Dayton stares up at her blankly. She drops his chin and staggers back to the desk. “Look at you four. High Princes of the realms, indeed. Autumn and Winter are on the brink of war. Summer’s being run by a child. And no word has come in or out of Spring in months.” She looks back. “The Queen left High Rulers for a reason. To keep the people safe. And you lot have all but turned your backs on us.”
A heavy silence permeates the room, and I hang my head in shame. She’s right. Just as the Enchantress was long ago.
“What if we can fix it?” Rosalina pipes up. “What if we can figure out what’s causing the frost and stop it? Would you call off the war against Winter?”
Mother raises a brow. “Who is this human?”
I stare at Rosalina, her shining eyes, the resolute set of her jaw. “She’s the Lady of Castletree,” I say. “And she’s going to help us stop this frost.”
Mother strides over to her and takes Rosalina’s chin in her hand, moving her head back and forth. “You look familiar. Have we met before?”
Rosalina gives a nervous laugh. “I think I would have remembered you.”
“Hmph.” Mother walks behind Rosalina, trailing a hand through her long dark hair, running a finger over her round ears.
“I know you don’t trust us,” Rosalina says. “Any of us. Why should you? Your people are dying. You’re scared. But I promise, Keldarion did not cause this frost. And Farron will do anything for his people. No one else needs to die. Let us show you what strength remains in the people of Castletree.”
My father laughs from the corner of the room. “The human’s got spunk. What say you, Niamh?”
Mother holds up her bronze dagger, pointing it at Rosalina’s back. I intake a sharp breath, my blood growing hot. Then Mother uses it to click open the chains. She goes down the line, releasing each of us in turn.
“At the rate the frost is moving, it will arrive at Coppershire in about two months’ time,” she says. “Fix it before it reaches the capital. And if not,” she holds Keldarion’s gaze, “Autumn will march on Winter.”
33
Rosalina
Howisitthatin the Enchanted Vale I’m always going from being a prisoner one moment to being given the most exquisite chambers one could imagine the next?
“Look over here!” Astrid cries, flinging herself into a velvet armchair and wrapping herself in a huge chunky knit blanket. “Perfect place for reading, don’t you think, Rosie?”
“Is it ever!” I squeeze myself into the chair beside her.
Our party has been given our own personal chamber with a shared living space that deviates to private rooms. The main room is massive, the centerpiece being an open fireplace that crackles merrily, surrounded by all sorts of seating, from plush chairs to flouncy pillows strewn about in every autumnal hue.
A nearby table is laden with plump apples and pears, warm spiced cider, and a tray of flaky pumpkin pastries that still steam with their delicious aroma. Marigold stuffs one in her mouth. “Not as good as the ones back home.”
Papa stands at the door leading to the hallway, arguing with Dominic and Billagin. The twins were instructed to set us up with our quarters. “No, no, no, pumpkin spice has been recorded in human history since 1675,” Papa says. “The blend is simple: nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, pepper—”
“You’ve got it all wrong, old man,” Dominic chides. “A fae alchemist made it by accident.”
“He was trying to enchant some pumpkin seeds into growing into objects other than pumpkins, but he came up with that instead,” Billy continues. “We’ve been using it in cooking for centuries. ‘Course, once a fae brought it to the humans, well, then they made their own version. Nowhere near as good as ours.”
“I simply don’t believe it,” Papa says.
Dom bumps him on the shoulder. “Come to the kitchen. We’ll show you.”
Papa’s face lights up and the three run off like schoolboys. He seems so full of life.
But isn’t that what the Vale had done for me too? Brought me back to life?
The princes are milling about, claiming rooms and talking in quiet voices. I observe the matter-of-factness between Kel and Ezryn as they solidify plans to keep Farron safe tonight.Something happened between those two.
I lean my head on Astrid’s shoulder and try to take a peaceful moment. Large, arched windows offer a stunning view of the landscape outside: a riot of reds and golds from the massive trees that stand beyond the keep. We’ve been given a chance to clear Keldarion’s name and save the Autumn Realm. Together, we can do this. Farron can do this.
Farron. Where is he? “I’ll be right back,” I murmur to Astrid. I peer into a couple of the bedrooms, but don’t see him anywhere.
I push open the door to the corridor. He’s standing about halfway down the hallway, gazing up at a tapestry. I drift over and stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him.
