Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King, #2)

by Rachel Gillig

You may have lost a sister to magic, but you must not resign Ravyn to the same fate. You are the Shepherd King—the author of everything I have ever known. You wrote Blunder’s history, Aemmory Percyval Taxus. Now rewrite it.

Smile lines, he remembered. This Ione smiles.

There were not enough pages in all the books Elm had read, in all the libraries he’d wandered, in all the notebooks he’d scrawled, that could measure—denote or describe—just how beautiful she was.

His hand slipped into his tunic pocket, searching for comfort along velvet trim. Elm pulled the Scythe out

and examined it, flipping it through his fingers. Red—the Rowan Card. His savior. His crutch. Did he even know who he was without it? Did his father? Had Hauth? Ione’s sobs carried through the door. Elm closed his eyes and leaned his head against the wood, his shoulders shaking as tears fell down his face.

“I’m a rotten thing, Ione. I’m learning as I go.”

“I like that I can finally read your face, and that you’ve chosen to show it to me. You can tell me your terrible truths, Ione. I’m not going anywhere.”

They dressed quickly. This time, Elm made sure Ione had shoes and a damn cloak.