Page 66 of These Vile Hearts

“I doubt it.”

Glancing over my shoulder, I see Tamarind wave his hand in ago onmotion. My eyes narrow. This is plenty personal and vulnerable. What am I supposed to tell her?Well, Maddox, I’m feelingrather uncertain at the moment because you have yet to fall for me, and I need that to happen so I can get rid of this monstrous curse. Oh, and by the way, you will die if you do. Because of said curse.

A violent shudder wracks my shoulders.

Maddox laughs at the outburst. “Are you cold?”

“No, I— No. I’m fine. Would you like to try some nepenthe?”

Without hesitating, she holds out her hand, palm up. “Sure.”

Passing her one of the rolls, I squeeze my fingers to the end of hers and then mine, lighting them.

“Fancy.” She brings the nepenthe to her lips.

“You have to…”

But she’s already taking a long, deep drag, holding it in her lungs. She lets out a stream of lavender smoke, the tightness in her shoulders lessening, the furrowed set of her brows relaxing. “Oh, shit.”

“Have you smoked this before?”

“Notthis.” She takes another drag, blowing the smoke in my direction and laughing. “Why isn’t there a Redwood Queen?” she asks suddenly. “Or—a second king?”

“A second—”

“Why aren’t you married, is what I’m asking.”

I choke on the smoke in my lungs. “Oh. Well. Redwood Kings don’t marry.”

“Why not?”

“Mostly because of our history with the Myrtlewood Kingdom.”

She turns her body to face me now, leaning forward. “What about it?”

“Our two kingdoms have been on treacherous terms for decades. We started as one realm—Sylveris. All the dryads in all of the western forests were co-ruled by the first monarchs: Elswyth Umbellularia, whose heartwood lay in the Sovereign myrtlewood tree, and Rowan Sempervirens, of the Sovereign redwood.”

“Why was it co-ruled?”

“The Myrtle Queen and Redwood King were bound together by marriage.”

Her eyebrows lift. “Guessing that didn’t work out.”

A soft chuckle leaves my lips. “Not quite. They were rather happy for some time—centuries, even. The only threats were Unseelie creatures who stepped out of line, but with their combined armies, those were easily kept at bay. As mortal settlements expanded, though, Rowan eventually found himself a mortal lover. When Elswyth found out, she nearly burned down the Redwood Court in rage and retaliation before the druids put a stop to that. Dozens of dryads lost their lives; their blackened heartwood skeletons still stand to this day, as a reminder of the chaotic temperament of Myrtle Queens.”

“Damn. What happened after she tried to burn everything down?” Maddox asks with a reverence I’m not sure I like.

“After Elswyth calmed, the two rulers decided it would be best to split their lands. He took the redwoods and southern forests. She took the myrtlewood trees and forests to the north. Neither of them—nor any of their heirs—ever took a marriage partner again. And the ancient grudge passed down the two lines, building on itself like tree rings.”

“How very Capulet and Montague.” She finishes off her nepenthe, rubbing it out on the sole of her boot. “I’m guessing that wasn’t the end of the feud, though?”

The way she says this sounds like she already knows the answer. “No, far from it. Especially when the mortal rush for gold happened and both of our forestlands were being cut down by loggers supplying all the mining.”

“You would think that would unite you instead of divide you…common mortal enemy and all.”

“Yes, well. After Rowan, the new king—Heath Albion Sempervirens—put effort into preserving as much of the redwoods aspossible, rather than working to protect Sylveris as a whole. He enlisted the help of the druids to spread the wards around our kingdom as far as the Sovereign Tree could manage, protecting our lands from further deforestation. Unfortunately, that didn’t quite cover the Myrtlewoods, who were left to defend their forests on their own. The Myrtle Queen at the time, Soleil Umbellularia, was furious, and sent hordes of her army to attack the redwood forests, as they weren’t warded against fellow dryads. Both King Heath and Queen Soleil were killed in the Great Blight.”

Maddox frowns. “The Great Blight? Like an illness?”