Page 2 of Forged By Malice (Beasts of the Briar #3)

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Rosalina

“M arigold! The teapot!” I cry, my hands full of falling cups, plates, and saucers.

Marigold gives a flying leap across the kitchen, floral apron flapping. She snags the teapot right before it shatters on the stone floor.

I have only a second to sigh and gently place the saved tableware in a drawer before the castle starts to shake again.

This isn’t the first time, but it’s certainly the worst.

“I need a bucket!” Astrid cries, running into Castletree’s kitchen. “A piece of the roof’s given out in the entrance hall, and the rain’s pouring in!”

A vein throbs in my head. “Where are the princes? They were supposed to be back today.”

It’s been six weeks since we left the Autumn Realm, and I almost think fighting ice zombies, nearly getting eaten by my mate, and discovering I’m actually a magical faerie was a lot easier than trying to manage Castletree.

Farron has been back and forth between Castletree and Autumn. He’s been helping his father assume the role of steward after the tragic death of his mother, Princess Niamh. With Perth Quellos’s betrayal—and the foreboding news that he escaped from prison—Kel was forced to return to Winter. I know he’s been avoiding any true leadership of his home realm since the curse over twenty-five years ago, but it didn’t seem like he was going back only out of necessity. No … There’s been a change in him, a determination instead of his usual apathy.

Though, the Sword of the Protector is still lying discarded under his bed. But returning to his realm is a good start.

Astrid snatches the bucket, and Marigold follows her into the entrance. I sigh, then take off after them.

Gray light filters in through the windows—and rain pours through the broken ones. If it’s not pieces of the wall crumbling, it’s windows cracking, doors falling from their hinges, book stacks falling over in the library, or rocks shattering to dust in the hot springs.

It’s only been me and the staff here in Castletree. Perhaps influenced by Farron and Kel, Dayton took the opportunity to return to his realm and check in with his little sister, the steward.

And despite Ezryn’s worry about the lack of communication from Spring, he didn’t go back. Instead, he claimed we’d been away from Castletree for too long and the Briar would be out of control with goblins.

He was supposed to be checking on Castletree—on me—in the other princes’ absence, but I haven’t seen him once.

I can’t help but wonder if he’s avoiding going back to his home.

Or maybe he’s avoiding me. Maybe Dayton is, too.

After all, Farron and Kel have found their mates.

Found me.

Briars fill the entrance hall—a familiar torment from the Prince of Thorns. It’s his magic that’s sapping Castletree of its strength. But even Caspian’s briars seem brittle, frail. I choose to create more from my bracelets instead to help patch the holes. The thorns lace from floor to ceiling, trapping the crumbling pieces of bark and stone back into the wall frame.

Angry briars fly from my wrists. “The princes were supposed to be back today!”

As soon as the words leave my mouth, something sparks inside my chest. A warmth like fire, a feeling that glows and shimmers all at once. The door to Castletree opens, and a crisp breeze blows through, bringing with it the scent of maple leaves and an apple orchard.

And standing there is Farron, High Prince of Autumn. My mate.

His name leaves my mouth in a reverent breath, and I rush forward, only for a crack to sound. A fissure splits the stone beneath my feet and I stumble.

But Farron is there, catching me in his arms, spinning us both until I’m upright and wrapped in his arms. I take one moment to lose myself in the soft amber of his eyes, the way his face lights up as he looks at me, before grabbing him into a kiss.

Our kiss is hungry, urgent. My fingernails scrape down the back of his neck as I try to get closer. The taste of him both comforts and electrifies me. For a second, I think I’d be okay if the entire castle crumbled around us, as long as I can stay in his arms.

But then he jerks up and shoots out a hand, a gale holding back a chunk of ceiling that tumbles toward us. He pulls me out of the way. “And here I was, thinking you’d be bored with us gone.”

“Oh, you know, just been doing a little redecorating.” I trace his jaw with my fingers, hoping my touch can convey the need for him my words will never be able to. “I really thought the castle would look nice with huge chunks torn out of it.”

With that, rain pours through the latest hole. “Astrid, we need more buckets,” I call.

Farron runs a hand along the sharp point of my ear. It’s so sensitive, I can’t help but shiver. “I’m sorry I’ve been gone so long.” He looks around. “Where’s Ezryn? I thought he was supposed to be keeping an eye on things here while the rest of us were away.”

The mirror beside the door shimmers with iridescent light, and another shiver laces through me. “You know Ez,” I say as I turn to see who’s coming through the mirror. “Once he’s out in the Briar, he forgets about us entirely.”

Just then, the castle groans again. A large candelabrum attached to the wall breaks free from its sconce and plummets toward us. The iridescent shape emerging from the mirror leaps forward and tackles Farron and me to the ground, throwing us out of the way.

I take in a heavy breath, staring at Farron wide-eyed beside me. We both look up to see Dayton on top of us. His skin is golden, hair wavey and smelling of sea and salt.

He grins down at us. “How could anyone forget about you two?”

My mouth is suddenly dry, eyes blinking and unblinking as if he may disappear from my sight. Gorgeous . That’s the only word my mind seems capable of right now. A single day hasn’t gone by when I don’t think about the night the three of us spent together, on the eve of battle …

A night we haven’t repeated since.

“Bucket! I’ve got the bucket!” Astrid cries and runs in, swinging the metal pail.

Dayton pulls Farron and me to our feet and takes the bucket from Astrid, positioning it under the leak.

“You haven’t arrived a moment too soon,” Marigold says, crossing her arms. “The castle’s falling to bits and poor Rosalina’s been left to manage it all on her own!”

Astrid steps up beside Marigold and mimics her movement, arms crossed, and hip popped. “But she’s done just fine by herself, thank you very much.”

As much as I wanted the princes back at Castletree, I know how important it is for them to spend time in their own realms, helping their people. Especially Dayton. Unless he finds his mate, he’ll never break his curse and unlock the true potential of his magic. And that … That’s what’s most important.

“I thought Ez was—” Dayton begins, then jerks back. “We’re going to need a bigger bucket!”

Already, the rain pouring in from the ceiling has filled this one. I could shoot thorns from my bracelets to patch the roof, but the princes don’t know about my bargain with Caspian. They think these bracelets are nothing more than jewelry.

Caspian. The Prince of Thorns. I was certain he’d show his traitorous, perfect-haired head around Castletree while the princes were away, especially once he discovered I took back the book he stole from Farron. But even he’s avoided me. And the briars he’s laced through every crevasse of Castletree look as sick as the castle does.

I hope he’s all right.

The thought comes unbidden, and immediately I give my head a shake. It’s his briars that are causing this …

But if that’s the case, why are they dying, too?

I stare up at the hole in the ceiling. Rain pelts my face and runs down the tip of my nose. I’ve been trying to summon my own briars: not using Caspian’s bracelets or even the briars he’s placed around the castle, but my very own, grown from nothing but my magic. It’s been to no avail. I’ve only been able to do it twice: first in the Below, then when I created golden briars that helped me rescue my princes and defeat the monster Lucas became.

The power that helped me realize what I truly am. Fae.

A crackle of magic sings through the air, and suddenly the rain fuses together into a deadly rod of ice.

Out of the mirror steps Keldarion, blue eyes flashing as he takes in the state of the castle. His ice rod smacks to the ground, toppling the bucket.

“Is that what you were going for, Kel?” Dayton raises a brow. “Because if I wanted water all over the floor, I wouldn’t have put the bucket there.”

Kel only sneers in his direction before turning to me. My breath catches in my throat. That feeling in my heart when I saw Farron bursts to life again, but it’s different: not a fire, but the glow of the moon off a frozen lake, the twinkle of stars fighting against a storm-covered sky. The phantom of a feeling, now that I know the true depths of what I’m missing.

As always, I have to fight the urge to run to him, to ask him if he missed me as I missed him. But I do—I fight it. I offer him a tight smile and a nod, and his own expression turns stoic.

“What in the seven realms is going on here?” he growls.

The seven realms flicker through my mind: Winter, Spring, Summer, Autumn, the Below, the Above, and of course, our home here in the Briar.

Farron’s got his ear pressed to the stair banister, fingers knocking against the wood. “It’s been too long since we pooled our magic. Castletree can’t stand without us.”

Keldarion’s voice is a raspy growl. “Where is Ezryn?”

At that moment, the door flings open. Not to another realm, but the true world outside of Castletree: the Briar. Ezryn stands like a shadow, cape snapping in the harsh wind, metal armor shining with water. His mud-caked boots echo off the floor as he strides in.

He tilts his helm, taking in the castle and all of us the same way Keldarion did. Then his dark visor lands on me. It’s so strange—it’s been almost a year since the first time I met Ezryn, and now I can read the helmet as clearly as any expression.

Or more so, I can feel it. Apprehension.

Guilt.

I’ve been fine on my own, I think, though I know he can’t hear me.

And it’s true.

But it doesn’t mean I didn’t think of him, out alone, in the Briar with only the goblins for company. Doesn’t mean I didn’t wonder what he was looking for out there when he could have stayed here in his home, with the staff who adore him, with me who would have …

Who would have treasured that time to learn even one more thing about the High Prince of Spring.

My hands graze the smooth flesh of my wrist, a piece of me that used to bear a hideous scar.

Ezryn tears away from my gaze and looks at each of the princes. “I felt a disturbance. I came as soon as—”

“A disturbance?” Dayton laughs. “Yeah, the bloody castle falling to pieces is a bit of a disturbance.”

Kel storms over to Ezryn. “You were supposed to be checking on the castle. On Rosalina.”

“The Briar was festering. I knew Rosalina could handle herself,” Ezryn responds in a low growl.

“And I did,” I say. “But now that you’re here, can we please do something?”

Kel turns away and storms up the stairs. “To High Tower.”

The breath is heavy in my throat as I follow the four princes. I know they must channel their magic into Castletree. I know it drains them.

And I know I can help.

I did it before, the night I first learned of the Enchantress’s curse. But Kel had become so angry, I hadn’t dared try again when they were gone.

Instead, I’ve been using my thorn bracelets to reinforce the different areas of the castle. As we walk up the stairs, I bet the princes can’t even tell which thorns are mine and which are Caspian’s.

The thought unsettles me.

Farron pushes ahead into High Tower. The roses bloom in the middle, Farron’s bursting with color, the other three wilted and drooping. Golden thorns grow around Farron’s rose, while the rest of the room is covered in dark purple ones. “We have to give as much as we can,” Farron urges, sinking to his knees by the flowers. “Hold nothing back!”

The castle gives a great shudder as the others drop beside Farron. Dust and bits of stone shower to the ground. Unlike the last time I saw them do this, this time I can feel it. My fae blood sings through my veins, my body lighting up like dry grass caught to flame.

The princes’ bodies glow. The flowers perk a little, the stems fighting to straighten. More magic … They need more magic.

Slowly, I kneel and touch one of the golden roses. “Help them,” I whisper to the rose, to myself. “Give them strength.”

I close my eyes, feeling that rush through my chest. But it’s more than magic. The castle may crumble, the briars may fall, but for now, for this moment, we’re together. All five of us. The thought gives my heart strength. And I pass it to them.

I don’t know if we stay like this for a minute or an hour, but when my eyes blink open, I see Kel, Ez, Day, and Fare leaning against the stone, bodies clearly exhausted.

But the castle’s stopped shaking, and the flowers stand at full attention.

How many more times will we be able to bring Castletree back to life?

I stumble forward, my own legs trembling and weak. Farron pulls me down to his side.

“See?” Dayton smiles, sweat dripping down his brow. “Nothing to worry about.”

Kel snorts. “Of course the Prince of Summer would say that.”

“He’s right.” I take a moment to look at each of them. “We fixed it. And we’re together now.” My heart brightens at the thought. “We’re all back home.”

An awkward silence passes through High Tower, and I realize everyone’s eyes are darting away.

“What?” I snap.

“I’m sorry, Rosie,” Farron mumbles, dropping his lips to my shoulder. “I only came back for a short visit. I have to return to Autumn to be with my father for a little while longer.”

Pain stabs into my ribs. I turn to Kel. His ice fire eyes are staring at the ground. “Winter is still without a new steward. I must see that preparations are in place. Frostfang expects my return in two days’ time.”

“Oh,” I whisper. I look up at Ez, but he’s staring out a window. I don’t bother asking—like Kel always says, Ezryn hates to stay.

“Guess it’ll be up to us to keep Marigold out of trouble.” Dayton flashes me a signature grin, but I can see the pain in his eyes.

I know he should return to Summer, too.

Because it doesn’t matter how much I try to fool myself into thinking we all belong together; it can never be this way.

Like Castletree, my heart is shattering. Except there’s no magic in all the realms that can put it back together.