Under the Roses

68 - Kiss You to Death

ALICE

Alice looked up as Austin entered the room. She was sitting in his chair, and the seat was warm from the sun that shone in through the window. She didn't feel warm at all, though.

She'd been feeling very alone up to that moment. After retrieving the Southern part of the Crown of Faith, Whit had left with Vanessa. Alice hadn't had time to ask him about Amabel—Mab—Amabel. Queen of South Auvyn. How did he know her?

Vanessa said she wanted to check up on Kai in Virane, and Whit promised they'd come back for Alice, but Alice suspected that they wanted to give her time with Austin. Not that she'd asked for it. How was she supposed to talk to Austin? He'd try to make her go back home, but she couldn't. She couldn't go back home, even if she wanted to.

Austin stood in the doorway, the light from the window behind Alice making him glow. She'd always thought of him like that, a glowing figure out of reach.

Alice hopped out of the chair and hurried over to the other side of the desk. She wanted to run to him, but she stopped herself.

"Alice?" Austin said as if he didn't believe it was her. He went over and knelt down so they were level. He held out his arms, but Alice recoiled from them.

She'd never done that before. She always went to him; he was her older brother.

But there was something wrong. Alice felt it...she felt it in her heart. Something like ice. She fought the urge to rub her chest, but she was afraid that any second it might erupt in pain like the night before in the hall. What had even happened last night?

"Alice," Austin said again. It was so strange to hear his voice again. She hadn't heard it in months. She'd seen him only briefly for the Festival of Fates, and he'd missed both her and Lory's birthdays. His voice sounded...different. Not the way she remembered it.

He looked almost exactly the way she remembered. Though...smaller. Or maybe she was getting bigger. It was a thought that both excited and terrified her. And there was something else. In his eyes. There was something wrong.

"H-Hi," said Alice. Her voice shook, and she stopped for a moment, swallowing hard. "Hi, Austin."

Austin frowned slightly. He never frowned all the way, not like Rapunzel. It was just a slight dip in his eyebrows. "Is something wrong?"

Everything was.

But Alice shook her head. "I'm fine."

Then he said, "Why aren't you home?"

"I—I can't." But he hadn't asked her that, had he? "I need to do something."

Austin was silent. He'd dropped his arms, but Alice could tell in the way he knelt there, he was still waiting.

Alice swallowed again. "Queen Amoret told me you might know where the Northern and Central parts of the Crown of Faith are."

Austin opened his mouth, then closed it. "The Crown of Faith?" he echoed.

Alice hesitated, then nodded.

"What do you want with that? It's just...shiny metal. And why would Amoret think I would know where they are?"

Alice cocked her head slightly. "She told me to wait for you to come back because she didn't have the Northern part."

Austin frowned. "She doesn't have the Northern part? Why wouldn't she?"

"She gave it away."

The smooth voice seemed to come from the walls, and Alice whirled, looking around. There was no one in the room but her and Austin. Austin didn't look at all alarmed. Had she dreamt that voice?