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416 pages, Hardcover
First published May 11, 2023
“to be truly brave, first you must be afraid—and to be afraid, you must have something you cannot bear to lose.”
“because he kissed me back.”
sidney gaped at him. “in the bird shed?”
“you’re awfully fixated on the bird shed.”
“ah,” sidney said wisely. “you just want him to hold you like a baby crow.”
“better off dead.” he said it with such violent self-hatred, even half-conscious, that gwen winced.
“it was dangerous to want things, and gwen was out of practice. in fact, the only thing she had truly wanted for years was to be left alone.”
“but i didn’t say no to you, gwen. i said no to giving up my whole life to wait around for moments with you, whenever you could spare them. that’s not who i am, and it’s not what i want.”
“yes.” agnes should have been very angry at her—could have raged at gwen for depriving her of her last glimpse of Sidney—but instead she reached over and took gwen’s hand.
‘The last time you were here,’ the king said finally, ‘you set fire to something.’
Arthur grimaced down at his hands. ‘Yes. I mean–my apologies.’
‘What was it, do you recall?’
Arthur pretended to think about it. ‘Er– I believe it was your wife, sire.’
// buddy read with breana!
“Gwen watched as the pallid, translucent-looking Sir Marlin [the King’s cousin] entered the courtyard, unsmiling. He was more commonly referred to in whispered gossip as “the Knife”, due to the fact that he was short, thin, and uncommonly bloodthirsty. Relations between the king and the Knife’s sponsor, Lord Willard, were somewhat strained, to say the least (…)”