pipes up.
“May we please,” my mother says, rising, “pleasefinish this conversation without all thesepeoplearound, Tanadelle?”
I rise. “It won’t change anything. I’m not going back.”
Every time I speak the words, I feel another weight rise off my shoulders. No more corsets, no more dances, no more ribbons or five-hour state dinners or moving from palace to palace.
“You’re putting us in a terrible position,” Mother says, and I cringe. I hate to disappoint her.
“She’s not, not really,” Honey pipes up. “You ascended to the throne at sixteen, Your Majesty, and you did it all, from what I’ve read, with careful and deliberate planning; you did what you could personally, and delegated the rest. It could be done again. I have no doubt the people of the Widdenmar would be understanding that you have one daughter spending time with her new baby, and a second who’s, well, retired.”
“You can’tretire,” Mother says, ignoring Honey. “Itisn’t done.”
“I’m doing it,” I say.
“And you’ll, what, stay here? Run ashop? With apirate?”
“I’ll stay here and run a bookshop. I can’t answer for anyone else.”
“I’m really a pirate in name only these days,” Bash adds, unhelpfully.
My mother sits down again.
