Page 43 of Mirror of Malice
I was about to dart through the trees and head for Penn’s tent when I noticed an elderly woman weaving together flower stems,petals, and leaves into beautiful necklaces. I could’ve sworn I’d seen them before, but I didn’t know why they looked so familiar.
Penn would be here for a while. There was no harm in stopping and enjoying myself a little. She sat on the ground in front of her tent, her knotted hands shaking as they poked a thread through a flower petal that had been dehydrated.
“My mother would’ve loved this,” I said, picking up a necklace.
She looked up, her eyes sharp, and nodded. “Aye, she would have.”
My legs almost gave out from underneath me, and I dropped to a seat next to her, heart thudding. “Did you know her?”
She gave a sad smile. “She came by my stand at the market quite often, always wanting me to make her a new necklace or bracelet to give to her lady’s maids or friends.”
I stilled, not sure I could form words. So many questions flitted through my mind at the women’s casual revelation.
The older woman laughed, and it sounded more like a bark. “I came here years ago, right when your mother got sick. Her illness felt like a sign.”
“Her illness felt like a sign that you should leave Elwen?” My voice was sharp, but her gaze and fingers remained focused on their task of making the necklace.
She grabbed a small orange leaf and threaded it next to the flower petal.
“I loved your mother. Many in the earth court did. Without her, there’d be no one to balance your father.” She shook her head. “I didn’t want to be a part of it.”
“A part of what?” I couldn’t process what she was saying. Cold dread settled like a stone in my belly.
“His quest for power,” she said, finishing the necklace and hanging it on a wooden board that sat propped up, displaying all her beautiful jewelry.
His quest for power.
Now that stone grew to a boulder, a specific memory sprouting in my mind. I’d turned twenty-one, ready to take the throne and rule, but my father had said I needed more time, needed to learn more, to grow more, before I was ready. It had been another argument between us. Another source of contention. And it had made me doubt myself, doubt that I was ready to be queen. As I grew older, I realized it was less about myself and more about my father. He had control issues, didn’t like a lot of my ideas about how to connect with our people. He believed in ruling with an iron fist, and I’d disagreed. But I never thought of him as power hungry—just stubborn. Now I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind.
I wanted to hear more about what the woman knew, but time wasn’t on my side and my desire to hear more about my mother won out. She’d died when I was only five, and I had very few memories of her, but the ones I did have I held close to my heart.
“Can you tell me more about her?” I asked. “My mother?”
“She was kind,” the woman said, and she looked at me with her sharp, brown eyes. “She wanted peace and happiness for her people. Always had an uplifting word.” The woman winked. “Had a sweet tooth for candied plums.”
I laughed. So that’s where I got that from.
“Do you regret your decision?” I winced when I realized what a stupid question that must have been given Elwen’s current state. “I mean, before my stepmother usurped my father. Did you ever regret leaving?”
She shook her head. “Mosswood Village is my home. You know, when I first came here, I wasn’t sure if I would find my place. I’d lost all my materials when I moved here. My needles, my thread, my knives. I didn’t think I’d be able to recreate my business. But he took the time to talk to me, get to know me, and after he left on one of his expeditions, he came back with all thesupplies I needed to start my business anew. That was twenty years ago.”
My brows furrowed. “Who? Who is he?” Though I had a feeling I already knew.
“The king,” she said with a laugh.
That was an odd way of saying it. “Of thieves?” I finished for her, but she was already humming along.
My mind tried to work out her words, to process what she’d just told me, along with the things I’d heard from the other thieves, from Penn himself. A realization struck me. “Wait a minute. Is that what Penn does? He steals from other courts and brings the items back for you all?”
She grabbed a thread and snapped it off. “Yes, and he’s brought back such wonderful things over the years. He’s the reason we’ve been able to survive after the border closed, trapped us in this place, cut off all trade.”
Penn helped these people to survive. I sat back, stunned for the second time while talking to this woman. I’d gotten it all wrong. I thought he was just a common thief, breaking the law so he could steal precious relics and jewels, but he had a purpose. A noble one.
Still, it was all wrong, the way he went about it. This didn’t change anything.
The woman rocked back and forth, muttering something to herself now. She was clearly touched in the head, probably didn’t even remember how she’d come to Mosswood Forest. I doubted what she’d said about my father was true, that she left because of him. She’d left because she’d been brainwashed by the false king and queen, like everyone else here.
She picked up a dehydrated rose petal and smiled lovingly at it, stroking it. It was good she still had this. I could commend Penn for giving her something that brought so much joy, even if I didn’t agree with his methods.
