He wipes it off, then obeys.
Vespera lifts the hood, her fingers long and bony. She draws it open and descends it over Caspian’s head. At first, nothing happens.
Then I notice Caspian’s chest, heaving in and out as his breath increases. He starts to scream, a chorus of agonized moans. Caspian pitches forward, clawing at the ground.
What is that thing doing to him? Vespera’s smile widens, and she rubs her fingertips together.
My breath rises in my throat, and I place my palm flat against the wardrobe to steady myself. I wish I could help him. I wish there was something I could do. But revealing myself to Sira now would only jeopardize our plan, put Kel and George in danger, and ruin all chances of saving Rosalina’s mother.
I know all this, but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch.
A bloodcurdling scream tears from Caspian. Shadows leak from his body, briars burst through the floors, and emerald fire sprouts on his fingertips.
Enough. It has to be enough. His limbs are shaking, his room near destroyed. Sira has to stop this. But there is nothing but void emotion on her striking face.
Caspian’s broken cries pierce the air like shattering glass, and the green fire begins to grow, curling around his arms.
Sira’s eyes widen for a fraction of a second before she holds up her hand. “Stop. That is enough.”
Vespera makes a bird-like screech and shuffles over the thorns and shadows, tearing the hood from his head.
I expect Caspian’s face to be marred in some way—burned, scarred, broken—but the only difference is the black makeup smeared down his cheeks.
Sira wipes his face with the long sleeve of her dress and smooths back his hair. “What is your mission?”
Caspian opens his mouth, closes it. Opens it again, and when he speaks, his voice is hoarse and broken. “To bring you the Golden Rose.”
“That’s right.” Sira smiles and bends to kiss his forehead. “Do not disappoint me again.”
Like twin shadows, Sira and Vespera leave the room. I stay rooted in my spot, unsure how to proceed from here. Fear still grips me.
“You don’t have to keep hiding,” Caspian says without moving. “She won’t come back.”
Slowly, I crawl out from the wardrobe, catching my reflection in the mirror. My own cheeks are streaked with black paint. I’ve been crying too. I raise my mask over the top of my head.
Kneeling in front of Caspian, I ask, “What did the hood do to you? Does it show you visions? Nightmares?”
He shakes his head, as if trying to clear the memory. “The Soulrender’s Hood can show many things. But today, it showed me wishes.”
I study him and watch the ghost of a smile crawl over his lips. “My mother’s wish for my future. One in which I kill you all, slowly, one by one. Ending withher.”
“I know you’re not going to bring her Rosalina.”
His hard gaze is a challenge in the worst way. “I’ll endure worse if I don’t.”
“Probably. But you still won’t.”
“What makes you so sure, Autumn Prince?”
I grab his hands. “Because you’re her mate.”
CHAPTER 76
Rosalina
The mattress is soaked with my tears. I’m not sure why I haven’t left yet, like I told Dayton I was going to. I lack the will to summon my thorns and make myself leave.
Maybe it’s the thought of being at Castletree when all the staff of Summer suddenly feel their curses break—of being around that joy. Dayton said I wasn’t selfish, but I am. The thought of being around their happiness makes me sick.
