The First Queen: A Dusk Gate Chronicles Short Story (The Dusk Gate Chronicles) by Breeana Puttroff

Author:Breeana Puttroff [Puttroff, Breeana]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General Fiction
Publisher: Thirteen Pages Press
Published: 2015-10-09T23:00:00+00:00

~ Four ~

IT WASN’T UNTIL AFTER lunch on their second day at the castle in Philotheum that Thomas was able to catch Linnea alone for a few minutes. He grabbed her by the hand as she left the dining room, catching her off guard.

“What was that for?” she asked after he’d dragged her into the hall.

“It wasn’t for anything. I thought perhaps you’d be up to some exploring the castle?”

A slow grin spread across her face until it reached the corners of her eyes. “It’s not our castle. Do you think we’ll get into trouble?”

But she was already walking toward one of the many entrances to side hallways.

“With any luck? Definitely?” He grinned and raced to catch up.

It had been their very favorite thing to do, ever since they were small. There wasn’t a place in Rosewood Castle that Thomas and Linnea hadn’t snuck into, dashed through, or nearly destroyed with their games at least a thousand times.

William had often joined them, when they were all younger and he was home, but their other siblings were all either “too old and responsible” or “too young and too much work to look after.” Empty corridors and rooms full of fascinating objects had long been the private refuges of the twins.

He and Linnea should be too old for it now, he was sure, but the lure of a brand-new castle was just too great to resist.

And he was afraid that these precious moments alone with his twin sister would soon be too rare to chance missing one now.

“Do you think Quinn will ever discover that she now owns an entire hallway of rooms filled with nothing but crates?” Linnea asked once they were buried somewhere deep in the west wing.

Thomas looked around the dusty room, searching until he found what he was looking for: an ancient, rusted crowbar. “I think she’ll have enough on her mind with becoming a queen… and a mother.”

Linnea’s mouth fell open for only a second before she knew she’d been played – but it was too late.

“Ha! So it’s true!”

“How would I know?”

He laughed out loud. “Give it up, Nay. You already just told me.” He’d been almost positive already, anyway. William was getting away with hovering over Quinn just a little too much – even for the obvious circumstances.

“She doesn’t want anyone to know – not until after the coronation at least.”

The edge of the crowbar slid easily under the lid of the crate. “I can understand why,” he said as he pried it open. “Once she tells, she’s never going to hear the end of it from her grandmother. She needs a guard just for that. Only robes in here.” He lowered the dusty lid back down and headed to help Linnea lift a giant cloth from a piece of furniture.

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