Page 62 of Cursed Crowns
After dramatically declaring that Shen was the key to the lost desert kingdom, Fathom offered no more clarity on the subject. “You have themap and the key. What more do you need?”
He had fiddled with his beard then, growing cagey, and Rose suspected Fathom had rather exhausted his knowledge of anything to do with the map, or indeed Shen. Still, it was more than enough to help them on their way. By the time they left the Moonlit Menagerie, the valley languished in darkness, the starcrests flitting overhead like shooting stars. They decided to stay the night and depart at first light, cheered by Fathom’s promise of a special herbal tea that would counteract the poisonous fumes of the valley.
They ate with Meredia and Fathom in a small candlelit room beneath the Moonlit Menagerie, the stone walls hung with beautiful woven tapestries that showcased the towers at their full glory, while Pog scurried off to make up their rooms for the night. Dinner was bland but filling—a hearty soup made from bitter greens, served with brown bread and thick slabs of cheese. Kai asked for whiskey and was told there was nothing of the sort at Amarach. The seers abstained from alcohol so as not to impede their craft.
“Nobody tell Celeste,” said Shen between mouthfuls. “Or she’ll never embrace her destiny.”
Rose’s gaze drifted to the window. She watched the top of each tower flicker to life, as the seers arrived by candlelight to read the skies.
“But what’s the point of future-gazing if you’re all cloistered here?” asked Rose. “Can you even help people?”
“When there are people to be helped,” said Meredia. “In such cases, we send out messages and pray they are heeded. And, of course, the starcrests will always find their way to new seers to guide them in their craft. Now that the throne of Eana has returned to the witches, I expect we will see more of them.”
Fathom set down his spoon. “Once the country settles, that is,” he said ominously. “We have seen rebellion stirring in the skies.”
“We’ve seen it on the streets,” said Kai, reaching for more cheese. “Nothing a little warfare can’t handle.”
Rose shot him a warning look. “I’m afraid what you’ve seen is true. Edgar Barron is succeeding in building a movement. One that seeks to remove my sister and me from the throne.” She felt a pang of guilt at leaving Thea back at Anadawn to face the growing rebellion, but Rose would rejoin her soon enough.
“Barron has made a weapon out of people’s fear,” said Meredia uneasily. “There is nothing more dangerous than a hateful man with a clever tongue.”
“Which is why we mustn’t tarry too long on our quest,” said Rose gravely. “Once we recover the Sunkissed Kingdom and garner a new army of witches, I must return at once to Anadawn to show Edgar Barron the true might of the throne. And when my sister returns from Gevra, we will embark on a new royal tour together.” She looked around the table. “I’m sure you’ve seen her safe return?”
The silence that followed was as stony as the seers’ faces, but they offered up nothing about Wren. When Rose prodded for an answer about her sister, Meredia simply frowned and said she had strayed too far from their gazes.
Unlike the Straggler’s Rest, the Amarach Towers had plenty of rooms.
And while that meant that Rose, Shen, and Kai each had their own, nestled side by side in the largest of the towers, Rose hated seeing all the empty ones they passed as they climbed the winding stairwell. Once, long ago, before the war named for her mother, all these roomshad been full of witches and seers, young and old, who had looked out at the same promising future.
Rose hoped one day soon the Amarach Towers would be full once more, and all talk of rebellion and darkness would be confined to the past.
Still sour over the lack of whiskey, Kai offered a curt good night before stalking into his room, leaving Shen and Rose alone in the hall.
“Do you think he’s all right?” said Rose as his door slammed shut in their faces. “He didn’t mock us once over dinner. He just kept scowling into his soup.”
Shen shrugged. “Maybe he’s always been moody.”
“Or maybe it’s the map,” Rose whispered. She couldn’t shake the memory of Kai’s face when he realized it didn’t answer to him. “I think he might be jealous of you.”
Shen pressed a hand to his waistband, where the scroll was safely stowed. “Let him stew in his jealousy, then. He’ll move past it eventually.”
Rose chewed on her lip.
“You worry too much.” Shen reached out and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. His fingers lingered on her cheek. “Get some sleep. I’ll be right next door if you need anything.”
Rose leaned into his touch. For a wild moment, she wanted to invite Shen into her room and spend the rest of the night kissing him senseless. But in a valley full of seers, Rose wouldn’t dare risk her reputation by doing something so royally inappropriate right under their noses. And anyway, she was filthy. As much as she wanted Shen, she also desperately wanted to have a bath. And Pog had promised to have one bubbling in her bedroom when she arrived.
“I should go inside before my bath gets cold,” she said as she stepped away from him. “Good night, Shen.”
“Enjoy your bath.” His gaze lingered on hers. “I bet it won’t be as nice as a soak in Balor’s Eye.”
Rose flushed at the memory of them bathing together in the desert. “Keep your map close, and perhaps we might visit it again,” she said before she could stop herself.
Shen smiled as he turned for his room. “Now I know what I’ll be dreaming of tonight.”
The tub wasn’t nearly as luxurious as her one back in Anadawn, but the water was warm and bubbly and lightly perfumed. Soon, all the dirt and grime from the past two days had sloughed off her, and Rose felt like herself again. Or at least as close to a queen as she could hope to feel so far from her throne.
When the water was cold, she clambered out. Pog had left a fluffy towel on the dresser, beside a pot of face cream and a hand mirror. Rose smiled, heartened by his thoughtfulness. She dried herself and put on her nightgown, before fetching her hairbrush.