“Let me go!” Ezryn screams.
But Caspian only smirks. “Clever girl.”
I shoot a hand out to the side, and my thorns engulf Keldarion. “What are you doing, Rose?” he yells.
Then I slam my palms downward. The vines descend through the earth, taking Kel, Ez, and Caspian with them. My thorns know the path because my heart knows the path.
It will always lead me home to Castletree.
I step backward to see the Sapphire Knight and the Bronze Knight running toward me.
“It’s been fun,” I say, my golden thorns wrapping around my legs. My turn to go home.
I’m fully embraced by brambles.To Castletree, I tell them. I feel the rush as I’m pulled downward—
SLAM!
Pain shoots through me like a crack of lightning. I fall to the hard ground, my thorns withering.
SLAM!
Another burst of pain. I blink my eyes rapidly, trying to make sense. And then I see it.
Kairyn, his massive hammer raised, pounding my roses again and again. His divine weapon glows with light.
With his huge, gloved hands, he plucks one of my roses. It twists in his palm, losing its glimmer. Evolving into an entirely separate plant.
His heavy boots thud over to me. I clutch the stones, trying to pull myself away, but he grabs my shoulder, pushing me on to my back. He hovers over me, his helm like a descending bird of prey.
“I may have lost them, but you’re all that truly matters.” He looks down at the ground, helm lit up with a radiant gleam. “You and this bow.”
Then the new High Prince of Spring shoves his deadly flower under my nose. I inhale the sickly sweet scent. My mind turns to fog. At least Keldarion, Ezryn, and Caspian are safe.
106
Farron
The cave tunnels beneath Florendel are vast and intricate, warm from the blazing fires of the forges and the deep molten rock. We’re lucky enough to avoid any guards or goblins.
When Tilla finally opens the door that leads to a small path outside the city, the blaring sun cuts into my aching head. It must be late afternoon now. It was just past dawn when everything went hazy—I remember checking one of the strange red flowers as we followed Ezryn out of the city, and then suddenly Day was right in front of me.He came for me.
“Thank you, Tilla,” Dayton says as we step out into the light. “I don’t know what we would have done without you.”
“What are old friends for?” She gives a wry smile. “Now to figure out where to take our people.”
I stroke my chin. “Why not lead the refugees to Winter? It’s a longer trek than Summer, but you’ll avoid that army.”
“That’s a dangerous path,” Wrenley says quietly, “and narrow. If Spring were to come after you, you’d be ambushed and trapped between mountains and ice.”
“We could make it through the mountain passages before Kairyn realizes we’re gone,” Tilla says. “Besides, his forces are currently concentrated on Summer.”
Dayton’s face turns grim. I know the image of the army making camp before the passage to his realm must be fresh in his mind. I squeeze his hand. “We’re faster than any army. We’ll make it to Summer before them and warn your sister. From there, I’ll take a horse and get to Autumn. Our people will not let Summer stand alone.”
He nods. I absently reach up to touch my necklace, but it’s not there, of course. We’re escaping Keep Hammergarden with only the clothes on our back and my small rucksack of items. Luckily, within it is the book Caspian wanted. I have a feeling I’m going to need it before the end to fulfill my promise to the Prince of Thorns. The promise to find a way to make him human.
Dayton puts a hand on Tilla’s shoulder. “We’ll be meeting with Keldarion soon. I’ll tell him to catch you on the road and lead you to Winter.”
Tilla nods. “I appreciate it. Most of us can hold our own, but we have elders, children, and injured. I won’t leave anymore behind.”
