“Wait, are you telling me you’veneverhad ice cream before?”
She shakes her head slowly.
I look over to Astrid and Marigold. “We’ll be right back!”
Marigold hiccups, which sends Astrid into another burst of laughter. I turn back to Wrenley and hold out my hand. “Come with me.”
Wrenley doesn’t take my hand, but she nods. I lead her down into the kitchen, then into the cold room.
We stand in front of rows and rows of glass containers full of ice cream. Moonlit mint chip, elderberry swirl, pixie peach melba, starlight sorbet, unicorn dreamsicle. I remember a day during my first month in the castle when Astrid and I made labels and chose the names for all the flavors the chef had created. “The flavors are a little different from the ones I grew up with in the human world,” I tell her as I scoop a little of each into a bowl, “but these are all very good. Trust me.”
Wrenley watches me with a curious expression. Then, after a long pause, she asks, “What’s your favorite flavor?”
“Oh, that’s easy.” I carry the two bowls and spoons back into the main kitchen. “Cookie dough. But when I’m sick, vanilla. Peanut butter when I need to celebrate. Of these fae flavours, probably … unicorn dreamsicle.”
I jump to sit up on the counter. After a moment, Wrenley mirrors my movement, taking a spoon and trying a few of the flavors. “The starlight one is good,” she says softly.
“You know those hot summer nights when you’re a kid and the sun seems like it’s never going to set?” I ask. “On those nights, my father and I would walk down to the wharf and get ice cream, then we’d sit and look at the water. Sometimes we’d get lucky and see a seal or an eagle. The best was when we’d spot an orca. Orca Cove is where I’m from.”
“In the human world,” Wrenley says.
“Yeah.” I touch the tips of my pointed ears. “I thought I was human for a long time.”
Wrenley takes another bite. “Your father … what’s his favorite flavor?”
“Moose tracks. It’s filled with peanut butter cups, and he’d pretend they were moose poo when I tried to take a bite.” I laugh.“Then, he’d act like he was doing magic and turned them to peanut butter and chocolate. He’d let me have as much as I wanted.”
She stills, spoon halfway to her mouth.
“What about you and your father?” I ask. “Did you do anything special together?”
“I’ve never met my father,” she says, then her eyes widen.
“You told me he was a merchant and a cartographer.”
She drops her spoon into the empty bowl and jumps off the counter. “I lied. When you were telling me about your father, it made me jealous. Listen, I’ve got to go.”
My heart clenches at her admission and the fact she had to say something so personal just because of Caspian’s drink. “I’m sorry.”
She pauses by the door, a flicker of sadness crossing her face. “No, Rosalina, I’m sorry.”
CHAPTER 24
Farron
It’s so bright in the High Tower, it’s almost offensive. Buttery morning light seeps into the room, casting a kaleidoscope of colors across the ground from the stained-glass windows.
Dayton kneels before his turquoise rose, head bent low, golden hair falling over his shoulders. His full lips are slightly parted, cheekbones sharp, square jaw clenched.Stars, he’s beautiful.He looks like a marble statue, and I don’t think even the greatest sculptures of Summer could capture his magnificence.
A dramatic rainbow plays over the hard planes of his chest. I want to place my hand there and see the colors swirl over us both. I want to run my tongue from his jaw to his ear, where I’d whisper how much I love him.
How much I still love him; despite the fact he’s found his mate. I think I love him even more. Because all my love for him is trapped, burning a hole beside my heart. A fire like this could turn me to ash from the inside out. The only thing tethering me to life is Rosalina.
But instead, I walk toward him and say, “Your rose looks terrible.”
A muscle feathers in Dayton’s jaw. “I thought being here would help, but even the soil around it looks rotten.”
I step over the briars.The briars.It’s so strange to look at them now as help rather than the enemy. So many crisscross and tangle around the High Tower. I always believed they were stealing Castletree’s magic. If Keldarion’s words are true, if the briars are keeping Castletree standing, then they’re protecting the roses.Protecting Keldarion.
