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Our story.

Vellia’s eyes crinkled as she bowed her head in acquiescence.“All right,” she said in her hushed voice. “Seeing as it’s the last story I will tell you.”

Sorrow stabbed through me at that confession. I knew Vellia would leave us and we’d journey to the capital alone—it was always to be that way. Even so, a life without her felt unfathomable.

“It was a beautiful summer’s night,” she began, as she always did. “Queen Rose Marriel’s belly was as swollen as the full moon. The night of her babe’s birth had arrived. As the Queen labored, the King called forth the rulers of every Wolf kingdom to celebrate the birth of his heir. The Silver, Onyx, and Ice Wolves all came, and just before the clock struck midnight, a beautiful baby was born. The castle celebrated, their cheers heard throughout the entire kingdom. This child was a manifestation of the greatest love the world had ever known.”

Every child in Aotreas knew my parents’ love story—of how Sawyn cursed my mother to a deep sleep and locked her in the tallest tower in her keep. But my father had found her, and his kiss had broken the spell.The Sleeping Queen. The story was told in every corner of the continent—a cheerful story of true love conquering dark magic. That’s where the songs and poems ended. But life, as it always does, carried on. I nestled my head into my pillow and watched Vellia’s rocking falter, just as it did every time she told the tale of our birth.

“But on the twelfth tolling of the bells, as the new princess took her first breaths, the sorceress Sawyn appeared.” Briar gasped in faux surprise. “Sawyn snuffed out every candle until only her eerie dark magic glowed from her haunted eyes. She stormed up to the King, demanding he bow to her power. King Sameir looked her dead in the eyes and said, ‘You will never be queen.’”

I mouthed my father’s damning words along with Briar. My sister thought our father’s condemnation was brave, but I thought it was pure arrogance. He sneered in the face of a powerful sorceress, and look what happened. Whether it was bravery or arrogance, my father’s words were his death sentence.

“Sawyn struck down King Sameir with a bolt of her power. She pointed a crooked finger to the circle of onlookers and professed, ‘The line of Marriel ends tonight. Now, bow down to the Queen of Olmdere.’ One by one she knocked down every Gold Wolf who sprung to the King’s aid. And so the other rulers fell to their knees, groveling for salvation from the sorceress’s wrath.”

“Cowards,” Briar muttered.

I snorted. Cowards, perhaps, but survivors, too. They all still had crowns on their heads, and we didn’t even know if our parents received a burial, let alone the rest of the Gold Wolf pack who died protecting them. I wondered what would’ve happened if they had all attacked. Would it have been enough to overtake Sawyn? Her magic couldn’t hold them all at bay... could it?

“After all those many years, Sawyn finally got what she had always wanted,” Vellia said. “To be queen.”

I’d never understood this part of the story. Why would Sawyn reappear after so many years? What was it about our birth that made her demand the throne from our father? Why Olmdere? There had to be more reasons for her actions. Briar didn’t seem to mind, but I always felt like we were missing part of this story. Vellia would simply say that dark magic was a hungry beast, always wanting more. It knew when to stalk its prey, and when to strike.

“What Sawyn didn’t know was that Queen Rose had another surprise in store,” Vellia carried on, casting a quick look at me. “The guards rushed to tell her what had happened, but the Queen already knew. She had felt the mating bond snap, and, as Sawyn stormed toward the birthing chamber, Queen Rose made one last wish. A beautiful faery appeared to grant it.” Vellia brushed her silver hair over her shoulder, puffing out her chest, and I heard Briar’s soft laugh behind me. “The Queen wished for the faery to protect her child until her wedding day. With one foot in the afterlife, her belly clenched again. The pains grew more frenzied until the arrival of a second child, another baby girl.”

“You and me,” Briar whispered. She hooked her arm over my side, resting her chin on my shoulder. I closed my eyes, feeling thecomfort of her warmth radiating onto my back. We’d heard the tale so many times, it stopped feeling real—just another bedtime story. Yet being here, on this night, with my sister . . . it felt just a little bit more tangible.

“The faery was astonished.” Vellia winked at me. “The wish had already been made, but the faery couldn’t leave the second babe to suffer the wrath of Sawyn, and so she disappeared with them both. Even the sky mourned, pouring for months on end, the Goddess saddened to lose that most magical of bonds. Sawyn was furious, razing half of Olmdere in her rage. She scoured the continent to find the Crimson Princess, but never found her, returning to the abandoned castle on the lake. To this day, she hides in wait for rumors of the Crimson Princess whispered on the wind, sending her scouts to every corner of Olmdere, hunting for her.”

Over the years, Sawyn had become a ghost story. The children in the village would dare each other to step out into the forest and whisper “I am the Crimson Princess,” thinking one of the sorceress’s Rooks might hear. But the rage with which she searched for Briar had simmered into nothingness, and I wondered if she even cared at all anymore. Perhaps reclaiming our castle would be as easy as opening the door.

I watched Vellia’s gentle rocking, a mix of emotions filling me as I asked, “Are you sure you can’t come with us?”

Briar laughed even as her arm tightened around me. “Hasn’t she done enough? She’s kept us safe for nearly twenty years.”

“The magic of your mother’s wish is waning,” Vellia said. “I can feel the last dregs being spent.”

“Then I could make another wish,” I offered.

She shook her head, straightening the knot of her kerchief under her chin. “A faery wish is a desperate sort of magic, Calla.” Vellia had said the same thing a dozen times before. “Powerful, yes, but it’s the ultimate sacrifice and will cost you everything. Your mother’s essence fuels my magic. She paid for your safety with her soul.”

My shoulders slumped. There was no way to wish for Vellia to stay with us. When my mother’s wish finished, Vellia would disappear, waiting in the ether until another dying wish was made.

Vellia stood, placing her smooth hand on my cheek.

“I will miss you two,” Vellia whispered. “But my magic will always be with you. I will be close even when I feel very far.”

I swallowed, nodding my head.

Vellia drew the curtains, moonlight fading to shadow. “Get some sleep. You wake at first light.”

Briar groaned, already unhappy about the idea of waking up. I took a deep breath as Vellia flickered out of sight, off to another part of the cabin.

“Do you remember that traveler who came to town with those spun sugar treats?” Briar’s voice was a low hush.

“Yes.” I craned my neck back at her. “Why?”

“I bet they have them in Highwick.”