Page 126 of Crowned By Roses

He spins too late. The beast rears, fist arcing toward him like a battering ram. Then something massive slams into me from the side.

I’m flying. But not from the troll.

Strong arms grip my ankle, dragging me in the air, and I’m whipped behind a blur of antlers and fur.

The High Prince of Autumn.

Thrand, his elk, races across the battlefield, hooves pounding like thunder. Dayton sits on his back, arm looped around Farron’s waist, laughing breathlessly.

“Missed me?” Farron grins over his shoulder, even as he ducks low to avoid a flailing harpy.

Dayton grabs the collar of Farron’s armor and kisses him. It’s fast, hard, a clash of teeth and mouths. “Like the tide misses the moon.”

Flanking us are a squadron of Autumn fae, riding the strangest assortment of animals I’ve ever seen. No, I have seen them before, but only when they were malnourished and sick in the menagerie. Now, giant white foxes and huge blue-eyed spiders and creatures stranger still streak beside us like the finest coursers.

Delphia gives a half cry, half sob as a gryphon swoops down beside her winged horse. Nori—using Dom’s head to stabilize herself—leaps off the gryphon and onto the back of Delphia’s steed. The two girls clutch each other so tightly, their faces are hidden by each other’s hair. But when they pull away, it is with matching looks so fierce, I pity the next fiend that crosses them.

Farron’s grip tightens on my ankle, and he hauls me onto Thrand’s back. I scramble up behind Dayton, wind tearing through my hair, the rhythm of the beast’s gallop thundering beneath us.

We’re together, and that’s⁠—

The ground explodes in front of us.

A gargoyle emerges, but one like I’ve never seen. Its stone skin is cracked and bleeding with fire, its chest pulsing with light. Jagged black wings arch from its back, their edges smoldering.

It spreads its wings, blotting out the dim light above us, then⁠—

Crash!

Something drops from overhead.

A blur of silver.

The High Prince of Spring.

He slams into the gargoyle with enormous force. A ripple of power pulses from the impact, and the gargoyle lets out a terrible, grinding wail. Ezryn’s hammer connects again, cracking the creature’s chest wide open. The gargoyle implodes in a blossom of flame and smoke.

Ezryn straightens, armor gleaming starlight silver. He glances back at us. “Thought I’d take care of that for you.”

“Ez,” I breathe, heart clenching. “It’s a foolish thing to do, jumping in front of a gargoyle made of fire.”

He tilts his head. “What is love but a leap of faith?”

Above, his airship circles, cannons firing into the fray. Spring soldiers begin to rappel down on metal cables. I hear Kairyn’s voice, booming commands. The brothers found each other. I even spy Jack on the ship, walking precariously along the rails.

Dominic’s gryphon lands before us, massive lion paws sinking into the mud. With the battlefield exploding behind him, eyes hardened by grief, he no longer looks like the carefree boy I once knew. “We’ve cleared a path to Castletree,” he reports. “Sira destroyed the bridge across the moat. You’re going to have a hard time getting over. At least those of you who can’t fly.”

I nod and we push forward. On either side are a wall of Winter, Spring, Summer, and Autumn soldiers, holding back the line, giving us a clear shot to Castletree.

“Ride hard, Thrand.” Farron pats his elk’s neck, and we race through the tunnel. Ezryn leaps onto a riderless horse, keeping pace with us.

The ruined spires of Castletree loom ahead. We reach the brink of the broken bridge and halt. Down below, there’s nothing but a gaping divide and black water that froths with an unnatural cadence.

My heart lurches. I’ve never seen the moat full of water, as intended. It was always dried up, consumed by briars. But Dayton’s river has filled it back up again…

The others halt beside me. Farron dismounts first, trying to find footing along the edge. “Maybe we can climb down and swim⁠—”

The water ripples.