The Firethorn Crown (8 page)

Hazel wasn’t the only one confused now.

Melantha sat up and leaned against Lily’s legs. “He’s been taking care of the royal flock at The Tree for about six months now. He won’t have any expectations, and we can tell him that Lily needs some time for quiet reflection in the fresh air.”

“I’ll say she does,” Coral muttered.

“What would a goose boy have to say to a princess, anyway, right?”

“Says the princess who’s constantly talking to the horse boys and the dog boys,” Mara said.

“Shut up. This will work.”

“Mother wouldn’t want her to go to the fields alone with a goose boy.” Gwen had a point.

“So she takes a guard,” Melantha said. “And did I mention, he’s a prince?”

“A prince tending geese?” Gwen said.

“Why not? It’s perfect. You have to help us convince Mother.”

It sounded as good as anything Lily could think of, which was nothing. Not a thing. She lowered Azure’s hand from her mouth and looked at Gwen.

“You want to do this?” Gwen asked, her eyebrows arching dangerously high.

She shrugged. What other choice did she have? She couldn’t stay in the castle and risk falling into her usual habits with her sisters, or being cornered by an official or courtier or visiting dignitary who would misinterpret her silence, and she couldn’t risk running into Runson again.

“Are you sure?”

She raised
her
eyebrows this time.

“Okay. Just checking.”

She rocked Azure and listened to the girls discuss how to approach Mother with their request.

“I wish Yarrow was back,” Ivy whispered.

Ruby and Wren responded together, “Yeah, he’d take care of Prince Th—”

The twins fainted, bumping heads as they fell. Prince Tharius had spoken truth when he’d said the pendants would stop them from speaking. Gwen and Hazel rushed over. Melantha craned her neck around without bothering to get up.

“I guess we know what happens now.” Neylan touched her pendant and hugged a trembling Ivy.

Lily took a handkerchief from her pocket. Mara knelt over Ruby, fanning her face, and Lily touched her shoulder to get her attention.

Or, she thought she did.

The girls erupted into shrieks of genuine, unladylike screams. Azure’s hand covered her mouth again. She felt it, but she didn’t see it.

She didn’t see anyone.

Chapter Eight

L
ily pulled her hand away from Mara, and the girls reappeared. Neylan lay sprawled on the floor, Junia still hovered over the twins, and Coral perched on the stool with her feet up. All of the girls had definitely seen—or had not seen—what had happened.

Using the handkerchief, Lily dried Ivy’s tears and hugged her close. Azure slid over to Neylan’s empty spot, and wrapped an arm around her, too.

“I’m okay.” Ruby sat up, followed by Wren, both rubbing their foreheads and looking bewildered at the commotion their fainting had caused. “It’s just a bump.”

With the girls talking over one another, nothing else made any sense to Lily. She rubbed her temples. This had something to do with the curse, and she needed to find out what had happened. But first, she needed silence.

She squeezed Ivy’s shoulder, walked to the middle wardrobe, and turned around, fixing her gaze on her sisters. That’s all. She’d seen Father do it, the silent control of a room. Surprisingly, it worked. The girls slowly quieted and watched her expectantly.

She motioned for Ruby and Wren to come over. She checked their heads—they would have bruises—and raised her eyebrows to ask how they were doing.

Wren understood first. “We’re okay.”

“We’ll have to be more careful what we try to say, won’t we?” Ruby said.

Lily stroked Ruby’s braids. They were too young to be caught up in this. The sooner she figured a way out of this, the better. But for now, she had to work out how to sneak them back into the undergarden tonight, and she had an idea.

She joined the twins’ hands together and then motioned Neylan over to take Ruby’s. Neylan brought Junia, and the other girls caught on and formed a chain in front of the wardrobes, waiting for Lily to take the next step. She reached for Wren.

A knock sounded at the door, and they all jumped.

Hazel composed herself and threw the door wide to admit a half-dozen maids carrying their cleaned gowns, including the peach taffeta. She instructed them while Lily and the girls stood still and silent. Junia sniffed loudly. The maids cast glances at them, and one let out an, “Ohhh,” concerned at the matching bruises forming on the twins’ foreheads.

“That will be all.” Hazel shooed them out, and they left quietly, accustomed to the girls’ independence.

Lily breathed deeply, until her heartbeat slowed.

Hazel rejoined the line. “Let’s try that again.”

Lily grabbed Wren’s hand and held on tight.

They were invisible.

But only for a second. Gasps and a muffled shriek, and they reappeared. Ivy had broken free and ran across the room. Gwen followed. Azure bounced excitedly on her toes, but the color had drained from her face.

Neylan sat hard on the nearest bench. “I guess we know how we’re getting into the maze tonight.”

Return the way you came.
Tharius had known this would happen, had known they entered the undergarden holding hands. He could have warned them.

She beckoned Gwen and Ivy back over.

“Again?” Gwen said with a sigh.

They needed to be able to do this without everyone losing control. This trick might make them invisible, but it wouldn’t make them silent. They tried several more times, ending with Lily leading them around the room with minimal bumping and squealing.

They dressed quickly after their experiment, having wasted too much time already. As they donned the tattered remains of their slippers, Coral mentioned asking the seamstress for new ones. Gwen would arrange Lily’s time away from the castle with Mother, and Lily would plan how to sneak past their door guards tonight with their new ability.

*

Crystal sunlight trickled into Mother’s studio, where green garden scents drifted in through the open windows. Hazel swept in behind Lily and arranged everyone at their couch—six sitting, six standing behind. Lily brushed elbows with Coral in the back and watched a honeysuckler harass a bee near the violets on the side table.

Seeing the girls settle themselves efficiently and quietly, Mother withheld her scolding. “Are we ready, then?” Her tone said she hadn’t forgotten last night.

“Yes, Mother,” Hazel said from the couch.

Lily liked to watch Mother paint, to see the cares of her station melt into blues and pinks and yellows and flow onto the canvas. Yesterday, they had chatted about the Dragon Festival and the Travelers, the balls, and their gowns. Mother had told them about the Oshan court, and they tried to guess what Prince Holic would be like. Today, she shaded through greens for twenty minutes before she paused. Her brows drew down.

“You’re wearing those necklaces.”

Coral traced her pendant, tugging at it gently. “You’re just finishing up our gowns today. We didn’t think it would matter if we wore them.”

Mother added orange paint to her palette for the twins. “I suppose not.” A few brush strokes and then, “Girls, what happened to your heads?”

Ruby and Wren spoke in unison. “It’s nothing, Mother.”

Coral jumped in again with more part-truths. “You know Melantha, always lying around underfoot.”

She didn’t even flinch from Melantha’s all-true look of annoyance.

Thankfully, Gwen interrupted before anyone else had the chance to repeat the twins’ performance from earlier. “When will we be able to see the finished portrait?”

“You can see it when everyone else does, at The Starlight Ball.” Mother returned to painting, and the girls returned to silence.

With no conversation to distract her, Lily watched Mother blend colors and brush them onto the canvas. The girls fidgeted. Melantha tugged at her pendant, and Ivy blotted the corner of her eyes on a handkerchief hidden in her fist. Hopefully, Yarrow would return soon, for Ivy’s sake if for nothing else, as the little girl seemed more settled when he was near. Azure rubbed her worry stone absentmindedly and watched Neylan tuck violets into her braids. The honeysuckler had lost interest in the bee and had settled in Neylan’s hair to chew on a purple petal.

“You’re all quiet today,” Mother said at last.

If only they could tell her the reason.

Mara yawned, and half the girls joined in involuntarily. “Just tired, I guess.”

Lily clenched her teeth. They
were
tired, but “just” was stretching it.

“I want you all to get your rest.” Mother looked directly at Lily. “We have important guests this week, and some of you have three balls to attend. You need to be at your best. Do you understand?”

Lily nodded and shifted, her elbow bumping into Coral’s.

Mother gasped and blinked rapidly, and the girls inched away from one another. Lily hoped her mother hadn’t seen them disappear. How were they going to explain this? She wanted to give in to the weakness in her knees and collapse, but she owed it to her sisters to stand up straight beside them and endure Mother’s confusion.

The girls settled silently. Lily was glad they had practiced in privacy before venturing out, although she felt sure none of them had anticipated this. One more reason for her to get out of the castle.

Neylan glanced back at Lily quickly before addressing Mother. “Are you all right?”

Still blinking, Mother rubbed her eyes. “Did you see that?”

“See what?”

There hadn’t been anything to
see
, of course.

Mother glanced out the window. She put down her palette and brush, and rubbed her head, getting a smudge of orange on her temple.

“I can finish the rest of the painting on my own. You’re dismissed.”

Mother had seen all twelve of her daughters disappear for a split second. What could she be thinking?

“Lily, I want to see you in the king’s study in half an hour.”

Lily exchanged a look with Gwen. She might as well speak to Mother at the same time.

*

Twenty-five minutes later, Lily and five of the girls waited in front of the king’s study. Gwen had help. Coral went to see about their slippers, Azure ran off somewhere, and Junia stayed in their tower with Ivy and the twins. They wouldn’t run the risk of winking out of sight again in Mother’s presence.

The door opened as Lily adjusted her gold-and-ruby belt for the tenth time. It lay heavy on her hips. She would have preferred the simple red sash that matched the dress, but Mother favored such embellishments, and Lily wanted to avoid as much of Mother’s displeasure as she could. Straightening her shoulders, she led the girls into the unknown once again.

Mother sat at Father’s desk, quill poised in the air. She frowned. “Girls, you may wait outside.”

Gwen stepped up beside Lily, careful to follow protocol and not put herself in front. “With respect, Mother, we want to stay. Lily hasn’t been feeling quite herself lately. Ever since she fell in the Weaver’s Maze—”

“I didn’t realize you hit your head so hard.” Mother pushed away from the desk and stepped over. She felt Lily’s forehead. “Have you seen a healer?”

Lily shook her head and folded her arms. Mother inspected her scratched elbows.

“Junia’s looked at her,” Gwen said. “It’s nothing a little fresh air won’t help.”

“Fresh air?” Mother backed up a step.

Melantha couldn’t contain herself any longer. “We want you to let her go to the goose fields with Orin for a few days. Just during the day, and with a guard, of course.”

“That’s out of the question. I don’t see how a bump on the head warrants a trip outside of the city with a goose boy. We have real guests, you know.”

This wasn’t going to work. Lily had best prepare herself to stay locked in her room for the day.

“Are you forgetting that Orin is a prince?” Mara asked.

“With seven brothers.” Melantha added in an exaggerated whisper.

Mother returned to Father’s chair with a thoughtful expression. She sat. Shifted some papers. Straightened the quill. “Perhaps you girls are right.”

What? That was it? No way. This was too easy. There had to be a
but
here somewhere.

“It is Dragon Festival, after all. You should all go and get some fresh air.”

“You mean it?” Melantha bounced on her toes.

“Of course. I see no harm in spending time with a prince of Gritton.”

There—the cunning look. She had a plan.

“But she will not be able to go today.”

“Oh,” Melantha stilled. “Why not?”

“Because she will be spending time with the Prince of Osha. I’ve arranged a date for later today.”

“What?” Hazel said.

A date? What would Lily’s silence say to Prince Holic? He’d seemed nice enough, but this could have political repercussions, if he took offense. Mother had never arranged anything so personal. Father wouldn’t approve. Or would he? Maybe this was Mother’s way of having a say in matters, after finding out Father had given his blessing to Runson. Lily wanted to have her own say, but even if she could, it would be pointless.

Gwen squared her shoulders, preparing to argue, but Hazel beat her to it.

“You can’t just arrange a date for Lily without her approval.”

Mother lifted her chin and spoke to Lily. “I’ve already arranged your time with Prince Holic. Will you honor this meeting with him, while I arrange for you to join Prince Orin tomorrow?”

Lily swallowed hard but nodded. She didn’t have much choice.

“Enough nodding, Lily. You haven’t said anything since you entered the room. I want your word that you will make the most of your time with Prince Holic.”

She nodded again.

“Your word, Lily.”

She glanced at the girls for help.

Neylan met her eyes, refocusing out of a daydream, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth—she’d had an idea, no doubt something totally unrelated to what was going on now. She toyed with her pendant.

Lily had an idea of her own. She tapped her throat and looked pleadingly at Mother, hoping she, or one of the girls, would clue in.

Neylan was truly out of her daydream now. “I believe she may be coming down with something.”

Mother sighed. “Get Junia to give you something for your throat, and get some rest. Prince Holic is meeting you for lunch in the butterfly gazebo. Wear something more appropriate, and don’t be late.”

Mother picked up her quill. They were dismissed.

*

The girls went their separate ways, except for Neylan, who trailed after Lily and mumbled about papers. Lily didn’t know if she meant real papers, or the little messenger dragons, called
papers
, for short.

The door guard let them in with a grin—the honeysuckler had fallen asleep in a twist of Neylan’s braids, a violet petal clutched in its tiny claw.

“I want to try something.” Neylan headed straight for one of the writing desks.

Real papers, then.

Lily followed, and Junia and the other girls wandered over.

“Words, Lily.” Neylan selected a quill and pulled a clean sheet of paper over. “We can’t say anything about the und—” She gulped and swallowed the word. “Maybe. Write. It.”

Her heart skipped a beat. Could it be so simple? She leaned in to watch.

Ivy’s face whitened.

“What if it doesn’t work?” Junia asked, clutching the chair.

“Then I faint.” Neylan dipped the quill in ink.

Wren fetched a couple of pillows from the couch and placed them on the floor.

Neylan wrote two words first.
Weaver’s Maze
. Nothing. That was good. It wasn’t the undergarden, but it was close. Next came
garden flumpturnot
. Neylan looked at the quill, and then at Lily.

Lily shrugged.

“Try again,” Wren said.

Garden inglezood.

“What are you trying to write?” Junia asked.

Neylan laid down the quill with a smack. “If I can’t write it, then I can’t say it, can I?”

Junia winced, and Lily put an arm around her. They were all wound tight since last night.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. But . . . how do you feel?”

Neylan stared at the table. “I didn’t faint.”

She scribbled more words, most of them coming out as gibberish, and mumbled about finding a code or pattern. She soon had half the page filled.

Ivy had doubled over. Lily tapped Junia’s shoulder.