The Lost Fae (The Twisted Crown #3) - A.K. Koonce Page 0,29

By morning I reckon." She nods and her black curls, practically frozen in the night, don't move.

I narrow my attention to where the captain had just been looking. There, smudged across the horizon, just like the land we had just left, is another beach. "I can see it from here." My teeth chatter as I talk.

"You have a very good eye." Beatrice holds her hat to her head as a rush of wind hits it. Her boots chime with every step, the buckles on the leather ringing against one another, as she heads for the stairs down. She snaps her fingers at a crew member waving them toward the helm.

"How do you know the queen?" Lincoln straightens from where he leans against the railing, reaching out to stop the captain.

Beatrice leans away from his fingers, already turning pink in the cold, and lifts her brows. "Everyone meets the queen at some time or another. If you don't find your way to her... she'll find her way to you. She came to us, escorted by her... guards. Once you're here, as long as you follow her commands you can roam and do as you please. But don't cross her."

"What happens if you don't follow her command?" I offer with a bored tone. It's like being under Cordelia's rule all over again and well... you already know how that story is going.

"You can ask Theresa. Wait... no you can't because she got hung from her toes for three days before they lit her on fire and made us all watch her burn."

My eyes grow wide and I look to Ziko. He dips his chin, skeptical at best.

"And what do you call this place?" he presses.

"We call it The Lost Lands. Everyone we have met has fallen into this place just like you and I. None of us able to leave." Her tone is bitter. "You'd find it wise to get some rest tonight." Her final piece of advice before she tips her hat and descends down the staircase.

We watch her in silence until she completely disappears. Waiting so long that even the feather in her hat recedes as she leaves the top deck and heads for her own personal cabin.

"This queen doesn't sound so welcoming." I cross my arms over my chest.

"Oh, I'm sure you'll wow her. You know... because you do so well with authority figures." He shrugs.

"What? I don't have a problem with authority!"

"You don't have to lie to me, Briar."

"Lincoln Ziko," I point a finger at him. "I don't have a problem with authority as long as they aren't abusing their power and they treat the people under them fairly."

"Sure." He smiles and pulls away from the railing. He looks up at the sky, where small flecks of snow begin to fall, and holds to the railing as he goes to leave.

"Sure," I mock him.

"If you're going to do impressions of me, at least do them well." He rolls his eyes, but waits for me at the end of the stairs.

"Rowan thought that I was great at impressions," I blurt out, and quickly my smile falls. My steps come to a stop and I wring my hands together. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's.... Everything is going to be fine. We don't know anything yet. He could be very alive."

So suddenly, the annoying affections Rowan showed me aren't so aggravating in my memories anymore. If anything, they feel genuinely sweet now. Especially compared to Kai and his betrayal sweetened with false kindness.

Small flecks of snow fall from the sky. In our quiet walk toward the bunks, the white flakes gather in Lincoln's dark hair. I have half a thought to brush them away, but they melt against the heat of his body too quickly.

Any words that are left in our conversation are quickly buried under the muddle of emotions that arise when we think about home. So the only noise that keeps us company as we find our way to our claimed bunks is the soles of our boots squeaking against the wet floorboards.

Lincoln gives me a gentle smile before he lifts himself up onto his cot. He lays flat, without taking his coat off and stares up at the ceiling. My fingers tingle and burn as some sort of heat returns to them while I fumble with the small buttons before pushing both jackets off my shoulders. Gently, I lay them out over the blanket for extra warmth.

I lift the blanket and tuck myself under. Lincoln is smart