Ezryn
My head feels lighter outside of the Hall of Vernalion. I take a deep breath, reveling in the rich,
familiar smell of my home. My gloved hands clutch the stone barrier on the ramparts of Keep
Hammergarden as I gaze over the city, the Starweaver Mountains, and finally to the top of
Mount Lumidor. Eldor, the keep’s majordomo, hovers nervously at my elbow.
“What is going on here, Eldy?” I turn to him. After leaving my brother in the hall, our head of
house was quick to get my attention. I’d almost pulled him into a hug, I’d been so happy to see a
familiar face that wasn’t standing vigil at my brother’s side. But I’d restrained myself.
The fae man taps his fingers together, one of his many nervous habits. His gray hair falls straight
to his jaw, and he stops tapping only to pluck at his mustache.
“I wanted to send word, sire, but all messages in or out of Florendel are being surveyed. Prince
Kairyn does not take kindly to anyone who questions his leadership. He brings to court a great ...
paranoia about the outside realms.”
I keep walking again, gaze out at my city, if only because I need to do something with my body.
“Tell me, what has happened to my father?”
“It’s hard to say, sire.” Eldy shakes his head. “You know he’s never been the same since ... since
the loss of your mother.”
“Let us not mince words. I know it is you who has been the true steward in my absence. My
father’s state did not allow for such work.”
“A duty I gladly served. But even so, in the last months, it’s as if a fog has settled over his mind.
He looks without seeing. He eats without tasting. He speaks without meaning.”
My jaw tightens. “And Kairyn has taken this opportunity to revoke his own banishment.”
Eldy stops in front of me, holding my gaze with his huge, watery eyes. “Kairyn has taken the
opportunity to do much more than that. He’s enacted a coup against the High Clerics, declared himself
the new leader of Queen’s Reach Monastery. He’s brought many of the Golden Acolytes down to the
keep. I don’t know what for. They just amble around. All except for the woman he put in charge of
your father’s wellness. And his princeguard, of course. He’s calling them his Penta Conclave.”
“What of my father’s princeguard?”
“They were assigned to various posts around the realm.” Eldy’s nose twitches. “It was all quite
sudden.”
“He’s always wanted my attention. I just never thought he’d go to such lengths to get it.”
Collapsing over the barrier, my helm suddenly too heavy. “I was too hard on him, El. It was a mistake
to send him away from Florendel. Now, he’s seeking to prove himself here, but he’s still only a wild
boy.”
Eldy puts a hand on my shoulder. “By law, you were justified to enact far worse than a
banishment, sire. To tell the truth, Kairyn’s actions may be radical, but he’s protected the people. His
conclave has destroyed several goblin raids, and he’s housed and fed refugees from villages that have
fallen.”
“At least some good has come from his disobedience.” I shake my head. “But I cannot allow him
to bend the rules of his banishment however he likes. Regardless of how justified he believes his
actions, there must be a consequence for his defiance.” I only wish I didn’t have to be the one to
decide it.
Eldy leans beside me, wrinkling his nose. He has a large white flower pinned to the lapel of his
green vest.
“A stardrop?” I ask. “Haven’t seen one of those in ages.”
“Oh, this?” Eldy looks down. “Yes, quite the pretty flower, isn’t it? Usually only used for
medicinal purposes due to its antitoxic properties, but I saw a couple of the newcomers from the
monastery wearing them. They are alpine flowers after all, only growing at high altitudes. But I
figured it was all the rage with the young fae, so I procured one for myself. Quite the trek, mind you!”
I huff a laugh and clap him on the back. “I’ve missed you.”
He smiles at me, and I hold on to that. I never admitted my sin to him or Marigold, but after my
mother’s death, they looked at me as if they knew the truth and forgave me anyway.
A forgiveness I do not deserve.
“—never seen her before.”
Voices filter up from below the rampart, and I look down. We’ve wandered nearly all the way
along the keep and have arrived above the gates. The two guards standing watch are jabbering at each
other—a lack of duty my father would never have stood for.
I, however, cannot be bothered when my mind is so full—
“Pretty thing, ain’t she?”
“Looks like a village maiden. You know the type. Not much going on between the ears, eh?”
I roll my eyes. The two guards are nattering on about a woman. Not only a lack of duty, but a lack
of chivalry as well.
One of the guards lets out a howling laugh. “That’s how I like them! It’s not what’s between the
ears, but what you can stick between their legs.”
“Come on, Eldy,” I say. “Let’s head down to the gate. It appears our soldiers need reminding
about the meaning of vigilance.”
But Eldy’s not listening to me. His eyes are cast over the ramparts, chest heaving. “I-It’s her.
She’s returned!”
I follow his gaze to see two fae women examining a cluster of bright red buds, the same as in the
throne room.
It can’t be. For it appears to be Astrid and Marigold.
“Marigold has come back,” Eldy whispers.
Before my mind catches up to what Astrid and Marigold being here means—or what is sure to be
another dramatic tirade in the ongoing chronicles of Eldy and Marigold’s love affair—one of the
guard’s voices echoes up to me: “All right then. If you’re so confident, off you go then. Go show that
village hayseed just what you’ve got.”
“Why not?” One of the guards drops his lance and steps out from his post. He starts walking along
the wall.
Not toward Astrid or Marigold.
But if they’re here...
Who are the guards looking at?
I practically throw my upper body over the ramparts, staring down so I can see the edge of the
wall.
And there she is, standing still and straight, hands clasped before her pretty pink dress, expression
completely lost in a daydream.
My Petal.
Damn the stairs. Damn gravity itself.
I leap over the side of the barrier and land in a harsh clatter right in front of Rosalina. The guard
jerks to a halt, and Rosalina gives a peep. I bring one arm up and slam my fist on the wall over
Rosalina’s head. Slowly, I turn toward the scum, holding him in the darkest glare I can muster through
my visor.
I don’t say a word. I don’t have to.
“H-High Prince!” the guard yelps, staggering backward. “I was...”
“Leaving,” I growl. “And take him with you.” I gesture to the guard who’s holding his lance so
tight it looks like he’d fall to the ground without it.
“Of course, sire! Right away!” The guard turns on his heel and disappears through the gate.
I let loose a huge exhale, relax my body, and look down.
Rosalina’s staring up at me, doe-eyed and breathless.
My cheeks suddenly heat, and I drop my arm from over her head, instead clutching the back of my
neck. “Sorry about that.”
Rosalina’s still staring at me with those shimmering eyes, her lips parted in an O. Then she shakes
her head, and a beautiful smile crosses her face. “Ezryn! You found me.”
My words feel caught in my throat. When I don’t say anything, she cups the side of my helm and
tilts it to look at her. I place my hand over hers. “I always will.”
There’s something in the heave of her chest, the curiosity in her expression as she stares at me.
“What is it, Petal?” I whisper.
“I suppose,” she pauses, “I’m just happy to see you.”
A smile crests my lips.
A smile she’ll never see, Kairyn sneers in my mind. I grit my teeth until his laughter stops.
“What are you doing here?” I ask.
“Oh!” She grabs my hand. “Ezryn, it’s Castletree. Goblins attacked it. And they were wielding
Spring steel.”