I rub my eyes. It’s not possible. The two people Keldarion haphazardly chucked down the stairs are princes of Autumn.
My little brothers.
“Dominic!” I cry and rush forward. “Billagin! What are you doing here?Howare you here?”
Astrid runs from the Winter Wing and hands Kel a pair of fabric trousers. He yanks them on unceremoniously. “These miscreants sought to perpetrate my demise within the confines of my chamber.”
“What?” I fall to my knees and skid across the floor until I’m at my brothers’ side.
Dayton and Ezryn flank Keldarion. A show of unity, of strength. Despite the constant infighting between them, the idea of an outsider attempting to murder the Protector of the Realms…
But Kel can’t be right. My brothers aren’t assassins.
“Dom. Billy.” I touch their shoulders. How long has it been since I returned to the Autumn Realm? Since before Rosalina left. Months.
The boys sit up, and there’s a hardness to them I’ve never seen before. The twins share my unwieldy hair, though theirs is redder, their faces splattered with freckles. I imagine in Rosalina’s eyes, they would appear no more than teenagers, sprites on the cusp of manhood.
“They snuck into my chambers and tried to assassinate me.” Kel holds up a dagger, the handle clearly carved of Autumn’s red oak. He chucks it down the stairs toward them, as if to show how truly futile their attempt was. Billy snags it, quickly tucking it into his boot.
“No, no.” I touch each of their faces, trying to find the answer in their eyes. “They wouldn’t.”
“We did,” Dominic says. “And we’ll try again. No prison will keep us.”
“Stop that,” I scold. “What’s gotten into you two? How did you even get here? The way between Castletree and Autumn was shut a long time ago.”
“We went on foot,” Billy says. “We’ve been traveling for weeks.”
Breath catches in my throat. Who are these boys before me? They’re dressed in tight-fitting garments of maroon, with knee-high boots made of sturdy leather. A belt around each waist holds various knives, whips, and what could be a vial of poison. They look like warriors, not my little brothers. “You went through the Briar? Stars above. You could have beenkilled. What would Mother say?”
“We did this for Mother,” Dom snaps. “For our people.”
“Why would they want you to hurt Keldarion?” I breathe.
Billy shakes his head, his eyes shocked. “You don’t know?”
Everyone’s staring at me. Even the staff are poking out from the hallways. “Know what?”
Dominic stands in a defensive position and pulls out a shining dagger from the holster on his belt. He stares up at Keldarion, fearless despite being incapacitated by him only moments ago. “A frost has come to the Autumn Realm. It’s killing everything: our trees, our crops. Our people. And it’shisfault.”
A collective gasp utters through the entrance hall.
“No,” I whisper. “Kel would never do that.”
Rosalina drifts over to Kel and places a hand on his arm. “Tell them you didn’t do this.”
Kel sets his jaw. “I don’t know what’s happening in Autumn, but I assure you, I have nothing to do with it. My death will garner you no freedom from this terror.”
Though Castletree is covered in Kel’s frost, I know in my heart he’s speaking the truth. He would never do this.
Dom stabs his knife through the air. “If that’s true, you better figure out who is causing it.”
“And quickly.” Billy stands beside his twin. “Because Autumn is preparing to go to war with Winter.”
MetalclinksasKeldarionfinishes chaining Billagin to the staircase banister.
“Is this really necessary?” I mutter. Both my brothers have their wrists bound in steel, not that they seem to mind. They’re staring wide-eyed around the entrance hall, taking in the thorns.
“They traveled all the way from Autumn, navigated the Briar, and snuck undetected into my personal chambers intending to assassinate me,” Keldarion says gruffly. “They stay chained.”
