Page 39 of Queen of Thorns
Caelynn
My mother doesn’t lookthe same as I remember. Her eyes are so dark they appear black. Her hair is matted, and her clothes hang off her.
My heart pounds, but I’m not sure I’m breathing.
With an expressionless face, my mother steps back, holding the door wide for Rev and me. Somehow, I find the strength to step through the door and into my home from ten years past.
Rev steps in after me, his hood still up over his head.
I blink in the memories as my sight quickly adjusts to the darkness inside. Curtains cover the windows, keeping all light out. Dust lingers everywhere. But otherwise, everything is exactly as I remember it.
A small curved cot sits in one corner, and two waist-high shelves, still filled with books, create a nook in the other. My books. I almost smile as I recognize a few of the titles on the spines. But there are too many bad thoughts to allow it.
My heart is heavy with so many what-ifs, and the fear my mother still hates me.
“What are you doing here?” Her voice is quiet but unkind. Or maybe that’s my imagination.
I spin away from the spot that was once my comfort, the corner where I used to hide away from everything for a while, reading about fae of the past. I face my mother. Her expression is hard now. Angry. She stands next to the hearth, rusted and full of discolored water.
“Nice to see you too,” I whisper.
“Oh please, Caelynn. Don’t act like you aren’t at fault for all of this.”
My breath catches. “I didn’t say that.”
“How is she at fault?” I blink as Rev’s deep voice registers. Rev is here, with me. Defending me.
Her attention jerks to Rev. “Who are you?”
Rev pulls his hood down, but my mother doesn’t immediately react. Her eyebrows pinch together as she takes him in. “My name is Reveln.”
Her eyes widen, and her shoulders stiffen. “You...”
He nods.
“You’re his brother.”
I swallow, and then force myself to take in a long breath.
“You’re the High Prince.”
“Thanks to Caelynn, yeah.”
My mother’s eyes narrow, but she doesn’t speak, though I can tell she wants to.
“Don’t give me credit for that,” I murmur.
Rev shrugs, his soft eyes turning to me. “You saved my life. You are the only reason I succeeded in retrieving the spell book. I shouldn’t have even won the Trials. All of that was you.”
