BooksBarbecue
Back A Crown as Sharp as Pines Save as PDF
Chapters (37)
  1. PROLOGUE
  2. THE FIRST
  3. THE SECOND
  4. THE FIRST INTERRUPTION
  5. THE THIRD
  6. THE SECOND INTERRUPTION
  7. THE FOURTH
  8. THE FIFTH
  9. THE SIXTH
  10. AN INTERRUPTION
  11. THE SEVENTH
  12. THE NEXT INTERRUPTION
  13. THE EIGHTH
  14. THE FIFTH INTERRUPTION
  15. THE NINTH
  16. THE TENTH
  17. THE ELEVENTH
  18. ANOTHER INTERRUPTION
  19. THE TWELFTH
  20. THE THIRTEENTH
  21. A MIDDLE-ISH INTERRUPTION
  22. THE FOURTEENTH
  23. THE FIFTEENTH
  24. THE SIXTEENTH
  25. THE EIGHTH INTERRUPTION
  26. THE SEVENTEENTH
  27. THE EIGHTEENTH
  28. THE NINTH INTERRUPTION
  29. THE NINETEENTH
  30. THE TENTH INTERRUPTION
  31. THE TWENTIETH
  32. A TRITE-ISH INTERRUPTION
  33. THE TWENTY-FIRST
  34. AN INTERRUPTION
  35. THE TWENTY-SECOND
  36. A WEEK OR THREE LATER…
  37. MERRILY MERRILY

A single, salty tear slid from my eye and soaked into Zane’s jacket. I saw nothing but blurs of colour, until Eliot sharpened in my view. He stood as still as the animal wood carvings at his back, eyes wide, face pale.

I peeled myself off Zane. Eliot’s deep, turquoise gaze locked with mine and I realized: he’d seen the darkness.

Eliot’s face changed as he seemed to realize in the same beat; he shook his head. “It’s not me,” he swore. “I’m not letting him do that to you.”

“You’re a liar,” I rasped. I tried to take a step toward him, my shaky hand flying out to catch the bedpost when my head spun.

“Helen, please.” Eliot took a step toward me, but I raised a hand to stop him.

“You need to get away from me, Eliot.”

Eliot’s eyes burned like embers: a green and gray hurricane. “You’re blaming the wrong person. And I’m tired of getting blamed for every ashworm thing that happens to you.”

“I haven’t been able to think straight ever since I let you in! Either you’re tricking me, or Nightflesh is tricking you,” I said. “You didn’t really go to the White Kingdom, did you? You weren’t trying to make things right with Elowin.”

Eliot’s hands fell to his sides, a flit of anger darkening his irises. “I did go. But not to make amends with him.”

I lifted a trembling hand, leaving it there for him to take. “Eliot, break away from Nightflesh. Elowin will take you back,” I said.

A beat of silence heated the air. Eliot didn’t blink.

“Nightflesh owns me. There’s no escape from the Beast.” I tried to protest but he went on, “And I don’t want Elowin back. What kind of a king lets his people be killed? Why did all those Carriers have to die, can anyone tell me that?” he asked. No one spoke, and Eliot looked to Zane. “Doesn’t it bother you, Cohen? That Elowin let Thomas die? For nothing?!”

Zane’s jaw hardened, and Lucas looked down, tracing a finger over his pocket.

“Fine.” Eliot’s mouth tightened. “I’ll leave after the feast tonight. If you’ve decided you want to send me off after all I’ve done for you, Trite, I won’t bother you for the rest of your frostbitten timestring.”

Eliot marched from the room, and I stared at the branch entryway long after he was gone.

His last promise tugged at my heart.

THE FIFTEENTH

A picture containing logo Description automatically generated

THE FIFTEENTH