The Wood Queen Read Online Free Page A

do it again.
    Even though it must be getting close to midday, it seemed to be getting colder. She picked up her pace, knowing that her aunt was going to be angry she’d been gone for so long. They’d probably already sent out a search party.
    Donna remembered a story her father used to tell, about a totally kick-ass princess held prisoner at the top of a tower in a strange country far from home. But this princess didn’t need to be rescued by the handsome prince. No, the princess in Patrick Underwood’s tale was more than able to take care of herself—which was lucky, considering that the prince she’d been expecting never did arrive in time to save her. She tore her prison’s moth-eaten velvet curtains into strips and tied them together to make a rope long enough to climb all the way down, then escaped backto her own land. She had many perilous adventures on the long journey home, but of course she kicked everyone’s ass with her superior martial arts skills.
    When the handsome prince finally rode into town and asked for her hand in marriage, the princess told him to get lost; she was quite happy by herself and, anyway, what use did she have for a husband who was afraid of heights?
    Donna smiled as she remembered her father’s face and the laughter that crinkled his eyes. Sometimes she couldn’t help wishing that there was more of Dad in his younger sister. Aunt Paige did her best, but she wasn’t really cut from the same cloth; it was strange to think of them being brought up together.
    As that thought crossed Donna’s mind, she caught sight of her aunt striding toward her, her pale face pinched with barely repressed fury.
    “Where have you been? You were told to take ten minutes—not half an hour!”
    Donna almost rolled her eyes at the blatant exaggeration. “It was hardly that long. I was just—”
    “You were just trying to test everybody’s patience.” It was a cold statement.
    Cheeks flushing, Donna resisted the impulse to clench her fists. Aunt Paige had no idea what she’d been doing out here, and she wondered if now was the time to come clean and tell her about Ivy. Perhaps telling her the truth would do something to start repairing the broken trust between them.
    But seeing the open hostility in her aunt’s eyes shocked her, and made her resolve fade before it could even get started. “Aunt Paige, I really was just getting some air.”
    Pursing her lips, her aunt glanced back at the house. “I thought you might have done something silly.”
    Donna raised her eyebrows and tried to look innocent. “Like what? You thought I was going to try and make a break for it—really?”
    “These days, Donna, I really don’t know what to think when it comes to your behavior.”
    Donna tried to get a grip on the sudden flash of anger that hit her, intentionally ignoring how tired her aunt sounded. “You talk like I’m just a kid.”
    “You’re not eighteen yet, Donna. Not for quite some time. Until then, you’re my responsibility.”
    “So when I reach eighteen, I can leave home?” Donna made it a challenge, knowing full well what her aunt’s response would be but unable to resist baiting her.
    “Leaving home doesn’t equal leaving the Order, and you know it. Your life belongs to us—to the alchemists—wherever you might one day move.” Aunt Paige’s expression softened. “You know how important you are to us, how important you are to Quentin.”
    Donna had heard it all before. Young alchemists were in short supply as more and more of the older generation died without passing on their genes. Not to mention the huge investment of resources that had gone into saving her life—she was under no illusions about the money and time spent on her recovery.
    Paige waited impatiently, pulling her tailored jacket more tightly around herself and tossing her shiny dark hair. “Come on. We need to get back inside.”
    Donna fixed her with a determined expression. “You’re really going to make me go