“I thought you said I was his weakness.”
Justus smiles broadly. There’s a gap between his two front teeth that gives him an almost youthful charm. “Only because you two haven’t figured out how to turn that into a strength yet.”
Before I can question him more, Dayton breaks through the foliage, a basket of fresh fruit in his arms. He sets it down beside the riverbank, then takes an apple, bouncing it off his elbow before angling it toward me with a grin.
I reach for it, but it fumbles out of my grip. Instinctively, I shoot a golden thorn from the ground, and it spears the apple right beside me.
“Good catch, Rosie,” Dayton says, peeling a banana, then flopping down into the water on top of a giant lily pad. “If only you could use that in the arena, then you’d have no problem.”
“We’re betting on Kairyn letting youparticipate for the sport of it,” I remind him, “but they can’t know it’s me. They’d never let me participate in the games or get close to the bow.”
Dayton turns to his trainer. “Since you’re more ancient than I ever realized, did you ever live in the fabled Above? Do you think Kairyn will truly be able to open a way there if he gets all five of the divine weapons?”
Justus stills. “He may be able to open a way yet. But for what reason he would want to is beyond me. Sira left nothing of our home realm but ash, dust, and ruin.”
Memories upon memories play on his face. This fae knew my mother and once lived in the same realm as her. I know verywell how painful some memories are, and don’t want to pry. Dayton must sense it too because he stays quiet.
Perhaps he’ll share more when he’s ready. We’ll be here with Justus another day at least. This morning, we asked him if he knew of a way for us to return to Hadria. The old master was insistent he had one but refused to elaborate.
“Can you tell me what my mother was like?” I ask. Papa has told me stories of her, but they were about Anya, the human. It may have been a part of who she was, but it wasn’t all of her. I long to know this other side. The one of the Queen.
Justus’s face softens. “She was a vicious fighter when she needed to be, with a cunning mind. Though, it was her kindness that truly set her apart as a leader. There wasn’t a soul too small in the Enchanted Vale for her to help, from the lowest forest thrush with a broken leg to the greatest noble. Aurelia aided them all.”
Even after all these years, there is a reverence in his words when he speaks of her. A part of me wants to tell him that she’s alive, that right now, the High Prince of Winter and my father are rescuing her. But Caspian was adamant that no one else can know. It would be too dangerous if his mother got wind of what we’re planning. I silently vow that once we save her, there will be a chance for her to reunite with her first High Prince of Summer.
“She looked a lot like you,” Justus continues. “I’d have known who you were even if I hadn’t heard the rumors of the Golden Rose or seen you use the briars.”
“She used briars like me, didn’t she?”
“Down to the same color,” Justus says. “She always did have a fondness for roses. The Queen’s greatest strength was change. She transformed a tree into a castle and barren empty land into enchanted realms. Because she created it, she was connected to all of it. Not just the briars and the earth, but all who are born from it. People of land, sky, and sea.”
People of the sea.“The sirens,” I whisper. “I remember reading about the ancient city of Aerantheis. She saved the people by transforming them into sirens. Is that really true?”
“Indeed,” Justus says. “They are a powerful people, able to summon legs upon land and a tail in the sea.”
Dayton dips his head back into the water, dappled sunlight playing over his chest. “I might have seen a siren after the shipwreck. A glimmer of silver in the water.”
“Maybe they helped us to shore,” I suggest.
“It’s not a far-off idea, young Rose,” Justus says. “The High Prince of Summer and the Queen’s daughter in the ocean together would have felt like a great well of power. One you’ll have to draw upon to return to Hadria.”
“What do you mean?” Dayton asks, sitting up.
“If you want to get home, the sirens are your only hope,” Justus says. “But Daytonales, if you leave before mastering the Trident of Honor, you’ll never reclaim Summer.”
CHAPTER 54
Rosalina
The sky is a canvas painted in hues of coral and lavender, streaked with wisps of cotton candy clouds that catch the dying light of the setting sun. I walk along the powdery sand, my bare feet leaving imprints behind me.
Dayton walks closer to the water, sinking up to his ankles in the wet shoreline. Waves lap up his legs before curling back out to the sea. Seagulls wheel overhead, their cries almost joyful. The salty breeze carries with it the scent of brine and seaweed, mingling with the sweet fragrance of tropical blooms that dot the shoreline.
It’s so peaceful here, so tranquil. For a moment, it almost makes me forget about everything waiting for us in Hadria. We spent the rest of the afternoon training with Justus, but Dayton got no closer to mastering the trident. So, we’ll be here for another night.
There’s nothing to do but wait. Dayton shifts closer to me, his fingertips grazing mine. I wish I could grab his hand, but I smile up at him instead. “It’s beautiful here.”
His teal gaze doesn’t leave mine. “I agree. The Summer Realm suits you.”
