Zane’s shoulders relaxed and he dropped the orb back to my chest. “I thought you’d never ask. I’ll take you to Wentchester Cove if it’ll help you shake whatever unmerry thing that’s got you muddled.”

Joy filled my chest at the thought of putting a message of hope across the smokey Winter skies. “How far is it? I want to be back here when Kaley arrives.”

“It’s a good measure closer than the last time.” He cracked a smile. “I can have us there and back in a pinch.”

“Perfect. Should we bring more Patrols?”

“Halt your scotcher, Trite.” Zane stood. “I said I’d take you, but Porethius will never let us scuttle off with the Beast on the hunt,” he said, and I stood too.

“So how do we get her to change her mind?”

“We don’t,” he shrugged. “She and Cane are leaving in an hour or three to go to Red. We’ll sneak out as soon as they’re gone, but you and I will be doing this alone.”

A Measure of Seasons Ago…

Once upon a Winter’s eve

A young Red Prince was vastly naive

With cruel jests and the sweetest of tunes

He sang his own praises in sugary croons

Only one girl did not applaud him as great

And for it, he chased her out the iron gate

But when she was gone, the prince felt alone

He secretly wished that she might come home

On the cool Winter’s eve before the prince broke

He lost his cruel heart to a great bout of smoke

To get his heart back, the prince had to be clever

“Fetch five golden rings or lose it for forever.”

But on his great quest, the prince learned a thing

‘Twas a thing that thwarted him and lost him a ring

The mean Red Prince was forced to change his song

Or live without a heart, and never truly belong

The clever prince battled wind, wall, and wave

And with hope in hand, he stole his heart from the grave

And when he returned; stale, princely heart beating

He found the girl he had hated for leaving

And so, after all his conflict and follies

The prince kissed the girl beneath a bough of hollies

But before the girl turned to look upon his face

The prince with a heart disappeared without a trace

THE NEXT INTERRUPTION

THE NEXT INTERRUPTION

Presently…

Cane considered himself a clever fellow—the cleverest of his brothers, in fact.

Of his siblings, Tegan had been the bully.

Forrester had been the quiet, cruel one.

Quinten had been the manipulative tattletale.