Page 99 of When Ashes Fall

“Are all the roses in the kingdom dying?”

“No, my parents are fine… so far. The king and queen are still good too, but I’m not sure if that will last.”

“Neither am I, but I’m guessing it’s not their time if they’re not all dying at once.”

“Do you think you could figure it out?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen or experienced anything like this before. Maybe there’s something in one of the books, but I’d have to go to the library to search for it.”

“He’s not going to let you out of here again any time soon.”

“Will he ever let me out again?”

“Yes, but until then, I’ll get you some books. Tell me what to bring you.”

I perked up a little at her offer; at least I wouldn’t have to be trapped here and useless. “Bring me anything you can find on plants and potions. Maybe, because they’re not real roses and are cursed, the potion could have done something to them, but I don’t think that’s possible. They wouldn’t have thrived before suddenly dying off if that were true.”

“I agree. Okay, let’s get started. I’ll get the books.”

When she started walking toward the door, my question stopped her, and she turned back to me. “Do you really believe I didn’t poison the roses?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I thought you did. Knox would have had to send me away to keep me from killing you.”

I gulped; it was something she could easily do. “Why did you tell me that stuff about Knox?”

Lyra shifted to fully face me again. “In the hopes it would help you understand and keep you from trying to escape.”

“Understand what?”

“How truly shattered we are and how scared he is of losing you.”

“Locking me away won’t help him keep me.”

“But he’s not thinking with his head. When it comes to you, he’s letting his heart and the beast rule him.”

“He’ll be mad if he learns you came up here and are going to help me with this.”

“He never ordered us to stay away from you; if he had, I wouldn’t be here. We just won’t tell him I’m here, or about the things we discussed. Right?”

I smiled at her. “Right.”

CHAPTER SIXTY

Briar

Lyra strode the rest of the way to the door, and her hand rested on the knob, but she didn’t open it. She stood there, eyes on the wood before her, then bowed her head and pivoted to face me again.

“You know, I used to have the most beautiful long blonde hair. I was so proud of it, so vain about it, but it truly was spectacular. It flowed in thick waves past my ass, and when it rained or got wet, it would get these perfect corkscrew curls in it.

“When I was little, my mother spent hours combing and working the tangles from it because, oh, how it would tangle, but we both loved my hair so much that neither of us complained. It was also our special time together; we’d sit and talk while my brothers roughhoused outside. Years after I was old enough to take care of it on my own, my mother and I would sit together while she tended to it. It never got frizzy under her care; it always did under mine.”

A sad smile tugged at her lips as her lime-green eyes focused on a different, happier time. “I never told her that I purposely made my hair a disaster to spend more time with her, but I think she knew. And even better, I think it made her happy.”

A lump formed in my throat, and I blinked away the tears burning my eyes. Lyra wouldn’t want me shedding them for her.

“Then, one day, I rode too far into day caster land, and they captured me. I should have been paying attention, but it was a beautiful day, and I was chasing butterflies like the foolish, dreamy-headed girl I was. They placed me in the harem.”

I hid my shock over this revelation. They’d put her in the harem simply for riding on their land? I couldn’t imagine a punishment that fit the crime less than that one.