Page 75 of Cursed Crowns
Wren raised her chin. “So do I.”
“Good.” He flashed his canines in a quick smile as he stood back, revealing Inga, red-faced and crying, behind him. “The queen is turning blue. Go inside and warm her up. This is your last warning, Inga. Don’t let me down again.” He walked away without looking back, his parting words to Wren floating over his shoulder. “I’ll send for you tomorrow. Be ready, witch.”
28
Rose
Rose couldn’t stop staring at Shen.
Shen Lo, a prince? Her Shen Lo, who dressed like a bandit and laughed like a pirate, who broke into palaces and kissed another person’s bride on her wedding day, was heir to an entire kingdom? How could it be?
Shen had no answer for her. No answer for himself. His jaw was slack with shock, the warrior struck silent for once.
After Kai’s father’s dramatic pronouncement, they were ushered away from the ruby gates and into the heart of the city. For a place that had been trapped beneath the sand for eighteen years, the Sunkissed Kingdom was remarkably verdant. The labyrinth of narrow streets and copper-stone pathways was lined with trellises of vibrant yellow and red flowers the size of Rose’s palm, as well as hearty desert shrubs pinpricked with small white blooms. The buildings were made of sandstone that shimmered softly in the sun and topped with peaked red-slate roofs that curved upward at their gilded edges.
Rose could feel magic thrumming in the very bones of the city. It was ancient and powerful, stronger than anything she’d ever felt at Anadawn. Even Ortha. It brushed against her cheeks like an invisiblewind. She took heart in its presence, letting it steady her nerves as they journeyed through the gathering crowd.
They dismounted at the bottom of the palace steps. The moment Shen slid to the ground, Kai’s father threw his arm around his shoulders, pulling him ahead of Rose so he could whisper in his ear. Kai leaped off Victory and trailed behind them with his hands in his pockets, while onlookers clustered around the steps, craning their necks to catch a glimpse of the crown prince.
Rose eyed Kai’s father with mounting resentment, noting the gold band around his head. He might well be the ruler of the Sunkissed Kingdom, but this territory resided insideherdesert, and as a queen of Eana she deserved more respect than this.
So far, she hadn’t got so much as a greeting.
She swept her hand through her hair, wishing she was wearing her crown. Or at least something other than her sand-stained dress. Then everyone would know exactly who she was.
“That’s quite a scowl, Queenie,” came Kai’s drawl from behind her.
She tossed him a withering look. “This wasn’t what I was expecting.”
“Just wait until we get inside the Palace of Eternal Sunlight.” A shadow flitted across Kai’s face, gone as quickly as it came. “Or, should I say,Shen’sPalace of Eternal Sunlight.”
“Now who’s scowling?” muttered Rose.
They stewed in silence as they trudged up the rest of the steps. The stairwell was bordered on both sides by intricate golden statues, including a beetle with jade eyes, a giant scorpion, a dragon caught in mid-roar, and eight desert horses rearing up on their hind legs. Each one looked like it was about to spring to life, and Rose wondered if,with the right kind of magic, they could.
Kai’s father stopped at the top of the steps and turned to face the crowds below. He lifted his arm, raising Shen’s, too. Shen was still in a daze, staring out at the city as though he couldn’t believe it was here, at last, before them. That after all these years, he had finally found his way home.
“Not only has our crown prince returned to unbury us, but he has just informed me that the woman at his side is none other than the queen of Eana,” announced Kai’s father. “She has come to welcome us back to the sun!”
Only then did his gaze fall on Rose, his lips spreading into a wide smile. He did not bow to her. Rose tried not to let her irritation show as she made her way to join them, climbing the last few steps to thunderous applause. She turned to the people of the Sunkissed Kingdom, who were running and leaping about with joy, and offered them a queenly wave. Thousands waved back at her.
She glanced sidelong at Shen. “Are you all right?”
He swallowed thickly. “I... I don’t know.”
Kai lingered on the step below them. “Well, Prince? Aren’t you going to say something to your adoring subjects?”
Shen’s eyes went wide with panic. He turned to Rose. “What do I say?”
“Nothing,” said Rose, relieved to be taking charge once more. “I will address my subjects here.”
She cleared her throat. “Greetings, people of the Sunkissed Kingdom,” she called out. “My name is Queen Rose Valhart, and I have journeyed from my seat at Anadawn Palace on behalf of my fellow queen and twin sister, Wren, to welcome you back to our land. I amoverjoyed that we have found you alive and well after all these years. In the days and weeks to come, you will find this country changed for the better. Witches now sit on the throne of Anadawn and under our reign magic is welcome throughout the country.”
“Except in Arrow territory,” Kai interjected under his breath.
Rose ignored him. “Together we will restore the former glory of our ancestors and return all witches to the sunlight, not just here but everywhere in Eana.”
The crowd broke into applause again.