《The Destiny Detour》 Survival Lillya Lillya¡¯s feet slid against the slick rock. She yelped, scrambling to keep herself upright and out of the water. An awkward, hopping, flapping dance from damp rock to damp rock ensued. By the time she recognized the direction of her momentum as a very bad idea, she had hopped her way halfway across the river. Filled with what could best be described as rue, she gazed back the way she had come. It was a long way back. A coal-black jaguar on the shore sat back on his haunches, blinking at her. ¡°Pepper,¡± she urged. ¡°Go get help. Go find Ruby¡­or Iris.¡± The big cat stood up, stretched every inch of his huge, furry body, and sauntered off, inappropriately unconcerned over this river debacle. There was one perk to her current predicament. Lillya knelt down and dipped her hand in the ice cold water, drawing out a black rock laced with brilliant blue swirls. She dried the pretty rock on her long shirt and slipped it into a pocket of her jacket, buttoning it in securely. Taurin would be thrilled to add that rock to his collection. The ones on shore had been too small to suffice, but reaching out over the river and using a slippery rock to stretch further for the perfect stone had led to this disaster she was in now. She tried to make her way back the way she had come, but the second her foot touched the closest rock, the tiny rock just barely poking out from the quickly flowing water must have turned into an iceberg. Her foot slid at once. She had stepped in the rushing water before she awkwardly righted herself on her original rock prison. Luckily Papa had insisted on the waterproof boots. ¡°Ok, Lil,¡± she told herself. ¡°You can do this. You are smarter than a rock.¡± The rock stared back, not so sure. ¡°Be quiet,¡± she complained. ¡°Or I¡¯ll turn you into¡­something. Don¡¯t think I won¡¯t.¡± Actually, magic might work here. If she could freeze the river or fly across, that would be ideal, but Lillya knew her limits were somewhere in the range of flowers and butterflies. She was great at rainbows. Because she had threatened, and because it made her feel better, she waved her hand at the slick little rock. Stripes of color washed over it. The misbehaving stone was just as small and slick as before, but less smug, Lillya decided, almost festive. It was a chromatic improvement. She heard rustling. ¡°Ruby,¡± she called. ¡°Iris?¡± No response. Now she was going to be eaten by forest monsters. Great. ¡°Lil,¡± came an answering voice. ¡°Is that you?¡± ¡°This way!¡± she screeched back, trying not to sound too desperate. Ruby dashed out of the forest, skittering to a halt at the river and taking in the situation. Ruby¡¯s arms were full of the sticks she had been gathering for the night¡¯s fire. The girl deposited those on the river bank. Pepper plunked himself down next to the pile, proud of himself. ¡°How¡¯d you get out there?¡± asked Ruby, curious blue eyes taking stock of the situation. Lillya did not feel like explaining how the rocks had it in for her. ¡°Do you have anything that can get me out of here?¡± she begged. ¡°I have a rope,¡± Ruby offered, fishing it out of her pack. ¡°How does that help me?¡± asked Lillya, annoyed. Ruby shrugged. ¡°You could tie it around yourself, and then even if you fell in, I could haul you in before you washed downstream.¡± It was better than nothing. After a few failed attempts, Lillya was holding one end of a dripping rope. She secured it around her waist. ¡°Now just run across,¡± coaxed Ruby. ¡°You can jump those no problem.¡± Lillya was about five rocks away from shore. The rocks were spaced awkwardly and of all different sizes and shapes. She had no idea how she had accomplished this feat the first time. Some of those rocks were tiny and quite a jump apart. She pulled a ribbon from her jacket and tied back her straight blond hair while she stalled. Insensitive, the water continued rushing downstream like it was in a hurry to warm up after a cold day. Enough stalling. Lillya backed up so she could push off. Her feet refused to move forward. ¡°You¡¯re from Taragon,¡± Lillya insisted, reviving the first plan. ¡°Can¡¯t you do something magical with rocks?¡± Ruby cocked her head, thinking. ¡°Ok, let me try.¡± She focused her bright blue eyes on the rock closest to shore, concentrating until it flickered and disappeared. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not good,¡± she muttered. ¡°Moss!¡± exclaimed Lillya proudly. Ruby shot her a confused look, but Lillya had no time to explain. She knelt down and touched her little rock enemy with the tips of her fingers. It took a few tries to focus the magic she could sense but never quite channel the way she wanted. Eventually, green specks appeared on the rock and spread until her rainbow rock was coated in dark green moss. ¡°Take that!¡± ¡°Are you talking to a rock, Lil?¡± called Ruby.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. ¡°You should have heard it earlier,¡± Lillya defended herself. She reached out a foot and planted it on the mossy rock. The mossy surface was much easier to grip, and her boot stayed on its precarious perch. She could not quite reach the next rock from here, but she stretched out her hand. Moss slowly spread across the rock¡¯s surface. Hopping from her tiny rock to the next, she teetered on her mossy landing pad. Her heart sped up, and she felt the rope tighten at her waist. She grabbed it to right herself. Ruby strained to hold the other end of the rope while Lillya got her footing. Her friend was barely taller than she was and not any stronger. ¡°Thanks, Ruby,¡± she said breathlessly. The next jump was longer. How had she made that jump the first time? Tansy could have jumped this in her sleep, she told herself. Tansy could probably conjure a flock of hundreds of sparrows to carry her across the river, actually. Since Tansy was not here, Lillya stretched out her hand and coated the rock in an extra thick layer of moss. She could do this. Probably. Maybe. ¡°I could go get the Sorceress,¡± Ruby offered. Lillya sighed. ¡°She¡¯d just stand there with her arms all crossed glaring at me. Then, she¡¯d tell me to figure it out myself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not even that far anyway,¡± lied Ruby in an attempt to be encouraging. Lillya leaped, but it was one of those jumps where she panicked in the middle. She landed just before the rock, and her feet slid out from under her. She tumbled downstream a few lengths until the rope went taught. She grabbed for it, gasping for air as the cold water washed over her. After a number of tries and some shrieking, Ruby hauled her over to shore. A soggy Lillya shivered her way back to camp. Ruby draped her dry cloak over both of them, but the sun was dropping fast, and the woods were cold. ¡°You have some explaining to do,¡± Issabeth greeted her. Then she did a double take of the dripping girl. ¡°Wait, what happened?¡± ¡°I had a fight with some rocks,¡± answered a chattering Lillya. ¡°They won.¡± ¡°Well, get your wet clothes and your wet self drying next to the fire. Then you can explain why you brought a book as your personal item.¡± Lillya peeled off clothes to a wet undershirt and held her shaking hands in front of the fire, feeling the warmth creep into her chilly fingers and toes. She must have looked pathetic, because she got quite a few ¡°Glad you¡¯re ok, Lil¡± greetings from the other girls and a minimum of teasing. She closed her eyes, basking in the feeling of being warm again. Eventually everything from her straight blond hair to her skinny knees were wonderfully dry. When she opened her violet eyes, Issabeth was in front of her, holding the offensive book in two fingers. ¡°Hey!¡± Lillya exclaimed, grabbing for her book. Papa had written it for her for her birthday. It was about a forest full of daring squirrels searching for the mystical nut kingdom. ¡°A book?¡± Issabeth exclaimed, lifting it out of her reach. ¡°On a test of survival?¡± ¡°It serves two purposes, see?¡± Lillya insisted. ¡°Entertainment, obviously.¡± Issabeth¡¯s eyebrows rose. She contested the veracity of the first purpose. ¡°The second is kindling in an emergency, right? So, it¡¯s doubly practical.¡± Issabeth would have none of it. ¡°You owe me twelve chin-ups on that tree for bringing a book on my training expedition.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that just the required number of chin-ups for evening exercise?¡± asked Pippa. Issabeth grinned while pretending to scowl. ¡°Are you asking for more?¡± By the time they finished the required running and cooked the fish they caught earlier, the girls were exhausted. They dropped off to bed with a minimum of chatter. Lillya tried to read a few pages from the book Issabeth had begrudgingly returned, but she found herself rereading the same sentence over and over about the cursed squirrel princess looking for her nut kingdom. She gave up, hugging her book to her chest and burrowing in her blankets. Pepper was a giant, furry heater. She snuggled into his soft fur. ¡°Lillya?¡± Her eyes snapped open. Pepper was gone. She was no longer in the forest. She was in a bright white room. She sat up faster than a bolt of lightning. ¡°It¡¯s ok, child,¡± the voice assured her. ¡°You¡¯re sleeping.¡± ¡°This is a dream?¡± Lillya squinted in the bright light. ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± replied the voice. The shape of a dark woman appeared in the blinding white. Her figure sharpened as Lillya focused on her. She had dark skin and draping, thin clothing of bright colors. Her hair was fire red, a mass of tiny braids twisting this way and that in an intricate, hypnotizing pattern. ¡°You¡¯re Arlana, the Flifary Seer,¡± Lillya exclaimed. She had consumed every word in the palace about the Flifary. She so desperately wanted to visit the magical island, no matter what Mama said about it being inexcusably hot. Arlana smiled in acknowledgment, but her smile was tired. Her father always described the Seer as whimsical and light, but this lady seemed full of trouble and as old as time itself. ¡°Is everything all right?¡± Lillya asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know, child,¡± Arlana answered. A chill swept over Lillya. ¡°How can you not know?¡± she whispered. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you do? Know?¡± Arlana traded her lost expression for the beginnings of a tremulous hope. ¡°Not knowing just means the power lies in us for success. There¡¯s no reason to think we may not find a way.¡± ¡°Find a way to what?¡± asked Lillya. ¡°Your note will tell you,¡± said Arlana. ¡°Take it to Daniella and no one else.¡± ¡°Wait, what¡¯s going on? What note? What can I¡ª¡± ¡°All I can tell you right now is to check again.¡± Arlana¡¯s head cocked to the side, and dangling feather earrings brushed her bare shoulders. She was listening, but Lillya heard no sound. Arlana¡¯s face clouded with an expression that was neither uncertain nor hard to read¡ªterror. ¡°Lillya, I must¡ª¡± The same moment, Lillya was awake in the dark night wrapped in blankets on the cold ground. Next to her, Pepper batted at a phantom rabbit in his sleep and settled down like nothing had happened. ¡°What note?¡± she whispered. ¡°I was only dreaming.¡± In one hand, she held her book, open. In the other, she held the tiny pencil she had secretly smuggled on the trip in defiance of the one personal item rule. She squinted at the book in the dark. She had been writing on the pages, in between the lines. She scanned the other Sorceress trainees, girls all sleeping peacefully in the dark, oblivious. Aunt Issabeth was dead asleep, clutching her bow. No matter how many tests Issabeth tried to devise, there was no sense of danger while she was near. She would never let harm come to any one of them. Not permanent harm, anyway. Her presence calmed Lillya¡¯s racing heart. Lillya pulled a blanket over her head so she was buried in the dark. She held two fingers in front of her. As she separated them, a tiny spot of glowing green light appeared in between. Slowly, she spread her fingers further until the light grew just enough to assist her eyes. She had perfected this maneuver from years of secret bedtime reading. She pushed the glowing green spark toward the book. She must have written in her sleep, but the handwriting between the lines of her book was tiny, meticulous, and perfectly even. She was a rather remarkable writer for her young age, but not that skilled. Also, she could not read a word she had written. The words were neither Terran nor Naxturaen. Was it written in Flifary? Did Grandmama know Flifary? She must, if the Seer said the note was for her. Lillya let the light grow brighter, hoping to recognize something, anything, but it looked like a jumble of letters to her. Maybe it was just gibberish after all. Jadelynn murmured in her sleep, and Lillya clasped the light in her hands in panic. She wondered why as she huddled in the dark, holding her breath. This felt like a big, important secret. Introductions Rosaliy Rosaliy ran her pencil down a list of new names. Those loops, curves, and edges held so much excitement ¡ªso full of new stories and unforeseen potential. ¡°Chasma?¡± ¡°That''s me,¡± said the bright-eyed girl with the wispy curls. Pencil checkmark. ¡°Viola?¡± ¡°Right here.¡± Viola''s timid response was a shy half whisper. Check. ¡°Illona?¡± An explosion punctuated by half a dozen shrieks brought attendance screeching to a halt. Such an incident required immediate investigation, so Rosaliy scooted her handful of confused young girls toward the disturbance. They did not have far to travel to find the source¡ªa huddle of blond heads in the middle of a grisly scene at the entryway to the palace. Sprayed across the front staircase and a different handful of slightly older spluttering children were the remains of a pulpy fruit. If Rosaliy had to guess, she would have guessed something in the squash family. Introduction Day had suddenly become much more interesting for her new students. Rosaliy''s young girls hung back, agape, watching orange pulp slide down a banister and ooze onto the floor. She wanted to laugh, but instead, she crossed her arms and fixed a serious expression on her face, one befitting the Sorceress in charge of the early magical training of impressionable young girls. ¡°What happened here?¡± A sea of little blond heads parted for her, revealing at its heart two heads of dark hair streaked with orange goop. She should have known. Without a word, the boy pointed a finger at the girl who was in front of a charred smudge¡ªthe epicenter of a sticky explosion. ¡°Tansy,¡± Rosaliy chided with a mix of patience and disapproval that seemed appropriate to the situation. ¡°What did you do?¡± The dark-haired girl rushed into an explanation. ¡°I needed to turn a pumpkin into a coach, like the story. I know it would have worked, except all Zetta could find was a butter gourd, so that''s probably what the problem was.¡± The little girl put her hands on her hips and glared disapprovingly at the black smudge on the ground where the naughty gourd had been. ¡°Oh, this is the gourd''s fault, is it?¡± said Rosaliy, dangerously on the edge of laughter. ¡°Must be!¡± she agreed emphatically. ¡°Because by the time it was big enough to turn into a carriage, it just...well...you see. Boom!¡± Her small orange-streaked hands pantomimed the catastrophe. Boom was right. A pile of slimy seeds dropped on Rosaliy from the ceiling. As amused as she was by this catastrophe, the timing was awful. ¡°You''ll have to clean up this mess,¡± she told Tansy. The girl''s green eyes lit up, and her hands rose. ¡°By hand,¡± Rosaliy quickly elaborated. ¡°Not magic. And you''ll all need to help if we''re to have this cleaned up by the time the emissaries arrive.¡± Tansy was popular enough to weather the storm of an unjust punishment inflicted on her friends. Perhaps her little co-conspirators would even make an effort at being the voice of reason next time, not that reason would have much effect on Tansy. Tansy''s pale face scrunched up, and she whined, ¡°Can''t the servants just¡ª¡± ¡°Don''t you finish that sentence, or you''ll be explaining it to your mother,¡± Rosaliy threatened. ¡°You know how busy they are preparing for all the guests.¡± Tansy flushed pink and her green eyes were suddenly very interested in the floor. ¡°I''m sorry, Rose,¡± she squeaked. She was sorry. She was always sorry eventually. Rosaliy knelt down in front of the girl and used her thumb to scrape off a pile of pulp oozing its way down Tansy''s cheek. ¡°Sorry doesn''t make an entryway and a staircase spotless,¡± she said, but her blue eyes sparkled with forgiveness when she said it. ¡°Get to work!¡± Tansy spun and clapped her hands, waving the older girls to gather around. They gathered, because this was Tansy. ¡°Ok, we''re all trapped in the evil dragon''s fortress in the Burning Mountains,¡± she told her friends, ¡°and there''s lava seeping in to the dungeon everywhere. The only way to save ourselves and defeat the dragon is to gather up the lava and...¡± Rosaliy missed the end of the break-out plan because the servants had sensed the destruction of their carefully-ordered stairway and swooped in with a mountain of cleaning cloths and soapy water. Rosaliy put them on strict order not to let Tansy get out of doing the work. She would have reassured her impressionable new charges next, but Tansy had already co-opted them into the dragon dungeon escape. They were cheerfully busy scraping gourd chunks into a growing pile in the middle of the floor while secretly hoping someday they, too, would be powerful enough to explode fruit. Poor little Taurin appeared to have borne the brunt of the explosion. In fact, he always seemed to get the sticky end of his twin sister''s schemes. Rosaliy picked a few shards of gourd out of his sticky dark hair and declared him a lost cause. ¡°You''re going to need a bath and a change of clothes, Duck,¡± she told him. Always waddling after his sisters since the minute he could walk, that was the nickname that stuck. He groaned.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°And wash your hair,¡± she chided the unhappy boy. ¡°With soap.¡± ¡°But Roooooose,¡± he moaned. ¡°You''d best hurry before your papa sees you,¡± she chided, ¡°or there will be jasmine oil involved.¡± That threat got him moving as quickly as she hoped it might. Taurin would live outside if he could, covered in mud from head to toe. Rosaliy''s morning had been derailed, but that was nothing new. Maybe she could salvage some magical training after all. ¡°May I borrow that?¡± she asked a girl using a thick cloth to shovel pulp into a pile. The girl was too happy to hand over her cleaning tool. Rosaliy waved over her young trainees. ¡°While we''re in the Glade or near magical people like Tansy, we can use our own magic,¡± she said. ¡°You each have special talents, and you''ll learn what they are by practicing all sorts of magic.¡± Five sets of glowing blue eyes watched her, and a few more stopped their frantic cleaning to see as well. These girls were from vastly different kingdoms and ways of life, but magic linked them all. ¡°I''ve always been good with animals and enchanting objects, myself,¡± explained Rosaliy. She concentrated on the cloth, feeling the swirling magic of the palace respond to her call, drawn to her like an old friend. The edges of the cloth fluttered. It hopped a few times and jerked upward until it leapt from her hands and arced skyward, cloth corners flapping like a bird. Rosaliy waved it toward the gooey mess, and the cloth bird set to scrubbing the ceiling. ¡°Will we be able to do that someday?¡± whispered Viola. ¡°If you return to train here next year, you''ll be able to do much more,¡± Rosily promised, but qualified, ¡°with practice.¡± ¡°Wow,¡± breathed Chasma, watching the cloth flutter about the ceiling. This group of mesmerized girls appeared highly interested in returning to train at Crystal Palace, which was a relief because Rosaliy had no time to finish her standard introductory speech. By now, the interference of the children had become more of a punishment to the servants than to the mischievous magic trainees, so Rosaliy shooed the girls away to get cleaned up. Tansy''s wild dark-curled head dashed out of sight. At five, she was already manipulating objects. Incredible. Rosaliy was a quick learner, but even at nineteen, she did not have a fraction of Tansy''s natural talent or her Naxturaen blood. Tansy had generated a weather system last week¡ªthunder and lightning at lunch. How much more powerful would Tansy be in five years? Ten? Consumed with her thoughts, Rosaliy almost ran headlong into someone else in a hurry. Before she could offer an apology or a greeting, there was a clatter at the door. ¡°The Baysellians,¡± she moaned, wondering just how disheveled she looked. ¡°I''m assuming the servants are scrambling to clean up after that explosion?¡± asked the man. ¡°Yes, Sir,¡± she agreed. ¡°Do I need more than one guess as to the perpetrator?¡± ¡°No, Sir. She wanted to turn a pumpkin into a carriage today.¡± ¡°That may be my fault,¡± the man chuckled. ¡°How close did she get?¡± ¡°She seems to have inflated it like a balloon, more or less. It was the size of a carriage when it finally¡ª¡± She waved her hands, at a loss for words. He reached forward and picked a gooey seed from the pile of gourd sliding down her shoulder. ¡°I see,¡± he mused, green eyes sparkling. ¡°Since everyone is busy, you''d best help me with the doors.¡± The massive wooden doors stretched high above them, and opening them did take cooperative effort. They could see the Baysellian emissaries below handing over horses and regrouping. Rosaliy smoothed back her hair, but her fingers ran through slime. There was no hope for her. ¡°I''m sorry,¡± said the man, but the twinkle in his eyes and the smirk on his lips said otherwise. The group swept inside, spilling into the marble entryway like a wave. Rosaliy chuckled over the metaphor to herself, because this group was from the Bayselle protectorate hugging the ocean. She was by no means well traveled, but she did meet families from all four protectorates, and Baysellians were the easiest to identify at a glance. They carried the sun and salt of their ocean kingdom with them wherever they went. She would recognize their white blond hair, clear blue eyes, and sun-browned skin anywhere. Plus, they all had a distinctive odor, a little like salty fish. The smell was more exotic than unpleasant. The group''s leader stomped in, trying to look important. Bayselle was going through a period of upheaval. The monarchy had all but dissolved, and Bayselle was fragmented into smaller ruled segments of land, controlled by local leaders or pirates or merchant conglomerates. Those factions were meeting here to discuss ground rules that might ease the mounting tension in the area. In other words, several leaders who were new at the game of politics were coming to Crystal Palace to pretend at being more important than they were. This one was looking for a queen, so his eyes scanned Rosaliy first. He found someone he probably assumed was a kitchen assistant losing a battle to dessert. ¡°Welcome to Crystal Palace,¡± greeted the man next to her. The leader''s eyes swung his way, and he puffed out his chest, like a cat trying to look bigger than he was. ¡°Inform the Queen that Cliffinzo of the Lansilia Coalition has arrived,¡± ordered Cliffinzo of the Lansilia Coalition, presumably. Then he waited for someone to comply with his order. He must not have realized whom he was addressing. ¡°You must be confu--¡± Rosaliy tried to interject. ¡°--exhausted,¡± interrupted the man next to her with a devious smile. ¡°Yes, thank you,¡± said Cliffinzo, puffing up again with his self-importance. ¡°The horses need to be watered and we could use...all the normal things after an arrival from a trip.¡± He actually waved his hand here, like that was what people did when ordering others to do their bidding. He was lucky Queen Katyrinna was not here to see this. ¡°Of course,¡± the man next to her agreed with overdone sympathy. ¡°After such a long trip.¡± Rosaliy raised her eyebrows, but he just grinned back, green eyes sparkling with mischief. As much as Issabeth got the blame for Tansy''s rambunctiousness, Rosaliy knew where that facet of the little girl''s personality had come from. Cliffinzo smiled broadly, pleased with himself for ordering servants around successfully. ¡°Drake, hand over our things.¡± Loaded down with the well-worn bags of travelers and not wealthy diplomats, Drake was in the middle of taking in the beautiful entryway of Crystal Palace. He had been ogling the oak tree growing in the corner when Cliffinzo''s order hit him. ¡°To...to him?¡± stammered Drake, gripping the bags he was not about to hand over. Rosaliy liked Drake immediately, although she did wonder how his pompous friend had talked him into making this trip. He looked as if he might turn and bolt at any moment. ¡°Of course,¡± said Cliffinzo, annoyed. With his eyes, Drake tried to explain Cliffinzo''s faux pas to him, but the Baysellian was too busy pretending like he was not close friends with his servant to notice. ¡°But he''s¡ª¡± ¡°Very skilled at his job, I''m sure,¡± Cliffinzo interrupted. For the second time today, Rosaliy had to hide a serious case of laughter. ¡°Very skilled,¡± mused the man. ¡°It''s true. That''s what I tell everyone, anyway. Come with me, Drake.¡± He winked at Rosaliy and left her with the delegation. They surely deserved the treatment, but she did not see how she did. She attempted an introduction. ¡°I¡¯m Sorceress Rosaliy.¡± Cliffinzo reevaluated her. She was now worthy of speaking to. She fought the urge to roll her eyes. ¡°Will the High Queen be free for an audience?¡± he pressured. She could think of no tactful way to say the High Queen had little interest in taking sides in Baysellian squabbles and had equally little interest in him. He would have done better to speak to her more politically-minded husband while he had the opportunity. Instead, with all the fake politeness she could muster, she said, ¡°Please come to the Great Hall. You''re the first to arrive, but we have plenty of food and drink while you wait.¡± Drake Drake In Drake¡¯s life, he had been in a number of truly terrible situations that were far more uncomfortable than the current turn of events. This, however, was a unique kind of wanting to crawl into a hole and disappear. How could Cliff not have realized he had a king standing in front of him? Short of a crown and a scepter, his position was obvious. Commoners did not stand so straight, have teeth quite so perfect, or own boots they could trade for three good horses. But Cliff was clueless, so Drake was scuttling along after the king of Crystal Palace like an idiot, carrying overstuffed bags full of the questionable objects Cliff felt would aid him in a diplomatic negotiation. Occasionally oblivious, Cliff meant well. He just happened to be more out of his depth than a minnow in deep water. ¡°I''m sorry for Cliff,¡± Drake stumbled over an apology, immediately wondering whether he was supposed to speak first. Should he wait to be addressed? Drat. He was going to strangle Cliff later if the man didn¡¯t manage to get himself thrown out of here first. ¡°It doesn''t speak well for his skills as a leader to walk into a negotiation unprepared,¡± Alexander of Crystal Palace pointed out, gliding around the next corner and sweeping down a short stairway of gleaming marble. The man moved like he owned time itself. Or at least the stairway. If the weight of his bags were any indication, Cliff seemed prepared to build a brick wall. ¡°He''s actually¡ª¡± Drake started to argue in Cliff''s defense before cutting himself off. Talking back to royalty was never a good idea. Alexander took in this awkward beginning and smiled instead of taking offense. ¡°Go ahead,¡± he prodded. ¡°Umm...¡± Drake stumbled over his words. ¡°Despite¡­that¡ª¡± He jerked his head in the distant direction of the palace¡¯s vaulted entryway. ¡°He''s a good person.¡± Alexander''s eyebrows rose. He even had perfectly balanced eyebrows. ¡°No, really,¡± Drake insisted. ¡°He led a rally against the subversive tax gouging practices feeding the thriving black market and accidentally became something of a figurehead for the safe trade movement.¡± He sounded like a protest banner come to life. Something must have sunk in from all the time he spent painting them. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Unfortunately, Alexander sounded interested in a way that implied he was doing to dig further into this topic. ¡°I heard about that. Sounds like you believe in the cause.¡± Drake tried to reply with a simple nod, even though the statement was only marginally true. Mostly, Cliff was embarrassing when he begged, and Drake was plagued by a feeling of responsibility for the man. Alexander mulled over the situation, slowing as he took a sharp corner into a hallway lit by a stunning bank of windows stretching across the entire outer wall. Impossibly thoughtful ivy was growing in between the windows so as not to block the sunlight or the view of the Naxturaen Glade outside. ¡°So your figurehead has no idea what he''s doing, but he feels responsible to a plethora of people to represent their interests.¡± ¡°Exactly, although you didn''t hear that ''no idea what he''s doing'' part from me.¡± Alexander nodded, and Drake relaxed a bit. He had managed to have a successful conversation with a king where he represented the cause he was here to support. Maybe this whole encounter was not such a disaster. And then Alexander hit him with, ¡°How do you recognize me when your friend doesn''t?¡± ¡°It''s obvious,¡± Drake replied automatically. The man had gold embroidery adorning the stitching of his jacket. ¡°It''s only obvious if you know what you''re looking for,¡± Alexander pressed, stopping in the hallway to pierce Drake with an investigatory gaze. ¡°Why do you?¡± Great, now he needed a story. He had no idea he would need a story. He had not bothered to prepare a story. He was just going to tag along with Cliff for a few days¡ªmake him look official. In moments like this, Drake felt like what he was was surely emblazoned across his forehead as clearly as the royal standing of the overly curious man across from him. But as long as he kept his rising panic off his face and said as little as possible, he would pass for an ordinary Baysellian traveler. He did take a moment to think a few dark thoughts in Cliff¡¯s direction for talking him into this mess before deciding to stick to the truth. ¡°I''ve worked for groups with...connections to nobility.¡± Alexander responded with a muffled chuckle. ¡°What an interesting and purposefully cryptic answer!¡± Drake opened his mouth to say something to divert the conversation. ¡°You look familiar,¡± Alexander considered, green eyes boring into Drake¡¯s face. ¡°Do I know you?¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± said Drake too quickly. Was that a lie? Was he lying now? ¡°Know¡± was such an intimate, subjective word. Was it hot in this hallway? Alexander studied him. The resemblance was there, but he would not spot it, not without more evidence. Since Drake intended to be quickly forgotten, there should be no further worry on that front. If he could just fake calm a little better, he would be fine. ¡°I¡¯m nobody,¡± Drake promised. ¡°Just here to look after Cliff and the delegation.¡± ¡°Mmmhmm,¡± Alexander hummed, not even half convinced. ¡°Nobody¡¯s nobody. Everybody has a story.¡± Drake could not even tell the truth without seeming suspicious now. Great. ¡°Why were you opening the door to begin with?¡± Drake asked. In this case, he was willing to be impertinent to shift the focus of the conversation off him. ¡°I was there,¡± Alexander mused. ¡°Any resident of Crystal Palace is expected to do what needs to be done if he notices it needs doing.¡± Bayselle¡¯s monarchs might have outlasted the citizen revolts and trade takeovers if they had such a policy. Drake decided not to say that out loud. ¡°You must have a unique ruler,¡± he said instead. A smile flickered on Alexander¡¯s lips. ¡°I¡¯d say phenomenal, but I¡¯m biased.¡± He started moving again, and Drake breathed an internal sigh of relief.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Alexander nodded at the sword in Drake''s belt. ¡°Are you any good?¡± ¡°Not really, Your Highness.¡± Swords were not his weapon of choice, but they were intimidating on bandit-infested trading routes. ¡°Oh no,¡± chuckled Alexander. ¡°No titles for me.¡± They rounded a corner to a bright hallway lined with trees bursting with tiny white, glowing blossoms. Now Drake was speechless for a different reason. ¡°Someone with more official guest-catering ability than I have will do a better job sorting you out and pointing you to the resources you need,¡± Alexander told him, ¡°but anything on the east side of the hallway is free for you and your coalition to use. The west side will be housing the remnant of the nobility, whatever they''re calling themselves now.¡± He waved an apathetic hand in that direction. ¡°The hallway jutting into this one will be shared by the alliance of the border towns and the Ingobernables. ¡°Pirates are coming?¡± Did his voice just break? ¡°Why, yes,¡± mused Alexander. ¡°In the spirit of open dialogue, of course we invited pirates. Luckily for all of us, just the one group accepted the invitation. I''m sure they''ll behave themselves for a few days. No need to worry.¡± Drake swallowed, telling the churning whirlpool in his stomach to calm down. ¡°Of course not,¡± he tried to say. The Ingobernables considered themselves gentleman pirates, whatever that meant. Drake guessed even pirates got visions of grandeur after squatting in a palace for nearly a decade. He could handle himself against a few pirates, anyway. He was more worried about who had come. Was Esmona here? Esmona loved causing scenes. Alexander took in his panic with quizzical interest. ¡°Unfortunately, I need to head off a mischievous child before she brings down the palace. If you would be so kind as to not ruin my fun with Cliffinzo, I''d appreciate it.¡± His green eyes danced with the humor of the situation. ¡°Oh, he deserves it,¡± Drake agreed. Alexander turned on the heels of his crafted boots, but paused. Drake¡¯s heart nearly burst. What now? ¡°Warn your friend that the queen will see right through him, and he''d make a better impression being himself,¡± Alexander advised. ¡°I will, Your¡ª¡± Alexander smirked. ¡°If you can¡¯t handle ¡®Alexander,¡¯ ¡®Sir¡¯ will suffice.¡± ¡°Thank you, Sir.¡± With a nod of his head, Alexander was off. Drake chose the first door in the foliage-lined hallway and dropped his traveling bag, cloak, and sword inside. The choice of the first room was practically subconscious. The location allowed him to enter and exit without alerting the rest of the hallway, and he would be able to hear the comings and goings of everyone else. This side of the hall was windowless, so that was one less thing to worry about. He picked up Cliff''s bursting bags and carted them next door. If he was here to protect Cliff from himself¡ªa task he was already failing¡ªhe''d best keep the man close. Drake dumped the bags on the floor and left them. He had agreed to watch out for Cliff, but there was no way he was going to unpack the man''s luggage. His ridiculous friend must have packed up everything he owned in an attempt to look influential. Alone for the first time, his thoughts were a clamoring mish-mash. The Ingobernables. The name squirmed its way into his thoughts as he tried to ignore it. His past had followed him all the way to Crystal Palace. It was stupid to think he could hide from it. The presence of the woman at the doorway registered immediately, and he fought the urge to draw his knife even though she was the least threatening person that could have been at his doorway. Sure, those were just the sort of people one had to watch out for, but this lady exuded wholesomeness. She was young, well-dressed in shades of soft blue, and too busy to here, based on the bits of orange goo clinging to her rumpled Kianne-gold ponytail. ¡°Greetings,¡± she said cheerfully, pretending not to be frazzled. ¡°Finding everything?¡± ¡°Yes, thank you.¡± He answered back politely. She was the woman with Alexander earlier, so he added, ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Cliff.¡± ¡°Somebody should be,¡± she said in an easy, amused tone. ¡°I''m Sorceress Rosaliy.¡± A Sorceress. He knew nothing about magic other than the cost of a few rare ingredients. He wondered if magic explained the bits of pumpkin, but not enough to ask. ¡°Drake,¡± he simply replied. ¡°From the Lansilia Coalition.¡± She nodded, already knowing this information from just a few minutes ago. He turned over one of Cliff¡¯s ridiculously heavy upended bags and stacked them next to each other to look busy, hoping she would use the opportunity to leave. Instead, she looked like someone scrambling for a reason to stay. Still unwilling to unpack Cliff¡¯s luggage, Drake was out of tasks to complete, so the introduction shifted into an awkward, idle pause. ¡°How was your journey?¡± she asked with faked friendly enthusiasm. His stomach fell. ¡°He sent you to check up on me.¡± She winced. He appreciated her transparency. ¡°Well, yes,¡± she admitted, ¡°but only because he finds you interesting.¡± He smiled a wry smile. ¡°I was hoping to be a little less interesting for a few days.¡± She took in his honest statement with more humor than intended. ¡°I promise under no circumstances to find you interesting,¡± she teased. He sighed. ¡°I would appreciate that.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she chuckled, ¡°unless you have something to worry about, I guess.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± he said automatically. ¡°I¡¯m not used to being grilled by kings.¡± ¡°We don¡¯t use the K-word around here,¡± she warned him. ¡°Especially at night.¡± Her eyes drifted to the ceiling. ¡°It makes certain beings uneasy.¡± She smiled a friendly, disarming smile in his direction. ¡°But I get the nervous part. It¡¯s been ten years, and I still think of him as Prince Alexander in my head.¡± He wondered about ¡°beings¡± that seemed to live on the roof, but asking questions to sate his curiosity led to conversation, and conversation led to accidentally talking too much. He decided to play it safe and keep any conversing focused on her. ¡°You¡¯re from Kianne,¡± he guessed. She bobbed her head. ¡°I grew up there. And you? Lived in Bayselle your whole life?¡± ¡°Whole life,¡± he answered, resigning himself to her cheerful inquisition. If he had to choose to be interrogated by Alexander or Rosaliy, the choice was an easy one. ¡°So what are you supposed to find out?¡± ¡°Your relation to the pirates.¡± ¡°Easy. No relation.¡± She narrowed her eyes and pursed her lips. ¡°Would you answer honestly if I asked the right question?¡± Her tone forced him to smile. ¡°Depends on the question. Did you know you have something orange on your neck?¡± ¡°Of all the days,¡± she muttered to herself, dragging a cloth through a nearby water basin and scrubbing the dried, orange coating from her neck. He was not going to mention the goo on her bodice, but he did point out the seeds in her hair. ¡°Thanks,¡± she grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re far too busy to be here,¡± he pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± she agreed, picking out the last of the seeds. ¡°Are you up for a tour?¡± ¡°Are you meeting anymore guests?¡± he asked carefully. ¡°Thankfully, no. I¡¯m just due to explain a gourd explosion to some visiting families.¡± He readily agreed to the chance to stay away from Cliff¡¯s manic preparations and any potential run-ins with the Ingobernables while allowing her to keep an eye on his deviant behavior. Relieved, she led him to a sunny courtyard where a group of girls were drawing pictures in ribbon-bound journals to chronicle all they had learned from their introduction to magical training. Most of them seemed to have learned about orange blobs. Parents arrived after a time to collect their daughters, accompanied by an older Sorceress. She explained to them the time commitment and heavy responsibility of magical training while Rosaliy wandered over to Drake, leaning against the wall next to him, exhausted. ¡°This seems like quite the system,¡± he noted. ¡°There will be even more chaos tomorrow when the older girls return from their big trip. Thank goodness for Athena to keep it all straight. But all this is probably boring you to tears,¡± she apologized. ¡°Not at all,¡± he said honestly. He appreciated any setting with plenty of exits where everyone was too busy to notice him. ¡°I don¡¯t know a thing about magic training.¡± Also, the more she talked, the more she was not asking him questions. There was really no drawback. ¡°Once, I¡¯m told, there were hundreds of students of all ages at Crystal Palace,¡± Rosaliy continued. ¡°The Naxturae would identify them and take them to train here at Crystal Palace. We¡¯re just starting to build up again. It¡¯s slow going, because Queen Kat would never hear of taking children away from their families.¡± ¡°She¡¯s a nice person,¡± he agreed. ¡°She sounds like a nice person,¡± he corrected quickly. Rosaliy jumped like the wall bit her hand. ¡°I haven¡¯t offered you food or water, and you¡¯ve been traveling all day,¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Sorceress Athena has this handled. Let¡¯s go hunt down some lunch, and I¡¯ll find out whatever it is I¡¯m supposed to find out.¡± One of those things was likely to happen. He was ready to abandon ship the second he caught sight of Esmona, but until then, he was hungry. Detour Lillya ¡°Hey. Princess.¡± Lillya jumped when two fingers snapped in front of her face. Her eyes focused in on Aunt Issabeth standing in front of her with a puzzled expression. Lillya tried to stand, but she had been right in the middle of pulling on a pair of leggings before her daydream distraction, and she nearly fell on her face instead. Daydream was not the right word, since she was replaying the clandestine drama of last night. Was there such a thing as a daymare? ¡°What?¡± she asked, recovering her balance. ¡°You¡¯re on dish duty,¡± Issabeth repeated. Lillya bobbed her head in understanding. Issabeth put a hand on one hip and stared her down. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ok after yesterday?¡± Lillya¡¯s wide purple eyes were too stunned to blink. How did Aunt Issabeth know about her dream? ¡°Lil?¡± Issabeth tried again. She meant Lillya¡¯s river disaster. The realization broke on her much like the cold water yesterday. She bobbed her head once more. ¡°Fine,¡± she insisted, forcing out words. ¡°Still have all my toes and everything.¡± Of course, she also had a book full of gibberish mystery writing, but that was not a discussion that needed to be had. First thing that morning, she had peeked inside her book, half hoping she had dreamed the whole night¡ªsome sort of hypothermia induced dream of a dream. But the writing was still there, still cryptic and indecipherable. Issabeth¡¯s green eyes continued to stare her down. Lillya¡¯s behavior was too out of sorts, even for her. Maybe she should just tell her aunt what was going on. Except what was going on? A yelp sounded by the campfire. Three girls jumped away from a ball of flame that flared and shot straight into the air. ¡°Who is using fire powder?¡± Issabeth barked, stomping away. The culprit was probably Pippa. She was an expert at mixing up powders and potions. On second thought, seeing as how this fire was threatening to burn down half of camp, maybe this was not Pippa¡¯s doing. Lillya breathed an actual sigh of relief over the welcome catastrophe. While everyone else was distracted pounding out flames with blankets and hollering about bring buckets of water from the river, Lillya wrapped her book securely in her blanket and stowed it in her pack. She would find out what was going on at home. They were headed back to Crystal Palace today. Everything was going to be fine. Well, except for breakfast, because oatmeal with berries had just turned into a flaming bucket of charred substance unidentifiable as food. The girls¡¯ panic was hardly warranted. Issabeth rolled her eyes and pulled out her special weapon, the pearl. Once, Tansy had gotten the bright idea she could use the pearl to turn the castle bright orange, but the instant she touched the innocent-looking orb, it threw her back with a jolt so powerful, she skidded three lengths and her hair stood on end. Tansy¡¯s response was to giggle and proclaim, ¡°Taurin, try this,¡± but they all got a lecture on how powerful the pearl was before Tansy could talk anybody into her shenanigans. Aunt Issabeth could do just about anything with that milky white sphere. Right now, she held the white ball forward. A focused, spiraling wind swept up the fire, pushing the unnaturally red flames in on themselves until the struggling red tails extinguished in a puff. ¡°If you¡¯re going to cheat,¡± Issabeth scolded the girls, ¡°at least do it correctly.¡± They were all a little hungry when they set off from camp, but that was to be expected after the pitiful breakfast the girls had been able to salvage from the food remnants they had left. Even Pepper abandoned them to find his own food. Aunt Issabeth told them it served them right and if they had really been out on their own in the wilderness, they would have been in bad shape right about now. She also veered off course just a little, which was going to send them right through an old orchard on the edge of an abandoned Naxturaen town. ¡°Ruby,¡± quizzed Issabeth as they hiked, ¡°if you needed to find water right now, what would you do?¡± ¡°Climb a tree and search for lakes or streams?¡± she suggested. The girls tittered in laughter. No matter the survival scenario, they always seemed to wind up solving the hypothetical situation with tree climbing. ¡°I hope you lot are half monkey,¡± said Issabeth dryly. ¡°Any other suggestions?¡± ¡°Stop and listen,¡± suggested Jadelynn. ¡°Thank you,¡± praised Issabeth. ¡°Always a good first step. And easier than climbing trees. Lil?¡± Lillya and natural water sources were not the best of friends after yesterday. ¡°It¡¯s still morning, so there should be plenty of dew on the leaves still in the shade,¡± tried Lillya. ¡°You could drink that.¡± ¡°Interesting solution,¡± admitted Issabeth. ¡°Unless you end up drinking dew off poisonous leaves.¡± Iris snorted and elbowed Ruby. On their first survival expedition, they had survived about half a day before Ruby had to come home after sleeping in a bed of poison ivy. Issabeth let Mama give the girls a crash course in plant identification before they tried again. Issabeth was a big believer in learning by doing, but even she had to admit there were a few things that really could be learned from books and experts. ¡°I live in the mountains,¡± Ruby defended herself. ¡°I¡¯d never seen poison ivy before.¡± ¡°Come on, ladies,¡± coaxed Issabeth. ¡°What do you know about water?¡± ¡°It goes downhill?¡± said Iris. ¡°So¡­¡± Issabeth rolled her hands, indicating they should expand on that revelation. ¡°Head downhill to find water?¡± offered Pippa. ¡°Congratulations, Pippa,¡± declared Issabeth. ¡°You¡¯ve won a pouch of jerky.¡± Issabeth tossed over a drawstring pouch stuffed with fragrant dried meat. Pippa became very popular.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°How do we know which direction we¡¯re traveling, Ivyliss?¡± Issabeth continued after the joy over the food had subsided. Ivy suggested a map, Ruby fought for using bread crumbs¡ªfairy tale style, and Lillya chimed in with moss. Since no one could remember which side of anything moss grew on, the whole debate ended in a compromise. They decided to climb a tree. ¡°Umm, Sorceress,¡± interjected Iris. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re going the right way.¡± Every head swiveled in her direction. ¡°Why would you think that?¡± said Issabeth. ¡°Well, look,¡± was all Iris said, pointing to a footprint in the mud. Nobody lived anywhere near this area. The Glade was slowly being resettled largely by the families of the Sorceresses in training, but Issabeth had taken her survival course group away from the slowly growing towns and villages on purpose. So either they were near a town when there was no way they could have traveled far enough to be near a town or somebody else was wandering around out here, or¡­ Lillya had noticed something. ¡°Jadelynn, why is your boot caked in mud?¡± ¡°I got stuck in the mud hopping over a branch an hour ago,¡± Jadelynn answered, sticking out her foot. The footprint was suspiciously Jadelynn-sized. Iris understood immediately. ¡°Was it that branch, Jade?¡± She pointed to a suspicious branch, suspiciously jutting out at just the right angle to block the mud from a passerby. ¡°Well, how could it be,¡± Jade snapped, ¡°unless¡ª¡± Her breath caught in her throat and her irritated expression shifted to alarm. They were going in circles. ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Pippa argued. ¡°We¡¯ve been going the same direction all morning.¡± ¡°Anything¡¯s possible in the Glade,¡± murmured Issabeth, glaring at the bootprint. ¡°Girls, anybody have any way to test for sprites or other wood pests?¡± ¡°Lillya did the presentation on magical woodland creatures,¡± offered Ruby. Sure, but she had focused on cute woodland creatures, like the tufted ploofump, not the devious ones. She tried to remember. ¡°Sprites travel in packs, and are attracted to lone travelers, mostly. I don¡¯t think they¡¯re powerful enough to play tricks on this many of us at once.¡± Suddenly, the shady woods around them seemed awfully claustrophobic. The light breeze was chilling. Was that a branch snapping off to the right? Had the leaves been rustling that loudly all morning? ¡°Where¡¯s Pepper?¡± Lillya realized aloud. The coal black jaguar could make short work of most foes, but not if he couldn¡¯t find them. Jadelynn was ready to panic. ¡°Did we get stuck in an ancient Malum trap?¡± ¡°D¡ªdark magic can¡¯t survive in the Glade,¡± remembered Ruby. ¡°The Malum have their ways,¡± Issabeth muttered to herself. She pulled out the pearl and rolled it in her hands. ¡°Help me out,¡± she asked it softly. ¡°Where are we, really?¡± As if the landscape was melting wax, the trees around them shifted from leafy and green to monstrous and twisted. The ground, previously a rich coating of needles and forest underbrush, became hard and rocky. ¡°Where are we?¡± whispered Ruby, her voice trembling. ¡°Not in the Glade,¡± answered Lillya, feeling a cold chill race down her skin. A darkness rushed in on them like a thick, rolling mist. The girls responded by tightening in, drawing closer to Issabeth. Issabeth responded by dropping her pack to the ground and drawing her bow. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to whoever brought that fire powder getting it out right about now,¡± Issabeth said quietly. Yellow eyes glinted next to a tree, just visible through the dark mist. ¡°Pepper?¡± asked Lillya, stretching out a hand. A growl rumbled from the haze and more eyes sprang up around the girls, pinning them in. ¡°Let¡¯s see how you do at climbing those trees, shall we?¡± Issabeth was still quiet, but firm, a drawn arrow ready to pierce anything that might leap from the murky haze. ¡°Jade. Ivy. Help the shorter girls. Go.¡± An order from Issabeth was just slightly scarier than a freak mist filled with menacing creatures. Terrified, Lillya dropped her pack. She had forgotten the book entirely, but there was no time to dig through to rescue a garbled message anyway. Next to her, Pippa dumped the contents of her pack on the ground and made a grab for a pouch. She had been responsible for the fire after all. Lillya was snatched up by Ivyliss who pushed her up into the lower branches of a tree before she could process what was happening. Lillya scrambled for footing, pulling herself up just before Ruby was shoved into the branches underneath her. Issabeth glanced behind to check on their progress. The second her eyes left the perimeter, the creatures pressed forward boldly, heads just visible through the mist. They did look like Pepper¡ªwaist-high hulking black cats stalking their prey¡ªbut there were half a dozen of the creatures, and the look in their eyes was menacing. ¡°Don¡¯t try me, furball,¡± threatened Issabeth, stretching the string of her bow taut. The creature to her right pounced. Issabeth swiveled and fired. Lillya¡¯s heart hurt to see the beautiful jaguar drop with an arrow between its eyes, but she had no time to mourn. Two more creatures flung themselves at Issabeth. Fire erupted as Pippa tossed down her volatile fire powder. Something was not right with her mixture. The flames shot up as high as a ten length wall, disabling the creatures¡¯ attacks, but also lighting the edges of their temporary tree safe havens on fire. Lillya felt sharp pinpricks on her skin. She was sensing something out there. She wished so desperately in that moment to have magic as powerful as her mother or Tansy, magic that could blast back these creatures or at least tell her what she was sensing in the mist. Trying her hardest, she held up her hands and conjured a weak wind. It buffeted the mist, pushing it back just enough to see large shapes that had been standing out of sight. The shapes looked like people. One pointed in her direction, right at Lillya¡¯s hiding spot in the tree. Issabeth fired an arrow at the half visible figures, but her arrow sailed through nothing. The figure she had fired at was gone. The second was already raising hands. Lillya squinted to see, but the dark mist was faster than her eyes, rolling forward to hide the figure once more. Lillya tried to redouble her efforts at wind, but the mist strengthened to combat her, and the prolonged effort made her woozy. Smoke stung her eyes from the growing fire licking at the girls¡¯ trees. She coughed, and it was all she could do to hang on to her branch without tumbling to the ground. The air cracked. A dark tear ripped open the very air just as Lillya¡¯s low branch snapped and tumbled. She hit the ground with a thud, slamming the wind out of her. Arms grabbed her, lifted her, and tried to shove her toward the tear. She kicked and struggled, but the figure was bigger and stronger, and she was inhaling smoke. She choked and coughed, barely able to breathe let alone struggle. A dark furry head sprang up through the smoke, and Lillya tried to scream, winding up only producing a choked coughing squeal. Instead of feeling teeth rip into her skin, she felt a jolt from her captor and a loosening of arms. An angry exclamation implied the person holding her had faced the wrath of the animal. Lillya writhed out of those loosened arms, dropping to the ground. She was able to gasp in a breath or two down lower and scramble away from the rushing portal and the chaos. Voices yelled, and smoke billowed everywhere. Lillya¡¯s head hurt and spun. She was dizzy and light-headed from her fruitless magic and the smoke. A head nudged her. She looked into yellow eyes and tried to scream, producing a hacking cough instead. The head lunged in at her. She was sure she was dead until she felt black fur nuzzle her cheek. ¡°Pepper,¡± her raspy voice greeted him. ¡°You found me.¡± Smoke and mist rushed toward the tear in the air, and she grabbed onto Pepper while leaves and rocks pelted her. The black tear pulled harder, and Lillya found herself sliding toward it. She tried to dig her feet into the ground as her fingers lost their grip on fur. She slid, scrambling to grab onto the hard-packed ground. Her fingers caught the edge of a protruding root, and she held tight, eyes squeezed shut as dirt and leaves pounded on her face and arms. Smoke and mist flew past her. All she could do was hang on. Something grabbed her leg. Hands. She kicked, but the jolt loosened her grip on the root anchoring her to the ground. She flew toward the tear with nothing left to stop her. Smoke and inky mist poured into the tear with her, and she felt an icy stabbing chill. ¡°Lillya!¡± called Aunt Issabeth. At least she thought it was Issabeth. The rushing wind was so loud, and rocks kept pelting her in the face. Just as the tear was about to swallow Lillya, she was shoved back. She slammed to the ground as the tear crackled and sealed shut. All at once, the wind stopped. Branches and rocks fell to the ground all around her. Lillya buried her head under her arms, hearing thudding sounds of falling debris rain on and around her. Then, everything was quiet. ¡°Aunt Issabeth?¡± she tried to choke out, but her throat was so dry with smoke and dust and panic, the sound just came out as a wordless croak. Besides, Lillya could tell Issabeth was gone. The Art of Spying Rosaliy Rosaliy had not needed one more responsibility on her plate, but she could hardly say no to Alexander. Truth be told, she had just a little bit of a crush on him. In her defense, everyone did. He was practically perfect. She was even a touch envious of Drake that Alexander found him so intriguing. She was the opposite of interesting. She may have had a skewed perception after living in a palace where everyone was extraordinary, but even her revolution-minded parents were more interesting than she was. At least Drake was willing to humor her blatant spying. That made fulfilling her obligation easier, although she was the wrong person for this job. After retrieving a platter loaded with enough food to keep a person occupied for sufficient time to be plied with questions, she took Drake to a nook in the Great Hall with the benefit of being in a sunny, public space with all the advantages of being hidden from prying eyes and ears by a curtain of flowering vine between two columns. He immediately settled into the spot completely hidden from the view of passersby but with the best vantage point into the Hall itself. So far, she had discovered this Drake was a reasonably pleasant Baysellian who seemed happy to lounge on a quiet set of marble stairs and eat spiced pepper rolls by the plateful. Beyond that, she learned he was familiar with the desert which seemed notable. If she was skilled in the art of spying, she might have been able to press this topic in a sneaky way that would pull out information, but she was not skilled in the art of spying, and he would see through her. He was clearly not interested in talking about himself. In lieu of actual facts, she took to guessing. Maybe he was involved in one of the Bayselle Castle riots a few years back. Queen Kat had been clear she would tolerate no violence at her neutral gathering, so maybe he was hiding his connections. Rosaliy eyed Drake as he finished off some crispy kale chips. He looked strong, like he could handle himself in a fight. His face tightened¡ªa flash of an expression that was a combination of quizzical and pained. She was staring. Now she was not just a poor detective, she was a rude poor detective. She had already broken her original promise. Drake was interesting. "Am I keeping you?" she asked suddenly. "You must have something to do." "Actually," he admitted, downing his third glass of cucumber water, "the more free time I have, the more of Cliff''s speeches I have to listen to. You''re doing me a favor." She had a hard time believing that. "Do you work for him?" A bemused smile crossed Drake''s face. His neutral expression was devoid of emotion, and she liked the smile better. "I just came to make sure Cliff didn''t get himself into trouble. The stretches between towns are crawling with bandits and the like. Getting himself into trouble here in a cushy guarded palace is all on him." See, it seemed like he was talking about himself, but he was actually talking about Cliff. This Drake was tricky. "I have a few friends like that," she mused. "Well, had, I guess. It''s been a long time." "Since...you''ve had friends?" That did sound pathetic. "Well, I still hear from them now and then," she defended her friendlessness, "but here I''m sort of, well...in between." How had this conversation shifted to being a heart-to-heart all about her? "There are Queen Kat and her family and such, and then there are all the students, and then there''s...me." Drake''s expression was now tinged with some kind of pity. "It''s not sad," she objected, annoyed. "I''m very busy with the students, and I get to study magic with Athena and Issabeth." He grabbed what must have been his eighteenth pepper roll. He was mainly picking at them in an absent way now. She felt sure Alexander would have had Drake half mapped by now. He asked, "Why there aren''t other Sorceresses your age around?" "Because I was the first," she answered absently. How had this conversation gone so off track? "Kat showed up on my doorstep eight years ago and asked if I''d like to train at Crystal Palace." "There has to be more of a story there," he said, propping his hand on his chin. "You''re more interesting than you give yourself credit for." "What I do is interesting," she admitted. "I''m not sure if that makes me interesting." Honestly, she lived in a palace with a five-year-old who could melt walls and men who turned into horses every day. She was not even remotely magically unique. "Hmm." He furrowed his brow, thinking that over. "Isn''t what you do who you are?" "A part, I suppose." She shrugged. "But one of the things we teach is that having magic doesn''t define you. It''s what you choose to do with the magic." Drake took that in. "I like that." His guarded eyes and a calm demeanor were a frustrating shield to what he was really thinking. "I don''t normally talk about myself this much," she apologized. "You should." She tried to determine if he was genuine or purposefully shifting the conversation to her to avoid other topics, but she got avoided eye contact and a half smile in response. Maybe he was just shy. "You''re very good at not talking about yourself," she muttered. He shrugged and popped a stuffed olive in his mouth. Rosaliy officially gave up. She exhaled a breath, the stress of the day catching up to her. "Maybe I have just enough time to change before¡ª"The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. "Rose," interrupted a loud voice across the hall. Her hidden nook was obviously not hidden enough. "There you are." She winced involuntarily. "Is there a smug-looking Baysellian behind me?" she whispered to Drake. He tipped his head to catch a glimpse between two columns. "Yes, indeed." "Has he actually seen me," she continued whispering, "or do I have time to hide?" "He''s seen you. I, however, might be able to escape," Drake offered. His tone was teasing, but he did seem poised to flee. "Don''t you dare," she hissed. "If I''m stuck, you''re stuck with me." Like a wild dog, running would just encourage Matias to follow her. She turned to catch sight of him across the Great Hall. He grinned and sauntered over in a way he clearly thought was charming. Matias was one of Sorceress trainee Jadelynn''s older brothers. The last time Rosaliy had the misfortune of seeing him was a few months back when he had dropped off Jadelynn for training. Sorceress arrival was Rosaliy''s busiest time, and she had hardly noticed he was following her around until he decided to rise to the challenge of being ignored. He co-opted the kitchen staff into trapping her in a fancy dinner for two. The Crystal Palace staff dearly loved attempting to throw Rosaliy together with people her age, so they were happy to comply. She knew from experience their criteria for suitable men did not extend much past having a heartbeat and a respectable family, but even so, it was insulting for them to assume she might not have higher standards than Matias. He had been born a Baysellian prince, and despite being ousted from that cushy position eight years ago, he still behaved like if the world just knew better, it would revolve around him. After an entire, painful dinner, Rosaliy felt confident he would not remember one thing about her. Matias'' saunter hit a snag when he noticed Drake. Even his cocoa skin turned an amusing shade of burnt red. "What are you doing here?" Matias accused Drake. Did Matias know Drake? Drake showed none of the recognition, however, so maybe this was just Matias exhibiting some sort of twisted possessiveness. "Having lunch," was Drake''s calm answer. He leaned his arm against the table, and suddenly he was what Rosaliy would describe as threatening. Funny, she had not found him intimidating before, but now he seemed like a coiled snake. The change was fascinating. Her urge to flee from Matias was tempered by her curiosity. Matias'' eyes flipped from Drake to Rosaliy and back again, like if he stared hard enough, one of them would morph into someone else. He opened his mouth a few times to speak, but nothing came out. "Do you know what he is?" Matias settled on. Drake did not like that question. He flinched, just barely, before settling back to a forced nonchalance. Maybe Matias'' presence was useful after all. "You two know each other?" Rosaliy asked. "Of course not," Matias bristled, recoiling from her words. "I know of him, but I would never associate with¡ª" He huffed out a breath instead of finishing. Rosaliy could not give him the pleasure of knowing more than she did about Drake, which was petty, but his information was biased anyway. "Knowing of" was not a substitute for knowing. As far as she was concerned, his snobbishness toward Drake was a huge mark in Drake''s favor. "Well, that works out well," she said cheerfully, "because we were just leaving." Since Matias was blocking their exit to the Great Hall, she grabbed the platter and bolted up the marble stairs behind them instead. Drake was happy to follow. Matias watched them go with slightly bugged out eyes and a slack jaw. "He''s not going to appreciate that," Drake muttered when they were safely out of hearing distance. "Well, he deserved it," she replied, leading them through a stuffed pantry and into the bustling kitchens permeated with the best smells of the four protectorates. "I won''t disagree, but you just made yourself an even bigger challenge," Drake pointed out. "There''s no winning with that man," she complained, setting the platter next to a large, soapy vat. "Who even thinks like that?" The question was rhetorical, but she was interrupted by a soap-splattered man with pruny fingers. "Afternoon, Rose!" he said cheerfully. "I heard the prince of Bayselle was looking for you." She didn''t bother correcting him over the defunct title. "Thank you, Tomin," she sighed as he beamed and took the platter. Both the man and the tray were soon absorbed back into the rush of bodies keeping the busy palace running. Drake had been tense, but he relaxed by the time they left the kitchen, clearly stopping a grin from taking over his face. "Matis is not your type?" he asked innocently. "I''m not sure I have a type," she sniffed, "but he is the opposite of. Is he anyone''s type?" "He''s quite popular back in Bayselle," Drake mused. "I''d say inexplicably so, but he does have a family fortune. You should think about it." He was working doubly hard to swallow that grin now. All the threatening aura was gone now, like it had been a figment of her imagination. "Don''t push me," she teased, "or I''ll go back and listen to all the lovely things he thinks he has to say about you." That killed the grin, and she felt sorry for saying it. "Do you make everyone you meet that angry?" she asked in an attempt at recovery. "Just about," he agreed. "Arrogant, hot-tempered Baysellians especially." At least she had learned one thing about him, just before she was going to have to set him free. She really had to change clothes. Before she could do so, she was stopped in her tracks by a soft, "Rosaliy, there you are." Queen Katyrinna was draped in violet robes the color of her eyes. Her gauzy layers flowed naturally over the bulge in her stomach. She was more regal than normal today¡ªpinned hair with wispy raven curls strung with silver and pearls. Just for today, no one would have guessed she was more comfortable in secluded woods than a palace full of people. Drake tensed, straightening like he was snapping to attention. He really was nervous around royalty. "This is Drake from Bayselle," Rosaliy introduced. "High Queen Katyrinna." "Nice to meet you," said Katyrinna, her eyes acknowledging him politely and then hovering on him, a questioning look flickering across her face. Drake tipped his head politely, keeping his own eyes on the ground. Kat never appreciated the formality of nervous guests, so she shifted her curiosity to a friendly smile. "I hope you feel welcome here." "Thank you," was his inscrutably polite reply. Rosaliy was unable to tell whether he felt welcome or interrogated. Perhaps Kat had better luck peeking into his shell, but if she did, she didn''t show it. Kat turned back to Rosaliy. "This morning..." "Tansy was trying to turn a butter gourd into a carriage," Rosaliy explained. "I should have guessed," Kat murmured. "Was anyone hurt?" "No, of course not," Rosaliy assured her. "Just a mess. I had Tansy clean it up...mostly." When Katryinna nodded, dark tendrils of hair brushed gently across her face. "I don''t know what I would do without you, Rose." Rosaliy beamed with pride. Kat treated her like an equal, but she was as starstruck around the beautiful queen as the first day they met. Kat''s pearl-adorned head swiveled to what appeared to be a goat-themed tapestry, but to what was actually something calling her attention from much further in the distance. "He''s here." That woman was phenomenal at keeping track of people. Rosaliy would never be able to sense people with half the precision of the Naxturaen queen, partly because Kat was so much more powerful than Rosaliy, and partly because Kat found every person precious in a way no one else could. She could sniff out someone having a bad day in a heartbeat and had been known to drop everything to tend to the cut finger of a chef''s assistant. In particular, Kat could see her favorite people coming from lengths away. A smile lit up the queen''s face. "Would you two fetch Alexander, please?" she asked, setting off with amazing speed for someone as pregnant as she was. Apparently no changing would be happening. "Maybe I could find my own way back to my rooms," Drake suggested. "To be out of the way." Rosaliy would have gladly set the poor man free, but it was too late for him. "I hear I''ve been summoned?" Alexander''s voice interrupted her, closely followed by the man himself. Drake''s exit was cut off. "Back to where we all started," Rosaliy agreed. Direction Lillya The portal had sucked the smoke and mist with it before it closed, but remnants of fire still smoldered in the branches of their trees. The girls had to come down eventually. Jadelynn dropped out of her tree first. One by one, the rest of the girls thudded to the ground like soot-smeared, frightened monkeys. Lillya was already on the ground, and she did not bother standing. Her hands were shaking, so she wrapped her arms around herself and tucked her trembling hands under her elbows. Pepper rested his head in her lap. Ruby was sobbing. The rest looked stunned. ¡°I think they¡¯re gone,¡± whispered Ivyliss, because somebody had to say something. ¡°What if they come back?¡± choked Ruby through her tears. ¡°What were those things?¡± Jadelynn asked dully. Everybody¡¯s eyes gravitated to Pepper. The attackers had looked just like him. Nobody wanted to say it. Had anybody seen the people but Lillya? Aunt Issabeth had. Lillya tried to call for her, but her voice would not cooperate. ¡°Are we all here?¡± asked Iris. ¡°Is everybody ok?¡± ¡°There¡¯s only five of us,¡± Ruby panicked. ¡°You¡¯re not counting yourself,¡± Jadelynn snapped back. ¡°Aunt I¡ªIssabeth,¡± Lillya stuttered, hardly raising her voice high enough to be heard by her fellow trainees, let alone the missing woman. ¡°It sucked her up,¡± blubbered a frantic Ruby. ¡°That black tear thing. It took her.¡± ¡°Calm down, Ruby!¡± Jadelynn snapped. Her tone was not calming. ¡°She¡¯s here. Somewhere.¡± She had to be. The girls searched as far as they were willing to venture, calling her name and looking behind the nearest trees for signs of her. Pepper did not even rise to look, which sent chills through Lillya¡¯s heart. Eventually the girls stopped their search, reconvening in a dejected, soot-streaked huddle around Lillya and Pepper. ¡°Maybe this is just a test,¡± suggested an expressionless Jadelynn. Nobody believed that. ¡°I did not make fire powder that strong,¡± mumbled Pippa out of nowhere. ¡°I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± said Lillya. She wished she could stop trembling. Pippa opened a pouch and peered inside. ¡°I¡¯ve made it a hundred times before. It¡¯s never done anything like that.¡± ¡°Good thing it did,¡± muttered Jadelynn. ¡°Those creatures would have killed us all.¡± ¡°But I didn¡¯t do it,¡± insisted Pippa. ¡°Look. Look at these purple crystals.¡± She thrust out a handful of the powder. It was filled with dull purple rocks. ¡°Who added these?¡± she accused. Nobody took the credit. Blame? Lillya had half an idea, but just the half inside her brain where nothing was connected to anything else. Somebody had modified that fire powder. Without the malfunctioning fire powder, they would not have burned breakfast or changed direction to head toward the orchard. Had the powder saved their lives or put them in danger? ¡°Pippa, calm down,¡± ordered Jadelynn. ¡°And put away the super-charged fire powder, ok?¡± ¡°What are we going to do?¡± sniffled Ruby. Five girls looked Lillya¡¯s way. Most of them were older and far more capable of taking care of themselves in the wilderness. Jadelynn was the natural leader. Ivyliss was the oldest. Still, there were odd times when they all defaulted to Lillya like she had the answers. She did not feel like she had stellar leadership qualities, nor did she like being in charge, but Papa said it was just one of those things people expected from her. What would Aunt Issabeth do? Lillya cleared her throat and hoped her voice was steadier than she was. ¡°We need to get out of here. Grab your packs if they¡¯re still here.¡± Trembling fingers retrieved packs. Pippa stuffed her strewn objects back into her bag. Issabeth¡¯s pack just sat there, discarded. Lillya reached for it. It felt like heartache. Plus, it was heavy. She could not haul this pack in addition to her own. They were going to have to redistribute the useful items. Lillya dug into Issabeth¡¯s pack, feeling sick to her stomach. If Aunt Issabeth came around the corner and saw¡ª A lump formed in her throat. That would be wonderful. She would be so happy to run three furlongs as punishment if her aunt popped up behind a tree and said this was all some elaborate ruse. ¡°We need to split up some of these things,¡± Lillya forced herself to speak aloud. Dejected scavengers, the girls took blankets and cooking supplies, hooks and poles. The group was rapidly overloaded, but they had no idea where they were and no idea what they might need. Eventually the pack was light enough for Lillya to carry. She slung it and her own bag over her back. ¡°Looks like I have half a day¡¯s worth of emergency food,¡± said Lillya, trying to sound hopeful. ¡°Let¡¯s find some water, eat, and figure out what to do.¡± She looked at the dark, gnarled trees in all directions. ¡°Which¡ªwhich way do we go?¡± ¡°Downhill,¡± more than one girl murmured. They chose a course and set off together, a blackened, scratched-up, and generally bedraggled group. They walked in silence, giving Lillya too much time alone with her thoughts. Those people, whoever they were, had come for her. She was sure of it. They would come back to finish the job. She wanted to be home so badly. ¡°Listen,¡± exclaimed Iris.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. Lillya¡¯s heart was thudding in her ears too hard to listen, but Pippa exclaimed, ¡°Water!¡± Suddenly they were running as fast as their overladen packs and the hard-packed root-strewn landscape would let them. The sound of rushing water grew louder as they ran, until they broke out of the trees and stopped, open-mouthed. Packs thudded to the ground as they marveled at the sight of a waterfall high above them, plunging down from towering cliffs. Sunlight sparkled off the roaring water. ¡°This is Diamond Falls,¡± said Lillya. ¡°I know where we are.¡± Little good knowing did. They were on the wrong side of the Ascleon mountain range in terrifying Thorn Forest. No wonder the trees looked malevolent. Half a day of travel south would put them in Bellican territory. Lillya had met a few Bellicus, and she preferred not to take a chance on their hospitality, no matter how fond they were of her mother. It was a good place to stop. Lillya dug out the remaining food from Aunt Issabeth¡¯s pack, and the girls distributed it evenly. They were going to need another food source soon. ¡°If we follow the river,¡± suggested Jadelynn, ¡°maybe there¡¯s a quiet place where we could fish. We have all the fishing gear.¡± The girls agreed on this course of action, but no one wanted to move right away. The waterfall was stunning, and the sunlight was welcome. Lillya used the time to dig through the rest of Issabeth¡¯s pack. She found some climbing equipment at the bottom, shuddered over what Aunt Issabeth envisioned them climbing, and moved to the pockets. A hard, flat object was sealed behind one. ¡°Of course,¡± Lillya exclaimed, digging out the object with trembling fingers. The mirror! Aunt Issabeth could use the enchanted mirror to communicate with Crystal Palace. The pocket refused to open, despite her frantic tugging. Lillya stopped and breathed. The pocket was securely tied. She could barely convince her hands to be still long enough to undo a knot, but she persevered. Ruby and Pippa had taken notice of her excitement, and they gathered. ¡°What is it?¡± asked Iris, joining in. ¡°It¡¯s the mirror,¡± said Lillya proudly, finally gaining access to the pocket. ¡°Now all we have to do is contact¡ª¡± She pulled out the mirror with a flourish, and broken shards flung out of the pocket. ¡°No,¡± she breathed, watching slivers of mirror tumble out onto the hard ground. ¡°No, no, no.¡± ¡°It¡¯s an enchanted object,¡± insisted Ruby, desperately grabbing for the shards on the ground. ¡°Can¡¯t we just put it back together?¡± ¡°The coating on the mirror was enchanted,¡± disagreed Pippa dully. ¡°It won¡¯t¡ª It¡¯s not going to work.¡± Still, Ruby tried to reassemble the pieces. ¡°Stop it, Ruby,¡± chided Jadelynn. ¡°You¡¯re going to cut yourself.¡± Lillya¡¯s tears came in earnest now. It was better to have no hope than to lose it all at once. Iris wrapped her arms around Lillya. ¡°It¡¯s ok, Lil,¡± she promised. ¡°We¡¯ll be ok.¡± It was such a beautiful, caring lie that Lillya just sobbed harder. Ivyliss came over, and soon they were six girls in a forest alone, crying and clinging to each other, even Jadelynn who had six older brothers and was as tough as they came. True to form, Jadelynn broke the huddle first and sniffed back the rest of her tears. ¡°We get that over with?¡± she said, pretending to be annoyed. ¡°Let¡¯s go catch some fish or something.¡± The girls scattered with new purpose, filling water containers and repacking to carry the extra equipment. Lillya finished digging through Issabeth¡¯s bag. It felt wrong, but if her aunt had embarrassing secrets, she would not have brought them on a week-long camping expedition with six nosy girls. Besides, the idea of being yelled at later was comforting. She reached her hand into another pocket on the outside of the sack and unearthed a folded piece of thick, unnatural paper. ¡°What¡¯d you find?¡± asked Ruby, and suddenly Lillya had another audience. Hopefully she was right about that deep, dark secret thing. She unfolded the paper with the texture of no plant fiber Lillya had ever touched. Where there should have been creases, the paper was still smooth. And yet, this mysterious object had been wasted on one of the worst landscape drawings Lillya had ever seen. It was an ugly birds-eye view of mountains, maybe, but they looked like jagged circles all inside each other for no reason. The only color aside from the boring black ink lines was a single red dot. It was sort of below the squashed mountain range. ¡°Oh, good,¡± exclaimed Ruby. ¡°At least we can figure out where we¡¯re going now.¡± Everyone stared at Ruby. She knew something they had all missed, which was odd for Ruby. She may have been a gemstone savant, but she was not usually the first one to figure out useful solutions to problems. Ruby must have noticed the blank stares. ¡°It¡¯s a map,¡± she declared. All eyes drifted back to the paper. ¡°I don¡¯t know, Ruby,¡± said a disbelieving Jadelynn. ¡°It kind of looks like¡ª¡± ¡°My three-year-old sister trying to draw flowers,¡± interjected Iris. ¡°It¡¯s from on top,¡± countered a smug Ruby, clearly enjoying her moment of superiority. ¡°Because the Ascleons are so tall, sometimes maps of Taragon have to show height, too, so the mountains look like rings. The red dot is us, right by Diamond Falls.¡± She jabbed at the map. ¡°See, that¡¯s Crystal River and the Trikle.¡± Lillya readjusted and looked again at the squashed art. She was unsure whether to laugh or cry. They were a long way from Crystal Palace, plus their path was blocked by a wall of mountains. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like there¡¯s any way through those mountains,¡± noted Pippa glumly. ¡°We¡¯ll have to go south and around,¡± pointed Ivyliss. ¡°It¡¯s so far,¡± moaned Iris. ¡°How will we ever¡ª¡± One obstacle at a time,¡± interrupted Lillya, although there was plenty to moan about. As the leader of this expedition, it looked like she was going to have to pick optimism, no matter how she was feeling. ¡°Great job, Ruby! This will save us so much time.¡± She handed the map to a beaming Ruby. ¡°First, we fish and find a safe place to sleep.¡± The girls seemed to accept Lillya had any idea what she was doing, and they shuffled off to finish shoving their things into bags. Issabeth¡¯s pack was empty now, and Lillya considered leaving it behind, but she could not. She folded up the course fabric and hugged it to herself. As they walked downstream, Lillya thought. She thought about what had attacked them and why they were after her. If magic was involved, these people were confused or misled if they had chosen her over Tansy. She gasped and stifled her dramatic reaction with her hand, checking to see if her companions had noticed. Luckily, they were too tired and absorbed in their own problems. That was good, because she did not want to explain her panic. What if Crystal Palace was under attack? And with no High Sorceress to defend it! Was she aggrandizing the problem? Grandmama said she and her siblings were always doing that. She could see baby Tansy, stomping her foot in front of Grandmama. ¡°Not aggwandizing!¡± Tansy hollered. ¡°End of world! End of world!¡± End of world to Tansy might have been a playdate ending too soon or fallen ice cream. This seemed more serious. In this case, Grandmama would have told her Crystal Palace was a magical fortress, and they would have to be pretty powerful to attack it, whoever ¡°they¡± were. That was probably why they tried to kidnap Lillya outside the castle¡ªout of the Glade, even. She stopped dead in her tracks. She was still in danger. Her friends were in danger by proximity. If she ordered them to go a different direction, could she survive on her own? Was that the right thing to do? ¡°What¡¯s wrong, Lil?¡± asked Iris. ¡°I think,¡± Lillya squeaked before clearing her throat and trying again. ¡°I think they were after me. So if we go opposite directions, you can hurry to Taragon and get word to Crystal Palace. Then I can hide, and none of you will get hurt because of me.¡± They had all stopped their forward progress at this point. Five sets of blue eyes and one pair of feline brown eyes blinked at her. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± snapped Jadelynn first. ¡°They were after me,¡± Lillya repeated. ¡°They? The big cats?¡± asked Pippa, confused. ¡°No. I saw people, and one of them grabbed me. Aunt Issabeth¡ª¡± The words caught on a lump in her throat. ¡°She saved me.¡± She tried to clear her throat again.¡±I don¡¯t want any of you to be in danger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what Sorceresses do,¡± Jadelynn shot back, annoyed. ¡°They face magical danger. Set things right. How pathetic would we be if we left you?¡± She rolled her eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t even suggest it again.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not split up, Lillya,¡± said Ruby, ¡°especially if you think somebody might try to do something bad to you.¡± So, just like that, Lillya was overruled. So much for leadership. At least she managed to catch the biggest fish for dinner, so she was not entirely useless. Family Reunions Drake How had this happened? Drake¡ªwhile trying his best to escape notice¡ªwas now smack in the middle of a family reunion. The only thing currently saving him was the fact that everyone was too busy to notice him. Drake was happy to embrace the shield of invisibility as long as it lasted. He was shocked to have survived the run-in with the Baysellian once-a-prince unscathed. Being this close to the royal family of Crystal Palace was just tempting fate, or the much-deserved punishment for a lifetime of bad decisions. ¡°How is your project coming?¡± Alexander asked Rosaliy as they walked back to the entryway. ¡°Terribly,¡± she shot back. ¡°You know I¡¯m the worst person for a task like that.¡± Drake wasn¡¯t particularly vain, but he was sure they were talking about him. Alexander grinned. ¡°I do. But you also have fantastic instant impressions about people.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she said, diffused by the flattery. ¡°Well, they¡¯re good. Secretive, but likable.¡± Of all the things that might be engraved on a tomb plaque for him some day, he would take that one. Of course, that was assuming Drake¡¯s dead body was buried and not unceremoniously pitched into the ocean or left to rot in the high desert. By the time Alexander, Rosaliy, and a reluctant Drake arrived at the entryway, Kat had flung open the doors with a sweep of her hands. Had the dark-haired queen recognized him? For an instant, he thought she had. Rosaliy hung to the side just outside the massive palace doors while Alexander and Kat went forward to greet their guests, and Drake gladly stayed behind with her. Two men were just making their way up the wide stairway to the palace doors. One was a soldier garbed in a brilliant red cape embroidered with the silver Kianne wolf. The other was an unkempt version of Alexander: wavy golden hair, green eyes, and a billowing shirt under a fitted scarlet vest. ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Drake asked. ¡°Corin himself,¡± Rosaliy agreed. ¡°I¡¯m out of touch with current Kianne fashion trends, but he probably reflects them.¡± Yes, if Alexander¡¯s style was a subtle opulence, Corin screamed wealth and a careless stupidity that made him an easy mark. No wonder he traveled with a personal soldier. ¡°Hale!¡± Kat exclaimed, ignoring the Kianne Prince to greet the soldier with an effusive hug. That was the King of Kianne, Drake realized with a surprise that was rare for him. This man exuded no evidence of the airs of his position, even though ten years seemed plenty of time for anyone to be cozy with the comforts of his royal role. To the best of Drake¡¯s understanding, the soldier had been given the title by the rightful Queen, Issabeth¡ªAlexander¡¯s older sister who had returned from the dead to become Katyrinna¡¯s Head Sorceress. Understanding might have been stretching the extent of Drake¡¯s limited knowledge of the situation. Ten years ago, there had been a war spear-headed by the Queen of Kianne¡ªAlexander, Corin, and Issabeth¡¯s mother. Katyrinna had summarily stopped the impending war and deposed her, although stories about how she had accomplished this varied wildly. Hale hugged Katyrinna warmly in return, although awkwardly around her stomach. ¡°Wonderful to see you, Queen Kat,¡± he greeted her. ¡°You look radiant.¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I keep saying.¡± Alexander grasped Hale¡¯s hand. ¡°Hmmph,¡± she disagreed. ¡°Brother,¡± greeted Alexander with less enthusiasm, holding out his arm. His disheveled mirror image, Corin, grasped Alexander¡¯s arm in reply, then the arm of a reluctant Kat. When he bent forward to kiss the Queen¡¯s cheek in greeting, she jerked backwards like he was a viper ready to strike. ¡°Don¡¯t even try it,¡± she threatened politely. ¡°How was the journey?¡± asked Alexander with an amused smile. ¡°Long and boring,¡± Corin whined, turning to Hale. ¡°Can we submit some sort of proposal for the building of inns with entertainment along the route from Kianne to Crystal Palace.¡± ¡°You go right ahead and draft that proposal,¡± agreed Hale. ¡°I look forward to hearing the logistics and long-term impact of your plan.¡± Alexander snorted. ¡°Where are the children, dearest?¡± Kat leaned in to ask Alexander quietly while Corin expanded on his entertainment thoroughfare idea. ¡°Safely under Chandra¡¯s thumb,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯m sure the second they hear¡ª¡± He was cut off by a pair of shrieks. ¡°Uncle Corin!¡± yelped a girl with a flurry of wild, dark curls. A boy with his own mop of messy, dark hair was not far behind. Corin scooped both of them into a giant squeeze. ¡°You¡¯re huge,¡± Corin accused. ¡°What have you been eating?¡± They clamored, ¡°What¡¯d you bring? What¡¯d you bring?¡± Corin gestured to a servant behind him, and the man lugged forward a huge trunk. Drake sympathized. During this, Drake heard someone swoop in behind him. He pivoted to the threat unconsciously, but found a servant with an apron full of giant pockets stuffed with odds and ends. He forced his tensed muscles to relax. If he thought he was under suspicion now, attacking a palace servant would do him no favors. The zealous woman thrust a jacket at Rosaliy. ¡°I knew you wouldn¡¯t take a moment to change,¡± she fussed, flipping out a brush from a pocket in her apron. In a flurry, she attacked Rosaliy¡¯s hair, yanking out a tangle of dried gourd and more than a little of the hair it had been attached to. Somehow, in the same motion she dropped the brush back into the mysterious apron supplies, she managed to scoop Rosaliy¡¯s hair back into a tidy golden ponytail. When and where the woman had produced a fat blue ribbon to tie the hair, Drake could not have guessed. Rosaliy slipped on the jacket. ¡°Thank you, Chandra,¡± she tried to say, but the woman had already moved on to keep the rest of the palace running smoothly, no doubt. ¡°Are things always this¡­busy?¡± asked Drake. ¡°Every day,¡± Rosaliy answered. As Corin fiddled with the clasps on the trunk, an irritated Kat shook her head. Alexander wrapped an arm around her and murmured in her ear. ¡°I know, I know.¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. A new arrival objected before Kat could. ¡°Tansy hardly deserves presents after today.¡± Just as he had with Chandra, Rosaliy¡¯s entire body tensed like she was going into attack mode. Unlike him, she did not relax when she turned to see the new arrival. In fact, every eye turned toward the tall blond woman with piercing ice blue eyes like they had been commanded to attention. ¡°But, Grandmama,¡± begged Tansy. ¡°Tell me what happened,¡± said the unmoved grandmama. Drake made the connections slowly. If these were Kat and Alexander¡¯s children, their (living) grandmother was the deposed Kianne Queen. First of all, age must have been too afraid to touch the woman in the last ten years. Only a few lines around her icy blue eyes and mouth betrayed that she was made of flesh and not a menacing flesh-colored stone. More importantly, by all rights, she was a prisoner in this castle, yet no one seemed to find her sudden appearance odd. Well, Rosaliy did, but her objections were voiceless. ¡°Isn¡¯t she a prisoner here?¡± whispered Drake. Rosaliy huffed out a breath that indicated as annoyed as she appeared on the outside, she was doubly annoyed on the inside. Meanwhile, Tansy had launched into an explanation about carriages and pumpkins. ¡°But all Zetta found was a butter gourd,¡± she complained, as if butter gourds were life ruining. The story was having no visible effect on Daniella. She crossed her arms and stared down at the little girl. To her credit, Tansy weathered the same gaze that had caused more than a few dukes and countesses to crumble. ¡°Try again,¡± said Daniella. Not even Tansy was foolish enough to withstand that tone. She was momentarily cowed. Family dynamics were well outside Drake¡¯s area of expertise, but the way this woman had instantly recentered the attention of everyone on herself fascinated him. Even as a prisoner, she was powerful. Katyrinna took the girl¡¯s hands. ¡°Accidents happen, firefly, but you could have hurt the children.¡± Tansy sighed heavily, her scrunched face scanning her mother and her grandmama for a chink in their resolve. She shot a glance to her father for help. ¡°You¡¯re on your own, Tans,¡± he told her. ¡°I don¡¯t know how many times we¡¯ve talked about exploding fruit in the house.¡± She cast her eyes sullenly to the floor. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for blowing up a butter gourd,¡± said a mostly penitent Tansy, ¡°and for making such a mess.¡± ¡°What will you do differently next time?¡± demanded Daniella. ¡°Next¡­time?¡± Tansy peeked up at her with hopeful green eyes. ¡°There is always a next time,¡± Daniella said coldly. Strangely, Tansy perked up. ¡°Umm¡­¡± thought Tansy. ¡°Outside, maybe?¡± ¡°Good start.¡± ¡°And a safe distance,¡± Tansy suggested. ¡°Wise precaution.¡± ¡°And a real pumpkin for sure.¡± ¡°Try supervision,¡± interjected Alexander. ¡°Oh,¡± grumped Tansy crossly, ¡°everyone is always busy.¡± ¡°I¡¯m game for exploding fruit,¡± offered Corin. ¡°Perhaps you are not the most responsible choice,¡± countered Daniella, ¡°but I have all afternoon.¡± ¡°Really?¡± squealed Tansy, clapping her hands. ¡°If you intend to learn something,¡± Daniella replied coldly. Her harshness had no impact on Tansy¡¯s joy. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a big white carriage with gold bells all over so it jingles when it rolls,¡± she daydreamed with an exaggerated sigh as punctuation. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Kat asked Daniella. ¡°Our absence will make your negotiations easier,¡± pointed out Daniella. That was true. Most of Bayselle and Daniella were not on good terms. Most of the world and Daniella were not on good terms. ¡°Hmph,¡± sniffed Kat, forehead tightening at the reminder. ¡°Perhaps I should join you instead.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry Hezbellina didn¡¯t cooperate with your plan to use her as an excuse to miss the meetings,¡± teased Alexander, lightly touching Kat¡¯s stomach. ¡°You¡¯re not serious.¡± Kat¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°Hezbellina?¡± ¡°Just softening you up for my real favorites,¡± he replied. ¡°This is a boy, anyway,¡± she said. ¡°You have been wrong every time,¡± Alexander pointed out, ¡°but Hezberto is a rather wonderful name.¡± At some point just before this, the conversation split. Daniella was busy quizzing Tansy on proper use of magic. The boy no one had named was busy encouraging a caterpillar he had found inching its way along a railing. Corin was arguing with his servant on how exactly to open the trunk, which entailed him struggling to open the trunk incorrectly and the annoyed servant unable to intervene until the prince-of-sorts admitted defeat. Rosaliy went forward to grip Hale¡¯s arm and chatter about goings-on in Kianne. The royal couple continued chattering about their baby. Drake would have been happy to leave the couple alone, but he feared movement would burst the tenuous shield of invisibility. ¡°Are you completely certain there isn¡¯t a chance he might be born today,¡± Kat asked hopefully, fingers caressing her stomach. ¡°Not a chance,¡± Alexander laughed. ¡°Have you forgotten already?¡± ¡°You are very mobile,¡± she agreed, furrowing her brow. ¡°You¡¯re taking the elixir Talyrin brought for you?¡± ¡°Considering the twins were nearly the death of me five years ago, I am happy to take anything anyone tells me to.¡± Kat frowned at the flippant response. ¡°Of course I did,¡± Alexander said, leaning forward to kiss her cheek. The boy squeezed himself in between them. ¡°You hear?¡± he demanded to the bump on Kat¡¯s stomach. ¡°You are supposed to be a boy.¡± Katyrinna ruffled his dark mop of hair. ¡°Mama, look at my new friend!¡± bubbled the boy. He dug a toad out of his pocket and thrust it at her. ¡°He¡¯s beautiful,¡± Kat cooed, petting the lumpy, gray toad on the head. ¡°How did you manage to sneak him on your person under Chandra¡¯s watch?¡± Alexander asked, not seeing the beauty in the toad. ¡°He lives in the waterfall bath,¡± the boy explained. ¡°No,¡± corrected Alexander. ¡°No, he doesn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m going to be so good,¡± Tansy interrupted hopefully, clasping her hands and looking from her uncle to her mother, ¡°I must deserve my present.¡± ¡°Presents!¡± Corin announced without waiting for further debate, throwing back the lid of the finally-open trunk. The twins peered inside, green eyes glowing with excitement. Corin pulled out a deep blue piece of fabric dotted with golden fireflies criss-crossing their way across the blue with glittering golden lines. When he pulled the stiff fabric from the trunk, a long, glistening ribbon spilled out behind. He passed it to Tansy, who hugged it with delight. ¡°It¡¯s a kite!¡± exclaimed the boy, half in the trunk now, helping to pull out a sky blue kite decorated with a giant, soaring seabird. There were plenty of ¡°thank you¡¯s¡± and hugs. Katyrinna¡¯s twins might have been rambunctious and a little spoiled, but their gratefulness and joyful spirits were redemptive. ¡°Where¡¯s Lil?¡± asked Corin, pulling out a deep purple kite with butterfly wings. ¡°Off on a survival expedition with Issabeth,¡± Alexander answered. ¡°That sounds horrible,¡± gagged Corin. Rosaliy had returned to Drake¡¯s side. ¡°They are horrible,¡± she said quietly so only Drake could hear her, ¡°and I grew up on a farm in the woods.¡± The Head Sorceress did have a reputation for being someone nobody wanted to mess with. ¡°Let¡¯s go fly them right now!¡± exclaimed Tansy. ¡°There¡¯s hardly any wind today,¡± noted Corin with regret. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to be a problem,¡± chuckled Alexander. His eyes caught Rosaliy¡¯s. ¡°Would you keep watch over this?¡± ¡°Up for some kite-flying and freak wind storms?¡± she asked Drake. He hesitated. As alarming as continuing the trend of slowly being absorbed into the royal family might be, this would keep him out of the meetings and away from Cliff, Matias, and the pirates. ¡°Would you rather listen to a few trade proposal speeches?¡± Rosaliy offered. His answer was quick and enthusiastic. ¡°I haven¡¯t flown a kite in forever.¡± ¡°You¡¯d better hurry up, then,¡± she laughed. The children were already down the stairs and bounding away from the line of birch trees into a sunny clearing, followed by wide tails of colorful ribbon. ¡°Is all of that normal?¡± asked Drake. ¡°And then some. You haven¡¯t even met the horses.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s attention was diverted by Daniella reentering the palace. ¡°You don¡¯t like her,¡± Drake noticed. She blinked at him, blue eyes bringing him back into focus. ¡°Was I staring? I¡¯m trying to break that habit. I swear she can read my thoughts.¡± ¡°Can she?¡± he asked. That did sound like a distinct possibility in this place. ¡°No,¡± Rosaliy grumbled, ¡°she¡¯s forbidden from using magic, but she is eerily skilled at reading people.¡± She went back to glaring at the now-closed palace doors. This reaction was personal. ¡°You two have a history?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve spent half a day dodging questions. I think I deserve one,¡± she grumbled in a fit of uncharacteristic question dodging. ¡°You¡¯ve heard of her, haven¡¯t you? All the things she¡¯s done?¡± ¡°She¡¯s legendary,¡± Drake agreed. ¡°I would have used other words.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think people can change?¡± he asked. ¡°She¡¯s proof that people can change,¡± admitted Rosaliy. ¡°Her depth of knowledge of magic has been invaluable more than once, and she¡¯s amazing with Tansy. I¡¯m just not sure how much they can change. Or how susceptible they are to falling into old patterns, especially when those old patterns are, say, turning people into a dead army.¡± ¡°Mmm,¡± he murmured in unvoiced agreement. Of course people never really changed. Just then a wind picked up. Rosaliy stopped glaring at the innocent doors and snapped back to attention. ¡°I¡¯d better supervise before the poor birch trees are leveled. Again.¡± What had Drake gotten himself into? Shelter Lillya When their stomachs were full, the girls had no distractions from their overarching problem, which was being a group of children stranded in an unfamiliar wood. Ivyliss splayed herself on large rock by the fishing hole and whined, ¡°We need a plan.¡± Jadelynn flipped the older girl¡¯s silver blond hair over her face. Ivyliss spluttered and sat up. ¡°Stop moping,¡± Jadelynn snapped. ¡°We have to assume those people Lil saw are looking for us.¡± Ruby had been investigating her map, but at this she nearly dropped it. ¡°Why?¡± she gasped. ¡°Why do we have to assume that?¡± ¡°Maybe Sorceress Issabeth got them,¡± agreed Iris. ¡°I hope so,¡± Lillya sighed. ¡°But we can¡¯t assume,¡± added Jadelynn like a bucket of cold water. ¡°There are some caves nearby,¡± Ruby suggested. Ruby loved caves. She might even be able to tell if something was living inside. Pepper could easily keep guard at the entrance. ¡°Getting out of sight for the night would be a good idea,¡± agreed Lillya. ¡°Tomorrow, my mother will be looking for us.¡± Instant calm washed over her. Mama could find her anywhere, and nothing was stronger. She could snap a few would-be kidnappers and their overgrown guard cats like twigs. They just had to make it through tonight, and everyone would notice they were missing. She clapped her hands together. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving!¡± She was less cheerful hours later when the sun was setting, filling the eerie forest with dark patches, long, jagged shadows, and the scuttling of creatures. ¡°Are we close, Ruby?¡± she asked, trying not to be cranky with her friend. ¡°The caves should be just ahead,¡± insisted Ruby, consulting her map. ¡°But that¡¯s what you said hours ago,¡± snapped Jadelynn, not trying not to be cranky. ¡°I know, but it¡¯s all flat ground from here to there. There has to be an entrance close this time. See?¡± Ruby pointed, but nobody saw. They were lucky Ruby could make sense of the map at all, even if she did have trouble judging distances. The red dot was changing location as they moved, but that just made the map more confusing somehow. Actually, the red dot remained at the center while the map changed around it. Maybe that was what was so confusing. On they trudged through the gray, gnarled landscape full of the most awful trees Lillya had ever seen. Her mother hardly ever talked about growing up in Thorn Forest, but she did admit once the trees always seemed to be watching her. Out of the corner of her eye, Lillya swore she saw eyes in the twisted gray trunks and flashes of movement just out of her field of vision. Sometimes she was sure she heard the trees creaking, even though there was no wind in this dank place. The air hung here, heavy and damp and smothering. Pippa¡¯s head swiveled. ¡°I feel like if I could just turn around fast enough, I¡¯d catch a branch trying to grab me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re just imagining things, Pippa,¡± grumped Jadelynn, because it comforted her to disagree and not because she believed being grabbed by a tree was impossible in this place. ¡°Ew,¡± complained Ruby, foot sinking to her ankle in muck. ¡°Careful, everybody. I think we¡¯re in a swamp or something.¡± She turned her map upside down and cocked her head, which was not comforting. Another long creaking sound floated past, and another, but the sounds were louder now and plaintive. They were the nearby echoes of whimpering. Girls¡¯ heads turned, and Lillya was relieved the sound was not in her head. ¡°Nope,¡± argued Jadelynn, although no one had spoken. ¡°We are not investigating crying in a dark forest. I know how that story ends.¡± ¡°It sounds like an animal in trouble,¡± said Iris. Iris once tried to rehabilitate a badger with a broken paw, so she had an unmatched soft spot for animals. Unmatched in this group, anyway. Lillya¡¯s brother Taurin had once barricaded himself in a storeroom to save a family of spiders from dusting. He refused to come out until he had safely relocated every single one of his eight-legged friends. He would have saved the webs, too, but the entire event stretched way past bedtime, so he finally conceded defeat and let Grandpapa Tal carry him to bed. A piercing whine sounded all around them. Pepper dashed ahead. ¡°No, Pepper, stop!¡± cried Lillya, and she ran after him. Her boots squished in soft, mucky ground. Pepper was oblivious, bounding from tree root to tree root. He followed the whimpering to a brown bundle of leaves, wrapped up tight like a head of rotting lettuce. ¡°Pepper, come back,¡± Lillya called, hopping across what looked like a shallow pit of sludge. ¡°I am not crossing a swamp,¡± complained Jadelynn. ¡°This is a terrible idea.¡± ¡°Look! The caves,¡± exclaimed Ruby. ¡°I told you they were close.¡± She was right. The dark maw of a vine-draped cave was just across a stretch of oozy swamp. The distance was not far, and it was too dark to come up with a better plan. ¡°We can make it that far,¡± insisted Lillya, balancing herself across a wide root. ¡°We need to stay close together. Don¡¯t let anybody get stuck.¡± The girls hopped their way over to Lillya, who made her way to Pepper, still sniffing the whimpering plant. ¡°What is it, Pepper?¡± asked Lillya. The plant was bigger than it looked from a distance¡ªabout knee height, nestled at the base of a twisted tree. Despite its disgusting appearance, it smelled a little like braxismelon and mint. Melon smelled delicious after their long trek. ¡°How does anything even grow here?¡± Ivy¡¯s question was more of a complaint. Pepper snuffled the plant, and a few clenched brown leaves trembled and loosened. The big cat bounced backwards, ears and body flat, ready to pounce. ¡°Come on, Pepper,¡± begged Lillya. ¡°Get away from that.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The plant tightened in on itself and began whimpering again¡ªthe same shrill cry over and over. ¡°Leave it alone, Pepper,¡± grumbled Pippa, the first to come up behind Lillya. She grabbed Lillya¡¯s arm to steady herself. Pepper ignored both of them. He gave the plant a sharp smack with his paw. Leaves unfurled all at once, and a sticky, grasping tendril shot forward from the innards of the plant. Pepper leaped out of reach, so the little tendril flailed around while the wide leaves of the plant opened further. It was searching for its prey. A sickly croak sounded from deep inside the plant, and something quivered. A toad was trapped in the goopy maw of the plant. Half the toad¡¯s skin had dissolved away. It croaked again and tried to make a leap for freedom. The plant¡¯s tendril shot back inside the plant, spiraling around the poor toad and pulling it deeper inside. Iris shrieked, and Pippa jumped back, and that was when the trouble started in earnest. Jostled by Pippa, Lillya half tumbled off her root platform, and her boot sank into the sucking swamp. As Lillya struggled to yank her foot out of the ooze, Pippa screamed in earnest. Lillya turned to help her, and now both feet were sinking in the muck. A tree-sized plant was behind them, wide open and grabbing for Pippa with a tendril as big around as a grown man¡¯s wrist. Pippa was trying to grab a knife from her pack when the tendril shot around her legs, knocking her flat on her face. Pippa gave up on the knife and beat the plant with her pack while it dragged her inside. Leaves encircled her, gobbling up the pack first, grasping tendrils shoveling the bag into its plant stomach. Ivyliss grabbed for Pippa, managing to lock arms with her right when the plant erupted in a fiery explosion. Blazing plant bits flew everywhere while the plant still tried to drag Pippa into its burning mouth. Pippa kicked and screamed. Ruby and Ivyliss each grabbed an arm and tugged. Using Issabeth¡¯s bow, Jadelynn tried to fire an arrow while the plant flopped and struggled, nearly hitting Ivyliss, who was hacking away at the tendril still wrapped around Pippa. Luckily, Jadelynn¡¯s shot was short, and the arrow was sucked up by swamp muck. Ivyliss sliced through the tendril, and Ruby and Ivyliss tumbled backward, landing just short of what appeared to be a moving river of thick swamp ooze. Jadelynn pulled Lillya out of the muck she was busy sinking in, and that was about when the buzzing started. ¡°Get to the cave!¡± screamed someone. It might have been Lillya, or it might have been someone else screaming what she was only thinking. They bounded over tree roots toward what seemed like safety, but the buzzing creatures were not similarly encumbered by the uncertain footing. A swarm of flying insects swept over them. Lillya felt tiny pinpricks on her skin like hundreds of tiny needles. Her head clouded, and she stumbled, nearly tumbling into the swamp river. Next to her, Ruby keeled over. Lillya grabbed for her friend, but her arms were like noodles. They flung in Ruby¡¯s direction, brushing against her as she tumbled into the river sludge. The rolling ooze carried Ruby away and sucked her under. The other girls stumbled as well, most sinking to the ground. Piles of insects landed on the bodies, a black blanket swarming with tiny flapping wings. A miserable Pepper spun and swished his head from side to side as the malevolent insects swarmed his exposed eyes and mouth. Lillya flailed her tiny attackers away. A rush of panic cleared her head. Quick healing was her only useful magical gift, and she was grateful for it now. ¡°Help!¡± she screamed, although she did have the presence of mind to wonder what kind of help she was calling for in the middle of a swamp that was clearly trying to kill them. A buffeting wind streamed behind her. Lillya turned, and there was the most beautiful creature she had ever seen. It was a brilliant white animal, like a horse, but it had giant feathery wings, stretched wide. Those broad wings beat the air, driving away insects with each powerful sweep. Predisposed to trust helpful horses, Lillya waved her arms to get her new equine friend¡¯s attention. ¡°Ruby,¡± she exclaimed, pointing to the swamp river. ¡°Help! She¡¯s sinking!¡± Two more horses dropped down into the swamp, one spotting the sinking girl. He reached to scoop her up by using his teeth to clamp down on the clothes on her upper back, like a snowy white, winged mother cat. He deposited Ruby on the shore where she coughed up sludge and struggled to wipe swamp muck off herself. ¡°Are you ok, Ruby?¡± called Lillya. ¡°My head¡¯s fuzzy,¡± coughed Ruby, ¡°and I smell so, so terrible. I¡¯m going to throw up.¡± Ruby sounded ok. She had been bitten fewer times since she had been covered in swamp mud. Her other friends were not faring as well. The first horse approached cautiously and sniffed at Lillya. ¡°Are you a person?¡± asked Lillya. The horse cocked her head quizzically at the question and craned her head to inhale a whiff of Pepper. ¡°Do you know us?¡± she tried next. The beautiful steed nuzzled her hair. Apparently her new friend was just a horse. A flying horse, yes, but not a horse that sometimes turned into a person. ¡°You¡¯re a pegasus,¡± she realized, feeling silly for not remembering the familiar story before. She had only begged her father to tell the story of how pegasus had carried her parents over the Ascleon Mountains for three moons straight. ¡°Can you take us home?¡± she begged. ¡°Please.¡± Her horse tossed a soft whinny back to the others. Two more pegasus swooped down from the darkness, and they worked together to gather up Lillya¡¯s friends. A pegasus grabbed hold of each arm and hauled one girl at a time onto another pegasus¡¯ back. When they were all loaded, the pegasus lifted off, leaving Ruby and Lillya with the original pegasus. Lillya had finally reached her friend. She hugged Ruby and regretted the decision pretty quickly. ¡°You do smell terrible,¡± she told Ruby. ¡°Ugh,¡± said Ruby, brown slime sliding down her hair. The last pegasus was waiting, but Lillya remembered Pepper. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry, Pepper.¡± She hugged his soft, muscled body and stroked his fur. As an afterthought, she pulled the ribbon from her hair and grabbed a sickly-looking leaf from the ground. Mama would recognize it. Of course, the girls would be home before Pepper, but he had a way of traveling faster than a jaguar should be able to travel when nobody was watching him. She managed to knot the ribbon around the leaf and attach it to his tail. He tolerated this; he¡¯d been subject to much worse with twins in the palace. Pepper bumped her leg with his head and sat back on his haunches. He wanted to make sure she was safe before he left. Lillya hoped he would be safe. ¡°No swatting crying plants,¡± she chided him, big furry head in her hands. Helping Ruby onto the waiting pegasus was no small task. Through a combination of tall roots, knees, shoving, and pulling, both of them ended up safely on the pegasus¡¯ back. Their ride wasted no time once they were seated. She gathered her legs under her, and in two hoofbeats, the flying horse had launched into the air. Each thrust of her wings shot them higher and higher¡ªfirst through the branches of the tall trees, then into the sky. Her father described the experience as harrowing, but Lillya found it exhilarating. She took time to wave at the sparkling stars. One never knew when they were watching. Now would be a great time for some nosy stars. ¡°Wow,¡± breathed Ruby. ¡°You can see for furlongs up here.¡± They could, and the view was amazing. A river glinted straight below, and the moon lit up the snowy mountain tops of the jagged mountains just ahead. Snowy mountain tops? ¡°Ruby, do you still have that map?¡± ¡°Sure don¡¯t,¡± answered Ruby. ¡°I¡¯m lucky I have my head.¡± Lillya did not need the map to tell her they were not heading toward Crystal Palace when the caravan of pegasus veered toward Diamond Falls, flapping their way up the mountainside next to the rushing falls. Lillya could feel tiny droplets of icy mist against her skin. She watched distant pegasus disappear one by one into the crags of a mountain peak. The pegasus were not taking Lillya to her home. They were taking her to their home. Ruby and Lillya¡¯s pegasus swooped in a spiral, and they could see the wide, rocky expanse below as she came in for a landing. On the flat peak above Diamond falls, there were dozens of giant nests made with twisting branches, white feathers, and springy moss. Pegasus dozed inside them, and some of the large bodies were wrapped around little gray foals. These babies were hard to see; they were nearly the same color as their rocky habitat. While Lillya¡¯s pegasus touched down and trotted to a stop, the others had already landed. Those pegasus nestled their passengers in an empty nest, tugging moss around the disoriented girls like a cozy blanket. Hopefully swamp insect stings were something that could be slept off, because Ivyliss, Pippa, Jadelynn, and Iris were not waking up. ¡°Water,¡± gasped Ruby the second she slid from the pegasus¡¯ back. The falls emerged from the rock here, like a gushing fountain. She scrubbed the swamp sludge from her skin and hair, even though the punishment was to end up shivering cold. When she was clean, she stared off the cliff, pointing straight down. All Lillya could see was churning white water below¡ªfar, far below. ¡°How are we going to get out of here?¡± whispered Ruby. Daniella Rosaliy "Rosaliy," said the panicked voice, "I need your help." That was a phrase Rosaliy heard more often than she would have expected around this place. Normally she had a sense of pride being in such high demand, but her bedroom was dark and chilly, and Kat''s face was all Rosaliy could see before her, lit by an eerie blue, magical light. It was a scene straight out of a nightmare. "What time is it?" slurred a groggy Rosaliy. "Not yet dawn. I''m sorry to wake you." Kat was anxious with purple-rimmed eyes. She was not sorry, and that jarred Rosaliy awake more than anything. Kat never demanded anything. "What''s wrong?" Rosaliy asked, throwing on a robe and jamming her feet into slippers. "Issabeth and the children were supposed to return yesterday evening, and I can''t find them anywhere." "They have to be in the Glade," countered Rosaliy stupidly. The anxious blue face shook. Of course Kat had checked the Glade. "That''s impossible," stammered Rosaliy. She was two for two on ridiculous statements. Impossible was the standard around here. She tried again. "Sorceress Issabeth must have found one more test for them¡ªsomething that took longer than expected and makes the girls hard to locate." "I was sure, too," whispered Kat, "but I still can''t find them." Kat could easily find Issabeth, the pearl, or her own children anywhere in the Naxturaen Glade. Rosaliy switched her slippers to the correct feet and collected her slowly-waking thoughts. Kat was an Empath, and she functioned best when she was in control of her emotions. Rosaliy would do her part to stay hopeful and calm. "Something is definitely not right," she acknowledged, because saying Kat was imagining things would be a lie. "But this is Issabeth. Nobody is better equipped to keep those girls safe." "You''re right, Rose." Kat gave her a tremulous smile. "Now where can I help you look?" asked Rosaliy, wrapping her robe around herself. Somehow the extra layer of warmth did nothing to battle the chills running up her spine. "I thought I might be having trouble searching with Tansy and Duck so close. I was going to head out from the palace." "Would you like me to come or do something here?" It was another silly question. There was nothing Rosaliy could do here. "I''ll get dressed," she volunteered before Kat bothered responding. If Rosaliy was an expert on something, it was being ready for anything. She was no stranger to middle-of-the-night adventures. She was just about awake by the time she and Kat were outside in the dark. "Where''s Alexander?" Rosaliy asked, hurrying after the urgent queen. "It''s the middle of the night," answered Kat. The time it would take to wake him was problematic. "Sorceress Athena?" "Already looking for traces of magic in the Glade." "Can the Naxturae do anything?" Rosaliy hated to suggest their intervention, but this was just the sort of desperate situation the powerful sky ancestors might do some good meddling in. As expected, Kat was unhappy with the suggestion. "We''re between cycles of the moon." She glared skyward as she hurried along. "They can''t do anything tonight." Even Kat had considered the Naxturae, an especially bad sign. "Talyrin?" "Out," Kat sighed. "Patrolling off¡ª" She stopped so suddenly, Rosaliy was forced to stumble to her own halt. They peered into the darkness. Rosaliy saw solid black, but Kat had sharper senses than she did. "Just back," Kat amended her statement. With concentration, Rosaliy was able to pick out the shadow of a horse moving toward them. In a blink, where once there stood the shadow of a horse, barely visible against the dark night, now there was a man striding their way. With the exception of Kat and her children, the few living Naxturae were trapped as horses during the day but free to shift into men at night. This particular horse was the aforementioned Talyrin, Kat''s father. "What''s wrong, filia?" he asked with his soft, calm voice, steadying arms on her shoulders. "Why are you wandering the night?" Rosaliy was always struck with how similar the two were without being able to put a finger on why. Beyond the dark hair and the same nose, they shared the same quiet sort of determination. "Lillya is missing," Kat rushed to explain. "All the girls are missing." A shadow of displeasure crossed her father''s face. "I can search," he offered immediately. "I was just going to try that," she said, "from the bluffs." He was about to accompany them when another black shadow sped their way. Talyrin slid a bow from his back into position, but Kat stopped him with a hand on his arm. "It''s Pepper," she murmured. The big cat loped to them and whined, curling around Kat anxiously. Kat put a calming hand on the frantic jaguar''s head. "Where are the girls?" she asked.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. He whimpered and bumped her leg with his head. "His tail," noted Talyrin. Rosaliy had just enough presence of mind to recall the firefly stone in her pocket. She withdrew the little rock, and it glowed white at her command, hovering in the air. A ribbon around Pepper''s tail was knotted more than once, and loosening it took all the skill gained through Rosaliy''s experience working with children who had the tendency to create hopeless knots in all manner of things. Once the knot was picked apart, the ribbon slid into Rosaliy''s hand. It was a hair ribbon, still tied around the remnants of a bedraggled leaf. Rosaliy handed both objects to Kat. "I won''t be able to follow Pepper''s trail in the dark," admitted Talyrin, "but at the first light of dawn I can set off with Dmitri." Dawn was not far off, but that was too late for Kat. "I know someone who is an expert at finding people," murmured Kat, rubbing the ribbon between her fingers. With a firm kiss on Kat''s cheek and a promise all would be well soon, Talyrin went to rouse Dmitri as promised. Ribbon gripped in one hand and leaf in the other, Kat headed back to the palace to find her last hope. Rosaliy trailed behind, feeling useless and not enthused by Kat''s next plan. Soon, they were in front of Daniella''s bedroom door. Kat rapped on the door and waited approximately the length of two heartbeats before her hands rose with the intention of opening the stubborn door herself. Before she had a chance, the carved wooden door swung open. Daniella took in the scene before her with a sweep of her cold eyes. She never seemed surprised by the most outlandish circumstances. Kat launched into her pleading request right in the middle. "You can find anyone. Where is she?" Despite Daniella''s nebulous position as prisoner, not a single person in the palace would have dared speak to her that way, with the exception of Sorceress Issabeth. Issabeth would not have received the response Kat did. Daniella cupped both of her hands around Kat''s hand, the one clenching the ribbon. "There are a number of She''s that might be missing at such an hour, Katyrinna. Slow down and embrace specificity." Daniella''s ice calm coaxed words out of Kat. "Lillya should have come back last night, and instead Pepper returned with this." Kat relinquished the ribbon to Daniella, but she gripped the leaf, holding it up as evidence. "Thorn Forest. It''s from Thorn Forest. I need to go to her. I need to know where to go. You can find anyone. Tell me where to go." The words all ran together in a lump, but the threads of meaning were easy enough to pick out. Thorn Forest was news to Rosaliy. Did that mean Bellicus? Or a secret Malum remnant, come out of hiding? "Ah," said Daniella, still immune to the distress of the woman before her. "Your hope may be a bit unfounded and your tense a bit off. Once, I could find anyone. I don''t have the tools." "Whatever you need," Kat promised hastily. "No, Rin," Daniella chided. "This is not a negotiation or manipulation. Anything I might have used is days away in Kianne, locked up in secret rooms for over a decade." Kat''s face fell. It was hard to imagine her being more distraught than before, but she was right on the edge of tumbling into more distraught. "But I will help how I can," promised Daniella, heading off the fall. She stretched the ribbon between her fingers. "How did Pepper carry this?" "It was tied around his tail," Rosaliy answered for her. "Along with the leaf." "Interesting," said Daniella, speaking more to the ribbon and less to Rosaliy. "Purposeful. However, Lillya might have had the foresight to send a strand or two of hair with the ribbon," complained Daniella. That woman would critique the efficiency of someone rescuing her own life. "Perhaps we can narrow down her location anyway." She held out her hand for the leaf, which she brought close to a candle to examine. "The swamp," she murmured. "The swamp?" Kat exclaimed, peering at the leaf. Daniella pointed out the smear of dried brown ooze. "The swamp? How did she get there?" "You''ll have to ask her when you find her," said Daniella. "If she''s stuck in the swamp¡ª" Kat began to panic anew. "Pepper never would have abandoned her." Daniella cut her off. "And my granddaughter would not have sent him away for help when she needed his assistance." She sniffed at the stupidity of the idea. "So why did she feel it necessary to send him now?" Rosaliy was annoyed to be in Daniella''s room seeking help from her, but she was slightly more annoyed to be superfluous to the conversation. "She might have been protecting Pepper from something," she attempted to suggest. "He never would have left her in danger," Kat insisted, finally taking a breath. "More likely they left him," considered Daniella. Rosaliy was now freshly annoyed at how much sense that made. The phrase did nothing good for Kat. "Surely you can do something," she begged. "I once had a handy pool set up to monitor magical disturbances," Daniella sighed, "but, as established, Kianne is distant and in the wrong direction. I''d start with a blanket search of the swamp." "There are so many horrible things in that swamp," Kat fretted. "Then hope they did find a way to leave," Daniella said, refusing to be frazzled. "You don''t believe in hope," Kat pointed out. The corners of Daniella''s mouth twitched. "But you do. Check with Athena while I work with Rosaliy to enchant a traveling object. And wake Alexander. For everyone''s sanity." Kat gladly accepted the orders and left Rosaliy to Daniella''s mercy. "You''ll want to fetch your keys," ordered Daniella coolly. "You need special ingredients for this spell." What Rosaliy wanted was to be working on any other task with any other person, but she did head toward her room to fetch the keys to unlock the cupboards of restricted ingredients in the magical laboratory where the girls learned how to make enchanted powders and potions. She nearly ran into Kaylix in the hallway. The handsome Naxturaen soldier had to pin her with his arms before she knocked them both over in her haste. "Tal sent me to offer assistance." News traveled fast in Crystal Palace, even in the middle of the night. Especially in the middle of the night. "Although I can''t imagine what help I might¡ª" "Bring us a pouch of fresh pine needles, samora leaves, and a cup of coconut milk," Daniella interrupted. His eyebrows rose, but Kaylix was not going to argue with Daniella. She really had no standing to order anyone around, especially Kat''s uncle, but she did anyway. "Is that all?" he asked. "For now." "Meet us in the Sorceress'' training laboratory," Rosaliy added. "Please." He bobbed his head at her and took off. With no other obstacles and Daniella''s cold disapproval urging her to be quick, Rosaliy retrieved her keys. Kaylix nearly beat them to the laboratory, which was fortunate, because Daniella had no tolerance for wasting time. She was more bothered by tonight''s events than she would admit. As terrifying as she was, she loved her grandchildren. She even loved little Taurin, and he was magically useless to her. There must have been some good buried in her somewhere. At least, that was what Rosaliy tried to remind herself while Daniella barked instructions at her. "Might I remind you time is of the essence?" snipped Daniella when a disagreement over shades of dark aquamarine required Rosaliy to start the mixing process all over again. "This would go faster if you did it," Rosaliy suggested, more than a little annoyed at the judgmental hovering. Daniella''s eyes glittered. "I''d do best to keep my toes on this side of that line," she murmured with a tone Rosaliy could not pin down. Was it bitterness? Fear? Condescension? "Then you''re going to have to deal with my inadequacies," Rosaliy muttered, angrily tossing pine needles into a stone bowl. "Hmm..." mused Daniella. "Perhaps that will be my epitaph¡ªdealt with the inadequacies of others." Rosaliy ignored her because she was painting a very thin layer of faint aquamarine goop onto a rock with a hasty tree chiseled on it. "Done," Rosaliy announced, dropping the rock into a small pot of rapidly boiling water to flash harden the coating. The only praise she received was a ceasing of Daniella''s nagging, but that was enough. Rosaliy doused the fire with a handful of enchanted sand and picked the rock out of the water with tongs. "Now we need somewhere to send it," reminded Daniella while Rosaliy admired her handiwork. Rosaliy pocketed the stone, and they were off to find Kat. Pegasus Lillya Lillya slept poorly. Physical and mental exhaustion were no match for the discomfort caused by sleeping in a branch and moss-packed nest. Plus, she was plagued with worry over her friends. Every moment her mother did not come for her, she was sure something had happened at home. She pulled Papa¡¯s book from her pack and hugged the tightly bound paper to herself. Was all this what Arlana the Seer had been warning her about? If so, it had been a terrible warning. Truly awful. The mysterious message told her nothing, she was lost, her friends were poisoned by swamp bugs, and Aunt Issabeth was¡­was¡­something. Tears sprang to Lillya¡¯s eyes. Great, now she was crying. Rocks skittered, and Lillya briefly pondered what she had left to use as a weapon before the nose and eyes of a blinking pegasus foal popped out above the lip of the nest. The spindly gray horse with downy wings scrambled over the high branches of the nest on spindly legs. It nuzzled the teardrops escaping down her cheeks. She reached out a hand to stroke the foal¡¯s dull gray neck. ¡°I want to go home, little guy,¡± Lillya whispered so she wouldn¡¯t wake her friends. Granted, they were all sleeping off malevolent insect poison, but the whisper felt appropriate to the inky darkness. The foal was all sympathy. ¡°Why didn¡¯t she tell me what was going to happen? She could have warned Mama or Aunt Issabeth instead.¡± The foal sniffed through his tiny nose, clearly agreeing the situation was frustrating. ¡°All she said was to take this note to Grandmama, which I can¡¯t do,¡± Lillya continued on, annoyed. ¡°Plus, she said to check again. Check where? Here?¡± She could not see much of anything on the top of a mountain in the dark. Besides, she had not done any checking in order to check again. ¡°Do you have something here that might help me?¡± The little pegasus nestled beside Lillya. ¡°Aw, that does help.¡± She stroked his soft neck and sighed. ¡°Maybe it was a ¡®check what¡¯ and not a ¡®check where,¡¯¡± she reasoned. ¡°But what is there to check? We lost half our supplies down¡ª¡± She stopped. She still had her aunt¡¯s empty pack. Lillya patted down the rough leather pack, sticking her hand in each pocket again, feeling around for anything she might have missed. Encountering another shard of mirror glass did not help her situation, but did give her a nasty cut across her finger. ¡°If there¡¯s something in here,¡± she complained to her new friend between sucking on her finger, ¡°it¡¯s too dark to see it.¡± The foal adjusted himself to a position of maximum comfort, tickly hot breath pouring from his delicate nose onto her arm. Lillya did not want to wake the little thing, so she leaned back on the moss-lined branches around her, still clutching the bag. She dozed until dawn that way, half asleep and half awake, popping awake from dreams about being safe at home and dreams about being attacked by clouds of smoke with fire red eyes. At the first hint of the sun, she was done trying to sleep, and the occupants of nearby nests began to stir. Jadelynn groaned from a nest directly next to Lillya¡¯s. ¡°Where are we?¡± Lillya extricated herself from her nest, careful not to wake her equine friend. She tiptoed over to a groggy Jadelynn, who had moss protruding comically from her white blond hair. ¡°Would you like the good news or the bad news?¡± ¡°There¡¯s good news?¡± grumbled Jadelynn. Seeing Jadelynn awake at all was good news. Granted, she was covered from head to toe in red welts where she had been bitten by those insects, but the effects of the bites seemed to be wearing off. Lillya tried to explain where they were, but Jadelynn¡¯s confusion coupled with the constant interruptions of three more confused girls and Ruby waking up and joining the conversation led to a huge mess. Lillya was unsure what was conveyed by the end. ¡°We are on top of the Ascleons right now?¡± asked Iris, itching at her arm. ¡°Don¡¯t itch, Iris,¡± mothered Ivyliss. ¡°The bag!¡± Lillya exclaimed. She flew back to her nest, starling her little friend. ¡°Sorry, sorry,¡± she muttered, trying to repair the damage done with a calming pat. Too excited for systematic searching, Lillya turned Issabeth¡¯s pack inside out. Nothing but dirt and fluff tumbled out, but she saw the tiny pocket right away. With trembling fingers and an audience, she unbuttoned the pocket and drew out a little metal circle. She stared at it, afraid to hope again.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. ¡°Cedric?¡± Nothing. She shook it back and forth like it was a heavy sleeper. ¡°C¡ªCedric?¡± she tried again. Nothing. ¡°It¡ªit¡¯s not working,¡± she told those five pairs of hopeful eyes. ¡°Or maybe I don¡¯t know how to work it.¡± She had seen Issabeth talk to Cedric on this thing before. Issabeth talked. It talked back. Lillya had never seen Issabeth do anything else. The girls gathered around again. They tried changing locations, blowing on the metal circle, warming it up, and yelling. They gained an entourage of curious pegasus along the way, but they were no help either. ¡°Maybe Sorceress Issabeth is the only one who can use it,¡± suggested Jadelynn. Lillya was not willing to give up that easily. She had seen Papa talking to Cedric with this before. It would work. It had to work. A sharp whinny broke her concentration. The sleepy atmosphere shifted to tension like a rolling wave of anxiety had crashed on the mountaintop. Foals took shelter underneath protective parents, and a large pegasus advanced on the disturbance, stamping his hooves and unfurling his wings, preparing to battle what was coming. If they had been found, Lillya doubted these sweet pegasus could stand long against what was coming. ¡°Cedric,¡± she hollered desperately at the metal circle clasped in her fingers. ¡°Now would be good!¡± Black mist rolled over the edge of the mountain, tendrils stretching onto the rocky peak, searching. ¡°There¡¯s a button,¡± yelped Pippa. ¡°A button in the middle.¡± ¡°Try pressing it,¡± clamored five girls at once. Lillya clamped down. ¡°Cedric?¡± she screeched. ¡°Whoa,¡± was the immediate response of a startled, sleepy voice. ¡°Yelling is not appreciated at this hour. Really any hour. No yelling. Who is this?¡± Lillya almost cried tears of relief, but she was out of tears. ¡°Cedric! It¡¯s me, Lillya.¡± ¡°Lillya? Rin¡¯s Lillya? Why do you¡ª?¡± ¡°They¡¯re coming again. I know it¡¯s them. And we¡¯re stuck and lost.¡± Lillya was having trouble forming thoughts. It didn¡¯t help that the more she spoke, the bigger the lump in her throat got. ¡°And she¡¯s gone.¡± Hot tears rolled down her cheeks. ¡°Calm down!¡± he exclaimed in less-than-calming bark. ¡°I can locate you.¡± ¡°Lil,¡± squeaked Ruby, pointing. The black mist billowed higher. ¡°Found you. I think? How did you get there of all places?¡± asked Cedric¡¯s voice. Six voices launched into a messy explanation. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I asked,¡± he interrupted. ¡°You¡¯re in a protected area, so it¡¯s going to be hard for me to do anything, but¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s not going to be protected for long,¡± snapped Jadelynn. ¡°Not if those things come back,¡± agreed Pippa. ¡°What if they attack?¡± panicked Ruby. ¡°There aren¡¯t even any trees. They¡¯ll rip us to pieces!¡± ¡°Wait, the pegasus are in danger?¡± asked Cedric. ¡°We¡¯re all in danger,¡± screeched Ivyliss. ¡°I can work with that,¡± answered Cedric. ¡°Stay right there.¡± ¡°Where would we go?¡± Jadelynn howled. ¡°It¡¯s getting closer,¡± yelped Iris. They could all see the black mist advancing. It had already poured in as far as the most distant pegasus nests. A few pegasus launched into the air, spiraling to get an aerial view of the disturbance. Most circled back to corral the anxious foals who squealed and stamped their tiny hooves. Lillya¡¯s stubby-winged friend was already trembling under the legs of his mother. She would have done the same if her mother was nearby. The girls stumbled into a huddle, grasping arms. They were a sorry sight: soot-smudged from smoke, covered in red welts, scraped and bruised. At least they were together, but to have come so far just to die helpless on a mountaintop was a terrible fate. Lillya should have forced the girls to leave when she had a chance. A rumbling growl sounded from the creeping mist. A flash of yellow eyes shone from deep inside the billowing blackness. Something scrambled its way over the rocky lip of the mountainside. The huge pegasus was ready to buffet the intruder with his massive wings, but two more creatures crept in while he was occupied with the first. Pegasus in the sky shrieked in warning and dove to attack, knocking the big cats off the mountain. ¡°They¡¯ll just keep coming,¡± Lillya realized. With a crackle, something changed. Everything seemed muffled, and somehow a dome of glass capped the mountaintop. A dark cat flung itself at this barrier, but it was stopped short, paws trying to grab for stability and sliding off instead. ¡°That will hold for a minute, but this problem is going to require a magical solution,¡± said the metal disc. Lillya nearly shrieked and flung it away when it started speaking to her, but she managed to keep hold of it. ¡°Hang tight,¡± it said. They did not have much of a choice. Huge black cat bodies scrambled up the dome until they were right on top of the girls. They snarled and scratched, angered at being so close to their prey and unable to reach them. The girls crept closer to each other and locked arms, forced to wait. A rock appeared before their eyes and dropped to the ground. It had a shiny blue-green coating and a rough tree carved on the face. ¡°What is that?¡± said Iris, reaching for the stone. ¡°Iris, no!¡± screamed at least three girls at once. The other two were about to tackle her. ¡°It¡¯s a transport stone,¡± Lillya managed to choke out. ¡°We need to touch it at the same time.¡± ¡°How can we leave while they¡¯re being attacked?¡± wailed Ruby. ¡°If we leave, they won¡¯t be attacked,¡± Jadelynn argued. The merits of both sides of the argument were hard to weigh through the panic, and nobody moved for the rock. A sparkling band of white light swirled around the huddle of girls and pegasus. It spun faster and faster, growing brighter and larger with each revolution, until Lillya had to shield her eyes. The circle of dizzying light shot out from them, scattering the mist, evaporating the dome, and blasting back the cats, sending them tumbling down the side of the mountain. The pegasus erupted in a frenzy of equine panic, but they were going to be fine. Lillya would recognize her mama¡¯s magic anywhere. ¡°Hold hands,¡± Lillya cried. ¡°We have to touch the stone together.¡± They grabbed hands in a circle and dropped to their knees. ¡°On three,¡± ordered Lillya, holding out a trembling pointer finger. ¡°One¡­two¡­¡± Pandemonium and a Toad Drake Drake¡¯s knife was in his hands, and he was halfway out of bed before his eyes were even open. At least he had nearly stayed asleep until sunrise this time. Normally his hyperactive sense of danger refused to be quiet sometime before dawn, but he had gone to bed tired enough to sleep for three days straight after an afternoon of kite flying. Tansy¡¯s level of enthusiasm was exhausting even without an added ability to control wind, although her tornado may not have qualified as wind or control. He flung the knife to the side, yawned, and closed his eyes, dropping his head back to his pillow. Nothing requiring his involvement was happening in Crystal Palace, this bed was comfortable, it smelled nice, and he was going to take advantage until Cliff dragged him from it. Then the rustle that had woken him up the first time sent him shooting out of bed. He had an entire boot on and half laced before cursing at himself. There were dozens of people down this hallway and a palace full of industrious servants. Since he would have no peace of mind until he investigated the sound, he settled for grumbling at himself under his breath while he finished throwing on clothes. Then he slipped a knife into his boot because he might as well be well-armed against imaginary threats. He ventured into the dimly lit hallway, slipping around the corner. The branches of the draping willow in an alcove were trembling just slightly. Creeping up to the tree, he pushed back the draping branches with his knife. ¡°Croak.¡± Drake nearly jumped three lengths in the air while he simultaneously realized he was staring into the bulbous eyes of a toad. Some impolite words may have crossed his lips if the toad had not been firmly ensconced in the hands of a little boy. ¡°Are you alright?¡± he asked the boy. ¡°Shh!¡± was the response. ¡°Come in.¡± Drake may not have been comfortable with the rules of royalty, but he did know proper etiquette for orders received by hiding children. He sheathed his knife and crawled under the branches. There was just enough room if he accepted having to bend his neck sideways and wedge his shoulder between a few branches. Once he was pinned in, his eyes adjusted to the darkness just enough to realize he was sitting next to a little boy with frightened green eyes under a pile of messy black hair. This was Taurin, the little prince everyone called Duck. He was not a bad kite flyer. That was the extent of Drake¡¯s knowledge. Kite flying had been cut short early when Tansy¡¯s windstorm turned into a thunderstorm and lightning very nearly struck the drawbridge. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he whispered to the frightened boy. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the boy whispered back. ¡°Everybody¡¯s panicking, and I don¡¯t know where Mama went.¡± ¡°Croak,¡± said the toad when Taurin hugged him. Any more attempts at asking the boy what was wrong would produce no additional information at this point. ¡°Let¡¯s find out what¡¯s going on,¡± Drake offered. Taurin nodded, and he scrambled out from the draping willow branches. Scrambling took Drake more effort. Even though the sunrise was just lighting the walls of windows, Drake hit commotion as soon as he rounded the corner to the entryway. The tall palace doors were thrust open, and a group of bedraggled girls spilled into the entryway. Drake had seen shipwreck victims better off. Queen Katyrinna had just reached the entryway. She was one of the most mobile pregnant women Drake had ever encountered. If Drake was Queen, rest assured, he would be lying on a chaise eating grapes all day. A big black blur beat the Queen down the stairs. Drake realized with alarm the blur was a giant black cat, but not a single other person in the room seemed concerned by this. The cat received copious scratching and petting from the disheveled group of girls who were already being examined by servants with towels and bandages. One of the girls broke from the huddle and ran for Katyrinna, breaking into sobs as she wrapped her arms around Katyrinna¡¯s protruding stomach. Katyrinna examined the girl with her fingers. Taurin tugged on Drake¡¯s shirt. ¡°Lil¡¯s back,¡± he whispered. The blond girl was his older sister, then. Drake would not have guessed. Her Kianne features were strong, and she currently looked more like a street urchin than a princess. Drake¡¯s position allowed him to hear the reunion through the rest of the pandemonium. ¡°Are you hurt, Lil?¡± Katyrinna was asking, planting a relieved kiss on the top of the girl¡¯s head. ¡°I don¡¯t think so, Mama,¡± Lillya replied with a trembling voice. ¡°But she¡¯s¡ªshe¡¯s¡ª¡± ¡°Where¡¯s Issabeth?¡± interrupted a voice that did not seem to be coming from anywhere. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± wailed Lillya. She pressed her cheek to her mother. ¡°They took her.¡± Someone took the High Sorceress? Certainly no one had such power. Drake remembered stories about the Malum from when he was a boy, but the current Queen had decimated them. If they still existed, they would not dare a direct attack.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. A relieved voice interrupted Drake¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Oh, Duck, there you are.¡± Drake tensed instinctively while Taurin dashed to his father and was scooped up into a hug. ¡°Thank you for finding him,¡± Alexander said to Drake. ¡°Thistle is scared, Papa,¡± sniffled Taurin, cradling his toad. Alexander patted the toad twice, only wincing a little. ¡°Everyone is safe at home, Thistle,¡± he promised the toad. ¡°Nothing to worry about.¡± ¡°But everybody is worried,¡± Taurin insisted. ¡°Are Lil and Mama ok?¡± ¡°Lil is just fine,¡± answered the named girl, coming over to him. She was streaked with gray and dirt, and she had bits of moss stuck in her clothes. This girl must have had a very trying night. Her father knelt down to fold Lil in a hug and kiss her ash-streaked face. ¡°I¡¯ve got something special for you, Duck.¡± She pulled a sparkling blue rock from her bedraggled jacket pocket and handed it over. Taurin adjusted his toad to grasp the rock in one hand. His eyes lit up, but the edges of his smile soon dipped. ¡°Why are you and Mama so worried?¡± ¡°Everything will be fine,¡± Lillya promised Taurin. ¡°We just¡­¡± She faltered over her words, not as confident as she was pretending to be. ¡°What happened, Lil?¡± Alexander asked gently, running a hand down his daughter¡¯s hair. If he had a favorite child, this was that child. Drake did not consider himself adept at reading people or social cues, but he had a sixth sense for what people found most valuable. ¡°We just lost¡ª¡± Lillya swallowed and tried again. ¡°We lost Aunt Issabeth a little bit. But we¡¯ll find her. I¡¯m sure she¡¯s fine.¡± Lillya forced a trembling smile. Taurin scrunched up his face. ¡°Of course she¡¯s fine. She¡¯s Aunt Issabeth.¡± ¡°Of course, Duck,¡± chirped Lillya in too high a tone. ¡°What a beautiful toad. What¡¯s his name?¡± At the mention of Issabeth, Alexander sped to Katyrinna¡¯s side. Drake could not hear their murmured conversation, but there was plenty of distress and head shaking. When Alexander returned, he was more full of worry than before. Drake wanted to leave, but walking out seemed rude at this point. ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± Drake offered, not sure what to say. Alexander¡¯s stunned green eyes fixed on him, as if just realizing he was there. ¡°Are you an expert in dark magic?¡± asked Alexander. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not that,¡± answered Drake. ¡°Well, then, if you would escort the children to their room, I would appreciate it. I swear Duck is as much of an Empath as his mother, and I can¡¯t be helping his peace of mind right now.¡± Drake was surprised at the request. He thought he was still under investigation. Taurin grabbed Drake¡¯s hand and tucked his toad under his arm. ¡°Lead the way, Princess,¡± said Drake. Lillya headed past the commotion. ¡°¡­saw a tear¡­¡± He happened to catch Katyrinna¡¯s words. Eavesdropping was an impossible skill to turn off. ¡°Cedric, could you take Athena to the spot the girls are describing? See what she can sense there?¡± ¡°A fire near Diamond Falls in Thorn Forest¡ªshouldn¡¯t take me long to locate.¡± Drake caught himself craning his head for a second look. No one near her had spoken the answer. Really, he had no business listening anyway. He followed his guide up a flight of stairs and into a spectacular part of the palace with budding grape arbor walls and moss floors. The black cat followed him nonchalantly. He gave it a nervous backwards glance, but it just perked up its ears at him in a friendly way and kept on trotting behind. Taurin made a stop to ¡°leave Thistle in a waterfall.¡± Those were his exact words. Drake did not follow Taurin to find out what he meant. He figured his delivery job did not give him free run of the palace. Taurin popped back out of an intricately carved door without a toad, so the stop must have been successful. The siblings and the black beast headed next door to a suite larger than any house Drake had ever lived in. A familiar bustling woman appeared with an armful of creams and bandages. Chandra seemed to inhabit every space in the palace at once, from what Drake could tell. ¡°Oh, Lil,¡± mothered Chandra, ¡°you look like you lost a fight with an entire forest.¡± Chandra had already smeared cream over the princess¡¯s arms and was busy wrapping it in bandages by the time she finished her sentence. ¡°It¡¯s basically true,¡± admitted Lillya. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet you,¡± she said to Drake with a tiny curtsy as she was shooed off to rest. He doubted that very much, but she was a polite girl. The cat followed Lillya into her partitioned section of the gargantuan bedroom. ¡°Duck,¡± Chandra chided next. ¡°You gave me five gray hairs running off. Stay in your room this morning.¡± He replied with a scrunched up, unhappy face. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can hunt down a blueberry tart or two for breakfast,¡± she promised more kindly. ¡°But don¡¯t you dare wake Tansy. That¡¯s the last thing we need.¡± ¡°I¡¯d better¡ª¡± Drake tried to excuse himself. Taurin tugged on him. ¡°See my rock collection,¡± he proclaimed, waving the rock with blue swirls. Tansy apparently slept like the dead, and somehow Drake found himself admiring Taurin¡¯s rock collection and playing a game of Curi Dominoes until he was interrupted. ¡°You have a high tolerance for punishment,¡± said Alexander, rubbing his neck like a tense, tired person might. ¡°He cheats.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say cheats so much as continuously changes the rules to make sure he¡¯s winning,¡± Drake answered. ¡°A prince in the making,¡± mused Alexander. ¡°Thank you for staying with him. He doesn¡¯t normally take to people so quickly.¡± Perhaps that meant Drake was free of suspicion. ¡°No.¡± Alexander smiled. ¡°It doesn¡¯t.¡± How did he¡ª? ¡°Did you find Aunt Issabeth?¡± Taurin chimed in, bouncing up. Dominoes scattered everywhere. Alexander looked like he had been slugged in the gut. ¡°Not yet, Duck.¡± Taurin hugged his legs. ¡°She¡¯ll be ok, Papa. Come see my new rock.¡± Drake needed to be somewhere other than in the middle of royal family business. ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can do,¡± he offered. The offer was silly, because kings got to tell people to do whatever they wanted, but at least the useless sympathy was genuine. ¡°Thank you,¡± Alexander acknowledged, already distant. Drake headed to give Cliff a pep talk before his big proposal. At least he thought he was headed that way. He was blindsided by a well-dressed man sporting an angry face¡ªall pursed lips, furrowed brow, and crossed arms. ¡°Hi, Matias,¡± he greeted. ¡°You leave Rose alone,¡± Matias threatened. Drake assumed he meant to be threatening, anyway. Drake sighed. ¡°In what way, Mat?¡± he asked. ¡°She¡¯s free to wander her own workplace.¡± ¡°You know what way,¡± sneered Matias. Apparently Rosaliy had not set him straight. She must still have been avoiding Matias. Surely, a girl like Rosaliy had much higher standards than Drake, something Matias would know if he did not have the sense of a rampaging bull. ¡°Mat,¡± said Drake, speaking slowly. ¡°Rosaliy is not interested in you.¡± ¡°Once she¡¯s not blinded by your lies and your¡ª¡± He waved a hand dismissively at Drake like that finished his half thought about what Drake was. ¡°She¡¯ll see sense.¡± ¡°Good luck.¡± Drake stepped around him, deciding not to care about Matias¡¯s tantrum. It would be a shame to have his anonymity dashed by Matias, he supposed. He had enjoyed being a nobody for a while. Rosaliy would do best to steer clear of Drake anyway. The world was just righting itself, like it always did. Message Lillya Lillya slept the entire next day. Well, almost. At a certain point, she awoke in bleary-eyed terror to Tansy bouncing up and down on her chest, demanding to be told about the flying horses. Chandra plucked her sister away mid-bounce, and Tansy was told to let the princess recuperate. The next time Lillya opened her eyes, light streamed through cracks in the closed curtains, and the room was empty. She grabbed for the fruit, water, and biscuits next to her bed and battled her parched throat to down all three at once. After she had pacified her stomach, she unrolled a bandage from her arm. Only tiny scratch remnants were visible after her day of sleeping and healing. She carried the bandages across the room and set them on the table by the door. She stared at the table, fixated on Papa¡¯s squirrel book. Somehow she had forgotten about the Seer and her warning in the midst of her harried return last night. The door opened, and Chandra stepped through it. ¡°Where¡¯s Papa?¡± asked Lillya faster than Chandra could start talking. Lillya had neither the time nor the patience for Chandra¡¯s shenanigans. ¡°I need to talk to him.¡± If anyone could read that message, Papa could. ¡°You need a bath if ever a child needed a bath,¡± disagreed Chandra. ¡°Besides, your parents are busy fretting and humoring guests.¡± Lillya did need a bath. Chandra had given everyone strict orders to leave her be, so she was still covered in ash and swamp muck. The musky smell of pegasus dung seemed to be wafting from her as well. Chandra¡¯s stance of crossed-arm determination implied the woman was not about to set her free. Halfway through a rejuvenating pounding by the waterfall pool, Lillya remembered Arlana¡¯s exact instructions. Only Grandmama. She nearly leapt out of the waterfall half scrubbed, feeling like she would burst with her undisclosed news, but she needed to humor Chandra if she was to be free of her. The woman was extra fussy today, like she was making up for an entire week away in one afternoon. Eventually, Lillya had ribbons braided into her hair, a strand of pearls for a belt over a layered violet frock, and comfy laced boots. After a week in the woods, it was nice to be a princess again, minus the overbearing feeling of being hunted, obviously. ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± asked Chandra, admiring her handiwork. Lillya forced herself to smile brightly and wait half a heartbeat before rushing into a ¡°No, thank you!¡± She was convincing enough, and Chandra did not stay to press her to give up her secrets. Chandra had a palace full of other people to meddle with. The second Chandra was out the door, Lillya¡¯s fingers darted to the book and flung it open. The words were still there. She ran all the way to Grandmama¡¯s door, but her rapping was to no avail. Grandmama¡¯s room was empty. She checked the schoolrooms to see if Rosaliy could help her, but the schoolrooms were full of worried parents picking up their traumatized children for the harvest break. A few families had left already. The ones remaining clutched their cream-smeared children and a few protective amulets while plying Rosaliy for answers she did not have. ¡°I don¡¯t think Iris is in further danger,¡± Rosaliy was saying, ¡°but I¡¯d be lying if I told you not to be vigilant.¡± Lillya hoped they would all come back in a few moons to keep training. Well¡­she might not be too heartbroken if bossy Jadelynn took a year or two off. At least she was able to say her goodbyes to Ruby. ¡°I¡¯m worried about you,¡± sniffled Ruby in the middle of a teary hug. ¡°Rubes, nothing could attack me here,¡± promised Lillya. ¡°It¡¯s a magical fortress.¡± ¡°Then maybe I should stay here,¡± muttered Ruby. Lillya wished she could, but she walked Ruby and her father to the entryway. Truth was, Ruby¡¯s mother had just had a baby, and Ruby would be a big help to her father and mother juggling the harvest and infant care. In fact, families who were less put out by losing a daughter for moons had said no to Sorceress training. There had been little reason to practice magic for years, even though Sorceress Athena was very persuasive about the importance of the dying art. Lillya was lucky to have met Ruby at all. Would recent events make families more or less likely to relinquish their girls for magical instruction, Lillya wondered. ¡°I¡¯ll miss you,¡± Lillya whispered with one more hug. After the grand doors shut, the entryway was a tense quiet, like it could explode with activity at any moment. Or maybe today the entryway to the palace was the center of the activity going on in every corner, holding everything together like a multi-armed elephant on a tightrope. Probably not that last one. She watched a few Baysellians rush across the floor and into a closed room, late for a meeting. A cook¡¯s assistant ducked into the room next door, balancing a tray of drinks. Avia Kalilya looked down from her portrait on the wall. She was Lillya¡¯s namesake, even though Tansy was Avia¡¯s spitting image. Her mama¡¯s portrait was supposed to be on that wall, but no one could paint one that would please her papa, and Mama had such little patience for portraits. After the baby, they could have one painted of the whole family, Mama had recently promised in an attempt to appease everyone. Lillya seemed to remember that was what she had said before Tansy and Taurin. Maybe there would be time if this baby did not set things on fire when it cried like Tansy had. The man from last night exited a room and pushed the door closed silently behind him, leaning his head back against the marble hallway. He closed his eyes and exhaled a long breath. A good hostess would ask him if he needed something. She looked left and right. The entry was oddly empty except for the guard at the door who was busy guarding the door. She cleared her throat to announce her presence, and the man jumped. Whoops. ¡°Hello,¡± she greeted him. She couldn¡¯t remember his name. In her defense, last night was a blur all around. ¡°Do you need anything?¡± His eyebrows rose, and he hesitated. He was thinking of something impolite to say in front of a child. He would be very interesting if she could get a chance to know him, she decided, but, sadly, he would be leaving tomorrow with the rest of the Baysellians. One of her favorite books was about a Baysellian pirate named Marcos and his dog on a search for buried treasure. She had never met a Baysellian who had ever been on a search for real buried treasure, but there was always a first time. If books were to be believed, half of Bayselle was packed full of buried treasure.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°No,¡± he decided to say. ¡°Thank you. How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Much better, thank you,¡± she said politely. It was the right answer. She was not sure how she was doing, really. She had not stopped to think about it. She was still on a mission. ¡°Do you know where Grandmama Daniella is?¡± It was worth a try. ¡°I think she and Princess Tansy were going to practice carriage-making again,¡± he said. Carriage¡­making? She shot him a befuddled look. ¡°Outside,¡± he clarified. That was not at all what she was questioning, but it was useful information. ¡°Thank you,¡± she called, and she hurried to the door. Nobody opened it for her. ¡°You¡¯re not to leave the palace unescorted, Princess,¡± explained Brelin, the guard at the door. It made sense, but it was an annoying problem to have when she needed to be outside and everyone was busy. ¡°I¡¯m just going to find Grandmama,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Then she would be escorting me.¡± ¡°Sorry, Princess,¡± Brelin apologized. ¡°Orders are pretty specific. I¡¯d take you, but I can¡¯t leave my post with all the visitors coming and going. Daniella will be back in soon.¡± This problem needed an immediate solution. ¡°That man can take me.¡± Brelin eyeballed her new friend, who had either not noticed he was a part of this conversation or was pretending not to notice he was a part of this conversation. This was not within the scope of Brelin¡¯s orders, but the guard was not enthused by the idea of arguing with Lillya. ¡°Both of you need to be back by dinner,¡± Brelin warned, conceding. Success! ¡°Hello,¡± Lillya greeted cheerfully once more as she bounced over. ¡°Would you mind walking me outside?¡± ¡°Should you be leaving the¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she promised quickly. ¡°Everybody¡¯s just on edge, and I need to talk to Grandmama.¡± Now. That book was burning a hole straight through her hands. ¡°I¡¯m not sure where they¡ª¡± began the Baysellian. ¡°Behind the castle,¡± interrupted Lillya. ¡°Away from the windows of the meeting rooms and the Great Hall.¡± Where else would someone make a carriage? He nodded, taking in this information in an accepting, easy way. They were allowed through the doors, and Lillya had to stop for a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight. ¡°So, you¡¯re from Bayselle,¡± she prodded. ¡°Mmmhmm.¡± ¡°What do you do?¡± There was a long pause. ¡°Hired jobs,¡± he said vaguely. ¡°Transporting goods, helping merchants run their shops, umm¡­looking out for wannabe revolutionaries. What¡¯s your book about?¡± His answer was boring, but changing the subject meant pirate treasure hunter for sure. ¡°It¡¯s a book Papa wrote for my birthday,¡± she said. Since she was being cagey about why she was carrying the book around, and he was being cagey about his pirate exploits, they were silent after that as Lillya led them around the back of the palace. Taurin and Pepper were rooting through some reeds around a pond. Grandmama and Tansy were having a conversation over a giant pumpkin. She rushed up. ¡°Grandmama, I need to talk to you.¡± But not on a field in front of her siblings who would repeat anything they heard to anyone who would listen and a man she met yesterday who may or may not have been a Baysellian treasure hunter. While that awareness dawned on her, Grandmama waited for the end of that statement, and Lillya realized she had nothing else to say right now. ¡°You came outside to find me and tell me you needed to talk to me,¡± Grandmama clarified. ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Lillya. ¡°I did do that.¡± Grandmama¡¯s eyebrows rose, just slightly. ¡°Message received. You¡¯ll want to get to a safe distance.¡± Lillya backed up and sat down next to Taurin, who was splayed out on the grass, playing with his toad. The Baysellian hovered, in between leaving and staying. Whatever Tansy was in the middle of did look more interesting than a trade meeting. ¡°Hello, Drake!¡± Taurin exclaimed. ¡°Thistle can catch crickets with his tongue.¡± ¡°Is this a safe enough distance?¡± Drake asked him. The pumpkin did look significantly larger than a few moments ago. ¡°This is pumpkin number three,¡± reported Taurin. ¡°Oh? What happened to the other two?¡± Drake asked, leaning just a bit closer to leaving than staying. Taurin rolled to the side and shaded his green eyes. ¡°One of them turned into a bunny and hopped away.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± Lillya giggled. He nodded, bouncing his floppy, dark hair. No matter what the haircut, within a day, Taurin¡¯s hair reverted to this. No one could figure out if he was causing it or if he had magical hair. Sometimes Lillya felt like all her mother¡¯s incredible magical powers had passed her over and waited for the twins. Taurin was not even supposed to be magical. Life was so unfair sometimes. Maybe the new baby would be as boring as she was and she¡¯d have someone to commiserate with. As if to illustrate her point, Tansy¡¯s squeal caught her attention. Where the pumpkin once was now sat a shining white carriage, gold swirls lining the windows. Tansy hopped up and down with excitement, black curls bouncing. Lillya went over to congratulate her enthusiastic little sister. ¡°Look, Lil,¡± Tansy exclaimed, a huge grin lighting up her face. ¡°It jingles.¡± She flopped down on her knees to poke at the plush cushioned seats. ¡°It¡¯s too small, though,¡± complained Tansy, screwing up her face. ¡°I can¡¯t even fit inside.¡± ¡°Precision in the small is practice for the great,¡± Grandmama said, crossing her arms. She was pleased with the carriage. ¡°It¡¯s the perfect size for a toad,¡± Lillya declared. Taurin dropped Thistle inside for a ride back to the palace. ¡°Croak,¡± said Thistle, suddenly the most regal toad in the Glade. ¡°Your family is pretty incredible,¡± Drake said in parting back inside the palace. Lillya smiled. He probably meant to give a compliment, but he didn¡¯t compliment well. Maybe she was projecting, seeing as how incredible came with such a high price. She gripped the book. ¡°You.¡± Grandmama pointed at Drake before he escaped. ¡°Take this carriage up to the children¡¯s room.¡± Nobody argued with Grandmama, so he took off with the miniature carriage. Chandra appeared to scoop up Tansy and Taurin to get them dressed for dinner, and Lillya hurried after Grandmama. She refused to speak until she was safely closed in Grandmama¡¯s room. Grandmama sat and fixed her blue eyes on Lillya. Sometimes it was hard to tell what she was thinking. Lillya read a book once about a Queen who had frozen the world in ice, and Lillya had her suspicions ever since about Grandmama¡¯s true identity. There had to be a reason why Grandmama did not use magic of her own. ¡°Before those things attacked, I had a dream,¡± Lillya rushed forward. ¡°Except I don¡¯t think it was a dream as much as a visit while I was sleeping.¡± Grandmama waited and listened while she told her story all backwards and out of order. ¡°So then,¡± she finished, ¡°I was left with this message.¡± She opened the squirrel book and handed it over. ¡°The Seer told you to speak to only me?¡± Grandmama asked. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t aware we were on such good terms,¡± murmured Grandmama, fingers running over the strange words written in the book. ¡°What does it say?¡± asked Lillya, leaning forward. ¡°What language is it in?¡± Grandmama stared at the incomprehensible words a moment more before setting the book on a side table. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Frustration and disappointment flooded into all the spaces where nervous anxiety had been. All this was for nothing? ¡°Why would a Flifary Seer work so hard to send you a message you couldn¡¯t even read?¡± Grandmama cocked her head. ¡°So I couldn¡¯t act on the message until the right time,¡± she murmured in response, eyes drifting back to the book. Lillya felt a chill run through her. ¡°I think she¡¯s in big trouble.¡± Grandmama smiled one of her chilly smiles. ¡°There is no other reason Arlana would ask for my help.¡± Grandmama was the smartest person in all the protectorates. She would figure this out. Lillya skipped off to dinner, lucky not to hear Grandmama mutter, ¡°We¡¯re in big trouble, Lillya. All of us.¡± Missing Rosaliy The next morning, the castle was emptying out the remainder of its Baysellian guests and Sorceress trainees. Rosaliy tried not to seem too eager to get them out the door, but she was relieved for the respite. After one more day of this chaos, Rosiliy should be off to visit her own family. She had not seen her brother in six moons. He would probably be a full length taller now. Despite her eagerness, she felt torn. Maybe she should stay until Sorceress Issabeth was found. She would be of little use here, though. Talyrin, Dmitri, Athena, and Cedric were sure to come back with solid information concerning Issabeth today. Alexander was about to go mad waiting for news and pretending like he was not going mad from waiting for news. Seeing the girls off had been tough. After the disastrous trip the older Sorceress trainees had endured, many of the young magical hopefuls had been scared away from returning after harvest break to train at Crystal Palace. Rosaliy wished Athena had been there to smooth things over; Sorceress Athena had such a sense of calm and control. Of course, the invitation was always open and the girls might still change their minds, but this looked to be a meager year for Sorceress hopefuls. Rosaliy was sure once Sorceress Issabeth was found and the mysterious threat was identified, things would go back to normal. Normal. Now that was a funny word. At least all the extra activity had allowed her to brush off Matias. No, she absolutely did not have time to hear him blather about himself, she told him in between talks with the families. He wanted to tell her something about Drake, but although she wanted to hear what he had to say, she did not want to hear what he had to say from him. Drake would be gone with his friend soon, anyway, and Alexander was too distracted to care about the non-results of her investigation thusfar. In the midst of her hurricane of thoughts, she was nearly blown over by Chandra. "Rose!" Rosaliy was about to get a job. "The royal siblings weren''t yet up when I checked in on them this morning, and I didn''t have the heart to wake them early after everything they''ve been through. They would make such an adorable send-off party. Would you pop your head in and nudge them in this direction?" It was not a real question, because Chandra was long gone before Rosaliy might have given an answer. She zipped up to the Naxturaen wing to fetch them. "Good morning," Rosaliy said cheerily, breezing into their room. "Would you like to come downstairs and see off the Baysellians?" The sleeping children did not stir, which was odd for them, but the last few days had been particularly trying. They would be up all night if they slept the day away, and Chandra was not to be trifled with, so Rosaliy threw open their curtains. The light of a beautiful late morning streamed in on their room. A pink plant in the corner stretched out its leaves, but the children remained in their beds, eyes closed, breathing rhythmically, hands folded on their chests like a painting in a storybook. "Wake up, sleepyheads," she tried again, reaching down to tousle Taurin''s hair. Her hand went straight through the boy''s head, and he evaporated. Rosaliy staggered backward a step, and her mouth opened in a silent scream. Her thoughts were just the beginnings of thoughts: How could¡ª? Who¡ª? Where¡ª? What was¡ª? She squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them. One whole thought at a time. The children were not in their room. These were reflections, hollow images. Why? Where were the real children? Better. Those questions had answers. She pulled back Tansy''s covers and watched with a numb horror as fake, peaceful Tansy melted away. She left image Lillya where she lay, just in case evidence was required. The thought chilled Rosaliy straight through. She was jumping to conclusions. This could be a prank¡ªa joke with very bad timing. Legs shaking, she fled from the room. She forced herself to stop in the hallway, to try to collect her racing thoughts. She needed to do something, tell someone. Of course she needed to search for the children, but a palace search would take hours, and there were people everywhere. People everywhere. Foreign people. Suspicious people. People who might be smuggling out precious cargo while she was panicking. Her legs started moving again. She may have been overreacting, but she was going straight to the top. She had no idea what she was going to say, and Queen Kat and Alexander were seeing off another set of guests at the wide doors. Matias and his sister Jadelynn were nearly out the door. Matias was the last thing Rosaliy needed right now. She lurked nervously while a well-dressed woman¡ª Matias'' ex-princess mother¡ªhung back from her party to say farewell. "...have to admit, I''m terrified to head back to Bayselle with these proposals," she was saying. "Even though you had to make concessions, the people still look to you for leadership," Alexander soothed. "I''m not sure that''s true," she said with a sigh. "My father would be so disappointed in me." "He tried to hold on to a kingdom so tightly, it squeezed from his grip," Alexander pointed out. "You''re not to blame for the damage he did." "We all have the capacity to learn from the mistakes of those who came before us," said Kat softly. "At least I hope we do." "Thank you," said the former princess, gripping each arm in turn. "And thank you for talking the pirates out of banishing me. I thought I was going to live out my life on a tiny, desert island for a moment there." Eventually she left, taking her family with her, and the wide doors were shut behind her, sealing Matias outside. Rosaliy should have interrupted then, but she had no idea what to say. She should have considered a small search before she worried Queen Kat like this. A smile flicked across Kat''s face. She shot a sideways glance to Alexander. The smile translated to his face. "No, you can''t live out your life on a tiny, desert island," he chided her. She frowned, although her violet eyes were still smiling. "How about a week?" he offered in compromise. "Sounds lovely," she said, and the smile faded from both of their faces. Kat''s hands slid to Alexander''s neck and she kissed him. "How are you holding up, dearest?" she said, almost too quietly for Rosaliy to hear. "You tell me," he murmured back. She shook her head. Rosaliy was paralyzed. They were already dealing with so much trouble. "I''d just like to skip ahead to the part where Izz is safe and sound," he said, tight worry etched across his face. "Any word from the search party?" Kat nodded. She had beads in her hair that caught the light when her head moved. "Anything good?" She shook her sparkly head. "Cedric thinks they used a Nether World portal." "They? Shrilynda? A Malum remnant? There hasn''t been a serious threat from anyone claiming to be Malum in years. Nothing half this coordinated." He narrowed his eyes, seeing something hidden in Kat''s face. "What else?" She winced. "Are you sure?" He sighed. "I suppose the less I know while I have to pretend sanity for endless scads of Baysellians is the best option for me, but..." Kat smiled warmly, running fingers lightly through his hair. "You always need to know." "I always need to know," he repeated with resignation. "The girls saw black jaguars. They walked through a fog that took them out of the Glade and moved them to Thorn Forest. Athena thinks..." She stopped, eyes just boring into his, like she was finishing the thought in his mind. That was one of the few powers she did not have, but it worked anyway.Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. "Flifary?" She continued to stare back. "That makes no sense. Does that make any sense?" "You are the guardian of sense, dearest," she said. "I don''t expect it on the best days. The facts just are." He took her hands. "Thank you for letting me be the one to panic." "It was your turn." Rosaliy should not have been there watching their grief, but leaving would have been irresponsible, and her feet would take her no closer. Kat''s eyes shifted to her. "Rose? What''s wrong?" "Hopefully nothing," she said. Her hands were shaking. She hid them behind her. She barely forced words from her stubborn lips. "I don''t know where¡ª" She tried to swallow. Suddenly her throat was very dry. "Don''t know where the...ch¡ªchildren...are." Kat turned her head, and her eyes grew wide almost immediately. "They''re not here." To Rosaliy, those words were like a Bellican soldier had taken a boulder and bashed it against her heart. "They''re." Slam. "Not." Thud. "Here." Wham. The only way she was left standing was being in the presence of two people hit harder by the news than she was. "I''ll search the palace," volunteered Alexander. "Perhaps they''ve masked themselves." Kat bobbed her head. "I''ll search the Glade from the Seeing Pool." "What do you need me to do?" Rosaliy asked. "Bring me Daniella." On the one hand, Daniella was the last person Rosaliy wanted to deal with, but on the other, her ice cold calm and rational thinking might numb Rosaliy''s useless stabbing panic. Her feet had carried her to Daniella''s room and her hand was knocking on the door before she even had a chance to hesitate. Rosaliy tried to take some calming breaths and count to ten before she knocked again. Her count of ten was more like four and a half, but it was still plenty of time for the woman to come to the door. By no means was she trapped in her room, but Daniella was unlikely to be wandering the palace with the Baysellians everywhere. The likelihood of a pirate or three holding a vendetta against her was high. Rosaliy pressed her ear to the door. She heard nothing. She shook off her nerves and pushed on the door handle. The door did not budge. Daniella was not allowed to lock her door. Her door had no lock to begin with. Rosaliy rested her hands on the handle and drew in a deep breath, focusing her magic on opening the door. She would never have been able to accomplish such a vague spell anywhere but the middle of Crystal Palace while Kat was in residence, but while she could draw on the magic around her, she could focus it this way. She felt a little gathering of magic, and she pushed it toward the door. The door pushed back. She stumbled back a step and shook out her hands. The door was magically sealed. What game was Daniella playing here? Rosaliy increased the force of the magic and sent it toward the door in a blast. The door crackled back, knocking her against the wall behind. She glared at the door and admitted temporary defeat. If Daniella did not want her in that door, she was just wasting her time. She could not afford to waste time. Rosaliy hurried to find Kat, perched on a dark seeing pool, running her pale fingers through the black, still water. "It''s not working," Kat said, frustrated. "Pepper is missing. The pool is dead. What''s going on?" Rosaliy suspected she knew who the culprit was. "Daniella''s door is magically locked." Kat turned her head, as if looking at something far away. "She''s gone." "Gone?" Rosaliy echoed, because she could muster no other words. Kat was in motion in an instant. She threw open an armoire nestled in a wall of ivy and grabbed a satchel from a drawer, flinging the bag on a chair. She began tossing things in, looking very much like she was packing. "Where are you going?" Rosaliy asked. "To find them," Kat replied, pulling down a thick cloak. "Wait," Rosaliy cautioned. "Shouldn''t you find out a little more before you¡ª" She stopped. Kat was not listening. She would be out the door in minutes at this rate. "Don''t leave before I get back." Rosaliy dashed out the door, not bothering to listen for an answer. When Kat was determined, nothing would stop her. Rosaliy hurried downstairs, aiming for the servants'' quarters. Alexander had probably conscripted a few of them to search, and if she missed him, she could always throw Chandra at Kat to slow her down. She rounded a corner and was about to cross the hallway when distant voices caught her attention. She paused for a moment to listen. One was a prattling voice with a rolling Baysellian accent. That voice showed no indication of stopping, and she almost hurried on, but she could have sworn the other was¡ª "No," said Alexander''s voice. "No thanks are necessary. It was a good proposal." She veered in that direction. At the other end of the hallway, Alexander was pinned on a stairway by Drake''s friend, Cliff. Cliff''s back was to her, but she could see he was gesturing in a manic, excited way. Alexander wanted Cedric''s power of invisibility right about now. "It''s the best thing for the people of Bayselle," Alexander brushed off, clearly wishing to be free of him. Rosaliy was finally close enough to hear Cliff, especially because his volume was rising with his excitement. "I''m sure it will be! This is going to change so much for good, hard-working people who just want to make an honest living instead of being gouged by gangs and exorbitant taxes by city overlords." Drake popped his head out of a doorway at Rosaliy''s end of the hall and took in the scene in a glance. "Cliff," he barked. "Are you packed?" "Uh..." answered Cliff, turning to him. "I''m leaving in one hour with or without you, Cliff," threatened Drake. Cliff chuckled a little. Then a concerned look crossed his face while he wondered if Drake was serious. "Thank you again," Cliff said to Alexander. "I''ll¡ªI have to go. To depart. I''ll be departing soon." "It''s been lovely having you here," said Alexander, not tempering his annoyance at this point. Cliff did not notice. He trotted down the hallway to his room. Drake rolled his eyes, freezing when he caught sight of Rosaliy standing behind him. "If I don''t get a chance to see you off," she said, "goodbye! It''s been nice meeting you." She meant it, but she was far too distracted to sound genuine. She rushed down the hallway to intercept Alexander before she got an answer. "Daniella''s gone, and, oh, Alexander, hurry," pleaded Rosaliy. By the time they tracked down Kat, she was in the greenhouse, more accurately a sunroom attached to Crystal Palace, bursting with plants for every purpose imaginable. Kat was filling pouches with healing herbs and tossing them in her satchel. "No," she declared, not even looking at Alexander. "I don''t want to talk to you. You''ll talk me out of going. I know you will." He held up his hands in surrender. "How would I do such a thing?" was all he asked, and her face collapsed. The imminent arrival of the baby was his trump card, but Kat would be upset if he played it. Someone was preying on the residents of Crystal Palace, and as powerful as Kat was, she would be vulnerable soon. Alexander held his arms open, and the trembling Naxturaen Queen allowed herself to be enveloped in a hug. He kissed her forehead. "I know," she whispered in frustration as if he had spoken, a tear rolling down her cheek. The satchel dropped to the ground. "Where would you go?" he asked, tightening his arms around her. Rosaliy was hardly sure whether to go or stay, so she continued lurking awkwardly at the entrance to the greenhouse. "I hadn''t thought that far ahead," Kat sighed, resting her head against his chest. "I''m not opposed to a search," he said, "but without a destination..." She took a steadying breath and retrieved the dropped satchel. "Flifary Island," she blurted out, "or Daniella''s magical stockpile in Kianne. She said she could find anyone." Kat grabbed a handful of sathnis leaves. Rosaliy doubted Kat would have any need of a plant that could enhance the magical potency of soil, no matter her destination. "I may have to raise a conscientious objection or two to your first plan, especially if the Flifary really are involved." "That''s why I didn''t discuss it with you," she grumbled, shaking pollen into a jar. "Your second idea," he mused, "there''s something to it. Dee might have gone there herself." "Gone?" She tipped her head back and blinked surprise. "You don''t think she was taken?" "That was not my first suspicion, no," he said dryly. Rosaliy had the same thought. "Why would she take the children?" Kat cried. "Where is Pepper?" "I truly do not know," he said. "But I promise I''ll find something if you give me a little time." She took two long, deep breaths. "So we start for Kianne tomorrow?" "Hmm...I think there''s a better option," he suggested gently. His eyes focused in on Rosaliy. He had remembered she was there after all. "I can travel without all the fanfare," suggested Rosaliy, taking his cue. "I know the area, and people will talk to me who might be too scared to talk to you, especially if Daniella was spotted there, Your Highness." The use of the title was purposeful. Kat brought nothing but attention when she traveled. "There''s so much we can do from here," Alexander added. He and Kat exchanged one of those looks. "I can travel covertly," Kat argued. "Princess," he disagreed, "you could hardly travel covertly when no one knew who you were." Her violet eyes narrowed. "I can''t sit here and do nothing." "You won''t be doing nothing," he assured her, pulling a handful of herbs from her hands and placing them on a bench. Then he took both her hands in his own. "Please let me find something to go on first. I promise I''ll find something." "This is why I didn''t want to talk to you," she said grumpily. "You can talk me into anything." "My record on that front is less favorable than you seem to believe," he said, kissing her hands. She pressed one of his hands to her cheek and breathed a sigh. "I''d like you to take someone with you," Katyrinna said to Rosaliy. "For protection." Kat was a mother bear right now, trying to protect all her cubs. "That bodyguard," inserted Alexander. "Well-traveled, shady past, eager for redemption, probably knows a lot about the seemy underside of the world¡ªhe''s perfect." Alexander must have been making half of that up. Rosaliy had spent days with Drake, and she had come up with nothing solid about his past. "I meant someone who might be able to keep Rose safe," said Kat crossly, "not someone she needs to be kept safe from." "It''s up to her of course," said Alexander, "but I have the feeling Drake can get the right people to talk." Rosaliy shrugged. "He doesn''t seem dangerous. If you think he''d be useful..." That was enough confirmation for Alexander. "You may have to hurry to catch him before he leaves, but it didn''t look like his traveling companion was moving too quickly." Rosaliy nodded. Whatever would make Kat and Alexander feel better right now, she was happy to comply. Besides, she would not mind having someone to travel with. The trip to Kianne was a dull one. "I want to take a few Naxturaen soldiers to search the nearby area for signs of the children," Katyrinna insisted. "That''s a wonderful idea," said Alexander, ready to agree to any of her plans that kept her close to home. "With a little more time, I can find out if anything or anyone else is missing from the palace and when they were last seen. Goodness knows somebody must have seen something." "The castle is still full of people," Kat exclaimed, eyes widening again. "It is that," Alexander agreed. "What if one of them is involved?" she said. He silently calculated the likelihood, head bobbing back and forth with the possibility. "I''ll make sure to see them out personally¡ªhave the servants sweep rooms for anything suspicious." "Dangerous," she murmured. "You might be in danger." He drew her hand to his lips. "Princess¡ª" he said in a soothing, confident way, "I''m not going to¡ª" She cut him off abruptly. "Don''t even finish that statement, dearest. Don''t even think it." She squeezed his hand, newly filled with purpose. "I will go rouse the Naxturae and send them to search," she said. "Rose, don''t let him out of your sight until I return." "Wait, how can I¡ª" Rosaliy started, but Kat had already sped past her on her own mission. "Be in two places at once?" she finished anyway. "I''ll come with you," Alexander offered. A Door Drake ¡°A trade agreement,¡± chirped Cliff, waving a paper in Drake¡¯s face. ¡°Can you believe it? Signed! Official!¡± ¡°Paper is only as official as the army behind it,¡± Drake reminded him, flicking the paper out of his face. ¡°You are so jaded,¡± Cliff scoffed, taking back his documents and running a hand down them like Drake had wounded them. ¡°Realistic,¡± Drake corrected him. ¡°There are plenty of Baysellians who don¡¯t give a cup of salt about the rules.¡± ¡°You would know,¡± Cliff muttered darkly. ¡°Most of us want a better tomorrow for families and hard-working citizens who just want to¡ª¡± Drake laughed. ¡°Negotiations are over, Cliff. Ratchet back the inspirational speeches. I get it.¡± Cliff sat down, staring off into the distance, consumed with thought. Drake stifled a groan. They should have left a long time ago, but Cliff kept cycling back through his idealistic crusader speeches, on some sort of negotiation high. ¡°You don¡¯t think this is going to ease tension?¡± Cliff said, flapping his precious paper. ¡°Give honest traders a reason to stay honest?¡± ¡°Of course I do,¡± agreed Drake, half to get Cliff moving again, ¡°but you can¡¯t expect Utopia overnight, not when a crumbling monarchy and gang rule is all people know.¡± ¡°But, look.¡± Cliff waved his paper again. ¡°We¡¯ve set boundaries. Agreed on common laws. Reopened communication. All without bloodshed.¡± ¡°As long as people like you keep fighting,¡± Drake acquiesced, ¡°the streets will look more and more like that paper in your hand. The words on the paper. Not the actual¡ªforget it. Are you packed?¡± Cliff finally realized that was the most encouragement he was going to receive from Drake, and he hopped up to go crow his achievements to someone more receptive. Drake did not mean to be such a raincloud; he just knew what it was like out there. Sometimes laws were secondary to real life. Maybe jaded was the right word. Cliff deserved his moment, and Drake felt like a spikefish for taking away some of his pride in his hard work. The trade laws would help honest merchants and maybe offer some real competition to the not-so-honest ones. Besides, Drake was leaving after days of the best food he had eaten in his life, hob-nobbing with royalty, playing with a set of very entertaining magical children, and hanging out with a pretty girl. He was a ringing endorsement for the value of honest work. Bring on Utopia. He caught sight of a piece of paper fluttering under his bed and bent down to retrieve it. Cliff had kept him up half the night practicing pieces of his speech, discarding most of his flowery prose and ridiculous anecdotes under duress. This was probably a rejected soliloquy about Risa, the fictional brick-layer who was fictionally being squeezed out of her fictional business by fictional black market thugs. Drake¡¯s head was just under the frame, and his fingers were inches away from the paper when an unexpected ¡°Hello?¡± caused him to jerk upward and slam his head on the underside of the bed. He grabbed the paper in one hand and slid himself out from under the bed, clutching his smarting head. Cliff and Risa had given him a headache twice in two days. How many moons of Utopia would it take him to stop being so jumpy? ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± gasped Rosaliy. ¡°Are you ok?¡± ¡°Fine,¡± he lied instinctively when he saw she was reaching down to examine his head. He stood, shoving the paper in the closest bag and ignoring the growing lump on his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry we¡¯re still here. I almost have Cliff ready to leave.¡± That might have been another lie. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s why I¡¯m here.¡± Rosaliy was quite pale, and her hands were trembling. The change was alarming after all the catastrophes he had watched her handle with a cheerful spirit. Tansy and the lightning strike had been nothing compared to what was bothering her now. Now that the white spots had cleared from Drake¡¯s eyes, he could see Alexander standing in the doorway behind Rosaliy. This was serious. ¡°Do we need to leave faster?¡± His hosts had seemed so gracious, but perhaps he had overstayed his welcome. More likely Cliff had overstayed his welcome. Or maybe Matias had made good on his threat to speak to Rosaliy. Drake¡¯s heart rate sped up. ¡°No, no.¡± Rosaliy shook her head rapidly. ¡°The opposite. There¡¯s been a¡ª¡± Alexander touched her arm and shook his head. ¡°Not here.¡± ¡°Oh, right.¡± She shook her head like she was clearing it. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind,¡± she said, gesturing out the door in a ¡°come with me¡± kind of way. Since this issue did not seem to be about him in any direct way, he did not mind, but without his intervention, Cliff might move into Crystal Palace permanently. They ran into Cliff in the hallway. He had not done any packing. If he had any, Drake would have bet money on this fact. ¡°I¡¯m afraid we¡¯re going to have to borrow your bodyguard,¡± Alexander said to Cliff. Cliff looked back and forth between them, searching for clues to why. Rosaliy looked like her dog had just died, so he found cause for concern. Cliff came to clap Drake on the back in farewell. ¡°Are you ok?¡± Cliff said softly in his ear. ¡°Do you need any¡­help?¡± He jerked his head toward outside. Drake suspected he was offering to ringlead a breakout of some sort. Cliff was such a good friend. Drake felt terrible for being unsupportive of his Utopian vision. Drake grinned. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, Cliff.¡± This was possibly another lie, but there was no reason to let Cliff drag himself into the situation. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about you. Keep yourself out of trouble.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll send a few guards with your party, just to be on the safe side,¡± Alexander promised. The summit had ended peacefully and with concessions on all sides. Everyone had a copy of that paper Cliff was so proud of. Drake was confident his friend was in little danger. No more than normal, anyway. Cliff gave Drake another once over with his eyes, looking for evidence indicating he should intervene. ¡°Really, Cliff,¡± promised Drake. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± Everyone seemed so on edge, but Drake seemed like an afterthought, not the cause of concern. Someone had invented another job for him, he guessed. He was looking for a new career¡ªmaybe his strengths lay in the realm of royal child entertainer. When Alexander and Rosaliy headed straight to the children¡¯s room, his instincts were proved correct. Lillya was still sleeping, so Drake found it odd they were meeting there. Rosaliy pushed the door shut behind him. Drake hated having exits shut off behind him, so Alexander¡¯s next words did not have their desired impact. ¡°The children are missing,¡± Alexander said. Drake shot a glance in sleeping Lillya¡¯s direction. ¡°She¡¯s not real,¡± said Rosaliy before he could object. His eyebrows rose. Something very strange was going on. Although, strange was the order of the day in this place. Maybe this was common. ¡°You need me to help search for them?¡± ¡°Not really,¡± said Alexander, frowning. Was he a suspect in their disappearance? ¡°Not here, anyway,¡± said Rosaliy. ¡°I¡¯m going on a trip to Kianne, and I could use your¡ª¡± She trailed off. ¡°Expertise,¡± Alexander filled in.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Drake very much hoped not. ¡°You need protection?¡± he asked hopefully. ¡°Maybe,¡± she half-agreed. Alexander had dropped out of the conversation. He was staring at a bookshelf next to phantom Lillya¡¯s bed, motionless. Drake nodded his direction, throwing Rosaliy a question with his eyes. What was going on? ¡°Sir,¡± Rosaliy half whispered. ¡°Alexander? What¡¯s wrong?¡± The not-a-king reached forward to a blank space on the shelf, like he was touching an invisible volume between Naxturaen water myths and a Taragonian book on geology. ¡°She packed,¡± he finally said. Rosaliy stared. ¡°How can you be sure?¡± He moved his hand to another blank space. There were a dozen holes, all over the shelves full of books¡ªa random pattern. The books had not been grabbed haphazardly. The missing books had been chosen. ¡°Fourteen,¡± he murmured. ¡°She was planning for a lengthy trip.¡± He shook his head, walking to an alcove. Alexander ran his hand across clothes hanging in an orderly closet. He bent down. ¡°Cloaks, boots¡­¡± he murmured. Drake was starting to see where he was going with this. ¡°So they weren¡¯t kidnapped. They left willingly?¡± Alexander stared through him, expression blank. Then, he was out the door. Rosaliy rushed to keep pace, Drake still wondering why his presence had been necessary. Alexander burst into the room with the intricately carved door¡ªthe waterfall room. Drake should have expected the name to be literal from his experience of a palace filled with living trees, but he was still stunned. The room was a massive forest bedroom complete with a wall of ivy, a wall of bookshelves, a massive bed, and pool ringed with stone wall. Past a tunnel through dense flowering foliage was an adjoining space where water tumbled from a rock opening in the ceiling and pooled on the floor. The logistics of this room hurt Drake¡¯s head, so he decided not to question them. ¡°Are we looking for the toad?¡± guessed Drake. Alexander pointed at him as if to verify Drake¡¯s words, and he began pushing aside rocks and looking in dark cubbyholes. Rosaliy peered into the frothing water. ¡°Thistle?¡± They were all on hands and knees when Queen Katyrinna encountered them. ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. ¡°Looking for a toad,¡± Alexander answered. ¡°A toad who¡¯s not here,¡± Rosaliy added on, sweeping her hand through the water. Katyrinna looked from one to the other, waiting for more information. Alexander went to her. ¡°Princess, she¡¯s taken them somewhere. They left willingly, and they had plenty of time to warn us, but they chose not to. Whatever she told them, it made sense to them.¡± Drake replaced a large rock not hiding a toad. ¡°But why?¡± asked Katyrinna. ¡°Assuming the worst, she lied to them, and she¡¯s using them for her own ends.¡± Katyrinna¡¯s face darkened. ¡°Assuming the best?¡± ¡°Give me a second. I¡¯m sure I can come up with something,¡± Alexander muttered. ¡°Have you gotten any weird vibes from her, anything odd?¡± ¡°She¡¯s always odd,¡± Katyrinna replied. ¡°I need in her room,¡± said Alexander. Drake had no idea who they were talking about, but Katyrinna nodded. They trooped in a new direction, an innocuous door a few hallways away. The door was a light wood, plainer than the intricately carved doors in the royal hallway, but still not plain by any means. Katyrinna placed both hands flat on ivy-carved surface. ¡°Be careful,¡± warned Rosaliy. ¡°It doesn¡¯t want to be opened.¡± Had Drake heard that correctly? Ignoring the obvious entry point¡ªthe ringed door handle¡ªKatyrinna took a step back, palms stretched toward the door handle without touching it. She hesitated. ¡°Everyone step back.¡± They did. Drake took two steps back. He heard the air crackle and blue lightning shot from Katyrinna¡¯s hands toward the door. It responded unfavorably. A blue pulse rebounded from the door, knocking Katyrinna back a step. She let out a tiny cry. ¡°I¡¯d rather you not try any more of that,¡± objected Alexander. Katyrinna put her hands on her hips and glared at the door. Drake was half surprised it did not open then, but it remained stubborn. ¡°Drake,¡± Alexander said. ¡°Would you keep an eye on this door until we come up with a way to open it.¡± ¡°Maybe it¡¯s too dangerous,¡± Katyrinna fretted. Watching a door? They had called him up here and made all this fuss to have him guard a door? ¡°Yell if it does anything, and I¡¯ll be here right away,¡± offered Rosaliy. Does anything? ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°I wish I could tell you,¡± replied Katyrinna with chagrin. ¡°Rose, I need your help searching for remedies for magical barriers.¡± With a worried glance back to Drake, Katyrinna linked arms with Alexander, and Rosaliy scampered after them. Drake was left with an evil door. He would have pinched himself to see if he was dreaming, but he decided to go the smart route and wish himself some ice cream instead. A servant did arrive a short time later with a bowl of stew for a missed lunch, so results were inconclusive. One could only tug on a useless door handle and press one¡¯s ear to a wooden surface and hear nothing so many times before the boredom of watching a door set in. Since the door had no lock, he could not pick the door himself, and he had no tools to do anything more drastic. Of course, if an ax would have solved this problem, he imagined that door would be in splinters already. So he sat and paced and pondered the life of the royal family. This sort of drama seemed commonplace for them. He had always assumed people with riches and a palace at their disposal had it easy, but it seemed they traded the worry of knowing where their next meal was coming from with worry over who wanted to steal their children. He would probably be more jaded with money than without. Just before sunset, someone came through to light globes in the dimming hallway. ¡°Anything interesting happening with the door?¡± the servant asked hopefully. What did everyone expect this door to do? ¡°No.¡± ¡°Sorry to hear that,¡± the man said, dipping his lit stick of fire into another globe that flared and glowed in response. ¡°Or maybe I¡¯m not. It is¡­you know¡­¡± His voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°Hers.¡± Drake kept a little further from the door after that conversation. Finally, Rosaliy checked in, smeared in green, carrying a deep wooden bowl she used to paint a symbol on the door. For lack of sophisticated magical vocabulary, the best Drake could say is the door rejected the attempt. The green symbol slid off the door and dripped into a sad gloppy puddle on the floor. She rubbed the back of her arm across her forehead to avoid smearing herself further with her green fingers. ¡°It was worth a try,¡± she sighed. ¡°If Athena was here, she¡¯d have this door open by now.¡± ¡°What exactly am I waiting for?¡± Drake ventured the question. He was sorry to ask; she was clearly having a worse time than he was. ¡°What¡¯s coming next,¡± Rosaliy told him. ¡°We¡¯re out of communication with just about everyone,¡± she said, eyes not focused on him, but on the door. She ran her fingers down the wood. ¡°It¡¯s frustrating and¡­scary, like we¡¯re under some sort of attack. What¡¯s going on?¡± He had no answers, but he was going to take his best stab at a weak platitude when he was interrupted by a dull creak. Rosaliy jumped back. ¡°Did that come from the door?¡± he asked. He was more excited than he should have been. The sound of creaking wood was louder this time and definitely from the door. Rosaliy drew close, pressing her ear to the wooden surface. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± Drake started to say. He was interrupted when the door burst open, jettisoning Rosaliy straight into him. A shrieking wall of jagged black careened from the door. Instinctively, he and Rosaliy dropped to the ground to avoid the dark rush, and his hands flew to his ears to block out the high-pitched screams. The shadowy mass shattered on the wall, splitting into two streams that raced both directions down the hallway. As the black mass separated, Drake realized he was looking at hundreds of shadowy creatures streaming through the air. They were packed so tightly together, they appeared at a glance to be a solid wall of darkness. The dark streaks jostled each other as they flew down the hallway, shattering a mirror when one shadow beast elbowed another into the wall. Rosaliy was already on her feet and tugging Drake after her. ¡°Come on,¡± she yelled, hopping over the shattered glass. They tried to avoid the rush of murky creatures, but the creatures were not interested in avoiding them. Occasionally, the shadows slid right through Drake¡¯s body like a bucket of ice water, if ice water was able to pierce through skin and bone. When the shadow creatures reached new corridors and hallways, they split erratically, streaking without purpose in all directions. He and Rosaliy burst onto the entryway where Katyrinna and Alexander were just arriving from another direction. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Alexander yelled from his staircase to theirs. ¡°The door opened,¡± Rosaliy called back over the screeching of the creatures. With the extra space, the jagged shadows were flying around in spirals, knocking paintings off walls and looking very much like they might topple the brilliantly lit chandelier at any moment. So much for guarding the door. Katyrinna stretched out a hand, and a glowing net tightened around two of the creatures. One was quick to flit out with a shrieking laugh before the net clamped down, but the other wailed and flung itself against the prison of light, trying to force itself free. Most of the remaining shadows saw fit to flee from her, speeding down adjoining hallways and stairways to escape. Another light glowed next to Katyrinna. Drake hoped for more anti-shadow magic at work, but the edges of the brightening glow shimmered, taking on arms and legs until the light solidified into the glowing form of a woman. Even though the woman spoke softly, Drake could hear her voice separately from the screaming creatures. ¡°Oh, Rinna,¡± said the glowing woman, sparkling arms reaching out to embrace Katyrinna. ¡°This is the first night I¡¯ve been able to come. We¡¯ve been seeing snatches of what¡¯s going on.¡± Katyrinna¡¯s reply was swallowed up by the sound of a painting splintering on the marble floor below. ¡°You won¡¯t be glad for long,¡± moaned the woman in response. Darkness flickered through her glowing form. ¡°I don¡¯t have any information for you, and the ancestors are panicked. They don¡¯t want to take any chances with the safety of your baby, and these creatures have pushed them over the edge.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not even dark magic,¡± Katyrinna grumbled. ¡°They¡¯re just annoying.¡± Her point was punctuated when a shimmering glass candleholder fell from the swinging chandelier and shattered on the floor. ¡°Are the star women planning on being useful?¡± asked Alexander, rescuing a marble statue about to topple. ¡°I wish,¡± the glowing woman replied. ¡°They want to take you to safety.¡± ¡°No,¡± Katyrinna practically shouted. ¡°They do not get to make that choice! I need to search for my children!¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± the woman said. ¡°I tried to reason with them. I was barely able to beat them here to warn you before they¡ª¡± In that instant, Queen Katyrinna, Alexander, and the woman of light vanished. A Demanding Book Rosaliy Drake was already at breakfast by the time Rosaliy arrived. ¡°How¡¯d you sleep?¡± he asked, somehow with a straight face. She stifled a yawn and did not bother replying. Those shrieking creatures had zipped around the palace half the night breaking things and pushing furniture down stairs. Drake deserved much of the credit for stopping the horrible things. He had braved Daniella¡¯s room to find a book open to a description of these obnoxious shadow creatures complete with a method to contain them. The whole thing felt like an inside joke where Daniella was the only one inside. Also, nothing about the joke was funny. Neither Katyrinna, Alexander, nor Kalilya had returned. Sorceress Athena and Dmitri were still gone. Rosaliy was on her own. The situation was not even mildly amusing. ¡°Some servants in the hallway were complaining they found a few hiding in closets and under beds this morning,¡± Drake added. At least somebody was amused. Last night had been one disaster after another. The solution to eliminate the creatures was a vat of a syrupy liquid, but the ingredients required were also powerful attractants for the shrieking, destructive nuisances. Since the lightning fast creatures could pass through walls and doors¡ªwhich made no sense at all considering the damage they were doing¡ªnothing stopped them from swooping in on Rosaliy while she was making the solution. They broke nearly all her mixing bowls and a big stone basin, leaving her soaking wet and sticky by the time she learned they were especially attracted to the birch bark. By leaving a pile outside the door to the laboratory, she was able to distract the shadows just long enough to finish a bubbling syrupy concoction. They dove in headfirst and did not return, so she hoped that was the end of them. The stragglers would find the basin eventually after they were ousted from their hiding spots. ¡°Daniella,¡± she muttered through gritted teeth. ¡°I¡¯m not surprised, but why now? After ten years?¡± He shrugged, popping a cream-filled pastry into his mouth. ¡°Because she can?¡± ¡°You¡¯d think she would have stayed to gloat.¡± ¡°You have a point, actually.¡± He rolled a piece of ham around some asparagus spears. ¡°Any chance she has good intentions? She really seemed to like those kids.¡± Maybe if Rosaliy had not been up half the night being terrorized by blurry, screaming monsters, she could have considered Daniella¡¯s actions in a favorable light. However, as Queen of Kianne, that woman had done so many reprehensible things, several of those things to Rosaliy¡¯s family directly. Chances were good Rosaliy would be just as biased against her. ¡°How could anyone steal children and destroy a palace with good intentions?¡± He didn¡¯t answer. ¡°So what¡¯s the plan?¡± Drake asked through a mouthful of eggs. The original plan had been to head to Kianne and search Daniella¡¯s castle full of powerful magic. Now it seemed too obvious for her to have done all this just to go there, unless the creatures were a ruse to slow down pursuers. But did that make any sense? When it came to intellectual posturing, Rosaliy was out of her depth. ¡°You said she left some of her supplies in her room?¡± ¡°Those shadows did a number on the place,¡± he warned her. ¡°You¡¯ll have a tough time finding anything that¡¯s not shredded or broken.¡± When they were standing at Daniella¡¯s doorway, surveying the damage, Rosaliy had to admit Drake was right. There was no way to tell even what Daniella had taken before her room had become a temporary habitat for those destructive monsters. Drake bent down and scooped up a small book from the wreckage. ¡°This book was Lillya¡¯s. She was carrying it yesterday.¡± The only thing notable was that the little volume had somehow avoided being ripped to shreds. ¡°That¡¯s not earth-shattering,¡± Rosaliy said, trying her best to temper her sour, sleep-deprived mood. ¡°Lillya¡¯s usually toting around a book or five.¡± ¡°This one was special,¡± Drake argued. He rifled through the pages, shrugged, and held it up to her. She reached for the book and flipped open the cover. It was inscribed with silver, glistening lettering: Don¡¯t tell anyone about this book. Head to Taragon. ¡°Please, Daniella. There¡¯s no way I¡¯m following orders from you,¡± she muttered. ¡°What did you find?¡± asked Drake absently, righting a bookshelf so he could reach the other side of the room. ¡°A bossy message in a book,¡± she meant to say, but no sound came out of her mouth. And then she was going to point to the message, but it disappeared. ¡°Nothing,¡± her lips said. She was tempted to throw the book in a fire right then and there. Not only was the enchanted book ordering her around, it was compelling her to follow those orders. Kianne must have been the right direction after all. Hopefully she would not be somehow forced to change direction. Drake stared at her curiously while she stood motionless, still gripping the book. He rounded a pile of shredded clothes and craned his head to see the book. She snapped the cover shut. More accurately, her fingers closed the book. She was unsure how involved she was. Her body was following orders from an enchanted book, and she did not like it one bit. Silna rushed in, or, rather, she rushed to the doorway and stopped. Nobody wanted to enter the room where maniacal shadow beasts might spring forth at any moment. ¡°Rose! Sorceress Athena and Dmitri are just returning.¡± Rosaliy thanked the girl while Drake poked cautiously at a pile of shattered glass. This was a waste of time. ¡°Daniella would only have left evidence we were meant to find,¡± Rosaliy spoke, annoyed at not realizing this before she was entrapped by a book, ¡°and I am not in a mood to play her games.¡±Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! So they followed Silna. Of course, the book came with, seeing as how Rosaliy could not put it down. When they reached the formerly shining marble entryway¡ªnow missing a few chandeliers, several paintings, and a sizable chunk of the banister¡ªformer soldier Dmitri was glowering at the destruction. ¡°I leave for a few days¡­¡± he grumbled. It was a good thing he had not seen the palace an hour ago. The whole staff had been hard at work to return the palace to the partial shambles it was now. Before Katyrinna, Athena and Dmitri had officially run this palace. Now, since Katyrinna was happy to let them manage her sometimes temperamental massive marble structure, they still ran the palace. ¡°Rosaliy,¡± Athena called upon noticing her, stepping over the head of a decapitated statue of a phoenix. ¡°To my study, if you would. Please explain this madness. Why has no one been responding to our communications?¡± Rosaliy asked Silna to take Drake to the stables to get a few horses ready. ¡°If you wouldn¡¯t mind, Drake?¡± she tacked on. He was amenable, and Silna offered to make sure food was packed and ready, so Rosaliy headed to Athena¡¯s study to fill her in on the chaos. She hardly knew where to start. The children were missing, Daniella was missing, the seeing pool was dead, shadowy beings had been running rampant through the palace all night, and Queen Katyrinna and Alexander had been taken by the Naxturaen star ancestors. Rosaliy had no good news to temper the bad. ¡°The beings were not dark magic and did no harm to anyone?¡± Athena mulled over. ¡°They were¡­a distraction?¡± ¡°Kat and Alexander were taken right after they appeared,¡± groused Rosaliy. ¡°If they were a distraction for Kat, the whole ordeal was unnecessary.¡± ¡°Perhaps they were exactly necessary,¡± Athena disagreed. ¡°The Naxturae were alarmed into removing Katyrinna.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s head was too fuzzy to care if that was the case. ¡°Either way, we don¡¯t have time to wait for them to come to their senses. We need to go to Kianne as planned.¡± She was so relieved she was able to convey the plan to go to Kianne. The book did not have total control. ¡°Yes,¡± agreed Athena, ¡°if Daniella may have gone there to access her old supplies, Kianne is our only source for clues.¡± ¡°Even if she didn¡¯t, she has a stockpile of invasive searching equipment that will be very useful for locating the children.¡± Rosaliy tried to add on anything about Daniella¡¯s enchanted book, but when she opened her mouth, no sound came out. She must have looked like she was yawning, because she earned a sympathetic pat on the arm from Athena. ¡°I wish I could send some of the Naxturaen soldiers with you, but they are combing the Glade or working with Cedric on the portal. Daniella, I assume, did a very effective job cutting off Crystal Palace from the outside by deactivating the seeing pool. I¡¯ll have to see what I can do about that problem.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to wait,¡± said Rosaliy. ¡°Besides, that¡¯s what Drake is for. We¡¯ll travel faster on our own.¡± ¡°The Baysellian? Do you trust him?¡± She needed to be careful on this topic if she wanted to get moving. Drake was not in cahoots with Daniella, so that was good enough for Rosaliy. ¡°He¡¯s hiding something, but he seems nice enough. Alexander trusted him.¡± Sort of. ¡°Very well. At least take the enchanted belt and a mirror to communicate.¡± Athena juggled the keys on a keyring and opened a chest near her worktable. She drew out a wide leather belt with a dragon clasp and a mirror safely encased in a soft drawstring bag. She pushed both objects across the table to Rosaliy. Rosaliy ran her fingers across the thick leather. The belt was enchanted to protect its wearer from physical harm. Issabeth had put it to the test deactivating a Malum death trap the Bellicus found near Malum territory. It was a shame Issabeth was not wearing the belt now, but she never would have consented to wearing such a thing for a mundane camping trip in the Glade. ¡°Hopefully its magic isn¡¯t too severely drained,¡± Athena said, ¡°but Katyrinna¡¯s enchantments are incredibly powerful, especially when they are intended to prevent harm.¡± ¡°Speaking of enchanted objects,¡± Rosaliy said casually, hoping to catch the book off guard, ¡°have you ever heard of an enchantment that can stop someone from speaking about being enchanted.¡± If she had thought she would be able to ask the question at all, Rosaliy might have asked in a less alarming way. A cloudy, confused look crossed Athena¡¯s face, and her gray eyes examined Rosaliy with a trace of worry. Great. If she behaved in too suspicious a manner, Athena would stop her from going, and Rosaliy so badly needed to do what she could to find Kat¡¯s children. She owed Kat so much, and this was her chance to repay her in some small amount for all her kindness. ¡°Do you have reason to think such an enchantment might have been used or might be useful?¡± Athena asked. Yes, because of a book filled with Daniella¡¯s tricky magic, she wanted to say, but instead she shook her head. The book would not let her speak directly. ¡°Of course not,¡± answered book Rosaliy. Actual Rosaliy recovered with, ¡°This is Daniella we¡¯re dealing with. Anything is possible.¡± ¡°Extra paranoia is certainly warranted when that woman is involved,¡± agreed Athena, relaxing. Rosaliy¡¯s trustworthiness was a blessing and a curse. ¡°As to your question, I haven¡¯t heard of such an enchantment being used in a long while, but they were quite common during the wars. Sometimes such enchantments were used on captains and heads of armies so they would be unable to reveal army locations and such under the influence of Malum magic. The spells were harmless, but effective.¡± Rosaliy tried not to look too interested. Her question was hypothetical, after all. ¡°Can they be reversed? I mean, could they be reversed?¡± Athena was pondering the past, so she missed the slip. ¡°No, that would be against the purpose of such a spell. There were usually time limits or an expiration trigger of sorts built in.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± ¡°As in the general of an army could reveal his secret plans to another Naxturaen officer in the event of his imminent death or once the secret campaign had begun and the knowledge was no longer secret. Good spells usually accounted for a few eventualities, although goodness knows a few Naxturae must have carried a covert mission or two to their graves.¡± That was an unsettling thought. ¡°It¡¯s a shame Talyrin isn¡¯t here to tell you more,¡± said Athena, brow crinkling just a bit with the shame of it. ¡°Is your informational need urgent?¡± ¡°No,¡± said Rosaliy. That was the enchantment again. Her informational need was the definition of urgent. ¡°How powerful were these spells?¡± ¡°As with any magic, their strength and efficacy varied based on the skill of the enchantress.¡± Her enchantress was very skilled. Rosaliy could assume there were no loopholes. ¡°This seems more than an idle question,¡± Athena pointed out. That was all the questioning Rosaliy would be able to do unless she wanted to be confined to her room. Besides, going to Kianne was doing the opposite of the book¡¯s orders. It sounded like the enchantment was virtually harmless, especially if she ignored any book-based edicts. ¡°If I find anything suspicious, I¡¯ll let you know.¡± Rosaliy tapped the cloth-protected mirror. Dmitri came in with a damage report, so Rosaliy was able to escape further inquiry. ¡°Wait,¡± Athena called before she left. Rosaliy froze. ¡°You¡¯ll need a way to mask yourself from Daniella and a way to incapacitate her. Stop by again before you leave.¡± She promised. She and Drake needed to be moving. Kianne was a two-day journey. Drake had already been packed to leave, but she needed to gather her things. She tried to leave the book behind, but every time she turned around, the book was back in her bag. Was she putting it there or was the book moving itself? She flipped open the cover and the message returned. ¡°I got it. Thanks,¡± she seethed, debating destroying the book. She could see such a dramatic action backfiring, however, and she doubted the book would let her destroy it at all. She sighed, shoved the little volume in her bag, and went back to collect a potion from Athena. ¡°A swallow every day should mask you from most tracking spells, although I can¡¯t promise to know how to offer total protection on that front,¡± Athena instructed, handing over a glass-capped vial filled with a shimmering blue liquid. Rosaliy also received a tiny shard of net and red rings. ¡°Hopefully one or the other will be useful,¡± said Athena. ¡°I¡¯m afraid Daniella will have planned for anything I can offer you, but perhaps you will have the element of surprise.¡± Daniella wanted her in Taragon, so maybe she did have the element of surprise. Rosaliy downed a swallow of the minty liquid and headed outside to meet her Baysellian travel partner, on horseback and waiting. She strapped her supplies onto her horse, looped the protective belt around her waist, and wasted no time leading them across the drawbridge and dead south. Distractions Rosaliy Rosaliy was consumed with the weight of her task and the frustration of wasting time on travel, so she was completely flummoxed when Drake broke into her incoherent, half-formed, panicky thoughts with an attempt at conversation. ¡°Have you ever been to Taragon?¡± ¡°Why do you ask?¡± Rosaliy said in a rush, the mention of Taragon reminding her of the malevolent book in her bag. ¡°I mean, yes, a few times. What makes you mention Taragon?¡± She earned an askance glance for her awkward answer. ¡°The Ascleon Mountains, I guess.¡± He waved at the towering, spiky mountains they were heading straight toward. ¡°The fact that we¡¯re passing right by Taragon. I¡¯ve never traveled Kazakoth Pass.¡± Good point. ¡°Oh, that Taragon.¡± The words slipped out before she recovered and shifted the conversation. ¡°Not many people have gotten to see the Kazakoth Pass bridge. Queen Katyrinna created the base of it with magic thirteen years ago.¡± He let her get away with the worst subject avoidance of all time, which she appreciated. ¡°A magical bridge? Is that safe?¡± ¡°Totally safe, but you can walk on the non-magical parts if it makes you feel better.¡± He was suitably impressed by the bridge upon arrival. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anything like it,¡± Drake marveled, peering down the glass porthole rimmed with bone into the black chasm beneath. The Naxturaen soldiers had rebuilt it from marble hauled in from a nearby quarry. It was wide and white and streaked with pink and glittering dark streaks that sparkled in the sun. The base was made up of an artistic mish-mash of wood and metal and glass and bone, all fused together in chunks. ¡°It¡¯s the one interesting thing on the trip, I¡¯m afraid. From here out, it¡¯s all rolling hills and occasional trees until the outpost.¡± She wished she was exaggerating, but Corin had not been not wrong about the journey between Crystal Palace and Kianne. It was normally a dull trip, but strangely, Drake seemed more relaxed in the open space, downright conversational. Well, at least he was excellent at keeping her chattering about things that made the time pass. She still learned next to nothing about him, beyond the fact that his inscrutable half grins were growing on her. She even tried to ask Drake how he knew Matias, but somehow she ended up telling a story about a three day search for a chicken who had inexplicably scaled a tree. They only found the feathered pest when an egg toppled straight onto her brother¡¯s head. By late afternoon, they reached an outpost with basic supplies manned by a friendly couple who kept up an inn and a store. ¡°Rose,¡± exclaimed Emilia, attacking her with a hug as soon as she stepped through the wooden gate of the wall offering basic protection to the few buildings inside. Emilia was a tiny, gray-haired woman who could fill a room with her personality. ¡°You and your friend must join us for dinner.¡± The words sounded like a request, but they weren¡¯t. ¡°You¡¯ll need a warm meal after that long trip,¡± Emilia insisted, half ripping off their cloaks by force and prodding them toward her own house. Being Emilia¡¯s guest or her casual prisoner was a fine line. Skipping the family dinner was not an option. Her husband, Arin, arrived to relieve them of their bags and tuck their horses into a cozy barn. Rosaliy and Drake were seated around a little table in a warm cottage as fast as Emilia could shove them into chairs. She juggled place settings around them and made steaming mugs full of spiced tea appear. ¡°I always look forward to your visits, Rose,¡± said Emilia warmly while her husband knocked dirt off his boots and came in to join them. ¡°It must be time for you to visit your family. And bringing a special guest¡­¡± Drake caught the words. She could tell from his momentary pause reaching over to take a spoon of sugar. He was nice enough or amused enough not to argue the suggestive label. Rosaliy did not want news of her intention to visit Kianne Castle to spread before she arrived, she realized. She was hoping to catch Daniella and find the children, not scare them deeper into hiding. ¡°Yes,¡± said Rosaliy. She was a terrible liar without a book to help her. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s where I¡¯m headed¡ªwe¡¯re headed. Home to my family.¡± Her parents had lived in the Glade for the early years of Rosaliy¡¯s training, but eventually they missed their farm, especially when Rosaliy¡¯s responsibilities at the palace kept her increasingly busy. All that seemed like details a special friend would know upon a visit to said family, so she kept quiet. Lying was complicated and exhausting. She shot Drake a sideways glance that was something in between ¡°sorry¡± and ¡°help.¡± He raised his eyebrows. Good, he knew exactly what she was asking him to do, then. ¡°Our visit is a surprise,¡± Drake added. ¡°If you could keep our secret, we¡¯d appreciate it.¡± Wow, he was an excellent liar. Emilia¡¯s inclusion as a co-conspirator was a sure way to ensure her silence. Perhaps the only way.You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. ¡°Of course,¡± crowed Emilia. ¡°Not a peep, right Ar?¡± Arin agreed, and other than a few awkward questions about how Rosaliy and Drake met and how long they had been special friends and just how special their friendship was, Emilia and Arin were easily directed to other topics. Manning a sleepy outpost in the middle of nowhere, they were hungry to talk about anything. ¡°I¡¯m glad you stopped by, Rose,¡± said Emilia, heaping another spoonful of mushroom-sauced potatoes onto both plates. Rosaliy might not need to eat again for days. Even Drake was poking at his food, a point she had not seem him reach thusfar. ¡°I need to take a trip into town for supplies, and I¡¯d love to see your parents. It¡¯s been ages.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± she said. And that was it. If there was a reason not to let Emilia tag along other than the fact they were not actually going to her parents¡¯ farm, she could not come up with that reason. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to be rude,¡± interrupted Drake, standing, ¡°but my horse was favoring his back leg, and I meant to check on him before sunset.¡± ¡°Both horses seemed fine,¡± insisted Arin. Drake backed to the door anyway. ¡°I know. It was so minor, but peace of mind, you know.¡± He held up his hands like everyone understood the necessity of humoring that pesky peace of mind. ¡°I¡¯ll be right back. Rosaliy?¡± He waved for her to join him. ¡°She¡¯s quite the horse whisperer,¡± he explained. Emilia shot a look to Arin, who had no idea what the look meant. Rosaliy knew. Emilia was reading into Drake¡¯s desire for extra time alone with his special friend. ¡°I am sorry about that,¡± whispered Rosaliy the instant they were shielded from earshot by barn walls. ¡°Thanks for covering. I¡¯m a terrible liar.¡± Drake chuckled softly. ¡°I won¡¯t argue.¡± Rosaliy craned her head out the barn door, and the house curtains fluttered. Emilia had been peeking. ¡°She thinks we¡¯re having a romantic tryst out here,¡± Rosaliy muttered. ¡°She¡¯s going to come out any moment to intervene.¡± ¡°Rightfully so,¡± he said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust me either.¡± ¡°I have no idea how to break it to Emilia she can¡¯t come with us.¡± He patted down his horse¡¯s leg, pretending to examine it while he thought over the dilemma. ¡°Are you avoiding your parents?¡± ¡°Well, no,¡± she said. ¡°Of course not. But we don¡¯t have time.¡± ¡°I thought they lived in Kianne.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a large city,¡± Rosaliy pointed out. ¡°And they live on the outskirts.¡± ¡°Were you planning on walking through the front gates?¡± She had, actually. ¡°Isn¡¯t your parents¡¯ farm near the side gate?¡± It was, but she wasn¡¯t entirely sure how he had pieced that together. ¡°Everything all right out there, dears?¡± Emilia¡¯s voice floated across the dark. ¡°All is well,¡± Drake called back. ¡°Turns out I¡¯m just imagining things! Be right back.¡± ¡°I hope you¡¯re ready for spiced persimmon pie!¡± Rosaliy whimpered faintly. ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on her,¡± he chuckled. ¡°She did give you a ready-made excuse for being in the area.¡± ¡°You¡¯re enjoying this,¡± she accused, rubbing her temples. ¡°Too much,¡± he agreed. ¡°I don¡¯t know that much about you,¡± she pointed out. ¡°And I¡¯m a terrible liar.¡± ¡°Love is blind,¡± he snickered, standing and scratching his horse behind the ears. ¡°Maybe Emilia will get more out of you than I have,¡± she threatened. ¡°That is terrifying,¡± he admitted. ¡°Ready to head back in?¡± ¡°No,¡± she complained. He held out his hand. ¡°And I was so eager to answer more questions about the specialness of our burgeoning love.¡± She grabbed his hand, and they sauntered back inside. Emilia looked them over with a dreamy smile and a sigh. ¡°Horse checks out,¡± Drake announced, relinquishing Rosaliy to sit at the table. ¡°Course he does,¡± giggled Emilia. ¡°We¡¯re all set to leave tomorrow morning,¡± said Rosaliy. ¡°Early. Are you sure you can be ready in time? On such short notice?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been planning a trip for a week,¡± said Emilia cheerfully, dashing Rosaliy¡¯s last hope. ¡°Cart¡¯s all ready. We¡¯ll have plenty of time to catch up.¡± Rosaliy was not a believer in ¡°I told you so¡± glances, but she may have shot one in Drake¡¯s direction. ¡°Arin,¡± chirped Emilia. ¡°Pie!¡± At least when her mouth was full, Rosaliy could phrase her half answers more carefully. Watching Drake in action was fascinating. He had a way of coaxing his conversation partner to do all the talking, even when the questions were about him. No wonder Rosaliy had gotten nowhere in her investigation. What was he hiding, she wondered, realizing soon after she probably should not judge on the hiding front. ¡°Has anyone else come through this way?¡± asked Drake casually, swirling the dregs of his tea. ¡°Corin and Hale were through yesterday,¡± answered Emilia cheerfully. ¡°That Hale. I keep hoping he¡¯ll settle down and have some kids of his own.¡± She furrowed her brow, as if Hale¡¯s lack of offspring was deeply troubling to her. Rosaliy nearly choked with laughter. ¡°How are your children, Emilia?¡± Drake was quick to ask. That was Emilia¡¯s favorite subject. She and Arin chronicled each of their children¡¯s exploits in detail that would certainly have made those grown children blush red if they could hear her. It was dark by the time they were released to get some rest. ¡°Separate rooms, now,¡± Emilia teased with a wink. ¡°Don¡¯t make me come out there!¡± Arin handed them each a key inscribed with a number, balanced two lanterns in one hand and a steaming bucket of water in the other, and he led them to the inn¡ªa series of tiny rooms against the back wall of the outpost. Rosaliy had key number one, and Drake had been given key number three. Apparently they needed an entire room separating them. ¡°G¡¯night, Rose,¡± Arin said when hot water had been poured into a basin and the little room had been examined. ¡°Will you be needing a fire?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a cozy room. I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she declined politely, really wanting to contact Athena and get some sleep. ¡°There are extra blankets in the trunk in the corner,¡± he said, leaving to repeat the process with Drake. First, Rosaliy took out the mirror to check in with Crystal Palace. Unfortunately, Athena had nothing to report. The Sorceress had hit a snag or five on reactivating the seeing pool, but she knew now the series of spells hampering her. She said she missed Rosaliy¡¯s expertise, which Rosaliy doubted, but the words raised her spirits anyway. There had been no word from Katyrinna, Alexander, or Issabeth. Athena tried to downplay it, but the Naxturae, including Talyrin and Kaylix, had been out of contact for too long. Rosaliy could do nothing from here, so she let Athena maintain her mask of having things under control. Disappointed, Rosaliy sat down on her bed and examined the enchanted book by the glow of the lantern. The demanding silver message had appeared again, unchanged, so she leafed through the rest of the pages. It was Alexander¡¯s handwriting¡ªa charming story written for a beloved daughter. Rosaliy had read most of the tale in progress. She had even named the squirrel princess, in fact. Under the current circumstances, the cheerful story hurt her heart, so she skimmed quickly. Nearly at the end, she noticed smudging, and she brought the book closer to the light, turning the handle to raise the wick. The flame flared and brightened. There was more written between the lines of one of the pages. The writing was incomprehensible to her. Had Daniella written it? She could come up with no satisfactory explanation. A flutter of curtains caught her eye. Emilia was peeking out the windows of her own house. Rosaliy turned down the lantern to a soft glow and pulled her curtains closed. She had just enough time to ready herself for sleep and snuff out that lantern before Emilia came out to see what was wrong. Disappearances Drake Drake tossed his pillow over his head. It wasn''t working. His body was not going to let him go back to sleep until he checked on Rosaliy. His reflexes cared not for the nosy woman in the nearby house who could hear the creak of his door through walls and would come to spy on him. Nor did his overactive mind care there was nothing that could have silently crept its way into a walled outpost, past his door, and into Rosaliy''s locked room without causing a real alert. No, despite logic, his body still sent out those high alert middle-of-the night warnings that could only be quelled by verifying the situation was under control. For the ninety-nine times nothing was wrong, there was always the one time something was wrong. He flipped off his covers and slipped out of the bed, grabbing the shirt tossed over the back of a nearby chair. He ignored the boots. There was a stone walkway running along the front of the rooms, and bare feet would be quieter. "You''re really going to make me peer in a girl''s window in the dead middle of the night, aren''t you?" he grumbled to himself. The question was quickly answered by his fingers. They slid his lock aside while he cringed at the sound of the soft click. Silent steps brought him to Rosaliy''s door. He hesitated. He hated this. It felt too much like doing the wrong thing under orders. But checking up on her had been his choice, and his intentions were good, so that made no sense. Maybe his conscience was broken. Brittle from disuse, it had finally snapped after years of strain. He could just see inside Rosaliy''s room through a tiny sliver where the curtains did not quite meet. Unfortunately, the bright moonlight was against him, and he had to cup his hands around his eyes and press his face to the window because just looking in had not been sufficiently awkward. The room was small, and the bed right next to the window looked rumpled and empty. He cast a glance over his shoulder and tapped faintly at the window with his fingertips. This was ridiculous. She was in there. Nothing moved in the room, and Drake''s need to take action kicked in. He pulled a long piece of metal from his pocket that he should not be carrying. Why would law-abiding citizens need to pick locks? He had finally found a situation. Unfortunately, lock-picking was a skill that stayed sharp with practice. He was not sharp, but he was sufficiently motivated. He jiggled the metal prongs until the lock clicked open. He pushed the door open, wincing at its long, low creak. He was a little proud of himself for not noticing before that Rosaliy''s door creaked. Perhaps that was a sign he was not constantly thinking like a criminal. Chronically, maybe, but not constantly, and that was a baby step in the right direction. "Says the man breaking into a woman''s room in the middle of the night," he muttered under his breath. He looked in. The bed was really empty. Rosaliy''s bag, cloak, and boots were still in the room. He was at a loss to explain how when a light flared from the opening door of the house. Drake flew out Rosaliy''s door, pulled it closed, and slipped the metal pins back into his pocket, all before he realized what he was doing. Criminal behavior was hard to shake. "What''s going on?" rang out Arin''s sleepy voice. "Everything''s fine," countered Drake instinctively. Everything was not fine. Drake had a few seconds to think while Arin slipped on boots and came to investigate. If Rosaliy was the next victim of this rash of disappearances, Drake needed to get to Kianne and find out what was going on. The less this couple knew, the better. He would make up an excuse and sneak out as soon as they were asleep. There was a clatter at Rosaliy''s door, and it opened. She poked out her head. Relief poured over Drake''s tense, tired body. "I thought I heard a noise," he called to Arin, "but everything''s fine." He directed the next question much more quietly in Rosaliy''s direction. "Is everything fine?" "Everything''s as fine as it was yesterday," she promised with fake brightness. Her words were not encouraging, considering how many things were not fine yesterday. "Tomorrow," she whispered. Her head tipped to see Emilia peering out from the window of her house. "Somehow." If she was fine, he just had to deflect the fact he was outside Rosaliy''s room in bare feet in the middle of the night, seeing as how a yawning Arin had continued ambling over. "I thought I heard something scrambling around out here," Drake insisted. "It was probably something small, like a..." There probably were not many scavenger otters this far from the ocean or curious meerkats this far from the desert. He fumbled, trying to think of a forest animal other than a deer. He was reasonably confident deer did not scale walls. "Raccoon," Rosaliy filled in. "Might want to check on the horses to be safe." His alibi might have been more convincing had he been wearing shoes or carrying a lantern, but hopefully poor Arin was too tired to notice. The horses were snug and not being pestered by raccoons, so Drake apologized for being so paranoid. "Give me a holler if you hear any more critters," Arin was nice enough to say before he trudged back to his house. Rosaliy gave him a wave and retreated back to her room. Her door creaked when she closed it, he noticed, annoyed at himself for noticing. He locked his door and fell back on the bed, ordering himself to be asleep. Thankfully, his gut feelings of danger kept to themselves, and the next thing he knew, he heard Rosaliy and Emilia chatting outside over the chickens. He was still splayed out on his bed, flat on his back. He hoped last night had been a dream, but his dirty feet told him otherwise. So did Emilia.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. "Arin said you heard a coon last night," she teased at breakfast, shoveling a mountain of fluffy scrambled eggs onto his plate. Funny how she made the words "heard a coon" sound like "snuck out for a secret rendezvous." It was not the worst he had been accused of, and the heckling was easy to weather. The role of a hopeful suitor was a fun one to play. It brought merriment and teasing instead of fear and repulsion. The avoidance of those last two were a primary goal for him. He was tired of the looks and the judgment. Being somewhere no one knew him was refreshing, a break from real life. "Sorry for waking everyone on account of my overactive imagination," he apologized. "Oh no," Rosaliy defended him. "You have good instincts." Something had been wrong, then. "Plan still the same?" he asked. "Mmmhmm," she mumbled agreement, but the second Emilia''s back was turned, she drew out a folded paper from a deep pocket in her skirts and unfolded it, pushing it onto his lap. "I talked to Kat and Alexander," she whispered. He was just able to glance at what was a blueprint of sorts and fold it away before Emilia arrived with mugs and much-needed coffee for all. How could she have talked to the Queen and her husband? Where were they? He tried to intercept Rosaliy before she boarded Emilia''s cart, but neither of them could get out two words before Emilia swooped on them. "Plenty of time to get to know everything about you," Emilia crowed, clambering onto the cart. Rosaliy grinned at him and hopped up next to Emilia, and Drake settled himself in the back of the cart between some broken equipment to mend and a small pile of furs to trade. A kiss from Arin and some last minute instructions from Emilia on what needed to be fixed in room four were exchanged before Emilia jostled the reins. Her horse tugged the cart out of the outpost and down a dirt road eventually leading to Kianne. Rosaliy and Drake''s horses were attached to the back, content to trot along behind free of passengers. Drake knew everything there was to know about Emilia by lunchtime: her parents had made horseshoes for half of Kianne at one time, she had four children and five grandchildren so far, she was hoping to trade for one of Ella''s legendary quilts on this trip, she wanted a pair of Kelnis''s boots for an anniversary present for Arin, and Corin had suggested building a tavern on outpost grounds, but that seemed a tall task unless they took on an employee and got more visitors. Drake even knew the names of Emilia''s chickens and goats. He was out of deflection subjects, and he was going to need to answer some questions unless he redoubled his creativity. He bought time by offering to refill the water skins in the creek next to their lunch spot while Rosaliy collected the horses. He caught up a handful of yellow wildflowers on his way back. "For you," he announced, handing the bundle off to Rosaliy. He got a real smile. Rosaliy pulled out one of the flowers and put it behind her ear. "My favorite color¡ªthank you." He felt like kissing hands or something was the gentlemanly thing to do in this scenario, but he was not a gentleman and such a gesture would probably have ended in failure. Besides, the flowers were enough to please Emilia, who was content to see whatever she wanted to see. He headed Emilia off before she retook the bench seat of her cart. "You''ve been driving for hours," he insisted. "You must need a break." Driving the cart gave him a distraction excuse, at least, and someone would need to give him directions pretty soon. Unfortunately, Rosaliy settled in to the back of the cart, and that left Emilia unfortunately unfettered to ask more questions. "So, Drake, you and Rosaliy haven''t known each other long?" In order to avoid being trapped in a lie, he and Rosaliy had stayed close to the truth, which was far too disappointing for Emilia. She was hoping to witness a betrothal, but she could not very well expect one out of acquaintances of a few days. She was able to find solace in the "love at first sight" scenario. "What was your first thought when you saw my Rose?" Emilia prodded. "I wondered why she was covered in pumpkin," he said, relieved to answer at least one question with complete honesty. Rosaliy responded with a soft laugh. "Butter gourd," she objected. Emilia was all smiles at their shared humor. Truth was, Rosaliy was funny and hard-working, and she had eyes that said exactly what she was thinking, and she was a million other sparkling adjectives, but his past was too filled with muck. She deserved better than him. "And you," Emilia interrogated Rose. "When you first saw him, did you know?" "I was sticky and a little preoccupied," laughed Rosaliy. "It''s not like I''m waiting around all day for handsome, foreign boys to stroll into the palace and fall all over me." "Their loss," Drake said. "Is that a fork in the road coming up?" "Straight ahead takes you to the main gates of Kianne City," Emilia pointed. "This path to the west takes you around the city. Keep your eyes open in the tree cover. You never know what kind of unsavory characters are lurking about in the woods." "Rose will protect us," Drake said, turning the horse into the friendly tree canopy, not exactly a potential denizen of ruffians. "Yes, you just keep those unsavory characters distracted for an hour or so, and I''ll mix something right up," she agreed. The Kianne region was stable, and bandits would be incredibly bored pestering scattered farms and roads where a wagon or two might pass by in a day. Emilia''s ruffians were more likely pickpockets in the city or royal advisers making their living from scheming and inflating taxes. "We are so proud of Rose," Emilia gushed. "Our very own Sorceress." The gushing was directed at Drake, so he had to agree, "She''s very talented. I don''t think Crystal Palace could function without her." "Oh, please," scoffed Rosaliy. Some people deflected compliments to get more of them, and some people were uncomfortable being confronted with their own worth. Rosaliy was the second. "And what do you do, Drake?" Drat, he had let the conversation lie dormant for too long. "I''ve been working with the Lansilia Coalition to encourage fair trade practices in the Baysellian region." And he could quote hours worth of speeches to prove it. Emilia narrowed her eyes, wanting more. "Revolutioning is more of a hobby," she said. "You can''t expect to make a living from¡ª" "You need to angle north here," Rosaliy interrupted. "Oh, sky''s above, you''re right, Rose. If we had missed this trail, we would have had to circle all the way around for the other side or pull the cart over that mud pit." Drake pulled the cart to a gentle stop before the narrow, rutted path veered off. "Rose and I should get out of the cart and ride, Emilia, so we don''t weigh your cart down in the soft ground," suggested Drake. "I suppose so," Emilia grumbled, taking the reins from him. Horseback was welcome after the bumpy cart, and Emilia could not dig around in his past from a distance. It was a double success. Rosaliy pulled her horse next to his. "You are an expert at not answering questions," she pointed out quietly as they trailed the cart. It was an occupational hazard, which he could not say without falling into a pile of other questions. Rosaliy deserved to know, but he''d rather stall the inevitable. "See?" she joked in response to his silence. "You didn''t ask a question," he pointed out innocently. "Where were you last night?" Her voiced lowered, and she leaned in. "I wish I could explain, but Emilia has the ears of bat. They were taken by the star women. Not even they can find Dee, and it''s basically up to us." Emilia looked back at that moment and saw Rosiliy murmuring in Drake''s ear. She beamed and turned her eyes back to the path. Rosaliy sat back on her saddle with a head shake and a half shrug of her shoulders. At least she understood how little sense she was making. They lapsed into silence until they rolled up to a little cottage buried in the woods. Enemies Drake ¡°Don¡¯t farms have crops and animals?¡± Drake asked as they approached a well-cared-for house buried in thick trees. Rosaliy slid off her horse and shot him an amused smile. He hadn¡¯t been joking, but apparently his question was silly. He dismounted as well and walked up to the cozy house, not having much time to take it in or find the missing farm before there was a clatter at the door. Constant interruption sprinkled with drama seemed to be the theme of the day. ¡°Rose, you made it on time this year,¡± an emerging woman exclaimed. Rosaliy hugged the person Drake assumed was her mother. Drake could see the resemblance, but not in any kind of normal way. For lack of a good way to describe what he saw, Drake could tell Rosaliy had inherited from her mother the ability to be busy with five different things at once. For example, after the hug, the mother brushed a thin layer of flour off Rosaliy¡¯s back that had come from her white-stained hands. ¡°And this is Drake,¡± Emilia crowed as she reined in her cart horse, ¡°but I¡¯ll let Rosaliy introduce him.¡± ¡°Introduce him¡± had a very suggestive implication. ¡°This is Drake,¡± Rosaliy said, patting him on the arm, as if there might be confusion over who, exactly, was Drake. ¡°From Bayselle,¡± she added, like that was the type of introduction Emilia meant. Rosaliy¡¯s mother waited for more, but Rosaliy was done, so she turned to Drake after the awkward pause. She brushed off her hands on a cloth slung over her belt. ¡°Welcome, Drake from Bayselle. I¡¯m Ana.¡± She gripped his arm in greeting like she could read his soul through physical connection. Maybe she could. He knew magic passed through families. He tried his best not to yank back his arm, because she could certainly sense fear. He was in trouble. Emilia was out of the cart by then, and there was a mad dash to the door, and squealing, and an ¡°Emilia, I haven¡¯t seen you since¡­¡± followed by an ¡°Ana, you look as young as when¡­¡± All in all, Drake was rescued until Emilia tossed out something about ¡°when Rose and her ¡®friend¡¯ stopped by¡­¡± Ana¡¯s eyes floated back to Drake, reconsidering him. Her eyes tightened a little. He was becoming less welcome by the moment. The response gave him a favorable impression of Ana¡¯s judgment. He had never been popular with mothers. This one would be pleasantly relieved when Emilia left and Rosaliy could reveal the truth; no harm done. Except Emilia was far too tired to make it to the city by nightfall, and those n¡¯er-do-wells were everywhere, she was sure. She had to stay to catch up, and somehow Drake was around a dinner table with a glowing Emilia, a nervous Rosaliy, a tense Ana, and a seemingly oblivious father named Darrow. Ana had directed everyone to seats around the round table, which meant he was pinned in by Ana and Darrow, and Rosaliy was across the table. Maybe family gatherings were always this oppressive. He had little frame of reference. ¡°Where in Bayselle is Drake from, Rosaliy?¡± asked Ana under the guise of pleasant conversation. Rosaliy should have made something up, but a tell-tale look of panic crossed her face instead. ¡°Umm¡­¡± She glanced his way, and Ana drank in Rosaliy¡¯s uncertainty with the question. Ana turned her Kianne-blue eyes to Drake with unsettling intensity. He filled his mouth with food to buy time. What did Kianne farmers know about Baysellian geography? The question seemed safe. Baysellian coastal towns all had picturesque, ocean-inspired names in contrast to the dirty messes most of them really were. ¡°Via Maritima, mostly,¡± he chimed in after he swallowed, ¡°although the Lansilia Coalition operates mainly out of Seavale, so I¡¯ve been there recently.¡± ¡°So not a very stable lifestyle, then, for someone so young,¡± Ana accused lightly, slicing a piece of meat with a knife Drake would have preferred she not have been holding. ¡°Mama, be nice,¡± Rosaliy chided her. ¡°Via Mar,¡± pondered Darrow. ¡°That¡¯s a tough town.¡± Tough was an understatement. ¡°Have you been?¡± asked Drake. The father had not presented himself as a threat, but perhaps Drake needed to reevaluate. ¡°Not myself, but we know a lot of interesting people.¡± Darrow caught his wife¡¯s eye for a wink, but she both understood the joke and the implication he was missing, so she found no humor in it. The kind of people they knew from Via Mar were not the kind of people Emilia wanted to run into on an ill-traveled road. ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to visit Bayselle,¡± sighed Emilia, having her own conversation. ¡°I never could develop a taste for fish, though.¡± ¡°Fish is the only thing Bayselle does right,¡± Drake said, grabbing at her subject shift like a life preserver. ¡°Have you ever tried fresh lemon snapper?¡± She had not, and since his opinion on Kianne fish was not going to ingratiate himself to his hosts, fish was leading to another lull. ¡°Cade¡¯s in town,¡± Darrow offered to break the silence. ¡°Delivering a flock of sheep and helping to build some sort of stage in Kani Square.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s brother was a safe topic. Rosaliy picked up on the opening. ¡°For what?¡± she asked. ¡°What did Corin call it this time?¡± Darrow asked his wife. ¡°Harvest festival,¡± Ana filled in, still grumpy from being snapped at earlier and distracted from keeping Drake under constant surveillance. ¡°Don¡¯t those normally come after a harvest?¡± asked Drake. ¡°Kianne City doesn¡¯t run much on harvest schedule,¡± explained Emilia cheerily, buttering bread with an obliviousness that was downright charming, ¡°and Prince Corin will use any excuse for a party.¡± ¡°So he has performers coming?¡± asked Rosaliy, still on track. ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°You have to ask Cade,¡± Darrow answered, ¡°if you plan to visit.¡± Rosaliy glanced over at Drake. People were flocking to the city. They had an inconspicuous way in.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Emilia was a breath away from suggesting they accompany her to the city, so Drake quickly lied, ¡°No, we weren¡¯t going into the city.¡± ¡°Rose,¡± Ana tried, attempting a conversation redirection of her own, ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell us you were bringing a guest?¡± Her question was different than the one she had asked. Rosaliy tensed. ¡°Well, they just met,¡± bubbled Emilia, somehow missing the crackling tension between the women next to her. ¡°Last minute decision,¡± agreed Drake when Rosaliy remained silent and fuming. ¡°That seems unlike you, Rose.¡± Ana¡¯s voice dripped with suspicion. Apparently a silent feud had been raging between them while he was panicking about himself. ¡°Maybe you should just¡ª¡± Drake tried to suggest to Rosaliy. She glared at him with a glare that had the potential to set the table on fire, depending on how her magic worked. She would not be pulling her mother aside to explain the situation to her. It would have been impossible for dinner to have gotten worse from there, but the prolonged tension made the meal seem like an eternity. The instant Emilia popped the last spoonful of peas into her mouth, Rosaliy had yanked her plate out from under her. Then Rosaliy announced she and Drake were going for a walk outside. ¡°It¡¯s dark,¡± Drake pointed out. She shrugged. Ana glared, Emilia giggled, and Darrow reminded Rosaliy to wear a warm cloak. Drake trailed Rosaliy outside and through the forest. He shivered for multiple reasons. He was not used to evening chills for one. Plus, forest darkness was eerie and still. He was used to windy coastal towns that hardly went to sleep or balmy desert nights where the dark was open and endless. Forests were full of ominous obstacles and inky patches where anything could be lying in wait. ¡°Don¡¯t you have wolves around here?¡± he asked nervously. ¡°Not very often.¡± He did not appreciate the answer. Rosaliy rounded a shed, and the farmland she had promised was visible now down a hill. The bright moonlight illuminated the wide expanse and put Drake more at ease. Rosaliy leaned back against the wall of the shed and rubbed her temples with her fingers. ¡°That could have gone worse,¡± Drake joked. ¡°Just give them time,¡± Rosaliy muttered. ¡°So getting into the city¡ªdo you have any special talents on that front?¡± Like scaling walls? Infiltrating guarded cities? ¡°Irritating people,¡± he said. ¡°Arousing suspicion.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not your fault,¡± Rosaliy snapped. She was pulling her Kianne-gold hair into a tighter ponytail, her way of exerting control over a frustratingly uncontrollable situation. ¡°She¡¯s just picked up that something isn¡¯t adding up,¡± he said. ¡°You can¡¯t blame her.¡± Rosaliy bristled. ¡°I can! She should trust me to make my own decisions.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not really your own de¡ª¡± He cut himself off when Rosaliy shot him another glare. He knew where she had inherited that look. ¡°Sure, I see your point,¡± he amended. ¡°As long as you tell her tomorrow.¡± ¡°I suppose letting her stew over this for a night is punishment enough,¡± Rosaliy said, mustering a little smile. ¡°Are you going to disappear again tonight?¡± he asked, more worried for himself than for her, if he was being honest. She tossed her head from side to side. ¡°Unlikely. It¡¯s taxing for Kalilya to bring people back and forth, and it¡¯s obvious we don¡¯t have any new information.¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Oh!¡± she squealed. ¡°I haven¡¯t explained anything!¡± To be fair, even after she explained, he was still murky on the details. Queen Katyrinna and Alexander had been kidnapped by a group of powerful Naxturaen star women who were keeping them safe until the birth of the baby, she said. Drake fumbled around with a question, but she had already pulled a mirror out of her pocket. She ran her finger around the edge of the mirrored glass and waited. ¡°Is something supposed to happen?¡± he finally asked as she continued to stare at the mirror. Rosaliy did not seem like the mirror staring type. ¡°Sorceress Athena must be¡ª¡± Rosaliy¡¯s face was troubled. ¡°She must be busy.¡± Nothing seemed odd about that statement except Rosaliy¡¯s tone. ¡°There¡¯s a lot going on right now,¡± he pointed out. ¡°There¡¯s just¡­¡± she started to explain, trailing off. ¡°It seems like a lot of powerful people are disappearing right now.¡± With that, she pushed herself off the wall and announced it was time to head back. Forget wolves, Drake had questions. However, tipping off Emilia to any of the Crystal Palace problems or their intention to search the castle would guarantee informing Daniella they were here. ¡°As uncomfortable as it is, you¡¯re a pretty handy distraction,¡± Rosaliy admitted. ¡°I can¡¯t keep a secret to save my life.¡± Well, at least he had a purpose. When they returned, Emilia and Ana were already tucked away in the main bedroom, and Rosaliy was given her brother¡¯s room, which relegated Darrow and Drake to the warm floor of the main living area. Drake was enveloped by the cozy warmth of the hearth which cut the chill of the radiating hostility of Rosaliy¡¯s mother behind her closed door. He would be surprised if he made it through tomorrow without his past exploding on him like a Taragonian stone breaker. ~~~~~ ???? Memories faded. Desires evaporated into numb acceptance. Will crumbled under never-ending failure. Of all these, the one force that remained, transcending all others, was hate. Hate was simple, all-consuming, effortless. At first, her hate had a target; it drove the need for revenge. Eventually, revenge was too complicated, too short-sighted. Unfocused hate was much more powerful, took much less effort. Then one day, they came. They said they had a plan. A plan to seize power, to blaze history in their image. She did not care much for their plan. She did not want anyone else to have power. She hated them all. But their plan would hurt Her, and in the meantime, hurting Her suited the pursuit of hate very nicely. Would the child look like Her? Would it be scared and alone with no sense of its own power? Doubtful. It would have been taught, would be arrogant and self-righteous like Them. She hated Them most of all. It would be fun to hate the child. She yearned for its arrival. The portal tore. They left. They returned. They were angry. They needed a new plan. How had she altered things so much, they yelled at each other. They had been watching so closely. Find her. Stop her once and for all. There were threats and a promise to return, to track down the children. Then they left. They brought no child. Disappointment. A new path to hatred. A woman was left behind like they had forgotten her. They had not forgotten. They thought this place would trap the woman. A laugh bubbled up in her throat. Or maybe that was vomit. This woman had cost her the chance to hate the child, but she had also hurt the people scrambling for power. She was an opportunity. An ally. ¡°Ally.¡± She tested the word with her raw throat, unused to sound. Could she hate an ally? Yes, she decided. It was quite easy. Familiar. Issabeth stirred and brushed her hair out of her eyes, like being able to see would help her in this empty, formless place. Those eyes saw an old enemy. The fear and suspicion in those green eyes were delicious. Issabeth reached for the pearl and stretched it out. Shrilynda¡¯s mouth twisted into a smile. ¡°Do it,¡± she hissed. ¡°Bring this fragile world crashing down around your head.¡± Issabeth lowered the pearl. ¡°You¡¯ve gone a bit crazy, haven¡¯t you?¡± ¡°That happens when you trap someone in a nether realm for years.¡± ¡°I feel so much sympathy for you.¡± Issabeth tossed her hair from her eyes. ¡°Wait. I don¡¯t. That¡¯s pretty much what you did to the Enchanters for a hundred years. Why did you bring me here?¡± ¡°I had no hand in bringing you here.¡± ¡°I find that hard to believe,¡± Issabeth scoffed. Certainly she did. Shrilynda had neither the interest nor the will to insist otherwise. She was losing focus, drifting. She promised herself to hate Issabeth later. She looked forward to ripping the Sorceress¡¯s throat open. The anticipation steadied her. ¡°Who were they,¡± asked Issabeth, trying to push against the white ground and sinking instead, a comical battle against the cottony quicksand. ¡°Hmm,¡± Shrilynda mused. ¡°I don¡¯t care. They said they were bringing Rin¡¯s child.¡± ¡°That is not news,¡± Issabeth complained, extracting her hands from the cloudy surface and working slowly to stand. ¡°Would you like to leave this place?¡± asked Shrilynda. Issabeth narrowed her eyes. ¡°Of course I would like to leave this place,¡± she snapped. ¡°What¡¯s the catch?¡± ¡°You would free me.¡± ¡°You really are crazy if you think I¡¯d be stupid enough to do that.¡± Shrilynda nodded slowly. Her ally had too much hope right now. Time would fix that. ¡°I¡¯ll see if you¡¯ve changed your mind in a year or so,¡± she said, wandering off to revel in all the old memories Issabeth¡¯s presence had dredged up. Shrilynda had forgotten so many things she used to hate. This ally was already a gift. Fuming Rosaliy Rosaliy gathered eggs and fumed. These two activities were less than complementary seeing as she had left the house without a basket. Even Speckle clucked her annoyance when Rosaliy shoved the fluffy hen aside to check for eggs. As if she needed one more thing telling her she was being a sullen child. Rosaliy was being irrational. When she was alone and had time to think, she could recognize this objective fact. When her mother was nosing around, judgmentally trying to control her decisions, rationality was secondary to justified rage. Sure, her parents had connections in just about every underground society that existed, and Ana seemed to know more about Drake¡¯s background than Rosaliy did. Still, Rosaliy was not some sort of naive girl in need of guidance. She inhaled deeply and gingerly placed a warm brown egg in her skirts instead of crushing it in her gripped fingers. She needed to be calm and ready to endure one more awkward morning. She would not let this get to her. Kat was counting on her, and that was worth the drama. ¡°I¡¯m sensing some tension,¡± said her father as he handed her a basket. Her bad mood half dissolved, and she coughed out a laugh. That morning, Rosaliy had decided to put the awkward dinner behind her and see off Emilia like nothing was wrong. Certainly, she could survive a few hours. With that mindset, Rosaliy had tried to tackle the day for about three minutes before she was derailed. Ignoring the demanding silver message, Rosaliy had flipped open the offensive book to the pages filled with double lines of handwriting to see if those had changed. They were still incomprehensible. She wished she could have asked Alexander about them the night before. Maybe they were nothing, or maybe this was a secret language between him and Lillya. They were always inventing special words. Of course, she could not ask, because the book would not let her. Frustrated, she had tossed the controlling volume in her bag and swallowed another draft of Athena¡¯s magic masking potion. It was ridiculous to think anything was a protection from Daniella, but at least she was taking some sort of reasonable precaution. The idea comforted her, but she had already been on edge when she heard a soft tapping at her door. When her mother opened the door without waiting for a reply, her blood felt a bit hotter already. Funny how Rosaliy could be so patient with a dozen little girls and turn into a snarling monster at the smallest slight from her mother. The actual conversation after that was a hot-headed blur, but there had been some gentle attempts by Ana to reason with her daughter as if she was talking to a frightened donkey, something about having open conversation and listening and seeing things with a clear head and Rosaliy behaving so unlike herself, a mother needed to intervene. The main theme seemed to be ¡°How much do you know about him?¡± The answer to that question did not help her case, so Rosaliy shot back an ¡°As much as I need to know.¡± Even she had to admit that was a terrible answer, but she would only admit it in her head. This whole situation was ridiculous. ¡°Rose,¡± Ana had chided, ¡°I can¡¯t let you¡­¡± ¡°Can¡¯t let me?¡± Rosaliy exploded. Emilia would be gone after breakfast¡ªmere hours from now. She gritted her teeth. ¡°Can¡¯t you just trust me?¡± ¡°Of course I trust you, Rosaliy. It¡¯s him I¡¯m not so sure about.¡± ¡°But that¡¯s exactly the same thing.¡± Rosaliy fought back the urge to raise her voice. Things went downhill from there. Rosaliy was not entirely sure whether she had threatened to run off and elope with Drake or if she had just thought the mean thoughts in her head. Either way, she fled the house to her mother insisting ¡°Rose, if you¡¯d just listen¡ª¡± in a tone Rosaliy did not appreciate. Now safe in the chicken coop, she belatedly realized she had abandoned Drake to her mother and Emilia, which was not a terribly kind thing to do. However, since she was annoyed at Drake for having a mysteriously shady past in the first place, she was not sympathetic enough to intervene. Honestly, the last thing she needed right now was a lecture. She had to sneak into a guarded city to get to a guarded palace, and somehow out think a mastermind who had kidnapped magical children. Her father did not press the issue. ¡°You want the cow or frying the eggs?¡± he offered. ¡°I¡¯ll take the cow,¡± she said quickly, trading him the basket for a battered metal bucket. Going inside was not a good plan. Her father planted a kiss on her cheek. ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on her,¡± he said. ¡°Someday you¡¯ll have to accept your baby with twin braids grew up into a woman who gets to make big decisions all on her own.¡± ¡°And you will laugh and laugh.¡± She grinned. ¡°I know how this speech goes. Love you, Papa.¡± ¡°Love you, Rose,¡± he replied, tromping back to the house. Milking the cow was familiar, and rhythmic, and soothing. The confusion really was her fault. Mama was just looking out for her. If she wanted to be treated like an adult, she would have to behave like one. When Rosaliy came in with milk, the breakfast table was overflowing with fluffy eggs and ham and bell peppers that were Papa¡¯s greatest joy in gardening. The smell was amazing. Of all the things that could remind Rosaliy of home in an instant, smell was the most powerful. The house always smelled like delicious food mixed with a crackling fire. She poured tins of milk and took her place at the table. To her relief, Drake was present and unscathed. Ana had not tied him up or tortured him for information. Yet. Nobody had slept as well as Emilia, who was happy to dominate the conversation with happy chatter about her to-the-minute itinerary of business to conduct and people to visit. ¡°I¡¯m going to stop by armory row on the way in¡ªI think Mel and Flyda still have a forge there. And Sussy.¡± Her eyes lit up with the memory of all the people she had not seen in moons. ¡°They¡¯ll be so excited to hear the news,¡± she effused, squeezing Rosaliy¡¯s hand. ¡°Oh, they would love to meet you, Drake.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s mind spun. News? This was the opposite of what she needed. The more people who knew she was near Kianne, the more chance Daniella would take notice and disappear. ¡°Emilia,¡± she began, ¡°you can¡¯t tell¡ª¡±Support the creativity of authors by visiting the original site for this novel and more. Drake interrupted her. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll have to tell everyone we¡¯re already gone.¡± His sad, sympathetic face was very convincing. ¡°We¡¯re heading straight back to Crystal Palace today.¡± ¡°Oh, but you¡¯ve hardly had time for a visit,¡± Emilia argued unhappily. It took Rosaliy a second to realize what he was doing. If Emilia was under orders not to talk about Rosaliy¡¯s visit, everyone in Kianne would know by this evening. But if Emilia told everyone they had already left, Daniella would relax. Drake was good at this deception game. Unfortunately, Ana bought the lie as much as Emilia. She did not object, but she took in the new information silently, watchfully. A touch of color drained from her face. Rosaliy hated to guess what kind of plan might be brewing in her mother¡¯s mind. ¡°Emilia, it¡¯s been lovely to see you,¡± Ana said, with the excessive cheerfulness of someone overcompensating for other emotions. ¡°You¡¯d best get moving if you want to get all your business in town finished by the end of the day.¡± It was unlike Ana to hurry away a guest, but Emilia agreed the sun was against her, and she bustled her way out the door. Rosaliy and Papa saw the friendly woman off¡ªattaching her horses to the cart and listening to last minute stories. Rosaliy breathed a sigh of relief as Emilia¡¯s cart disappeared into the forest. She felt lighter, ready to clear up this miscommunication. She linked her arm with her father. ¡°So we need to sneak into Kianne.¡± ¡°Is that all?¡± he teased. ¡°No, but I¡¯ll explain inside,¡± she promised, stepping back into the house. Her mother had Drake clearing the table. ¡°Drake,¡± called her mother, still using that too-cheerful tone, ¡°could you bring the gravy and the biscuits into the kitchen?¡± Rosaliy was too far away to do any good. If Ana was a snake and Drake was some sort of burrowing rodent, Drake would have run the other way. Instead, he complied, balancing a heavy bowl in each hand. Her bustling mother sped by him, upending the bowl of gravy. He caught the bowl before it hit the ground, but his shirt paid the price. Rosaliy and Darrow rushed to rescue the bowls, but rescue came too late for Drake. He was was covered in hot, slimy ooze. ¡°I am so clumsy,¡± Ana fake apologized. ¡°Quick, give me that shirt to rinse and dry.¡± Drake hesitated, but this was an order, not a request or an offer. Besides, he was covered in uncomfortably warm brown sauce, and Ana looked dangerously like she might rip the shirt off if he did not comply immediately. The second he handed the shirt over, Ana grabbed his arm. ¡°Ah ha!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°You are part of a Baysellian street gang. Which one?¡± ¡°How do you¡ª?¡± he spluttered. ¡°Out with it,¡± she demanded. Drake looked miserable. Plus half naked. On his forearm was a mark Rosaliy could not quite see from this angle. Rosaliy wanted to laugh, yell, and comfort poor Drake all at once. ¡°Mama,¡± chided Rosaliy. ¡°First of all, Drake and I are not running away together or secretly betrothed or dating or special anythings, but he is a friend who¡¯s given me no reason to doubt him, so you can be nicer. At least let him go.¡± Ana narrowed her eyes and released Drake¡¯s arm. He clapped a hand over the mark almost instinctively. All Rosaliy could see was black ink etched into his forearm. Ana glared from Drake to Rosaliy and back again. ¡°What¡¯s going on then?¡± ¡°If you go rinse out your conspiratorial gravy,¡± ordered Rosaliy, ¡°and let Drake put on a shirt, we can explain.¡± By the time Drake¡¯s shirt was drying above the fire and Darrow had located one of Cade¡¯s slightly-too-small shirts as a temporary replacement, tempers were cooler. Now that her part in the deception was out in the open, Rosaliy was mostly amused by the whole thing. Drake and Ana were less amused. ¡°I can¡¯t believe you thought I brought home a boy I¡¯d only known for a few days,¡± sniffed Rosaliy, planting herself on the ground by the fire. Darrow carried over chairs for Drake and Ana, which they reluctantly sat in. Drake rubbed his arm absentmindedly, like it was burning. ¡°Well, mostly because you strongly implied¡­¡± her mother tried to defend herself. ¡°If we hadn¡¯t,¡± Rosaliy interrupted, ¡°Emilia would have gone off telling everyone she knows we were in Kianne looking around, and Daniella would have vanished without a trace.¡± Ana took a deep breath. ¡°Explain from the beginning, and maybe I¡¯ll understand why this necessitates you traveling with a Baysellian criminal.¡± Drake winced. This was the past he would rather not talk about. ¡°Somebody¡¯s attacking Queen Kat¡¯s family,¡± Rosaliy explained, deciding to refocus the conversation. ¡°Issabeth disappeared, then the children and Daniella. Even Athena is out of contact now.¡± ¡°Oh, those poor dears,¡± Ana gasped. ¡°I¡¯ve never trusted that scheming woman.¡± ¡°It gets worse,¡± Rosaliy assured her. ¡°The Naxturaen ancestors are worried about the new baby, so they¡¯ve taken Kat and Alexander up to stay safe.¡± Ana sighed. ¡°At least someone is safe.¡± She pointed a finger at Drake. ¡°Explain him.¡± ¡°He¡¯s helping me,¡± insisted Rosaliy. ¡°He would have to explain the rest, but¡­¡± She tried to catch Drake¡¯s eye, but he was sullenly memorizing the rug in front of the hearth. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want to, he doesn¡¯t have to.¡± ¡°What do you want to know?¡± he grumbled, crossing his arms. ¡°I¡¯m trying to help you out here,¡± she said. One corner of his mouth lifted a little. ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°Come on,¡± Rosaliy coaxed, trying not to sound like she was attempting to get one of her students to admit she had spilled the horn-sap all over the floor. ¡°It can¡¯t be any worse than what we¡¯re already thinking.¡± He shifted back in his chair to cast his eyes in her direction. ¡°That bad?¡± she asked. He raised his eyebrows. ¡°So how are you involved?¡± Ana asked him. ¡°Wrong place, wrong time?¡± he muttered. ¡°Seems like you were in the right place at the right time,¡± Darrow pointed out, finally braving his way into the conversation. ¡°Assuming finding the children requires criminal activity.¡± Drake breathed out, his whole body crumpling a bit. ¡°All of you know something I don¡¯t, and it¡¯s driving me crazy,¡± said Rosaliy. ¡°Via Mar is under the control of the Escorpia faction,¡± Darrow explained. ¡°At their height, they had their fingers into most of Bayselle.¡± That sparked a memory. Rosaliy snapped her fingers, trying to dig it up. ¡°I know this one¡­that scary lady who used to visit Crystal Palace¡ªMella?¡± Another smile almost made its way onto Drake¡¯s face. ¡°Meena.¡± ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°As much as anyone did,¡± he admitted. ¡°She was my grandmother. She basically raised me.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± backpedaled Rosaliy. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s lovely.¡± ¡°No, you were right the first time,¡± he half chuckled. This was progress. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her since I was a kid. What happened to her?¡± ¡°She died a few years back.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Rosaliy said sympathetically. ¡°You and Bayselle both,¡± Drake admitted. ¡°Her death and the collapse of the monarchy led to a big power vacuum in Bayselle, all sorts of criminal elements trying to prove themselves and take control of the region.¡± ¡°So Meena¡¯s the reason you joined the Escorpias?¡± reasoned Ana. Drake shot her half a glance. ¡°No,¡± he disagreed. ¡°She would have preferred I stay out of the family business, but when everyone you know are bandits and smugglers, life doesn¡¯t always work out that way.¡± Rosaliy had questions before, but now she had a million questions. Of course, having received an explanation that satisfied her, Ana was ready to move on. ¡°Do you have any contacts in Kianne?¡± Ana asked Drake, at ease with him now. Not knowing Rosaliy¡¯s parents, he was wary of this bizarre change in behavior. ¡°I¡¯m assuming by ¡®contacts,¡¯ you don¡¯t mean ¡®people I should keep away from at all costs,¡¯ so no,¡± he countered grumpily. ¡°Hmm, well, I¡¯m sure you have all sorts of skills that would be useful in this sort of scenario. Make sure you keep Rose safe,¡± Ana insisted. ¡°This is a whole new sort of horrible,¡± Rosaliy objected. ¡°I¡¯m not saying anybody couldn¡¯t use some help in this situation, but certainly I¡¯m resourceful enough to take care of myself.¡± ¡°Sure, Rose,¡± said Ana dismissively. ¡°I¡¯m sure you are. Oh!¡± Her face lit up. ¡°It will be easy to sneak into the city under the guise of the festival. If you meet up with your brother inside, he can get you into the castle without anyone needing to throw your name around.¡± ¡°I had already made a plan to sneak into the city,¡± muttered Rosaliy. That was half true. She had almost made a plan. But Ana was already busy throwing together robes and tassels to adorn the reins of the horses. ¡°Too bad we can¡¯t get the old group together,¡± she bemoaned to Darrow, ¡°but the fewer people who know, the better, and they¡¯re rusty anyway.¡± They disappeared into the house, chatting strategy and unearthing props, leaving Drake and Rosaliy sitting by the fire. ¡°You ok?¡± Rosaliy asked for lack of something better to say. Drake looked like he lost a fight. Perhaps he had. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I know what just happened,¡± Drake admitted quietly. ¡°What is she doing?¡± ¡°Nothing she loves better than a covert plan,¡± Rosaliy sighed. ¡°It¡¯s just easier to play along." Imposters Drake Drake was surprised to find himself back on the road and back with a woman who seemed to be experiencing virtually no reaction to the hints of his more-sullied-than-not past with the Escorpias. She might have been hiding her actual revulsion, but she had already proven herself an abysmal liar. She was more likely distracted, and the wariness would come. For example, right now, she was trying to pronounce her fake alias for the hundredth time. "You''ve got to roll your r''s," Drake advised. "You say that like it has any meaning," Rosaliy grumbled, trying another "rrr" that sounded a little like she was growling. "Esmeranda," he demonstrated, dragging out the r. "Stick your tongue on the roof of your mouth." "Esmerrrr..." she tried. "I sound more like a cat than a Baysellian." That was true. "You just need to convince a guard you''re a fortune teller from the Old Coast." "This is necessary-why?" "Because your mother decided wrapping you up was the best disguise, and it''s against your heritage to let the sun touch your head while the harvest moon is in the house of Razdon." They made their way at an easy, walking pace toward the western gate. A single horse walked between them, reins adorned with tassels and colorful twisted fabric. Drake liked having the natural divide between them; it was easy to pretend like nothing had happened. "Is that a real thing?" Rosaliy asked, craning her scarf-draped head around the mare, her blue eyes barely peeking through the folds of fabric. "I''ve never thought so, but I would not dare suggest such a thing in the company of one of the Old Coasters. They''re terrifying." "What happens if sun touches their heads?" "I''ve never asked." "Well, I''m not going to be the first to chance it," Rosaliy said, pulling a long, draping scarf over her head. She made a face. "I''ll never be able to eat all wrapped up, and we''re almost to the main road. Hold up." He pulled the horse to a stop, and Rosaliy rifled around in a bag. A paper bundle marked with a "D" was thrust at him under the horse''s neck. "She made sandwiches," Rosaliy explained. Family was truly an odd thing. Inside Drake''s sandwich wrapping, he found a note. He pulled it out warily, tossing a glance in Rosaliy''s direction. She had been careful not to talk about what had happened that morning, which suited him just fine, but the obvious silence left him waiting for an actual comeuppance. Perhaps this was a threat. "I have one, too," she told him. "''Be safe, Rose. Love you bunches!'' She drew grapes. Yours?" He unfolded the little paper and read to himself before braving the note aloud. "Best of luck, Drake! Look out for Rose." The "u" of luck was a horseshoe. Rosaliy sniffed. She crossed the horse to take his note, which put her in uncomfortably close proximity. "I swear she still thinks I''m six years old." "Meena would do that," he remembered. "Not sandwich notes. That thing where she would try to protect me in the oddest of ways." Rosaliy wanted to ask questions, but she took a thoughtful bite of her sandwich instead, clearly respecting his privacy. That awoke two extreme reactions in him: the desire to tell her everything, and the need to bury his past so deep she would never find it. This whole trip was such a mistake. Rosaliy was a good person-used to helping on her parents'' farm and guiding magical children to harness their potential. She would not understand. "Rose, if you don''t-" he stumbled forward. "If you''d rather I not be here-" "Do you want to leave?" she asked, eyes widening in panic. "No," was his too-quick answer. If he was being honest, the answer should have been yes and no, but why start honesty now? "But you don''t really need me, and I''ve caused nothing but trouble, and if you''d rather I wasn''t here..." His awkward declaration brought nothing but confusion. "Is this about all of...that?" She waved in the direction of her house with her sandwich. "I''m sorry my mother is so nosy." Rosaliy was lucky to have all those people who cared about her and were concerned about her well-being and wanted to jump in to rescue her from herself, but trying to convey any of that would not end well. There was no explaining to her how nice it would be to have people immediately assume he was worthy of rescue. "It was ridiculous for me to think I wouldn''t catch up to myself," he said instead. "Some things you can''t hide from. So if you''d rather not be anywhere near me, I understand." Rosaliy took another bite of her sandwich, absorbing his words. "You keep implying you''re a bad person, like it''s a thing everybody knows." "It is a thing everybody knows," he pointed out. "I don''t know it," she argued. That thought was comforting and beautiful, but it was completely ruined by the obvious fact-she would know it eventually. "So, no, you don''t get to escape," she said, crumpling up her sandwich wrapping and ducking around the horse to repack. "Besides, nobody else thinks I can do this on my own. Why do you?" He shrugged. "Maybe I''m more objective." Rosaliy took a mirror, various pouches, and a half-full glass vial-probably magical equipment-out of the bag strapped to the decorated horse. She slipped the objects under the thin, draping robes she had donned. They were probably disappearing into the large pockets in her skirts underneath. Then she quickly withdrew what looked like a little book from her bag. Actually, it looked like the book, the one from Daniella''s room. It disappeared onto her person in a flash. He wondered why, but he decided now was a bad time to ask. "Give yourself a few days," she muttered, smoothing out the robes and pulling out more long, colorful scarves to complete her mystical ensemble. "You''ll be rushing in to rescue me like everybody else." Remembering his exploits of the night before, he admitted, "Coming from someone who broke into your room in a panic two nights ago, I''m already there." "Broke in?" "In my defense, you weren''t there." "That''s a good defense." Her voice was tinged with laughter. It was not luck at all, he realized, the flock of caring people in her life. It was her. "It''s just that you''re an easy person to care about," he tried to explain. Her eyes narrowed. "That''s why people are always trying to tell me what to do and jump to my rescue? They care too much?" "Yes?" She gathered up her draping robes and eyed the horse. "Ok," she admitted. "There''s no way I can make it up there on my own in all this. Maybe I do need some help." That level of assistance was in his grasp. He cupped his hands together. She stepped, and he launched her onto the horse. "I just wish I had that one thing I was better at than everybody else," she said as she pulled the billowing fabric back into place.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. "You do," he assured her. She looked down, bright blue eyes hopeful. "What is it?" He should have had an answer, but he couldn''t produce one fast enough. "Hmph," she snorted. He rifled through his own light bag, taking out a pair of knives. "Would you mind stashing these? Gate guards aren''t usually too friendly to people trying to carry in an armory of weapons." She stuffed the knives under her robes. He pulled the small knife from his boot and the one in his belt. "This is traveling light?" she teased, hiding those as well. It was. "Keep the sword," she advised. "You''d look odd in Kianne without one." With that, they were off. "What''s yours?" she said out of nowhere. "My what?" "The thing you''re better at than anyone else?" she clarified. "You want a serious answer?" She nodded. He was still being tugged by those two desires: honesty and crawling back into his hard shell. He decided to take a much less appealing middle path. "Here''s the deal," he offered. "You get two questions." "Just two?" she considered. "But you have to answer them?" "I will try to honor the spirit of the question," he promised. "The moon is in the house of Rrrrrrabzith," she said in an ominous tone, pulling up the scarves so only her flashing eyes were visible, "and I might hex you if you''re lying." "The last thing I need is a moon hex," he agreed. "Then two it is-a day," she tacked on. The renegotiation was not too alarming. Letting tomorrow worry about itself was easy. He might be dead by tomorrow, for example. No questions then. He waved his hand for her to begin. "Ok," she decided after a moment of thought, "what are the Escorpias?" "That was a lovely r," he complimented. "Are you stalling?" He was. "The Scorps were...are an organization started by Meena to smuggle illegal goods in and out of Bayselle. She built up a network of smugglers, bandits, pirates, merchants, and muscle that controlled all the imports and exports in Via Mar and eventually most of the coast." He could already see her second question. "I''ve done all of those things at one point or another, some simultaneously." "I didn''t ask," she pointed out. "That was free." "Then I''m saving my second for something really important," she said, or threatened, from where he was standing. They lapsed into silence when the bustle of the main road was visible through the trees ahead. Rosaliy wrapped the draping scarves around her face and pulled them so only her eyes were visible. He had to admit, Ana had concocted a brilliant plan. The Kianne guard would be sure to let through an old foreign fortune teller without much trouble. The women of the Old Coast had a respect and mystery about them nobody wanted to challenge. Not even bandits would touch them. "Make sure to hunch over," he coached her. "And disagree with me, no matter what I ask you." "Nol," she practiced. "Norca." "Very nice," he approved. They joined the traffic on the main road. Rosaliy garnered more than a few stares, mostly from wide-eyed children in wagons traveling with their families to the festival. The adults would have liked to stare, but they had to satisfy themselves with furtive side-glances. They queued up behind a row of four children, dust-covered legs dangling over the back of a wagon, all staring at Rosaliy with fascination. Drake caught their eyes. The older three pretended to be very interested in other things, but the youngest waved at him. Their wagon bumped along when they were admitted through the gate. Drake walked the horse forward to meet the Kianne guard in his scarlet cloak, holding a scroll and a charcoal pencil. "Greetings," said the guard, holding out his arm. Drake grasped it. "Names?" "Senira Esmeranda," Rosaliy rasped out from under her headscarves. "Drake." The guard scribbled their names on a list. His eyes flicked between them. "From Bayselle?" he asked. Drake nodded curtly. "What region?" "Old Coast," Drake answered, exaggerating his own accent. "Purpose for visiting," the guard continued, scrawling that down. "Here for the festival." "You and the rest of the world," the guard joked. "Bags." Drake flipped open his bag. "The other one," requested the guard, nodding his head to the bag Rosaliy was clutching. Drake explained the situation to the fake Senira in his rusty version of Old Baysellian. Unless the guard was a linguist in his spare time, he wouldn''t be able to tell. "Nol," Rosaliy barked in disagreement. "Give me a second," Drake begged the guard, turning to "Esmeranda." He argued with her, which was really arguing with himself, and he held out his arms for the bag. She growled convincingly and dropped the bag in his hands as if under duress. "Sorry," apologized the guard. "I have to check." "Of course you do," Drake agreed. "She''s just being stubborn." The guard pawed through the bag. "And you," he requested. Drake spread his arms, and the guard patted his sides and boots. "Oh, good-nothing concealed. I swear I was beginning to think Baysellians must sell boots with weapons stashed inside." That was indeed a common cobbling request, but Drake just smiled pleasantly. Last, the guard withdrew his sword to examine it. He frowned, and Drake tensed. "Bane can sharpen that for you. Best prices in town," the guard assured him. He eyed Rosaliy-an ominous, hunched figure buried in scarves. She glared back at him. "Does she have to wear the-" "She does," Drake interrupted. "Trust me, you''ll have a scene on your hands if you try to take those off during Razdon." The guard''s eyes lit up. "Is she one of those fortune tellers?" Drake nodded. The guard rolled back on the balls of his feet, ignoring the growing line beginning to stack up behind them. "Can she really tell people about their futures?" "Esmeranda has a sliver of Flifary blood in her veins," Drake whispered. "She can predict anything. When she''s in the mood." The guard looked left and right. His fellow soldiers were busy tending to their own visitors. "So, could you ask her if Kesmona and I have a future together?" Drake basically conveyed the message. He may have switched "future" for "fate," but since Rosaliy didn''t speak the language, accuracy was irrelevant. "Nol," Rosaliy barked. "Norca." Drake turned back to the guard. "Prospects look great," Drake answered him cheerfully. "I''m sure you two will be very happy." "I don''t know much old Baysellian," the guard grumbled, "but I know that much." "Sorry." Drake shrugged, leaning closer to talk softly. "Between you and me, we''ve been traveling for days, and she might just be cranky." The guard grinned and waved them on. "Enjoy the festival!" he called. "Try Boone''s in the steel district for the best ale in town!" Drake intended to keep his head down and associate with as few people as possible, but the gesture of being welcomed into a town was a nice change. The crowds flowed through the side gate and met up with an even larger stream from the main gate before depositing them on the sprawling fringes of the festival. He helped Rosaliy slide off the horse in a sheltered area between buildings. She untwisted the scarves, but left them still partially concealing her. "The way things are going, I expect Emilia to be right around the corner," she said, checking the crowd flowing past. "Easily explained," he assured her. "We''re at the festival shopping to purchase wedding clothes." She laughed. "Only if you want all of Kianne to know I''m here!" "Good point." She pulled his knives from under her robes. "I''ll take that one," he said, sticking the short knife back in his boot because it was comforting, "but you might as well stash the rest. You''ll get in less trouble than I would for weaponry, and I don''t expect any physical altercations with the former queen." She nestled two knives in her bag and stuck the remaining one in her belt. She moved most of the magical odds and ends on her person back to her bag, except for the book. That particular object he never saw. His chronic criminal senses were on high alert. What was special about that book? "My brother could be finishing up the stage." She pointed in the distance. "Or done for the day and off enjoying the festival." "You know the kinds of things your brother enjoys," he reasoned, "so you should head off toward the festival." And all the people. "I''ll take the stage." He was much more likely to run into someone he knew carousing at a festival, and much less likely to run into someone he knew doing reputable work for the city of Kianne. "We''ll meet at the stage either way," she agreed, giving a few helpful directions before nudging the horse to join the streaming crowd. Once he had distanced himself from the noise of chattering people and clodding horses, the sound of hammering drew Drake to a massive wooden stage raised above the brick floor of a massive square. A dozen workers rested in the grass after a long morning of work, but a few were still busy hammering beams onto the nearly completed platform. "Cade working today?" he asked a huddle of men eating lunch in the shade of a building. They pointed Drake across the stage, and he hurried over, waiting until a flurry of hammer blows had subsided. "Cade?" he asked while the man reached for another nail. The man who looked a lot like Darrow wiped his forehead with the arm of his shirt and set aside his hammer. "What good fortune," Drake said, relieved. "I''m a friend of Rosaliy''s and-" "Stop there!" a voice barked out. Somebody really needed to explain to guards and soldiers that the very phrase "stop there" was a clear call to flee in the criminal world. However, Drake ignored the resulting urge to flee, because there was no way the order was directed toward him. "Rosaliy''s looking for-" he tried again. "Drake," the voice interrupted. "I''d know you anywhere." Well, this was no good. He spun to the voice. A guard stalked toward him. Despite the guard''s cocoa Baysellian complexion and tell-tale white blond hair, he was wrapped in the cloak of the Kianne soldiers. It was quite common for those who enjoyed enforcing laws as a life''s pursuit to flee Bayselle, as the soldiering ranks were more rife with corruption than the criminals. This guard looked vaguely familiar, but Drake could not quite place him. More importantly, the scarlet-cloaked man was scarlet-faced right now. "I don''t know who you think I am," Drake said, sure he knew exactly who Drake was, "but if-" The guard had reached him by then, grabbed his arm with one hand and slugged him in the stomach with the other. The breath evacuated Drake''s lungs, and he gaped like a fish. "Hey, now," argued Cade. "You can''t just-" "Are you two working together?" exclaimed the furious guard. "Round them both up!" "What?" said an incredulous Cade as he was chained and pushed onto a wagon. "What''s going on?" He looked to Drake for answers. Considering the situation, those answers would not be forthcoming. "Not a word out of you," the guard threatened, yanking his chains tight and shoving him onto the bed of the wagon after Cade. "Or I dole out the punishment you really deserve right here." Well, that sounded ominous. Drake remembered the man now. He may have gotten this man framed for corruption in order to take the fall for one of the Scorp''s military contacts. He may have been the reason the man had to leave Bayselle and make a new life elsewhere. This grudge may have been a reasonable one, all things considered. On the plus side, Drake was headed straight for Kianne Castle. On the negative side-well, the chains on his wrists were a good illustration of the negative side. Walking into a Trap Rosaliy ¡°The guards did what?¡± Rosaliy gaped, incredulous. ¡°Carted them right off,¡± the worker repeated. ¡°Both of them?¡± Prior to this alarming conversation with three chatty workmen, Rosaliy determined her brother was not wiling away his evening by the horseshoe pit, nor had he talked the merchant manning the vat of bubbling oil out of any sugar dusted fried pastries. Therefore, Cade must not have finished his work for the day. When she arrived at the main gathering area¡ªthe brick square adorned with a newly-constructed stage¡ªshe found a tense buzz of idle chatter instead of any work taking place. ¡°I don¡¯t know what that Baysellian did, but it must have been terrible. Did you see the guard slug him?¡± His fellow workers chimed in their amazement at this odd behavior by a guard on patrol. Poor Drake. Rosaliy knew what her second question for the day was going to be, but she would have to find him to ask it. With too much time to think on the ride to Kianne Castle, every hoofbeat pounded the resounding blows of failure on her heart. There was no way such a disturbance was above the notice of Daniella and her Kianne arsenal of spy equipment. To be painfully honest, Daniella must have known Rosaliy was in the city the second she crossed the gates. She had probably been the one to have Drake taken prisoner. All their sneaking was for naught and this was all hopeless. In the midst of her dark thoughts, Rosaliy had to admit she was still free. Unless the former queen was taunting her, perhaps Rosaliy herself had escaped detection. Maybe the magic potion had been just enough. An obnoxious squeaking interrupted her faint hope. She had been ignoring an intermittent squeaking she could not identify for more than half an hour, pretending the sound was in her head, but once she reined in her horse and dismounted, the actual noise was impossible to ignore. She pulled off billowing robes and scarves, draping them over the horse. A fortune teller sneaking around Kianne would draw much more unwanted attention than Rosaliy sneaking around Kianne. The squeaking grew louder, less muffled. The sound seemed to be coming from her, but when she pawed through her bag, she found nothing but Drake¡¯s knives, some magical odds and ends, and Athena¡¯s potion. Nothing had leaked or mixed together during its time in her pockets. She stuck her hands in her pockets and drew out the little book. When had she put it there? The squealing stopped as soon as she opened the cover. Go to Taragon, said the book in shiny silver letters. Now. ¡°What is the purpose of you?¡± she complained at it. ¡°No.¡± She dumped the evil squirrel book in her bag. Message conveyed, it thankfully remained silent. Rosaliy retrieved one of the filmy scarves to tie back her hair and pulled out the map Alexander had drawn for her of the layout of the palace¡ªhis childhood home. She could get into Kianne Castle and to Daniella¡¯s rooms without having to announce her presence using the well-marked tunnels, but she had no map of the dungeon, assuming the guards had taken Drake and Cade there first. Rosaliy remembered that place with a shudder. The dungeon had been the place where Daniella had dragged Rosaliy and her family to be turned into puppets to fight her war. Awful woman. She refocused. As soon as she found Daniella, or, even better, the children, she could have the Crystal Palace ally Hale release her brother and Drake. All in all, that plan seemed faster than trying to free them herself, although she did feel badly about temporarily abandoning them. Rosaliy smoothed out the map with her fingers and compared it to the palace in front of her, plotting out a course. Crystal Palace was a lofty, imposing fortress. Luckily, Alexander¡¯s passages took her in through the walls and necessitated only a short trip through the hallways before she had to deal with a magical entrance to a set of secret rooms. She slung her bag over her shoulder. Outside Crystal Palace, a Sorceress¡¯ main arsenal was enchanted objects and prepared powders and potions. Unfortunately, she would have to be careful about what she used, since there was a danger to using magical objects in Kianne or even carrying them. But surely Daniella could not have accounted for exactly which things Rosaliy would be carrying with her now. Except that book. A shot of cold shock hit her. Daniella had planned for her to be carrying the book. She tried to unearth the book from her bag and pitch it into the window of a nearby barn, but her fingers refused. Rosaliy huffed out a breath. At least she could abandon any further worry about using other enchanted objects. After all Rosaliy¡¯s ridiculous secrecy, Daniella could see her coming from furlongs away. Her eyes stared straight at the tall, imposing castle of dark stone. She thought of poor Queen Kat and Alexander the last time she had seen them, trapped in the glittering world of stars above her head. ¡°Is there any news?¡± Kat had asked the moment Rosaliy appeared in front of her. Unable to produce words, Rosaliy tried to adjust to the shock of lying in her bed one moment and standing suspended in the sky on an invisible platform the next. She stretched out her arms to steady herself, but there was nothing to grab, just a stretch of black broken by distant spots of glowing light. ¡°Everything will be set right,¡± Alexander soothed the frantic queen. ¡°Everything can¡¯t be set right,¡± Kat disagreed, a tear streaking its way across her pale face in illustration. ¡°They¡¯re gone. Gone. What if I never¡ª¡± Her voice broke. ¡°This is temporary,¡± he interrupted before she could finish. ¡°This is nothing like what you went through.¡± When she was a child, Kat had been kidnapped from her mother by a horrible woman who sought to use her power to do evil. Of course Kat would fear the same fate for her children. Rosaliy¡¯s heart broke for her all over again. Katyrinna was the best person Rosaliy had ever met. She did not deserve an instant of pain or worry. She had helped Rosaliy and her family so many times. If there was the slightest chance of catching Daniella, Rosaliy had to try. ¡°Miss?¡± she heard behind her. Rosaliy¡¯s boots must physically have left the ground with the height of her jump. She nearly had one of Drake¡¯s knives withdrawn from her bag when the mud-smudged boy with hay in his hair repeated, ¡°Miss? Are you looking for somewhere to quarter your horse?¡±The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Yes,¡± she practically screeched, letting the knife drop from her fingers and digging out a few coins from her bag instead. She cleared her throat. ¡°I¡¯ll be back later today or tomorrow.¡± Or never. ¡°The festival must be packed if you¡¯ve had to come all this way,¡± said the boy, snatching up the coins eagerly. ¡°Unless you¡¯re visiting the castle. Are you going to the castle?¡± She was about to invent a story when she realized she was a terrible liar who should give up trying. Also, this stable boy was an opportunity. ¡°Yes, the castle,¡± she acknowledged. Telling the truth was so much easier. ¡°Anything odd going on there?¡± One rarely had to be subtle with questions directed to children. A puzzled expression crossed his face. ¡°Since you ask, something odd happened three days back, but maybe I shouldn¡¯t repeat rumors¡­¡± Her noble behavior ended at truthfulness because she pulled out another coin and twirled it in her fingers. ¡°Now I must know,¡± she cajoled. ¡°I could use a good story.¡± She could practically see the shiny coin glittering in the boy¡¯s eyes. ¡°Yesterday, a woman bought three horse tails. Tails! I heard Mama asking Papa if she looked a little like the queen, and he said that was ridiculous. Kianne doesn¡¯t even have a queen, so I probably heard wrong. Anyway, horse tails! Who wants those?¡± Rosaliy did not know, but her inclination was to blame dark magic. ¡°That is very interesting,¡± she said, trying to sound only appropriately interested and not too desperate for idle gossip. ¡°Shame you won¡¯t have any stories about me.¡± She tossed him the coin. ¡°Are you queen of anything?¡± he asked hopefully. ¡°Not a single thing,¡± she laughed. ¡°Too bad,¡± he sighed. ¡°I¡¯ll take good care of the horse, anyway.¡± Her well-paid friend waved cheerfully as he led the horse away. Was this good news? Daniella was here? Or had been. What was she doing to the children? Not for the first time, Rosaliy felt in over her head. Since there was nothing she could do about that fast-sinking quicksand feeling, she set off for the castle. The bustle of the festival worked to her advantage. Kianne Castle was short-staffed, and while droves of guests and servants and soldiers busily came and went, nobody paid her any attention. She shook off the oddness of being here on her own and unannounced, no children to chase or meetings to sit in on. She veered off from the main entrance and found the door behind the ivy on the inner wall just where Alexander said it would be. She dug through her bag and withdrew a lumpy, white rock no bigger than the tip of her thumb¡ªa firefly stone. After being flicked in the air, the little white rock glowed before her, faintly lighting her way. She set off down the narrow passageway between walls. Despite her vigilance and an incredibly detailed map, she almost missed the drop to the floor below. She caught herself before she tumbled into the dark opening under an oddly-angled section of wall. Rosaliy sent the little glowing light into the darkness below, illuminating the rough, unfinished stone walls and floors coated with years of dust and rocks left behind from castle construction. She dropped her bag, kicking up a cloud of dust on the abandoned ground. Rosaliy lowered herself next, her soft landing still creating another billowing cloud of dust around her feet. She tried to muffle her coughs with her arm, but angry chattering greeted her landing. Rosaliy¡¯s heart raced, even though she was only being yelled at by a family of rats hiding in the fanciest nest ever built by a rat. The bed was mainly the arm of a fur coat decorated with peacock feathers and a hair comb studded with rubies. ¡°A poor servant was probably blamed for stealing that,¡± she accused the rat. It hissed at her, so she continued on her way. The rat was lucky Daniella was no longer queen here. That woman would not allow rats anywhere near her, even in her secret passageways. Rosaliy reached a dead end and pushed out a hollowed stone from the corner of an abandoned library. She tossed the firefly stone back in her bag and managed to pull herself through the opening after a few tries. She took a moment to catch her breath, brush off some dust, and pull a few cobwebs out of her hair before she shoved the hollow stone back into place and brushed a few little rocks betraying its existence under a plush rug. So far, so good. The door she needed to find was just down this hallway. She rifled through her bag for matches on the way, heart pounding as a servant hurried past. She forced herself to smile and nod and received an answering head bob in return. There was some advantage to being able to disappear into the background. She reached the door she sought unchallenged. Standing in front of the wooden obstacle, she had a moment of panic. How was she to get in this door? She was supposed to have Drake and Cade with her to brainstorm dilemmas like locked doors. Maybe she could melt the lock? Had she brought liquis powder? While her brain was half deciding to break into the dungeon and liberate Drake and her brother after all, her hand reached out and tried the handle. Her mind was confused as the door swung open, revealing the stone nook she was expecting to find. Was this unlocked entrance an oversight? Did Daniella make those? Ever? Before Rosaliy could answer her questions in the negative, she reached forward to test the wall in the stone nook before her. Her hand slid through the stones. She fumbled around until her hand wrapped around a little candle holder. She drew it out and nestled it on a stone hollow. She struck a match, and it flared. She lit the shortest candle first, waited, lit the second candle, waited, and just as the match was about to burn her hand, she lit the last. The stone wall swung back, just like it was supposed to. The candles were extinguished by a rush of wind from the dark, narrow passage now in front of her, just where it was supposed to be. Firefly stone bouncing before her in the dark once more, Rosaliy curved through the passage, vacillating between the joy of a plan coming together as intended and the terror of a plan coming together too easily. She rounded the final corner, fully expecting to be frozen in place or clapped in chains, but she found a dark room lined with shelves and workspaces. She pushed the firefly stone further into the room, revealing a dark seeing pool at the center surrounded by a padded bench. The inky water made her skin prickle. This was more than a Naxturaen seeing pool¡ªdark magic was at play here. Belatedly, because it gave her a small comfort, she pulled a tiny fragment of net from her bag. If Daniella had been here, Rosaliy would not have been alive to use it. Realizing this, she put it away and withdrew matches instead, lighting enough candles on mirrored plates to make a search of the room possible. If this room had been used for anything recently, it had been reorganized afterward. All the jars and books were back in place. Actually, there was one book sitting next to a padded chair. With her recent book problems, Rosaliy drew out Drake¡¯s short knife to use as a tool to flip the cover open. She was not touching that book. She scanned the yellowing pages. It was a volume of Curi folk tales. Lillya loved folk tales. Had she left it behind in haste? ¡°Back up, Rose,¡± she admonished herself in a murmur. She was making mental leaps. On a counter, conspicuously out of place, was a hairbrush. A few strands of golden hair glistened in the brush. Rosaliy was trapped between two terrible decisions. She had hair and a seeing bowl in a room full of magical potions. She could easily find the whereabouts of the owner of that hair. But that brush had been set there on purpose, perhaps as much as this book had been. She would only find what she was intended to find. While she decided whether or not she would fall for this trap, Rosaliy looked for the sap she needed to combine with the hair. She thought she spotted the yellow sap she wanted behind a nearly empty glass jar, just in reach if she stood on the tips of her toes. She pushed the nearly-empty jar blocking her way aside and strained, brushing the jar she wanted with her fingertips, coaxing it forward. Just when she was about to wrap her fingers around the jar of sap, the jar in her way tumbled. Rosliy caught it before it shattered, but the lid shot off and liquid sloshed onto her hands. She did not dissolve or turn into a toad, so her clumsiness had probably wasted an ingredient and not a prepared death potion. In fact, the concoction had a pleasingly spicy, floral scent. Washing it off with anything in this room would be doubly stupid, so she decided to complete her objective and keep a close eye on her limbs lest she begin turning into a tree. Grumbling under her breath, she dried her hands on her skirts and pulled the now-unobstructed sap off the shelf. She dipped the hair in the sap and dropped the sticky golden hair into the seeing pool. Nothing happened. If this seeing pool was fueled by dark magic, it would require blood. This was where Rosaliy drew the line on her foolishness. Feeling the all-too-familiar twinge of failure yet again, she withdrew the mirror to contact Athena. Prison Drake ¡°Just tell them I¡¯m not involved,¡± Cade begged Drake. Cade¡¯s panicked blue eyes reminded him of Rosaliy¡¯s¡ªminus the panic, of course¡ªand he would have helped the man was it in his power. In this situation, any argument Drake might try would make things worse for Cade. Guards were not in the habit of releasing prisoners from dungeons just because they had stories that matched. He tried anyway. ¡°Silas,¡± he attempted as the guard with a personal vendetta pulled him out of the wagon. He was proud of himself for finally remembering the man¡¯s name. ¡°Let me explain.¡± Granted, he was unsure what he was going to explain. ¡°If you speak to me again, I will punch you so hard, you will lose teeth,¡± Silas threatened, yanking Drake¡¯s chains until they bit into his wrists. Drake found his teeth a convenience he¡¯d rather not go without, so he kept his mouth shut until they were safely down in the dungeons of Kianne castle, a heavily-guarded sprawling labyrinth of a place. Kianne clearly enjoyed legality and doling out justice. A mountainous man lumbered over to meet them them inside a set of iron gates, the single entry and exit to the dungeon. The man had the pale, sun-starved look of someone who worked in a dungeon. The ledger in his hands and the giant ring of keys dangling from his belt implied he was the warden. Drake noticed all these things without really meaning to. A triumphant Silas handed the warden the weapons he had confiscated: Drake¡¯s sheathed sword¡ªlargely decorative anyway¡ªand Cade¡¯s hammer. Cade launched into the same argument that had fallen on deaf ears with the guards. ¡°I don¡¯t even know him!¡± Unlike the guards, the warden raised his bushy eyebrows at Silas, implying a glimmer of hope for Cade. ¡°I found them together,¡± Silas argued, ¡°and he was quick to come to Drake¡¯s defense.¡± ¡°After this guard punched this man in front of me,¡± Cade yelped in indignation. The wrinkles on the warden¡¯s face tightened, creating sharp, dark lines in the torchlight. ¡°Silas, we¡¯ve talked about how Kianne is not some sort of law-of-the-strongest backwoods town.¡± ¡°My reaction was not exemplary,¡± Silas admitted with clenched teeth, the vein on his neck betraying his stress level, ¡°but Drake here is a dangerous criminal.¡± He jabbed two fingers into Drake¡¯s chest in case there was some doubt who he was talking about. ¡°Cool down, Silas,¡± the warden chided before taking down Drake¡¯s name and crimes. Silas was more than happy to provide an exhaustive list of wrong-doings. Some of them were true. Some of them were rumors. Silas seemed to believe Drake was personally guilty of every crime in Bayselle. Eventually, the warden chuckled at the growing list and tossed the quill from his massive hand. ¡°It would take me all day to write half that, Silas. Can you sum up?¡± ¡°He¡¯s the Baysellian lowlife who was blackmailing half the Via Mar troops to ignore the attacks on the merchant vessels coming into port.¡± In Drake¡¯s defense, plundering was much easier that way and safer for everyone. There were fewer accidental deaths when law enforcement did not feel the need to insert themselves in the situation. On second thought, that was probably not a good defense. ¡°You¡¯re not going to object to those claims?¡± the warden asked Drake. ¡°Would it do me any good?¡± Drake asked. The warden¡¯s hard face split into a grin. ¡°You¡¯re my kind of criminal,¡± he said. ¡°Sense of humor is sorely lacking in the underworld nowadays. Everybody considers themselves serious rebels against society or too self-important to be taken lightly.¡± ¡°I¡¯m neither of those, sir,¡± Drake assured him. ¡°You must really have done something terrible, Drake. I¡¯ve never seen Silas quite so unhinged. Nobody has more of a sense of needing to create a just world than Silas over here.¡± Silas crossed his arms and glowered. ¡°Are you going to lock them up?¡± ¡°Of course. Go talk to Meling,¡± the warden ordered Silas. ¡°These two will be questioned by someone other than you as soon as an inquisitor is free.¡± ¡°But I¡ª¡± Cade spluttered. ¡°But¡­¡± The warden ignored him. ¡°You look shifty,¡± he told Drake in a pleasant, open sort of way. ¡°You should probably settle in for a long stay. You¡ª¡± The warden considered Cade with a touch of sympathy. ¡°If you¡¯re not what you say, I don¡¯t know anything anymore, but the festival has normal operations head over tails, and it will take a while for us to clear up what¡¯s going on. For your sake, I hope the inquisitor declares you innocent of wrong-doing, because if you have to wait around for a trial, you¡¯ll be waiting a long time with King Hale out of town.¡± The warden¡¯s last four words echoed in Drake¡¯s mind as if he had screamed them. Hale and Corin had left Crystal Palace long before Rosaliy and Drake had. Emilia mentioned them stopping by. Had they returned and left immediately? With a festival in town? Unfortunately, Drake was in no position to start asking questions about the leadership of a country. Based on Silas¡¯ lengthy list of accusations, the warden would suspect Drake of attempting a militant takeover of all of Kianne. ¡°Any objections to sharing a cell with your co-conspirator?¡± the warden asked Cade. ¡°We¡¯re not¡ª¡± Cade tried to object. ¡°Right,¡± the warden sighed. ¡°Of course. I was joking. I need to remember to joke less on duty. It¡¯s never appreciated.¡± Cade eyed Drake with the exact look Drake kept expecting from Rosaliy. ¡°Your other option is a roomful of drunk carousers who smell just awful. It¡¯s been a long day.¡± ¡°No objections,¡± Cade answered warily. ¡°Good choice,¡± said the warden, shuffling papers over to an already overflowing shelf. The warden pushed open a door directly behind him. The room was empty except for a pot, a basin of water, and a large ring affixed to the floor. ¡°I¡¯m betting you know the routine. No way to escape, guards everywhere, running makes you look guiltier than you do already.¡± He took a deep breath, continuing to rattle off warnings. ¡°Next steps if you cause trouble are chaining to the floor and moving to the very bottom of the inquisitor¡¯s priority list. Clear?¡±This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. There was no question being asked. Drake and Cade filed into the bare room. ¡°I figured you two would be easy. That¡¯s why you¡¯re getting your own cell.¡± The door slammed shut. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret the goodwill.¡± Keys scraped in the lock, followed closely by the ominous click of a bolt sliding into place. ¡°If you could keep voices down, I¡¯d appreciate it. Lots of work to do.¡± The warden bent down so his eyes peered in through the slit in the solid wooden door. ¡°I can¡¯t think of anything you might need, so don¡¯t need anything. Inquisitor will pull you later.¡± Drake did know the routine, although it usually involved more threats and violence and threats of violence. Regardless, this was not the point at which to attempt a prison break. Attacking the warden with the hidden knife in his boot would have led nowhere but to a swift and justified murder by Silas. Hopefully a distraction would present itself. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± hissed Cade. He had a hundred very entertaining responses to that question, but Cade was not in the mood. ¡°The person I mentioned before is on a mission,¡± murmured Drake cryptically. Since Rosaliy was supposed to be covert, throwing her name around the Kianne dungeon was a bad idea. ¡°I was supposed to be finding you to help with that mission, but I happened upon Silas. Or, Silas happened upon me. You saw that part.¡± ¡°Are you sure you know my¡ª¡± ¡°Shh,¡± cautioned Drake. ¡°Yes. Magic, teaches kids, little orange freckle on the back of her neck.¡± ¡°Huh,¡± said Cade, now even more confused. ¡°That¡¯s the one. What kind of mission?¡± Drake shook his head. Cade deserved answers, but not right now. ¡°Stick to your conveniently true story of not knowing me, don¡¯t mention the other person at all, and you¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Is any of that true?¡± Cade asked, jerking his head in the direction of the door. ¡°Sure,¡± Drake admitted, ¡°but the real reason Silas picked me up is that he blames me for getting fired.¡± ¡°Is it your fault?¡± That was a complicated question. ¡°My actions may have been directly related to his ensuing trouble with staying on the good side of his commanders.¡± Cade appeared to be considering if he would be safer begging the warden to throw him in with the drunks. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why my¡ª¡± Cade interrupted himself, ¡°why she has anything to do with you.¡± ¡°Me neither,¡± Drake agreed, settling himself on the ground with his back propped against the stone wall. The Kianne dungeon was surprisingly clean. ¡°Please ask her when you see her.¡± Since they could not discuss the one person they had in common, Cade and Drake lapsed into an uneasy silence on opposite sides of the room. Once, the inquisitor arrived to report findings to the warden and ask for the next name on the list. The list sounded lengthy. He and Cade would be here for a while. Drake had almost decided to make use of the down time and take a nap when something else happened just outside the door. He felt it coming before he knew what was going on. ¡°Greetings, ma¡¯am,¡± the warden said, chair skittering across the floor as he stood up hastily. ¡°And Highness,¡± he grunted as an afterthought. Drake hurried to the window slit in the cell door to catch sight of the object of the commotion. It was Rosaliy, looking gorgeous. She was wearing a scarf in her hair, which made her look exotic, like she should be dancing on a moonlit beach. She was also with someone. Drake knew the person she was with, but his mind refused to focus on anything but her. ¡°Were Cade and Drake brought in here?¡± she asked with her lovely, musical voice. ¡°Right here,¡± Drake called. He had never hated anything in life more than the door that separated him from Rosaliy. ¡°Oh, good,¡± she said. She was happy to see him. His heart had never felt so full of light. ¡°Is Cade with you?¡± Cade? Who was that? ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± said Cade. Right, the brother. Drake remembered now. ¡°You are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen, and I love you,¡± Drake said. It needed to be said. She was stunning. Hypnotic. ¡°Oh no,¡± Rosaliy responded with a groan. Did he need to try harder? ¡°Not you, too. Cade, are you feeling ok?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m locked in a dungeon,¡± Cade complained. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a complicated question,¡± she replied, rubbing the side of her head. Did her head hurt? Did she need warm tea or soup or ice or to have her temples rubbed? He needed to be next to her, through this door. Could he break it? Break it with his hands? What if he got a running start? ¡°Could you set them free, please?¡± Rosaliy asked the warden with a smile. Why was she smiling at him? Also, yes, free of this obstacle between them. His heart leapt. The warden¡¯s face fell. ¡°I don¡¯t have the power to absolve prisoners, lady.¡± His face lit up. ¡°But I do have keys!¡± he exclaimed. Before the warden could explain what laws he was willing to break for Rosaliy, the other person interrupted him. ¡°I can pardon anybody,¡± he said smugly. ¡°Note that down. I¡¯ve pardoned Rosaliy¡¯s friends for Rosaliy.¡± He grinned at her with blinding white teeth. ¡°Come join me for dinner.¡± Drake did know this person. This was that brother. Uncle something. He hardly cared. Nobody loved Rosaliy more than he did. Nobody. Drake was feeling light-headed already, and the flash of rage made his head even cloudier. ¡°She¡¯s not going anywhere with you,¡± he growled. ¡°Rose,¡± warned Cade nervously, ¡°I¡¯m not sure letting Drake out is the best idea.¡± ¡°I need to get out so I can smash him in his smug face,¡± Drake seethed, gripping the bars of the window. ¡°Drake, listen to me.¡± Rosaliy came so close to the door. He wished he could touch her creamy skin through the window, but the slit was too small to fit an arm through¡ªstandard prison design. He almost forgot he was supposed to be listening. ¡°You don¡¯t need to smash anyone in the face,¡± said Rosaliy. Her eyes were such a deep, mesmerizing blue. ¡°Promise me you won¡¯t hurt anyone.¡± ¡°Of course,¡± he promised automatically. ¡°Anything you say.¡± She sighed. ¡°Unlock the door, please,¡± she told the warden. The warden already had keys in hand, thrilled to have been addressed by the lovely Rosaliy. Lucky man. The warden slid the key into the lock and turned it. The simple action took him approximately five hundred years. No one had ever unlocked a door so slowly. Finally, the barrier was removed, and Rosaliy was right there in front of him. It was agony to be inches away from her when she was so close. Now seemed like a wonderful time to kiss her and prove how much he loved her. She clamped her hands on his lips before he was able to do so. ¡°If you could try to keep your very passionate feelings to yourself a while, that would be wonderful. Can you do that for me, Drake?¡± He nodded. He would do anything for her. ¡°I hope this wears off,¡± she fretted, removing her hand. The distance between them was painful. ¡°I hope this isn¡¯t doing any permanent damage to anyone.¡± ¡°I thought nobody could be having a stranger day than me, but you seem to have me beat,¡± said Cade. ¡°You don¡¯t know the half of it,¡± Rosaliy muttered. She clapped her hands and turned to the warden. ¡°So you¡¯ve written down that Corin pardoned Cade and Drake?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll do that right now,¡± the warden promised. ¡°I¡¯ll need Corin to sign the order.¡± ¡°Of course, because I can give orders,¡± said Corin, flashing a white-toothed grin. ¡°Do you need anything else, Rose? I can give you anything you want.¡± Corin then leaned very close to Rosaliy, scooped up her hand, and brought it to his lips. Drake¡¯s vision went cloudy. ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t smash him in the face?¡± he begged. Rosaliy hesitated, and he balled up his fist. ¡°No, no, no,¡± she insisted quickly. ¡°No, do not do that. Sign the pardon please, Corin.¡± He sighed and took the inked quill offered by the helpful warden. ¡°Can I have my hammer back?¡± Cade asked the warden. The warden blinked at Rosaliy. ¡°Yes,¡± she sighed. ¡°Please give back anything you took.¡± The warden eagerly handed over the hammer and Drake¡¯s sword. Cade kept the hammer and the sword. Just then, Silas came down the hallway. ¡°What¡¯s going on here,¡± he tried to say, but halfway through ¡°here,¡± he caught sight of Rosaliy and trailed off. ¡°That¡¯s the guard who has a grudge against Drake,¡± Cade informed. ¡°Mmmhmm,¡± Drake agreed. ¡°Who are you?¡± Silas asked Rosaliy with a stupid grin on his face. ¡°I really need Drake¡¯s help,¡± explained Rosaliy, forcing a return smile. ¡°So I¡¯m going to take him with me.¡± She put a hand on Drake¡¯s arm. Her hand seared and sent little thrills up his arm at the same time. She said no to kisses? It was so hard to remember. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for whatever he did to you.¡± She paused. ¡°What did you do to him?¡± ¡°Ruined his life,¡± Drake answered automatically. ¡°Hopefully you¡¯re exaggerating,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he is,¡± chimed in Cade. ¡°He¡¯s a terrible person,¡± growled Silas. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather have somebody better?¡± Oh no. Rosaliy did deserve someone better. She was so wonderful. Drake¡¯s head spun with this new information. Maybe he could show her he loved her by leaving, leaving her to live her life happy and free. ¡°No, I need him,¡± she assured Silas. ¡°Hopefully he¡¯ll do something good along the way. Would that make you feel better?¡± She needed him. Oh, wonderful day. ¡°Sure,¡± agreed Silas, his face softening back into a dopey grin. ¡°Whatever you want.¡± Drake¡¯s head swirled from the pendulum of his emotions. ¡°All taken care of, then,¡± said Rosaliy. ¡°Cade, Drake¡ªcome with me. I need to show you something.¡± Everyone moved to follow her. ¡°No,¡± she barked before taking a calming breath through clenched teeth. ¡°Corin, soldiers¡ªgo back to what you were doing before¡­¡± She swirled her hands around. ¡°This. Try your best to forget about me. It¡¯s not meant to be. I¡¯m very sorry.¡± Spellbound Rosaliy ¡°What is wrong with everybody?¡± Cade asked as Rosaliy ducked around a corner to avoid a maid. The last thing she needed was another servant following her around, desperate to do something to please her. Drake was enough of a problem. His face was clouded and confused, but when he saw her look his way he perked up and smiled, happy to be noticed. Poor thing. ¡°They¡¯re under a spell,¡± she answered. ¡°Why would you cast a spell on everyone?¡± was Cade¡¯s next question. ¡°Because she¡¯s smart and wonderful,¡± Drake sighed. ¡°No,¡± Rosaliy objected. Cade snickered. Rosaliy nearly pinched him, but she didn¡¯t have it in her. ¡°I may be smart and wonderful, but I did not cast the spell.¡± Well, technically, she did cast the spell. ¡°Not on purpose,¡± she clarified. ¡°Just come with me.¡± Drake happily complied. Cade snorted and came along out of curiosity rather than compulsion. Thank goodness he was immune to this mess. She led them into the secret passage and around to Daniella¡¯s room. The seeing pool had faded to a very dull green. ¡°What is this place?¡± Cade marveled, reaching out to pick up a glass jar that was sparkling with faint pops of light. ¡°Do not touch anything in here,¡± Rosaliy exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯re in¡ª¡± she began, realizing Drake was not only standing uncomfortably close, but he was also smelling a handful of her hair. ¡°Drake, could you back up a little?¡± He took a step back. ¡°And let go of my hair?¡± He let her ponytail slide through his fingers and continued to stare at her with adoration. ¡°Maybe you could sit in the chair.¡± She pointed to a regal high-backed armchair. ¡°Do something to keep your mind off me. How about that book?¡± He complied, scooping up the Curi folk tales on her order. She had tested that book for traces of magic every way she could think of. It probably was not going to ensnare him. Hopefully. She felt a twinge of guilt as he leafed through it. She needed to be more careful. She was already making a mess of everything, and Daniella was ten steps ahead. ¡°Why are you with him?¡± asked a still-bewildered Cade. ¡°Let me start from the beginning,¡± she sighed. Starting from the beginning took longer than she hoped, but eventually Cade understood the missing children and the search for Daniella. He was shakier on understanding Drake, but that was what it was. ¡°You think she¡ªthe former Queen herself¡ªcame here?¡± he said. ¡°I do,¡± answered Rosaliy, ¡°but¡­¡± He waited. ¡°It¡¯s too confusing to explain,¡± she said. ¡°Let me show you.¡± She grabbed for the hairbrush. ¡°Daniella left this behind. It¡¯s her hair.¡± ¡°How can you be sure?¡± ¡°Because I found her.¡± Cade froze and shot Rosaliy a wordless, nervous expression of panic, an understandable reaction due to the subject matter. She rushed to explain. ¡°Not in person. With the seeing pool.¡± She pointed at the large stone basin in the center of the room. He stared at her. ¡°Let me try again,¡± Rosaliy sighed, rubbing her head. ¡°Do you have a headache?¡± asked Drake, ready to leap to her rescue. ¡°Do you need something?¡± ¡°Keep reading your book,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Let me back up,¡± she told Cade. She backtracked to her arrival in Kianne and the search of this room. He summarized, ¡°So while I was being unfairly imprisoned, you snuck into the castle and rifled around the queen¡¯s old rooms, dosing yourself with love potion.¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened,¡± she agreed. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re understanding.¡± ¡°So where does the hairbrush fit in?¡± ¡°The hair, actually,¡± she corrected. ¡°I was able to use it to make Daniella¡¯s evil seeing pool work.¡± She chose not to be more specific than that. She had been as unable to contact Athena as she had been the night before. Athena would have told her not to use dark magic under any circumstances, but since the Sorceress was unavailable to provide alternatives and her unavailability brought an extra measure of desperation to the situation, Rosaliy could see no other options. Cade and Drake had been in the dungeon for so long due to Rosaliy¡¯s lengthy personal debate over how ethical using this pool was. Since Rosaliy was using her own blood and an already constructed dark seeing pool, the morality was very gray. The Naxturae were missing. Athena was missing. Anyone could be next. Rosaliy felt the urgency of the situation acutely. Alarmingly absent Athena had no other options for her, so that made the decision. Rosaliy was glad Naxturaen ethics were so against the use of blood, because pricking her finger had been bad enough once. She withdrew one of Drake¡¯s short knives. Her wound from the first time had just closed up, and she cringed as she went to re-pierce her skin with the tip of the knife. Unfortunately, the knife slid off her hand. ¡°That¡¯s a fun trick,¡± marveled Cade. ¡°It¡¯s not a trick,¡± Rosaliy muttered, tugging at the clasp of the belt around her waist. ¡°This indiscriminately protects me from harm.¡± Cade reached forward to pinch her. Luckily for her and for him, his fingers were stopped by an invisible, impenetrable layer of magic. ¡°Wow,¡± he marveled. ¡°Did you cast that?¡± ¡°This enchantment is well beyond my skills, but thanks for the confidence,¡± she said, unfastening the belt and handing it to him. He eagerly went to wrap the leather band around his own waist. ¡°It¡¯s not going to work on you,¡± she warned. He tried anyway, and his face fell when he managed to give himself a pinch on his arm that was sure to leave a bruise.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Rosaliy dug the tip of her knife into her finger to greater success this time, if making herself bleed could be counted as success. ¡°You¡¯re hurt!¡± Drake exclaimed, leaping from his chair to cradle her wounded hand in his. ¡°It¡¯s just my finger, Drake,¡± she insisted, ¡°but thanks for caring.¡± She extracted her bloody finger from his care and patted his arm with her unwounded hand. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not too mad at me when this wears off.¡± ¡°I could never be mad at you,¡± he promised. ¡°Where¡¯s the fun in that?¡± she chuckled. He could make nothing of her teasing, so he asked, ¡°Should I go back to reading?¡± ¡°Yes, please,¡± she answered, watching him trot back to the cushioned chair and return to the folk tales. She hoped this would wear off. He had been a much better traveling companion back when he had a will of his own. ¡°You¡¯d think people would have liked Dee more if she had a potion like that,¡± Cade mused. ¡°Good point,¡± agreed Rosaliy. ¡°Maybe we can ask her.¡± She held her stinging finger over the faintly glowing waters of the otherwise dark pool. As a drop of blood fell onto the surface of the liquid, it flared, green light spreading from where the drop had vanished into the inky surface all the way to the edges of the wide stone bowl. She popped her aching finger in her mouth while an image appeared. ¡°What am I looking at?¡± asked Cade, not impressed. Unfortunately, after the time spent getting to and from the dungeon, the picture was faded and impossible to make out. She grabbed another strand of hair and dipped it in the sap. When she dropped the gooey strand of blond hair into the pool, an image sprang into focus¡ªa woman. The image of the woman tapped her lips with her fingers, then grabbed up her pen and wrote another line on the paper in front of her. Cade whistled softly in amazement. ¡°Is that¡ª?¡± He leaned forward. ¡°Careful,¡± Rosaliy warned. ¡°The last thing you need is to be covered in whatever¡¯s in there. And, yes, it is.¡± The woman was garbed in simple clothes, hair wrapped in a tight bun, but she was unmistakably Daniella. ¡°Can she see us?¡± Cade whispered, backing away from the pool. ¡°Hear us?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put anything past her, but she doesn¡¯t have anything nearby for two-way communication.¡± Cade stopped backing away from the pool, but he did not come any closer either. ¡°Where is she?¡± Rosaliy sighed. She did not want to answer that question, so she dipped her fingers in the water and pulled back the image until the building was in view. It was nestled in a wall of rock, the bulk of the building constructed inside a wide cave. ¡°That looks like¡­Taragon?¡± he said. It did look like Taragon. ¡°Can you read that sign?¡± he asked, craning forward now that Daniella was out of view. By adjusting her fingers, she was able to get close enough to read the sign on the building. It was in rough, Taragonian script, but the words were Terran: ¡°Gemstone Trade and Tavern.¡± ¡°So are you going to Taragon?¡± asked Cade. Absolutely not. ¡°Rosaliy,¡± Drake interrupted cautiously. ¡°Would it make you happy if there was a note from Lillya in this book?¡± ¡°What?¡± she stammered. ¡°Of course. Wait, is there a note from Lillya in the book, or are you just telling me that to make me happy?¡± Her head really did hurt. He proudly handed over the book. On the back cover, scrawled in Lillya¡¯s familiar bubbly handwriting was a short letter: Mama & Papa, I love you! Don¡¯t worry about Tans and Duck. I¡¯ll look out for them. If the baby comes soon, I¡¯m sad I don¡¯t get to see him right away. I hope he doesn¡¯t sneeze fireballs. Actually, that sounds pretty funny. I¡¯ll see you when everything¡¯s safe! Lots of Love, Lillya Hearts were drawn around the words. This was definitely from Lillya. ¡°Safe from what?¡± she muttered. ¡°Safe from Daniella?¡± Cade suggested. ¡°Maybe they escaped.¡± That made no sense at all. ¡°What am I to do now?¡± she said, half to herself. Cade pointed at the fading seeing pool. ¡°I¡¯m not a magic expert, but go to Taragon?¡± Rosaliy bristled. If she went to Taragon now, the book won. Daniella was waiting for her in Taragon. In the shimmering image in the seeing pool, Rosaliy watched people come and go from the trading post, and she sighed. Daniella was waiting for her in Taragon. She had to go. ¡°I wish I could talk to Hale without, well, that happening.¡± She gestured toward Drake, who was starting to turn red and splotchy. Great, she was a disease. ¡°Hale is gone,¡± Drake told her cheerfully, thrilled to have more information. ¡°Gone?¡± Cade nodded. ¡°He¡¯s right. The warden said Hale was out of town.¡± ¡°Out of town? Why?¡± This was too much of a coincidence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Drake frowned at her distress. ¡°I¡¯ll never leave you.¡± That poor man. She hoped whatever spell he was under would leave him with no memory of the events of the day. ¡°I¡¯m going to go ask Corin where Hale is,¡± she decided. ¡°And for another horse and some supplies to reach Taragon,¡± Rosaliy said, making no move to do so. ¡°You could probably get half the kingdom while you¡¯re at it,¡± Cade teased. ¡°You¡¯re leaving?¡± panicked Drake. ¡°Just to¡ª¡± she started to answer, then noticed his skin was even more flushed and his eyes were glazed. She put a hand to his forehead. He was on fire. ¡°Cade,¡± she called. ¡°Keep an eye on him please. Maybe¡ªmaybe being away from me will help.¡± ¡°No,¡± whimpered Drake. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be away from you.¡± His pale blue eyes were pathetic and slightly bloodshot. She hesitated. ¡°I¡¯m not thrilled about leaving you like this either. Especially because this is all my fault. What you need is an antidote.¡± ¡°An antidote to you?¡± asked Cade. Basically. Just when she was about to search Daniella¡¯s stores, she was up in the stars. She reeled backwards, her feet suddenly resting on nothing. A woman-shaped glow caught her arm. ¡°You don¡¯t have long,¡± the woman warned Alexander. His solid form was jarring against Kalilya¡¯s vague, glowing one, both set against the background of darkness punctuated by distant pinpricks of light. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised I was able to pull her at all. I¡¯ll go fetch Rinna away from¡­¡± Kalilya did not finish her sentence, but she waved a glowing arm off in the distance. Katyrinna¡¯s back was to them, facing a huddle of glowing women. Her arms were waving, and Rosaliy could just make out some of her words: ¡°If you think I¡¯m going to sit here while the people I love most in the world need me¡­¡± Kat¡¯s powers must have been useless in the world of stars, because her level of anger would otherwise have spawned a lightning storm. ¡°We need good news,¡± Alexander told Rosaliy just before his nose wrinkled in sudden distaste. ¡°Why are you coated in Serena¡¯s awful love potion?¡± Serena? From the little Rosaliy knew about the traitor Sorceress who had once colluded with Daniella, the fact that she would make such a potion made perfect sense. ¡°It¡¯s not affecting you?¡± she asked, hopeful for a cure. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s affecting me,¡± he replied dryly, crossing his arms. ¡°I want to hug you and rip out your hair all at once. I don¡¯t have fond memories of that smell.¡± ¡°A smell? Do you know how to counteract it?¡± ¡°Dampen, sure. Counteract, not really.¡± He shrugged. ¡°The effects will fade and wear off after a few days.¡± ¡°A few days,¡± she moaned, ¡°but I¡¯m hurting Drake already.¡± ¡°Hurting?¡± He tipped his head and narrowed his eyes slightly. ¡°That¡¯s not normal?¡± ¡°Well, no, but you did bathe in the stuff.¡± He made another sour face. Then he snapped his fingers, and his green eyes widened with a memory. ¡°Wait, that chef¡¯s assistant. Oh,¡± he trailed off. ¡°How bad off is Drake?¡± The look on his face and the cautious way he asked the question told the story, but she asked, ¡°What happened to the chef¡¯s assistant?¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather not elaborate, but the potion basically activates a drive to please the wearer, to make you happy.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve noticed,¡± she muttered. ¡°It¡¯s hard to describe, but if someone has the overwhelming feeling they can¡¯t please you for one reason or another, the results are not healthy.¡± Alexander seemed to have a lot of experience with this potion. ¡°Would it help if I stayed away? Left him behind?¡± ¡°At this point, no,¡± Alexander disagreed. ¡°That would be painful.¡± A still fuming Kat had finally been pulled away from the star ancestors by her glowing mother. ¡°This is the last chance,¡± Kat argued with her. ¡°The next time the moon is in position will be¡ª¡± ¡°I know, dear,¡± Kalilya told her in sad, soothing tones, dark lines drifting down her shimmering body of light. ¡°A moon cycle is nothing to them and a broken heart even less. Thena will do her best for Issabeth, and I was able to pull Rosaliy one last time.¡± Kat¡¯s foul mood dissolved in proximity to Rosaliy. ¡°Rose,¡± she exclaimed, enveloping her in a tight hug. ¡°I¡¯m so happy to see you!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much good news,¡± Rosaliy admitted. ¡°Seeing you is good news,¡± Kat replied cheerfully. ¡°You only have seconds,¡± warned Kalilya. ¡°I found Daniella,¡± Rosaliy rushed. ¡°And this.¡± She shoved the book containing Lillya¡¯s note into Kat¡¯s hands. ¡°I don¡¯t know what any of it means, but I will find out. I promise.¡± ¡°I know you will, Rose,¡± said Kat, beaming. ¡°I trust you.¡± ¡°Lemon juice, fish, garlic, perfumes,¡± said Alexander as Rosaliy disappeared in a shimmer. ¡°Any overpowering smells should lessen the¡ª¡± With that, Rosaliy was standing back in the room next to the wide stone basin. She nearly tumbled headlong into it. ¡°Where did you go?¡± exclaimed Cade. ¡°I told him,¡± mumbled Drake, huddled on his chair, cheek pressed into the arm, looking worse than ever. ¡°You kept saying something about the sky,¡± Cade blustered. ¡°That is not an answer.¡± ¡°Kind of was,¡± she disagreed. ¡°Stay here. I need to go track down some things that smell and figure out how to get to Taragon.¡± On the Move Drake Any time passed without Rosaliy was hazy and dark, and time passed with her was mainly spent pondering her hair or facial expressions or trying to read her thoughts. Something about this seemed abnormal to Drake, but the worries were fleeting. ¡°Corin,¡± Rosaliy was saying. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to see us off yourself. Really, you didn¡¯t.¡± Her smile seemed strained, but Drake might have been seeing what he wanted to see. I mean, Corin was a¡ª What was he, anyway? He was something like a king with no actual ruling power. Maybe he just came with the castle. He was rich, anyway. Rosaliy could have the best of everything with him. She deserved the best of everything. She was radiant this morning¡ªgolden, slightly wavy hair tied back like normal, rosy cheeks, wearing a cloak Corin insisted she take. It was pale blue with ruby threads that shimmered in the early morning sunlight. Traveling in the sun all day had caused the reappearance of what must have been childhood freckles across the bridge of her nose. Corin bent forward to kiss Rosaliy¡¯s cheek. Drake felt the urge to punch him in his smug face, but the urge was combatable. Rosaliy didn¡¯t want him to hurt anyone. ¡°Do you need anything else?¡± Corin offered, still lingering. Rosaliy backed away. ¡°Strangely, yes,¡± she admitted, taking out a handkerchief. ¡°I could use some of your blood to track your mother. Drake, can I borrow one of your knives?¡± She had not finished the question before he had placed a knife in her hand. Doing things for her soothed that nagging cloudy feeling of unrest. Coincidentally, he was happy to assist in the stabbing of Corin. ¡°Thanks,¡± she said, handing the knife to Corin. The quasi-king moved to slice the knife across his hand, and she grabbed his arm in a panic. ¡°A few drops! Not all of it!¡± Corin complied, slicing his finger to squeeze a few drops onto the handkerchief. Drake envied him for having something Rosaliy wanted. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to stay with him?¡± asked Drake sadly, watching Corin saunter off. A cold chill slid down his spine. ¡°Drake, look at me,¡± Rosaliy demanded. He hadn¡¯t realized his vision had gone so hazy. He tried to focus in on Rosaliy¡¯s very serious, lovely face. ¡°I want to go with you, Drake. We talked about this. You being you pleases me. You don¡¯t have to do anything else.¡± That warmed him and cleared his head a little, despite its ridiculousness. Why would anyone like him for what he was? She handed the knife back and felt his forehead. Her fingers tingled against his skin. ¡°Are you feeling any better this morning?¡± ¡°Better than what?¡± he asked. ¡°Better than me being the center of your universe as you wallow in a pit of despair.¡± ¡°What would be better than that?¡± She shook her head. ¡°Maybe if I had rubbed the fish on me instead of making you eat it, I¡¯d be less appealing.¡± ¡°Nothing would make you less appealing,¡± he answered automatically, ¡°but no more fish, please.¡± He did remember the catfish monstrosities with searing clarity, and he was sure she had packed a few of them in case of emergency. ¡°Kianne fish tastes like mud.¡± ¡°It smelled, and that was the point,¡± she said. ¡°I have a hard time believing you¡¯d do anything for me but eat a fish.¡± ¡°I had a hard time believing that was a fish.¡± She giggled. She was so beautiful when she smiled and her eyes danced. ¡°Being with me makes you happy?¡± he asked, doubtful. It made no sense. ¡°It would please me more if you could shake this spell, but I don¡¯t think it works that way.¡± He shut his eyes tight and tried not to be under the spell Rosaliy claimed he was under, but he felt no different. He did feel dizzy and confused from all the conflicting sensations. Just as darkness was creeping back in, he felt pressure on his cheek. When he opened his eyes, Rosaliy was right there. She had kissed him. She smelled like lemons. She said lemons would make him less in love with her, but one of his only decent childhood memories was picking lemons on his father¡¯s orchard. That smell was the closest thing he had to home. ¡°Any girl would be lucky to know you, Drake,¡± she said. ¡°You haven¡¯t let me down once. Hang in there. You¡¯ll be back to yourself in a few days.¡± A nagging voice told him she was lying, because those statements could not be true, but Rosaliy was a terrible liar. She must have believed her words. He was also sure he did not want to be back to himself, whatever that meant. He must have faded off again, because Cade was there with horses loaded down with supplies and Rosaliy was already on one of them. She was in a hurry to be moving, so Drake mounted his horse as well, wondering what would be the thing to change her lofty opinion of him. There were so many possibilities. ¡°Are you going to be safe with him?¡± asked Cade, eying Drake warily as he walked her horse out of the royal stables. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± she insisted. ¡°He¡¯s nothing like this. I promise.¡± Drake wondered what she meant. He remembered a time before loving Rosaliy, but it seemed empty and pointless. ¡°He didn¡¯t exactly make a good impression before he got hit with the spell,¡± Cade pointed out. ¡°Maybe I should come with you?¡± ¡°So I can save you from every grass snake from here to Taragon?¡± she teased. ¡°No thank you.¡± ¡°That was one time,¡± Cade argued grumpily. ¡°It was huge.¡± ¡°Right,¡± she said, rolling her eyes. ¡°Besides, I need you to search the castle for any more traces of those kids, and I need you to dig up more information on Hale: find out where he went, tell me when he returns. You have the book I enchanted?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve got the book,¡± Cade acknowledged, holding up the empty volume she had given him. ¡°You can really see anything I write in here?¡± ¡°For the next week or so,¡± she agreed. ¡°If I was a better enchantress, it would last longer, and I¡¯d be able to write back, but it was the best I could do under pressure.¡±Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. ¡°My talents consist of nailing pieces of wood together and herding sheep, so I¡¯m impressed,¡± Cade replied. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not too upset about missing out on the festival.¡± ¡°Hanging out in Kianne Castle for a while.¡± Cade made an exaggerated sour face. ¡°Sure, it¡¯s a sacrifice, but you¡¯re my only sister.¡± She stuck out her tongue at him. Cade leaned closer and lowered his voice. ¡°Hey, can you change him into a tree or something if he turns on you?¡± Her eyes flashed in annoyance. ¡°I hope you¡¯re joking.¡± ¡°You¡¯re at least wearing your magic belt, right?¡± he pressed. ¡°I¡¯m leaving now, Cade,¡± she said, nudging her horse forward and ignoring the guards who cleared the way for her to clear the gate. ¡°Perhaps it would be easier to take side roads,¡± she sighed. Drake really didn¡¯t care which way they went or why. No matter where they went, they ran the risk of battling traffic heading into the city for the festival. Progress was going to be slow. ¡°Your brother doesn¡¯t like me,¡± noted Drake. ¡°In his defense, you did get him arrested.¡± Being arrested did tend to make people cranky. Drake usually saw it as a little vacation of sorts. ¡°I deserved to be there,¡± he said absently. Rosaliy looked at him sideways. She was particularly lovely in profile. She wanted to ask about the Silas situation. He could feel it. That hot, cloudy, choking feeling moved in. Silas had been such a mess. Silas was above bribes and too stubborn for threats. The options were to have him killed or force him out of town. Forcing him out of town had seemed like the better option at the time, but good people did not make those sorts of choices. Drake was not a good person. ¡°Hey!¡± Rosaliy shook his arm. He was half slumped over the neck of his horse, and his eyes were swimming with black spots. ¡°Snap out of it. You¡¯ve been pardoned, remember? Like it never happened.¡± ¡°Not facing consequences isn¡¯t the same as not being guilty,¡± he muttered. ¡°You¡¯re very hard on yourself.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not hard enough on myself,¡± he disagreed. ¡°I find that hard to believe,¡± she said dryly. ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone harder on himself.¡± ¡°If you knew¡­¡± ¡°Drake,¡± she said in what he assumed was the voice she reserve for the sternest of lectures to her students. ¡°I¡¯m not going to pretend I really understand what you¡¯ve done in your past, and I can¡¯t say it doesn¡¯t matter, but I do think you¡¯ve changed. Or that you want to change. Or maybe that you didn¡¯t really need to change all that much, and you just needed to be yourself the whole time. Or some combination of the above.¡± ¡°Running away doesn¡¯t count as change,¡± he muttered. ¡°Normally, I¡¯d love to ponder the idea of greater good, but those kids are counting on me, and I need your help. Right now, I need you to believe you can help, so I don¡¯t lose you completely.¡± He nodded weakly. ¡°You think they¡¯ll be in Taragon?¡± he asked in his best attempt at helpfulness. Her face scrunched up. ¡°No,¡± she admitted. ¡°Daniella¡¯s leading me there for some reason. It¡¯s naive to think her purpose is to deliver stolen children safely into my care. Honestly, I don¡¯t even want to go to Taragon, but what choice do I have?¡± Those were the kinds of tough choices Rosaliy made. How best to help people. ¡°I¡¯m just glad I didn¡¯t have to go with my first plan to break you out of the dungeon,¡± she said with a too-bright smile of obvious subject changing. It was effective. The idea of Rosaliy breaking him out of a dungeon was plenty amusing. ¡°I¡¯m so glad I¡¯ve inspired you to criminal behavior,¡± he replied sarcastically. ¡°What was your plan?¡± ¡°Distract the guards and blast the lock?¡± she said, not sounding very confident. ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start,¡± he chuckled. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not a dungeon escape expert.¡± ¡°No one is,¡± he pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re dungeons. No escaping by definition. If you¡¯re going to attempt an escape, it has to be before the incarceration part or after you¡¯ve convinced your captors some sort of transportation out of the dungeon is necessary.¡± ¡°How would you do that?¡± she asked. ¡°I am counting all of this as your two questions for the day,¡± he told her. ¡°That implies you have a lot of personal dungeon experience,¡± she said. ¡°Does it?¡± he muttered. As long as discussion did not gravitate toward the reasons he had landed in various prisons at various times, prison itself was a reasonably safe topic. In Bayselle, it was a fact of life to be locked up for one reason or another. ¡°Deal,¡± she agreed. ¡°Enlighten me on how to escape captivity.¡± ¡°If someone were taken prisoner and needed to escape, there¡¯s a window of time when captors first grab their prisoner and make plans. Said captors are at their most careless.¡± ¡°Escape immediately. Got it.¡± He frowned. ¡°Well, now, that¡¯s an oversimplification. It depends on the situation.¡± ¡°When is escape not the best option?¡± ¡°When you¡¯re in no immediate danger, and you need information,¡± he answered. ¡°But you lose your chance to get away,¡± she argued. ¡°No,¡± he dismissed. ¡°You just have to make yourself important enough to your captors for them to want to keep you close: unique information or skills only you possess. At that point, you¡¯re close to your information source, and since no one likes to hang about their dungeons all day, you have outside access¡ªplenty of escape opportunities.¡± ¡°I feel like I should be writing this down,¡± mused Rosaliy. ¡°I doubt you have to worry,¡± he pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re in much danger of being taken prisoner.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been locked up in a dungeon before,¡± said Rosaliy defensively. ¡°For a crime?¡± he asked suspiciously. ¡°That you actually committed?¡± ¡°Well, no,¡± she admitted. They picked their way out of the city through loaded wagons and throngs of people coming in for the festival. Rosaliy received constant smiles and nods, to her chagrin. Drake worried Silas might be waiting for him at the main gate, but nothing prevented him from exiting the city and picking up the pace in the Kianne forest beyond. To be totally accurate, the guards on the wall who were very sad to see Rosaliy leave and wanted to show her who could hit the farthest target with their bows were a bit of an obstacle. Rosaliy breathed an audible sigh of relief when they were free of the city. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± she told him, ¡°I¡¯d rather avoid Emilia¡¯s outpost this time. We could get farther along in a day, and there isn¡¯t too much danger out in the southern Taragon wilderness.¡± ¡°And we¡¯d avoid Emilia,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Avoid people in general,¡± she laughed, increasing the pace. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being the center of attention. Remind me if I ever complain about being ordinary how much I hate being special.¡± There was nothing she could do about being special. With that, they sped across the rolling grasslands northeast of Kianne. Drake appreciated wide, open spaces. He could see danger coming for furlongs in any direction, and the bright, unfiltered sun reminded him of the desert sky. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± asked Rosaliy, startling him. He had been thinking about something other than her for the first time in days. Was he cured? Rosaliy bent over to refill a canteen with water from the little creek they had run across, and her hair spilled over her shoulder, picking up reds and golds from the afternoon sun. The urge to touch that hair was nearly overpowering. Nearly was progress, but he would have to say no on the curing. ¡°I was thinking about the desert,¡± he replied. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the animals there are huge and just pop out of the desert anywhere,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s something of an exaggeration,¡± he chuckled. ¡°It¡¯s the small ones you want to check your boots for in the morning.¡± ¡°Everything about it sounds terrifying,¡± she said. ¡°People are terrifying,¡± he disagreed. ¡°The desert follows rules.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never heard anybody with anything nice to say about the desert,¡± she pointed out, tying her canteen back on her horse who was frantically consuming on as much tall grass as he could while they were stopped. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I have either,¡± he admitted, ¡°but there¡¯s just something about the desert.¡± ¡°What is that something?¡± ¡°It¡¯s changeless and changing¡ªthe sand is always in motion, but the expanse never really seems any different. It¡¯s easy to get lost in the neverendingness of it.¡± ¡°See, that¡¯s exactly what would scare me about the desert¡ªgetting lost in it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty lost now,¡± he pointed out. She pointed. ¡°Just keep heading north until you hit the big mountain range,¡± she teased. The next time they stopped was to make camp near a gully. A small stream wound through a ravine, disappearing into a patchy forest on the other side. The lower ground was soft and damp, so they decided to sleep on the higher grassland. ¡°Are you going to disappear again tonight?¡± he asked, partly to prepare himself for the possibility of her disappearance. Rosaliy considered the sky with her hands on her hips. ¡°Last night was the last time Kalilya was able to pull me up. Now they¡¯re stuck for a while.¡± She shook off the thought, like it was too heavy to consider. ¡°I¡¯ll go grab some firewood from down below.¡± ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t get separated,¡± he tried to say casually, like the idea of separation was not equivalent to having his arm ripped off. ¡°I¡¯ll be fast,¡± she promised. ¡°Besides, nothing can hurt me,¡± she reminded him, pointing to the belt. ¡°Even if they could, this spell is affecting the animals, too. If I run into anything, it will probably just try to lick me to death. She had a point. When they had stopped for lunch, a crow had stopped by to proudly deliver her a shiny bit of broken armor. She lowered herself into the ravine where she was able to hop the stream and head into the forest. He did not like watching her go, but that was probably the spell. Rosaliy knew her way around a forest. She waved, and Drake watched her disappear into the nearby woods. Caught Rosaliy Rosaliy¡¯s thoughts were tumultuous, and she needed to be alone with them. Every time Rosaliy thought Drake seemed on the path back to normal, she caught him staring at her, and then she was less sure. Of course the only man attracted to her was under a spell. Not counting Matias, anyway, which she did not. She kicked over a useless, damp, rotting log. She needed dry wood. Even though Daniella was almost certainly tracking her, there was no need to add stupidity to foolishness by lighting a magical fire. She was already headed straight to Taragon, after all, right into Daniella¡¯s waiting hands. How long had it been since Rosaliy had taken the masking potion? She had best do that when she got back to camp. In a while. She needed a break from the Drake she had accidentally created. She was having to work pretty hard to avoid taking advantage of Drake¡¯s new-found devotion. For example, even though she was sure he would tell her anything she wanted to know, pressing him for information seemed like taking advantage of a spell that was her fault anyway. Besides, every time he was confronted with his deep, dark past, he flew into a feverish panic. She wished he would hurry up and get back to normal. In an odd, nonsensical way, she missed him. Dry kindling was easy to come by, but Rosaliy needed a decent-sized branch if their fire was going to burn for more than a few minutes. That search and stalling her return to camp took her farther than she should have wandered, but she was still roughly within screaming distance. Soon, she had a decent armful of twigs and dried underbrush, but she did still need some burnable wood, so she ventured a little further. The sound of skittering interrupted her thoughts about what questions she could safely ask Drake in his current state, and her heart leapt to her throat. She spun to find a fat squirrel clinging to the tree trunk next to her. With a double bounce, it leaped onto a branch with a clatter. She exhaled a shaky breath. These forest animals. She was a walking fairy tale princess right now. To prove her point, the squirrel chattered and chucked an acorn at her. ¡°Thank you,¡± she sighed, as the squirrel seemed quite proud of itself. Really, Drake was admirably together if this was her effect on local wildlife. A faint crack sounded in the air next to her. Tense with a reason this time, Rosaliy scanned her forest surroundings and backed toward a large tree. More cracks followed, like invisible popcorn. Gray fog rolled in, and that was enough evidence for Rosaliy to drop her kindling and take cover. From behind the tree she felt a gust of air and then quiet. Someone was here. ¡°Come out, come out!¡± a woman¡¯s voice called in an accent that was thick and unfamiliar. ¡°We know you¡¯re here, tertiary Sorceress.¡± Rosaliy pressed her cheek to the bark of the tree. Maybe it would absorb the sound of her madly beating heart. Surely anything with ears could hear the pounding for furlongs. The woman was too close for Rosaliy to run, and she had nothing useful. Even her dagger was in her bag back at camp, the little good it would do against a magical enemy. Two male voices conversed in an unfamiliar language. There were at least three people here. ¡°She¡¯s here, whiners,¡± the harsh female voice interrupted. ¡°If you have a faster way to travel than the fog, I¡¯d love to see it.¡± ¡°Tracking people would be simpso if they didn¡¯t run from us before we got there,¡± griped a scratchy male voice. Someone clapped twice and hissed, which seemed like an odd response until a large, dark animal bounded around Rosaliy¡¯s tree, snarling. An unbidden cry escaped her lips and she backed off the tree, her body preparing to run even while her brain said running was pointless. The furry animal who looked a great deal like Pepper with a lean, snarling face blinked at her and relaxed, jowls sliding back into place over sharp teeth, expression in the yellow eyes widening from tracking of prey to curiosity, and flattened ears perking up. He padded forward, and despite this change in behavior, Rosaliy took another two steps backwards, running smack into another obstacle. ¡°There you are,¡± hissed the scratchy voice of the man behind her. Rosaliy spun to face a slightly pudgy dark-skinned man with short and fuzzy bright red hair. As he clamped down on her arms, she wrenched herself sideways and elbowed him hard in the chest. He doubled over, coughing, but the jaguar was not going to be as easily dissuaded by Sorceress Issabeth¡¯s defense training. The black beast took up a playful crouching posture, ready to pounce. Suddenly swooping down on her were a woman and a taller man with red hair spiked in a way that made the top of his head look like it was on fire. Escape was beyond impossible. The woman nodded to the tall man, and he lunged forward, pinning Rosaliy¡¯s arms behind her back. ¡°I am so sorry,¡± he apologized a deep, rumbling voice. ¡°I hope that doesn¡¯t hurt.¡± ¡°It would make me much happier if you would let me go,¡± she tried. ¡°But then you would run away,¡± he said sadly. ¡°What is wrong with you, Ocery,¡± snapped the woman. Her red hair was long, thick, and wavy with orange flecks, more like lava than fire. ¡°Wrong?¡± Ocery asked blankly. ¡°Nothing¡¯s wrong. This Sorceress smells really nice.¡± The woman stepped closer while the man pinned Rosaliy in place. Her face relaxed from a scowl to a half smile. ¡°You¡¯re right, she does smell¡ª¡± The woman¡¯s face darkened again, dark eyes flashed, and she barked. ¡°It¡¯s a spell!¡± ¡°It¡¯s a nice one,¡± said Ocery, unconcerned. ¡°Can we take her with us?¡± All her assailants had deep chocolate skin garbed in bright, billowing clothing better suited to a tropical paradise than a soon-to-be evening in the border hills. Rosaliy knew who they were, but everything was wrong. If they were Flifary, why were they chasing her? The Flifary had always been partners with the Naxturae and the Sorceresses. They rarely intervened directly, but they had always been helpers to keep things balanced and keep the great evils¡ªlike the Malum and Queen Daniella¡ªfrom succeeding. The jaguar bounded forward to rub his big head on Rosaliy¡¯s leg and gaze up at her lovingly. For the first time, Rosaliy hoped Serena¡¯s potion was not going to wear off anytime soon. The woman tossed a derisive comment in her own language to the other man who was still doubled over in pain. He was shorter, which explained why Rosaliy had such easy rib access. He complained back in their foreign language. ¡°Wasn¡¯t she with someone?¡± asked Ocery, still holding Rosaliy¡¯s arms pinned to her back. Oh no. They knew about Drake. He was no match for three Flifary and a rogue jaguar. Out of the corner of her eye, she was sure she saw him there in a cluster of foliage, at least as sure as she could be while her heart was pounding and she was unable to get a direct look. She needed him to get away, but would the spell let him? ¡°No,¡± Rosaliy said, both to Ocery and Drake, ¡°and I wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to travel with somebody stupid enough to jump in to be killed at the first sign of danger.¡±If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. ¡°Let¡¯s see about that.¡± The woman withdrew a knife and stepped closer. No doubt about it. These Flifary did not have helpful, world-balancing intentions. ¡°You don¡¯t want to hurt me,¡± Rosaliy said, trying to sound more confident and less like she had a question. ¡°No, I don¡¯t,¡± the woman snarled, not lowering the knife or backing off, ¡°and that makes me suspicious. Tell me, where is he?¡± Rosaliy shrugged. She definitely saw a bush rustle in the fringes of her eyeline. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about.¡± ¡°The person you¡¯re traveling with.¡± ¡°I came alone.¡± ¡°With two horses?¡± ¡°I told him to leave if anything happened to me,¡± she said. It was an easy lie, because she was telling him now. She raised her voice. ¡°It¡¯s too important for him to keep going. I need him to go.¡± The woman narrowed her dark eyes. ¡°I know how to flush him out,¡± she cackled, stepping forward with her knife and drawing it to Rosaliy¡¯s neck. ¡°Come out or she dies,¡± the woman yelled. ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous,¡± Rosaliy scoffed, though her heart was about to fly out of her chest. ¡°There¡¯s no one out there.¡± It was much easier to lie for someone else¡¯s benefit. ¡°She says there¡¯s no one out there, Iketa,¡± pleaded Ocery. ¡°Don¡¯t slit her throat.¡± The jaguar also whimpered a little. Despite their sadness, neither made an actual move to help Rosaliy. Neither did Drake, which was both a triumph and a cause for alarm. Maybe she should have reconsidered her desire to be left to the mercy of these Flifary. ¡°Dalor,¡± the woman who must have been Iketa barked. ¡°Are you done dying yet? Search her.¡± Dalor, still rubbing his ribs, hobbled over and glared at Rosaliy for a moment until the anger dissolved from his round face. ¡°The Sorceress looks sad,¡± he frowned. He patted her hair gently with his dark fingers. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Sorceress. We¡¯re not after you. You¡¯re inconsequential. After all this is over, you can live on our island. Won¡¯t that be nice?¡± With that, he shoved his hands in her pockets and pulled out the handkerchief. ¡°Our Sorceress was going to track someone,¡± he said triumphantly. ¡°Thank you.¡± He beamed at Rosaliy like she had helped him on purpose. ¡°Who?¡± Iketa demanded. ¡°It¡¯s mine. I cut myself,¡± Rosaliy lied, pretty convincingly, she thought. Especially with a dagger pressed against her throat and under the threat of being locked away on a magical island. ¡°Test it,¡± Iketa ordered Dalor. He scowled, shot a tiny smile at Rosaliy, and stomped out of sight. The worst he would find was Corin, or maybe that Rosaliy was trying to track Daniella. Rosaliy almost wished they would track down Daniella. If anyone was a match for them, she was. Unless Daniella was working with them. What was going on? ¡°Where did she hide them?¡± Iketa snarled another question. She? Them? Rosaliy said nothing. ¡°Don¡¯t pretend like you aren¡¯t working with her,¡± Iketa fumed, her face inches from Rosaliy¡¯s. ¡°I don¡¯t have to pretend anything,¡± countered Rosaliy. No, really. ¡°It¡¯s from the royal family,¡± crowed Dalor in the distance. He rounded the trees wearing huge spectacles made of thick glass that made him look like a frog. Rosaliy felt a cold chill. The royal family. Corin was Alexander¡¯s twin brother. Why hadn¡¯t she thought to use Corin¡¯s blood to look for the children directly? What had she just handed over? ¡°Can you track it?¡± asked Ocery, still pinning her from behind. ¡°There¡¯s some bad news,¡± admitted Dalor. ¡°I¡¯m only finding the original, plus a mess of faint lines. Only one strong lifeline out of the bunch.¡± ¡°Sure you don¡¯t mean three?¡± suggested the man behind her. ¡°Sure I don¡¯t, Ocery,¡± Dalor grumbled back. ¡°It¡¯s Daniella,¡± hissed Iketa, saying the name like it was a curse word. Rosaliy knew the feeling. ¡°She masked the Nax brats. Can you pick her out?¡± Dalor¡¯s unhappy round face clearly said he could not, but to Iketa, he stammered, ¡°I¡¯m sure I just need better tools to pinpoint a location.¡± Then his whole face lit up. ¡°The Sorceress might know. She can help me.¡± Iketa cackled, grinning broadly at her with shockingly white teeth. ¡°This will save us a lot of time. Thanks for picking it up for us, Rose. It¡¯s Rose, right? Pointless Sorceress of Crystal Palace, about as influential as a mosquito.¡± She could not have been too thankful, seeing as how she was still pressing a dagger to Rosaliy¡¯s throat. ¡°What do you want with Daniella?¡± Rosaliy dared to ask. If they weren¡¯t working together, that meant Daniella hid the children, possibly from them. ¡°What do you want with them? They¡¯re just children.¡± ¡°Just children,¡± scoffed the woman, leaning closer. ¡°Children grow up to be adults who are the only thing standing in the way of¡ª¡± ¡°Iketa,¡± Ocery¡¯s deep voice barked in Rosaliy¡¯s ear, ¡°save the speeches.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t understand anyway,¡± Iketa muttered, taking a step back. Thankfully the dagger went with her, although Ocery still clamped Rosaliy¡¯s arms behind her back. ¡°You only live one lifetime. We live for countless generations. We should own this world, not hide away in a corner pretending not to be able to break you like matchsticks.¡± ¡°But you have a system,¡± argued Rosaliy, feeling more bold with a dagger a few lengths away from her neck, ¡°a Seer who¡ª¡± ¡°Keeps all the power for herself,¡± screeched Iketa. This was a touchy subject. ¡°I can¡¯t think of any reason why she wouldn¡¯t share it with you,¡± Rosaliy muttered. ¡°What if¡ª¡± Dalor clamored with a rising, manic excitement. ¡°What if she left it with this inconsequential Sorceress to confuse us? Where is it, Sorceress?¡± ¡°Where is what?¡± Rosaliy answered. ¡°The divination stone. Arlana must have left something behind: a clue, a message,¡± he begged, his dark eyes more than a touch desperate. Rosaliy had no idea what they were talking about, and anything she told them was only going to let them keep the upper hand. Now that the panic of capture simmered down, her heart was starting to settle. Dalor needed her alive to track Daniella. These Flifary were full of information, and they were looking for the same people she was. If she could stay close to them, she had time to find out what was going on. ¡°Tell us what you know,¡± threated Iketa, stomping forward with dagger raised, ¡°or lose your neck.¡± ¡°Do you have to, Iketa?¡± sighed Ocery. Rosaliy could have sworn he bent down to sniff her hair. ¡°Her neck is so pretty.¡± Iketa ignored him. ¡°It¡¯s been a long day,¡± she snarled, ¡°and you have pushed me too far, little girl.¡± Iketa brought the cold dagger up to Rosaliy¡¯s cheekbone and sliced. Rosaliy flinched, but the belt did its job. The dagger slid off her protected skin without doing any damage. She tried to let out a shaky breath as evenly as she could and stare back smugly. She was not feeling particularly smug, to tell the truth. ¡°Sorceresses and their imbeioso enchantments,¡± Iketa fumed. ¡°She¡¯s protected.¡± ¡°Her partner can¡¯t have gone far,¡± suggested Ocery. ¡°Why don¡¯t we head back to her camp and check?¡± Since they could not hurt her, she could make things as difficult for them as possible. When Ocery tried to shove her forward, she slammed her boot down hard on his foot. Iketa grabbed her to assist and earned herself a bite on the arm. All things considered, her captors were in a very bad mood by the time they reached the ravine. Leaving Rosaliy and Ocery behind, Iketa, Dalor, and the jaguar hopped up to search the camp. Rosaliy wished she could see anything, but her only view was a rock wall. ¡°Keep him out of that,¡± Iketa snapped to Dalor up above. ¡°It smells foul.¡± ¡°You tell the jaguar he can¡¯t have dinner free for the stealing,¡± Dalor argued. Iketa yelled at the jaguar in her language, but she was only snarled at in response. ¡°Let¡¯s see what our Sorceress brought with her.¡± Iketa¡¯s voice floated over the ravine. She appeared after a second with Rosaliy¡¯s bag in hand. She grabbed it roughly by the bottom and upended it, knocking Rosaliy¡¯s supplies to the ground. ¡°Food, water, dagger¡­¡± As Iketa named each object, it went flying over the edge of the ravine. ¡°This looks important,¡± she said, yanking the cover off the mirror. ¡°Hopefully it¡¯s sturdy.¡± She pitched the mirror down to the ground where it shattered on the rocks next to Rosaliy¡¯s feet. ¡°Oops.¡± What she was not producing was Lillya¡¯s book or Cade¡¯s. Perhaps she was just toying with Rosaliy. She had to know they were magical objects. ¡°Oh, now this looks useful,¡± Iketa said. Rosaliy¡¯s heart stopped. Iketa held up the tiny fragment of net. ¡°Now let¡¯s see if I can remember how this¡ª¡± She pitched it down at Rosaliy, and as soon as the net touched her, it grew in an instant and twisted itself tight around her like a vine. Ocery had the sense to leap back. Rosaliy would not have appreciated being bound up in a net with him, anyway. She tried not to struggle, because¡ªbased on her experience with what Issabeth felt was valuable tactical training¡ªshe knew movement would make the net tighten further. ¡°Yes, that was very satisfying,¡± Iketa chuckled. ¡°Dalor, anything?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± replied Dalor¡¯s glum voice. ¡°Her friend must have used an object to travel.¡± No, Rosaliy thought, just very sneaky. If only he had more time to impart a few of his skills. ¡°He¡¯s in store for a nasty surprise when he tries to run crying back to Athena, anyway,¡± Iketa groused. That did not sound good. Ocery called up, ¡°We have this one. Let¡¯s just take her. Dalor says she can help him.¡± Iketa gasped. ¡°She¡¯s distracting us here, wasting our time. The spell¡ªall of it. We¡¯ve been played for fools.¡± After an additional tirade in the language Rosaliy could not understand, Iketa raised her hands. A gray fog swirled around her, and tendrils of misty gray shot out toward Ocery and Rosaliy. The fog whirled around Rosaliy, somehow shooting in between all the spaces in her body until, all at once, she was no longer standing on a hilly grassland. Scattered Drake Drake could have heard Rosaliy¡¯s scream if she was in an underwater castle, locked in a trunk and gagged. For the first time, he could feel the spell at work. With every fiber of his being, he wanted to fight these ruffians who dared touch Rosaliy and toss out threats. It took all his tenuous common sense to hang back. They could not hurt her, but that jaguar could rip him to bits, making for a poor rescue. When Rosaliy told him to leave, he felt unraveled. Was it the spell telling him to leave while he was desperate to stay, or was he desperate to stay while the spell was ordering him to follow Rosaliy¡¯s wishes? What would he have done without this muddling magical influence, and even if he could answer his own question, would that choice have been good or bad? So he left. Temporarily, he told himself. He retreated from the cryptic argument and hauled himself up the ravine, back to camp. Drake may not have known magic, but he did know kidnappings, and Rosaliy¡¯s only shot at staying alive was if her captors did not get what they wanted. He dug through Rosaliy¡¯s bag. Since three enemies were about to do the same, he did not bother feeling guilt over the violation of privacy. His fingers closed in around Lillya¡¯s book. That was it. He could not explain why, but he was certain. He pulled the book for communicating with Cade while he was plundering and left the rest. They would be here soon. As an afterthought, he grabbed a wrapped paper bundle from Rosaliy¡¯s pile of things and unfurled its foul contents onto the stones of the half-constructed fire pit. Two large catfish¡ªif these monstrosities deserved to be in the same category as fish¡ªtumbled out. Rosaliy was operating under the theory that noxious smells would dampen the effects of a love potion, so she had these in case of emergency. Hopefully they would mediate a different emergency. He might be able to handle himself against a person or three, but the big cat would sniff him out and rip out his throat. He scooped up his own bag and dropped over the side of the ravine with his other paper plunder, heading upstream to find a rock outcropping to conceal himself while they searched. The thought of them touching Rosaliy filled him with blind rage, but his experience held him back. He would follow them and take them by surprise. It would be safer for her. Eventually, all was quiet. He crept out and took stock of the damage, on high alert for any lingering sentries. There was no trace of Rosaliy or her attackers. Everything was strewn and broken. The horses were nervous, but unharmed. His weapons were on him. He could salvage enough food for the night. What next? He searched for tracks before the light was gone, but there were none leaving this place. His search brought him to the glint of metal. His fingers closed around Rosaliy¡¯s dagger. He had one job to do, and she had disappeared under his nose. His heart felt empty. How had letting her be taken seemed like a good idea? Of course they had used magic to spirit her well out of his reach. Magic. If he was going to get Rosaliy back, he would need some magic of his own. His only advantage in this situation was a big one. He knew where he was going, and they did not. Dawn tomorrow, he would be on his way to a trading post in Taragon. ~~~~~ Shrilynda Shrilynda hated Sorceresses. Everything about them offended the core of her being. The Naxturae thought them worthy of magic when they were no more than fuel¡ªvaluable blood wrapped in flesh. A Sorceress had more magical value than, say, a toad, but she was in the same category¡ªan object meant to be used by those whose lives were of real worth. This Sorceress, however, was bringing Shrilynda twisted joy. For the fifty-third time¡ªShrilynda had been counting¡ªIssabeth threw herself at the cloudy boundary of their Nether Realm prison. Each time yielded a slightly different result. Either the clouds turned into a surface that threw Issabeth back, or she sent white flurries swirling with a blast of her pearl, or the pillowy surface sucked her up like a thirsty dog. The last was the most entertaining to watch, as the Sorceress would then struggle to free herself, yelling insults at the unfeeling white atmosphere as she thrashed angrily. Each new attempt flooded Shrilynda with sadistic joy. Issabeth tumbled to the ground finally, and she was forced to pick herself up as she slowly started sinking into that surface as well. Learning how to operate in the nebulous surroundings took time and patience, neither of which the feisty Sorceress possessed. ¡°What are you staring at?¡± Issabeth snapped. ¡°Your futile struggles bring me joy,¡± Shrilynda answered. Issabeth tossed sweaty blond hair out of her eyes and glared back. Shrilynda¡¯s mouth stretched into a smile all by itself. ¡°Your unbridled hatred also brings me joy.¡± ¡°Trust me, Shril,¡± Issabeth replied. ¡°Unbridled would look different.¡± She was enjoying this so much, but, sadly, timing was important. ¡°Are you ready to leave?¡± she asked. ¡°I won¡¯t help you,¡± Issabeth muttered. ¡°Very well.¡± Shrilynda nodded, moving to leave. The Sorceress would rest now, which was much less entertaining to watch, although fantasizing about the different ways to kill a person in her sleep had its charms. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Issabeth said suspiciously. ¡°You¡¯re just going to walk away? What¡¯s your plan, Shril?¡± Shrilynda thought this through. ¡°Assuming you don¡¯t assist now, eventually you¡¯ll die in here, leaving behind the pearl, which I could subvert a bit at a time until I could use it myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a disturbingly thorough plan,¡± Issabeth admitted. ¡°How long will this take you?¡± ¡°A century or two,¡± Shrilynda answered dreamily. ¡°A hundred years?¡± Issabeth scoffed. ¡°Or two,¡± Shrilynda corrected. ¡°The process is faster if you contribute, but what is time to me?¡± She moved away, her movements less like walking and more like drifting. ¡°Wait,¡± sighed Issabeth. Shrilynda paused. Already? ¡°What would I need to do?¡± ~~~~~Stolen novel; please report. Drake When Drake had a goal¡ªa real one¡ªhe was single-minded. This trait was one of his biggest strengths and greatest character flaws. Right now, his goal was finding the Gemstone Trade and Tavern, and despite an unfamiliarity with Taragon, he was standing under the sign by nightfall. His horses were exhausted, and half of Taragon knew he was here after pointing him in the right direction, but subtlety was not as important as speed in this case. Now he just needed to chat with the shopkeepers to find out when they had last seen Daniella and where she had gone, and he would be well on his way to accomplishing his next goal. That was the plan he had walking in. He pushed open the door, and it jingled faintly. He stepped into a multi-purpose store with two areas, as advertised on the sign. One side was a store full of general supplies, and one side was a tavern¡ªstone tables and chairs with an area for making and serving drinks in the corner. The entire space was cleaner than the taverns he was accustomed to, and the wares for the trading post were meticulously organized. He had a hard time believing miners and travelers appreciated the level of care being shown to everyday supplies. Nothing on display really deserved to be on display. All this he noticed in a glance, because his attention was immediately drawn to the woman standing in the middle of the large space, staring at him. ¡°Do you think a window right there would help with lighting?¡± asked the woman who looked alarmingly like the Daniella he was here to find, if Daniella had been replaced by a copy of herself with plain, rough clothing and a tight, immaculate bun. He blinked and did the only thing he could¡ªexamine the wall behind him. The store side had a window offering meager lighting, but the tavern side was dim and¡­well¡­like a tavern. It was lit mainly by the glowing hearth. ¡°It would,¡± he said, ¡°but generally people who come to taverns aren¡¯t all that eager to be seen.¡± ¡°Excellent point,¡± she murmured. ¡°Thank you for your input. What do you require?¡± While she waited for his response, she returned to the store area where she was meticulously lettering a board with a bit of chalk. ¡°I¡­stopped in for¡­¡± This was not going well. What game was she playing? She cocked her head and looked at him with her piercing stare. ¡°You¡¯re not from around here,¡± she said. ¡°No,¡± he said, managing to get himself back on track. ¡°I¡¯ve come from Crystal Palace.¡± He watched closely for a reaction, but not too closely. People who knew they were being watched for reactions rarely gave the right ones. In this case, suspected Daniella gave none. She was so convincing, he began to wonder if he might have the wrong person. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of it,¡± she said, returning to her lettering. ¡°Is that the Taragon castle?¡± How was he to respond to that? She gave no indication of lying, but she must be lying. Why would she bother with such an outlandish falsehood? ¡°Opal,¡± called a voice from what was likely a storeroom. ¡°I need to make a run to the still for ale.¡± The voice grew closer until he was speaking from inside the large store space. The man who belonged to the voice was broad shouldered and square jawed and vaguely intimidating and jovial all at once¡ªall the traits required to be successful in the tavern business. He looked over Daniella¡¯s shoulder, or possibly Opal¡¯s shoulder, at the chalkboard on the table in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure how lowering prices will make me more money, Opal,¡± he said dubiously. ¡°Just during the pre-sunset hours,¡± Daniella/Opal explained. ¡°Customers will make a point of coming by earlier. And they¡¯ll buy more while they¡¯re here. And store customers will stop in for a drink if it¡¯s just a few coins more. Basically, it¡¯s a waste of space to have an entire tavern sitting unused all day. Would you like to see the numbers again?¡± The man shook his head, mystified, and threw up his hands in surrender. ¡°You are the best shopkeep I¡¯ve ever had, Opal. Jess will be in soon to set up for the night crowd, but it doesn¡¯t look like you need the help.¡± He scanned the store. ¡°Did you reorganize? Again?¡± ¡°Jess can clean out the cupboards in the back,¡± said Daniella/Opal, who had gone back to lettering. ¡°Those cupboards are just asking for rats to move in. Did you find your past ledgers for me?¡± A look of panic flitted across his face. ¡°I¡¯ll find them first thing when I get back,¡± he promised, now in a rush to get out of his store. She shot him a cold, disapproving stare. This was definitely Daniella. Maybe. The door jingled and banged shut as the store owner hurried away from Daniella¡¯s tasks. ¡°How is it possible you¡¯ve never heard of Crystal Palace?¡± Drake was unsure whether he was calling her bluff or playing her game at this point, but it hardly mattered. Her ice blue eyes evaluated him, and now she was inventing a careful story. ¡°My memory hasn¡¯t been the best lately.¡± She shrugged a little, like the fact was nearly inconsequential. He suspected she might be telling the truth, which made her innocent statement very consequential. ¡°I don¡¯t want to alarm you,¡± he said, deciding to accept her at her word, ¡°but there is a group of unsavory characters headed here to search for you. If you¡¯ll come with me, I can expl¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± she interrupted. ¡°No?¡± he echoed. ¡°I don¡¯t think you underst¡ª¡± ¡°I understand,¡± she said, drawing the last swirl on her board with a flourish of chalk. ¡°Isn¡¯t it just as logical for me to suspect you are one of those people or that the ones coming¡ªif they exist¡ªare the ones with my interests at heart?¡± That did have twisted logic to it. ¡°I know you,¡± he tried. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean much,¡± she countered. ¡°Do you have any proof?¡± ¡°Proof of¡­¡± She crossed her hands over each other on the counter in front of her and stared him down. ¡°Your choice. Whatever you¡¯d like to prove.¡± He had Lillya¡¯s book, but pulling that out seemed like a risk with no possible reward. He had nothing. ¡°Well, no,¡± he admitted. ¡°I don¡¯t have any proof of anything.¡± ¡°That does seem to vouch for your story, in a way,¡± she mused. ¡°Certainly an enemy would have manufactured at least flimsy proof of such claims. Unless you¡¯re incompetent. Hmm¡­¡± She scanned him up and down. ¡°No, I know no more than before.¡± His mouth opened, but no sound came out of it. Once the Flifary got their hands on this woman, Rosaliy¡¯s life was in danger. The situation was that straight forward. He had tried being reasonable and responding to the situation like an honorable, law-abiding citizen would. That approach had gotten him nowhere. ¡°I know what would prove things to you,¡± he said as nonchalantly as possible. ¡°Could I have some of that thin rope before I go?¡± She narrowed her eyes. He smiled a non-threatening smile. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to have come in here spouting all that,¡± he said. ¡°And for wasting your time. You¡¯re clearly very busy. You know, I¡¯m not even sure you¡¯re the right person. Seeing as how you¡¯re not expecting me.¡± Neither of them believed a word he was saying, but she moved for the rope, which was draped on a tall hook on the wall. He snatched a cloth off a barrel that was soon to be a display near the door and twisted it in his hands. He swooped behind the counter of the shop, feeling a lot more like the villain in this scenario than the hero. Story of his life. Daniella spun to confront him, opening her mouth to cry out. He shoved the wrapped cloth inside her conveniently open mouth to muffle her cries while he pinned her arms behind her back with his other arm. She nearly sliced his arm off with the knife she had stealthily grabbed along with the rope, but he knocked it out of her hands, clamped it with his foot, and kicked it away. Apparently he had decided kidnapping would be the right move in this scenario, so his choices were limited at this point. Jess and the shop owner would be back any moment, so he needed to move to an unoccupied area, far enough to make a search fruitless and a location suitable for a Flifary ambush. With or without Rosaliy¡¯s help, they would be tracking Daniella eventually, which meant he could use her as bait. While he tied the gag in Daniella¡¯s mouth and scooped up the nearby rope to tie her hands behind her back¡ªactions that took almost no conscious thought¡ªDrake realized he was in a store filled with mining supplies. He saw a stack of small crates in the corner, nailed tight, hay peeking from the slats. ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± he asked. Daniella¡¯s eyes grew round. He would take that as confirmation. He pulled her over to the stack. She was not very compliant, which was going to be a problem. She landed a solid kick on his shin. ¡°No kicking, please,¡± he complained. ¡°I can tie your legs and carry you and the crate, but I¡¯d rather not.¡± She glared back, trying to melt him with her eyes. Hopefully, if she was able to do so, that was one of her lost memories. ¡°Believe it or not, I mean you no harm.¡± Her sharp eyebrows rose. She said something that was completely muffled by the wrapped cloth in her mouth. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d believe me,¡± he admitted. ¡°I know a few things about you. The most important one is that you¡¯re smart, so you will scream if I take off that gag. I was hoping you could help me find my kidnapped friend with your magic, but since you won¡¯t be doing that, I¡¯m going to have to wait for the unsavory characters to come for you.¡± She answered with a muffled exclamation. ¡°Yes, I can see how that looks bad for me,¡± he agreed, carefully cradling the top crate under his arm and nudging her forward with the other. Shambles Rosaliy Well before Drake reached Daniella, Rosaliy was dealing with her own kidnapping. After a heated yelling match ended in Iketa declaring that under no circumstance was Rosaliy leaving her locked room, Dalor and Ocery waited for Iketa to leave before escorting Rosaliy out of her locked room. Once she was freed, the men argued over who needed her more while Rosaliy ogled her new surroundings. She was on Flifary Island. She knew from the sweltering heat and the jungle vines creeping their way into the shattered stone building where she had been transported. This crumbling stone building looked like it had been the epicenter of an explosion. There were wide holes in the walls and cracks in the floor. Dust and rubble would occasionally rain down from the ceiling. One of the massive columns near the entrance was smashed across the middle, and Rosaliy worried about the stability of the roof. Through the night, Workers hauled away broken stones and dug up jagged shards of floor. Their work looked miserable; sweat poured down their dark, bare skin as they hauled away rocks and leveled the ground. ¡°What happened here?¡± Rosaliy asked. ¡°The Seer happened,¡± growled Ocery, the tall one with the spiky hair. After Iketa, Ocery was the most intimidating of the three. His massive arms could break her wrist with a snap if his hot temper called for it. Once Rosaliy¡¯s love potion wore off, she wanted to be nowhere near him. ¡°Arlana did this?¡± she clarified. Ocery tensed at the name. ¡°Rather than let us take the temple, she sent it crashing down around us.¡± ¡°We¡¯re still working on the divination room,¡± said Dalor ruefully, ¡°but as soon as we get that up and functioning, we¡¯ll be back on track.¡± Dalor was shorter and rounder. He was more interested in playing with magic than the others. Rosaliy felt less in danger from him, but the difference was something like being eaten by a vicious bear or being mauled to death by a bear cub who just wanted to find out how well attached her arms were. They were both dangerous men. ¡°If we had the divination stone,¡± Ocery corrected him. ¡°Who knows where Arlana stashed that thing?¡± ¡°She¡¯ll crack,¡± Dalor said confidently. Rosaliy felt cold. ¡°She¡¯s here?¡± whispered Rosaliy. ¡°Of course not,¡± scoffed Ocery. ¡°That would be stupid.¡± ¡°I still say we toss that crazy Malum woman in with her,¡± mused Dalor with a frightening half grin. Maybe he was not the nicer one after all. ¡°Foretell that.¡± Rosaliy was barely hanging onto the threads of this conversation, and before she could dig for more information, two men with menacing spears dragged in a struggling Flifary woman with long, flowing red hair and flashing, dark eyes. Her ripped, breezy clothes trailed behind her as she was pulled along. The men spotted Dalor and Ocery and dragged over their prisoner, promptly rattling off an explanation in their native tongue. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Rosaliy asked. ¡°They found another rebel,¡± Dalor explained cheerfully. ¡°Silana,¡± he greeted the woman. ¡°Want to tell us what the rest of the loyalists are up to? Where the divination stone is?¡± She raised her blood-streaked face, fixed on him with her defiant, dark eyes, and spit at him. Ocery chuckled. He said something to her spear-holding captors. Whatever he said, his words sent Silana into a rage. She yelled at him, kicking and screaming as she was dragged away. ¡°Can¡¯t fail when you¡¯ve seen the future, Sil,¡± Dalor called after her. Rosaliy was in the middle of a civil war¡ªa hostile takeover. Coming to this island may not have been a great idea. ¡°Why now?¡± she asked Ocery and Dalor, trying to keep her voice from trembling. ¡°Why take control now? You¡¯ve been so peaceful for thousands of years.¡± ¡°Timing, yes, that¡¯s it exactly,¡± Dalor mused. ¡°The monarchies are crumbling. There are so few influencers in play right now. There¡¯s this little sliver of time between¡ª¡± His eyes were dancing, excited, and his fingers closed in on each other like he was holding that pivotal sliver of time between his fingertips. He cut himself off with a wistful sigh. ¡°I¡¯d love to show you, since you¡¯re so interested, but the divination room is a mess, something Ocery should be working on right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m heading there now,¡± grumbled Ocery, trying to pull Rosaliy along. Dalor grabbed her other arm. He needed Rosaliy to track Daniella, he insisted. That was unfair, Ocery argued, unfair to keep Rosaliy all to himself. The bickering went back and forth while Rosaliy wondered if the belt protected her from being pulled in two. Eventually, Dalor decided he could work in the divination room while Ocery forged ahead on repairs. Their compromise suited Rosaliy. She stayed in one piece, and the more she could see of this place, the more she might understand what was going on and how she could stop it.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The place they called the divination room was in shambles. Whatever had destroyed the building had blown up here, and the repair work had focused on speed rather than quality. Rocks had been wedged at odd angles into holes in the tall ceiling and broken walls. By torchlight, workers smeared glowing green paste in every crack on every broken surface of the stone room. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe what it looked like when Arlana was through with the place,¡± he joked. Rosaliy could form no words around the numb horror in the pit of her stomach. Why would Arlana have done this? Dalor, meanwhile, dragged in a trunk stuffed with magical odds and ends and a scratched table to use as a makeshift workspace. He pulled in a chair for Rosaliy and sat across from her, pressing his hands together in excitement. ¡°Would you mind if I took some of your blood? I have so many experiments going where Sorceress blood would be so useful.¡± ¡°I do mind,¡± she said, pretending to be very sorry instead of panicked and horrified. Since he was asking, she¡¯d rather not assist in the creation of dark enchantments. ¡°You do have very pretty skin,¡± he said, disappointed, but understanding. ¡°So, let¡¯s track Daniella.¡± Rosaliy was still not sure she was on Daniella¡¯s side, but she did have the uncomfortable inclination she might be on Daniella¡¯s side. Hopefully Dalor would tell her more. She smiled broadly, ignoring the impulse to steal a torch from the nearest worker and run. ¡°Why are you looking for Daniella?¡± Conflict crossed Dalor¡¯s face. ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t tell you too much.¡± ¡°But I so want to know,¡± Rosaliy begged. She felt like she should toss her hair, but she decided against. Dalor craned his head to see how far away Ocery was. A girl with feathers stuck in her copper braids seemed to be explaining with dramatic hand gestures and a barrage of words why a few larger rocks had fallen out of their places. Ocery was distracted. Dalor kept his voice low. ¡°She¡¯s one of the influencers we were tracking before Arlana did¡ªwell, all this,¡± he said, waving at the destruction around him. A pebble skittered down the wall to prove his point. ¡°So we need to account for her. We¡¯ve gotten everybody else.¡± Everybody who? Issabeth, certainly. Athena? Talyrin? Rosaliy felt the weight of the fate of the world shift onto her shoulders. This was so much worse than anything she had imagined. ¡°That Daniella is already messing up all our plans.¡± Dalor sighed. ¡°So now we need her to find those kids. We know she¡¯s hiding them. We just don¡¯t know how.¡± ¡°What do you want with the children?¡± asked Rosaliy, trying her best to smile in an alluring manner and failing because the world was crumbling around her. Dalor¡¯s bright white eyes popped a little from his dark, round face. ¡°I definitely can¡¯t tell you that,¡± Dalor balked. Rosaliy had a dozen alternate questions to try, but Iketa chose that moment to barge in. If Rosaliy found the men intimidating, they held nothing on Iketa. Rosaliy was sure even the wall sealers increased their pace when the fire-haired woman swept in the room exclaiming, ¡°What is she doing here?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just so nice to have her around,¡± Ocery explained. ¡°Besides, if we keep an eye on her at all times, we know exactly what she¡¯s doing,¡± Dalor added. ¡°That is it,¡± Iketa fumed. ¡°I knew this would happen. I have something that will end this.¡± Iketa gripped a wooden bucket, and Rosaliy had never felt so sure of a painful death as she did in that moment. Rosaliy shrank away, but Iketa was blocking the only exit, and she was determined. ¡°Hold her down,¡± Iketa snarled at the men. They were only too happy for the excuse to leap forward and clamp down on her arms. Iketa stomped forward. With a heave, Iketa swung the bucket back and thrust it forward so the contents cascaded over Rosaliy¡¯s head. A liquid that was ice cold and burning hot all at once seared through Rosaliy¡¯s body. The concoction oozed all over, dripping into her face and stinging her eyes. After dealing with the shock of not being dead, the worst part was the smell¡ªpart dying rat, part rotten egg, part sweaty boot. Rosaliy gasped and choked, trying to breathe against this explosion of terrible sensations. ¡°Get her out of the divination room,¡± barked Iketa to Ocery. Ocery wrenched Rosaliy back out to the entryway of the temple and shoved her to the ground. She slid harmlessly across the broken stone floor due to the belt¡¯s protection. ¡°Best not outlive your usefulness, Sorceress,¡± he threatened, no trace of adoration in his eyes now. ¡°Protection or no, I¡¯ll find a way to kill you when we¡¯re done with you.¡± That was ominous. Rosaliy scraped putrid ooze off her face so it would stop dripping into her eyes. In her blurry field of vision, Ocery stalked away as Iketa snapped her fingers at a spear-wielding guard and waved him over. Dalor scurried out, looking the least murderous of the three. He would find Daniella eventually. He had everything he needed. Rosaliy did not even like Daniella. She did not so much as trust Daniella. She was unsure whether stalling the inevitable was helping anyone. Her best bet was to be there when they found what they were looking for. ¡°Taragon,¡± Rosaliy blurted out. ¡°I¡¯ve tracked Daniella to Taragon.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Iketa sneered. ¡°An entire protectorate. That really narrows things down. Let me know when you¡¯re ready to be more specific.¡± The guard clamped a broad hand around her arm. ¡°Arlana¡¯s going to be so thrilled to see you,¡± Iketa mocked. As much as Rosaliy wanted to talk to Arlana, if they could hold the powerful Seer prisoner, there was no way Rosaliy was going to escape. ¡°I can¡¯t narrow down her location from here,¡± Rosaliy insisted in a rush. ¡°I need to track her from Taragon.¡± She felt a chill run down her body as the ooze tingled against her skin. ¡°You think we¡¯re going to take you with us to Taragon?¡± Iketa laughed. She nodded, trying to look confident and not like a smelly drowned rat. ¡°You know Daniella¡¯s a step ahead. She¡¯s planned for you. You need to find her quickly, and she knows all your tricks.¡± ¡°And you¡¯re so much smarter than Daniella?¡± Iketa mocked. ¡°No, but¡ª¡± Rosaliy very much wished she had more time to think. How much should she give away? ¡°Daniella¡¯s been leading me to her. She wants me to find her.¡± Dalor¡¯s curiosity was piqued. She saw a tiny ray of hope. ¡°How?¡± he asked. Since she could not tell him how because the book, despite its distance, was still controlling her, she was spared having to come up with her own answer. ¡°She¡¯s in Taragon,¡± Rosaliy repeated stubbornly. ¡°And if you want to find her before she disappears, you need my help.¡± Iketa and Dalor traded a look. He nodded, just slightly. ¡°If you don¡¯t find her by tomorrow night, you¡¯re dead,¡± promised Iketa in a singing voice. A Rocky Situation Drake Drake had two horses and an intuitive knack for running from trouble. He had no problem slipping Daniella out of the spread out little town that was more of a glorified mining camp and winding up into the mountains. He took paths randomly, choosing ones that had fallen into disuse. Eventually, his maze of crumbling mountain trails led him to a boarded up hole in the mountain. Words were painted across the boards in bright red, bearing a warning in both Taragonian and Terran: DANGER. UNSTABLE MINE SHAFT. Perfect. No one would bother coming out here. He was already walking both horses at this point, and he gestured for his grumpy prisoner to slide down. She glared back. ¡°You have to be thirsty,¡± he coaxed. ¡°Gags are murder on your throat. I¡¯ll untie it first thing. You can even scream at me if it would make you feel better.¡± She sniffed and considered his offer before swinging her leg over the horse. He stopped her freefall gently, seeing as how her hands were still bound. True to his word, he loosened the knot at the back of her head and slipped the gag out of her mouth, wordlessly holding a water skin to her lips. Daniella backed away after a mouthful of water, swished the liquid in her mouth, and spat the water on the ground before consenting to take a real drink from the water skin. ¡°An abandoned mine?¡± she sneered after swallowing. ¡°Would it help if I said I was sorry?¡± Drake asked. ¡°No,¡± snapped Daniella. ¡°Mostly because you¡¯re not sorry.¡± She had a point. ¡°Bad choice of words,¡± he admitted, flipping out a knife. Her eyes widened when he approached, and she shrank backwards, which was an understandable reaction to a knife-wielding kidnapper. ¡°We¡¯re going into a clearly labeled unstable mine shaft,¡± he explained. ¡°On the off chance it does cave in, I¡¯d rather not have to carry you or have your death on my already-strained conscience.¡± She held out her bound wrists without breaking the death stare she had locked on him. He sliced the ropes binding her hands, and they fell to the ground. Daniella rubbed her wrists, and he handed over the water skin, which she took. ¡°You¡¯re not from here,¡± she said, like she was spitting the words at him. ¡°What do you know about mines?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed, eying the dark maw in the side of the mountain. ¡°Neither are you, but if you have relevant mine knowledge, feel free to break it out any time. I don¡¯t want to die buried under half a mountain.¡± She had no relevant mine knowledge she felt like sharing with him, so he grabbed his bag and the crate, and he led Daniella under the ominous boards into the dark mouth of the mine. He stopped just as the tunnel narrowed and plunged into darkness. Did animals move into abandoned mine shafts? They might not have been able to read signs, but certainly the local wildlife knew well enough to avoid a mine on the verge of caving in, he hoped. What exactly did that say about him? ¡°This is far enough for now,¡± he announced. ¡°You could have killed me just as well out there,¡± scoffed Daniella. ¡°Were you too lazy to carry the body?¡± He did not bother objecting to the murder accusation. ¡°I need us in a slightly defensible position when the Flifary show up,¡± he answered. ¡°Friends of yours?¡± she snapped. ¡°Nope,¡± he disagreed. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be my enemies, either, but they took Rosaliy, and they¡¯re searching for you.¡± She twinged at the name¡ªjust a shadow of surprise¡ªand he would have loved to explore the reaction, but she would not be telling him anything right now. He used the cloth that had formerly served as a gag to brush off a wooden box against the wall. He waved for Daniella to sit. She snatched the cloth out of his hand and spread it on the box before she settled down in a regal manner. She drank another sip of water. Her restraint was incredible. He knew from experience how unpleasant gags could be. By now, he would have downed that entire water skin to get the feeling of moisture-sapping fabric out of his mouth. ¡°Do you really not remember me?¡± he tried. She kept her eyes forward. Her back was straight, hands in her lap. She was not going to talk to him. He respected her resolve.Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°I¡¯m going to operate under the assumption you¡¯re telling the truth,¡± he decided, ¡°so I¡¯m going to fill you in on what I know. Feel free to interrupt if you¡¯ve heard this before or have anything pertinent to contribute. I¡¯d hate to waste your time.¡± She did not acknowledge his words. ¡°You¡¯ve taken some important kids,¡± he said, leading with something that might force a reaction. It did, sort of. She shifted her ice blue eyes over to him without moving the rest of her body in the slightest. ¡°Oh?¡± she said in an emotionally devoid monotone. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be dying to know who you are. Someone who loves to be in control as much as you do¡ªit¡¯s got to be driving you crazy.¡± ¡°Perhaps I have more self-control than a feral dog,¡± she replied. He laughed, leaning back against the cave wall. ¡°Or maybe you¡¯re playing me.¡± After spending so long among truly good people, there was something about Daniella he recognized. He felt a sort of criminal nostalgia. Why was that? ¡°You remind me of Zara,¡± he realized. ¡°No one could ever convince her she didn¡¯t have the upper hand in any situation.¡± ¡°She sounds lovely.¡± ¡°No, she was terrible,¡± he disagreed. ¡°A terrible boss and a terrible person, but there was something admirable about her. Unstoppable. Well, until she was killed. That stopped her plenty.¡± ¡°I¡¯m very sorry for your loss,¡± Daniella deadpanned. ¡°Those things happen in our line of work.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re the leader of some band of ruffians, then.¡± He sighed. ¡°I see what you¡¯re doing. Control is obviously very important to you. We can talk about me if you want to talk about me.¡± She was strangely easy to talk to. Or at, really. She was not contributing much to the discussion. Maybe that was what made talking so easy. She led with judgment. Nothing he could say would drive her estimation of him any lower. ¡°Control.¡± He tasted the word. ¡°I¡¯ve never really been in control. It¡¯s not particularly important to me. Sure, the band of ruffians as you called them wanted me to be the leader after Zara. It made sense. I was involved in every operation. I knew all the contacts, the right people to press and the ones to bribe. Where the informants were and what the enemies were plotting. But I realized at Zara¡¯s wake I had never made one real decision for myself. All the horrible things I¡¯d done in my life, and I couldn¡¯t even take credit. It wasn¡¯t an excuse. It was worse than an excuse. It was pointless. All pointless. My whole life. There¡¯s no reason for me. I had to stare that straight in the face. Literally, I had to stare in Zara¡¯s cold, dead face. My Abuelina, grandmother, tried to tell me to get out while I had a chance, but I never knew where to get out to. There was no place for me. I had no purpose but to be a tool for people to hurt each other. That was all I¡¯d ever done.¡± Daniella listened to his whole ridiculous tirade without pity or horror. There was a distant skittering, and their eyes both spun toward the darkness in the tunnel beyond. ¡°So, what? You¡¯re on a search for redemption?¡± Daniella scoffed to disguise her moment of panic. ¡°No,¡± he said, taking the question seriously. ¡°I don¡¯t even think redemption is possible. I think¡ª¡± Daniella had caught sight of a particularly sharp rock on the ground. Without conscious thought, Drake flipped the rock across the tunnel with his foot. ¡°I¡¯d be satisfied with purpose.¡± Daniella huffed a loud breath and narrowed her eyes, back still perfectly straight on her rock seat. ¡°You¡¯re trying to earn my trust.¡± ¡°I would never,¡± he denied. ¡°Well, maybe subconsciously.¡± He listened for a moment to the sounds coming from the mouth of the cave. There were none. Since he had not been followed, Drake assumed they had a long time to wait. He wished he had thought to take some food from Daniella¡¯s store during her impromptu kidnapping. Anything to serve as a distraction from the crumbling tunnel around him would have been welcome. Was that a shape moving in the deep darkness of the tunnel? ¡°Enough about me,¡± he murmured, switching the hand holding his knife because his tensed knuckles had gone white. ¡°Let me tell you what I know about you.¡± ¡°Since I¡¯m dying to hear it, you might as well,¡± she said sarcastically. He liked her. Maybe that was why he was being strangely loquacious. ¡°You¡¯re Daniella,¡± he told her, ¡°former queen of Kianne Protectorate.¡± ¡°Oh, former?¡± she laughed. Her laugh was cutting and mocking, a very calculated laugh. It was so unrelated to a laugh, it practically deserved its own word. ¡°I¡¯m no historian, but you were deposed and taken prisoner by the Naxturaen Queen, Katyrinna.¡± ¡°How rude,¡± she said. ¡°You deserved it. Besides, it worked out well for you. She married one of your sons, your daughter is the High Sorceress, and you have three rather adorable grandchildren. You seemed happy, anyway. You¡¯re good at hiding your emotions and all, so you might very well have been biding your time.¡± ¡°Were we close?¡± she asked dryly, scanning him over. He chuckled. ¡°No, I only met you for a few days ago.¡± He paused, deciding where to go next. She broke the silence. ¡°Are they the children?¡± She was curious after all. ¡°The children you took? Yes. Rosaliy¡¯s pretty sure you grabbed them for nefarious purposes, but it doesn¡¯t make much sense. They¡¯re powerful, don¡¯t get me wrong, and it¡¯s not out of the realm of something you would do. I mean, if you think my past is questionable, it doesn¡¯t hold a candle to the things you¡¯ve done.¡± Her ice blue eyes were trying to read his through the shadows of the tunnel. ¡°No, I think you loved them.¡± She had no comment. ¡°Who¡¯s Rosaliy?¡± she asked, changing the subject. She did know the name somehow. ¡°Ah, see,¡± he said. ¡°It is driving you crazy. Rosaliy is a Sorceress at Crystal Palace. She was looking for you when she was nabbed by a set of rather nasty Flifary, also looking for you.¡± She shot him a questioning glance. ¡°Uh, magical people on a magical island somewhere.¡± She cocked her head, almost imperceptibly. ¡°So these magical people have kidnapped a Sorceress. They¡¯re coming here, and our only hope is you, a crumbling mine shaft, and a box of stone breakers.¡± ¡°Mmmhmm,¡± he agreed. ¡°Unless you¡¯re faking all of this.¡± He tapped the hilt of his knife to the side of his head. ¡°And you have some magic at your disposal. I¡¯m completely open to a magical plan.¡± Her eyes bored through him, wordless and inscrutable. ¡°I hope you brought some matches,¡± she muttered. Searching Rosaliy Without any love-struck allies remaining, Rosaliy was locked away until the trio in charge was ready to leave. Since nobody wanted to haul her to the prison just to bring her back in the evening to track Daniella, there was no hope to find out who else had been taken prisoner or to try to speak to Arlana. All the frantic work of the evening stopped during the heat of the day, and Rosaliy quickly understood why as the heat in her bare stone room climbed. She begged for water, but her pleading fell on deaf ears. Even Iketa seemed meaner than before, which hardly seemed possible. So Rosaliy slid down in a corner and tried not to fall asleep from the sweltering heat and humidity of Flifary Island during the day. All she wanted to do was curl up and hope her problems disappeared around her. In her heat-induced despair, Rosaliy was certain anyone else trapped here would have known what to do. The Flifary never could have held Katyrinna prisoner in a locked room; she had the power to bring the temple down to the ground with a swipe of her hand. Issabeth would have single-handedly retaken the temple by now, with or without magic. Even Drake could have done something worthwhile with his time as a prisoner. She hoped he was safe. Nobody had mentioned him, so she hoped he had been forgotten in all the chaos. She never should have dragged him along in the first place. At least he would be free of the terrible love spell, assuming she ever saw him again. From the chatter Rosaliy understood, it sounded like these rogue Flifary were disappointed by Kat''s absence. They had a whole plan for her that had come to naught. And with the destruction of the divination room and the loss of the divination stone, the Flifary were running blind. Daniella and Arlana had created a window of opportunity. If only Rosaliy was doing something with that window other than feeling sorry for herself. Her door opened and a bowl full of water was shoved into her room by a dark, bare foot. Water sloshed onto the floor as the stone bowl scraped forward. The door slammed closed. Rosaliy scrambled over. First, she shoveled the lukewarm liquid into her dry mouth with her hands. Next, she drenched the corner of her skirt and scrubbed at the foul slime drying in crusty scales all over her body. To truly rid herself of the smell of death would take an overflowing bathtub filled with salts and a complete change of clothes, but she had made a few fingerlengths of progress by the next time the door opened. Dalor marched in. "Your lifeline is about to be clipped, so you might want to take advantage of this second chance," he announced. "What do you need to track Daniella?" Within the throes of self-pity, Rosaliy had managed to pull together the shards of a plan. She would stall as long as she could. She rattled off a list for Dalor, throwing in a few flowers and a plant she knew would be hard to find, but she was not feeling brave enough to push her luck too far. Her stalling techniques were to little avail. Other than fierce crankiness, Iketa''s one power seemed to be an ability to whirl anyone away to any place with the swish of her hand and a blast of fog. If anything, Rosaliy''s attempt to stall gave Iketa more practice using this handy talent. By sunset, Dalor had what Rosaliy needed to work her enchantment on the blood-stained handkerchief. "How will this locate Daniella?" asked Dalor suspiciously, turning over the chunk of cloth in his hands. If the enchantment was working properly, the handkerchief would fly to its owner like a bird, drawn by the blood connection. Right now, it fluttered feebly in Dalor''s hands. "It won''t, directly," answered Rosaliy honestly, taking back the cloth bird. "That''s why I have to get close." The Flifary took Rosaliy and her little tracker to half a dozen Taragonian locations, including a farming community in the foothills and the outskirts of Taragon Castle, set into the Ascleon mountains as a grand gateway to the rocky country. Each time, the handkerchief lifted from Rosaliy''s hands with a jerky swish and flapped its way straight south, sensing its closest blood match¡ªCorin. Her little enchantment was not powerful enough to draw the fluttering bit of cloth all the way to Kianne, so after a valiant attempt, the handkerchief tumbled to a pitiful end, merely flopping sadly on the rocky ground. "I''m losing patience," threatened Iketa, scooping up the handkerchief bird and clutching it by one struggling cloth wing. "It''s time to experiment with types of harm that can penetrate your shield like, say, lighting you on fire." With persistence, they would find some way to remove the belt. Rosaliy had stalled as long as she could stall. "We''re looking for a mining town up in the mountains," Rosaliy admitted, taking back the blood-stained bit of cloth. With a swipe of Iketa''s hand and a swirl of gray fog, they were high in the mountains at a rocky crossroads. Rosaliy gasped both to take in air that was suddenly thin and because her toes were inches from a drop to the bottom of a lofty peak. Such a fall would have ended her problems in an instant, but the children would not have been so lucky. "Please work," Rosaliy whispered to her handkerchief bird. She had no desire to find Daniella, but she saw no other options. The handkerchief lifted from her hands and flapped its corners, jerking erratically up the steepest path. She felt the surge of relieve of a puzzle solved. Finally. Rosaliy held up a hand to halt the odd bird, and it flapped without moving forward. "The enchantment found Daniella," she announced. Iketa watched the flapping cloth warily. She cocked her head to Ocery. "It''s night. If you can take the ex-Queen by surprise, do it. Otherwise, do some reconnaissance and we''ll make a plan." "And where¡ª" Dalor tried to complain. "I need to keep temple reconstruction on track, and it''s high time Arlana gave us some answers. You two will have to handle this on your own." Ocery scowled. "And what¡ª" Iketa swished her hand. "Kill the Sorceress. Don''t kill the Sorceress. I don''t care." Rosaliy cared. Iketa''s arms raised, and the fog swirled around her. Then, the spinning fog whooshed outward in a blast, and she was gone. "Get moving," grunted Ocery, shoving Rosaliy forward. Rosaliy stretched out her hand to start her cloth bird flapping on its way once more. The sun was well below the horizon, and Dalor and Ocery lit torches to illuminate a path filled with sharp drop-offs to the unforgiving rocks below. Rosaliy tried not to look down.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. After a hard climb full of Ocery and Dalor''s half-breathless bickering and Rosaliy debating whether escape would lead to a swift trip to the bottom of the mountain, they saw lights in the distance. Ocery and Dalor picked up the pace, and they were at a trading post protruding from the side of the mountain before Rosaliy could formulate any other plan. The handkerchief was veering off course, not heading directly for the trading post. Daniella was not there. Maybe Rosaliy could get Daniella a message¡ªa few minutes of warning. Heart pounding, Rosaliy stopped the handkerchief with a subtle stretch of her fingers. Dutifully, it jerked to a stop and flapped its way back to her waiting hands. Was her behavior too obvious? Too suspicious? "She''s been there," said Rosaliy, clenching the squirming cloth tightly so her hands would stop trembling. "The tavern? Is she there now?" asked Ocery. Rosaliy shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "One way to find out," said Dalor, starting forward. "If you march in and she''s not there, she''ll know you''re coming," argued Rosaliy in a rush. The logic had worked for her in Kianne. They might believe it, too. "You go in," demanded Ocery, literally prodding her forward. "Like this?" exclaimed Rosaliy. She smelled like she had slept in sun-rotted garbage for three days. Plus, she was plastered in drying ooze now flaking off her skin like a disease. "Good luck," chuckled Ocery. "If you don''t come right back with Daniella, we burn the place to the ground," Dalor told her. She was half tempted to let them. A blazing fire would be quite the warning beacon. "At least give me a minute to talk to a few people," she insisted. "If she''s not there after all." "I''ve been awake for two days straight," Ocery complained, yawning. "And I''m freezing out here. Just make it fast." Rosaliy scurried for the door. Gemstone Trade and Tavern was set into a rock face, so there were no other exits. Even if she found someone who knew Daniella, how could she get her a message? Rosaliy''s stomach churned as she pushed open the door. A jingle and the warm glow of a fire welcomed her to a mostly empty tavern. Two dirt-smudged men and a woman sat around a table, staring at another man standing and pounding his fist on the thick wood surface, in the middle of a rousing story. They were all as pale as if they spent all day buried in a cave, but Rosaliy knew from experience with her girls that Taragonians would stay that way no matter how much time they spent in the sun. An empty store was on the other side. Daniella had been sitting right there behind that counter when Rosaliy found her in the seeing pool. "I''ll be right with you," called a female voice from the corner of the tavern. She was an older woman pouring drinks and chatting with a burly man. Rosaliy walked over, trying to pretend she was not listening in. "It''s not like her to be late," said the leather-skinned woman. "Last person to see her was that Baysellian who was in here," grunted the burly man. The woman lowered her voice further. "If she''s tangled up with Baysellians, who knows what kind of trouble she''s in. You know how they are." "Hey, my cousin is from Bayselle," the man objected. "And, actually, he proves your point. I''ll check at the inn." "Thanks," said the woman, smiling. "I''d feel better." She scooped up the drinks to deliver a round to the animated table. The man moved for the door. Rosaliy wanted to follow, but she had no way to shake the Flifary right now, and she was still reeling from the possibility of Drake having been here. Was it possible he had reached Daniella first? Was this good news? Was she jumping to wild conclusions? The woman slid back behind the counter of the bar and cleared her throat. Rosaliy had ignored a question. "Hon, you look lost if ever a creature has been lost. Everything all right?" Taragonians had a warm, hearty accent, something like a verbal bear hug. "I''ve had better days," Rosaliy admitted. "What will you have?" the woman asked. "On me." "I''m¡ª" Rosaliy cleared her squeaky throat. "I was looking for someone. I hope you''ve seen her." The woman reached for glass mugs under the counter anyway. "Hopefully she''s a miner. That''s the extent of my clientele up here." "No, her name is Daniella." The woman cocked her head. No look of surprise or understanding crossed her wrinkled face. "Daniella? Can''t say the name sounds familiar, but I do see a lot of people come through. Can you describe her?" "Tall, gold hair. Kianne complexion. Kind of..." Terrifying. "Intense." "Huh, sounds a little like Opal, but she''s gone missing," said the woman, now toying with a glass in her hands. "Who are you, if you don''t mind me asking?" "I''m Sorceress Rosaliy from Crystal Palace." She was trying to send a message, after all. The glass dropped to the stone counter with a thud. "Well, of all the¡ª" the woman exclaimed. "I hardly expected to see you." She craned her head to eyeball the table full of chatty miners and lowered her voice. "Come with me." Excited, she zipped out from behind the bar and headed to a door in the store area. "Jess," called a patron. "I need more ale." "No, you don''t, Mik," she hollered back. Jess shuffled Rosaliy into the back room and shut the door. "Mik''s going to start helping himself if I don''t hurry." She hefted two sacks of flour across the room. "A messenger delivered this for me a few days back." Behind the sacks was wedged a box, about the size of a large book. On second glance, as the woman picked it up, it looked more like a hunk of polished wood than a box, as there was no lid. An envelope rested on top, inscribed clearly with the name "Jess of Gemstone Trade and Tavern." "This thing arrived a few days back with my name on it," said Jess. "That''s me¡ªJess." Rosaliy had reasoned that part out. Jess opened the delicate paper inside the envelope and held out the letter to Rosaliy. Jess, If Sorceress Rosaliy from Crystal Palace comes here, please deliver this box. Only she can open it. There is a reward for you inside as payment for safe storage. If no one arrives for it in a week, and the world is still standing, have it delivered to Crystal Palace. Queen Katyrinna of Crystal Palace "I was sure it was all a prank," said Jess brightly, "but just in case, I hung onto it. I mean, I don''t get letters from queens every day! Or ever, actually." That note was not written by Queen Kat. The impostor had not even tried. Precise, sharp, bold¡ªthat was Daniella''s unmistakable writing. Jess thrust the box at her, excited, but Rosaliy nearly jumped back. She did not want to touch that box. Unfortunately, she wanted the Flifary outside to enter or set the tavern on fire even less than she wanted to play Daniella''s games. She took the slab of wood. As soon as the polished wood touched her hands, lines melted into the sides, and suddenly the hunk of wood was a box with a removable lid. Warily, Rosaliy did just that. "I''ll be," exclaimed Jess. Inside the box rested a piece of frosted glass, a little lump of cloth, a small pouch, and a sealed piece of folded paper bearing Rosaliy''s name, all packed in soft velvet. Rosaliy unfolded the note. R¡ª The glass will reveal a message when you touch it. The stone will transport you to Bayselle. I''m sure you wouldn''t be so foolish as to use it until you listen to the message. The money is payment for Jess. D¡ª That was Daniella, condescending as ever. "Well, what is all that?" Jess marveled, reaching her hand toward the items in the box. "Careful," Rosaliy warned hastily. "You''ll find yourself lost in the middle of Bayselle if you touch this one." She pocketed the wrapped cloth. Rosaliy could not think this fast. She needed time to make a plan, and there was no time. She handed the small pouch to Jess, who opened it and poured a pile of coins into her hand. A little cry of joy escaped from her lips. "Well, who would do all this?" Rosaliy could not listen to the message from Daniella now. That travel stone was tempting, but considering she had led a pair of maniacal enemies to Daniella''s doorstep, leaving now was irresponsible. She wrapped the velvet packing around the frosted glass and put that in her other pocket for now. "Jess, would you do me a favor?" she asked. She should have made this plan before handing over the money, but Jess seemed trustworthy enough. "What do you need, Rosaliy? A bath?" Jess was all sympathy. "I can get you a room at the inn up the street." "That''s not necessary," interrupted Rosaliy. She definitely needed the bath, but she didn''t have the time. "But this is so much," objected Jess, "and you really seem like you could use it more than me. Are you sure you don''t need some food or a change of clothes from the store?" "Yes," said Rosaliy, half her mind frozen, half on fire, desperate for a plan. "Something from the store. Some paper. And something noisy." Explosive Drake Stone breakers were seemingly innocuous fist-sized hardened clay balls. Only the long wick dangling down the side betrayed their destructive potential. Since they were technically banned in Bayselle, they were incredibly valuable on the black market. Drake assumed their intended use was blasting holes in mountains for mining, but pirates loved these destructive little balls. The Ingobernables had used them to punch a hole in the side of Bayselle Castle during the raid where they tossed out the royalty and took up residence in the parts of the castle not sliding down the cliffs into Lansilia Ocean. Drake had five of these breakers. Certainly he could wreak some havoc on an unstable mine shaft. ¡°You know how these work?¡± he asked Daniella. After their chat, she had been an easy captive, keeping her disgust over him and her situation to herself while willingly venturing further into the mine shaft. He had found nearly-spent abandoned torches for each of them, and she examined the tunnels closely as they traveled, but offered no objections or suggestions. She was probably hoping to chance upon a dark pit to shove him in. She might get her wish; the tunnels were craggy, and they widened and narrowed without much rhyme or reason. ¡°Stone breakers are designed to burst under extreme heat,¡± she replied. ¡°It sends a chemical flying in all directions that melts stone and scatters hundreds of tiny explosive pellets which burst, breaking deep holes in the rock. The chain effect of hundreds of explosions cracks the stone and shatters it.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t remember who you are, but you have intimate knowledge of destructive materials?¡± A smile flickered under her stony surface. ¡°The knowledge I do have is¡­eclectic, yes.¡± ¡°No complaints here,¡± Drake replied, flicking his torch to illuminate a pair of what he could have sworn were eyes. It turned out to be a hollow filled with shimmering rocks. ¡°Do the breakers create a decent amount of fire when they explode?¡± ¡°Brief, but hot,¡± she agreed. ¡°Are you asking if they will light each other?¡± That was an idea. ¡°I am now.¡± She exhaled through her nose. ¡°You do realize how incredibly dangerous using five stone breakers in a chain reaction in an unstable mine shaft might be?¡± That was the point. The tunnel was narrowing, and they would no longer be able to walk side by side up ahead. He waved Daniella in front with his torch. It flickered from the quick movement. A soft sound of disgust escaped her lips, but she continued forward down the narrow tunnel. ¡°Yes, they¡¯ll light each other,¡± she said over her shoulder. ¡°Best put them rather close together.¡± She stopped, stretching her torch forward. Her body blocked most of the claustrophobic tunnel at this point, so Drake could not see what she was looking at. She ducked and vanished through a narrow space, barely a body length wide. He hurried after her and found himself unprepared for a several length drop. His noisy landing echoed around him. The narrow tunnel had spit him into an underground cave that stretched further than his torchlight. ¡°Perfect,¡± he declared. ¡°We can stop here.¡± ¡°You¡¯re thinking you can lure them into this cave and destroy their only exit?¡± asked Daniella. ¡°Something like that,¡± he murmured. Blocking their exit was not going to suffice. As proved, the Flifary could just zap out of the cave with their magic. ¡°And you think they won¡¯t anticipate this plan?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a pretty bad plan. Why would they suspect it?¡± The potential for insults was too easy, so she conducted a survey of the end of the tunnel instead, testing the stone with her fingers and shining her torch down the passageway they had walked. ¡°You¡¯ll want to plant a breaker at the narrowest point, but the bulk of them earlier in the tunnel if you want a particularly inconvenient cave-in.¡± She was only helping him in order to have a solid understanding of his plan in order to escape, but her expertise was helpful all the same. ¡°In the spirit of full disclosure, the group following you can travel with magic,¡± he admitted. ¡°So, sadly, I¡¯m going to have to lure them into the tunnel before setting off the breakers.¡± ¡°Better and better,¡± she murmured. ¡°In no way does that sound like a plan likely to end in horrible death. I¡¯m so glad to have met you.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll set up the breakers,¡± he said. ¡°You take these.¡± He held up a handful of unlit torches he had gathered coming down the tunnel. ¡°Set them up far enough in so¡ª¡± ¡°I get the idea,¡± she interrupted, glaring back at him, maybe imagining his death. Her face was menacing by flickering torchlight. Without another word, she gathered the torches he held out and tucked them in the crook of her arm. She spun and headed further into the cave. He followed her advice and planted the breakers at intervals, making sure to shove them off to the side with enough gravel to hide their presence. He was satisfied no one would see them unless they were searching. If they worked as well as Daniella claimed, this entire tunnel would be a death trap. He pocketed the last breaker and backed up, evaluating how far away he could be to throw his breaker into the tunnel with any kind of accuracy. It had some weight, and the tunnel was a big target. As long as he could get Rosaliy clear, they could run for the entrance in time.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. A long, high-pitched shriek sliced the muffled quiet of the mineshaft like a knife. Despite an interruption being exactly what he was planning for, Drake still jumped. That was a locater flare. Miners used them to signal location or danger in the sprawling mountains, but they were also popular long range weapons on board pirate ships, so he knew the distinctive screech. This one had been set off outside. He wasted no time agonizing over why the Flifary would announce their presence and sprinted for the tunnel instead, careful not to disturb his masked weapons. ¡°Someone¡¯s here,¡± he panted, jumping into the cave and waving Daniella over. She lit the torches at her chosen mock campsite and left her own on the pile. She took a few steps and hesitated, removed the shawl around her shoulders, and draped it across a rock before joining him against the wall. A grouping of rocks to the right of the hole he had just come through was enough to hide their presence from anyone hopping down into the cave, unless that person chose to turn around. Who would turn around when there was a suspicious fire and evidence of people in the distance? Drake beat his torch against the ground to extinguish it, and they were plunged into darkness. They waited until an echoing clatter sounded from the tunnel¡ªshuffling feet kicking up gravel and the voices attached to those careless feet. A blinding orb of light flew through the hole first. Drake and Daniella flattened themselves against the rock as the bright orb illuminated their hiding spot. A person scrambled through and stepped forward. It was Rosaliy. Drake was jarred by how relieved he was to see her. Hadn¡¯t the spell worn off by now? None of that mattered right now, because she was not alone. When he was just about to risk an attempt to grab her or alert her to his presence, she was followed into the wide cave by a pair of arguing voices. ¡°I told you it was a bad idea to come in here,¡± Rosaliy complained to a pair of Flifary men who had followed her out of the hole and stopped uncomfortably close to where Drake and Daniella hid. ¡°She¡¯s already gone.¡± ¡°Impossible,¡± growled one of the men, stepping forward. ¡°Even with the racket you¡¯re making. She¡¯s in here. There¡¯s no other way out.¡± ¡°Look, Ocery,¡± said the other man, pointing to the flickering light in the distance. ¡°Over there.¡± The brilliant orb slid further into the cave. Ocery grabbed Rosaliy¡¯s arm and pulled her forward far enough for Drake to nod to Daniella and boost her up to slip silently into the tunnel. She disappeared, probably halfway to Curi by now. He could worry about tracking her down again after Rosaliy was safe. Drake hesitated. How was he going to get Rosaliy out of Ocery¡¯s clutches? Ocery was huge, and Drake was no match for him. Rosaliy¡¯s eyes drifted his way. They stopped before she turned fully. Had she seen him? He froze, uncertain. Still being dragged along by Ocery, Rosaliy¡¯s toe caught the edge of a rock and she went down. A cry of pain escaped her lips. ¡°I thought your precious belt kept you from getting hurt,¡± Ocery spat out. ¡°From outside harm,¡± she wailed. ¡°Not my own clumsiness!¡± He tried to haul her to her feet, but she hollered and crumpled to the ground. ¡°Stupid, fragile Terrans,¡± he muttered, kicking a spray of rocks at her before continuing to see what Dalor had discovered. ¡°What is all this?¡± Ocery said, grabbing one of the fading torches. Using the momentary distraction, Rosaliy pushed off the ground and sprinted for the mouth of the tunnel. Ocery gave a cry and took off in pursuit. Drake was about to be in her way, so he leaped up into the tunnel to give her room to run. He could hear her clamor after him, but he also heard shouts from Ocery close behind. Drake tossed a glance over his shoulder. Ocery¡¯s torch was at the end of the tunnel. The flickering beacon was gaining on Rosaliy fast. Ocery leaped forward and caught her legs. She went down hard, but scrambled to stand, kicking backwards with her feet. Drake¡¯s heart nearly stopped as Ocery tossed down the torch inches from one of the hidden breakers to wrangle Rosaliy. Ocery pinned her down quickly and dragged her to her feet. Drake skidded his run to a stop, nearly bowling over someone in the dark. ¡°Stop,¡± called the voice attached to his obstacle. Even without her memory, Daniella could still stop a room. Ocery flipped his torch off the ground with his foot. Drake was half tempted to tell him to be more careful where he was waving that open flame. ¡°There she is,¡± hollered Ocery to the man behind him. ¡°You¡¯re standing in a tunnel lined with stone breakers,¡± Daniella called out. ¡°Hand over the Sorceress and back up, or you¡¯ll have a mountain on top of your heads.¡± ¡°You won¡¯t blow the tunnel with her still in it,¡± Ocery mocked, pressing Rosaliy¡¯s face to the wall. Rosaliy kicked away the rubble burying a stone breaker right at her feet. She slammed her foot down on Ocery¡¯s and elbowed him in the chest, going straight for the torch in his hand. His torch? Why? Rosaliy was able to wrench the burning torch from his grasp, and she thrust it at the ground. Drake saw it all in a horrible slowness. He had not moved an inch by the time the flash of fire lit up the tunnel and burned his staring eyes. Then a series of explosions shook the tunnel, and stones began to fall. ¡°Run,¡± ordered Daniella, grabbing his shirt with both hands and pushing hard. ¡°Now.¡± He was stunned, so maybe that was an excuse for why his feet moved in the direction Daniella shoved him. He broke out into a dark night, hearing the rumbling of a crumbling mountain behind him. ¡°We have to go back,¡± Drake stammered. ¡°Even if she survived, you¡¯ll never reach her,¡± Daniella argued. ¡°She made her choice.¡± ¡°She was wearing the belt,¡± he argued. ¡°She might have survived.¡± ¡°Great,¡± Daniella answered sharply. ¡°I¡¯m glad she had a better plan than you. She probably had a way out, then.¡± There was only one way out, and they had taken it. There was a piece of paper flapping under a rock by the horses. Daniella snatched it up and read, ¡°Daniella, head to the place you sent me. I¡¯ll meet you there. Rose.¡± Daniella was lying; she just wanted to run. Drake wondered why he was not running back into that cave. If Rosaliy could push through enough debris, maybe she could make it to the end of the tunnel, his mind tried to tell him. The other half of his mind told him the entire mountain was collapsing, according to plan, actually. He could still hear reverberating crashes of rock against rock deep in the mountain. It would take weeks to dig through the rubble. Inescapable trap, remember? his brain screeched at him. While he was standing there, Daniella dug through his bag. She produced a match. She plucked the unused stone breaker out of his numb hand and lit it. ¡°What are you doing?¡± he tried to object, but she had already pitched the sizzling clay ball into the mine. ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± she said, holding out her hand for him to help him onto a horse. A boom shook the ground under Drake¡¯s feet. Tumbling rocks crushed the warning sign and sealed the last possible exit or entrance to the mine. Wet Rosaliy Coughing up tiny bits of shattered rock and choking dust out of her lungs, Rosaliy wound up splayed on a sandy beach, still clutching the travel stone in her pocket. The night was dark, and the beach was abandoned, so Rosaliy scrambled for the nearest cover in view¡ªa long pier. As she tried to catch her breath and calm her pounding heart, she jumped at every sound of creaking wood, certain the Flifary had followed her. When her body settled down to adrenaline levels where she was not expecting imminent death, she chastised herself for her useless paranoia; the sounds were clearly coming from the damp wood of the pier being hit by the ocean waves glimmering in the dark distance. This had not gone at all as anticipated, but Rosaliy was free of the Flifary for now, and Drake was with Daniella. Since Daniella knew right where her stone had sent Rosaliy, they would be quick to find her. Rosaliy curled up on the gritty sand while she waited under the pier. Daniella always planned twelve steps ahead. She would have a travel stone of her own. Maybe they would think to bring food and water and a change of clothes. The salty, fishy smell of this beach still could not drown out the putrid rotting smell of the dried potion Iketa had doused her in. She wanted so badly to find a bed and a vat full of warm, soapy water, but she had no money, knew no one in Bayselle, and she feared losing Drake and Daniella if she strayed from the meeting spot. Why weren¡¯t they here yet? Water washed up on the empty shore in front of her. It may not have been a bath, but it was better than remaining coated in slime. Fully clothed, because the night was reasonably warm and her clothes were beyond hope, she waded into the cool water. The water was salty and no good for drinking, but it was good for scrubbing off dried ooze. She ventured out far enough to dip her head under water and properly scrub her crusted hair. Even though the water kept rolling back into shore, it was slowing pulling her further out into the ocean. Certainly the water was too shallow this close to shore for dangerous sea-beasts, but Rosaliy could fit what she knew about ocean topography in a thimble, so she thought it best not to venture too far. She swam back to shore and wrung out her wet clothes to the best of her abilities. The salt water stung her eyes, and she felt more cold than clean, but at least she was alert again. She heard voices on the pier above her and froze. More accurately, she was shivering but otherwise motionless. ¡°Tell us where he is,¡± a male voice threatened. ¡°I¡ªdon¡¯t¡ªknow,¡± shot back another voice, defiant and annoyed. This voice was very familiar. Rosaliy scrambled to place it but came up with nothing definitive. She had been so many places and met so many new people in the past week. ¡°We¡ªdon¡¯t¡ªbelieve¡ªyou,¡± a female voice sneered. ¡°Look, even if I did know where Drake was, I wouldn¡¯t tell you, but it¡¯s not a problem, because I don¡¯t know.¡± Drake? Had he just said Drake? ¡°Ok,¡± sighed the female voice. ¡°He wants to be difficult. I think he needs some extra motivation.¡± The second man gave a little cry, and what Rosaliy assumed were his feet appeared over the edge of the tall pier, dangling in the air. ¡°Stop!¡± called Rosaliy before she had thought through how well getting involved was going to end for her. The woman and the man both leaned over the edge of the pier to squint at her in the dark. Their poor victim dangled over the water, his attacker still gripping his shirt in both hands. The whole ordeal looked precarious and uncomfortable. ¡°Who¡¯re you?¡± called the woman. The more attention she called to herself, the easier she would be to track down. ¡°It¡¯s not important,¡± Rosaliy snapped back. ¡°Put him down.¡± ¡°Oh, you want him, do you?¡± laughed the man, swinging his captive out further. ¡°I think Cliff here gets the point,¡± muttered the woman, deciding Rosaliy was nothing to worry about. ¡°Cough Drake up by sunset tomorrow, or you¡¯ll get more than a little wet.¡± The man released Cliff, and he dropped like a rock, disappearing under the water with a mighty splash. He bobbed to the surface and flailed for shore. Rosaliy ran to help him. ¡°Thanks,¡± he coughed, accepting her help out of the water. He stomped a little ways onto the beach and glared at the retreating pair above. Rosaliy realized this was Drake¡¯s friend. She did know someone in Bayselle. Unfortunately, that one person might have been worse off than she was. ¡°What was that all about?¡± asked Rosaliy. ¡°Bullies being bullies,¡± he groused. ¡°Nothing more.¡± It seemed like more. ¡°I might be able to find him,¡± she suggested, attempting to sound like this was no big deal. ¡°Drake, that is.¡± ¡°Even if I could contact him, I¡¯d never rope him into doing work for the Crocs,¡± complained Cliff, wringing out his shirt. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re in some trouble, though,¡± suggested Rosaliy carefully. ¡°What¡¯s new?¡± he sighed. ¡°More and more merchants are standing up to them, and they¡¯re lashing out, holding on to whatever they can.¡± He actually shook his fist in the direction of the shore to punctuate his words. Then he looked over at her, and his hand dropped to his side. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, who are you?¡± He squinted through the dark. ¡°You¡¯re familiar. Are you one of the Pulpopoco crew?¡± She hesitated, not sure what to tell him. ¡°Oh, I know!¡± he exclaimed. ¡°One of the shopkeeps at the docks.¡± He was just going to keep guessing. ¡°I¡¯m Rosaliy. We met at Crystal Palace,¡± she admitted. ¡°Oh, I remember,¡± he exclaimed. Sure he did. ¡°I¡¯d rather not announce my presence to too many people, so if you could not spread around that I¡¯m here, I¡¯d appreciate it,¡± she tried to half explain. ¡°You in town with Drake, then?¡± asked Cliff, not at all concerned. ¡°Sort of?¡± She really did not want to elaborate on the answer to that question. ¡°I got here before he did.¡± ¡°Did you swim here?¡± joked Cliff, seeming to notice for the first time just how wet she was.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°That¡¯s a long story,¡± she said. He was stumped. In his defense, she was not making conversation easy, and everything about this situation was odd. ¡°Where are you staying?¡± he asked next. His questions were so much tougher than he thought they were. ¡°Well,¡± she admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t have anywhere to stay quite yet.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± he said, grinning. ¡°I was just on my way to my patron¡¯s house, and there¡¯s plenty of room. Why don¡¯t you come along?¡± His offer was tempting, and so kindly meant, especially seeing as how he had just been thrown off a pier by thugs, but Rosaliy needed to wait here. Here, in the dark night, dripping wet, with nefarious characters roaming the streets. She definitely needed to rethink this plan. Certainly she had time to go and sleep for the night. Then she would meet Drake and Daniella in the morning. Choice made, she hurried after Cliff to a well-kept bungalow on a bluff with a view of the beach in the distance. He snatched up a note pinned to the door with a rather dangerous-looking jagged chunk of metal. The paper bore an image of a snarling animal with a long snout and a mouthful of menacing teeth. ¡°The Crocs?¡± she asked. He nodded while he flipped over the paper, eyes scanning the bold-lettered note. ¡°Find Drake by sunset. Yadda yadda. Lose toes. Same old.¡± ¡°They¡¯re threatening to cut off your toes!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Is there somewhere you can go to be safe?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to be forced out of my own town,¡± he insisted, nostrils flaring. ¡°I won¡¯t let them have that satisfaction.¡± It sounded like he was going to let them have parts of his body, however. Rosaliy tried not to worry. Drake seemed to have plenty of experience with body part chopping thugs; he would know what to do. Cliff fetched a pair of towels to dry off outside before they tracked half the ocean inside his patron¡¯s house. As she was patting herself dry, her hands clapped against the piece of glass in her pocket. She had completely forgotten about Daniella¡¯s message. How could she have forgotten about Daniella¡¯s message? She realized Cliff was speaking about halfway through his explanation of this bungalow. ¡°My patron is the owner of the largest fleet of honest merchant vessels in all of Bayselle,¡± Cliff was bragging while simultaneously leading her into the house and lighting candles. ¡°He¡¯s the main backer of the Lansilia Coalition, and I repay him for his support by doing what I can for him. I¡¯m keeping an eye on his house and holdings here while he¡¯s off inspecting a new ship he just had built.¡± ¡°Where are we, exactly?¡± asked Rosaliy. When Cliff was confused, she clarified, ¡°What town?¡± ¡°Are you kidding?¡± he asked, trying to smile like she was telling an obvious joke. When she just stared back, hoping for an answer, he stammered, ¡°But you must have gotten here somehow¡ªDid you really swim?¡± She took too long trying to come up with a reasonable explanation for him. ¡°Seavale,¡± he told her finally. ¡°By the palace?¡± she asked. He looked pained. ¡°I¡¯m on a secret mission.¡± She decided he could handle that much. ¡°And I transported here with magic.¡± ¡°Sure, sure,¡± he said, trying to accept this. ¡°The palace is just west of town, on the coast. Are you headed to see the pirates?¡± He laughed a little, but it was a strained laugh. ¡°No,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m just a little disoriented. I¡¯ve never been to Bayselle.¡± His face lit up. His desire to see the best in every situation was endearing. Rosaliy was beginning to understand why Drake liked this man. ¡°What a terrible greeting to my hometown. How about I heat up some water for a bath to make it up to you?¡± ¡°I would appreciate that,¡± she said gratefully. ¡°My patron would be more than amiable to having you stay in his room up the stairs.¡± He pointed. ¡°I¡¯ll go get some water from the well and heat it up.¡± ¡°No need for you to go through all that trouble,¡± she objected. ¡°I can help you bring in water.¡± ¡°Your protests fall on deaf ears,¡± he insisted, waving her off and walking out the door. She should have followed him anyway, but she had a message waiting for her. The second he was gone, she dashed up the stairs to the patron¡¯s room. She hardly took it in, but she would have to do so later. Every wall was covered in shells¡ªcompletely coated. It was like an underwater fortress built for mermaids. A huge glass door led onto a balcony with a view of the sparkling ocean. The patron had a large chunk of sandy property to himself, with tall sea grasses as a natural barrier, so Rosaliy thought it safe to slip out to the balcony. As soon as the smooth piece of frosted glass was in her fingers, it began speaking. Rosaliy nearly tossed it over the edge of the rough wooden balcony in her surprise. ¡°Greetings, Rosaliy,¡± said Daniella¡¯s face on the frosted sheet of glass. ¡°Since I can¡¯t assume you are listening to this alone, I can¡¯t be specific about what you must do. This will be a problem, considering what I¡¯ve had to do to mask myself from the Flifary.¡± Tiny Daniella sighed, her moving features etched in white on the cloudy glass. ¡°I get ahead of myself. Changing the future is a complicated business. The path to future is less a straight line than a series of criss-crossing lines, all pulling at the future, shifting its course. Some events and some people are so influential, they change the course of history practically by existing. All people and events contribute to the direction of the future on a lesser scale, so no telling of the future is absolute, only very likely. For example, the choice of a pig farmer to sell a pig or breed piglets may not influence a king¡¯s decision to go to war with a neighbor, but if that pig farmer chooses to give a piglet to the king¡¯s daughter as a pet, and it runs off and is rescued by the son of the neighbor, sparking goodwill between bordering nations, one inconsequential pig farmer can nudge history. There¡¯s no way I can explain what the Flifary do in one meandering monologue, but I¡¯d like you to have a basic understanding of who can influence the future under their watch and how the Flifary themselves make small corrections to redirect history.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s head reeled. What did any of this mean to her? ¡°I am an influencer,¡± announced miniature Daniella, ¡°so I¡¯ve lived my life under the Flifary¡¯s watch, mainly as an enemy. For some reason.¡± Was that a joke? ¡°This gives me a certain expertise on the Flifary and an inability to combat this particular threat. They already know how to stop me, you see. Same with Arlana and Katyrinna and their closest allies. The only way to triumph over those who saw what we would already do is for all of us to do what we never would¡ªnothing.¡± Rosaliy had so many questions for this white outline of Daniella, but this was not a two-way speech. ¡°If Arlana was successful in wiping out the Flifary¡¯s ability to see ahead¡ªand I¡¯ll assume she was if you are listening to this message¡ªyou have a window of time in which to act. And I do mean you. You are inconsequential enough to have been overlooked during initial planning. They would have assumed you would not be a factor in their demise if the more powerful forces were not at play to direct your course.¡± Daniella took a deep breath, forcing a pause in her confusing speech. ¡°I know I talk in circles. Operating instinctively and with unplanned haste irks me. Arlana sent me a message. You¡¯ll need to get to Flifary Island, and you¡¯ll need to keep Katyrinna away from the island. Hopefully I¡¯ve accomplished that much for you.¡± Frosty Daniella¡¯s mouth tightened, perhaps considering how furious Queen Kat would be at being forced to sit out this fight. ¡°I can¡¯t say much more, but I should be able to retranslate the message for you when you bring me the book. It will give you some options. And that is the most important point. You must ultimately choose what to do. You¡¯re the only factor unaccounted for. Until the Flifary are able to reconstruct their ability to see what lies ahead, I will be untrackable, but also without any memory of what I have done or who I am. The two were mutually necessary and rather irreversible. Strong memories may filter back to me slowly, but if that happens, the Flifary may be better able to track me. Use that to your advantage.¡± ¡°What?¡± Rosaliy said aloud while frosted Daniella paused. ¡°What are you telling me?¡± ¡°Oh, and I imagine you want to know where the children are,¡± continued the talking glass, insensitive to the insanity spewing from it. ¡°I hope I¡¯ve given you enough to understand you cannot know, not until the Flifary threat is neutralized. As long as you stay out of their direct notice, they will have little reason to search you out. I imagine the more time you take, the more noticeable you become.¡± ¡°Well, this would have been helpful information yesterday,¡± muttered Rosaliy. ¡°My only real advice is to behave unpredictably. Bayselle will get you closest to Flifary island, so I¡¯ve given you the means to get there. Finding the island itself¡ªwell, I can tell you how I would do that, but I won¡¯t. You¡¯ll find a way. Farewell.¡± And then she was gone. Rosaliy flipped the glass over, hoping for an addendum to this world-shattering message on the back of the glass. It remained smooth, cold, and unresponsive. ¡°Rosaliy?¡± came a muffled voice from inside the house. ¡°One bath and one fire all ready. If you set out your clothes to dry, hopefully you¡¯ll be in better shape tomorrow.¡± Dry clothes and a bath were not going to put her in better shape tomorrow. What did all of this mean? Moving On Drake Drake was good at taking unfortunate situations and dealing with them. Stellar, actually. He could move on from the ugliest of wrongs and the most shocking of deaths while accepting there was an uglier wrong and a more shocking loss just around the corner. That was just how life was. Normally. His brain had finally quieted. There really was nothing else he could do now, which made the fact that Rosaliy¡¯s death was all his fault even worse. He should have done something else. What else, he was not sure. He was not stellar at looking backwards. For someone already feeling the heaviness of past wrongs, this weight was crushing. His horrible choice of words made him flinch internally. He decided to stop thinking altogether. Daniella led them back down the dark mountain to the combined store and tavern. She dragged him in the door and left him there. ¡°Opal!¡± exclaimed a leathery older woman who looked like she had plenty to clean up after but was instead counting a pile of coins with glee. ¡°You¡¯ll never believe the night I had!¡± Opal/Daniella would have believed it. She just said, ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°A Sorceress stopped by, and you¡¯ll never guess who!¡± ¡°The one you¡¯ve been waiting for?¡± Daniella replied. Jess ignored the subtle touch of sarcasm. ¡°Yes, can you believe it? Rosaliy herself! I was beginning to think she didn¡¯t exist. Is he alright?¡± Drake was currently hovering at the door, probably looking about as together as he felt. ¡°No,¡± answered Daniella coldly. ¡°He¡¯s having an ill-timed moral crisis. What was in the box?¡± Jess proudly gestured at the little pile of coins in front of her. ¡°For Rosaliy,¡± Daniella clarified. ¡°What was in the box for Rosaliy?¡± ¡°That was her business, I¡¯m sure,¡± Jess answered back pleasantly. ¡°It¡¯s important,¡± Daniella countered through clenched teeth before she took a breath and changed tactics. She smiled a thin smile that was as uncomfortable for her as for the recipient. ¡°She may be in some trouble.¡± Jess considered this. ¡°She did look like she was in some trouble,¡± she said slowly, setting down the coins. ¡°Well, hopefully she¡¯s better off in Bayselle.¡± ¡°Why would you say that?¡± Drake blurted out. Daniella glared at him, and rightly so. Jess faltered, not responding well to vibes of doom Drake was exuding. ¡°I feel like it¡¯s her business, and I probably shouldn¡¯t have mentioned¡­¡± Daniella pointed Drake to a chair. She clamped her fingers to her mouth. He was not to speak right now. So, he sat. Daniella¡¯s voice was calm and coaxing. ¡°If your long-awaited mystery Sorceress is really in Bayselle, there¡¯s not much harm in us knowing how she got there.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure she is, anyway,¡± Jess clarified. ¡°She said if I touched something in the box, I¡¯d wind up in the middle of Bayselle.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t happen every day, does it?¡± Daniella mused, the picture of detached self-control. ¡°You know,¡± Jess said, waggling a knowing finger, ¡°she left the box and the note behind, so you might as well just see for yourself.¡± Jess went to retrieve the box from the storage room. Drake watched her go and come back with an absence of curiosity. He had stopped thinking again. It was safer. Jess put a polished wooden box on the table in front of Drake and handed Daniella a note. Daniella perused the square of paper and set it in front of Drake. He had to read the words a dozen times before ¡°The stone will transport you to Bayselle¡± had any meaning to him. Rosaliy might not be buried under a crushing pile of rock. Still, she wasn¡¯t here¡ªor safe¡ªand he didn¡¯t feel any better.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°I¡¯m going on a trip, Jess,¡± Daniella announced. ¡°Tell Brin I¡¯m taking my last pay in the form of supplies. I¡¯ll have gone by the time he arrives. I doubt I¡¯ll be back, so don¡¯t expect me.¡± ¡°Everything alright, Opal?¡± Jess asked with genuine concern. ¡°Of course,¡± Daniella assured her. ¡°Well, I can¡¯t say I ever understood you, Opal, but I¡¯ll be sad to see you go,¡± insisted Jess, enveloping Daniella in a hug. Jess was definitely living up to the Taragonian reputation for friendliness. Daniella was not at all a woman who conveyed an openness to receiving hugs. Daniella weathered the friendly gesture, and she fired off a list of supplies for Drake to procure from the store. The busyness was a pleasant reprieve from having feelings. He loaded his bag with food and water absently while Jess flitted about cleaning the tavern. This, Drake could do¡ªan impromptu middle-of-the-night flight to Bayselle. This he could control. ¡°We¡¯re going to sleep for a few hours,¡± Daniella informed him. ¡°I¡¯m surprised the horses got us down the mountain without killing us, so I¡¯m not chancing that in the dark again.¡± Being ordered to sleep was a relief. Daniella took him to the inn where she was staying, pointed out the stable for the horses, and woke the sleepy innkeeper to open another room for Drake. Then she promptly followed him into the little room and unfurled a map, tracing a path with her finger straight from the Ascleon mountains to the ¡°Y¡± in ¡°Bayselle.¡± ¡°That distance should take no more than a day on horseback,¡± Daniella concluded. Drake snorted. ¡°You¡¯re not serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m always serious.¡± He traced her path, feeling the scorching sands under his fingers. ¡°Your path¡ªeven if we could travel it straight¡ªwould take an entire day and night, plus more water than we can carry, if you¡¯re amenable to being eaten in the open desert.¡± ¡°I see your point,¡± she admitted, tapping her lips with her finger in contemplation. ¡°Since traveling by foot is not an area of my expertise, I will regretfully defer to yours for travel plans. You don¡¯t seem like someone opposed to taking risks, so take the fastest route you¡¯re comfortable with.¡± Only Daniella could pivot from being kidnapped in one moment to giving orders the next. Also inexplicable, she was as clean and unrumpled as someone just starting the day. He was sure he was covered in at least three layers of dirt and bits of rock. Plus, she wanted him to plot a course through a deadly desert as if he hadn¡¯t just brought down half a mountain on their heads. ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± asked Drake, some combination of suspicious and dumbfounded. ¡°It¡¯s a relief to hear I had a greater purpose than this,¡± she said, jabbing a disdainful finger at the dusty window that looked out on the glowing lights of the mining town. ¡°I think you can appreciate that.¡± He took a second look at a map that spoke to him of desert sandstorms and bandit-infested crossroads between towns. ¡°It will take us too long to travel,¡± he decided. ¡°For one thing, we have to skirt the desert instead of blaze across it. Maybe we should send a message to Crystal Palace¡ªsee if they can help.¡± Daniella crossed her arms and fixed her calculating eyes on him. She did not like this plan. ¡°If Crystal Palace was of any use to me, I would have gone back there. We can¡¯t involve anyone important, no one they¡¯d expect.¡± ¡°When did we become a ¡®we¡¯?¡± he asked. She chose not to answer. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be more relieved? Your Rosaliy is alive. You just need to get to her.¡± ¡°First of all¡­¡± He trailed off. He wasn¡¯t going to bother arguing with her about how much he could claim to possess Rosaliy. ¡°How are you so sure she¡¯s alive?¡± ¡°Because I don¡¯t care whether she¡¯s alive or not,¡± Daniella replied coldly, ¡°so the signs are more obvious. The most convincing to me is that I trusted her. Nobody competent would have set fire to those breakers without a plan.¡± She was right. He knew she was right. She was also staring at him with one of her soul-boring stares. ¡°Is that a compliment or an accusation?¡± he asked. She sniffed. ¡°If you had been more worried about haste before you got here, we would all be in Bayselle, wouldn¡¯t we? Do you have anything useful? Something from Rosaliy? Magical objects?¡± He doubted he could offer anything useful, but he did have the books. He dragged out Lillya¡¯s. Daniella took it and flipped through pages covered in smooth, even script. ¡°It¡¯s a book about a squirrel.¡± She was unimpressed. ¡°There¡¯s something suspicious about that book,¡± he insisted. ¡°You left it for Rosaliy to find, and she¡¯s been carrying it with her everywhere. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s what the Flifary were looking for when they took her.¡± ¡°Very well,¡± she accepted, although she did not reexamine the little book. ¡°And the other?¡± He brought out the blank volume. ¡°You were last in Kianne, so Rosaliy¡¯s brother is there looking for¡­anything.¡± He flipped open the book and saw words written on a page that was formerly blank. No sign of hidden children. Hale came back with no idea where he was. Honestly, no idea. He has no memory of the past few days. He doesn¡¯t even remember leaving Crystal Palace, and suddenly he found himself walking up to Kianne Castle. I don¡¯t know what else to tell you. He asked if you need anything, and he said he would let me know right away if anything comes back to him. Love, C. Also, punch that guy if he tries anything. Drake was done trying to make sense of anything. ¡°Sounds like somebody¡¯s running around causing memory problems.¡± Daniella read the words herself, then snapped the book closed. ¡°Evidence seems to suggest me,¡± she pointed out coldly. ¡°Are you concerned?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be opposed to losing a big chunk of my memories.¡± ¡°Watch your wishes.¡± She sniffed. ¡°I wonder if I was as cavalier about my past as you are. It would explain some things.¡± She gathered up both books but left the map. ¡°We leave before dawn. And take a bath.¡± She said that like they had made a decision. Apparently they had, because with that, she left him. Threats Rosaliy Rosaliy was sure Cliff should have been doing something about the gang threatening him rather than having a brunch picnic on the beach, but when she announced her intention to wait for Drake, he insisted on keeping her company. There was still a thin possibility Daniella had left herself a way to travel to Bayselle. Cliff¡¯s cheerful spirit and spiced fish wrapped in dried seaweed were a surprisingly welcome distraction from the ¡°get to Flifary Island¡± problem she currently faced. How did one travel to a magical island that was impossible to locate? The problem was especially troublesome considering she had been there already and knew what a mess the island was right now. There was no common sense in purposefully becoming trapped on an island with enemies who wanted her dead. She stewed over this while she watched huge ships dock and unload on the pier while tiny fishing boats bobbed in the distant ocean and seabirds scouted for anything resembling food. A few of the speckly birds with spindly legs had landed on the beach and were not-so-subtly creeping closer to her lunch. ¡°I don¡¯t think Drake¡¯s coming,¡± Rosaliy finally admitted. ¡°If he said he was coming, he¡¯ll come,¡± said Cliff brightly. ¡°I don¡¯t think he has any way to get here,¡± Rosaliy admitted, ¡°and I¡¯m pretty sure he has no idea where I am.¡± ¡°I see your point,¡± said Cliff. ¡°Is there anything I can help with?¡± She was about to answer when she noticed a cut on his neck, a thin red line just under the collar of his shirt. ¡°What happened?¡± she exclaimed, scrambling over to examine. She pressed a napkin to the seeping red line. ¡°I ran into my Crocodillo friends in the fish market this morning,¡± he admitted, taking over the cloth and holding it to his own neck. ¡°They like to make points with pointy objects. Literal points.¡± He chuckled at his pun. ¡°I really think you¡¯re the one who needs help,¡± she insisted. ¡°What are you going to do about the Crocs?¡± He nodded thoughtfully but had no response. He was clearly going to lose some toes. Rosaliy felt terrible for him. Really, it was her fault Drake had not returned to Seavale with Cliff days ago. And maybe meeting some of the unsavory, powerful elements in town would give her a clue how to battle the Flifary. Maybe Rosaliy was just terrible at doing nothing when she could see someone needed help. Whatever the real reason, she stood up, brushed the sand off herself, and declared, ¡°I¡¯m going to go talk to them. Stall for more time.¡± The creeping seabirds took a few nervous hops backwards, and Cliff looked at her like she was crazy. Maybe she did need more of a plan. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them I can give Drake a message because he is far too busy to meet with them in person. At least we¡¯d know what they wanted.¡± He gathered up his picnic supplies, unable to offer a reasonable argument. Finally, he shrugged. ¡°I guess seeing them now to find out what they want is much the same as hearing it tonight.¡± ¡°Great,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± She tossed one final glance at the spot on the beach where she had arrived and felt a pang of worry for Drake. She felt a much tinier pang of worry for Daniella, but Rosaliy even worried for her. What if the Flifary had survived and come after them? At least neither Drake nor Daniella had any real information to pass on, she decided, as she followed Cliff into the town of Seavale. Wait. Information the Flifary wanted. She stopped in the middle of a busy market street. A few passersby jostled her. Cliff pulled her to the side of a booth full of fishing equipment. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± The book. They had Arlana¡¯s message. Cliff could do nothing about the problem, and knowing only put him in danger, so she forced a shaky smile. ¡°Nothing, sorry,¡± she said with a nervous laugh. ¡°Where will we find the Crocs?¡± Cliff was happy to chat about them, which helped take Rosaliy¡¯s mind off her mountain of problems with no solutions. The Crocodillo gang¡¯s home base was just next to a busy dock in the middle of town. Much of the smaller boat traffic came through there, and the Crocs liked to keep an eye on all the important merchandise. They were not as in control of the town as the Escorpia gang had been, but they were meaner, according to Cliff. ¡°The Scorps weren¡¯t really much better, but they were smarter about how they siphoned money and goods off people,¡± Cliff told her. Rosaliy had plenty of questions about Drake, but they had reached their destination. Several wide, low docks stretched out over the calm water in a cove. The docks were lined with little wooden buildings on the left and wooden pegs to tie up boats on the right. The entire cove was full of boats coming and going, tying up on the docks or sliding onto shore. Cliff led her to a grimy building that could hold no more than a tiny office. He rapped on the door. ¡°This is the Crocs home base?¡± asked Rosaliy, not impressed. ¡°Oh, no,¡± Cliff started, ¡°they¡ª¡± A metal plate in the door slid aside, and a pair of eyes peered out. ¡°We¡¯re looking for Carmell and Felipe,¡± announced Cliff. ¡°Really?¡± said the voice, doubting how much Cliff wanted to see Carmell and Felipe. The pale blue eyes gave Cliff a once over. ¡°All right. Hands up. Step back.¡± Cliff and Rosaliy put up their hands and took a big step back. The metal plate slid back into the door, and the sound of chains clinked on the other side of the worn, green door. Finally, the little door creaked open, and a sun-browned boy half Rosaliy¡¯s size stepped out, brandishing a harpoon. He gave them a stern ¡°don¡¯t try anything¡± glare. ¡°You that do-gooder who knows Drake?¡± asked the boy after he had thoroughly conveyed his point with glaring.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Cliff agreed. The boy lowered the harpoon. ¡°Probably should have brought him with you,¡± he suggested. Then the barefoot boy took a giant leap over the side of the dock. He was standing in midair¡ªor mid-water. Rosaliy did a double take. The boy was not standing on the water. He was standing on a metal hull just poking out of the water. His perch was a submarine painted with the toothy, peeling green face of a crocodile. He banged the staff of his harpoon on the hull next to a hatch three times. After a moment, the metal squeaked and screeched and shifted, until the hatch was thrust open. A woman who must have been Carmell emerged from the opening and rested her arms on the rim of the hatch. Her hair was so pale, it was almost white, a sharp contrast to her Bayselle-cocoa skin. She shaded her clear blue eyes, took in Rosaliy and Cliff in a glance, then cocked her head to the boy. ¡°He asked to see ya,¡± offered the boy in explanation. ¡°Ugh,¡± said Carmell, rolling her eyes. ¡°You¡¯d better not be wasting my time.¡± She pointed a knife at Cliff, then jerked it back in her direction. She was beckoning him into the submarine. Rosaliy was not familiar with gang dealings, but she was not going into an enclosed, underwater space. ¡°Drake can¡¯t be here by sunset, but I can take him a message,¡± Rosaliy half-lied. She was still holding out hope he would show up eventually, and she could certainly pass on a message. ¡°That is not the deal, whoever you are,¡± Carmell threatened, brandishing her knife generally in Rosaliy¡¯s direction. Rosaliy crossed her arms and glared back. After the Flifary and nearly being buried alive, she would not be intimidated by common criminals. ¡°Tell me what you want from him, and I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± Rosaliy countered. Carmell grinned and shook her head in amusement. ¡°All right. Felipe,¡± she yelled down, ¡°Drake¡¯s sending us representatives now.¡± She pulled herself out of the hatch and leaped up onto the submarine in a fluid, feline motion. ¡°I can respect that. But I¡¯m not going to announce our business to the town at large. You¡¯re going to have to come down.¡± She waved her arms toward the open hatch in mocking welcome. Rosaliy traded a glance with Cliff. She was not familiar enough with underworld behavior to know if this was an incredibly bad idea or just how business was done. He shrugged unhelpfully. ¡°If we don¡¯t leave, Drake doesn¡¯t get the message,¡± Rosaliy pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re implying,¡± Carmell replied innocently. ¡°This is just a friendly, everyday chat. Underwater.¡± Rosaliy stepped off the dock onto the hull of the submarine. The curved metal surface was dry from the already hot sun, so Rosaliy was saved the embarrassment of falling flat on her face in front of Carmell. She peered down the hatch, seeing a metal ladder and not much else. Because Rosaliy¡¯s sense of danger must have been officially broken, she hopped onto the ladder and climbed down into the metal tube of a vessel. Inside, the curved walls were hung with weapons¡ªa few crossbows and swords caught her eye among the smaller weaponry. One end of the submarine seemed to have levers, controls, and a big window looking out into the sun-filtered green water of the cove. The other end had what appeared to be a meeting area, an arced bench around a long, narrow table. A man appeared just behind Rosaliy. She jumped; her sense of danger was still working after all. He breezed past her to lounge on the bench. Cliff followed Rosaliy down the ladder, and Carmell hopped down, deftly pulling the hatch closed behind her, severing them from the outside world. Rosaliy shuffled through the narrow walkway down the center of the vessel past the weapons, noticing seaweed waving outside the thick, circular windows like it was being blown in the wind. A purple and yellow striped fish ogled her through the porthole behind the man lounging on the bench with one leg resting on the table. Rosaliy took a seat opposite him on the bench and scooted down for Cliff. Carmell pitched her comrade¡¯s leg off the table and sat down next to him. A loud thud reverberated against the hull of the submarine. Rosaliy tried not to show fear, but her heart sped up. ¡°What do you want from Drake?¡± Rosaliy asked immediately, wanting to hurry this up. This was exactly the kind of place where people were murdered and pitched overboard at night. ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve met,¡± countered the man, eyes boring into her. He had withdrawn a knife from his belt, and he was twirling it point down on the table. The table was covered in gashes and divots and the roughly hewn face of a crocodile. Points must often be emphasized by knife in the underworld. This was a time for a fake name if ever there was one. ¡°Nia,¡± she invented. ¡°Felipe,¡± he answered, dipping the knife toward the woman next to him. ¡°Carmell.¡± ¡°How do you know Drake?¡± asked Carmell. ¡°None of your business.¡± Rosaliy thought it sounded like a good answer, all things considered. ¡°Your message?¡± Felipe waved for Carmell to explain. ¡°Fine,¡± she sighed. ¡°We need Drake to procure something for us.¡± ¡°He would never work for the Crocs,¡± Cliff declared smugly. ¡°Word is he doesn¡¯t work for the Scorps either, so you can shut your puffer mouth for five seconds,¡± Felipe threatened. ¡°Just tell us what you want,¡± coaxed Rosaliy. Carmell continued, ¡°In order to operate in Seavale, the resident pirates set a price for doing business.¡± ¡°Ha,¡± crowed Cliff. ¡°It¡¯s getting a little tougher to make ends meet on the black market now that legitimate trading has a foothold, is it?¡± ¡°You¡¯re going to need to advise him to stop talking if he wants to keep his tongue,¡± growled Felipe, supposedly to Rosaliy, although his eyes were burning straight through Cliff. It really was amazing Cliff had lived so long in this place and still had all his limbs. ¡°What¡¯s their price?¡± asked Rosaliy to move this along. ¡°What do you need?¡± ¡°The pirates have nearly all the supply of a very valuable healing draught,¡± Carmell explained. ¡°Nearly. There¡¯s a woman near town who procures it somehow. Makes it. Has a vat. No one knows. She won¡¯t sell them any, and the Ingobernables aren¡¯t happy about it.¡± ¡°They want you to get the healing draught for them,¡± Rosaliy guessed. Carmell confirmed with half a nod. ¡°They¡¯re pirates,¡± Cliff ventured to state the obvious. ¡°Why don¡¯t they just take it from her? Why don¡¯t you?¡± ¡°She is¡­¡± Carmell hesitated. ¡°Protected,¡± Felipe filled in. ¡°Are you talking about Senira Luza?¡± Cliff exclaimed. Felipe and Carmell exchanged a glance. Cliff chuckled, ¡°You¡¯re scared of an Old Coaster living by herself in a hut by the sea caves.¡± Carmell tensed, gripping her knife menacingly. ¡°She¡¯s your problem now. I don¡¯t know if you really can get a message to Drake or not, but I hope for your sake you can. Bring us the healing draught by tonight, or¡ª¡± ¡°No way,¡± Rosaliy objected. ¡°If you had been able to talk to Drake personally, you would have given him time to get what you want. Your timetable is unrealistic.¡± ¡°You are in no position to argue,¡± Felipe exploded. Rosaliy prodded Cliff to slide toward the hatch. He stood, but before she could follow, Carmell took Felipe¡¯s knife and slid herself in between them. ¡°Do you want your healing draught or not?¡± Rosaliy argued back, glaring from Carmell to Felipe. ¡°Tomorrow,¡± said Carmell. ¡°Sunset. And we¡¯ll just keep him as insurance.¡± Rosaliy huffed a breath, more annoyed than threatened, but she was also wearing a magic belt that had been very successful thus far. Cliff was not. For a hundred reasons, she could not leave without him. She stood, stepping up to Carmell and Cliff. Before she could second-guess herself, she grabbed the blade of the knife pointed toward Cliff, clamping her fingers around it tightly. ¡°Back off,¡± Rosaliy told Carmell, pulling the blade away from Cliff. Under normal circumstances, Carmell would have been more than a match for Rosaliy in strength, but Carmell was startled by this brash behavior. She did not need to know the blade was not, in fact, slicing into Rosaliy¡¯s skin. Rosaliy managed to push herself between Carmell and Cliff. ¡°Hey, Cliff,¡± she called. ¡°Why don¡¯t you open that hatch so we can leave.¡± Since her hands were blocked, Carmell¡¯s eyes shot daggers at Cliff as he scrambled up the ladder. ¡°If you¡¯re not back by tomorrow night, we will find you,¡± she fumed. ¡°Both of you.¡± Cliff had thrown open the hatch, so Rosaliy let the knife slide out of her clenched palm and turned to follow him. She had bought Cliff one more day. At least that was something. Friends of Drake Shrilynda Shrilynda hated being ordered around, but she did hate everything, and some concessions were necessary for ultimate success. ¡°So?¡± Issabeth demanded, waving at the hazy sky like it¡ªor Shrilynda¡ªcared about her impatience. ¡°I¡¯ll demonstrate,¡± answered Shrilynda, raising her hands. ¡°But I¡¯m not a limitless source of power on my own. If you make a move to leave without me, I will destroy the tear.¡± ¡°I get the idea,¡± spat back the grumpy Sorceress. Tapping into the last bit of her strength, Shrilynda focused on the sky in front of her with fingers outstretched, straining to make use of the lingering dark magic still clinging to her. White wisps trembled and scattered. A faint dark line appeared where the line between worlds weakened. Shrilynda mustered a surge of power, and the air cracked as she tore through, a jagged, dark line no bigger than a fist. She managed not to collapse, but just barely. A voice rang out. ¡°Issabeth, it¡¯s Cedric.¡± Issabeth scrambled closer to the tiny rip, and the voice grew quieter as if it had followed the Sorceress forward. Shrilynda, nearly collapsing again under the effort of a few steps, stumbled back within hearing range. ¡°I can¡¯t hear you,¡± Cedric¡¯s voice continued. ¡°It¡¯s just a message in case you manage to crack open a portal, which Athena insists you can¡¯t do on your own. Considering I¡¯ve never seen anything you can¡¯t do, it was a safe bet you¡¯d get it open eventually. It¡¯s actually kind of amazing how I was able to target a long-range signal to become audible only on contact with your genetic¡ªanyway, never mind.¡± Issabeth¡¯s hand stretched toward the portal but then jerked back. She shook away the stinging pain of the dark magic. Shrilynda stifled a chuckle of glee. The Sorceress was motivated. Shrilynda would be out of this place soon, for the first time in a decade. What would she do first? Eat food? Murder the Sorceress? No, no, the Sorceress was more than a match for Shrilynda in the condition she was in. Shrilynda had to make her immortality potion first. She would make do, gather strength, and then find one of those children¡ªso magical, so the embodiment of everything she despised. She almost loved them, she hated them so perfectly. Cedric¡¯s message was still going: ¡°Basically, we can¡¯t do anything while the portal is closed, and things are a mess out here. Everybody¡¯s disappeared, but nobody¡¯s taking credit. We all suspect the Flifary and Daniella, but that¡¯s just terrifying. You probably know more than we do.¡± ¡°Nope,¡± muttered Issabeth. ¡°Oh, last thing. I¡¯m certain that¡¯s a Nether World portal, so watch out for Shrilynda. If my people could survive in there for a hundred years, she can handle ten, assuming she hasn¡¯t broken out already.¡± ¡°Thanks for the warning, Cedricowen,¡± replied Issabeth sarcastically. ¡°Very timely.¡± ¡°Actual last thing,¡± he said, voice hesitating. ¡°Stay safe. I¡ª I¡¯m worried about you.¡± He voice vanished, and the Sorceress swiped her jagged blond hair out of eyes betraying the slightest hint of emotion. ¡°Are we ready to leave now?¡± Shrilynda asked. ¡°We leave on my terms,¡± growled Issabeth. ¡°You¡¯re not using my blood to fuel your crazy dark magic until I¡¯m sure there are no other options.¡± The air cracked again. They spun to face a new tear the length of a house splitting through the world of white. ¡°Are you¡ª?¡± began Issabeth. ¡°No,¡± breathed Shrilynda, eyes glowing. She trembled in anticipation, so longing for a little black-haired, purple-eyed child. Issabeth stretched out her pearl, ready. ~~~~~ Rosaliy ¡°That was impressive,¡± said Cliff as they walked along the sunny coast outside town. Everything about Seavale was beautiful, except for everything about Seavale. The endless glistening blue-green water lapping up to warm, white sands was a poor trade for being frequently threatened. ¡°Thanks?¡± said Rosaliy, not sure she appreciated the praise. ¡°Threatening a gang is new for me.¡± Cliff grinned. ¡°You¡¯ve only been in Bayselle a day, and you¡¯re already threatening criminals. Drake must be rubbing off on you.¡± She suspected the bizarre demands of the trip might have more to do with it. ¡°Tell me about Senira Luza,¡± she said. ¡°The Senira lives by the sea caves outside town. She¡¯s something of a town curiosity, our resident Old Coaster. People head out to her for potions and advice. Kids sneak out there to find out who they¡¯re going to marry someday. You know the type.¡± No, Rosaliy did not know the type, outside of her short briefing from Drake when she was pretending to be one. ¡°How does Drake know her?¡± she asked. Cliff shrugged. ¡°Drake knows everyone.¡± That did seem to be true. ¡°How did you two meet?¡± she asked. They had quite a walk to the caves outside town, and when left to his own devices, Cliff seemed to begin rambling about politics. ¡°Oh, ha, that¡¯s a funny story,¡± started Cliff. As it turned out, Cliff¡¯s story was not funny by any definition. Cliff had watched his father struggle for years under the growing influence of the organizations battling for power in Seavale and nearby coastal towns. Cliff¡¯s father spoke out against the gangs and the pirates, getting enough support to start a little coalition of merchants who agreed to stand firm against the rampant black market trading and the demands of the local criminal groups jostling for power. When Drake had arrived in Seavale, Cliff had no idea who he was. Drake expressed interest in working for Cliff¡¯s father and learning all about the Lansilia coalition. ¡°I was naive,¡± Cliff admitted. ¡°Drake was collecting information on us before the Escorpias moved into town. In my defense, he was an expert in everything, about the handiest fake friend a guy could have.¡± ¡°How did you find out?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± said Cliff enigmatically. ¡°But the leader of the Scorps crashed a secret meeting where the coalition was recruiting new members and the Ingobernables¡ªthe pirates¡ªshowed up to crash the crashing. Threats turned to a full-on battle, and just about everyone was killed¡ªthe Scorp leader, Zara, I think her name was, enough of the pirates that the survivors had to limp back to their palace and hole up for a long while, and my father, of course.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°That¡¯s awful,¡± said Rosaliy, aghast by the situation and his matter-of fact portrayal of the grizzly situation. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry. Who killed him?¡± ¡°Who knows,¡± said Cliff. ¡°Everybody? Nobody? So many merchants joined the organization after that, including my patron, which made the coalition strong enough to stand up to the weakened pirates and the gangs trying to fill the power vacuum. My father would have been thrilled to know his life did that.¡± Rosaliy was confused by the end of this story. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I understand why you and Drake are friends,¡± she admitted. ¡°You and me both,¡± said Cliff, scooping up a handful of stones. ¡°I forgot what story I was in the middle of. So I had no idea Drake had been the Scorps¡¯ informant. He disappeared for a while, and then he came back into town like nothing had happened.¡± Rocks sailed into the waves, disappearing with little plops. ¡°Why did he come back?¡± ¡°Why does Drake do anything?¡± Cliff chuckled. ¡°Guilt?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t think he was the one who¡ª¡± Rosaliy couldn¡¯t finish her thought. Cliff threw his last stone. They both watched it disappear. ¡°Not really, but he¡¯s beating himself up for it either way.¡± ¡°How did you find out about what he was?¡± ¡°Oh, right, the story. The Scorps were still in control of town, and I could tell Drake had a weird relationship with them¡ªstrained, but he and anything he was involved with were clearly off limits to them. One day, one of them came by to tell me if my Scorp lapdog wasn¡¯t protecting me, he would have handled me a long time ago, and I finally figured it out. I¡¯d been ignoring a lot of signs. Drake knows that I know, and I know that he knows that I know, but as long as we don¡¯t actually talk about it directly, we do alright.¡± Cliff¡¯s nonchalance was alarming, but oddly sweet. It could not have been easy to be friends with someone who had built up so many walls around himself. Drake had been comparatively open with her, in his own way. The shore grew rockier as they left the town behind, and soon a tall rock wall rose from the sandy beach. ¡°If we walked the cliff, you¡¯d be able to see the palace around the bend,¡± Cliff pointed. ¡°But we have to stay on the water.¡± They kept the towering rock wall on their left and continued along the shrinking shore. Soon, Rosaliy noticed she was walking on packed, wet sand, and the shore really was shrinking. ¡°Is the tide coming in?¡± asked Rosaliy with worry. ¡°I suppose it is,¡± said Cliff, looking around him like he was noticing the water for the first time. ¡°We should have timed this trip better.¡± We? Maybe they both would have been safer if Rosaliy had left Cliff in the Crocs¡¯ care. ¡°How far do we have to go?¡± she panicked. The answer was exactly far enough to be able to run across the last few lengths of rolling water to arrive at the doorstep of a seaweed-draped hut out of breath and with soaked feet. Before Rosaliy could knock on the door, it swung open. No one came to greet them, so she moved to peer inside. ¡°Hello?¡± A brown ball of fur dropped down from the door frame, launching itself at Rosaliy¡¯s face. She screamed and fell backward onto the rocks. The little monster landed on her chest. It shrieked at her as if it was mad at her reaction. Cliff reached down an arm to help her up. The little brown ball with a long tail took this as an invitation and scrambled up Cliff¡¯s arm in two leaps, perching on his back. The ball of fur appeared to be a small monkey. ¡°Well, that¡¯s¡­unpleasant,¡± muttered Cliff, managing to help Rosaliy to her feet this time. Laughter rolled from the doorway of the hut. Cliff, Rosaliy, and the monkey all swiveled to see a small, bundled woman standing there. ¡°Evaquita,¡± snapped the woman wrapped in billowing brown cloth with colorful scarves peeking out everywhere. She waved her arm and called to the monkey in a stream of flowing language. Despite what Rosaliy recognized as perfectly rolled r¡¯s, the monkey hunkered down on Cliff¡¯s back, digging her little hands into Cliff¡¯s hair and hiding behind his head. ¡°Quita¡¯s taken liking to you,¡± the woman said through her thick accent. ¡°Senira Luza?¡± asked Cliff. She laughed a deep, guttural laugh which was about as serious a response as the question deserved. Who else would she be? ¡°Why so urgent?¡± She pointed to their soaked feet. ¡°Is happy couple seeking love potion?¡± ¡°No,¡± Rosaliy objected quickly. No more love potions for her. Especially not in present company. Cliff seemed the type to profess his love by throwing himself in the ocean, and then she¡¯d have to rescue him. Her swimming abilities were not that strong. ¡°We were hoping you could get us some of your healing draught.¡± The visible patch of the Senira¡¯s face darkened. She tightened her brown sheath around herself, and her voice was suddenly chilly. ¡°You are not hurt. You don¡¯t look like pirates or street gang, so I¡¯ll ask why before sending you on your way.¡± Sending them on their way meant swimming at this point, so Rosaliy wished she had phrased her question with more tact. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Senira,¡± Cliff apologized. ¡°We didn¡¯t mean to insult you. We¡¯re not with the Ingobernables or one of the Crocodillos.¡± She crossed her arms. For such a small woman, she was really very intimidating. ¡°Bring person who needs healing, and I¡¯ll see what can be done.¡± She turned to go back into her hut. ¡°We don¡¯t actually need to heal someone,¡± Cliff tried to explain in a rush. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯d be so kind to let us come in and hear the whole story?¡± The Senira was not going to let them into her hut. ¡°We¡¯re friends of Drake¡¯s,¡± blurted Rosaliy. Why she thought the association might work to their advantage, Rosaliy had no idea. The woman stared back with her deep ocean blue eyes, suspicion softening into curiosity. ¡°Now that is hard for believing,¡± she murmured. After a moment¡¯s thought, she stepped out her door onto the rocks of the cave. She was inviting them in. Her hut was a single room packed with odds and ends draped on walls strung with nets. The fireplace roared as the sea air rushed in the door, nearly catching a wall full of bundled herbs on fire. ¡°Best remove boots and dry feet, friends of Drake,¡± said Luza, removing a teapot from one low stool and shooing a large seagull off another. ¡°How do you get in here?¡± Luza chided the bird, sweeping it out the door while it squawked at her. ¡°Every time I turn around,¡± she muttered. Rosaliy and Cliff peeled off their boots and warmed their chilly feet by the fire that died down to a manageable warm glow when Senira Luza shut her door. Luza thrust a tray full of nutty brown muffins under their noses. Rosaliy felt like there was some fairy tale rule applicable here about not eating food from a fortune teller¡¯s house, but Cliff had already consumed half of his in a bite. Evaquita the monkey pulled the rest from his hands and scurried to his back once more, ripping into the muffin and spraying brown crumbs all over his hair. Rosaliy took one of the offered muffins cautiously. ¡°I did not make these,¡± Luza assured Rosaliy. ¡°They are payment from last customer. She is baker. Eat them. They have orange peel. Very good for skin.¡± Rosaliy nibbled a bit of an admittedly tasty edge. Satisfied, Luza settled into a large chair padded with mismatched cushions. ¡°I have not seen Drake in many moons. Why he send you?¡± asked Luza. ¡°You don¡¯t look like scorpion folk.¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re not with the Escorpias,¡± said Rosaliy. ¡°And he didn¡¯t technically send us.¡± ¡°You are puzzle,¡± she said. ¡°A Sorceress and a local champion. I see trouble surrounding you.¡± She raised her hand in Rosaliy¡¯s direction. ¡°But nothing healing would fix. Explain.¡± Cliff took another muffin from the nearby tray. ¡°The Crocodillo gang wanted Drake to get healing draught from you to pay the pirates,¡± he said through a crumbling mouthful. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re familiar with the routine.¡± ¡°Norca,¡± spat out Luza. ¡°I do not give healing potions to pirates for hoarding and lording over others. I do not give healing potions to criminals to pay pirates.¡± ¡°They¡¯ve been threatening Cliff,¡± Rosaliy added tentatively. ¡°They wanted him to track down Drake to talk to you, but¡ª¡± ¡°Our friend Drake does not get healing potion from me,¡± interrupted Luza. ¡°This is story he tells. His grandmother and I were old friends. He came, he asked, and I reminded him his grandmother made me a promise.¡± If she had reminded him with that same flashing, ominous look in her eyes, it was no wonder Drake had not taken anything from her. ¡°He agreed to keep promise.¡± No doubt. ¡°I give no healing potion to selfish pirates.¡± ¡°Oh,¡± said Rosaliy, confused, ¡°but if you¡¯re the only one who makes it¡­¡± Luza¡¯s eyebrows rose. ¡°This untrue. My sister is also trained in the old medicines. Pirates have what they stole from her.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± said Cliff. ¡°Where is she?¡± ¡°She is in desert somewhere,¡± dismissed Luza. ¡°Why would I know? She is not as nice as me. She would turn you into hairless moles. Do not go to her.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t mean to be rude,¡± said Rosaliy, really not meaning to be rude, ¡°but how is it possible that you have the only healing draught around and you didn¡¯t give any to Drake. He must have paid the pirates somehow.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± she said, jabbing a wrinkled finger in the air. ¡°You make so many untruth statements. I do not have only potion around.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± chuckled Cliff, ¡°but the only other option is the pirates, and he¡¯s not going to get it from them to pay them.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± said Luza, eyes boring into him. Cliff gasped. He startled the monkey on his back and sent her shooting to the top of his head. ¡°Are you saying he stole healing draught from the pirates and sold it back to them?¡± Luza shrugged and ruffled one of her scarves. ¡°I say nothing, but sometimes problem with no solution has solution after all.¡± ¡°But how?¡± asked Rosaliy. ¡°That¡¯s crazy.¡± ¡°Perhaps his friends should ask him,¡± suggested Luza. His friends could not ask him. Rosaliy was starting to feel like this might have been wild goose chase. ¡°I know how,¡± interjected Cliff. The monkey craned her head to look down at him. ¡°Esmona.¡± The Oasis Drake The Kianne-bred horses were not appreciating how far Drake had strayed into the desert. To be honest, he, too, disapproved of his dangerous route, but if he kept up his pace, he could be through this corner of the desert by sunset. This area was full of nocturnal creatures who loved large, sleeping animals¡ªor rather their tasty, soft, unsuspecting flesh. The desert was best traveled at night in a well-stocked caravan, but as long as Daniella could stand the heat, crossing this northern chunk during the day was relatively safe. Anything with any sort of common sense or survival instinct was sleeping. ¡°You¡¯re doing surprisingly little complaining,¡± Drake pointed out. Daniella was doing a fair bit of looking hot and uncomfortable, but it was plenty hot and uncomfortable, so that was just evidence she was Terran. ¡°It makes little sense to complain about something I insisted on,¡± replied Daniella, shaded from the sun by the linen tablecloth they had borrowed from the Taragonian inn. She fanned herself with her map, eyes not straying from the volume she had been perusing on horseback. ¡°Any clues where we¡¯re headed?¡± ¡°Possibly. I left a code for myself in the corners of some of the pages. If I could just find the missing¡ª¡± She tapped her finger on one of the pages. ¡°Ask me again in a few minutes.¡± They were making good time, but the horses needed water. He squinted in the sun. The flat stretch of brilliant orange sand followed by more sand wasn¡¯t exactly a landmark, but he thought he knew approximately where they were. He was going to have to dip further south. He made the adjustment. ¡°There¡¯s an oasis up ahead, but after that, I¡¯ll need to pick a direction.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± she pondered, half listening. ¡°You know Bayselle.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a rather large protectorate, and Rosaliy won¡¯t be announcing her presence to everyone she meets.¡± ¡°Then we¡¯ll need a good bit of luck on our side, I imagine.¡± ¡°Neither of us deal in luck,¡± he pointed out. ¡°The opposite, it does seem,¡± she mused, still only partly acknowledging him. ¡°So where would you least like Rosaliy to end up in Bayselle?¡± That was not even a question that necessitated a moment of consideration. ¡°Via Maritima.¡± ¡°Might as well start there, then,¡± she said. She was probably right. Daniella jabbed her finger at the book in front of her. ¡°Ah ha!¡± Her eyes drifted up for the first time in hours, squinting against the sun she may have just noticed. ¡°We need to stop. I thought you said we were near an oasis.¡± ¡°Not far,¡± he assured her. Her eyes scanned the empty, shimmering orange sand. ¡°How can you tell?¡± He could smell the water, but he had been laughed at more than once for insisting so. He preferred to find the oasis rather than discuss his extrasensory desert abilities. When he was young, he had spent as much time out in the desert as he had in the grimy streets of Via Maritima. As they crested a sand dune, a patch of green was finally visible in the sands below them. Water bubbled like a fountain, creating a sad pond of murky water. Spiky desert plants battled for a home here, and tufts of nibbled desert grass ringed the pool like it was hoarding the water for itself. Drake had not located the friendliest of water sources, but it would do for the horses. ¡°Underground springs snake through this area. Watch out for quicksand,¡± he warned. ¡°And keep an eye open for anything feeling possessive about its water supply.¡± ¡°Nature is so charming,¡± Daniella sighed, slipping from her horse and adjusting her covering. ¡°You figured out the message already?¡± he asked, leading the horses to the edge of the water. The hot animals lunged for the murky water. Drake kicked at a few of the grass tufts to make sure a hidden scorpion or a dozing snake was not lying in wait to leap out at their transportation. Having to travel on foot would make this trip a new level of dangerous. ¡°I did,¡± she agreed. The horses would have no more of his caution. They pulled out of his grip and guzzled the water. ¡°Just like that, you were able to read a coded message?¡± ¡°No,¡± she disagreed. ¡°I had done it before, and I remembered how¡­without remembering. I left clues only I would notice. It¡¯s all rather impressive, but irrelevant.¡± He wiped sweat from his brow with the back of his arm. When riding through the desert, stopping always seemed like such a good idea until one actually stopped. The created breeze of movement was better than nothing. ¡°What does the message say?¡± he asked. ¡°Unless you¡¯d rather the secret stay secret.¡± ¡°I considered that, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a Flifary spy or very likely to give away information under pressure.¡± ¡°Really?¡± he mused. ¡°I told you my whole life story back there.¡± ¡°It would take a dozen more kidnappings to hear your whole life story,¡± she replied dryly. ¡°At least,¡± he agreed. Daniella opened the book, eyes scanning words only she understood. ¡°In anticipation of an attack by rogue Flifary forces¡ªI¡¯m assuming we met those.¡± Drake nodded agreement, and Daniella continued, ¡°Arlana, the Flifary Seer, has hidden an important magical object, something called a divination stone. The stone is in plain sight, but magically concealed. Arlana knew she would have no time to move the stone from the temple, so she disguised it. Following so far?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot to take in,¡± he replied. ¡°Important stone. Flifary civil war. Disguised as what?¡± ¡°The note isn¡¯t specific, nor does the Seer specify the type of magical concealment. The note was clearly intended for someone with more knowledge of the situation at large. I¡¯m reading into the bare description as it is.¡± ¡°Seems prudent for her to be as vague as possible,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°What does the stone do?¡± ¡°That¡¯s an excellent question. From what I gather, in the hands of those miscreants hopefully still buried under a mountain, the stone could see the future paths of everyone who might stop them. In the hands of Arlana or a Sorceress, it might have the power to bring them to their knees.¡± ¡°Useful stone.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± she murmured, eyes drifting back to the note. ¡°I¡¯m left with so many questions. She¡¯s talking about preventing a powerful force of destruction as well as an attempt to lure Rin to Flifary Island. I don¡¯t have the knowledge to make sense of half of it.¡± ¡°Maybe Rosaliy had the answers¡ªhas the answers,¡± he corrected. He would feel so much better once he saw her alive. He was far too cynical to trust the evidence of her likely survival, so he decided to stop making Rosaliy a conversation topic. ¡°Why did the Seer send you the message? Why not the Queen herself?¡± ¡°I gather I have experience thwarting the Flifary, which makes me wonder why I sent Rosaliy to Bayselle instead of the island.¡± ¡°I imagine you had your reasons.¡± She considered this. ¡°Is there a way onto the island from Bayselle?¡± There were wild rumors of magical objects circulating all the time. Who knew which ones really existed? ¡°If there is one, the pirates would have seen it as valuable and locked it down in their palace vaults.¡± ¡°We have our destination, then,¡± said Daniella.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. He would take Seavale over Via Maritima any day. Drake could break into the palace in his sleep. Plus, he could check in on Cliff and make sure his hapless friend had not managed to get himself into trouble. Maybe he did have a little luck on his side after all. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving,¡± he said cheerfully. Daniella shot him a scathing look for his chipper tone. Not complaining did not mean she was enjoying their trip. ¡°Not to second-guess your travel plans, but shouldn¡¯t we refill water or something?¡± She waved a hand at her surroundings just the way Drake would expect from a queen. ¡°Not here,¡± he disagreed. ¡°Without having to water the horses, we have enough mountain water for ourselves. We¡¯ll pass right over a creek on our way out of the desert. If you drench your head covering, you¡¯ll be able to tolerate the mid-day heat a while longer,¡± he advised, moving to dig his own makeshift head covering out of his saddle bag to do the same. Drake heard the soft splash of Daniella wading into the dirty water, and then he heard a giant splash of a woman tumbling headfirst. She must have been suffering from heat exhaustion. He splashed in and scooped her up, spotting the purple mass on her arm right away, sucking greedily. Before he could panic, which would have been an appropriate response to the situation, he grabbed for the knife at his belt to pry it off. The estrellmar had five pale, stubby arms and an amazing suctioning ability, but instead of feeding on shellfish, the mutant desert variety of starfish fed on blood. It waited in pools like this to prey on thirsty victims by injecting them with a paralyzing venom. Drowning unconscious was usually the cause of death from an estrellmar, but being drained of blood would cause death eventually. As most blood sucking creatures were this close to Naxturaen territory, this one was supposedly magical. Drake had heard a few victims ranting about seeing dead wives or reliving old battles, half sure the creature had really brought back the dead person or transported them to another time and place. All in all, this creature needed to come off Daniella¡¯s body fast. Drake dug his knife between the creature¡ªrapidly deepening from a pale white to a flushed red¡ªand Daniella¡¯s skin. The fleshy mass squealed in protest, blood spewing from its red maw and running down a gash in Daniella¡¯s arm. He stabbed the creature into the sand, and a pool of blood gushed from it as it writhed. He breathed a sigh of relief and wiped sweat off his brow. He just needed to get Daniella farther from the water and give her a minute to recover. He jerked his eyes open. Why was he lying on the ground with his eyes closed? He felt a tingling on his leg. ¡°Drake?¡± called a voice. His arms and legs were numb, and he was half asleep, but he struggled to stay conscious. An arm grasped his and helped him to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m so glad I found you.¡± ¡°Rosaliy?¡± A white flare from the overwhelming desert sun stung his eyes until they focused in on Rosaliy, right there in front of him, sunny-smiled and lemon-scented. ¡°How did you find¡ª?¡± he slurred. She threw her arms around him. ¡°I was so worried about you,¡± she said, muffled by his shoulder. ¡°Back at you,¡± he said, equally relieved. Rosaliy being on the fringes of the desert did not quite make sense, but he had no time to figure it out. She grinned her smile that lit up her whole face, and then she kissed him. And kissed him. She was well past the point of misinterpretation of the gesture as a friendly greeting. His mind gave up trying to find reason at that point, ceding control to his lips and fingers. Eventually, he had to breathe, and half a thought crept its way through the desire to keep kissing her forever. ¡°You¡¯re not actually Rosaliy,¡± he murmured. ¡°But that¡¯s good,¡± she said brightly. ¡°No guilt!¡± She made an excellent point. He kissed her again, and her hands slid around his neck, toying with the collar of his shirt. Of all the disastrous relationships he had in his life, all the fake ones with Rosaliy were easily the best of them. She was like being wrapped in a warm blanket on a cold night. Unfortunately, there was that nagging fake part. ¡°That¡¯s enough of that,¡± he sighed, sliding his hands to her shoulders. She whimpered. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± she asked, lips still touching his. ¡°Wrong?¡± he chuckled. ¡°Not a thing, but I¡¯m going to die if I don¡¯t wake up.¡± She leaned up to whisper in his ear, pressing even closer if such a thing was possible as this point. ¡°It¡¯s really so much worse for you if you fight,¡± she said, voice dripping with concern. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you rather die happy?¡± ¡°Sorry, very tempting fake Rosaliy in my head,¡± he sighed, ¡°but Daniella has information you need, and I have to get her out of here.¡± He pushed imaginary Rosaliy away, and she stumbled backwards with an annoyed cry. He struggled his way back to consciousness, forcing the adrenaline of panic to kick in. That was a bad idea. The venom fed off this new sensation, turning soothing pleasure into something more sinister. The bright desert melted, shifting into a dark cave. ¡°Oops,¡± Rosaliy said, watching the cave solidify around them. ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t have done that.¡± He grabbed for Rosaliy by instinct just before the cave cracked and rocks fell on them. A boulder fell, pinning her, and the ground split in front of him, creating a chasm between them. Just before he could convince himself none of this was real, he was standing on a darkened street. Even before he was fully aware of where he was, he backed away instinctively, running straight into Zara. Just the sight of her gave him chills. She was pale-faced and cold, eyes white and clouded, the dead walking. ¡°Something¡¯s not right,¡± Zara muttered, narrowed eyes taking in the empty street. ¡°You¡¯re dead,¡± he told Zara, ¡°and I believe I¡¯m the one who told you something was wrong.¡± ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± she dismissed his objections. ¡°You really were a crashing wave on the whole plan from the beginning. What did you think I was going to do with the information you brought me?¡± ¡°Talk, threaten¡ªnot bring half a militia to strong-arm some merchants,¡± he answered. Why was he bothering? None of this was real. ¡°Oh, please,¡± she said, rolling her cloudy, unnatural eyes. ¡°Who¡¯s the delusional one here? You¡¯re lucky I put up with you and your naysaying.¡± Her head swiveled. Her neck was broken, jutting out at odd angles. ¡°What was that?¡± They were inside now. There was screaming and a wall broken open by a cannon ball, and people trapped under a crumbling building. No. Why was he here? Why couldn¡¯t he be anywhere else? ¡°Do something!¡± Zara snarled. ¡°You know there¡¯s nothing I can do for you,¡± he said, frozen to the spot. He needed to get out of here. This was all in his head. Just in his head. Dead Zara cried out with blue lips as a shattered support beam snapped and fell on her. Drake shuddered as he heard the crunch. ¡°You didn¡¯t try,¡± she choked out with her last breath. ¡°You didn¡¯t even try.¡± Then she was Cliff¡¯s father, Vicente. Drake tried to run, but his feet would not move. A knife with a mottled black handle stuck from Vincente¡¯s side. Blood poured from the wound, pooling on the floor, rising like high tide. He must have been stabbed in the fight between the pirates streaming in through the shattered wall and Zara¡¯s band of Scorp militia. There was so much death and confusion, a building falling down around his head and desperate people, fighting to stay alive. ¡°Drake,¡± Vincente coughed out weakly. ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Drake dropped to his knees. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Drake half pleaded with the man. ¡°I promise I tried. There was so much blood.¡± Cliff¡¯s father reached out a blood-streaked hand to grip Drake¡¯s arm. Words came out of his mouth, but they were barely more than a whisper. Drake knew what they were. He¡¯d heard them often enough in his nightmares. ¡°Tell my son I¡¯m proud of the man he¡¯s become.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Drake insisted. ¡°I can¡¯t be here.¡± ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stop this?¡± demanded Cliff behind him. ¡°He shouldn¡¯t have died. He wasn¡¯t like you. He was a decent person. You couldn¡¯t even tell me what happened. Coward.¡± ¡°I know,¡± Drake said. He squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in his hands. ¡°Wake up,¡± he heard. He moaned. He could not take any more. ¡°You are heavy, and you¡¯re sinking,¡± the voice insisted. ¡°Get up.¡± He opened his eyes, momentarily blinded by the sun. He was lying on his back in the sand. He felt the effects of the creature¡¯s drug still pounding through his system, but the sand was real, as real as the fact he was being slowly sucked into it. With a start, he jerked up. His legs were nearly under the liquid, collapsing sand, but Daniella had managed to keep his head above ground. He saw the remains of an estrellmar nearby, lying in a red puddle, hacked to pieces. ¡°A rope,¡± he barked. She lurched to get it while he slowly pulled his legs out of the sand. The estrellmar had cut straight through his pants on one leg, leaving behind a bleeding gash. As he stared at the wound stupidly, a rope landed on his chest. Through much effort, Daniella managed to pull and he managed to twist until he rolled onto solid sand. They fled to the horses, Drake half dragging his numb leg. His mind was still full of the last words of Cliff¡¯s father. How could a person tell someone he watched his father die before his eyes? How would that conversation start? Good people died, but Drake always survived. Where was the justice in that? Somewhere in his spastic mental rambling, he realized Daniella was silent. She was sitting in a heap on the sand, trembling. ¡°Are you ok?¡± he asked stupidly. She shook her head and squeezed the gash on her arm, either to put pressure on the oozing wound or to cause herself more pain. Either way, she was not well. ¡°What did you see?¡± he asked. She jumped like his words had been a strike to the face. In hindsight, that question was worse than the one before. ¡°What kind of a monster murders her own children?¡± cried Daniella, with wide, crazy eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve probably killed them, too¡ªthe boy and the two girls. It¡¯s my fault.¡± She continued ranting like he was not there. ¡°Death surrounds me. I wield it like a siren¡¯s song, blanketing all who come near.¡± Death, death, death. They would be dead if they didn¡¯t get out of here. They were the only ones with Arlana¡¯s message. Death was not a luxury they had. ¡°You¡¯re not that simple. No one is. You saved my life just now.¡± ¡°The children,¡± she said in a hoarse whisper. ¡°I saw the children. The ones you¡¯re looking for. What if I hurt them?¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt them.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± she yelled back. ¡°I know evil, and I know what people are capable of. You didn¡¯t hurt those kids.¡± She pressed her hands to her temples, almost like she was trying to hold herself together. He knew the feeling. He was on his own self-loathing high right now. ¡°You never killed your children,¡± he argued. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill your grandchildren.¡± ¡°I met with the Malum. I agreed to turn over my daughter. Armies¡ªI led armies of men to kill each other. Who does that?¡± Her question was valid, but she was in no condition to ask it. ¡°You¡¯re only seeing pieces¡ªfragments. Your daughter survived. The armies hardly lost a man.¡± She shook her head, probably trying to match up his words with the mess of memories the estrellmar had forced on her. ¡°All I really know is if we don¡¯t get out of here, those things, all those things you saw, are the sum of your life.¡± Both of their lives. He shuddered. Daniella allowed herself to be shoved back onto her horse, and she and Drake bolted from that place without a backwards glance. Baysellian Royalty Rosaliy "Are you planning to elaborate on how Drake managed to break into a castle inhabited by pirates?" asked Rosaliy on the long walk out of the sea caves. "Huh, what?" replied Cliff, distracted by his new monkey friend. Quita had refused to leave him¡ªhis back, more accurately. Attempted removal by Senira Luza led to louder squalling than seemed possible for such a small animal. After having a heated argument with the monkey in Old Baysellian, the Senira finally threw up her hands, told Cliff what Quita liked to eat, and gave him her favorite blanket. Right now, Quita was attempting to pickpocket Cliff to get at a handful of chestnuts the Senira had gifted him. "Stop it, crazy monkey," whined Cliff, batting her away from his pockets. Quita scrambled up to his shoulder to yell in his ear. He finally dug out a chestnut and handed it over. She nibbled away, eventually nestling herself into a tiny ball on his shoulder and falling asleep. She really was adorable when she was quiet. "Who''s Esmona?" Rosaliy tried again. "Drake''s...I don''t know what I''d call her," Cliff replied, finally able to pay attention. "They never seemed to be particularly together or not together. I never could figure them out. I mean, don''t get me wrong, she''s completely gorgeous in a ''just might slit your throat for looking at her wrong'' kind of way." Rosaliy felt a twinge of what she refused to acknowledge as jealousy and decided to label curiosity instead. "You think she helped Drake steal from the pirates?" Cliff chuckled softly, trying not to wake the monkey entrenched on his shoulder. "Not directly. But she was a handy open invitation to the palace." Oh. "We should definitely avoid her," Cliff elaborated. "I got the distinct impression she could and would snap me in half if her mood soured." "Fine by me," Rosaliy agreed. "So how do we get into the palace?" How did they even find the location of the healing draught inside the palace, let alone get back out with it? One thing at a time, she supposed. Cliff started a bit, having his own realization. "You''re not seriously thinking about stealing from the pirates?" "What other option do we have?" He gaped at her. "Something that doesn''t involve double crossing pirates?" "The only other option is double crossing an old lady who helps people," Rosaliy pointed out. "One who was friends with Drake''s grandmama." Cliff winced. "I see your point. But we could just tell the Crocs no." "That ends badly for Senira Luza. What if they try to attack her for her healing potion?" Rosaliy was exaggerating. The Senira was not defenseless, but Cliff seemed like someone who would respond more favorably to protecting an old lady than himself. It was much more likely the Crocs would torture Cliff until Drake showed up to rescue him. "But getting into the palace..." Cliff objected. "Unless you know any pirates or ex-royalty, there''s just no way." "So you don''t think Esmona would help us?" Cliff dissolved into laughter. Rosaliy hopped over a tide pool filled with colorful little spiny creatures. Bayselle was one of the most beautiful places she had ever seen. No wonder everyone was fighting over it. "What did you say? Ex-royalty?" "Sure." Cliff tried to shrug, but that proved difficult with a monkey on his shoulder. "Who knows the castle better?" "I do know some ex-royalty," Rosaliy admitted, "the former princess, Gabrielle. Or, more accurately, her daughter, Jadelynn." And only them. No need to mention anyone else in that family. "They live in their own borough on the north end of town." Again, Cliff tried to point, but he realized the sleeping monkey was something of an obstacle to free arm movement. "It''s not far." Cliff did not underestimate. The borough was close enough that Rosaliy had not formulated anything close to a plan by the time they had arrived at the fringes of the sleepy little coastal town nestled up to Seavale. Time for snap decisions. Jadelynn was young and best described as prickly, but she was trustworthy and a fellow Sorceress. But how useful could she be, really? "I thought the pirates ousted the royalty," Rosaliy said. "And then some," Cliff explained, "but as a concession to the people and a show of the pirates'' power, the Ingobernables set up the surviving princess as a mostly powerless leader of her own section of town. She''s kind of, well, their pet. They keep her, and she shows up to parties." "That''s awful!" Rosaliy exclaimed. "I could probably be less crass about it," he admitted. "Lady Gabrielle''s presence helps keep the peace, and she has a lot of freedom. They could have just tossed her and her family over a cliff, but they decided they wanted to foster some sort of ''gentleman pirate'' reputation, whatever that means. Some way to pretend the pirates are the rightful rulers, I suppose."This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. The stone manor Cliff led them to was gorgeous and massive. It was not a palace, but it had sweeping views of the ocean and furlongs of land dotted with clusters of orchards and grazing animals. Rosaliy felt slightly less sorry for the ex-royal family''s situation. As soon as they rounded a low wall that opened up into a lemon tree-lined entryway set with cobblestones, Rosaliy heard shrieking. She and Cliff took off at a run, bumping Quita awake. The little monkey made her displeasure known in Cliff''s ear and vaulted off his head into one of the lemon trees to screech at him. They ignored her and sped toward the screams. "You''re dead," yelled a voice. "Worse than dead. When I find you, there won''t be a hole deep enough to hide in. You will wish for death." The ominous threatener was standing out front of a silo, waving her arms emphatically, hollering into the rafters above. A pile of purple slime coated her head and was working its way down her body. "Jadelynn," Rosaliy exclaimed, half worried the Flifary had been here. "What happened?" Jadelynn spun, droplets of purple goo spraying from her body. She took in Rosaliy at a glance. "Brothers," Jadelynn seethed, running a hand through her slimy hair and flinging purple goo to the ground with disgust. "Brothers happened." She yelled back at the silo. "Luckily, I have six, so they''re replaceable." "Maybe we''ve come at a bad time," suggested Cliff. "Who are you?" Jadelynn snapped. "I''m Cliff from the Lansilia¡ª" Jadelynn waved him off. "If you''re here about politics, you''ll want to talk to my mother." With that, she stomped off for the manor. "Mom," she hollered at the door, "Sorceress Rose and some merchant something are here." Jadelynn continued up the wide stairs, oozing slime as she went. Her mother, the former Princess Gabrielle, passed her on the stairs. Gabrielle was well-dressed in the breezy Baysellian style, wrapped in thin layers and decorative scarves. Her scarves were embroidered with gold and silver threads. Cliff was right. The pirates were at least making a show of treating her well. "What happened to you?" Gabrielle asked her daughter. "Nothing," Jadelynn sing-songed. "Nothing at all. So glad to be home." Gabrielle paused, but Jadelynn continued marching up the stairs. Lady Gabrielle blinked down at Rosaliy in the entryway. Rosaliy gave her an awkward wave, so Gabrielle shifted from confusion to the gracefulness of an experienced hostess, putting on a smile and gliding down the stairs. She grasped Rosaliy by the arm and kissed her on the cheek. "Greetings, Sorceress. To what do I owe the pleasure?" "That''s a rather complicated question, Lady Gabrielle," Rosaliy admitted. "I''m sorry if I''m interrupting your day." "Not a problem," Gabrielle replied with excessive calm. "Honestly, interrupt away. And Elle is fine." Her eyes drifted over to Cliff. She held out an arm. "Cliffinzo? Of the local coalition?" "Yes, Lady," he agreed, grasping her arm in greeting. "Nice work on the trade agreement," she praised with a smile. "Are you here on Bayselle business or from Crystal Palace?" "Well," said Rosaliy, "if there''s a private place where we could talk, I''ll try to answer that question. I could use Jadelynn''s help, I think." Daniella would definitely not seek assistance from a headstrong half-trained teenage Sorceress. This fit the order to do the unexpected nicely. "She looks like she''ll be a while," Elle mused. "I''ll have some lunch delivered to the library. The likelihood of one the boys trying to read a book today is minimal. Plenty of privacy." "Oh?" Rosaliy asked as she bustled them through a double set of carved doors. "Are they all at home?" But Elle had already gone to muster up some food. Rosaliy found a cushioned bench to perch on while Cliff went straight to poke around the books. Their collection was impressive, although several of the volumes looked either singed or splotched and misshapen from water damage. Elle returned with a colorful lunch of fishy bites wrapped in a salty, dried substance and tall glasses of plain, clear water. "You must have a deep well to keep your water so cold," said Cliff to Elle, thoroughly impressed. It must have been some sort of strange, Baysellian compliment because a pleased Elle chattered for quite a while about the underground well and the root cellar. Methods of staying cool and fresh water were valuable commodities here. Jadelynn arrived soon after the food, damp hair tightly braided and sodden clothes replaced with an airy sea foam green wrap laced with threads that sparkled in the sun beaming through the colorful glass windows above the tall shelves of books. After some pleasantries, everyone was clearly waiting for Rosaliy to come out with the reason for her unannounced visit. She might as well throw the whole debacle out there, she decided. "A few days ago, the royal children disappeared from Crystal Palace." There was really no way to soften the lead to her story. Both Cliff and Elle gave a little gasp. "Lil?" asked Jadelynn, her hard, sour face softening with genuine concern. Rosaliy nodded. "I knew something was wrong," Jadelynn groused. "I should have stayed." "There was nothing you could have done," Rosaliy assured her. "I probably shouldn''t be too specific, but there is a group of rogue Flifary who have taken over the temple. They need to be stopped." Elle put a hand to her heart. "This is truly shocking. What can we do?" "I''m not sure," Rosaliy admitted. "I was hoping you knew some way to travel to the island." "Oh," said Elle, sinking back into her wide, driftwood chair. "Well, my father did love to hoard things, including ancient magical objects from past Baysellian Sorceresses. If there was a way onto Flifary island, you might find evidence of it in a ledger here." She gestured around her to the thousands of books lining the library walls. Hopefully she could be a bit more specific. "We were able to convince the pirates to let us have the King''s books, but the object itself would be in the palace." Finally, the weak beginnings of a plan. "We would very much appreciate it if you would let us search," said Rosaliy. "We can even get you into the palace tomorrow," Jadelynn volunteered enthusiastically. "Is it time for the Siren Festival already?" Elle complained. "I believe I told the pirates I was not going to humor any more of their fake attempts to trot me out like a prize camel." "So they''ll be extra thrilled when I show up," Jadelynn prodded, grabbing her mother''s arm to plead. "I can take...this guy. Driff?" "It''s¡ª" he started. "Close enough," Jadelynn interrupted. "Matias can go with Rose." Elle was not appreciating Jadelynn''s growing plan or her manic, teenage intensity. "Jadelynn, darling, this is insanity. You''re talking about pirates. They regularly threaten to feed people who cross them to sharks." Rosaliy was less thrilled with the mention of Matias, but she liked Jadelynn''s basic plan. "I would never ask your family to put yourselves in danger," Rosaliy assured Elle, "but if Jadelynn could get me inside the palace, surely I could do the rest." "We," volunteered Cliff with a friendly smile. Rosaliy would have preferred Jadelynn and a pile of magical supplies, but Cliff was a useful source of information and he meant well. "Of course, Sorceress," Elle agreed. "It''s the least I can do." Things were looking up. "Jade, what do you have in the way of magical equipment." Jadelynn''s blue eyes sparkled, while Elle responded with a reluctant sigh and a little shake of her head. "The pirates are thrilled to have their own resident Sorceress," Elle said, "I''m sure we can procure whatever you need." Escape Drake The only plus side to debilitating mental distress was being able to ignore the physical distress of crossing the desert through the blistering midday heat. Mindlessly crossing a desert may not have been advisable, but Drake had experience and location on his side. If they had been slogging through the desert proper and not the northern fringe, the heat would have been unbearable; this was survivable. ¡°You need to drink water,¡± Drake reminded a still-shaken Daniella. She did not acknowledge his words, but she did reach for her water skin and obediently gulp down water, oblivious to her cracked lips and violently pink skin. Drake had tried to convince himself time, distance, and flushing out the estrellmar¡¯s poison would be all the ex-queen required to snap back to her new old self, but seeing as how his leg felt like it was on fire, the direct effects of the poison had burned off long ago. As much as he personally preferred to rebury and ignore all the mucky feelings the estrellmar had dredged up, he needed to do something for her. Drake reined in his horse to fall back next to Daniella. They walked side by side in awkward silence. Well, the awkwardness was all on his side; Daniella showed no awareness he was there. ¡°Did the estrellmar bring back any happy memories?¡± he asked suddenly. He winced at the words. Maybe he should have segued into the sunshine and rainbows. Her eyes drifted toward him, and she stared, wordless. ¡°I know,¡± he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m terrible at this empowering optimism thing. I can only imagine what kind of out of context memories the estrellmar dragged up¡ªyou don¡¯t even know they were all real.¡± ¡°Real.¡± Her eyes stared straight through him, glazed and troubled. ¡°They were real.¡± He was officially making things worse. ¡°All I know is you need to deal with what you saw.¡± Hypocrisy, yes. Bad advice, no. ¡°What I saw,¡± she murmured, looking away. ¡°You told me I had done some terrible things. That was an understatement. Why would anyone do those things?¡± ¡°Power. Control. Fluid morality.¡± This was not going the right direction at all. ¡°You chose to save my life, so that¡¯s a mark in your favor, right?¡± ¡°Without you, I would have died in the desert,¡± she replied dully. ¡°No chance you were together enough back there to think that through,¡± he argued. Her eyebrows rose, and she looked at him askance. She was an admirable kind of cold and calculating, this former queen. ¡°Well, either way, I appreciate the saving,¡± he said. She let the tepid praise settle on her, but it sat there without sinking in. It was like she was trapped inside an iron shell. Normally that shell kept the attacking armies of emotion from getting in, but right now it was trapping the conflict inside with her. Drake had to admit he knew exactly what that felt like. ¡°I understand,¡± he said quietly. ¡°What it¡¯s like to¡ª¡± He faltered. ¡°I even understand that I don¡¯t understand.¡± He sighed. She needed anyone other than him to be sitting here. What did he have in common with a queen who once had nations at her feet? She did not point this out, but she did run a hand across the back of her bright red neck. Drake unearthed a bandanna and doused it with drinking water. He handed it over. ¡°Your Kianne skin isn¡¯t faring well under the desert sun.¡± ¡°You need the water,¡± she objected, taking the damp cloth anyway. ¡°There¡¯s a creek up ahead.¡± At least he had forced her into a passing acknowledgment of her own discomfort. That was progress. After she pressed the bandanna to her smarting neck, she asked, ¡°How do you deal with it all?¡± He was tempted to misinterpret her question, but it had an easy answer. ¡°By not. I figure I¡¯ll be dead by the time it all piles up too high to avoid.¡± ¡°At least you have a plan,¡± she muttered.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. If permanent avoidance was a plan, he sure did. ¡°You remembered the children,¡± he prodded. ¡°Do you know where they are?¡± She shook her head from one side to the other, just once. ¡°No,¡± she half whispered. ¡°I sent them away in the care of a man¡ªa soldier with a bright red cloak.¡± That might have been Hale. Since Hale remembered nothing, that was a dead end. Daniella was quite the intricate planner. ¡°Maybe this whole thing is helping your memories come back,¡± he tried next. ¡°That¡¯s a good sign.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not so sure,¡± Daniella murmured. ¡°There¡¯s something¡ª¡± Her face tightened, trying to dredge up something else, but failing. ¡°There¡¯s something catastrophic about memories coming back. That¡¯s all I know.¡± He exhaled, trying to care, but too tired to care. By the time they reached the creek, they were spent. Drake should have insisted on watches or doing minimal hunting or foraging to avoid exhausting their food supply, and he should have wrapped his smarting leg. In reality, they were barely able to choke down all their food, down their weight in water, and unload the horses so they could fend for themselves. Drake threw a blanket on the ground and shoved a bag under his head before he was lost to sleep. His sleep was mercifully dreamless, but short. He awoke to the dead still of night in a clammy sweat. He really should have taken the time to wrap his leg. He had nearly talked himself into getting up to do that when he noticed the fog all around him. They were not close enough to the ocean for fog. Fog was not a fringe-of-the-desert weather pattern. He heard a distant voice complaining. Although the words were in another language, they were plenty alarming. If he knew Flifary, he would have heard one voice snap, ¡°I know it¡¯s dark. You try pinpointing an exact location in the dead of night. They¡¯re close.¡± And he would have heard the other reply, ¡°We¡¯d best find her, Dalor. So help me, if you screw up one more time¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to know what you would have done,¡± Dalor complained back. ¡°You¡¯re just lucky I came for you,¡± seethed Iketa. As they argued, the voices drew closer. Drake felt woozy, and he was definitely running a fever, but he dragged himself over to Daniella and woke her with the never-appreciated hand over the mouth. She drew in a startled breath through her nose, and her eyes snapped open. ¡°Flifary nearby,¡± he whispered in her ear. In the fog-dissipated moonlight, he saw the glinting white of her alarmed eyes. ¡°Get to a horse,¡± he whispered, barely audible. ¡°I¡¯ll get their attention on me.¡± She shook her head. He was not being as noble as it may have appeared, but he could hardly convey that. He knew he would pass out the second he tried to run. ¡°You need to get your message to Rosaliy,¡± he insisted. ¡°Head for Seavale.¡± ¡°Take the other horse the opposite direction,¡± she ordered. ¡°They sound like they¡¯re on foot.¡± ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am,¡± he whispered. The idea of riding a horse sounded much less appealing than lying right here in the dirt, but if making her feel like he had a chance to escape got her moving, so be it. The frightened horses were huddled nearby. Drake scooped up a water skin from the discarded supplies for Daniella and a locater flare for himself. He would not be needing any water. He pushed Daniella onto a horse who was anxious to leave. Smart animal. ¡°West.¡± He pointed that way. ¡°Go slow until you hear them both following me, then get out of here as fast as you can.¡± Daniella disappeared into the fog, and in her absence, Drake realized he was in even worse shape than he first thought. It took a few tries to mount the horse, and he nearly slid off the other side on his successful attempt, but he managed to grip the horse¡¯s mane with his nearly unresponsive fingers. The horse was more than happy to run. Since it did Drake little good to escape the grip of the Flifary just to fall off and die in the Naxturaen grasslands while they located Daniella anyway, he clutched the flare. Did he have matches? A numb, rolling sleepiness washed over him. It very much looked like he was going to fall off and die in the Naxturaen grasslands. ¡°Over here!¡± yelled a voice. Oh, that was his voice. Good plan, Drake. His voice was weak and the horse was not making nearly enough noise in the soft, sandy dirt, but he caught the attention of his pursuers. The Flifary voices yelled. Drake¡¯s horse took off in earnest, and he could barely focus on hanging on. If his trackers were on foot, they were going to need to change strategy to catch him. Maybe that bought Daniella more time. Then, he heard the snarl of a jaguar behind him. The horse went down and Drake flew clear, landing flat on his back, breath knocked out of him. How he was still awake, he had no idea. Maybe he was not awake. That fall must have broken something, and he was feeling no pain. He heard the squeal of the horse, though, in his floaty, painless, half conscious state. The big cat snarled and yowled. The horse must have gotten a solid kick in. Poor horse. Not even here of its own free will. He could feel the flare in one of his hands. He did have matches, he remembered. In his pocket. He tried to grab them, but that arm refused to follow orders. He would definitely be in pain if he could feel pain. He dropped the flare on his chest, reaching his working arm around to grab at the little roll of matchsticks in his pocket. He managed to pull a match and scrape it against its sandpaper wrapping. He had the presence of mind to roll the flare off his chest before he lit it. The locater flare screeched and took off through the sand, its eerie red light illuminating the scuffling animals as it streaked past. The jaguar flattened himself to the ground, steeling for a fire attack. The horse had the sense to bolt. Drake hoped it found a happier life in the Naxturaen Glade. All things considered, at least Drake was going to be unconscious well before the beast ripped him apart. His eyes closed. He saw brightness through his eyelids, but his eyes would not open anymore. ¡°Aach,¡± said a voice, ¡°I told you he was just a distraction.¡± ¡°He¡¯s the one from the mine,¡± replied the other. ¡°He must be more important than we realized.¡± ¡°Grab him, I guess,¡± the first voice sighed. ¡°Daniella¡¯s popping in and out, so we¡¯ll snag her soon enough. Would everybody just stick to the plan, already?¡± The Party Rosaliy As Rosaliy fiddled with the filmy ribbons lacing up her borrowed lilac party dress, she fretted over her horrible lack of a plan. She would even have welcomed Daniella at this point. At least Daniella would have had a plan. A crack of lightning illuminated the ballroom, and a breeze whipped through the open doors of the balcony just as the ensuing thunder rumbled. At least they had managed to get inside before the storm. According to her Baysellian companions, the thunderstorm was headed their way fast. ¡°Hey, Rose.¡± Matias¡¯ warm breath tickled her ear as he swooped up behind her with drinks. His attempt at a sultry tone was not remotely appealing. ¡°Unless you have a solid plan to get past dozens of pirates and into the blocked off section of the castle, don¡¯t ¡®hey¡¯ me,¡± Rosaliy snapped back, not taking the drink from his hand. She was possibly being too harsh with him, considering he was here expressly to help her get into a pirate stronghold, but he had also been waiting in her room when she woke up that morning, so she was not feeling terribly forgiving. Elle had graciously offered Rosaliy and Cliff much appreciated shelter in the manor, but when Rosaliy drifted awake from dreams of smiting the Flifary with fireballs and rescuing the children from hulking black beasts, she realized she was not alone. She shot up in bed, grabbing, of all things, a pillow for protection. ¡°I hear you¡¯re looking for an escort to the ball,¡± Matias had said, lounging against her door frame. How long had he been standing there? The answer was too long. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she exclaimed, nearly tossing the pillow at him. She refrained, lest he misinterpret the act as playfulness or some sort of invitation. He grinned in a way he clearly thought was charming. ¡°Sorry I missed you last night. Imagine my surprise you dropped by.¡± His smug tone was too much to handle, as if he was not, in fact, surprised. Had he really thought she came all the way to his mother¡¯s Baysellian manor to go to a party with him? ¡°I need a way inside a pirate stronghold, Matias,¡± she had told him. ¡°I didn¡¯t come all this way because I had a driving desire to see you.¡± Her words had no effect. ¡°Whatever you need to tell yourself,¡± he replied, still leaning against the doorframe. She had been trying to come up with an effective way to tell him to go away when Jadelynn appeared at the door. ¡°I need to talk to Rosaliy about girl things, Mat,¡± she said, shoving him out the door and pushing it closed in his face. Jadelynn rolled her eyes. ¡°Rosaliy and Drake. Blah blah blah.¡± She flapped her hands to enunciate her mocking words. ¡°What does she see in that criminal? Blah blah blah. He¡¯s been obsessed.¡± Jadelynn hopped onto the corner of Rosaliy¡¯s bed like the sister she never had. ¡°I mean, Drake.¡± She grinned. ¡°Obviously. I bet he¡¯s an amazing kisser.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Rosaliy stammered. Jadelynn¡¯s eyes grew big. ¡°Oh, he¡¯s a secret? Of course! Wouldn¡¯t want it spreading among all the girls. Your secret¡¯s safe with me. I¡¯m great at secrets. Plus, I love seeing Matias so pathetic.¡± Jadelynn crossed her legs and nestled herself more comfortably into the corner of the bed. ¡°Did you find what you were looking for?¡± The night before, Jadelynn had helped Rosaliy and Cliff pour through her grandfather¡¯s meticulous records for hours, and at the end, they all knew way too much about the corruption in the Bayselle courts and not enough about magical objects potentially hidden in the palace. Luckily, thankless paperwork was Cliff¡¯s forte, and he hung onto his enthusiasm for the task well past anyone else. After piles of fruitless searching, Rosaliy sent a yawning Jadelynn to bed, and eventually Rosaliy sent herself. She had not been looking forward to a repeat of the day before under a time crunch. Just when she was considering getting up and shooing Jadelynn away, Rosaliy¡¯s door burst open, and Cliff skidded in. ¡°I found it!¡± Rosaliy remembered questioning whether or not Baysellians had a grasp of privacy or personal space. ¡°You found what?¡± she asked warily. Cliff¡¯s manic excitement was untethered to the level of success he actually achieved. Or at least his perception of success did not seem to align with reality. ¡°The records! The records we¡¯re looking for!¡± ¡°Cliff, did you sleep at all?¡± ¡°Sure, I think,¡± he babbled. ¡°Maybe. Come see!¡± After insisting on getting dressed and a hurried breakfast consisting of too much Matias, the trio reconvened in the study. Half the books were in piles on the floor. Cliff¡¯s perseverance was something between admirable and alarming. He had found something¡ªa ledger listing what seemed to be completely mundane supplies for fishing. ¡°Cliff, this¡ª¡± Rosaliy started to complain, assuming sleep deprivation had caused him to snap. ¡°Wait, Sorceress,¡± urged Jadelynn, ¡°he¡¯s onto something. This is the king¡¯s handwriting.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± exclaimed manic Cliff. ¡°The king wouldn¡¯t keep personal records of fishing equipment.¡±Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Then what is this?¡± asked Rosaliy, pointing at the list of fishing supplies. A coded list. Much excited paper shuffling by Cliff revealed that King Dromund kept a cipher in the back of a royal history volume that decoded a key tucked into an almanac that decrypted the ledger. ¡°Abuelo Dromund was a paranoid man,¡± Jadelynn said when they unearthed yet another piece to the puzzle. ¡°He was also overthrown and murdered, so the paranoia was warranted,¡± pointed out Cliff. Rosaliy ignored them while she painstakingly decoded each piece of the fishing ledger. She found records of the debts owed by local nobility, followed by a confusing list of tiny pieces of information concerning seemingly random people. Rosaliy quickly realized she was decrypting a list of secrets¡ªpotential blackmail. No wonder King Dromund had been overthrown and murdered. Not enthused by decade-old secrets of powerful people, she moved on, finally uncovering what seemed to be a list of items and their descriptions. ¡°Magical objects¡ªthey¡¯re actually here!¡± she exclaimed. To herself. Sometime after lunch, Cliff and Jadelynn had left to work on packing up supplies for castle infiltration, whatever those were. Rosaliy supposed they needed a way to smuggle a jarful of healing draught at least. She had not expected Cliff to design a way to sew ropes into his clothing, but apparently he accomplished that, too. Once Cliff and Jadelynn returned, they split huge sections of text to decrypt by candlelight. They found item lists, hidden rooms, hidden compartments in hidden rooms, hidden keys to hidden compartments in hidden¡ª ¡°So basically, this is all rightfully mine,¡± Matias bragged, jolting Rosaliy back to the party. He gestured at the grand ballroom of Bayselle Castle, where they had been admitted as guests. The ballroom was already filled with milling people. Glittering chandeliers draped with shells clinked in the sea breezes flowing in from the massive doors opened to a glass balcony with views of the choppy ocean, a dizzying hundreds of lengths below. ¡°You have three older brothers,¡± Rosaliy argued, immediately sorry she had bothered. ¡°Half-brothers,¡± he corrected with a sour face. ¡°I¡¯m the first-born royal. My father already had three sons when he married my mother.¡± Rosaliy did not need this information, but it did answer some logistical curiosities about the age ranges of all those brothers. Elle, the ex-princess, had been married off by her father to a rich noble. Maybe she was better off in the pirates¡¯ control after all. Cliff and Jadelynn saved Rosaliy from having to muster a reaction. ¡°The healing draught¡ª¡± Cliff tried to announce. Jadelynn shushed him. ¡°Don¡¯t tell the whole room. Look.¡± She pointed. ¡°The balcony. Nobody¡¯s out there.¡± To accentuate why no one was outside on the balcony, lightning lit up the night sky, punctuated by an almost immediate blast of thunder. ¡°Babies,¡± mocked Jadelynn, skipping outside, Cliff and his dozing monkey in tow. When leaving Elle¡¯s manor in colorful Baysellian party regalia, a little brown ball had launched itself out of the trees and back onto Cliff¡¯s body, searching his pockets for treats. When anyone tried to remove her, she bit at their fingers and howled. Resigned to his fate, Cliff went back to the manor to load his pockets with nuts. Quita sat on his head nibbling the entire carriage ride to the palace, until she promptly fell asleep on his shoulder, curled up in a little ball. Now they made their way outside into the heavy, humid air. The glass balcony attached to the castle ballroom was spectacular, but there was something disconcerting about being suspended hundreds of lengths in the air while the ocean churned below. At least they were alone. ¡°The third floor,¡± Cliff finished. ¡°The healing draught is on the third floor.¡± That was good news. If they could get past the guards, they could swing by the third floor on the way to the sealed off section of the palace. Rosaliy sighed. Of course the hidden room was in the sealed off section of the palace. Hopefully it was still intact and not sliding down the side of the cliff. She scanned the sparkling ballroom. Only one of the exits led into the main castle, but a pair of intimidating pirates waited at the top of the grand staircase. If someone somehow slipped past them, that person would have to scale the stairs in full view of the party guests, including the dozens of pirates who wandered among the guests, fraternizing. There were eyes everywhere. If only they were looking somewhere else. ¡°How do we get out of this room?¡± she asked aloud. ¡°Nobody¡¯s guarding the balcony,¡± suggested Jadelynn, the only one looking down instead of inside. ¡°We can make it down there.¡± ¡°By climbing?¡± stammered Cliff. ¡°And fast, or we¡¯re going to be soaked,¡± Jadelynn added. ¡°Too bad we can¡¯t fly,¡± remarked Matias. ¡°The hidden section is just across from us.¡± As obnoxious as he was, Matias had lived here until he was sixteen. His knowledge was useful. On the cliff side of the palace, due to the eerily bright clouds and the reflection of the moonlight on the water, Rosaliy could see the shattered section of the palace just out of reach. During the pirates¡¯ attack on the palace, they had blasted a hole in the side of the beautiful building. In the night, the hole was a dark maw with shattered stones for teeth. ¡°We need in Abuelo¡¯s study to find the key in the wooden book, moron,¡± Jadelynn unkindly informed her brother. ¡°That¡¯s below us, Jadeslug,¡± he answered. ¡°Exactly,¡± she smirked. ¡°Let¡¯s get climbing.¡± ¡°How far below?¡± asked Cliff, peering down. Rosaliy could see from here the window of the room below was made up of glass panes set into a wood frame that swung open. Spiky threads of light blazed a jagged pattern across the sky, and the thunder¡¯s immediate blast was so loud, the balcony shook. A large piece of the crumbling wall from the broken castle before them tumbled into the churning ocean. Cliff gaped and pointed. ¡°Did anybody just see that?¡± Droplets of rain pinged against the glass balcony. Jadelynn shot Rosaliy a ¡°make a decision fast¡± look. Rosaliy had confidence in Jadelynn¡¯s climbing abilities¡ªshe was Issabeth-trained after all. Rosaliy was less confident Cliff or ¡°I used to have servants to climb ropes for me¡± Matias could scale a wall in a thunderstorm without killing themselves. Their faces mirrored her inclination. ¡°Cliff, the rope,¡± Rosaliy ordered as fat, warm raindrops pelted her head. ¡°You and Matias will lower Jade and me. Then you¡¯ll stay up here in case the pirates need to be distracted.¡± That sounded reasonable enough. No sense in having everyone tromping around the castle, anyway. Neither Cliff nor Matias argued about needing to come along, which saved time. ¡°The study will be three rooms over.¡± Matias counted windows. ¡°Or two. No, definitely three.¡± Hopefully the pirates would allow Rosaliy enough time to try every room. ¡°Hurry up with that rope, Cliff,¡± Jadelynn ordered. His extraction of the rope intricately twisted through the lining of his pants and jacket was comical, but nobody was in the mood to enjoy his awkward struggle. The rope was thin, but neither Rosaliy nor Jadelynn were particularly heavy. They just needed to climb down to the window underneath them, ignoring the churning ocean below and the slick rain falling from the sky. No problem. Now would have been an excellent time to have a better plan, but unless one dropped out of the sky, this would have to do. Dead? Drake Drake was dead. Maybe. He was pretty sure he was dead. Reasonably sure. Being dead was nothing like what he expected. When he opened his eyes, nothing but bright emptiness filled his view. He was definitely dead. Well, probably. He had never paid much attention to Meena¡¯s blathering about the afterlife, but he always had the nagging impression he would be forever walking through a fire pit or continuously rolling boulders. This place was fluffy and soft and painless. He felt a sharp blow to his ear. Scratch painless. ¡°Stop it!¡± a voice snapped. ¡°He¡¯s not a child at all,¡± the other answered despondently. ¡°Well, he¡¯s not her child, anyway. He¡¯s barely more than a boy. And a filthy one at that.¡± ¡°All reasons to stop with the flicking. He clearly has big enough problems without being woken up by you assaulting him.¡± ¡°At least he¡¯s awake,¡± the other muttered sullenly. ¡°I thought you were going to melt him.¡± ¡°That was a distinct possibility,¡± the first voice sighed. ¡°What is he?¡± ¡°The Flifary don¡¯t seem to like him, so that¡¯s good enough for me. And back up. Your face is not the first thing anyone needs to see.¡± Drake was still lying flat on his back. He tipped his head backwards to see two faces peering down at him. One was pale, gaunt, and framed by limp, dark hair. It was a face he expected to see in some sort of eternal torment afterlife. The other face was halfway familiar¡ªthe eyes at least. Green eyes were a Kianne oddity, and the coincidence seemed too great to be merely coincidence. ¡°Are you the High Sorceress?¡± he guessed.Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. She blew out a sharp breath and tossed her cropped hair out of her eyes. ¡°Some days more than others. You can just call me Her Royal Highness Whose Feet are Too Sacred to Touch. Or Issabeth, I guess. For time¡¯s sake.¡± She stood and shifted to an angle appropriate to helping him stand. ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to¡ª¡± he started to object, but she had already hauled him to his feet. He shifted weight from one leg to the other and clenched the fingers on both hands. Everything seemed to be in working order. A sizable, bloody slash split his pants below the knee. Using his fingers, he poked around under the tear. His skin was healed. ¡°Am I dead?¡± he asked. The dark-haired woman cackled softly. ¡°Not dead,¡± Issabeth promised. ¡°The pearl does nice work despite me. You were in pretty bad shape when they dropped you off, though.¡± He was starting to piece things together, assuming he was not merely lying in the desert hallucinating. ¡°The Flifary?¡± he asked. ¡°They brought me here?¡± ¡°Looks like.¡± He tried harder to take in his surroundings with the knowledge he wasn¡¯t dead, but he saw the same fluffy, floating ubiquitous white as before. ¡°Why?¡± Issabeth sighed. ¡°I was hoping you knew. Maybe you could fill me in on what you do know.¡± He knew more than he thought he did: missing children, the search for Daniella, repeated Flifary attacks. He wasn¡¯t sure how much he should be saying in front of the ominous woman who paced in slow circles like a shark, but she seemed out of touch with reality anyway. Issabeth clapped her hands together decisively when he finished. ¡°Sounds like we need to pop onto Flifary Island and put some crazies in their place. Home by dinner.¡± ¡°You can very well choose to get yourself killed,¡± whined the dark-haired woman, ¡°but I¡¯m not stranding myself on Flifary Island.¡± ¡°They might be ready for that kind of direct attack,¡± suggested Drake carefully. He was uncomfortable siding with the dark-haired crazy woman, but Issabeth¡¯s frontal assault plan was alarming. ¡°Point taken,¡± the Sorceress admitted. ¡°If we head for Crystal Palace, I can¡ª¡± ¡°I can¡¯t open a dark magic rift in the Glade,¡± Shrilynda interrupted. ¡°Plans are stupid anyway,¡± grumbled Issabeth. ¡°What do you suggest, Drake?¡± ¡°Rosaliy is in Bayselle,¡± he offered, despite the sarcastic tone of the question, ¡°and Daniella is headed there. They could both use help, and they know more than I do.¡± ¡°Hrmph,¡± sniffed Issabeth, grumpy to be facing so much disagreement. ¡°Dee is headed straight for Rose? Yeah, I should probably do something about that. Fine, fine.¡± She heaved a sigh. ¡°Do you have a knife on you, Drake? According to Shril, she needs some blood for this part.¡± Zaphia Zaphia Zaphia dug her hands in the gritty, burning sand, casting nervous glances left and right. The sun was still high and scorching. Everyone was sleeping, she reassured herself before fishing the chipped green rocks out of her tunic and shoving them into the disappearing hole she had created. She turned her pockets inside out, shaking out the last bits of incriminating green powder. Then she piled sand back into the hole and smoothed it out. ¡°Whatcha doing, Zaphy?¡± Zaphia nearly body tackled Ario. How had he managed to sneak up right behind her? ¡°Nothing, Ari,¡± she half screamed, shaking sand out of her loose clothing. No, nothing suspicious here. She tried to slow her heartbeat and lower her volume. ¡°What are you doing awake?¡± ¡°Iketa and Dalor dropped off a new prisoner,¡± the boy announced, his tone not at all matching the gravity of his words. ¡°In the middle of the day?¡± He nodded, proud of himself for being the bearer of such important information. He was a good watchdog, Ario. It was very tempting to pat his red, peach fuzz head, but she resisted. ¡°Did you get a good look?¡± ¡°Terran woman,¡± he answered. ¡°The one from before?¡± Zaphia was hopeful that poor Sorceress was still alive. Zaphia wanted to do something when she was dragged in before, but Dalor and Ocery had been too obsessed to leave her for a moment. Zaphia couldn¡¯t risk being caught. ¡°No, older.¡± ¡°Hear who it was?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± Ario bounced from one foot to another while he spoke. ¡°Came to get you first.¡± ¡°They¡¯re bringing her in now?¡± Ario nearly shook his head off nodding. Zaphia slipped on her sandals and headed straight for the temple. She thought the shortcut was safe with the sun this high in the sky, but she quickly wished she had gone around. Everybody was up late today, it seemed. ¡°There are more cracks,¡± the new supervisor was complaining to Dalor under the cracked doorway to the divination room. He had taken over after Ocery disappeared. Word was Ocery was not coming back. Ever. ¡°If we power the room with any cracks, we¡¯ll blow the whole thing again.¡± ¡°Why is it taking so long?¡± asked a grumpy Dalor. ¡°We¡¯ve been blind for too long, and this should already be done.¡± ¡°Hrmph,¡± the supervisor growled. What was his name? Marius? Bariyu? Zaphia had been too nervous at work yesterday to keep such a thing in her head. ¡°There are more cracks every time I check. I mean, see here?¡± He gestured to a crack near the doorway. ¡°I could have sworn I filled in this split myself before I left last night.¡± Dalor bent into the room, fingers tracing the crack in the rock. He stood, rubbing his fingers together. Green flecks of sealing powder fell through his fingers. ¡°We might have a saboteur.¡± Zaphia tried to tiptoe past, but the supervisor saw her. He waved her over. ¡°Ario, keep going,¡± she hissed. ¡°I¡¯ll meet you by the prison.¡± Hopefully outside and not inside. Ario and his peach fuzz head dashed off. He was an obnoxious kid, but he was sure great at having his nose in everybody¡¯s business. Zaphia was tempted to tell him more about what was going on, but she hardly knew herself, and knowing would be dangerous for Ario. Luckily, nobody paid attention to kids on Flifary Island. Zaphia scurried over as casually as a person could scurry, trying not to move too fast or too slow. ¡°Zephyn,¡± the supervisor addressed her, indicating she had been as unmemorable to him as he had been to her. ¡°You were helping with sealing on the last shift.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Zaphia squeaked. ¡°Yes, sir?¡± ¡°See anything suspicious?¡± She exhaled half a nervous breath. ¡°No, sir. Mave used the last of the patch powder, so we left early so she could make more.¡± Or they were all supposed to leave early. Zaphia picked at her sandy fingernails behind her back, hoping there was no incriminating powder trapped underneath. ¡°Ah,¡± said Dalor, nodding. ¡°The divination room was unguarded. Seer Loyalists must have managed to sneak in. I¡¯ll double the day patrols.¡± So Zaphia was safe for now¡ªa relief¡ªbut extra patrols were no good. That room was so close to finished. They would be done by tomorrow at their pace. Although, at the rate they kept bringing in prisoners, nobody would be left to stop them despite Zaphia¡¯s stalling. She trailed Dalor from the temple, pretending like she was headed home before circling back to follow him to the prison. All her covert sneaking was unnecessary in reality. He paid no mind to her, and the sandy streets made the trip to the palace a quiet one. She was glad for her sandals. She could feel the burning sand through the soles. Normal people were asleep at home next to their frosty ice furnaces. She grimaced to herself. She had forgotten to load up the furnace with freeze berries. Her family was set to wake up blistering hot in a few hours. Keeping secrets was hard work¡ªso many balls to juggle. And she had always been terrible at juggling. Dalor stomped through the arch of vines leading to the palace entryway while Zaphia scanned for Ario. Surely he was here by now. A banana pelted her on the head. She resisted the urge to cry out, rubbed her head, and searched. Ario waved down from the lofty green leaves of an overgrown banana tree. He pointed to¡­somewhere. He sort of jabbed his finger to the right and then hooked it and pointed up. She threw her hands in the air and shot him a glare, so he slid down the banana tree and grabbed her hand, dragging her to the side of the palace prison. He pointed to a coconut palm tree and leaped up himself, scaling the fat palm like he was half monkey. The elders may have considered her still a child, but she was well too old to be climbing trees. By the time she reached Ario¡¯s height in the hidden green canopy, she had a number of scrapes from her poor choice of footholds. Scaling coconut palms was an art best left to new-chis. Ario pointed again, but this direction was more straightforward than his last¡ªunnecessary, even. Zaphia could easily see the commotion in the grand room with the open balcony. ¡°Give it up, Seer,¡± Iketa sneered to the woman out of Zaphia¡¯s view. ¡°We have your partner.¡± ¡°Who?¡± responded the voice of a woman Zaphia had never seen herself but had known since she was a new-chi. ¡°You know who,¡± Iketa snapped. Zaphia was annoyed by this whole conversation. Name names, she wanted to scream. What if Ario was wrong and they had grabbed the Naxturaen Queen? There would be no stopping Iketa and Dalor then. ¡°Oh?¡± came the dispassionate answer. ¡°Since you have everything you need, seems odd you¡¯d rather brief me on your successes than bring the world to its knees with your colossal, unstoppable power.¡±The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. For years, Zaphia had heard how aloof and cruel the Seer was, forbidding anyone else from using their powers so she could hoard them for herself, but after weeks of spying, Zaphia was realizing how many lies Iketa, Dalor, and Ocery had been feeding the people. When the Seer destroyed the temple, Zaphia had believed in her selfishness along with everyone else. It looked like their tyrannical Seer was denying them their rights to use their magic¡ªancient magic they had been born with. Zaphia cheered when the liberation force captured the Seer and imprisoned her. They had won. After that, it was just a matter of rebuilding and slowly learning how to use their abilities, rusty after hundreds of years of disuse. Except Iketa had told them they needed to take action now or the Naxturaen Queen would stop them. That seemed fishy to begin with, even more so after the trio in charge shifted all their resources to rebuilding the temple and tracking down anyone powerful enough to stop them. They locked up Terrans from Crystal Palace and magical horses like any kind of magic was a threat to their plans. Isn¡¯t that the opposite of what they were fighting for? Weren¡¯t they fighting to free magic? Zaphia started listening in on conversations after that. The Seer¡¯s story remained the same¡ªshe had destroyed the temple to stop the rebellion from hurting people. The Seer had given up her own great power to prevent harm, not so nobody else could use it. Zaphia had not believed at first. Everybody knew the Seer set herself apart, thought she was so much better than all of them. But none of those everybodys had ever talked to the Seer in person, and in person the Seer seemed to be something else. The Seer seemed afraid of what would happen if Iketa, Dalor, and Ocery got that much power for themselves. Everything changed when the Sorceress arrived. Something was undeniably wrong. Zaphia wished she could have talked to her, but she disappeared so quickly. Zaphia was worried, but Dalor had been searching for her ever since. Hopefully that meant she was still alive. Zaphia wanted to talk to the Seer in person, but even though the palace looked open and scalable, it was a fortress¡ªlayer upon layer of magical protection. So, Zaphia did what she could to slow down the rebellion while she figured out how to quell her doubts. Now, those efforts were starting to be noticed, and she had accomplished nothing. She had to do something else¡ªsomething big. ¡°Can we see the new prisoner?¡± Zaphia whispered to Ario. The boy shook his head. ¡°Nah, she¡¯s inside for questioning or something.¡± Zaphia needed to hear that questioning. She needed answers now. ¡°I¡¯m going in,¡± she insisted, sliding down the tree with much less finesse than desired. She picked up a dried palm leaf and a split coconut from the base of the tree, brushing off the sand. Zipping back around to the front of the palace, she grabbed the banana Ario had pelted at her and set it on her makeshift leaf tray. She shot a glance behind her. Ario was already back up the banana tree. He shot her two hooked pinkies for good luck. She streaked for the entrance before she could second-guess herself. Now or never. Once she was through the vined arch, she was in the shaded courtyard entryway to the palace. A pair of guards spotted her and came to intercept. Her throat went dry while she tried not to focus on their sharp spear points or how imposing they were¡ªall brown balls of muscle adorned with tattoos celebrating their accomplishments. ¡°I was sent to bring some food to the new prisoner,¡± Zaphia rushed into an explanation. Yep. A sandy, dry coconut and a bruised banana. One of the guards with a bear inked on his leg poked at the pathetic food with his spear. The other asked, ¡°In the middle of the day?¡± Thinking fast, she replied, ¡°That¡¯s when she¡¯s used to eating. Oh, and they¡¯ve been questioning her, so of course she¡¯s awake. And hungry. Can¡¯t have her too weak to be answering questions.¡± Yeesh, there was no way a lowly girl tasked with bringing food to a prisoner would know this much information. She needed to stop talking. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen you before,¡± the poking guard argued. ¡°I¡¯m just doing this as a favor for¡ª¡± She mumbled something unintelligible around a coughing fit. Hopefully they would fill in the name of someone who actually had authorization to be here. ¡°He didn¡¯t want to walk all the way over here in the heat. Woo, is it hot today!¡± Why did her mouth keep saying stupid things? ¡°So you don¡¯t know where you¡¯re going,¡± the first guard sighed. ¡°That is true,¡± Zaphia agreed, trying to be casual. She was just dropping off a tray of food. She was not on a covert mission to get information. Guard Two tipped his spear toward a doorway. ¡°I¡¯ll take you,¡± he grumbled. Zaphia needed to cut off the sounds coming from her body completely, so she just smiled and bobbed her head a little, following him through a labyrinth of columns and open hallways with sequestered stone spaces as well as rooms divided from each other with walls formed from thick, twisting vines. Zaphia¡¯s class had taken a trip here once when she was a new-chi. King Pelgor had been such a wild king, humoring the whim of the moment. In his thousand year reign, he had built rooms of coconut fibers and stairways that were little more than vine hammocks. The palace was whimsical and insane and amazing. It had been a shock when the Seer had killed King Pelgor to take over. Zaphia¡¯s heart sped up. Had she, really? What if that was a lie, too? Lost in her thoughts, Zaphia ran straight into her guide. Her two-item meal went flying. ¡°Sorry, sorry, sorry,¡± she mumbled, chasing after the rolling coconut. The guard picked up the banana at his feet and plunked it in her hands after she retrieved her disgusting coconut half. ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± he grunted, tipping his spear toward an open doorway. No one was visible inside the waiting room, so the prisoner must have been in one of the rooms adjoining this one. Voices wafted outside, but Zaphia could not make out the words. Zaphia peeked into the room. This one was standard stone, but she could feel a tingling. Some sort of powerful magic was at work, protecting this space. Iketa must have been afraid of this prisoner. In an open doorway at the back of this room with little more than a few chairs, Zaphia saw the dark, muscled back of a guard, a sentry keeping watch. He was busy supervising, and there were no tables. ¡°I guess I should wait until Dalor¡¯s done in there,¡± Zaphia decided. That made sense, right? ¡°I¡¯m going home in ten squawks,¡± her guide answered. ¡°You stay as long as you want.¡± With that, he stomped back to his post. Zaphia eased herself into the room. The guard was busy watching the activity in the next room like a circling vulture. She could get close enough to hear, but not to see. ¡°I am weary of all the trouble you bring,¡± Dalor snapped. ¡°Tell us where you hid the children.¡± Zaphia¡¯s friends had all laughed when she had taken those advanced Terran lessons, but she knew in her heart she was meant to get off this island and see the whole world, not just this teeny corner of it. She did not have to see the future to know things were changing, she told them. Of course, she had hoped to use her skills at a Baysellian fish market or a Curi yarn shop, not to overhear covert plans to bring down the Naxturaen empire. ¡°What?¡± Dalor mocked. ¡°You think you can get away with not talking? As soon as that divination room is up, we¡¯ll see your past activities anyway.¡± ¡°Then why are you here?¡± answered the prisoner finally. She was hard to understand. That probably meant the prisoner was not speaking Baysellian Terran. Zaphia was nowhere near advanced enough in her language studies to recognize regional accents, so that told her little. ¡°Choosing Arlana¡¯s side is a stupid move,¡± Dalor said. ¡°I would have expected more from you.¡± A pause. The prisoner was not being cooperative. ¡°Who was that man you were traveling with? Where is the Sorceress and what do you have her doing?¡± Another pause. Zaphia shuddered to think what would be happening in there if Iketa was questioning the prisoner. Some of the Seer¡¯s interrogations had been ugly. ¡°I thought we gave her a dose of festerberry when she arrived.¡± Dalor was talking to the guard now. Zaphia considered ducking out of sight, but he was talking quietly, and if she moved any further away, she would miss what he said. ¡°Two,¡± the guard answered. ¡°Any more and she¡¯d be out cold. I don¡¯t know how she¡¯s withstanding it.¡± ¡°Give her another,¡± Dalor ordered. ¡°I¡¯ll take the chance. Nobody goes in there until I find something else to motivate our guest. We¡¯ll crack her.¡± The guard stepped into the prison room, and Dalor switched places with him. It all happened too fast for Zaphia to hide. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Dalor snapped. ¡°Delivering some food for the prisoner,¡± Zaphia squeaked. A frustrated Dalor smacked the food out of Zaphia¡¯s hands. The banana flew across the waiting room and the coconut smacked the wall with a dull thud. Normally Dalor was the even-keeled one. Things must have been going really badly. He glared at the banana like it had offended his mother. ¡°Maybe being hungry will make our royal guest a little more talkative,¡± he fumed. ¡°Is Iketa here?¡± ¡°She was just questioning the Seer,¡± Zaphia offered. Should she know that? ¡°Good, good,¡± he murmured, not caring that Zaphia knew way too much. After a few hundred years, the elders really did seem to forget a sixteen-year-old had a working brain. There was nothing magical about the coming-of-age ceremonies that turned a kid from a gelatinous blob of confusion into a functioning member of society. In a few hundred years, maybe Zaphia would forget sixteen, too. For now, she needed to figure out how to use this power of invisibility to stop Dalor and Iketa. If there were still people out there fighting to set things right, she could at least buy them some more time. A Stubborn Latch Rosaliy Not being afraid of heights or water and not being afraid of them while dangling at a dizzy height over a churning ocean beating against rocks during a storm were not the same thing. The soggy party dress was not helping her grip the slick rope either. Rosaliy squeezed her eyes shut tight and pushed off the wall, dropping a heart-stopping few lengths at a time as the thin, wet rope flew through her fingers. After one stomach-lurching drop, her feet fumbled on the slippery glass instead of rough stone. She squared her feet on the window and shoved, but the window pushed back, resisting her. She opened her eyes. The window was latched, but just with a hook. Neither cliffside window security nor weather-proofing were top concerns, she imagined. She could kick at the window until it broke open, but she ran the risk of every pirate in the vicinity hearing her. Plus, her arms might fall off before she gained entry. If she could slide something narrow between the panes, she could flip the latch. She wrapped her legs and one arm around the rope. The rain was coming down hard now, making the attempt to wrest a long, jeweled clasp from her thick hair quite challenging. The clasp was tightly pinned by a very thorough Elle and Jadelynn. ¡°Rose, watch out!¡± warned a voice above. She couldn¡¯t very well watch anything, but she tried to hurry. While she was feeling for the pins securing the clasp, Quita galloped down the rope with a mighty monkey screech and launched herself at Rosaliy¡¯s head. It was all Rosaliy could do not to scream or release her grip on the rope as the monkey gnawed on the jeweled clasp. When that attempt failed, Quita dug frantically with her little hands, yanking out hair pins and flinging them left and right. ¡°Quita!¡± Rosaliy yelped. Hair pins tumbled into the ocean while Rosaliy struggled to balance herself under this new weight. Finally, Rosaliy freed an arm once again and clamped her fingers around the loosened clasp before Quita successfully yanked it from her head. Quita screamed, furious at the loss of this glittering prize. Then something struck Rosaliy¡¯s arm, something more substantial than a rain drop. The next one pegged Quita on the head. ¡°Quita,¡± Cliff called as softly as he could to be heard over the rain pounding on the balcony. ¡°Look what I have for you.¡± He dropped another chestnut. The distractable monkey hopped with excitement on Rosaliy¡¯s head, then scrambled up the rope to claim her prize. Quickly, Rosaliy unfastened the now-free clasp and yanked it from her soggy hair. If she hadn¡¯t been wearing the belt¡ªwell-disguised under twisted scarves¡ªshe might have lost a chunk of hair in the process. Before Quita could devour her nuts and return to steal the sparkling hair clip, Rosaliy jammed the metal clasp between the wooden slats of the window pane and slid the thin metal bar upward. On what was the third try, but felt like the three thousandth, she caught the hook. On the eighth try, which felt like the millionth, she flipped up the hook and flung open the window. Arms burning, she latched onto the window sill with her feet and pushed herself toward the opening. A teetering moment later where she willed herself to fall the right direction, she tumbled into a dark room. Jadelynn was quick to clamor after her, and Rosaliy pulled her in the open window, which she then re-latched to minimize banging from the wind kicking up. Rosaliy shook out her aching arms and ran her fingers through her wet hair, pulling out a few stray pins that were at this point merely trapping her hair in a hopeless state of rat nest. ¡°Study or healing potion?¡± whispered Jadelynn, out of breath. Should they split up? Rosaliy decided no. She was responsible to make sure Jadelynn stayed safe. Sure, breaking into a pirate stronghold in a storm was already the opposite of safe, but there was no need to exacerbate the situation. ¡°Study,¡± Rosaliy whispered back. She pushed open the door and peeked out. The hallway was lit by hanging torches, which meant it might also be patrolled by guards. Rosaliy¡¯s heart pounded. She was sure her hands were shaking. How did Drake steal from this palace without dropping dead from anxiety? The options were to wait and see if guards came into this section of the palace or to make a run for the third door over. ¡°Hurry,¡± she whispered to Jadelynn, making a silent dash for the third door. They both tumbled in the door and managed to fumble it closed behind them. So far, so good? In the dark room, Rosaliy expected to find a dozen sleeping pirates resting for an early shift tomorrow. When Jadelynn pulled out her firefly stone, Rosaliy was glad to see books instead of murderous men and women waiting in the dark with curved blades in their hands. ¡°Mat was right,¡± murmured Jadelynn. ¡°The king¡¯s study.¡± Rosaliy appreciated the surprise in her voice. ¡°Look for a book out of the ordinary,¡± Rosaliy reminded both of them. Jadelynn pushed the glowing stone to scan the shelves methodically¡ªback and forth across walls full of musty books. The pirates had not considered the king¡¯s daily records of importance. Dust was collecting on the shelves and the hundreds of leather volumes. In between orderly rows of ignored books, there were empty spaces where valuable trinkets had been removed. Hopefully the pirates had missed the valuable object she and Jadelynn were searching for. ¡°Stop,¡± Rosaliy hissed. ¡°Back to the middle of that shelf.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. They both peered at what looked like a normal book. A curl of old paint was just flaking off the corner. ¡°It¡¯s wood,¡± Jadelynn exclaimed, reaching for it. She dragged the heavy book to an ornate desk where they pried opened the clever box to find a large, brass key, still safely hidden. Rosaliy pocketed the key and lugged the book back to its shelf. Repositioning the dust on and around the fake book was impossible, but it seemed the pirates did not regularly make a careful search of this room. Euphoric over successfully completing one goal without being captured or skewered, Rosaliy was quick to head for the door. Jadelynn hesitated by the desk. ¡°My mother always said,¡± she murmured, kneeling down, ¡°my grandfather was forever hiding things in hidden compartments, and his favorite was the backs of drawers¡­¡± She had disappeared entirely behind the desk now. Rosaliy heard the sound of wood rubbing against wood and a series of clicks. ¡°Sorceress, I found something.¡± Jadelynn¡¯s firefly stone went dead just as she said those words. No, no, no. Things had been going so well. ¡°Jade?¡± hissed Rosaliy. ¡°Jadelynn?¡± No response. Rosaliy dashed to the desk. Jadelynn was nowhere in sight. Where could she have¡ª Rosaliy collided with a hard surface in front of the desk. She rebounded a few steps from the impact, catching herself on a shelf before she hit the ground. Nothing was there¡ªnothing visible, anyway. Before Rosaliy could make anything of this new problem, Jadelynn flashed into view along with her floating firefly stone, stepping back from a twisted metal ball on the desk in front of her. ¡°You couldn¡¯t hear me?¡± Jadelynn marveled. ¡°Or see you,¡± said Rosaliy, heart still trying to leap out of her chest. ¡°Where did you go?¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t go anywhere,¡± promised Jadelynn. ¡°It¡¯s a bubble enchantment. I did a report on these.¡± A teacher at heart, Rosaliy was impressed by the real-world application of this knowledge. She could and would use this example the next time Issabeth complained about books. ¡°Fill me in.¡± ¡°They¡¯re incredibly hard to make, partly because scorpion venom is a key ingredient. It¡¯s not technically a Malum spell, because you don¡¯t technically have to kill the scorpion to harvest its venom, but realistically¡ª Anyway, you can read the report later. Take it!¡± Jadelynn picked up the metal ball by its chain and thrust it at Rosaliy. ¡°Is it dangerous?¡± Rosaliy asked warily. ¡°The danger is all in making it,¡± Jadelynn insisted. Rosaliy held out her hand, briefly considered when her good judgment had left her, and cradled the crafted metal ball in her palm. The room around her was immediately glossy and shimmering. Right next to her, Jadelynn and her firefly stone were unchanged. ¡°The edges are solid,¡± Jadelynn bragged, patting a curved, glossy, translucent surface a few lengths away. ¡°Nothing can get in or out.¡± Rosaliy reached out to touch the smooth, protective dome. ¡°Are there¡ª¡± Rosaliy started whispering, then cleared her throat and spoke normally. ¡°Are there drawbacks to using the enchantment for an extended period? Will we run out of air?¡± Jadelynn shook her head. ¡°Air gets through, but no solid objects, unless they¡¯re touching you. I mean, look at the desk.¡± Rosaliy did look. The desk had melted into a hazy outline of a desk. She reached to touch it, and her hand slid through what had moments before been a solid wood desk. Rosaliy took a few steps backward. She should have warned Jadelynn, because the moving dome pulled the girl along. As soon as the protective arc was clear of the desk, the massive wooden desk was solid once again. ¡°See?¡± said Jadelynn proudly. This was indeed a well-made enchantment. Rosaliy dropped the ball from her palm, still holding the chain. The bubble dome vanished, and the room was normal once again. ¡°This belonged to your grandfather,¡± said Rosaliy, trying to pass the chain to Jadelynn. ¡°You should keep something this valuable in the family.¡± ¡°You need it to help you,¡± Jadelynn disagreed. ¡°Plus, I¡¯m sure my Abuelo stole it from somebody else. At least with you, it¡¯s doing some good.¡± Despite Rosaliy¡¯s wariness over unfamiliar enchantments, this was an amazing tool. All things considered, they might actually succeed. ~~~~~ Quita These people were crazy. Delightfully crazy. Fat raindrops pelted the boys¡ªthe nice one with the chestnuts in his pocket and the mean one who kept calling her an ugly furball¡ªbut still they peered over the balcony at the window below them. Neither of those girls had any nuts on their persons, so Quita had no idea why the boys were so interested. ¡°So Rosaliy and Drake¡­¡± said the mean one. ¡°Uh huh,¡± said her friend Cliff, distracted by his urgent looking down. Quita had tried going that way, learning the hard way the rope and the sparkles only led to heartache in the end. She would stay here with her crunchy chestnuts. ¡°What does she see in him, anyway?¡± the mean one continued. Cliff looked up and blinked in his adorable, clueless way. ¡°See¡­in?¡± The mean one continued having his own conversation. ¡°They can¡¯t be serious, right?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± said Cliff. ¡°Wait, Rosaliy and Drake?¡± They should have been hauling up that rope before those pirates came out here. Quita screeched and pointed at the balcony doors, but she was ignored. Ignored like a common seagull, practically a rat with wings. Fine, if that was how it was going to be, they deserved their punishment. Maybe the pirates had delicious nuts at their party. ¡°Hey,¡± barked one of three angry men stalking outside, ¡°what are you doing here?¡± Quita wondered why he was so angry. When she was feeling angry, chestnuts always made her feel better. Perhaps he needed some walnut banana pancakes. Mmm¡­drizzled with honey. Sticky, wonderful honey. She was jostled when one of the pirates grabbed Cliff and yanked up the rope. ¡°What¡¯s down there?¡± demanded the man who had grabbed hold of Matias. Quita had to use his name, because ¡°the mean one¡± now described everyone on the balcony who was not her friend Cliff. These pirates were bad news. They were awful to Senira until Drake made them go away. Drake always brought Quita a handful of pecans when he came. Quita loved to save the shells. She would hide behind the rocks of her sea cave and pitch shells at Senira Luza¡¯s unsuspecting visitors. They thought they were being attacked by ghosts of shipwrecked sailors. Hilarious. ¡°Should we toss them into the ocean now or throw them in the dungeon?¡± the pirate who had a hold on Cliff threatened. ¡°We need to go after the girls,¡± grunted Mean Pirate Two. Mean Pirate Three answered, ¡°I vote for letting the ocean deal with these two.¡± With that, the snarling pirate hauled Cliff up while he hollered and kicked and generally made it hard for the pirate to pitch him over the edge of the balcony. Quita, from her moving perch on his back, was equally displeased with the jostling. She leaped onto the face of Cliff¡¯s attacker and bit down hard on his fleshy nose. The pirate screamed, dropping Cliff, who scrambled out of reach one way while Quita hopped the other. They needed to make an exit sooner than later while one pirate was bleeding and flailing and the other two were laughing. The air cracked. Everyone froze. This sound was different than the thunder or the pounding rain, less like the sky was exploding and more like the air was breaking¡­or tearing. Castle Chase Drake Drake tried not to expect anything from this trip through the terrifying black portal conjured up by a crazy woman high on Sorceress blood, but in hindsight, he had a few unrealistic expectations. First of all, he had not expected to feel like every piece of him had been ripped apart and hastily slammed back together. Secondly, he had expected to land on solid ground. He had not realized he had these expectations because they did not seem unreasonable. However, after he was shattered like glass and jammed back together, he found himself hurtling toward the ocean. He flailed for the nearest solid object in reach¡ªa glass balcony. A glass balcony coated with water. He only slowed his descent long enough for him to fully process just how far he was about to fall and just how painful a death being shattered on the rocks below would be. His fall and his contemplation of his own mortality stopped abruptly as his hand caught on something. Someone. That someone yelped Drake¡¯s name in surprise as Drake slammed against the wall of the balcony¡ªa blinding explosion of pain in his stretched arm and the side of his ribcage taking the brunt of the impact. His rescuer almost went over the edge with the force of the sudden stop. ¡°Matias, help!¡± yelled the person who sounded a lot like Cliff. ¡°Really? Why?¡± came the unhappy answer, but the person who Drake hoped was a different Matias grabbed Drake¡¯s other arm, and the two hauled him over the balcony wall. From his slippery glass perch, Drake took in the scene: the Bayselle castle balcony, dark clouds, rainstorm, Cliff, a handful of pirates, onlookers beginning to spill onto the balcony, and the exact Matias he was hoping not to see. What was Matias doing here? As he looked back at the faces, nobody was interested in him. The odd crowd standing in the rain stared in horrified awe at the tear in the sky behind him, just off the balcony. Two shapes oozed through the jagged darkness of the tear, their bodies distorted and stretched unnaturally. No wonder that method of travel hurt so much. He could not think fast enough to help Issabeth or warn her. The dark-haired crazy woman had probably dropped them in the middle of the ocean on purpose. ¡°We should get out of here,¡± hissed Matias, jerking his head toward some gape-mouthed pirates. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Cliff agreed, a monkey peeking around his neck to ogle Drake. Flabbergasted, Drake let Cliff pull him up and through the crowd of soggy spectators who surged forward to fill the space they left behind. ¡°We need to get down to the water,¡± Drake said as they pushed through the crowded doorway into the ballroom. ¡°We need to help her.¡± ¡°Who?¡± asked Cliff, not really paying attention. ¡°We need to get to Rosaliy while everyone is distracted.¡± Well, that changed things. Somehow, it did not seem like a mental stretch that Rosaliy was here somewhere, although he wouldn¡¯t fully believe until he saw her. They battled their way to the staircase. ¡°Where is Rosaliy?¡± Drake asked. ¡°Hopefully headed to the sealed section of the palace right now,¡± answered Matias. ¡°I know the fastest way there.¡± Really, what was Matias doing here? The sealed section was sealed because it was falling into the ocean. Drake was curious why Rosaliy was heading to the most dangerous part of the castle, but mostly he was relieved to be headed toward an open vantage point. Anything could be happening outside right now. The pirate-occupied castle was generally well-guarded, but even the most dedicated guards had headed for a window when a massive explosion outside jangled the chandeliers. He would have told Matias to hurry, but he avoided the urge. Matias was the type to slow down out of spite. ¡°What happened out there?¡± Cliff asked, half out of breath from a series of stairs and hallways. That was exactly what Drake wanted to know. ¡°A massive fight between good and evil?¡± Drake guessed. ¡°No, I meant with you,¡± said Cliff. ¡°Dropping out of the sky. You look like you¡¯ve been chewed up and spit out.¡± Basically. ¡°The perils of being caught in a massive fight between good and evil,¡± Drake said. ¡°Just the story of my life, Cliff¡ªbeing in the wrong place at the wrong time, this time on an epic scale. Is that Senira Luza¡¯s monkey?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Cliff sighed. Quita was hunkered down on his back like a tiny, furry pack, gripping the ends of his hair for stability. ¡°Apparently it¡¯s mine now.¡± They reached a dark staircase leading down. A few upended tables were propped up to deter them. A giant ¡°NO¡± was etched into the face of each table. A cry escaped Matias¡¯ lips. ¡°Those tables were hand-carved by¡ª¡± Drake skirted the barricade and dashed into the sealed section before he ran the risk of hearing any of that story. Some of the rooms were intact, but as he ventured further in, the stone floor of the hallway showed massive cracks. After he rounded one more corner, the cause was apparent. He skidded to a stop at the rubble-piled edge of a ripped chunk of castle. Any part of the floor could fall into the ocean at any time.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°Watch your footing,¡± Drake warned Cliff as the man came up behind him. The warning should have been unnecessary, but this was Cliff. He could hurt himself on a sand dune. ¡°Head around.¡± The sultry voice gave him chills. ¡°Pin them in!¡± Drake dropped behind the rubble and tugged Cliff down with him. ¡°How did they spot us?¡± grumbled Matias, jogging up behind. ¡°Not us,¡± said Cliff, pointing. Over the top of the jumbled, broken stones, they could see a set of pirates entering the broken room across from them. That particular room must have taken the brunt of a stone breaker¡¯s explosion. ¡°Oh no,¡± Matias yell-whispered. ¡°The chandelier.¡± Drake looked. A large chandelier in the middle of the room across from them looked like it was falling, much like everything else in this place, but he could see how a hole in the ceiling might give access to a space between this floor and the floor above. The pirates were searching closets and adjoining rooms, blades withdrawn, prepared to run through anyone they encountered. ¡°They¡¯re up there,¡± Cliff added. They? Whatever was going on, somebody was about to be pinned in by pirates. They could do little from over here, and nothing quickly. ¡°You two circle around behind the pirates,¡± Drake decided. ¡°I¡¯ll get their attention.¡± ¡°Why do you get to stay safe over here?¡± Matias whined. To be honest, Drake found Matias whiny by nature, so maybe that was just his voice. ¡°Safe?¡± Drake chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who has a shot of not getting killed as a distraction.¡± ¡°You really think she¡¯ll be happy to see you?¡± Cliff asked warily. It looked like Cliff had recognized the voice as well. ¡°No,¡± Drake said, ¡°but I think she¡¯ll want to kill me slowly with her own bare hands, so that will buy us some time. Go. Figure out how to get over there.¡± Quita would have no more running. She leapt off Cliff¡¯s back and onto Drake¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯m not having any of this right now, Quita,¡± Drake threatened, reaching up to grab her. Anticipating his response, she dove down the back of his loose shirt, burrowing near his lower back. He gave up on her. Since an entire room had crumbled away, Cliff and Matias needed to circle around quite some way before they could reach the spot the pirates were searching. Drake waited as long as he could stand before he peeked out. Esmona was directly under the chandelier. With the way it had slipped down, it had handholds, he realized, forming a ladder. If Esmona looked up right now, she would see it too. Before he could think about what he was doing, Drake hopped to the clearest vantage point. ¡°Hey, Es,¡± Drake hollered. ¡°Fancy meeting you here.¡± Esmona spun to face him, withdrawing a dagger on her hip in the same smooth motion. He was glad to be out of reach. Esmona was the kind of woman who had command of every room she walked into. She was an eye-catching mix of Baysellian style with her own twist. Instead of bright, flowing scarves, she wore tight, dramatically-dyed leathers with copious weaponry strapped in places both functional and seductive. Assuming her goal was to make men want her while knowing they could never have her, her style was a resounding success. Her hair was tied back in chunks, separating the white blond streaks from the teal-dyed streaks. Last time Drake had seen her, her dramatic hair of choice had been jagged, fire red tips. She was too vain for her own good, but it was hard to fault her for it, because it worked. She was stunning. Drake had no need to exaggerate her beauty to worm himself into her good graces, but he had definitely exaggerated the value he placed on her purposefully mesmerizing features. He preferred people who did not wear their abrasive personalities like a signpost, especially when the signpost just said, ¡°Look at me!¡± ¡°Drake,¡± she growled with her thick, upper coast accent. Listening to her was the equivalent of being drizzled in honey, likely to serve as bait for a bear at a later time. ¡°I could have guessed you were involved in this.¡± After the trade massacre and the loss of their leader, Zara, the Scorps were too weak to maintain a presence in Seavale. Therefore, there was no need to meet the pirates¡¯ demands of healing potion. When Drake no longer had a need to steal from the pirates¡¯ stash of healing potion to trade it back to them, he may have ended things badly with Esmona. ¡°Involved in what?¡± he asked. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she snarled. ¡°That¡¯s all you have to say to me?¡± By ¡°ended badly,¡± of course he meant ¡°disappeared without a word.¡± He should probably start dealing with his problems before no corner of the world was free of those he had wronged. Of course, it was hard to label Esmona as wronged. Could one wrong the Terran equivalent of fire? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Es,¡± he said. That was partly true. He was sorry he was here talking to her. ¡°If you come over here, I can explain things.¡± ¡°A suspicious woman might find your timing a bit too convenient,¡± she said, tossing the dagger between her two hands. She yelled out into the hallway. ¡°You¡¯ll find something interesting across the divide, boys. Head over.¡± As long as Cliff and Matias managed to stay out of their way, this was good news. Not good news for Drake, necessarily, but at least the pirates were searching in the wrong spot. ¡°Why don¡¯t you come yourself, Es,¡± he suggested. ¡°I¡¯ve missed our chats.¡± ¡°Talking,¡± she laughed. ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what you missed, Drake. As much as I would love to hear your lies and slit your throat, maybe not in that order, I¡¯m searching for some thieves.¡± ¡°Come now, Es,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Who would steal from pirates?¡± Honestly, stealing from pirates was surprisingly easy. They were terrible record keepers. She had no answer because she stepped forward, peering down below. Sounds of an argument floated up, but the opponents were not in Drake¡¯s view. Before he could crane his head over the edge to see if Issabeth was still alive, he caught a flicker of movement up above. Half a face peered out from the hidden space between floors. His heart swelled. Rosaliy was alive. He had believed in her survival in an objective way, but he had been far too cynical to think he would actually see Rosaliy again. There she was. For an instant, the chaos around him froze. She caught his eye and flashed him a little smile. The chaos around him zoomed back up to speed. Whatever she was doing up there, he needed to get Esmona out of that room so she could climb down. Luckily, Esmona was too distracted to notice Drake staring up like an idiot. Rosaliy¡¯s eyes shifted and she, too, leaned forward to get a better view down below. He could safely say he had never been so glad to see anyone in his life. Then, her eyes widened. Her fingers curled around the crumbling lip of the ceiling. A crack of lightning shot up and struck the stone shelf underneath her. She was above the room that had crumbled away along with the cliffside, so Rosaliy was suspended over open ocean. When the lightning struck and the floor broke open under her, she fell straight down. Battle Shrilynda Of course Shrilynda knew where her portal was going to land. She hadn¡¯t been pivotal in dictating the fates of entire civilizations for centuries without learning a thing or two about magic. If the boy died, so be it. She was still mad at him for not being one of the children she so desperately wanted to squeeze until they ceased to be living. At least the High Sorceress¡¯s death would be more satisfying. The blood smeared across her palm was deliciously powerful. Shrilynda could feel that deep well of power humming through her like lightning when she ripped open the portal between worlds. The High Sorceress shuddered as she felt the pull of magic being siphoned from her. She said something to the boy about going first. He was definitely going to die, then. ¡°Have a nice trip,¡± Shrilynda chuckled before the Sorceress used the pearl to fling him through the tear. ¡°I should have warned him how badly that hurts,¡± said Issabeth. ¡°Ready?¡± A dreamy smile crossed Shrilynda¡¯s lips. After ten years trapped here, she would be free. Ready was an insufficient word. ¡°If you try anything on the other side, you¡¯ll wish I had left you in here.¡± She gestured at the jagged rip in the fluffy white. ¡°Together.¡± Honorable types were so fun to work with¡ªalways keeping their word, even at the expense of common sense. The dark magic of the portal was like burrowing knives under Shrilynda¡¯s skin, but there was something wonderful about the cutting, familiar evil, like an old friend. Shrilynda recoiled from her metaphor. It was inappropriate, because she found nothing comforting about friends. Those who called themselves friends were just people close enough to destroy plans and betray. Perhaps being smothered in biting dark magic was more like being wrapped in a warm blanket. A warm blanket that was on fire. When she was thrust through the other side, it took a second to orient herself, especially as she was quickly plunging toward the sea. At least she was ready. She snapped her fingers and black smoke billowed around her. In an instant, she went from plummeting toward the ocean to hovering above it, ensconced in smoke. Sorceress-charged powers were wonderful. Issabeth took more time to react, but she did react quickly enough to save herself. A wave of light shot from the pearl, cushioning her fall. From her glowing platform, she scanned for Shrilynda. ¡°Nice try, witch,¡± she yelled over the wind of a passing storm. ¡°What¡¯s your game?¡± A pithy response would have been a waste of time, and showing her was more fun. Shrilynda stretched out a hand; black smoke poured around Issabeth¡¯s body, wrapping her tightly. ¡°You¡¯re going to regret this,¡± Issabeth gasped, wriggling. Her platform of light dimmed. Shrilynda laughed. However, her lungs objected to the sharp intake of the salty ocean air, so she stopped. ¡°Do you know how many times I¡¯ve heard that in my lifetime?¡±You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. Issabeth struggled against the black cocoon as Shrilynda felt Issabeth¡¯s robbed magic warm her and fill her with power. Had Rin thought to dismantle the Malum village? Did any of Shrilynda¡¯s tools remain, or had they been destroyed or stolen? Regardless, it would be a suitable location to drain the Sorceress of her wonderful blood while the unworthy Rin was otherwise occupied. How risky would it be to keep the Sorceress alive for a while? ¡°Greedy, Shrilynda,¡± she chided herself. ¡°Recklessness is for young fools.¡± There were other Sorceresses. And the children. Must not forget them. They would be so powerful. ¡°Are you speaking to me, you crazy¡ª¡± Shrilynda tightened her hand, and Issabeth clawed at her throat, gaping soundlessly for a glorious moment until a blast of light shot from the pearl with a roar, searing through the smoke binding Issabeth and exploding outward toward Shrilynda. Issabeth plunged into the ocean, and Shrilynda¡¯s own smoke platform weakened, causing her to drop abruptly. She gathered the smoke around her again, letting it consume her and carry her away from the powerful magic of the pearl. In an instant, Shrilynda was standing on the tiny bit of shore at the base of the cliff among crumbled piles of the broken castle above her. ¡°Goodbye, Sorceress,¡± Shrilynda purred, raising her hands. Using Issabeth¡¯s wild and impetuous magic was like trying to harness the electricity of the stormy air, so that was exactly what Shrilynda called forth. Lightning shot from her in a crackling bolt, aiming in Issabeth¡¯s general direction. Issabeth yelped, sensing the danger more than seeing it as choppy water shoved her under with each swell. Still, the pearl responded to her panic, throwing up a light shield just as her head crested the water. Shrilynda¡¯s lightning glanced off the glowing shield, rebounding to strike the broken castle dangling high above. A massive chunk broke off and plunged into the ocean. Shrilynda heard a scream and the resounding splash of some now-dead body slamming into the ocean. Normally Shrilynda loved the sounds of death in all its forms, but this one she ignored, focusing more magic at the Sorceress trying desperately to stay above water. Issabeth knew where Shrilynda was now, but she could do nothing about it. Shrilynda blasted bolt after bolt at Issabeth, feeling the surge of the stolen magic weaken with each attack. The light shield wavered. Shrilynda was draining her power source. Her stupid power source was too stubborn to be taken alive. No matter. As soon as Issabeth was too weak to continue her futile struggle, she would drown, and Shrilynda could take her body somewhere safer. Her blood was still useful enough after she was dead. Shrilynda comforted herself with the certainty of finding a better source of magic soon. Fog rolled in from the water. Shrilynda heaved a sigh. This magical battle had attracted the attention of the pesky Flifary. Of course. A dark, Flifary woman with long, fire-red hair appeared on one side of Shrilynda, and a man who was similar and different and hardly worth the effort of describing breezed in on the other. ¡°We¡¯ll take this from here,¡± the woman said. ¡°She¡¯s mine,¡± seethed Shrilynda. The man spoke next. ¡°See, we have a prisoner who is being very uncooperative with the information we need, and we¡¯re sure this one¡ª¡± He jerked his head in Issabeth¡¯s direction. ¡°¡ªwill help us motivate her.¡± Shrilynda would have laughed, but the previous bad experience was fresh in her mind. She decided to think instead. If she eviscerated the Flifary with Issabeth¡¯s magic, her power source would be dead and gone, Shrilynda would be stranded, and she would have made a powerful enemy. Of course, if she left now, her connection to Issabeth would wear off before she had time to find the children and have any fun at all. ¡°This one¡¯s not worth the chance,¡± Shrilynda warned them, which she felt was very considerate, under the circumstances. ¡°She¡¯ll find a way to escape.¡± ¡°Not our prison,¡± chuckled the woman. ¡°Arlana and Daniella are enjoying it thoroughly,¡± the man agreed. Trapping those two was not child¡¯s play. If these Flifary were really strong enough to offer up a credible threat to Rin, Shrilynda could afford to let them try. Ah, well, she was good at biding her time. She snapped her fingers, calling up the black smoke that billowed around her and carried her away from danger. Today had been a fruitful day and tomorrow was rife with possibility. Too Easy Rosaliy Just before Drake tumbled from the sky and well before being inadvertently blasted out of the sky by Shrilynda, Rosaliy made her way through the halls of the crumbling palace turned pirate stronghold. ¡°This all seems too easy,¡± Rosaliy mumbled as she and Jadelynn ladled healing potion into a little jar Jadelynn had stashed in a scarf tied around her waist. Sure, there had been plenty of menacing-looking pirates patrolling the halls, but they were no match for an invincible invisible bubble. All it had taken was to knock over a chair down the hallway from the conspicuously guarded treasure room to convince the guard to check a room around the corner. Then they closed the door on him and broke the lock. Jadelynn¡¯s extensive expertise with older brothers and mean pranks had come in handy. Rosaliy made a mental note to thank her brother for not being a psychopath. ¡°You¡¯ll make up for it getting to Flifary Island,¡± Jadelynn chattered, taking back the full jar. ¡°How do you expect to wrangle the Granpulpo? Queen Kat talked to us about it one time when we were studying magical creatures. She said it was huge and easily angered.¡± Rosaliy had no real answer. The second they stumbled across the information in their research, Cliff and Jadelynn were sure a giant octopus was the best way to travel. Supposedly, only a magical creature could travel to Flifary Island uninvited, but when that creature was a touchy, giant octopus, she wished she had time to dig for another plan, one involving a boat or magical stones. It was safe to assume Daniella would not have considered travel by giant octopus a legitimate option, so at least Rosaliy had the supposed power of unpredictability on her side. They exited the door, and Rosaliy disentangled the chain of the intricate metal ball from her belt, cupping the twisted metal in her palm. Handling new objects required coming out of the protective bubble¡ªan unfortunate drawback. When the benefit was being invisible and completely safe from everything outside the bubble, that one drawback was surmountable. The dome sprang up just in time for them to slide by one very angry pirate yelling to a few more to split up and search the castle. ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll be searching where we¡¯re going,¡± Jadelynn giggled quietly. The urge to whisper unnecessarily was too hard to overcome. They sped through the palace. Outside the ballroom, the pirates had let most of the palace fall into disrepair. They had tracked sand everywhere and redecorated with whale bones and mounted cutlasses. ¡°Does it ever make you sad?¡± Rosaliy asked as they walked past a wall-sized nautical map affixed to the wall with knives. ¡°You should hear Matias whine,¡± Jadelynn giggled. ¡°No, they can do what they want to the place.¡± ¡°If things had gone differently, you could have lived here. I think, in your place, I might be inclined to resent the pirates.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± Jadelynn hummed with a sideways grin, pointing at a jewel-encrusted chandelier being used to support one end of a rope hammock. ¡°Not really. I see how much pressure Lillya is under. I mean, poor girl can¡¯t even go camping without somebody trying to kidnap her. My mom still doesn¡¯t get to make choices for herself. I couldn¡¯t do it. I¡¯d snap and run away, probably. Instead, I get to train to be a Sorceress. I feel like it was what I was meant to do, you know?¡± Rosaliy did know. ¡°Magic is in your blood. It is what you were meant to do.¡± She told a new group of girls exactly that every year, and she meant it every time. Another hallway¡¯s decor consisted of bottles hanging from the ceiling with ropes. ¡°Abuelo would be spinning in his grave if he could see this, though,¡± Jadelynn whispered, like whispering would give away their position less than shouting at this moment. Finally, they found the sealed wing. Sealed was not the right word, considering the only barriers were a few tables someone had hacked the word ¡°NO¡± onto. The stairs were too great an obstacle for the flat bottom of the dome, unfortunately. The first time they tried to go up, the dome slid straight through. They had to backtrack, and Rosaliy had to abandon the enchantment, retying the metal ball securely around her belt. They were so close anyway. ¡°Good thing Sorceress Issabeth makes us run stairs every day,¡± Jadelynn sighed. ¡°She always says if you¡¯re not prepared to run up ten flights of stairs in an emergency, you¡¯re not prepared for anything.¡± That did sound like the High Sorceress. ¡°Hey,¡± barked a voice down a distant hallway. ¡°I heard something in the cursed wing.¡± Jadelynn moaned. ¡°Can we not tell the Sorceress she was right?¡± Rosaliy would have agreed wholeheartedly, but she was busy running up what must have been a thousand stairs. Jadelynn kept pace, and eventually they were at the top, panting. If Issabeth could have seen them, they would both have been assigned strict new training regimes as punishment. Rosaliy managed to close her fingers around the metal ball before three pirates crested the stairs, weapons drawn. Up close, the pirates¡ªtwo men and a woman¡ªwere menacing. Where the Crocs had given the impression of trying to look tougher than they were, these pirates were exactly as tough as they looked. Their spiked boots and copious weaponry were less decorative and more a lifestyle. The woman was her own brand of fierce. She looked like one of those swamp flowers that tempted travelers with its colored leaves and wafting smell, just to devour them when they got too close. ¡°Room by room,¡± ordered the woman. She rolled her r¡¯s like they were the ocean itself. ¡°Flush ¡®em toward the sea.¡± ¡°We toss ¡®em over when we find ¡®em?¡± asked one of the men. ¡°Or you in the mood to chat?¡± ¡°They¡¯re interrupting my busy evening of devouring canapes by the trayful,¡± she groused in reply. ¡°I¡¯m in the mood to gut them and hang them from the South Turret.¡±Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. The questioner pushed open the first room with the blade of a withdrawn knife. ¡°Hello?¡± he called. ¡°Anybody in here? Just looking for a partner for a rousing game of bladelings. No?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t like bein¡¯ up here, Es,¡± whined the other pirate. ¡°These hallways are cursed by the spirits of¡ª¡± ¡°You can stop right there, Harl,¡± she cut him off. ¡°There are no roaming spirits down these hallways unless you count rats and gulls. Plenty of those.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t no one ever come in here?¡± he shot back. ¡°Cause you blasted a hole in the side of the castle eight years back, locoburro,¡± she scoffed. ¡°Don¡¯t make me waste energy on threatening you.¡± ¡°I wish mom would let me put streaks in my hair like Esmona¡¯s,¡± Jadelynn sighed, eying the woman¡¯s dramatic teal hair. Esmona? Oh. ¡°We need to get past them before they beat us to the secret room,¡± was what Rosaliy said out loud, although her thoughts were quite different. They waited until the pirates had cleared the hallway and made for the end, hopping over wide cracks in a crumbling floor. The dome may have carried them safely across, but the drop to the swelling ocean below was alarming enough to convince Rosaliy not to take the chance. Rosaliy had to relinquish the ball so they could try the door. She bit back a cry of dismay. The wall to this room had been ripped away, plus the entire adjoining room. There was no way to go further from here. To add insult, Jadelynn pointed. Directly across this pirate-created chasm, Rosaliy could see the space between the floor they were on and the floor above. The secret room was so close, but there was no way to reach it from here. Rosaliy heard the pirates banging doors down the hallway, moving closer. Safely under the dome once more, they ran the wrong way in order to pick up another hallway that took them back to the other side of the castle chasm. At least they had outpaced the pirates and had a little time to search. However, unless they could exit this room by the time the pirates made it this far, they would be trapped, unless they wanted to chance a long drop to the ocean. Rosaliy did not want to chance a long drop to the storm-wracked ocean. The wind came in fierce, noisy gusts, making it hard for Rosaliy to hear the noisy pirates, but thankfully doing the same for them. She tied the metal ball back to her belt and scanned the room dubiously. It had been wrecked by wind and sea air. What if their entry point was at the bottom of the ocean? ¡°The chandelier,¡± hissed Jadelynn during a wind lull. ¡°See the ring around its base?¡± That was the point of entry to the secret space above all right, but where was the keyhole to open it? ¡°Maybe if I stood on your shoulders, I could reach the ceiling?¡± Jadelynn offered. ¡°I don¡¯t see anywhere to put a key, though.¡± ¡°Search the room first,¡± Rosaliy whispered. ¡°There must be something.¡± Unless it was on the wall that had slid into the ocean years ago. Rosaliy shushed herself; pessimism was not helping right now. Jadelynn pawed through weather-torn shelves, sliding objects and opening drawers. Rosaliy took a second to evaluate what was left in the room. The space was wrecked after all these years of being open to the elements. There was a rusty suit of headless armor slumped in the corner. One arm had been ripped off, but the other seemed in better shape¡ªless rusty and still fastened in place. Rosaliy waved Jadelynn over. The armor had rusted over long ago, so they almost missed the keyhole in metal man¡¯s armpit. Rosaliy banged upward to release the rust, wincing at the clanging sound. After a few tries, she managed to jam the key inside and turn it. There was a muffled click, click, click, and the chandelier lowered gently, its hanging metal loops becoming something like rungs of a rope ladder. The thieves were smart enough to rejoice silently, and soon Jadelynn and Rosaliy had both scaled the makeshift metal ladder. The secret room above was an even more disgusting mess than the one below. Spider webs and animal droppings filled every corner. The conditions were made worse by being forced to crawl on hands and knees in the cramped space. Jadelynn stifled a scream as she jostled a nest and awoke a pack of squealing chicks. A blast of wind shot in, bringing with it the ominous sound of distant shouting. Rosaliy redoubled her searching efforts. In amongst the filth, the room was also crammed with trunks and shelves with glass fronts. ¡°I wish we could take more,¡± Jadelynn sighed quietly. ¡°Just think of the amazing things that might be in here. Maybe we could ask Queen Kat to make a deal with the pirates for some of it?¡± No doubt there were valuable treasures squirreled away in here, but Rosaliy was only focused on one. Through the broken front of a dirty glass cabinet, something caught her eye. She wrapped a scarf around her hand and pried open the jagged glass. There was a carved wooden box with an octopus on the front. She tried to force the box open, but it held fast. ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a special way to press the tentacles to unlock¡ª¡± Jadelynn started to suggest. The wind chose that moment to die down, and she was cut short by a voice down below. ¡°You sure you heard something in here, Harl?¡± called Esmona. ¡°Because if you are hearing fake spirits again, I swear¡­¡± ¡°They weren¡¯t no spirits,¡± Harl protested. ¡°That¡¯s why you waited for me outside, right?¡± chuckled Esmona, her voice definitely in the room now. ¡°Better safe than sorry.¡± ¡°Yeah, because that¡¯s the pirating motto,¡± she muttered. Her footsteps moved back to the door. ¡°Head around,¡± she yelled down the hallway to the last pirate. ¡°Pin them in!¡± Oh, no. Could she and Jadelynn drop down the access hole and activate the dome before they were skewered by pirates? It depended how close the pirates were to the hole, she imagined. Otherwise she¡¯d be trapping a pirate inside the dome with them. Jadelynn was carefully peering down the hole now. The girl shot Rosaliy a grimace and shook her head. Not a good plan, then. Maybe they could swing over the open edge, jump to the next room? Rosaliy tried to call up a picture in her head. The secret room she was in was dangling over the ocean. The stone shelf seemed prohibitively far from any floor below. Then Rosaliy heard another voice call out. Drake¡¯s voice. Good timing. Maybe. Esmona did not sound overly pleased to see him, but that very well might have been pirate flirting. Rosaliy crept toward the edge of the shelf to look out. There was Drake in the room across from her. He saw her. She could not have stopped her relieved smile if she tried. She wondered how he had managed to find her, but mostly the sliver of the shore below caught her eye, or, more accurately, its occupant. There was a frighteningly pale woman down below. Katyrinna was a rosy pale, but this woman looked like she had not been outside for years. Her white skin was especially jarring in contrast to her curtain of black hair and the tattered black clothing wrapped around her slight form. She was Malum, Rosaliy realized, and she was raising her arms in attack. Rosaliy could not see the target, but the woman¡¯s eyes were fixed on a point just below Rosaliy. Her brain fumbled. What could she do to help? Her fingers clutched only the wooden box. If she could have opened it in the next heartbeat, she might have called the animal Jadelynn called the Granpulpo. As it was, lightning flashed from the woman¡¯s hands, a brilliant blinding blast. Rosaliy hardly understood what happened next. She felt an earthquake at her feet, and the stone beneath her shattered. Jadelynn dove forward, arms outstretched, but Rosaliy was already falling fast. She had not even the time for her life to flash before her eyes before she landed with a slap on the water. Her only thought while she felt the briefest instant of whole-body pain was that water was supposed to splash. Who knew a liquid could feel so much like hitting a solid wall? Then she thought and felt nothing at all. Wet Drake Rosaliy never resurfaced, not that Drake could have picked her out through the haze on the water. With a landing like that, there existed no possibility of her being conscious. Broken bones were fixable. Breathing underwater was a bigger problem. Drake ignored a rising wave of panic and the sneaking suspicion this was his punishment for seeing Rosaliy alive for the briefest of instants. Instead, he embraced a cold sense of urgency, yanking at his boots. Cliff diving was a terrible idea, but he had done it before and lived to question the wisdom of his decisions. Funny how many truthful sentences he could state just like that. Blank was a terrible idea, but he had survived it. ¡°Stop,¡± cautioned Esmona, holding out a hand. Her eyes were fixated down below. ¡°You¡¯re not going to talk me out of¡ª¡± ¡°Zzzt,¡± she shushed him, snapping a hand in a dismissive gesture. Drake could see thick fog rolling in below him. This was not a normal haze. That meant exactly one thing: Trouble. ¡°The Flifary,¡± he choked out, finally getting one stubborn boot off his foot. He needed to be down there. ¡°What?¡± Esmona exclaimed. ¡°The Flifa¡ª Are you really going to jump?¡± That was the plan. ¡°Wait!¡± yelled a voice. A girl dangled from a hole in the ceiling next to what appeared to be a chandelier turned into a ladder. She dropped, landing with a light thud in the middle of the weather-wrecked room across the chasm. ¡°What are you?¡± Esmona spluttered, knife at the ready. ¡°Are you the princess? I can¡¯t kill you. Who was that?¡± She waved at the water below. ¡°She looks dead already, not that I¡¯m going down to check. It would really improve my mood to be killing somebody right now.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going with you,¡± the girl told Drake, flinging off her shoes. ¡°I have, umm¡­¡± She side-eyed Esmona. ¡°Something useful.¡± ¡°I knew you were up to no good,¡± Esmona complained. ¡°Princesses sneaking about, Malum magic, Flifary doing who knows what¡­¡± Drake needed to get to Rosaliy now, but if the Flifary saw him, he would reveal Rosaliy¡¯s location. Of course, if he didn¡¯t get to her quickly, Rosaliy would drown. ¡°I need a distraction, Es,¡± he ordered. Not that ordering Esmona around did any good, but perhaps she would be caught off guard and take him seriously. ¡°I need a night off, a tub of rum, and a tray of canapes,¡± she complained, rolling her eyes. ¡°Boys,¡± she hollered. The two pirates had finally worked their way around to Drake¡¯s location, but they were dumbfounded over what to do in the midst of the chaos. ¡°Go fire some cannons at something.¡± An explosion rumbled the castle. Distant screams implied a shot had landed too close to the castle for comfort. The furry lump down the back of his shirt trembled. ¡°Ah, Alonzo anticipated me,¡± said Esmona. ¡°They¡¯re leaving,¡± said the girl, peering down at the shoreline Drake could not see. ¡°Or at least moving. I¡¯m going.¡± Drake would have argued, but arguing safety threw his own choices into question, and the girl had already dived over the edge anyway. Matias broke into the room just in time to see her leap. He screamed an incoherent garble of the girl¡¯s name and some version of ¡°no¡± and ¡°stop¡± all at once. ¡°Oh, good,¡± Esmona lit up when Cliff followed Matias in. ¡°At least I get to hurt somebody.¡± ¡°Touch him, and I snap you in half,¡± Drake threatened, finally yanking off his last boot. ¡°Assuming you survive,¡± Esmona scoffed. Excellent point. Now would be an opportune time to pass on Cliff¡¯s father¡¯s last words to him, but it was not really, and Drake had already jumped headfirst. Still burrowed in his shirt, Quita questioned her poor choices while she shredded his skin on his back with her monkey claws. As Drake hurtled toward the water, the fog was already thick. There was another explosion nearby and a flash of light, but Drake could only concern himself with meeting the water. He shot into the water, exhaling just enough to keep the water out of his nose, and he flew beneath the churning waves. Luckily, the ocean was already deep this close to shore, or this would have been a short trip for everyone. The water was dark, but the outline of a swimming girl churning the water below him was faintly lit by a glowing ball. He propelled himself down, sweeping through the water. The girl reached Rosaliy dangling limp in the water first, and instead of pulling her upward, she fumbled with Rosaliy¡¯s belt. Drake sped toward them, and before he could do anything, he was encased in glass. He thudded to the base of it while the girl gasped in a breath of air. ¡°You can breathe in here,¡± she panted. He hated to test her words, but his fingers stretched out to touch what certainly felt like a solid wall, and he was kneeling on a flat surface, not suspended in the water. He finally dared to open his mouth and inhale air without dying. A glowing rock was sealed inside with them, so he had a good view of Rosaliy slumped on the flat base of the dome, drenched, ashen-faced, and clutching something in her hands. His heart nearly stopped. To come all this way just to see her die was just the kind of horrific injustice Drake was accustomed to, but resigned cynicism was not making him feel any better. ¡°She¡¯s not breathing,¡± wailed the girl, thankfully more together than Drake was. She pressed on Rosaliy¡¯s chest. That spurred Drake to action. He pinched the dripping Rosaliy¡¯s nose and breathed into her mouth. If one was going to drown, one would do best to be surrounded by Baysellians. Through Drake and the girl¡¯s combined efforts, Rosaliy choked up sea water, trying to gasp in breath while her body was wracked with the choking coughs attempting to expel water from her lungs. The girl breathed a sigh of relief and flopped back against the wall of the dome. ¡°I was worried we were too late.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Drake had skipped worry and jumped right to certainty. He stretched out a hand to touch Rosaliy¡¯s cheek, not ready to acknowledge she was alive. Rosaliy moaned, and she squeezed her eyes shut, feeble coughs still jarring her body. ¡°What hurts?¡± he asked. ¡°Everything,¡± Rosaliy whimpered. He could barely feel appropriate sympathy for her situation. She was alive. She was talking. The girl produced a little jar. ¡°That¡¯s what this is for,¡± she promised, unsealing the clasp and tipping the liquid into Rosaliy¡¯s eerily blue lips. Too late, Drake realized what was happening. ¡°Oh, Rose,¡± he tried to warn her. ¡°This is going to¡ª¡± Rosaliy¡¯s eyes shot open, and she screamed, bolting straight up, which was a good sign, overall, even though it looked incredibly painful. Healing potion was brutal stuff when it was zipping around one¡¯s body knitting bones back together. Drake distinctly remembered a broken arm when he was twelve and a rather unsympathetic Senira. Her fingers dug into his arm. ¡°What happened?¡± she gasped, her whole body shaking. ¡°The Flifary and some evil lady showed up,¡± the girl explained. ¡°Plus angry pirates. You¡¯re very popular.¡± ¡°The Flifary and the Malum woman were after Issabeth,¡± Drake clarified. Rosaliy bit back another cry of pain, her grip tightening. She was so wonderfully solid and not dead. ¡°You broke a lot of bones with that fall,¡± he told her. There was not much he could do but state the obvious at this point. ¡°Maybe next time, try a smaller entry point into the water. If you plan to take up diving as a hobby.¡± She gritted her teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll remember that the next time I¡¯m blasted by magic,¡± she murmured, relaxing her grip into a sudden and unexpected hug. ¡°I¡¯m so glad to see you.¡± He was glad to see her, but before he could express the relief tentatively settling over him at finding her not smothered by a mountain worth of rock, she asked, ¡°What is that?¡± Rosaliy pulled at the back of Drake¡¯s shirt, and a soggy, trembling Quita tumbled out. Wild-eyed, the monkey screamed dramatically, throwing herself at the sides of the dome, pinging from one spot to another, trying to escape. Jadelynn made to grab for Quita, but the tiny monkey stayed out of her grasp, even in the tiny space. ¡°Oh,¡± Rosaliy whimpered. ¡°Laughing hurts!¡± ¡°Lie down,¡± he advised, making no move to help her do so while her arms were wrapped around him. She did not move, and he did not mind. ¡°You¡¯re better off down here,¡± Jadelynn warned the monkey when the furball finally stopped to catch her breath. Rosaliy tipped her head back to look up through murky water. ¡°What¡¯s going on up there?¡± As if to illustrate the question, something thunked on top of the dome. ¡°What was that?¡± asked Rosaliy. A dark ball slid off the dome and continued its trip to the bottom of the ocean. ¡°Cannon ball,¡± he answered. ¡°Flifary must still be up there.¡± ¡°At least they can¡¯t see us,¡± said the girl. ¡°Issabeth,¡± Rosaliy exclaimed, wincing. ¡°You said Issabeth? I need to help her.¡± She tried to use him as leverage to stand, which was amusing, but not an attempt he was inclined to humor. Where did she intend to go while she was half broken and trapped two breaths away from the ocean floor? ¡°You won¡¯t even be able to stand for a few hours, Rose,¡± Drake objected, ¡°much less battle the Flifary.¡± ¡°But I have to stop them somehow,¡± she insisted, tipping her head back to look at him. He was struck by how consumed she was with the need to do good. She had a glow in her eyes he hadn¡¯t remembered noticing before. ¡°That¡¯s what Daniella told me. Where is Daniella?¡± ¡°I have no idea,¡± he admitted. ¡°The Flifary caught up to us on the fringe of the desert. I just hope she got away.¡± ¡°We need her,¡± said Rosaliy, releasing him to grab her arm. She squeezed her eyes shut. Honestly, why did something like healing potion cause so much pain? It needed a more accurate name and a disclaimer. ¡°I need her to translate the message.¡± ¡°She did. Assuming you¡¯re talking about the message in your secret book.¡± ¡°Right,¡± she agreed. ¡°The one I couldn¡¯t talk about. Wait.¡± She blinked up at him, then shook her head. ¡°Apparently I now can. You know what was in the message?¡± He nodded. ¡°Then we need to get to Flifary Island. Or, wait.¡± She winced and gritted her teeth through another wave of bones knitting back together. ¡°You need to tell me what¡¯s in the message, and I need to get to Flifary Island. Right away.¡± That made him smile. She had been dead moments ago, and now she was trying to save the world. Getting to Flifary Island was not a top priority for him, but he was amenable to any desire posed by an alive Rosaliy. ¡°How do you propose to do that?¡± She gripped the wooden box somehow still sitting on her lap. ¡°Jadelynn,¡± Rosaliy murmured, like she had just realized the girl was here. ¡°You need to get to safety.¡± Drake was under the impression they were better off down here. He circled his finger at the dome around them. ¡°How long does this thing last?¡± ¡°A long time,¡± Jadelynn assured him. ¡°You could probably live down here.¡± No, thank you, but at least Rosaliy could safely stay here to finish healing up before she threw herself at the Flifary. She rested her head against his chest as if to question his non-selfish reasoning for staying locked away in a dome underwater. Jadelynn raised her eyebrows. ¡°You¡¯re the ex-princess,¡± he realized. She was soggier than he remembered, but familiar. ¡°The one studying to be a Sorceress.¡± She agreed with him before asking, ¡°So how are we going to bring down the Flifary?¡± The ¡°we¡± did not slide by Rosaliy, despite her distress. ¡°You were such a huge help, Jade,¡± Rosaliy argued, ¡°but I¡¯ve already put you in far too much danger. Besides, I need to go alone. The more people with me, the easier we are to track.¡± Jadelynn looked dubious. ¡°You¡¯re the one they¡¯re tracking, Rose,¡± Drake felt obligated to point out. ¡°Ugh,¡± she moaned. ¡°That¡¯s true. Apparently I was supposed to stay out of their notice. Thanks, Daniella, for getting me that message in a timely manner.¡± ¡°Nobody can track you in here, at least,¡± said Jadelynn. That was good to know. Then, Jadelynn¡¯s eyes lit up with a new idea. ¡°Since I¡¯m probably not talking anybody into letting me come along on this ¡®bring down the Flifary¡¯ adventure, even though I¡¯d be very useful¡­¡± Jadelynn flashed a smile at Rosaliy. ¡°Right¡­¡± said Rosaliy, matching her tone. ¡°What if they weren¡¯t looking?¡± Jadelynn finished, blue eyes glowing with her plan. ¡°Huh?¡± said Rosaliy. Drake could have seconded that ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have time to run all the details by you,¡± said Jadelynn in a rush. ¡°I¡¯m going up.¡± Rosaliy heaved a sigh with a little whimper of pain at the end. ¡°I don¡¯t have the energy to argue with you. Don¡¯t put yourself in danger.¡± ¡°Not a chance,¡± Jadelynn agreed, much too easily. ¡°You might want to hold your breath,¡± she told Drake. ¡°And grab that monkey.¡± Jadelynn snatched the glowing rock out of the air and gave it to Rosaliy. Then she handed the jar of healing potion to Drake. ¡°Cliff needs that,¡± Rosaliy objected. Jadelynn cocked an incredulous eyebrow. ¡°I think you¡¯ll need a supply of healing potion more than Cliff.¡± ¡°Have you met Cliff?¡± Drake wanted to ask, but he refrained. ¡°Nice to meet you, Drake,¡± Jadelynn said with a grin. ¡°Ready?¡± It was a warning more than a question, and he wouldn¡¯t have known how to answer her anyway. Drake had just managed to scoop up an angry, biting Quita before Jadelynn held out a metal ball in her palm. Drake took a deep breath as ordered, keeping a tight grip on the squirming monkey. This was definitely a time for blindly following orders. Next, water hit him from every angle. Distraction Jadelynn Jadelynn¡¯s head broke the surface of the water, and she gratefully sucked in air before taking in her surroundings. A giant boom resounded above her, and she swiveled in the water to locate the sound¡¯s origin¡ªa massive pirate ship just off shore. They were firing at¡­their own castle? Pirates made her head hurt. The cannon ball sailed over her head, but before she followed its arc in the darkness, the hard-to-see dark ball was enveloped in swirling gray fog that evaporated and reformed near the pirate ship. The cannon ball flew from the fog the opposite direction, straight toward the ship, slicing through the top of the tallest mast. A tiny figure dove off the crow¡¯s nest below just before the tip of the mast and its topmost sail collapsed, snapping rigging and tangling sails on its way down. The Ingobernable flag tumbled down with the broken mast, its jagged red streak piercing a skull fluttering down into the ocean. Jadelynn mopped stinging salt water from her face and scanned for the Flifary, but the ocean swells buffeted her. The erratic movement combined with the dark and her waterlogged dress created an insurmountable obstacle to good vision. At least she could tell the direction of the cliffs, so she took a deep breath and pushed off, managing to swim her way toward the few lengths of damp sand remaining after the incoming tide had its way. As she closed in, she saw a body-shaped lump close to shore and increased her pace, digging through the stubborn water. The ocean was deep until Jadelynn was nearly on top of the cliffs, and her arms burned by the time her feet touched sand. She noticed none of it, thinking about only the time it took to reach High Sorceress Issabeth, bound and motionless. Jadelynn reached toward the Sorceress, but the ropes reacted. On closer inspection, what seemed to be vines and leaves stretched toward Jadelynn. That was not a good sign. She hesitated, calling out, ¡°Sorceress, are you ok?¡± Sorceress Issabeth¡¯s body trembled in recognition. ¡°Jade? Stay away from the vines.¡± She trailed off weakly. Jadelynn was not a crier, but tears sprang to her eyes seeing the invincible Sorceress this way. ¡°What can I do?¡± Issabeth faded again. Jadelynn searched for a sharp rock to hack at the vines, but before she could, fog swirled in around her. Two forms materialized. Jadelynn recognized the dark skin and flame-red hair of the Flifary from her studies into magical peoples of the past, and to see them in person was unnerving. ¡°Look what we found!¡± crowed a bright-haired woman before her gleeful face melted into an expression of anger. ¡°Ack, you¡¯re not the right Sorceress.¡±Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. That was insulting at best. ¡°You let Sorceress Issabeth go!¡± Jadelynn blustered. There was no harm in trying. ¡°Sure,¡± the woman mocked her. ¡°Just tell us where the meddling Sorceress disappeared to, and we¡¯ll consider a trade.¡± The benefit of being so close to tears already was being able to put on a convincing show. She let those desperate tears swim in her salty eyes. ¡°She¡¯s dead,¡± Jadelynn sobbed. ¡°I was too late!¡± The red-haired woman narrowed her eyes. Sure, the story was too convenient, but Jadelynn was confident she could sell it. What good was having six older brothers if she did not use them to hone her persuasion techniques over the years? ¡°It¡¯s your fault!¡± she accused through heaving sobs. ¡°You killed her! You killed Sorceress Rosaliy! And now you¡¯re going to kill Sorceress Issabeth!¡± Mildly confusing and largely baseless accusations were always useful to distract from holes in logic. ¡°Lies,¡± the dark woman scoffed. ¡°She was wearing a belt that would protect her from harm.¡± Obviously, that was an oversimplification. Rosaliy couldn¡¯t be stabbed to death or shot with a bow or blasted with magic, but the impact of falling the height of a castle and hitting water as unforgiving as a brick wall was outside the scope of a wearable enchanted object. Jadelynn was not about to have a discussion about the ins and outs of enchantments right now. ¡°Doesn¡¯t work that great when there¡¯s no air to breathe,¡± she shot back. ¡°Do you know what this means?¡± grumbled the woman. ¡°I could have killed her so long ago. Dalor, what do you think?¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± waffled the man with spiky red hair like flames atop his head. ¡°The guests did see somewhere between one and eighteen bodies fall in the water, and the cats can¡¯t find the Sorceress anywhere in the castle.¡± The woman glared at Jadelynn suspiciously, so she dissolved into more tears. It was best not to be too coherent in the midst of all her grief. Even pesky brothers avoided crying girls. ¡°We have Daniella, now, so it¡¯s not like she¡¯s important,¡± the man added. ¡°True,¡± sighed the woman, ¡°but these negligible factors are nothing but trouble. Run a search when we get back.¡± Another boom resounded from the ship and the Flifary woman swished her hands toward the incoming cannon ball. It redirected with a swirl of fog and launched itself directly at the ship this time, punching a hole in its hull. ¡°Nice shot, Iketa,¡± praised the man. She puffed up a bit. ¡°Ready to grab the cats?¡± ¡°They¡¯re probably just eating party food anyway,¡± he grumbled. Fog swept around them, and after Jadelynn¡¯s vision cleared, she was left on the sliver of shore alone. She took a moment to choke down the rest of her shaky breaths and squash out the real tears for Sorceress Issabeth. The Sorceress could handle anything, but this seemed like more than even she could overcome. Jadelynn had to do something. She almost considered going back underwater, but maybe she could find some way to be more useful than tagging along with two people who clearly wanted to be alone. ¡°Jade!¡± yelled a voice directly above her. Cliff¡¯s face hung over the broken base of the castle. ¡°Hang on! I¡¯ll get ropes.¡± A Locked Box Rosaliy Rosaliy and Drake had to wait until Jadelynn swooped up through the water before Rosaliy could grip the metal ball and seal them back inside the protective bubble dome. Quita was livid over her treatment. She battled away from Drake with screeches and scratches before curling up to sulk as far away as she could in the small dome. Rosaliy understood her monkey rage. Parts of Rosaliy had started to dry, and now she was soaked through yet again. She had water up her nose, and everything smelled like salty, fishy ocean. ¡°Why am I always covered in something when I see you?¡± she complained. ¡°I¡¯m going to go out on a plank and guess you are often covered in things,¡± Drake teased. ¡°I looked fantastic pre-party,¡± she insisted. ¡°Not a hair out of place.¡± He took a while to respond. She opened her eyes, but she was lying flat on her back, and he was only in the corner of her field of vision. She would have chanced turning, but the feeling in her legs was returning. She had not noticed through the pain in her arms and chest that she had no feeling in her legs, but now they were coming back to life like someone had lit them on fire. ¡°Sorry I was late,¡± Drake said eventually. Even though Drake was not his desperately eager love potion self, there was something off under the surface. She started to ask what had happened to him, but someone chose at that moment to dip her feet into fire hot spikes. ¡°How long will this take?¡± she exclaimed instead, flailing for Drake¡¯s hand without realizing it. He had to slide closer to let her squeeze his hand, putting a red-stained gash across his pants in her eye line. ¡°What happened to you?¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I got off better than you did on the injury healing front,¡± he said, closing his eyes and leaning back against the dome. ¡°This will take a while. You should sleep it off.¡± She could not have slept if she wanted to, considering something was biting her toes. ¡°I¡¯d rather use up all the questions I have built up.¡± His eyes snapped open. ¡°Those are not cumulative,¡± he tried to argue. ¡°And since you¡¯ve been talking to Cliff and Matias and who knows who else, I¡¯m sure you¡¯re full of information anyway.¡± And the Crocodillo gang. And the Senira. Everyone in Bayselle did seem to know Drake. ¡°So about Esmona¡­¡± she began. He was so tense, her first attempt at a question made him laugh. A distant low tone rumbled in the water outside the bubble. ¡°What was that?¡± Rosaliy squeaked, trying to look. She could see nothing, and trying to sit up made every part of her hurt worse than before. ¡°Can you turn off the light?¡± asked Drake. Rosaliy quieted Jadelynn¡¯s firefly stone with a fairly painful twirl of her finger. The green stone went dark and fell on her stomach, leaving Drake and Rosaliy alone in the murky dark. Rosaliy stared up, thinking maybe she was able to see faint color in the shifting water around their protective bubble, but she decided her eyes were inventing things. ¡°I think we¡¯re getting pushed out to sea,¡± Drake concluded. The low rumble sounded again, much closer. This time, Rosaliy could have sworn she saw shifting shadows. ¡°Nothing can see us inside the bubble,¡± Rosaliy assured herself. ¡°Few things this far down use their eyes,¡± Drake pointed out, still scanning the darkness. The silence was as oppressive as the dark. There had to be something Drake would talk about. She would settle for a rousing conversation about the weather to keep her mind off the buzzing pain in her body, coupled with the fact that she was floating helplessly through the depths of the ocean while everyone she cared about was depending on her. ¡°You sound pretty familiar with the ocean,¡± she tried, ignoring an ache spreading through her knees. ¡°I thought you spent most of your time traveling the desert.¡± Drake kept hold on her hand¡ªshe hadn¡¯t realized she was still holding it¡ªand shifted once more so his back was resting against the dome. ¡°Is that one of your questions?¡± ¡°I was just being conversational for the sake of noise and not interrogating you, but whatever makes you talk.¡± Also, she had missed him and she had been worried about him, but those were things she had no hope of successfully expressing under these conditions. ¡°Conversational,¡± he mused. ¡°You know, I¡ª¡± But then, he stopped abruptly, and whatever he might have said was gone. Even though she was physically connected to him, he still seemed distant. ¡°The ocean,¡± he said instead. ¡°I grew up on the ocean.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± she prodded, since that seemed the extent of what he was intending to say. ¡°Right after Meena took me in, she took up residence on a pirate ship. For some reason, she thought a pirate ship was a safer playground for a young boy than a coastal city where she was regularly having her life threatened.¡± ¡°The Ingobernables?¡± ¡°Not them.¡± Darn. Drake was just not going to tell her anything about Esmona. ¡°I don¡¯t remember their name, but their flag had a flaming turtle on it. Well, it was probably something else suffering from poor artistry, but that did not stop me from calling them the Flaming Turtles.¡± ¡°Has a nice ring. I¡¯m sure you have some good stories.¡± Had her arm always had that many bones? Were they all supposed to feel like burning acid at once? ¡°I¡¯m the worst at stories,¡± he disagreed. ¡°Tell one anyway,¡± she begged. Listening was so much better than feeling biting pain over every part of her body as the healing potion knitted her back together. ¡°What was little Drake like?¡± ¡°Shy,¡± he answered. ¡°Always hiding. In fact, one time the turtle pirates were stashing some of their ill-gotten goods at their stockpile in an island cove west of here. He gestured with his free hand, apparently still having a sense of west underwater. ¡°I managed to slip off the ship and hide in the rocks until they sailed away.¡± Little Drake was probably adorable. ¡°Must have been terrifying.¡± ¡°All I remember was being relieved,¡± said Drake. ¡°I was king of the sea lions for half a day. At a certain point, I realized I was thirsty, but I managed to use a crossbow from a weapons stash to shoot down coconuts for water.¡± ¡°Resourceful.¡± ¡°Meena had other words when she sailed back for me that night,¡± Drake chuckled. Rosaliy was close enough to feel the vibration of his almost laughter. ¡°I had to clean decks for two weeks.¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t afraid? To be so alone?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve never been afraid of anything normal,¡± Drake answered in a quiet, distracted way. ¡°Sometimes I think I¡¯m broken.¡± ¡°No,¡± Rosaliy disagreed. ¡°Just unique.¡± She gritted her teeth against a wave of nausea. Her insides felt like they were rearranging. ¡°You see what a disaster I am at trying to be conversational?¡± He wasn¡¯t and she didn¡¯t. ¡°Would you rather talk about Esmona or what you¡¯ve been up to since the Flifary grabbed me?¡± ¡°I never should have let them do that,¡± Drake grumbled. ¡°I don¡¯t remember them giving you much choice,¡± she squeaked out. She could easily have mustered a better defense of him if she was not being stabbed repeatedly in the knees.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. ¡°You should stop talking,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Then you¡¯d better start,¡± she ordered. ¡°And stop being so hard on yourself.¡± ¡°Hmph,¡± he snorted. ¡°She translated the message, Daniella did. In the book you were hiding.¡± ¡°It was hiding itself,¡± Rosaliy disagreed, vaguely realizing she had talked about it. She must have broken the connection. ¡°What did it say?¡± ¡°The Flifary Seer hid an important stone in the temple,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s magically disguised.¡± ¡°How?¡± Rosaliy asked. ¡°As what?¡± ¡°If there were more clues in the message, it¡¯s gone now,¡± Drake told her. Rosaliy felt a shudder ripple its way through him. Arlana was still alive and being kept prisoner, so Rosaliy could ask her on the island. She did not concern herself with the logistics. Breaking into a Flifary prison seemed as implausible as getting to the island in the first place. ¡°The stone was important to the Flifary,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely think about what that means when I¡¯m not on fire.¡± ¡°You¡¯re to the fire stage? That¡¯s a good sign.¡± Her answer was half a strangled yelp. ¡°More talking, then?¡± ¡°Yes. Back up. How did you get to Taragon?¡± So odd that where he saw reasons to be guilty for his actions, Rosaliy saw clever quick thinking. He had rescued Cade¡¯s book and Lillya¡¯s from the Flifary and found Daniella in time. He had every right to take off after that ridiculous love potion wore off, but he had put himself in danger to help her. He really was determined to see the worst in himself. ¡°Wait, you actually kidnapped Daniella?¡± Rosaliy marveled at that part of the story. ¡°I don¡¯t always default to the best solution to a problem,¡± he admitted, ¡°just the easiest one.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m just wondering how you managed to trick her and wishing I could have seen it,¡± said Rosaliy, trying not to laugh. ¡°I bet you¡¯re the only person to have gotten the best of her, other than Queen Kat.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­not a distinction I appreciate,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a distinction I appreciate.¡± She could not help but cough half a laugh in response, but she regretted the accompanying tightening of her throbbing ribs. ¡°I was hoping to crash the mine on top of the Flifary and get you out,¡± Drake continued, ¡°but you see how well that worked.¡± ¡°Pretty well, actually,¡± said Rosaliy, ¡°except for the part where I left you behind. I assumed Daniella would know where she sent me in Bayselle and be able to get there herself.¡± She never would have left them in so much danger. She shivered, both at what the Flifary might have done to Drake and Daniella if they had been captured and because zapping chills were tingling up and down her chest. ¡°I hope she escaped,¡± said Drake, sounding something like wistful. She wished she could see him, but the dark was smothering. ¡°Escaped what?¡± Rosaliy asked. ¡°You stopped your story in the middle. Plus, you¡¯re leaving out all the best parts.¡± ¡°No,¡± he disagreed. ¡°The best part was seeing you alive. The rest of the story is pretty much downhill from there.¡± A spasm shot up her spine, and she nearly ripped Drake¡¯s hand off. ¡°All right, story,¡± he promised. ¡°After the mine, Daniella didn¡¯t even hesitate to come with me. Even with no memories and after I had kidnapped her and nearly buried her in an unstable mine, she was determined to head to Bayselle as quickly as possible.¡± He had grown much fonder of Daniella in his short acquaintance than Rosaliy ever had. ¡°She¡¯s fearless,¡± Rosaliy admitted. That was the nicest word she could come up with. ¡°Hmm,¡± he murmured, far away all of a sudden. ¡°How did you get to Bayselle so fast,¡± Rosaliy prodded. ¡°Ah,¡± he said, stalling. ¡°Well, we were nearly eaten by a pack of estrellmars and tracked down by the Flifary.¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± she gasped. ¡°Do they have her?¡± ¡°Actually, they got me,¡± he said. ¡°They threw me into the place where they were holding the High Sorceress and a Malum woman, Shrilynda.¡± ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± she breathed. ¡°I mean, I know you¡¯re not kidding, but Shrilynda?¡± ¡°You know her?¡± ¡°Know of.¡± ¡°She seems delightful, if by delightful I mean completely insane.¡± ¡°So if Issabeth is free, then Shrilynda¡­¡± ¡°Right,¡± he agreed. ¡°I can only imagine what¡¯s going on up there right now.¡± ¡°I should never have let Jadelynn go,¡± Rosaliy moaned. ¡°She seemed pretty determined,¡± Drake pointed out. ¡°Does magic make people stubborn, or are stubborn people more likely to have magic?¡± ¡°I should go up,¡± Rosaliy tried to suggest again. ¡°Can you even stand?¡± he asked. She could definitely not stand. ¡°I hate being helpless,¡± she grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re pretty terrible at it,¡± Drake agreed. ¡°You could be a better distraction,¡± she accused. ¡°I definitely could,¡± he sighed. ¡°Are you ok?¡± she asked, finally having enough control over her neck to be able to tip her head in his direction. Of course, he was impossible to see in the dark, but she thought she saw a silhouette shift in surprise. ¡°You¡¯re asking me if I¡¯m doing alright?¡± ¡°It would make me feel better to worry about you,¡± she cajoled. ¡°You¡¯re devious,¡± he mused. ¡°I don¡¯t deserve your pity, though.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not pity,¡± she said. ¡°Technically only one of us has cast a mind-altering spell on the other and plunked him in the cross hairs of a ruthless magical enemy. It¡¯s also my fault you¡¯re buried underwater.¡± ¡°I guess that¡¯s one way to look at it.¡± ¡°You know,¡± she tried haltingly, afraid to push him, ¡°you could tell me what¡¯s wrong.¡± She knew he wasn¡¯t going to tell her anything, but at least he didn¡¯t try to break his way out of the magical dome to get away. ¡°I¡¯m not even sure what to tell,¡± he said instead. ¡°Mostly, I just wish I was a better person.¡± ¡°We all wish that,¡± she promised. ¡°Except for the really bad people.¡± He had no response. She lifted the firefly stone and lit their dome with a faint green light once more. He looked down at her curiously. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t ask you to do this,¡± she said, realizing as she talked how selfish she had been to drag him into this. ¡°It¡¯s insane. If you want to leave now¡­¡± A pained look crinkled his forehead. ¡°You do realize you¡¯re more than willing to send yourself on a suicide mission to take down rogue Flifary, and you¡¯re not willing to talk about what¡¯s bothering you?¡± she pointed out. ¡°One of those things is easier than the other.¡± Half a smile crossed his face. ¡°Which one?¡± She could only imagine what a mess she was on the outside, but he was that on the inside, and she did not know how to fix any of it. Rosaliy was great at fixing problems. She could bandage scraped knees, soothe a panicked cow, fix ponytails, and mend fences, but patching up a bruised heart was maybe beyond her talents. ¡°Thanks,¡± he said quietly while she floundered for something to say. ¡°For what?¡± ¡°For caring,¡± he said. ¡°So what¡¯s this big plan for getting to the Flifary?¡± He was trying to distract her without having to talk about himself. She would have to let him for now. ¡°This box,¡± she answered, patting the box on her lap. She felt the weight of it lift as he took it from her. ¡°Feeling up to sitting?¡± he asked. Possibly. He put an arm behind her back while she gripped his other, and eventually she was propped next to him. He was certainly warmer and more comfortable than the solid base of the dome. For the first time, she was able to really examine the box. She gestured the weak green light closer. A wooden octopus¡ªmenacing in the eerie green glow¡ªsat on top of the wooden box in Drake¡¯s hands. Two tentacles gripped each side, clamping the wooden top to the base. Quita was still sulking, but even she stole glances over to this mysterious object. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with these,¡± Drake said, spinning it. ¡°You need the combination. At least four of the tentacles are hiding metal prongs pinning the box closed. You need to press the right tentacles in the right order for them to release.¡± The King of Bayselle and his complicated systems for hiding everything. ¡°Can we guess?¡± she asked. ¡°Every time you guess wrong, the locking mechanisms freeze into place, making another attempt impossible until its timer unwinds and releases the pins.¡± ¡°That is oddly specific information,¡± Rosaliy mused. ¡°How¡ª?¡± ¡°You are surely out of questions by now,¡± he interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you don¡¯t have a combination.¡± ¡°No,¡± Rosaliy grumbled. ¡°We¡¯d have to go back to Jadelynn¡¯s manor to search for the right code in the king¡¯s books.¡± ¡°And walk right into the Flifary, most likely.¡± ¡°Plus, Matias,¡± she added. If there was any benefit to being underwater, it was being free of Matias. A smile stole across Drake¡¯s face. ¡°He hasn¡¯t grown on you?¡± Like mold, maybe. ¡°Can we just break it?¡± Rosaliy suggested. ¡°The outer wood, yes, but you¡¯d destroy the mechanism for opening the metal lining inside. Unless you¡¯re carrying some way to cut through ridiculously thick metal, that¡¯s not a good way into the box.¡± ¡°So this was all for nothing?¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t say that,¡± Drake answered, eying Rosaliy sideways. ¡°Mind if I borrow some hairpins?¡± ¡°Take them all,¡± she replied. Her arms were working well enough by then to retrieve a handful for him. She kept picking them out of her snarled, soggy hair while he went to work on the box. He was intently focused, even pushing back his damp sleeves. She caught a glimpse of the scorpion tattoo on his forearm. Its body was made up of a jagged E, and its tail was a lightning bolt, poised to sting. She tried not to stare or think too hard about how he was literally trying to hide his inescapable past all the time lest she ask more invasive questions. Before long, Drake had carefully worked the box lid open just enough to shove hairpins inside the tiny opening. Next, he bent a few open and wiggled one under the lid. ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Rosaliy asked quietly, afraid to disrupt the delicate process. ¡°The tentacles with locks on them, for a start,¡± Drake replied, gingerly shimmying the pin under the lid of the box. ¡°Found the first one.¡± He left a pin to mark his discovery and moved on. By the time Rosaliy had cleared her head of pins, he located the four tentacles locking the box in place. ¡°But we still have to guess which order,¡± she pointed out. ¡°That¡¯s three chances to guess wrong, and that¡¯s just for the first lock.¡± ¡°I¡¯m far too big a pessimist for those odds,¡± he said, setting the box on the ground and lying on his stomach, bending so his ear was right next to the box. Rosaliy held her breath while he held the pin and softly pressed on the tentacle next to it. After a few tense seconds, he pulled back. ¡°Not that one,¡± he announced, spinning the box. ¡°How can you tell?¡± Rosaliy whispered. ¡°The locking mechanism is pushing in to lock me out instead of pulling out to release,¡± he answered, already working on the next one. She heard a click. ¡°One,¡± he sighed. ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± she marveled. ¡°It¡¯s criminal,¡± he disagreed. Rosaliy was of the opinion the ethics of his handy skill depended on the extenuating circumstances, but she tabled her objections before she was shushed. Even if he got the box open, what were they going to do with a giant octopus? A Fishy Plan Drake How did a person explain to another person how glad he was to see her without just saying how glad he was to see her? By opening an impenetrable box, Drake guessed, and possibly getting himself killed on a magical island. Rosaliy did not seem to understand Drake would have told her anything she wanted to hear. She was alive. Her very presence filled him with maybes he had no right considering. Since death was still a real and present possibility, he could shove all those maybes to the background for now, even though everything he was ignoring was threatening to catch up to him all at once in a terrifying rush of confusion. He pushed on the last tentacle of the octopus puzzle box, and after a tense moment of uncertainty, the box clicked. Drake let out a pent up breath and pulled the top from the box, revealing silky fabric wrapped around a lump. The light of Rosaliy¡¯s glowing stone cast an eerie green pallor over their underwater bubble, so it was hard to tell, but the fabric looked like a deep crimson, the universal color of danger. ¡°Careful with the stone,¡± Rosaliy warned. ¡°At least, I hope it¡¯s a stone.¡± The worst of her fight with healing potion was over, which was a relief. He had run out of things to talk about, not that he had done a stellar job while he had been trying. As a sign of Rosaliy¡¯s improved condition, she swept her hair back into a damp version of her normal ponytail, using a soggy scarf wrapped around her belt to tie her hair in place, her way of bringing order to chaos. Drake¡¯s fingers¡ªabout to reach into the box¡ªhesitated. ¡°What does it do?¡± ¡°Hopefully it calls the¡ª What did Jadelynn call it? The Grandpoco?¡± ¡°Granpulpo,¡± he corrected, not sure why he was bothering since he hoped to be wrong. ¡°Yes, that.¡± His heart stopped long enough for the chill of his damp clothes to tingle on his skin. Tossing around words like ¡°Granpulpo¡± on the water¡ªlet alone underwater¡ªwas enough to spook the most hardened of sailors. His fingers drew back from the wrapped silk. ¡°And this seemed like a good idea, because¡­¡± His cautious words tugged a smile from the corners of her mouth. ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t see you here coming up with brilliant ideas while you were running around the desert getting kidnapped.¡± Her accusation was not a real one. He pushed the open box her way. She needlessly moved the box closer to herself and straightened it, telltale signs of nervous stalling. ¡°It seemed like a terrible way to get to the island, and therefore unexpected,¡± she admitted. ¡°Plus, it was the first thing we found.¡± We? This was a collaborative effort? ¡°Has anyone successfully used this before?¡± ¡°I wish anyone was here to give me the answer,¡± she grumbled, returning her eyes to the ominous lump of fabric in front of her. ¡°You were an expert on the box, but not its contents?¡± He was an expert on stealing valuable objects. He rarely stopped to care about the objects themselves. ¡°If this works, what¡¯s the plan?¡± he asked as casually as possible, both sidestepping her question and realizing if step one was locating a highly poisonous sea creature that could crush ships on a whim, he should prepare himself for step two now. She shook her head and rocked back on her knees. ¡°I¡¯ve been so focused on finding a way to that island, I haven¡¯t had time to stop and think about what to do when I get there. I have no idea. Not one. What could I possibly do that Arlana and Daniella couldn¡¯t, let alone Issabeth, Athena, Katyrinna, Alexander¡­¡± She shot him a pained look. ¡°Daniella chose me because the Flifary thought I was inconsequential.¡± Drake might have said any number of encouraging things, but instead, he blurted out, ¡°Inconsequential sounds wonderful. To be able to do anything or nothing and not affect anyone else.¡± He couldn¡¯t seem to do anything without dragging people down with him. ¡°I can practically hear you being too hard on yourself,¡± she accused.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Never too. She sighed and shook her head. ¡°Assuming we make it to the island¡ª And you¡¯re sure you don¡¯t want to make a run for it? Or a swim, I suppose.¡± ¡°No,¡± he chuckled softly. There were worse things than swift death. ¡°Then do you have any ideas on how to bring down an evil pack of magicians on their home turf?¡± He was sure this whole conversation could have been going better, but he did know more than a little about turf battles. ¡°You know how the pirates defeated the royalty?¡± he asked. ¡°They blasted a hole in the side of the king¡¯s castle?¡± ¡°That was just property damage. Mostly, they walked around telling everyone they were in charge. Sure, they had some weaponry to back up their claims, but it¡¯s amazing how many people just fall in line when you tell them you¡¯re the boss. People may not have supported the pirates, but they certainly had no love for the King. Apathy turned a large war into a quick battle.¡± ¡°So in a way, the inconsequential decided the war?¡± ¡°Sure, but it didn¡¯t hurt to have an armada of pirate ships and enough firepower to blast a hole in the side of a castle.¡± She thought this over, fingers stealing back toward the box in some sort of unconscious decision-making. ¡°Considering how well the pirates plan, that does make me feel better about my chances,¡± she decided. ¡°Maybe if I make it to the island in one piece, I can figure it all out.¡± This did seem like a ¡°one thing at a time¡± situation. ¡°Just to clarify, we¡¯re traveling to Flifary Island by giant octopus.¡± She was being frighteningly non-specific about the logistics involved. ¡°Right,¡± she agreed, running her fingers down the sides of the box. ¡°How?¡± he prodded. ¡°Umm¡­¡± Rosaliy hummed. ¡°There¡¯s a fat book on magical sea life I never seem to find time to read sitting on my bookshelf at Crystal Palace. If I make it through all this, I promise to read it first thing. All I know is there is magical compulsion involved. If you touch the stone, Granpulpo will transport you to Flifary Island.¡± She was likely keeping the ¡°in theory¡± part to herself. ¡°Hopefully without running us through the heart with its poisonous barbs. Unless they¡¯re a myth.¡± ¡°They¡¯re real,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard Alexander¡¯s stories. Let¡¯s definitely avoid those.¡± There came a time in the middle of every insane plan where one just had to make peace with the holes and deal with them as they came. He shrugged. ¡°If you say magic will get us there, then magic will get us there. I guess we¡¯ll find out soon enough firsthand.¡± She turned her eyes on him with a fervent, caring earnestness. ¡°You really can leave,¡± was what she said. The words were strangely opposite what her eyes were telling him. ¡°If this fails, at least you could keep looking for the kids. They must be somewhere. This isn¡¯t even your fight.¡± He had to laugh at this. Laughter was an inappropriate response, so he did not laugh outwardly, but the statement was darkly funny nonetheless. ¡°It¡¯s never my fight,¡± he tried to explain. Never. He had no idea what his fight even was. At least this fight was worth fighting. ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad you¡¯re here, even if it would be nicer of me not to be glad you¡¯re here.¡± She winced. ¡°Can I be both at once?¡± If anyone could weather that kind of paradox, Rosaliy could. ¡°Both are flattering,¡± he agreed. ¡°At least try your best not to get hurt. I¡¯d feel terrible.¡± ¡°I¡¯m eerily skilled at walking away from things like this,¡± he promised. ¡°From sea monsters and magical enemies trying to rule the world?¡± she murmured. She was not looking for a response as she had turned her focus back to the ominous box, but, yes, situations just like those. ¡°You really aren¡¯t afraid of anything normal,¡± she said, more in his direction. In some twisted way, the only thing he was afraid of right now was disappointing her¡ªthe only fear he could understand, at least. ¡°I might be able to muster up a normal level of terror when faced with a legendary sea monster, but no promises.¡± At least the Granpulpo had no soul-shattering venom. Rosaliy opened up the red silk wrapping, carefully pulling back the folded layers until she was staring at the stone inside. It was a shade of deep pink¡ªa rough, jagged gem about the size of a thumbnail. ¡°I¡¯m thinking we both touch it at the same time?¡± Her statement turned into a question halfway through. She locked eyes with his, looking for either confirmation or an appeal to sense. He could offer neither. If they did not reach the island, the Flifary would hunt Rosaliy down and kill her. She had proved to them she was a threat. A proactive strike was her best defense. If that meant taking a chance on the questionable goodwill of Granpulpo, well, there were worse ways to go. ~~~~~ Quita had been napping in the corner. She had been sulking her hardest, but no one had paid any attention, so she had dozed off, exhausted with the effort of her misery. After sufficient rest to muster up more rage, she cracked open an eye to glare at the girl who had stolen her sparkly treat earlier. The soggy girl was talking to Drake. In front of them sat a box. Upon sighting the lumpy pink object nestled on a bed of rich fabric, Quita knew she must have that thing. Whatever it was, it looked tasty. She had been robbed of her sparkly prize before. She had been dragged underwater. There were no nuts here. She deserved this. She needed this. She dove, ignoring screams and flailing arms. She had her treasure in her hands, and no one was going to take this one from her. Just as Drake scooped her up, she popped the treat in her mouth and swallowed it in one jagged gulp. Underwater Rosaliy Panic reigned for an instant of sheer pandemonium. While Drake tried to force open the monkey¡¯s mouth and dig out the stone, and Quita tried to bite his hand off, Rosaliy channeled calm. She lived some version of this on a daily basis, after all. After all the bad options had been whittled away, all that was left was forging success out of chaos. ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± she said in her head. She cleared her throat and tried again. ¡°It¡¯s ok.¡± ¡°Senira¡¯s monkey just ate the stone,¡± Drake snapped back. In that moment of distraction, Quita landed a solid bite on his finger and scrambled away like a miniature monkey whirlwind. ¡°I know. I was there.¡± Rosaliy reached for Quita. Quita readily leaped into Rosaliy¡¯s lap, glaring out at Drake and chattering her displeasure with him. ¡°Granpulpo is still coming to take Quita to Flifary Island. It¡¯s the same as before.¡± Drake shot her a deserved look, something in the derision and incredulity family of looks. ¡°We just have to figure out how to ride an octopus,¡± she insisted, stroking Quita¡¯s tiny back. ¡°It¡¯s still going to the right place, even if it¡¯s not taking us there.¡± ¡°There is no chance it will be kindly disposed to you without magic,¡± Drake grumbled. ¡°You¡¯re asking to be eaten.¡± ¡°What¡¯s our other option? Rip the stone out of her.¡± He crossed his arms and shot her a look that said he would consider that option. Quita hunkered down further in Rosaliy¡¯s bedraggled skirts. ¡°Wait, what did you say?¡± ¡°I said there¡¯s no chance¡ª¡± ¡°No, no,¡± Rosaliy interrupted. ¡°After that.¡± ¡°You¡¯re asking to be eaten?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Eaten! We should be protected by the dome.¡± He stared back at her. ¡°In some ways, this is a better plan,¡± she tried next. ¡°If we can travel the whole way inside the dome, the Flifary will never see us coming.¡± ¡°Inside an octopus.¡± ¡°An octopus going to Flifary Island.¡± Quita scrambled onto Rosaliy¡¯s back, her head just peeking out over Rosaliy¡¯s shoulder, keeping an eye on Drake. He took a deep breath. It was comforting to know a certain level of insanity could, in fact, rattle him. ¡°How long do we have before it arrives?¡± She had no way to know, but now that he asked, she had a suspicion. She reached out to touch the solid, glossy surface of the dome. ¡°It can¡¯t sense us in here.¡± Rosaliy spoke with more confidence than she meant to convey. She was just guessing. ¡°So we have to drop the dome for Granpulpo to pick us up, and by ¡®us,¡¯ I mean Quita.¡± That sounded very likely. As long as they were making wild guesses, anyway. Drake went on. ¡°The dome that¡¯s protecting us from the legendary sea beast that crushes ships and consumes entire crews on a whim.¡± ¡°Oh no,¡± Rosaliy moaned, carrying his thinking a different direction. ¡°That means we can¡¯t be in the dome until after the octopus spots us and takes Quita.¡± Drake stared, the meaning of her words slowly washing over him. ¡°On the plus side,¡± she said weakly, ¡°there is absolutely no way the Flifary would expect any of this.¡± ¡°As long as there¡¯s a plus side,¡± Drake sighed. His own panic had subsided, or at least he was successfully pretending not to panic. ¡°Can you swim?¡± She could swim better than she could dive. ¡°I can tread water for a little while.¡± ¡°Not in those boots,¡± he objected. He was right. She unlaced the soggy boots and set them next to her. Her toes were chilly, but grateful. While she was at it, she yanked off a few layers of her wrapped skirts. ¡°Sorry, Elle,¡± she apologized as she destroyed the once-lovely dress. Drake picked up a length of discarded fabric. ¡°Getting separated is a bad idea,¡± he said, looping the fabric to make a rope. Rosaliy found herself tied to Drake shortly thereafter, ankle to ankle. There was enough makeshift rope to allow their legs to move freely, but not so much they would drift too far apart in the water. ¡°Smart,¡± she approved. He snorted. ¡°You have a point,¡± she chuckled. Nothing about this situation was smart. Next, she almost asked if he was ready, but she imagined she would be teased for a question that ridiculous. She called the firefly stone back to her and snuffed out the light before she tucked it securely under her belt, plunging them into that eerie shifting ocean darkness. ¡°Here goes,¡± she said instead, gathering Quita under one arm, taking a deep breath, and dropping the metal ball from her palm. Water rushed in, and after a stunned moment, Quita clawed her way free and Rosaliy felt a tug on her leg; Drake was trying to swim upward. She followed, sweeping her way up through the dark water for what felt like years. She wanted nothing more than to breathe, and there was nothing but inky water forever. Lungs burning, she grabbed for the metal ball at her waist just as she shot above the surface of the water. She inhaled instinctively, swallowing water as she shot back down. She bobbed up again, choking and coughing. She flailed her arms and legs a bit to stay above water while she coughed up more burning salt water. The darkness of the sky blended into the darkness of the water, and she could see nothing for a tense moment as she bobbed up and down. The water rose once more, and the swell nearly took her under. She compensated by paddling harder, and her eyes were able to pick out Drake¡¯s head and the glint of the water contrasting against the cloudy sky. She swished her body around in a circle, but the castle and the pirate ship were too far to see in the dark, if they were anywhere nearby to begin with. She and Drake were completely alone in the middle of the ocean. Another swell tried to carry her away, but the fabric rope on her ankle anchored her into place. The motion pulled her underwater, but she was doing well enough to hold her breath until she could scramble back into the air this time. ¡°This is harder than I was expecting,¡± she said breathlessly, noticing Drake was having no trouble staying above water. Quita had reached the surface, and she paddled between the two of them, terrified eyes darting from one to the other. She would have loved to abandon them, but they were the only floating surfaces right now. Quita eyed Rosaliy one more time and chose to hop on Drake, despite their differences. She was a smart monkey.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°You¡¯re using too much energy,¡± he warned, like that was helpful. ¡°Take slower, longer strokes with your arms and legs. The swells can push you up if you time it right.¡± That was helpful, but if the octopus did not show up soon, she was going to be exhausted. ¡°You¡¯re so good at this,¡± she complained, breathing hard while he looked like he was relaxing in a giant bathtub. ¡°Not by choice,¡± he replied. ¡°Besides, I¡¯ve never met anybody as good at as many things as you are.¡± ¡°Me?¡± she squeaked out, almost being buried by another swell. She let it bob her, and she realized it did push her back up with a little patience. ¡°You,¡± he agreed. ¡°Everybody around you depends on you for everything. All those powerful people you mentioned down there¡ªthey all come to you for help.¡± ¡°They¡¯d get by without me,¡± she disagreed. ¡°Says the woman trying to save the world,¡± he scoffed. She had no energy to argue, but, honestly, he must not understand the spectacular people she lived with. Where was that stupid octopus? Her arms were going to fall off. And then the swells picked up, and she realized she may have been wishing for the wrong thing. Drake swished closer. ¡°Did you try to tell me what a bad idea this was?¡± she panted. He was close enough she could see him grin in the dark. ¡°I¡¯ll try harder to talk you out of being eaten by an octopus next time.¡± She appreciated the idea of next time, but she was mostly focused on how choppy the ocean was becoming. ¡°Is that it?¡± she asked. He inhaled a deep breath and swooped underwater. Quita vaulted off him just in time and onto Rosaliy¡¯s head. The imbalance nearly sent Rosaliy under, but she redoubled her arm-swishing efforts to keep her head above water. They were tied together, so Drake could not go far. He broke the surface of the water a few seconds later, inches in front of her. ¡°Bubble, fast,¡± he ordered, and since she was desperately wanting out of the water anyway, she clamped her hand around the dome without question. The top of the dome was poking up from the surface of the water, but most of it was underwater. She had never been so happy to feel something solid beneath her feet. ¡°But we need to lure the Granpulpo,¡± she objected, leaning her exhausted body against the curved side of the dome. Just then, she heard and felt a loud smack. The whole dome jolted sideways with the impact. ¡°What was¡ª?¡± ¡°Tiburon,¡± Drake answered. ¡°No,¡± she shot back with a vehemence Drake did not deserve. He was not the one dragging her along to be eaten by an octopus or summoning giant, predatory fish. ¡°I do not have time for tiburon. I thought they were a myth invented to scare foreigners!¡± ¡°They¡¯re deep sea creatures that won¡¯t come on shore to carry hapless livestock into the sea, but, no, their existence is not a myth,¡± Drake answered, sweeping water back from his face. Another shadow whooshed by next to the dome. ¡°After this, I am not going anywhere near more water than will fit in a bathtub,¡± Rosaliy promised. On her back, Quita agreed. Rosaliy could feel anxious monkey claws trying to dig into her neck, little pinpricks on her skin. That was not good. She scooped her wet hair aside. ¡°Drake,¡± she asked, ¡°are there marks on my neck?¡± He plucked off Quita to examine. Rosaliy could feel the light touch of fingers on her skin. ¡°Not what I¡¯d expect to see from a panicked monkey with razor claws, but there are scratches. You¡¯ll be fine.¡± Scratches meant the belt was wearing out. Considering what she had put it through the last few days, that was no surprise. Before she could say anything else, another impact shook the dome. A shadowy creature hovered just outside, dazed. Jaws filled with sharp rows of teeth snapped before it flicked its massive tail and sped onward, disappearing into the black water. Not being able to see was infuriating. The firefly stone was still under her belt. If she could get it outside the dome¡­ ¡°I¡¯m going to drop the dome for a moment,¡± she warned Drake. Without the accompanying thoughts in her head, that sounded like an alarming and terrible idea. Actually, even with the accompanying thoughts in her head, dropping their only source of protection sounded like an alarming and terrible idea. Rosaliy was certain she would have argued with her, but Drake did not bother. He just drew a knife and took a deep breath. She dropped the ball from her hand, threw the firefly stone, and gripped the ball immediately. They barely had time to register the shock of being doused with water once more. A giant thud shook the dome as they were rammed. Jadelynn¡¯s stone was not the best enchanting work, but the dull green glow hovered nearby, searching for its mysteriously vanished source of magic. Using the feeble light, Drake was busy counting the dark shapes slithering past them in the water. ¡°Five,¡± he decided. ¡°Might as well be five hundred,¡± she complained. ¡°What happens when the octopus comes?¡± ¡°If it gobbles up these tiburon, I¡¯ll be more kindly disposed to it,¡± Drake pointed out. ¡°Maybe we weren¡¯t out long enough to get Granpulpo¡¯s attention,¡± worried Rosaliy, not entirely sure whether that was a fear or a hope. ¡°Well, we¡¯re getting everything else¡¯s attention,¡± Drake pointed out. He froze then, lifting up on the balls of his bare feet to peer out of the top of the dome poking above the water. The firefly stone was equally interested in what he was seeing. It spiraled in the direction of his gaze. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± Rosaliy admitted. ¡°You will,¡± Drake murmured. And then the light went black as a massive shadow flipped in front of it. Instinctively, Rosaliy gave a strangled cry and stepped back, nearly falling over herself as she was still tethered to Drake. ¡°Next time I have an idea this terrible,¡± she insisted, ¡°please talk me out of it.¡± There was no time to answer her, because a fleshy, hulking form burst from the water, its massive eyes trained on the glow of the firefly stone. Huge, dark arms reached for the green glow, swatting the tiny stone from the air and into the water. They were plunged once more into darkness and shifting shadows. The water churned around them as the tiburon abandoned their attack and tried to speed away. Whatever direction the fish tried to go, dark roadblocks swept through the water and sent the tiburon reeling like tiny fish battling a current. Occasionally, Granpulpo¡¯s grasping tentacles buffeted the dome, pulling Rosaliy, Drake, and Quita directly into the battle going on underwater. Granpulpo¡¯s fleshy body swiveled, a tornado of long, undulating arms, half of those arms grabbing tiburon and pulling the fish toward its dark center while the fish used their sharp teeth and massive tails to fight their way out. The other half of the arms lunged out at the distant tiburon like striking snakes. When the tips of Granpulpo¡¯s tentacles connected with a tiburon, the oversized fish went slack, instantly paralyzed. Those poisonous barbs worked fast, and grasping tentacles swept up the paralyzed fish just after they were stung. They never had a chance to flee Granpulpo¡¯s destructive radius. ¡°Rose,¡± Drake warned. ¡°Grandpulpo¡¯s not going to eat us accidentally, and it¡¯s going to take off to chase any tiburon that manage to get away. You need to act fast.¡± She was so consumed with not dying, she had forgotten she had a goal at all. ¡°But if it needs to be able to get to Quita to take her to Flifary Island,¡± Rosaliy thought out loud, ¡°I need to¡ª¡± She could not finish that sentence. It was too awful. Dropping the dome for a moment had been terrifying enough. Dropping it long enough for Granpulpo to identify and grab Quita in tiburon-infested waters was suicide, for Drake at least. Frankly, with the belt wearing out, she was not eager to test her level of safety against a mouthful of teeth or poisonous barbs. Her teeth were chattering. Was she cold or petrified? Probably, yes. ¡°R¡ªready?¡± She could not stop the dumb question this time. Drake still had a knife in one hand. He grabbed her free hand in the other. She sucked in a breath, dropped the ball, and plunged into the dark water once more. Outside the safety of the dome, Grandpulpo seemed even more massive, a towering blob with giant tentacles unfurling to slap the water above and grab for its prey. Drake tugged at her hand, interested in swimming toward Granpulpo. She was going to trust that made sense for some reason, because it was taking all her will not to grab for the bubble enchantment right now, especially as one of those tentacles swooped down on them. Her heart nearly burst when it shot past them in search of other prey. Drake swam up, and Rosaliy was attached, so she swam up, too. Above the water, she could make out a dark tentacle gently depositing a tiny, squirming object onto a fleshy mass of a head. There was the slightest moment of relief. Granpulpo had Quita and should be heading toward Flifary Island now. Rosaliy barely had time to gasp in half a breath before a tentacle wrapped around both of them and yanked them underwater, shoving them toward a dark, snapping maw. For such a fleshy creature, its mouth seemed treacherous and sharp, just as likely to snap them in half as to gulp them down. Despite the terror of being eaten or snapped in two by this crushing embrace, the location was perfect. She and Drake were both headed toward Granpulpo¡¯s mouth, right where they needed to be. The creature had not even been concerned enough to sting them first. She tried to reach for the ball at her waist, but one of her arms was pinned by a surprisingly hard tentacle and the other was pinned by Drake. She struggled against the monster¡¯s grip, blowing out air in a thoughtless underwater scream. The tentacle responded by squeezing tighter. Lightheaded, she watched with fuzzy eyes as Granpulpo shoved one of the flopping tiburon into its mouth. Even through the echoes of the water, she could have sworn she heard the crunch and ripping of a giant fish body being snapped up by a clamping, hard beak. Not perfect. She was about to be ripped apart, unless she drowned first. Eavesdropping Zaphia ¡°Zaphy,¡± hissed a voice. ¡°Zaphy, Zaph, Zaph-eeeee-a¡­¡± Zaphia would have loved to answer Ario and put an end to the pestering, but she was currently yawning her way through a briefing on being vigilant for intruders in the temple. Her days of sabotaging progress on the divination room may have been over, but at least no one had found the divination stone yet, whatever it did. After successfully sneaking into the prison to discover nothing and running home to toss freeze berries in the empty ice furnace before her parents woke up, she found all attempts at sleep impossible before her work shift that night. She would have welcomed sleep right about now, though, especially when the supervisor with the name Zaphia had forgotten again kept droning on and on about the cause and being so close to making a real difference in people¡¯s lives. If the difference was hurting foreign kids and Sorceresses, Zaphia guessed they were making a difference. She had learned that much from the conversation in the palace prison. The supervisor finally wrapped up his Vigilance Speech and assigned jobs for the day. Zaphia was on brush-clearing duty, so she grabbed a sack and headed outside. When she walked past an outer pillar, she heard a not-so-subtle, ¡°Psst!¡± ¡°Ario, seriously,¡± she snapped. ¡°Do you not see that I am busy?¡± ¡°Uh huh, yeah,¡± he said, seriously not seeing that she was busy. ¡°They just brought in somebody big! Well, not big, really. Kind of tall, I guess. But important is what I meant. Somebody important. A Sorceress.¡± Oh no. If Iketa and Dalor had caught the Sorceress causing them so much trouble, who else was left? They had been so angry with her when she was their prisoner before. Her life might be in danger. No, her life was definitely in danger. Zaphia had to get back in the prison right now. Except for some reason Ario was tugging her to a stop in the middle of the jungle. ¡°Zaphy,¡± asked Ario. ¡°Why are they taking all these people? Why aren¡¯t the Sorceresses and the Naxturae helping us?¡± She had never told Ario her suspicions. He just thought they were playing a big spying game. ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Ari,¡± she answered honestly. ¡°I¡¯m trying to find out.¡± ¡°The Sorceress looked hurt, Zaphy,¡± he said, his face screwed up in an attempt to strain for understanding. ¡°They were dragging her. Are the Sorceresses bad, too?¡± What should she say? ¡°Ari,¡± she said, keeping her voice low, ¡°I don¡¯t think Iketa and Dalor are being totally honest with us. His face went slack with a combination of shock and horror. Iketa had patted him on the head and given him a berry freeze shard one time, so he was completely enamored with her. ¡°You¡¯re not¡­helping the Seer, are you?¡± He was a sharp one, that Ario. Zaphia sucked in half a breath before she admitted, ¡°I might be.¡± Ario¡¯s eyes bugged out of his dark face even more. ¡°Or I might want to, anyway. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m helping anybody at all yet.¡± ¡°But the Seer is bad,¡± insisted Ario. She craned her head to search for eavesdroppers, but absolutely no one was paying any mind to two kids chatting. She lowered her voice anyway. ¡°Is she, or do we only think that because of what Iketa, Ocery, and Dalor have been telling us?¡± He shook his head, trying to understand. ¡°Aren¡¯t they the same thing?¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry, Ari,¡± she apologized. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have dragged you into this. Especially when I wasn¡¯t honest about what I was doing. I don¡¯t have any answers, and this is getting really dangerous. You should go home.¡± Feeling terrible about herself, she jogged to the temple. Her jungle shortcut was dark at night, but her eyes were used to the terrain, and her feet knew the way. If she veered off to a torch-lit main road, everyone would be able to see her. She was so focused on speed and staying out of sight, she had not noticed that Ario had followed her the whole way to the palace. She was possibly the worst spy of all time. ¡°Ario, what are you doing here?¡± she whispered. ¡°I¡¯m helping,¡± he replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get you in trouble, Ari.¡± ¡°Meh.¡± He shrugged his bare shoulders. ¡°I¡¯m always in trouble.¡± That was true. ¡°I might find out something bad about Iketa and Dalor,¡± she warned. ¡°I know they¡¯re up to something.¡± He stared up at her, his bright eyes brimming with certainty. ¡°Zaphy, I don¡¯t know who¡¯s right and who¡¯s wrong, but I know you¡¯re good, and you¡¯ll figure it out and do the right thing, so I want to help you.¡± He was firm, and she was in need of the vote of confidence and a dose of help. ¡°Thanks, Ari,¡± she said, feeling grateful. She had to admit there was no way her prisoner food trick would work twice. ¡°I could use a distraction to get inside.¡±Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. An enormous grin split the very serious expression that had taken residence on Ario¡¯s normally less serious face. ¡°I can cause a distraction!¡± he exclaimed, dashing into the palace whooping and hollering. Oh no. What was he doing? She heard him shriek in pain. She almost ran in to rescue him, but she had the presence of mind to take cover behind a column. Ario had gotten the guards to move to his aid on one side of the courtyard, behind a tall view-obscuring fountain. ¡°It hurts so much!¡± he wailed. ¡°My ankle! My knee! It all hurrrrrrrts.¡± He might have been overselling his sudden injuries, but he was commanding all the attention in the vicinity. Zaphia dashed across the courtyard to the main entrance of the palace, careening inside and out of sight. She could hear Ario shrieking at the top of his lungs until she was halfway to the holding room from yesterday. She forced herself to slow down and listen for guards, ducking behind a wall of vines when a spear-wielding guard patrolled past. With trembling legs, she pulled off her sandals, shoved them in her loose, cloth belt, and ventured back into the hallway. Was it two rights and a left, or straight, left, right? Her adrenaline was too out of control for her brain to remember, so she gave up and let her feet lead the way. When she was close, the sound of voices carried her the rest of the way. ¡°You really thought you could escape?¡± Iketa mocked. ¡°I did escape,¡± was the response. ¡°Shrilynda just tried to kill me a little more effectively than I had planned.¡± ¡°The break-out was a stupid idea anyway,¡± Dalor chimed in. ¡°We have your mother.¡± Zaphia slowed, looking for a good place to hide. She was just outside the waiting room. ¡°Have?¡± said the new prisoner. ¡°Like you¡¯re working for her?¡± ¡°What? Don¡¯t play dumb.¡± How was Zaphia supposed to understand this conversation when they were not even understanding each other? Her head already hurt from translating all the Terran to begin with. ¡°I don¡¯t have to play anything,¡± the prisoner muttered. ¡°Take me to her already if you¡¯re so eager for a family reunion.¡± ¡°Watch the attitude,¡± sneered Iketa. ¡°Without the pearl, you have no power here.¡± ¡°Pretty sure I still have the power to snap your neck, so you might want to doublecheck those ropes.¡± ¡°Open up the cell,¡± Dalor ordered. Zaphia imagined he was talking to the guard in front of the door to the old prisoner¡¯s cell. Zaphia needed to hear this conversation, but the farther inside the room they moved, the more muffled their speech. She poked her head into the hallway. The palace roof was made up of thick vines here. There was a spiral staircase at the end of the hallway, leading up to a lofty watchtower. Getting onto the roof was worth a try. She flew up the staircase, ignoring the echo of footsteps from above on the stone steps. She needed to be more careful, she reminded herself, winding her way up until she reached a window in the tower. She launched herself up and out the small window, scrambling out and clinging to the rough stones of the tower. She pressed herself to the curved stone and closed her eyes. Something about not being able to see made her feel like no one could see her. The sounds of feet grew louder and then softer. The guard had passed by. She climbed her way down and dropped softly onto the vine roof. It gave a little under her weight, but the vines were massive and thickly intertwined. Choosing the fattest vines, her bare feet picked a path to just over the room where Iketa and Dalor were holding the newest Terran prisoners. Since the guard had just left the watchtower, she hoped she had time before his replacement arrived. Maybe he would come back after he finished a round of patrols. She had never paid much attention to how guarding worked. Nothing had really needed guarding on Flifary Island before. Satisfied she had a little time to spy, she lowered herself to lie flat against the vines, looking for a gap under leaves the size of her head. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re going to accomplish here?¡± Zaphia heard when she silently pushed aside the right cluster of leaves. She could just see a Terran face down below. That was the prisoner brought in yesterday. Zaphia recognized her voice. This lady had a jagged, red gash down the side of her cheek. Zaphia shuddered. Ario had been right; the woman was old, for a Terran. Their bodies seemed to age so much faster than the Flifary¡¯s bodies did. Zaphia found Terrans fascinating. Someday¡ªunless she was caught and left rotting in this prison for five hundred years¡ªZaphia would study Terrans and answer some of her questions about them. Zaphia scrambled silently to another hole to verify that today¡¯s prisoner was the girl Iketa had been trotting around the temple before. She found the right hole and peered down into the room. To her surprise, she was looking at someone new, somebody with jagged bright blond hair who could barely stand, despite all her bravado. ¡°You idiots,¡± the different Terran Sorceress barked. ¡°You think hurting me is going to convince my mother to give you information? Why don¡¯t you just untie her and let her stab me herself instead? Save us all some time.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so tired of everyone¡¯s games,¡± said Iketa, out of view. ¡°We know Daniella was working with Arlana to blind us and hide the kids. ¡°Are you sure?¡± said the new Sorceress warily. ¡°Because that all seems highly unlikely.¡± ¡°Exactly,¡± Dalor hissed. ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it. Arlana knew only an unlikely plan would succeed, and now she¡¯s managed to throw everything into chaos.¡± ¡°I do like chaos,¡± said the new prisoner. There was a quick motion on the fringes of what Zaphia could see through the vines. Long red hair swished across the flash of a blade. The Soceress had gotten on Iketa¡¯s nerves, which Iketa was demonstrating by whipping out a knife and stabbing her in the shoulder. Iketa twisted the blade while the new Sorceress screwed up her face in pain. Ouch. Zaphia would have been sobbing like a new-chi. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± blurted out the older prisoner. ¡°I don¡¯t know anything you¡¯re asking me. I don¡¯t remember. I don¡¯t even know her.¡± Iketa sneered. ¡°You¡¯re expecting me to believe you just conveniently forgot¡ª¡± She cut herself off, yanking the bloody knife out of the prisoner¡¯s arm. The prisoner slumped back against the wall. ¡°Dalor¡ªhallway?¡± Zaphia scrambled to silently follow them. ¡°She wiped her memories after she hid the kids, didn¡¯t she?¡± sighed Iketa. ¡°Aack,¡± Dalor exclaimed with a spitting sound. ¡°I can test her.¡± ¡°If we find she has no memories?¡± ¡°Our interrogation is a giant waste of time,¡± Dalor pointed out. ¡°What now?¡± ¡°We lock down the missing Sorceress, finish the temple, and use the divination room to give us leverage over Arlana and track Daniella¡¯s movements up to now. As long as we have Daniella and Issabeth, we¡¯re in no danger. What is one half-trained girl going to do? Storm the Island and break them out?¡± ¡°I hope so,¡± grumbled Dalor. ¡°It would save us some time if she came here. I am getting tired of fog travel.¡± ¡°Of course, that¡¯s assuming she¡¯s still alive.¡± Dalor nodded slowly. ¡°I¡¯ll set up a trace on Rosaliy at the temple, get a team to monitor for her. No more surprises.¡± Finally, Zaphia had a goal. She was going to get herself on that tracking team. Well, first, she was going to get off the roof, which was a daunting goal all on its own, but after that, she was going to get herself assigned to the Sorceress tracking team. Granpulpo Drake Granpulpo¡¯s sharp, snapping beak was eager to rip them in half. Being eaten was the original plan, but the eating wasn¡¯t supposed to lead to crushing death from tentacles with the power to pulverize ships. Granpulpo¡¯s massive mouth was big enough to swallow food whole, but it preferred its food dead, Drake imagined, especially when it was in the habit of consuming man-eating fish that could do some real damage chomping around inside. Lungs burning, Drake jammed an elbow into the squishy tentacle pinning him and forced it back just long enough to jab a knife into the crushing arm. The annoyance to Granpulpo was no more than being stabbed with a toothpick, but it did change its grip and shove Drake and Rosaliy all at once toward its mouth. Drake kicked back reflexively at the massive beak when it brushed his leg, just as Rosaliy managed to get a grip on the ball activating the dome. She dropped to her knees and gasped in air while the beak and tentacles in range of the protective bubble slid through harmlessly. Confused by its disappearing prey, the octopus sent more tentacles to assist, finding the hard shell of the bubble. Powerful arms grabbed for the dome, the impact knocking Drake off his feet and sending him crashing into Rosaliy. She grabbed hold of him as the beast buffeted them one way and another, shoving them repeatedly to its beak in a vain attempt to pry open the hard shell of its confusing prey. This animal was accustomed to crushing ships like they were sand, but, thankfully, the protective enchantment proved too strong for it. With one last monstrous effort, the octopus wedged the dome firmly in its hard, grasping maw, each side of its beak straining against the sides of the dome while Rosaliy and Drake watched¡ªparalyzed in some mix of wonder and terror. If the dome gave out, they would be crushed. If Granpulpo spat them out, they would be stranded at sea. Then the straining stopped. There was a rush of water implying a flurry of movement. The octopus must have been able to resist the pull of the stone inside Quita no more, at least Drake could hope. With Rosaliy and Drake still wedged in its beak, it gathered up its tentacles and shot through the dark water. Rosaliy relinquished her hold on Drake, although the dome was now tipped sideways, creating a mass of angled sides forcing them both to a single spot. ¡°Did we¡ª?¡± She finally broke the silence. ¡°Are we¡ª? Are you alive? Am I alive?¡± Drake patted his arms and legs. All intact. Rosaliy shifted to wrap her arms around her body. ¡°Any chance we¡¯re headed to Flifary Island?¡± Drake had no compass stashed on him, and he doubted such a tool would give him a clue, since no one knew where the island was in the first place. ¡°Right,¡± she said, like he had voiced any of those thoughts. ¡°I guess when Granpulpo stops moving, we¡¯ll be¡­somewhere.¡± That seemed like a helpful attitude. ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation,¡± he offered, ¡°that went better than I was expecting.¡± She chuckled next to him in the dark. ¡°I¡¯d ask what you were expecting, but I don¡¯t want the answer to that question.¡± They lapsed into an eerie silence. No matter how either of them adjusted, they both slid back into each other down the smooth, curved side of the dome, so they gave up and huddled smashed together in the dark. While transferring a knife to the other side of his body so it would not jab Rosaliy, Drake ran into the jar in his pocket. ¡°Why were you stealing healing potion from the pirates?¡± he asked. Rosaliy groaned, pressing her forehead to his shoulder. ¡°You¡¯ll laugh,¡± came the muffled reply. ¡°I¡¯d be very interested in a tale of pirate robbery that ends up being funny.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll laugh at me,¡± she clarified. He doubted that. She explained her arrival in Bayselle, running into Cliff and the Crocs. ¡°Useless piranhas,¡± he seethed. They had put Cliff in danger to get to him. Looked like he could cause trouble without even being nearby. ¡°I wasn¡¯t very fond of them,¡± Rosaliy agreed, pausing. ¡°It was really clever, what you did, trading the pirates¡¯ own healing draught back to them.¡± ¡°What?¡± He was still stewing over the Crocs having the nerve to threaten Cliff. ¡°Clever,¡± she repeated. ¡°To give them what they wanted without giving them what they wanted.¡± He had no response to that. It had just been necessary. ¡°How¡¯s the Senira?¡± he asked. ¡°Pretty terrifying, actually. She seemed fond of you.¡±If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°She¡¯s on a short list, then.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not so short,¡± Rosaliy objected. ¡°Be nicer to yourself.¡± She rested her cheek on his shoulder and sighed. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t even talk anymore. I¡¯ll just complain.¡± ¡°Complain away,¡± he offered. ¡°About what?¡± ¡°About what!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m tired of being wet and running and completely out of control. And I¡¯m tired of this trip.¡± She was describing his entire life. ¡°You have a better place to be?¡± he mused. Near death aside, being adrift in a dome underwater was a welcome change of pace. She cocked her head up at him like he was crazy, maybe to gauge if he was joking. ¡°Just about anywhere,¡± she answered. This was a hiccup in her life, an interruption from living. She was normally the director of the chaos in her life, not its victim. ¡°Where would you be right now if you weren¡¯t here?¡± he asked. She considered. ¡°Assuming I actually made it there on time this season, I¡¯d be visiting my parents in Kianne¡ªmilking cows, arguing with my mother about my life choices.¡± ¡°Then you have something to look forward to¡ªafter.¡± ¡°If there is an after.¡± ¡°If there¡¯s not, I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ll know the difference,¡± he pointed out. ¡°I can¡¯t decide if that¡¯s horrible or comforting.¡± That was pretty much where all his attempts at consolation wound up. ¡°Why decide?¡± He felt her shake with silent laughter. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re back to yourself,¡± she said, the amusement still in her voice. ¡°As opposed to?¡± ¡°Madly in love with me Drake,¡± she replied. ¡°I mean, the enchanted one, not that I would mind if¡ª Obviously, now is not the time for any of that anyway. I¡¯m so sorry about that whole love spell incident,¡± she said in a rush. ¡°You¡¯re not still under its effects, are you?¡± He thought that over. That seemed like a lifetime ago and his recollection was fuzzy. ¡°How would I know?¡± She sighed. ¡°Assuming we survive, I have batches of neutralizing potions back at Crystal Palace¡ªthe girls are always dousing themselves with the most bizarre of enchantments. Until then, I suppose you may have to endure a few more fake relationships with me.¡± ¡°You are hands down the best fake relationship I¡¯ve ever had,¡± he promised. ¡°Do you have many other fake relationships to use as basis of comparison?¡± ¡°More than I¡¯d like to admit to,¡± he mused. ¡°I believe you met Esmona.¡± ¡°I thought you were trying to avoid talking about her,¡± Rosaliy teased. ¡°Why?¡± he asked. Out of all the horrible things he had done, tricking Esmona into giving him access to Bayselle Castle seemed low on his list of crimes. ¡°You are not going to convince me being with her was fake,¡± Rosaliy exclaimed. ¡°She¡¯s stunning. I mean, isn¡¯t she pretty much every man¡¯s type?¡± ¡°She thinks so.¡± ¡°So you were never together?¡± asked Rosaliy, a tinge of suspicion in her voice. ¡°Well,¡± he dragged out the l¡¯s, ¡°I can¡¯t exactly claim we were never together. She certainly had reason to think we were.¡± ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re still together?¡± He hemmed a tone of disapproval at the idea. ¡°Basically, Es wanted me to join up with the Ingobernables and I said no, by disappearing instead of answering.¡± ¡°Poor Esmona,¡± clucked Rosaliy. ¡°She deserves none of your pity,¡± objected Drake. ¡°She does,¡± Rosaliy insisted. ¡°You would be hard to forget.¡± ¡°Please,¡± he scoffed, ¡°the rest of my life says otherwise.¡± The wake of near death and the murky darkness of water at night made talking easier, although he remained wary she would ask the one question that led to disappointment and disgust. There had to be one. ¡°Where would you be?¡± she asked. ¡°If you weren¡¯t here.¡± ¡°Honestly, I have no idea.¡± He had no strong desire to be anywhere else. ¡°I suppose keeping Cliff out of trouble.¡± ¡°That is a job,¡± she agreed. ¡°How has he survived so long?¡± ¡°I ask myself this question every day.¡± ¡°You know, you should probably talk to Cliff about¡ª¡± She stopped abruptly. ¡°No, never mind.¡± That time, he knew exactly what she was talking about, probably because he was trying so hard not to think about it. ¡°I know,¡± he mumbled. She pulled the wet scarf from her hair and fluffed out her ocean-drenched hair. She liked to be busy. ¡°I¡¯m not qualified to live your life,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe you¡¯d do a better job of it.¡± ¡°I¡¯m having a hard enough time with my own,¡± she disagreed. ¡°Besides, I was you for a day and I wound up here.¡± ¡°Funny,¡± he said. ¡°So did I.¡± ¡°That is a little funny,¡± she admitted. By now, the scarf had been tied back around her rearranged hair. ¡°Can you handle a real question?¡± No. ¡°You claim to have a bunch saved up.¡± There was a long pause. ¡°What happened to your family¡ªyour parents?¡± That was unexpected. He could talk about his parents, though he did not see why she would want to. ¡°My father was Meena¡¯s son. He was generally shiftless, managed to get himself killed robbing a caravan. Left my mother pregnant with a baby who turned out to be me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s awful!¡± exclaimed Rosaliy. ¡°Which part?¡± ¡°Well, the death part.¡± ¡°I never met him, so it¡¯s hard to say.¡± When he was younger, he liked to take comfort in blaming his father for whatever he could, but Drake had to admit the man would likely have had a stronger negative impact on him alive. Maybe dying was the best thing he could have done. ¡°My mother married a man with two kids who managed an orchard¡ªlemons mostly. I loved that place. I remember the orchard more than I remember him.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± Rosaliy asked. He heard wariness in her voice. He really was terrible with stories. ¡°Life,¡± he answered. ¡°She got pregnant, sick, and died.¡± Rosaliy put a hand on his arm. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry.¡± That one made some sense. His mother seemed like a good person, although Drake had inherited from her his tendency to make poor choices. ¡°I barely remember her.¡± Granted, in some ways that made things worse, but in others easier. ¡°My stepfather took her death hard, though. He never recovered. Things fell into disrepair and he vanished. His own son and daughter went to live with his sister a town away, but three children at once¡ªone of whom barely five and not related by blood¡ªthat was too much to ask. Off to Meena I went, my closest blood relation.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all so sad,¡± Rosaliy murmured. ¡°There¡¯s a reason I don¡¯t tell stories.¡± ¡°I¡¯d like to hear them anyway,¡± Rosaliy said softly, ¡°but you¡¯ve earned a break for now.¡± He heard her yawn. ¡°Sleep,¡± he insisted. ¡°Your body is exhausted.¡± ¡°You need sleep as much as I do, and somebody needs to make sure we get out of this octopus. Somehow. How are we going to do that?¡± ¡°As far as getting off this odd seacraft, I¡¯m not looking forward. Regarding sleep, I can go a few hours without.¡± ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked through another giant yawn. ¡°Are you just trying to get me to be quiet?¡± Actually, he was going to miss her. Now and when this was all over. ¡°Mmm hmm,¡± he agreed. ¡°Plus, if you sleep, I¡¯ll come up with a plan to get out of this octopus that doesn¡¯t end in death.¡± ¡°Deal.¡± She shifted so her cheek was just propped on his shoulder and soon her breathing was deep and steady. Drake remembered sleeping off a healed broken arm for most of three days. Even Rosaliy was bound to succumb to a few hours. Arrival Rosaliy Rosaliy dreamed of children drowning in a vast ocean. Precariously balanced on a flimsy raft with endless water stretching in every direction, she pulled child after floundering child from the water. Each time one broke the surface gasping for air, another dipped below. When she tried to save that one, another slipped under, repeating over and over in a dizzying, frantic cycle. The children started as faceless innocents, but soon they were Lillya, Tansy, and Taurin, then her parents and Cade, then Cliff, Drake, and Jadelynn. She never saved anyone. When a giant, lemon-yellow fish snapped her up to drag her underwater, Rosaliy¡¯s mind had finally had enough. Who needed sleep, anyway? ¡°Bad dream?¡± asked Drake. If she had to be suddenly awake, finding herself mostly dry and nestled in Drake¡¯s arms was not the worst trade-off. She yawned. ¡°My mind is taunting me with my upcoming failure.¡± ¡°Been there,¡± said Drake, ¡°although my mind usually taunts me with past actual failures, not future uncertain ones.¡± Bubbles frothed on one side of the dome. Beautiful green and blue light filtered through the choppy, rushing water. ¡°Where is the light coming from?¡± ¡°You¡¯re much better educated than I am, Rose, but I¡¯m going to say the sun.¡± That sounded dangerously like a joke. He did add, ¡°Granpulpo must be staying close to the surface for Quita¡¯s sake.¡± She felt like she had barely closed her eyes, yet hours had passed. She would have apologized for sleeping so long and leaving Drake to keep watch by himself, but he had not wanted to talk anyway. Hopefully she had refrained from drooling or talking in her sleep. ¡°You¡¯re in a good mood for someone who hasn¡¯t slept in a while,¡± she noted. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m in a good mood as much as I¡¯m surprised to be alive. The octopus travel plan is working.¡± Rosaliy pressed her fingers to the curved side of the dome and leaned her face close to the frosted surface. The view was distorted, but Rosaliy could see long, purple tentacles stretching wide, then gathering together, propelling Granpulpo through the water. For now, it was ignoring them. All things considered, she felt bad for pestering the poor creature. Rosaliy would be cranky if something called her up and wedged itself in her mouth. ¡°Any idea where we are?¡± asked Rosaliy. ¡°Best guess? Flifary waters.¡± ¡°How can you tell?¡± ¡°Water and I have a special bond,¡± he said. She had a special bond with cows and artichokes, but those hardly seemed relevant or worth mentioning. ¡°Special enough to get us out of this octopus?¡± she asked, hopeful. ¡°No,¡± he mused. ¡°That will take timing.¡± Whatever he said, he was in a good mood. Smashed up next to him due to the angled sides of the tipped dome, Rosaliy couldn¡¯t get a good look at him, really, but despite his clothes showing every step of a brutal trip through the desert, he seemed to be unharmed. ¡°What kind?¡± She stretched her arms and legs to the best of her ability, trying not to elbow Drake in the face. He explained. Twice. Rosaliy had been sure she misheard the first time. ¡°Well?¡± he prodded when she sat in stunned silence. ¡°That¡¯s the best you could come up with? After an entire night?¡± ¡°How long did it take you to come up with the travel by octopus plan?¡± He had a point. ¡°Is it possible?¡± he asked. ¡°Jadelynn was the expert on this dome, but based on what we saw before¡­maybe.¡± Her wishy-washy response was not brimming with confidence. ¡°How¡¯s your reaction time?¡± Pretty good. Issabeth was a big proponent of training reflex by dropping things unexpectedly and forcing her trainee victims to catch the items before they hit the floor. Honestly, Rosaliy needed to be careful about how she filled in Issabeth about the demands of this trip. If Issabeth knew how useful her bizarre training regimens really were in real life situations, she would be intolerable. Assuming Issabeth was alive. That was a chilling thought. Rosaliy needed to be on that island. As if reading her thoughts and deciding to humor them, the churning bubbles outside increased and the tentacles whirled¡ªa different motion than before. Drake¡¯s body tensed in expectation. ¡°Granpulpo¡¯s slowing.¡± Rosaliy held up her palm, unclenching her fingers from the metal ball. ¡°Hold up, there,¡± Drake warned. ¡°It could be stopping for any reason. Wait for shallow water.¡± Since she would need a primer on the signs of shallow water, she just said, ¡°Tell me when.¡± Drake propped his hands against the side of the dome and twisted to get a better view. Rosaliy stared straight ahead, fully realizing the massiveness of the two halves of the sharp beak clamping down around her, just a few lengths away. She decided to close her eyes. Not seeing what was coming might help. ¡°When,¡± said Drake, and without giving one more moment of thought to what was coming, she let the metal ball drop from her hand. Not waiting to feel the water on her skin, she grasped the ball once more. The dome lurched, and her eyes shot open just in time to see the sharp edges of the beak sliding through the dome. When she had dropped the dome, the beak had clamped down just far enough to be inside the dome¡¯s radius. The dome was free to move once more, and Granpulpo noticed the change immediately. Please push us out and not in, she pleaded to either Granpulpo or the dome. Neither one was listening, so she kept the pleading in her head. A sharp smack from an errant tentacle sent the dome careening. No longer wedged at an unnatural angle, the dome tried to right itself. Somewhere in the middle of the spinning and twisting, Rosaliy was able to scramble to her feet¡ªa wonderful feeling until another tentacle spun the dome like a top. Drake slammed into the side of the dome, and she slammed into Drake. Conveniently for her and less conveniently for him, he had broken her fall, but on the next jolt, the metal ball was ripped from her hands. For an agonizingly slow moment of pure horror, she wondered how such a thing had happened. The chain must have caught on something¡ªone of Drake¡¯s knives, maybe the odd angle of her fall. The important thing was the bubble enchantment had been pulled from her hands, and she was suddenly in the churning water, in the middle of a purple mass of tentacles. Rosaliy scrambled to swim up, but an unfurling tentacle did the work for her, shoving her to the surface. When it swung again, she saw the sharp barbs on the tips of Granpulpo¡¯s tentacles coming at her. The tentacle smacked her full force, launching her out of the water. She must have flown fifty lengths before she landed with a smack back in the water, knocking the wind out of her. She struggled to the surface for what felt like the hundredth time in the last few hours. Was she poisoned? Hopefully the belt had done its job one last time. The water churned. Tentacles flopped everywhere. What could she do? Shore. She needed to reach shore. A flailing mass of arms and legs, Rosaliy propelled herself away from Granpulpo and in the direction of the sandy shore. Since it assumed she was incapacitated, Granpulpo¡¯s erratic attacks were no longer directed at her. That was something at least. She yelled at herself for the thought. If Granpulpo was not attacking her, it was attacking Drake. She redoubled her efforts to reach shore and was rewarded with welcome, glorious sand. She scrambled out of the water on hands and knees, gasping for breath and grateful for land, possibly Flifary land at that. Rejoicing was short-lived. Just offshore, Granpulpo¡¯s tentacles were arcing through the air, slapping the water in a fury. There was no way for Drake to outswim the creature, and he did not have the benefit of a magic belt against those poisonous barbs. She picked up a rock from shore and hurled it at Granpulpo¡¯s bulbous, purple head. She had no idea what she was thinking, probably something along the lines of ¡°must distract monster.¡± She searched the beach for a more useful tool. A dark-skinned girl ran out of the jungle, straight for her. If she had tried for an instant to take Rosaliy prisoner, she would have been no match for Rosaliy in her current state, but the girl stopped, dumbfounded, then stared slack jawed at the battle on the ocean.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. ¡°Help!¡± screamed Rosaliy. It was worth a try. The scream unfroze the girl¡¯s feet, but she dashed away, probably to go find someone to take Rosaliy prisoner. Rosaliy grabbed a piece of driftwood from shore and tossed it at the angry octopus. A tentacle caught the pitiful projectile and crushed it. Maybe if there were eight of her flinging driftwood, she might be able to distract Granpulpo long enough to allow Drake to swim to shore, but one of her was no real distraction to the hulking sea beast. Rosaliy could not see Drake, so she would just have to assume he was still alive and not skewered by poison barbs based on the fact Granpulpo was still lashing out, trying to immobilize him. A little ball of flame arced in Granpulpo¡¯s direction. Rosaliy¡¯s eyes followed the fire to its source; the girl had returned alone. On the ground in front of her, she had dropped a small pile of dark blue fruits resembling enormous blueberries. She had a lit torch in one hand and a stick in the other. What was happening? The girl yelled something, dipped the torch to the ground to light one of the mystery fruits, then scooped the flaming fruit from the ground with a hooked stick before flinging it with whole-body force. She yelled again, this time clearly directing her words to Rosaliy before pointing toward the jungle. Rosaliy watched dumbfounded as the flaming fruit sailed through the air, exploding with a splat on Granpulpo¡¯s fleshy head. Where the fruit impacted, it kicked up a puff of brilliant white smoke, and that spot on Granpulpo¡¯s head turned a mottled white. Tentacles thrashed at the disturbed spot, and Granpulpo swiveled, searching the beach with its fleshy eyes. Rosaliy ran for the trees, understanding the girl¡¯s orders now. Not far into the shade of lofty jungle trees wrapped with thick vines, she saw clusters of the blue fruit. Yanking them off, she used the remnants of her skirt as a basket. Despite their appearance, they were too large for berries and cold to the touch, but Rosaliy had no time to ponder the mystery fruit. Really, she did not care what it was if it could battle an octopus bent on Drake¡¯s annihilation. Seconds later, but what felt like hours, Rosaliy ran back to the beach laden with the fruit. While Rosaliy had been harvesting, Granpulpo had pulled itself halfway onto the sand. Still, the island girl bravely flung exploding fruit at the octopus, already mottled with white spots. She had almost reached the end of her ammunition. They needed to buy enough time for Drake to reach shore, assuming he could. The girl certainly had all of Granpulpo¡¯s attention now. Another flying fruit was batted away by a tentacle. An explosion of white left behind a white, cracked impact site. An enraged Granpulpo pulled itself further onto shore. A useless scream stuck in Rosaliy¡¯s throat as one of the striking tentacles swiped down, right above the girl¡¯s head. The girl dove, but the tip of the tentacle smacked her thigh, depositing a few giant barbs. The girl dropped to the ground, torch flying backward. More tentacles stretched out on the sand, scooping up the girl¡¯s body and dragging it toward the ocean. Rosaliy ran forward, any kind of self-preservation or common sense giving way to her protection instinct. She scooped up the discarded torch and continued running straight for the angry octopus. Even her adrenaline-fueled sense of needing to save others was not quite sure what she was doing. Ignoring the pesky warnings of common sense and self-preservation, Rosaliy flung her skirtful of berries at Granpulpo¡¯s bulbous head. A few pelted him and bounced off. Most plopped in a non-threatening pile right next to him. As tentacles rose up in an intimidating purple flurry, she flung the torch at the berries. They ignited, and Granpulpo redoubled its efforts to slide itself off the beach. Unfortunately for Granpulpo, dragging the girl was slowing it down. In a cascade of explosions, the burning berries erupted, spewing pulp onto Granpulpo¡¯s head while releasing cloud after cloud of white smoke. Rosaliy choked as the white haze billowed around her. When she breathed in, she felt like her lungs were frozen from the inside out, like she was inhaling frigid air. What kind of fruit responded to heat by creating some sort of freezing explosion? Rosaliy felt the giant arms of the octopus whoosh by, and through the dissipating ice fog, she saw the mottled purple creature slide back in the water. Barely able to see, Rosaliy grabbed for the body sliding past her, tugging the girl¡¯s arms free of the mountain of sand and shifting tentacles. Tentacles released and chose not to put up a fight for the body. Granpulpo was more interested in fleeing this disastrous battle. Hopefully it had an underground cave where it could rest and recuperate for a long, long while. Still coughing through frozen lungs, Rosaliy dragged the girl out of the white haze and further onto the beach. ¡°What¡¯s happening,¡± said a breathless voice behind her. Dropping the girl¡¯s arms, Rosaliy yelped and crushed a soaked Drake with a hug he probably did not need while he was trying to catch his breath. ¡°Are you ok? Are you hurt?¡± she asked. ¡°Yes. No. I think in that order.¡± She thought that was the right order. He was standing and breathing, anyway. The Flifary girl was in worse shape. She moaned weakly and shuddered, still alive for now. She had three barbs the size of knitting needles protruding from her leg. Rosaliy dropped to the ground and pulled out the barbs. Purple ooze dripped from their tips and sizzled in the sand. ¡°Granpulpo poisoned¡­whoever this is,¡± Rosaliy explained. ¡°Good,¡± said Drake while shaking off water. ¡°Maybe nobody knows we¡¯re here.¡± ¡°No, not good,¡± Rosaliy disagreed vehemently. ¡°She helped me.¡± Drake did not take that as irrefutable evidence. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, we didn¡¯t have time for an in depth discussion,¡± she snapped. ¡°Then how do you know¡ª¡± ¡°The healing potion!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡± His lack of urgency was not appreciated. She had spotted the glint of the top of the jar, however, and she was digging it out of Drake¡¯s pocket already. Even if healing the girl was not a good idea, Rosaliy would not have been able to watch someone die in front of her and do nothing. She flipped up the top of the jar and poured a little liquid into the girl¡¯s mouth. The white-lipped girl coughed weakly and then gasped as the potion coursed through her. She gripped Rosaliy¡¯s arm and bolted upright, exclaiming something unrecognizable. ¡°I know,¡± Rosaliy sympathized. ¡°Take it easy. You¡¯re going to be ok. I don¡¯t speak Flifary.¡± ¡°Of course not,¡± said the girl with a thick accent, charming and exotic. ¡°I forgot. Who are you?¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± Drake shot back. ¡°I¡¯m Zaphia,¡± she answered, looking wildly from one to the other. ¡°You¡¯re Terrans. You got here on Imman¡¯Oct. Did it carry you? No, no, that¡¯s not important. You¡¯re the Sorceress they brought here before. You made it!¡± This girl Rosaliy did not know was strangely excited to see her. Maybe Drake was right about caution. The girl plunged ahead. She had thick, shoulder-length fire red hair laced with dozens of tiny braids. Each braid had a feather stuck in it that wobbled when she talked. She looked like an overexcited bird. ¡°You¡¯re here. Good. You have until sun-sleep to do what you¡¯re planning. What are you planning? You¡¯re going to stop Iketa and Dalor, right? Destroy the divination stone? Rescue the Sorceress and the kids?¡± Rosaliy threw a questioning glance at Drake. ¡°Oh, now you want my opinion,¡± he grumped. ¡°Zaphia, how do you know all this?¡± Zaphia¡¯s eyes darted between them. ¡°Oh,¡± she exclaimed. ¡°Oh. You think¡ª Of course. I was helping with the revolution until I realized Iketa, Dalor, and Ocery were not being honest. Then I tried to figure out what they were doing¡ªtaking so many Terran prisoners, searching for the stone and some kids. It was all very weird. And then you showed up.¡± She jabbed a sandy finger in Rosaliy¡¯s direction. ¡°I mean, you didn¡¯t show up so much as you were brought here, and nothing made sense. Iketa and Dalor and Ocery said they were returning power back to the people, not trying to take it from Terrans and the Naxturae. I thought we helped them keep the world safe.¡± ¡°You need to rest for a second, Zaphia,¡± insisted Rosaliy. She was getting the gist of the rambling introduction despite the girl¡¯s thick accent making every fifth word unrecognizable. Rosaliy needed to think. She pulled Drake aside. ¡°She¡¯s either telling the truth or she¡¯s an evil mastermind,¡± said Drake. ¡°Either way, we should probably keep an eye on her.¡± ¡°Having an ally on this island is worth the risk,¡± Rosaliy said. ¡°I don¡¯t know where I¡¯m going, and she seems to have a lot of information.¡± ¡°A lot of information,¡± Drake chuckled. Zaphia was already on her feet and brushing off sand. The potion must have been kinder about flushing poison than healing a body full of broken bones. Rosaliy still felt wobbly on her feet now that she did not have adrenaline coursing through her body. ¡°We need somewhere to hide,¡± Rosaliy said. ¡°Hide?¡± Zaphia¡¯s face scrunched up in confusion. Rosaliy tried not to stare at the funny contrast of bright red eyebrows against such a dark face. She had never met a Flifary before. ¡°But this is the safest time to be out. Isn¡¯t that why you came in the middle of the day?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand what you mean,¡± Rosaliy admitted. ¡°Won¡¯t everybody see us?¡± ¡°Everybody¡¯s sleeping,¡± Zaphia disagreed. ¡°Don¡¯t you notice how hot it is?¡± Now that Zaphia mentioned it, Rosaliy did notice how hot she was. Just a second ago, she had been drenched, and now she was bone dry. ¡°You found us,¡± Drake pointed out. ¡°I was looking,¡± said Zaphia. ¡°I got the first part of the day shift, and I saw a flash near the beach. I ran to investigate, and here you were. I¡¯m surprised you were bold enough to arrive on the palace side of the island. Is bold the right word? You must have powerful magic to stop Iketa and Dalor. What do you want me to do?¡± She clapped her hands together, eager for instructions. Bold was not the right word. Zaphia was giving Rosaliy far more credit than she deserved. ¡°They¡¯re tracking me?¡± Rosaliy asked. None of this seemed good. Zaphia¡¯s feathers whirled as she shook her head. ¡°They think you¡¯re dead, so they¡¯re not looking very hard. What¡¯s the plan?¡± Good question. ¡°Where are Iketa and Dalor?¡± Drake asked. Zaphia¡¯s wide eyes swiveled to fix on him. ¡°Either in the temple trying to get the divination room working again or at the palace interrogating the prisoners.¡± ¡°Have they found the¡ª¡± Rosaliy started to ask. Drake shot Rosaliy a ¡°you¡¯re telling Zaphia too much¡± kind of look. ¡°The divination stone?¡± Zaphia finished for her. ¡°Dalor¡¯s been working on something else, mostly, but I don¡¯t know what. He works out of the temple.¡± What could be more important to him than finding that stone? ¡°Well,¡± reasoned Rosaliy, ¡°magical supplies would be useful, and I¡¯d like to see the progress on the divination room for myself.¡± Plus, look for the divination stone. Drake would be proud she kept that to herself. Or he might have been proud, had he not seemed so distracted. Something screeched at her from above. Rosaliy decided to ignore the sound, and momentarily, she felt a painful thwap on her shoulder. A large green fruit bounced off. The belt had stopped working altogether. For the first time, she noticed a barb protruding from the leather. She plucked it out, careful to avoid the sizzling poison. ¡°I don¡¯t think the belt¡¯s working at all now,¡± she announced. ¡°On the plus side, we found Quita.¡± Drake pointed. The little monkey scrambled down a tall tree. She paused and pulled a green ball from her puffed cheeks to chuck at Rosaliy. ¡°I can see why you¡¯re mad, but I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯ve decided it¡¯s my fault,¡± Rosaliy objected. Drake scooped Quita¡¯s projectiles from the ground and sliced one open with a knife. He handed Rosaliy a successfully shelled nut while he worked on the other. Quita watched the production with wide eyes, halting her attack. The instant Rosaliy was holding the nut, Quita leaped onto her shoulder. Rosaliy handed over the nut. Quita spat out her cheekful of inedible nuts and happily shoved the food in her mouth. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re so angry about, Quita. Your trip was much easier than ours,¡± insisted Drake, handing her another nut and popping one in his own mouth. The sight of the troublesome little monkey raised Rosaliy¡¯s spirits. They had succeeded. They made it to Flifary Island. For now, they were free. They had made an unexpected friend. Now came the hard part. Jungle Reconnaissance Drake Drake was surprised to be alive, but that was no different than normal. He was past the point of tired, but residual adrenaline from escaping Granpulpo was staving off the sleep that would catch up to him if he stopped moving. Their enthusiastic guide bounced them along toward what she called the temple. After some discussion, Rosaliy had decided she could do the most good there, as it was packed with magical objects. She was hoping to find the stone. Suddenly he was remembering that weapon Daniella had mentioned. She had been so vague, and he would rather not discuss it in front of Zaphia. Only the Seer really knew what they were walking into. A nagging feeling prickled, one of those instincts that was likely to get him in trouble. ¡°I should go to the prison,¡± he suggested. Rosaliy wanted to object. ¡°To get an idea of the layout and see where they¡¯re keeping the Seer,¡± he clarified. ¡°What can I do with magical supplies?¡± ¡°Iketa has been hauling prisoners into the prison for days,¡± Zaphia informed them. ¡°Terrans, and the High Sorceress was just brought in, and the Seer, obviously. She¡¯s been there since the beginning. They just brought in an older Terran woman with important information or something like that, but she won¡¯t tell them anything.¡± The girl said more words, including something about horses, but Drake was stuck on the ones about the mystery prisoner and her interrogation. Even if the mystery woman was not the person he suspected, an older Terran woman with information important to the Flifary sounded like someone he needed to talk to. She definitely sounded like someone the Flifary did not need to be talking to, anyway. His instincts dipped further into trouble depth. ¡°I know a lot about the prison,¡± Zaphia offered. Great. If there was one thing he liked less than prisons, it was dealing with wild cards on their home turf. Zaphia very well might be working for their Flifary enemies, biding her time while she tried to uncover information about the divination stone. Who was this enthusiastic about dealing with foreigners dragged ashore by a malevolent, mythical octopus? Rosaliy seemed eager to trust Zaphia, but Rosaliy also seemed to enjoy Drake¡¯s company, so her ability to judge character was in question. Rosaliy chuckled under her breath. ¡°That look on your face¡ªit¡¯s hilarious.¡± ¡°There is no look on my face,¡± he disagreed. ¡°That¡¯s the hilarious part,¡± she giggled. ¡°It¡¯s that look where you¡¯re not saying what you¡¯re thinking.¡± Wouldn¡¯t that be his face all the time? It was good to see Rosaliy smile again either way. ¡°I bet you and Dmitri could have a whole silent conversation with blank, cynical stares,¡± she decided, dodging some springy foliage snapping back into place after Zaphia¡¯s passage. Rosaliy¡¯s smile faded, and she tugged on Drake¡¯s shirt to slow him up a step. Zaphia zoomed ahead. ¡°She did save your life,¡± Rosaliy whispered. That only made Zaphia look more suspicious. What did she want from them? Zaphia glanced back, realizing they had fallen behind. She stopped and stared at them with wide eyes of concern. ¡°You two look like you¡¯ve lost a fight with an angry bandincitano,¡± she pointed out. ¡°Do you need water? Food? Clothes?¡± Clearly. ¡°I¡¯d like to complain about being hungry,¡± Rosaliy admitted, ¡°but Drake has been awake all night and probably hasn¡¯t eaten in longer than I have.¡± She would be right. ¡°I brought a snack for the day shift,¡± Zaphia announced, digging through a bag slung across her body. She located and handed over a leaf-wrapped bundle. ¡°A CFJ, which I guess would be a PBN to you, and some goats¡¯ milk.¡± The PBN was a pineapple, bacon, and nut butter sandwich, an odd but not unpleasant combination. Normally, he would decline food from a too-convenient foreign stranger; however, Drake was incredibly hungry, and he did have a weakness for yellow fruits. Zaphia led them at a slower pace through increasingly thick jungle. Startled wildlife hopped and slithered out of their way. She could be leading them into the middle of the jungle to be eaten by giant snakes, but letting a giant octopus kill them would have been faster, Drake supposed. ¡°Ok, Quita,¡± Rosaliy complained, tearing off a nut-slathered chunk of sandwich for the monkey. ¡°Stop jabbing me with your little claws.¡± ¡°Belt¡¯s not working at all?¡± Drake asked. Rosaliy shook her head. ¡°The venomous barb seems to have been the end of it.¡± ¡°Shhh,¡± shushed Zaphia, waving her hand at them for emphasis. She had ink drawings all along the back of it. ¡°We¡¯re close to the temple.¡± She led them to a tight cluster of leafy palm trees and pointed at the back side of what must have been the temple. It was ringed by intricate columns wrapped with vines and pressed up against the sun-smothering jungle foliage that had grown up around the temple. Or maybe the temple had grown up out of the thick jungle. Either way, this place would have been impossible to find without a guide. Drake had to give Zaphia a begrudging amount of credit for being necessary. He was nowhere near ready to jump to trustworthy. Quita leaped from Rosaliy¡¯s head and dashed to the temple, scrambling up one of the columns wrapped with vines, then leaping from column to column with purpose. Within minutes she was diving headfirst into a banana tree. ¡°There aren¡¯t any magical barriers around this place?¡± Rosaliy asked Zaphia. ¡°There are workers in and out all the time, so no special magical boundaries I know of. Just a couple guards. That window there is where I¡¯m supposed to be keeping watch over the tracker. Nobody should be in that room but me. Except not me, because I¡¯m right here. You won¡¯t run into me.¡± ¡°It¡¯s near Dalor¡¯s laboratory,¡± Rosaliy clarified. ¡°Right,¡± Zaphia agreed. They had this conversation earlier. Rosaliy turned to face Drake. She was torn and streaked with dirt from head to toe, although her tied back hair was as orderly as always. Her good humor had fled, and her pursed mouth tightened into a tense frown. ¡°I feel like¡­¡± she murmured, then sighed. ¡°Will you promise me something?¡±If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. He probably would, which startled him. ¡°I never makes open-ended promises to women,¡± Drake objected with a teasing tone that was more defense than felt, ¡°especially the magical type.¡± Her seriousness cracked a bit. ¡°Just promise I¡¯ll see you again. That you won¡¯t leave without saying goodbye. I don¡¯t want you to disappear on me.¡± What an odd request. He had no idea what to make of it. ¡°How am I supposed to leave the island without you?¡± She cocked her head, her blue eyes trying to read his. ¡°You¡¯re just doing reconnaissance, right?¡± Maybe she was good at reading people. ¡°Right,¡± he agreed. ¡°Looking around the outside of the prison. Making a plan. Reconnaissance.¡± Plus getting more information about Zaphia¡¯s mystery prisoner. The timing of her arrival was not sitting well with him. ¡°I just have this nagging feeling¡­¡± She sighed. ¡°Hey, is that you promising or distracting me from the fact that you¡¯re not promising?¡± He laughed. ¡°It¡¯s as close as you¡¯re going to get. What if I get killed?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll be furious with you,¡± she promised. ¡°I can¡¯t exactly control what I get killed by.¡± ¡°You said you¡¯re good at making it through these sorts of situations,¡± she argued, gripping his arm in Kianne farewell. ¡°And try not to get yourself locked up in the Flifary prison. I don¡¯t see talking you out as an option this time around.¡± ¡°Noted,¡± he said. ¡°Avoid incarceration.¡± She was still holding on to his arm. ¡°Are you worried about me?¡± he asked. ¡°Of course I am!¡± she exclaimed softly. ¡°Well, stop,¡± he told her, although some small part of him did appreciate the novelty of being worried over. ¡°You¡¯re the one walking into Magical Catastrophe Central.¡± She eyed the temple. ¡°How do you say ¡®good luck¡¯ in Bayselle? Something fish-related?¡± ¡°Favorable winds,¡± he answered. ¡°I like it. Favorable winds.¡± She finally released his arm, an unpleasant sensation. He could feel the absence of her long after she had clambered up the massive vines and over the windowsill high above them. She disappeared for a moment, then reappeared in the window to wave her success. Drake watched the empty window a moment longer than he needed to. ¡°Lead the way to the prison,¡± he told Zaphia. ¡°We¡¯d better go the jungle route,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s probably a bad idea to be roaming the streets with you.¡± Probably? The jungle route was full of more hopping and slithering things, and it was not the best path for bare feet. Flifary Island had not made a good impression so far. If Drake tried to traverse the jungle on his own, it would have taken days of hacking out a path, but Zaphia knew a narrow, winding route that eventually spit them out onto a wide sand road lined with pillars and the occasional statue of a serpent or watchful jaguar. Everything seemed worn by sun and wind, more an indication of age than care, if he had to guess. Zaphia looked left, then right, then left again. Just as she was about to brave a step onto the wide road, the sound of voices knocked her back. She abandoned the street crossing and took cover behind a vine-draped tree. Drake followed suit. A pair of men sauntered by, chatting in their foreign tongue. Zaphia crept forward when the voices faded into the distance. ¡°They didn¡¯t see us,¡± she whispered. ¡°They were just whining about the heat and how dull the day shift is.¡± Who could blame them? Drake was roasting. This was a sticky, wet heat that crawled inside a person¡¯s bones¡ªnothing like the dry, sweat-sapping heat of the desert. Zaphia took off across the road, not slowing until she was safe under cover on the other side. The road twisted, and Zaphia kept them parallel to this main thoroughfare, ready to hide at the sight of any more patrols. She was a jumpy little thing, but she knew the way. It was eerie how quiet things were, but the more time he spent outside, Drake could appreciate the necessity for sleeping the sweltering day away. Zaphia veered them to a pile of precarious boulders at the base of a crumbling cliffside. ¡°If you feel any shaking, run toward shore,¡± she warned him in a whisper. ¡°What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine.¡± She shrugged the thin shoulders peeking out of her loose clothing. ¡°Just basic volcano safety. Do you have volcanoes on shore?¡± No. In fact, the last mountain he had tangled with had not treated him well. Drake shot another glance at the cliffside. Smoke meandered from the lofty top of the black peak. ¡°Why are we here?¡± ¡°We have the best view of the palace from here.¡± Zaphia led him around the big rocks to a vantage point looking down on the sprawling palace. There were open courtyards, overgrown gardens, trees poking out of the roof, sections of roof made of woven vines, a turret that looked more like a treehouse with an elaborate crow¡¯s nest at the top, and dizzying spiral stone staircases open to the elements. Those were just the features he could take in on first glance. It looked like the palace had been under constant construction for hundreds of years, adjusting to the whim of the moment. ¡°Where is the prisoner being questioned?¡± he asked. Zaphia pointed. ¡°See that stone tower? It¡¯s close to there.¡± ¡°Any windows?¡± ¡°Sort of,¡± she said. ¡°The ceiling is made of vines in that whole wing.¡± He could see that. ¡°So if I cut through¡ª¡± He stopped because Zaphia was emphatically shaking her head, making her feathers twirl in a comical dance. ¡°Oh, no,¡± she insisted. ¡°That won¡¯t work. There are magic barriers everywhere.¡± Of course there were. ¡°Besides, the Seer is at the other end of the palace, and there are more prisoners scattered all over the place.¡± As much as he wished he cared about the other prisoners, he was concerned with only one. ¡°We¡¯ll worry about them later,¡± he said. ¡°Is there a way in to the vine section?¡± ¡°You can maybe see into the room,¡± said Zaphia, looking concerned. ¡°Isn¡¯t that what you wanted to do? Reconniponce?¡± He was giving Zaphia too much information and getting nothing back. It would be too hard to hash out the specifics of a plan with someone who should not have the specifics of his plan. He needed to fish for information instead. He flashed Zaphia a smile. ¡°Absolutely. Just brainstorming a plan.¡± She relaxed. ¡°So if you were going to break out a prisoner, how would you do it? Just for future planning.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± she pondered, nodding down at the palace in deep thought. ¡°Hmm.¡± She pulled a ribbon from her neck. It was laced through a shell. ¡°This lets me get in and out of the palace without raising alarms, but I can only get close to the rooms where the prisoners are, not in them. I¡¯d need different magic to get to where the prisoners are.¡± That explained why the palace looked like it had a hundred entry points. Zaphia was still hypothetically breaking out the prisoners. ¡°Then I guess I¡¯d wrap a blanket around some coconuts or something lumpy to make it look like the prisoners were sleeping and then sneak them through the hallways. Since I was already using magic to get through the special barriers, I could just use magic to make us all invisible. Magic can do that, right? Wait, not in the palace, though. The barriers are also stopping magic. Except, wait, how are magic barriers stopping magic? Wouldn¡¯t the magic barrier stop itself from working?¡± He was sorry he had listened to any of that. ¡°Who has access to the prisoners, Zaphia?¡± Her forehead was crinkled in deep thought. ¡°Huh? Who? Only Iketa, Dalor, and the head guard. Oh, oh!¡± she exclaimed, lighting up and waving her hands. ¡°You could use magic to make yourself look like one of them. That would be neat.¡± No. ¡°Would that fool a magic barrier?¡± he pointed out. ¡°I suppose not, but it would fool the guards,¡± she defended her plan. She sure loved complicated plans involving magic. ¡°What allows Iketa and Dalor to pass through the barrier?¡± ¡°They have special conchas.¡± She tapped the shell on the end of her necklace. Iketa and Dalor were out, but with all the high value prisoners on the premises, the head guard was sure to be here. Since it was Flifary night, Drake assumed the head guard would delegate the night shift to sleep. Time and the element of surprise were in his favor, assuming Zaphia was being truthful. ¡°Are you thinking about going in?¡± asked Zaphia hesitantly. ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell the Sorceress you were just looking around?¡± No. He had strongly implied he was just looking, and Rosaliy had correctly assumed he would do something stupid if the opportunity presented itself. ¡°Sometimes reconnaissance involves taking advantage of an opportunity,¡± he said. Zaphia blinked and nodded slowly and with purpose. ¡°Let me get something that will help,¡± Zaphia promised. ¡°You stay here and plan.¡± Right, like he was going to sit and wait at the base of a puffing mountain and let her traipse off to go notify Iketa and Dalor about his plans to break into their prison. In his best case scenario, she was going to go procure magic that would change him into a lizard. ¡°Good idea!¡± he said. He followed her at a distance while she traipsed off. Anxiety Rosaliy Although Rosaliy was worried Drake was going to do something to get himself killed or caught, by all rights, she had proved to be far more likely to do both things. Up to this point, Rosaliy would have described herself as stable and responsible. She was always the one organizing events, wrangling spirited girls, mopping up messes, and talking Issabeth down from possibly fatal training exercises. But, no, on this trip, Drake had been the responsible one. Well, as soon as she could find what she needed here, she could join Drake and Zaphia at the prison and free the people who knew what they were doing. So what did she need here? Rosaliy executed a brief search of the room she had landed in. The search involved turning around once. This square stone space was occupied by a round pedestal with a cloud of fog rolling over the sides, a chair artfully woven from palm leaves, and a cloth satchel draped over the chair. A tiny green light shone in the middle of the fog pedestal. That must have been representing her. She shuddered to think how her arrival on Flifary Island might have gone had Zaphia not been the one looking for her, not that it had gone all that well without the Flifary looking for her, assuming they were not waiting in the hallway with a big net right now. She chose to assume they were not. Hanging in the middle of the room was a round, metal lantern of sorts, but remnants of chilly, white smoke drifted from slits in the ball. Flint and a striking stone sat on a tiny shelf next to the door. In the corner was a basket of the blue fruit Zaphia had used to attack the octopus. Rosaliy marveled over a fruit that froze when heated. As quick at that, her search was complete. Nothing Dalor had used to cast this tracking spell was here. Zaphia had insisted his workroom was in this hallway¡ªthe hallway not currently filled with Flifary guards waiting to pounce on her. Rosaliy had not had a moment to stop and think for days. Alexander liked to say one good plan was worth a hundred fruitless actions. Up to now, she had the fruitless action part covered, although, in her defense, some of her actions had fruit. She was here, after all. She forced herself to stop to think even though every part of her body screamed at her to find what she could and get out of here. First, according to Zaphia, Iketa and Dalor were new magic users¡ªpowerful, erratic, and not able to think on their feet. If Rosaliy could get access to her own magic arsenal, or, more accurately, theirs, she had a chance. Second, as powerful as they were, the Flifary were scrambling. Arlana and Daniella had thrown all their plans into chaos. If she could just hit them with something they did not expect and had no defenses against, she could stop them without being more powerful than they were. She had fooled them with a handkerchief before, after all. Until they found the divination stone, she had a chance. After that, well¡­ A prickly chill of urgency danced up her spine. The only option was to find the stone first. Arlana had hidden the powerful stone. Daniella had sent Rosaliy to protect it. No one would be able to look for the children until the magic it contained was safe. A goal to find the stone was orderly and manageable. If only she knew where to look.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. A dark object flew in at her from the window. Instinctively, she dove to the ground, barely stifling a cry of alarm. Something pounced on her and yanked on her hair. Rosaliy raised her eyes. Tiny, blinking monkey eyes looked back at her. ¡°Oh, Quita,¡± Rosaliy hissed in annoyance, ¡°not now. I don¡¯t have anything for you.¡± Quita chattered away while Rosaliy picked herself up. ¡°Shh,¡± urged Rosaliy, scooping up the tiny monkey. Quita responded to the shushing with more chirps and little screeches. This was no good. ¡°I¡¯ll get you out of here at soon as I can,¡± Rosaliy promised, ¡°but you have to be quiet.¡± ¡°Eep,¡± disagreed Quita. The only object in reach was the satchel draped over the chair. Rosaliy investigated the contents¡ªa scarf, a narrow bottle filled with water, and a pile of feathers. Rosaliy assumed the bag was one of Zaphia¡¯s. Rosaliy deposited Quita inside the bag. The tiny monkey made a mess of the feathers, twisted herself up in the scarf like a nest, and accepted her temporary habitat. Rosaliy went for the open doorway to see if anyone had heard her arrival and subsequent attack by a monkey. The hallway was enclosed and dim, only lit by filtered sunlight from vine-covered skylights and open rooms. There was an odd eeriness to the quiet in the middle of the day. She kept having to remind herself the island was not abandoned, just asleep. Her heart pounded as she braved a slow step into the hallway. She expected to hear the holler of a hidden guard or the blare of a magical alarm, but no such sounds accompanied the step of her bare foot. Three uneventful steps into the hallway, she located the only doorway with a door. A metal chain looped between a door fashioned from vines and a hole driven through the arched stone doorway. The chain was fixed in place by a lock. Rosaliy examined it silently. The lock needed a key. Or Drake. She had neither. Rosaliy gave one try at channeling the magic of the island into breaking a lock, but the magic of the island was Flifary, not Naxtura. It gave her no power. She could sense some usable magic behind the vine door. Magic she could use to open the lock was behind the locked door. This was a quandary. She gingerly removed and set down the satchel. It did not yell at her, so Quita must still have been sleeping. She stared at the door. She could toss flaming, freezing fruit at the door and break off pieces, but that idea seemed ill-thought out in every way. Maybe it would be best to leave now, meet up with Drake, and free the prisoners. But with what? She was so close to having enchanted objects and magical supplies in her hands. The hallways were dead. True, she was currently on the losing end of the battle between her and doors, but this could be her door redemption. She needed to take the time to search the rest of the hallway. She approached the next door and heard a breathy sigh that nearly prompted a scream. She bit her hand instead, the scream rushing straight to her heart which nearly beat itself out of her chest and halfway across the jungle. No wonder Dalor¡¯s laboratory was unguarded. He was sleeping right next to it. The Island Prison Drake More jungle wandering had Drake lamenting his lack of shoes, but when Zaphia broke out into a neighborhood and zig-zagged down streets of burning sand, he wished to be back in the jungle underbrush. If the girl knew Drake was following her, she gave no sign. The windows he passed were darkened and covered as a defense against the sun, but he traveled close to the houses anyway, forced to close the gap between him and Zaphia to keep track of her. She ended her purposeful journey at an innocuous house where she grabbed a few discarded nuts from the ground and tossed them into an upper window. A yawing face appeared. Zaphia flapped her arms to get its attention. Drake tried his hardest to continue to suspect she was notifying the authorities, but when a boy scrambled down vines clinging to the side of his house, his certainty was tested. The sharp-eyed boy pointed straight at Drake, and Zaphia glanced behind her, jumping when she saw Drake. ¡°Wow,¡± she exclaimed, seeming impressed. ¡°You¡¯re really sneaky.¡± Drake gave up trying to suspect her of colluding with the enemy after that. If she was helping them, she was doing so by accident. He came closer so she would stop speaking so loudly in the middle of a sleeping village. ¡°Drake,¡± she whispered, ¡°this is Ario. He¡¯s a good climber, and if the guards catch him, they won¡¯t think anything of it.¡± Then she said something to Ario including the word ¡°Drake¡± that earned enthusiastic head bobs from the fuzzy-headed boy. Back to the palace they went, child in tow. Ario was one of those kids who bounced everywhere he went. He could hardly take a step without adding in an extra spring. Soon, all three were back under the volcano. ¡°How can he get me in the palace?¡± Drake asked, watching Ario. Even when the kid was standing still, he was bobbing up and down. ¡°Oh, no, he can¡¯t do that. I mean, he can cause a distraction like last time, I guess, but I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll fall for that again.¡± Zaphia chattered to Ario. He chattered back. Zaphia shook her head at Drake. ¡°No. They told him if they caught him again, he¡¯d be scrubbing statues with a toothbrush for a cat-sleep.¡± The length of time entailed in a cat-sleep was unknown, but it sounded long enough for Drake to respect Ario¡¯s reticence. Two young sets of eyes blinked at him hopefully. Well, prisons were prisons. ¡°Since it¡¯s your night, I¡¯m guessing the head guard delegates this shift,¡± Drake pondered. ¡°Where does he sleep?¡± Zaphia shrugged. She chatted quietly with Ario while Drake peeked out from behind their boulder hiding spot next to the palace. A set of spear-armed guards sauntered by an open second-floor balcony. On the plus side, there was no reason for this prison to be on high alert. On the negative side, this prison had no reason to be on high alert. It was enormous, on an island that was impossible to find, and it had its own magical protection system. Maybe he should wait for Rosaliy to join them with some magical options. ¡°Ario thinks the head guard stays in the cone.¡± Zaphia pointed. In the middle of the sprawling palace, a large tower rested. Now that she named it, the tower did have the shape of a cone with its point wedged into the stone ceiling. The beginnings of an idea swirled in Drake¡¯s head. ¡°You said Ario was a good climber?¡± She bobbed her head in agreement. ¡°Could he wear your concha?¡± It took a while to hash out the plan. Zaphia kept trying to overcomplicate the plan, and who knew what she was explaining to the boy, but finally, they all seemed to understand what was going on. A nimble child and an enthusiastic teenager were an ideal crew for a prison break-in. Certainly good people did not think that way, Drake chided himself. However, that was exactly why a nimble child and an enthusiastic teenager were so effective at prison infiltration. Besides, he was on the right side of this prison escape. If anything, he was helping these children take social justice into their own hands. ¡°Taking social justice into their own hands¡± was a phrase Cliff had used more than once. Drake was not sold on its relevance to his current situation, but Cliff was usually on the right side of things, so Drake decided to accept the man¡¯s hypothetical moral approval of the situation. He jerked on the knots connecting the rope of vines he had created during the planning. He coiled up the vines, and Ario slung them over his shoulder. Even with the bulky extra weight, Ario was up the closest palm tree to the palace before Drake could get into a decent position to watch the patrol inside. Their timing could not have been worse. A pair of guards turned a corner to meander down an open outdoor hallway. Drake put out a hand as a signal for Ario to stay put. Ario pulled himself higher onto the green fronds of the palm and the wide palm leaves jostled in front of the passing guards. Hearing the rustle, one of the guards veered off course to lean his head out the open wall. The guard¡¯s eyes swept Ario¡¯s way, scanning up and down the massive tree in front of him. Somehow, the boy remained still and hidden by the palm fronds, something only the threat of meticulous column cleaning could have coaxed out of him. Satisfied, the lackadaisical guard shrugged to his partner and ambled on. Every step seemed slower than the last, until, finally, the spear-wielding sentries rounded the corner. Drake waved Ario toward the palace, and a dark blur of a boy took a flying leap onto the palace roof, landing with a soft thud. He must have been half monkey. Zaphia and Drake slipped their way to the other side of the palace. Ario had beaten them there. He was already tying vines to the stone rails of a balcony and hurling them over the side. He scrambled down the vines and bounced around proudly. ¡°Nice work,¡± Drake praised him. The kid had a future in socially conscious cat burglary. Ario ripped Zaphia¡¯s concha off his neck and handed it over to Drake. Drake draped the ribbon around his neck and tucked the shell under his tattered shirt. ¡°Your turn,¡± Drake told Zaphia. ¡°How long should I give you?¡± she whispered. ¡°Long enough, but not too long,¡± he answered. It was the best answer he had, and they had gone over the plan already. Drake had never been one to worry overly about the actions of his team getting him captured or killed because the possibility was so likely. Why fret over the inevitable? People he worked with usually misinterpreted this attitude as confidence in their abilities, which seemed to help team morale. Drake scaled the vine as quickly as he could. The volcano side of the palace was an easy access point, but it was also free of tree cover. The guard patrols may have been tired, but they were not blind. Halfway up, Drake reconsidered the wisdom of climbing a vine rope in the mid-day heat. His slick hands were turning his makeshift rope into something impossible to grip. Only halfway up, he dropped half a length, barely managing to catch himself on a knobby leaf. Ario made climbing in the heat look easier than it was. Drake yanked off a ripped piece of his shirt and wrapped it around his hand using his teeth. With at least one hand able to grip the vine, he hobbled his way up until his fingers grasped the lip of the stone balcony. Finally, he pulled himself onto the scalding stones and scrambled under cover, wishing he had a bucket of water to douse himself with. Failing that, Drake wiped a forehead of sweat onto the sleeve of his shirt before he hauled the vine up after him and rolled it up. Zaphia waved good luck at him with two enthusiastic hands and took off to inform the guards her concha was missing. Such an announcement should rouse the head guard, bearer of the concha Drake needed. Putting the palace prison on alert was a gamble, but it was the fastest way to gain access to the prisoners. If a possible intruder emergency pulled Iketa or Dalor away from the temple and Rosaliy, all the better. He took a second to orient himself, aiming for the cone. This section of the palace was standard stone, but large gaps in the ceiling and floor were positioned to provide light and ventilation. Drake had to temper the need to move quickly with the necessity of traveling carefully past missing sections of floor big enough to tumble through. The benefit and drawback of this odd construction choice was that the labyrinthine hallways were well lit, but he could be seen by guards from too many angles to control. The increased visibility led to more stress, but it also saved him from a few dead end turns. He was under the cone in no time. If Drake had to guess, the cone appeared to be the original prison for the palace. The only access point up to the lofty, oddly-shaped tower was a set of folding spiral stairs. The stairs were wooden planks suspended by vines, and the system to raise and lower the spiral of stairs was a crank at the bottom. Any attempt to jump down from the cone area without using the stairs was sure to end in a broken leg, and even if a prisoner could fly, the distance to the outside of the palace was lengthy and circuitous.Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Drake stole to the stairway and looked up at the porthole in the rock¡ªall darkness and quiet above. It made sense that at some point in its history the cone tower was considered more useful as a guard station. Its raised, central location gave it a sweeping view of the roof and the palace surroundings. Plus, the ability to lower the stairs and physically cut off the ability to enter or exit made this a good place to store weapons. Drake had not considered having access to an armory, but he could use one. The stairs were raised and secured with chains, so the head guard was most likely in. Drake tested the stairs by carefully transferring half his weight to the bottom step. The stair creaked at him and the vine contraption tightened and swayed, causing a little jingle of chains. Drake froze. No one came running to investigate. Hopefully the head guard was a heavy sleeper. Not one to overthink a plan, Drake hauled himself up, using his arms as much as possible to avoid the creaking wood stairs, succeeding only marginally. He took a moment at the top to scan for people looking to do him harm. No one argued his right to be here, so he turned his focus to the cone itself. A solid stone wall ringed a hallway. The outer wall had once been solid, but now the wall had small cut-outs for contraptions that looked like periscopes. This place was definitely used as a sentry tower. Luckily for him, it was unstaffed at the moment. Drake could see one door directly ahead and two more on the right and left. He assumed there was another room on the back of the circle. The effect was something like standing in an enormous cone-shaped lighthouse, if the light of the lighthouse had been partitioned off into separate wedges. Many stones were missing from the inner walls, allowing the people outside to see inside. The wide open door in front of him also allowed Drake to see inside. That was unexpected. Drake used his forearms to haul himself up onto the floor, avoiding the rest of the stairs entirely. The head guard was in his unlocked, unguarded room, asleep. This seemed like such a clearly terrible idea, Drake worried it was a trap. Granted, the guard had reason to put a good deal of faith in his impenetrable island and the impenetrable magic barriers of his prison, despite the fact that Drake had penetrated both of them in the same day. Drake decided to change his plan. Of course, changing the plan meant Zaphia was certain to execute her end, so he had to move quickly. He crept to the doorway of the guard¡¯s room. The guard was sleeping with his spear out of reach, but he had muscles that could crush coconuts, so Drake was not interested in waking the man. Luckily, his concha was on a table beside him. It looked like Zaphia¡¯s, but it had faint gold threads ringing the shell. Drake scanned once for anything else that looked like a wearable shell. There were none of those, but there was a ring of keys hanging on a hook. Honestly? Drake was half tempted to wake the man up and have a chat about the management of his organization. He made a silent grab for the concha and the keys. Then he escaped the room before he had to explain himself. With an agonizing slowness, Drake pulled the door closed behind him. With the turn of a key, the guard¡¯s room became a cell once more. It only locked from the outside, so that was going to be inconvenient for the giant head guard when he woke up. The next three open rooms were for storage. They were ill-stocked and mostly full of weaponry that had been broken and was waiting to be repaired. Drake looped a few pairs of hand restraints around his belt, and he decided he had time to grab one weapon. Really, his knives were a more comfortable close-range weapon than those bulky spears, so his first instinct said the grappling hook was the way to go. His instincts might have been swayed by the ten-year-old boy inside with a fascination for big, shiny objects, but the pronged hook attached to a rope and a launching system did seem like a better exit plan than he had currently. He could admit to himself these were flimsy justifications to carry around a grappling hook, however. He may have had had plenty of problems, but lying to himself was not one. He gave the vine stairway a once over after he was down, debating the best way to render the contraption inoperable. He cranked it down as quietly as he could, removed the handle, and laced his vine rope through the contraption, haphazardly tying knots as tightly as he could. Panicking guards would do plenty of damage trying to figure out what vines to cut. No need to waste his own time sawing through vines when they could do the work for him in their quest to liberate the head guard. Drake¡¯s next objective was to find the wing with the vine ceiling and see what he could do for Daniella. He was sure they had captured her, and as little sense as it made, he felt responsible for her. He shifted the weight of the grappling hook slung across his back and headed for the section Zaphia had pointed out to him. According to her, there were prisoners being kept all over this palace. Clearly, no one here knew what they were doing, but he refused to let their odd choices fill him with confidence. Their unpredictability made them even more dangerous. His uncanny sense of direction took him to the right section, but the right room was not immediately apparent. Perhaps there was some advantage to keeping prisoners all over a sprawling palace. He considered scaling a nearby tower and getting a view from above, but if Zaphia had sounded the alert, a guard might very well be watching the roof. Of course, the way things were going, the day shift guards might just brush off the loss and decide to look for the missing access shell tomorrow. While Drake considered his options, he heard the snap of sandals to his left. He dove behind a pillar before some quick-moving guards stormed past. Their conversation did not sound cheerful. Drake let them pass and followed as close as he dared. They stopped down a hallway, and he waited around the corner. They must have stopped to talk to Daniella¡¯s guard. He hoped the conversation was going something like, ¡°Zaphia lost her concha.¡± ¡°Ugh, that girl.¡± ¡°I know. We¡¯re on our way to wake the head guard.¡± ¡°You know how cranky he is when he¡¯s tired.¡± ¡°Do we ever, but if Seer Loyalists manage to sneak in here on the day shift, we¡¯ll never hear the end of it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ll keep an eye out.¡± Implicating Seer Loyalists was Zaphia¡¯s idea. Hopefully that would move any guards to the Seer¡¯s end of the palace to prevent a break-out. Drake waited until the guards clicked away before stealing around the corner. He had a window of time where most of the guards would be occupied, and he needed to hurry. They had sounded like they were talking to only one man. In an alcove in the wall, there was a wooden statue of a bird, something like a pelican, as ancient as the rest of the palace. Drake scooped it up and chucked it down the hallway. It stopped abruptly on a stone wall, its large beak snapping off with a crack. A guard popped his head out a doorway to investigate the clatter. He took a step into the hallway. He was manageable. Drake dove on him from behind, clapping a hand over the man¡¯s resulting yell and squeezing his throat with his arm. Poor man was going to have a sore windpipe for days. He wished there was a way to be reasonable with guards about allowing themselves to be tied up and gagged. Drake felt less sorry for him when the guard slammed him backwards into a stone wall. A cloud of black spots danced in his eyes, and Drake was dizzy, but he was still able to keep his arm clamped down around the man¡¯s neck. Letting go led to fist fights and stabbing, and there was no need for either of them to nurse injuries right now. The man went limp quickly after all the struggling, and Drake dragged him into a nearby room, using a pair of hand restraints to attach the guard to a heavy table. Drake hurried into the room the man had been guarding. He found a space decorated with two chairs and a sad-looking broken coconut and brown banana in the corner. He hurried for the doorway. His body tingled slightly as he crossed a barrier at the door, but he was able to pass through into an enclosed stone room. Filtered light came down through the vine ceiling. Success. Daniella was leaning against one wall, and Issabeth was slumped on the other side of the room. Daniella noted his arrival. Her eyebrows rose, and she said nothing. ¡°I took care of the guard,¡± Drake said. Issabeth moaned and turned her head. ¡°Drake. How nice of you to not be dead. I thought you were a thousand lengths under the ocean by now.¡± ¡°I would have thought so, too. Let¡¯s get you two out of here.¡± ¡°How would you like to accomplish that?¡± Daniella asked. Drake eyed the vine ceiling. ¡°The grappling hook can reach the ceiling,¡± he said. ¡°If I could carve out a hole and escape that way, I could toss the concha down for you to follow.¡± Daniella eyed the ceiling. ¡°I¡¯m not above trying.¡± She grimaced at the tall ceiling. ¡°Well, I¡¯m a little above trying, but something tells me those vines are impenetrable. And¡­¡± She cast a pointed glance at her cellmate. The Sorceress looked a fin away from passing out. Her whole shoulder was red with blood. He dug the jar out of his pocket. ¡°I have healing potion that might help.¡± Issabeth shuddered. ¡°Is that the Baysellian concoction? The monstrosity mixed up by Old Coasters?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± he agreed, holding out the jar. ¡°Keep that horrible stuff away from me,¡± she grumbled. ¡°Ugh, you¡¯re giving me flashbacks to my trip to the coast when I was nine. Broken leg, a crazy Senira. That stuff lingered for days, I swear.¡± ¡°It might be worth¡ª¡± he tried to suggest. ¡°Plus,¡± she interrupted, ¡°it has horrible, unpredictable interactions with other magic. I¡¯d probably incinerate myself using the pearl to fry those Flifary and get us out of here.¡± Even half conscious and suffering the effects of blood loss, Issabeth was not someone to argue with. ¡°At least let me wrap up your shoulder?¡± he offered. ¡°If you have to,¡± Issabeth sighed. ¡°May I borrow?¡± Daniella asked, gesturing toward a knife on Drake¡¯s belt. Drake handed it over, and she cut a long strip of cloth off an almost clean underskirt. ¡°Why are you here, anyway?¡± asked Issabeth, struggling to sit up. ¡°Did Arlana send you?¡± ¡°The Seer? I haven¡¯t talked to her.¡± Drake peeled the blood-soaked shirt from Issabeth¡¯s shoulder. She had been stabbed deeply by a knife, and it was impossible that she was still conscious. Drake was half tempted to hold her down and throw healing potion at her, but he did not see the attempt ending well for him. He wrapped the skirt cloth tightly around the wound and under Issabeth¡¯s arm. ¡°Haven¡¯t talked to her,¡± chided Daniella, handing over another length of cloth. ¡°You came here first? What were you thinking?¡± Was he really having to defend himself here? ¡°I was thinking,¡± he replied, ¡°that you know an awful lot of information the Flifary should not know.¡± ¡°I know nothing,¡± Daniella disagreed. ¡°And I¡¯m not stupid enough to go announcing what I do know.¡± ¡°That much is true,¡± Issabeth agreed weakly. ¡°Whatever she did to herself, it¡¯s like she wiped out everything. All that¡¯s left is this cold shell of stubbornness. She has so many truth potions humming around her system, it¡¯s ridiculous.¡± ¡°You should talk,¡± Daniella groused. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even let me look at your shoulder before you bleed to death.¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t let you touch you either if you were me,¡± Issabeth insisted. ¡°Is the pearl out there, Drake?¡± The what? ¡°I could search,¡± offered Drake. ¡°No,¡± Issabeth sighed. ¡°I¡¯m sure Dalor took it with him. Just go free Arlana.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Daniella agreed. ¡°The Seer is our best hope.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t agree with me,¡± muttered Issabeth. ¡°It makes me question my decisions.¡± ¡°But one of you could escape with this.¡± Drake held up the shell on his neck. ¡°You could free her yourself.¡± ¡°She¡¯s in no shape,¡± said Daniella, glaring at Issabeth, ¡°and you already know the layout of the prison. Shouldn¡¯t you be moving already? In some sort of hurry?¡± So now he had to make his way toward the corner of the palace where the guards were likely heading to prevent a break-out. Fantastic planning. Castle Problems Jadelynn ¡°Something feels wrong,¡± murmured Jadelynn, slowing her horse for the first time since the boys had forced her to stop for lunch. ¡°No kidding, genius,¡± grumbled Matias, trotting past her. Traveling always made him grumpy, especially endless frantic traveling. ¡°Why am I here again?¡± asked Cliff when he caught up, rubbing the back of his sore neck. Jadelynn hardly knew. For some reason, her mother felt better about her traveling with the two men, but they had been dead weight thusfar. The drawbridge to Crystal Palace was finally in sight after a ride that felt like it would never end, and it was down, a beckoning path to safety and rest. Relief poured over Jadelynn. The familiar guards were at their post, ready to direct guests and serve as the first line of defense against danger. All was well here. She waved, but the guards did not return her greeting. Drawing closer, she noticed the guards were slumped over, sleeping at their post. At least she hoped they were sleeping. Matias was the first off his horse. ¡°I¡¯m not telling you how to do your jobs, but shouldn¡¯t you be on guard or something,¡± complained Matias to the slumped pair of men. Cliff shook one. The man just jiggled, and his arm slipped from his thigh to the ground. ¡°Yeesh.¡± He grimaced. ¡°Hard night?¡± Jadelynn checked both guards for heartbeats. They were alive. ¡°Looks like there¡¯s some sort of magic at work here,¡± said Matias. Jadelynn rolled her eyes. ¡°No kidding, genius. Let¡¯s get to the palace.¡± ¡°Are we just going to leave them here?¡± Cliff asked. ¡°Should we maybe prop them up or lay them down, or¡­?¡± Both Jadelynn and Matias ignored him. They remounted their horses and crossed the familiar birch tree-lined path to Crystal Palace. Jadelynn was wary. But, like Sorceress Issabeth always said, ¡°Prepare for everything; worry about nothing.¡± Jadelynn had a bow and a few pouches of poorly-made magical powders she mostly knew how to use. She was prepared for rabbits, basically. The best she could do was not worry. Between the leafy birch trees, Jadelynn could see things were amiss before they were to the grand stairs and off their horses. The beautiful palace was coated with a dull sheen. ¡°Can you see that?¡± she asked the men. ¡°See what?¡± replied Cliff. ¡°The giant palace?¡± Matias answered cheekily. ¡°Yes, I can.¡± Indications pointed to a magical remnant of a spell coating the palace, something only she could see. If the spell had once affected the guards all the way on the drawbridge, its potency must have faded. That was Jadelynn¡¯s best guess, anyway. ¡°Hey, Mat, walk up and get right up next to the palace,¡± she ordered. ¡°We¡¯ll wait here.¡± ¡°No,¡± he objected. ¡°I definitely will not be doing that. Why?¡± ¡°There¡¯s magic at work, and I want to see if the spell is spent or if it¡¯s still in effect,¡± she explained. He crossed his arms. ¡°I¡¯m sticking to no.¡± Jadelynn sighed, about to break into an occasionally-effective little sister pout. ¡°You think somebody cast a spell on the palace?¡± Cliff clarified. She nodded. ¡°One strong enough to hit the guards.¡±Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. Cliff glanced behind him. ¡°If magic was still working, we¡¯d already be in the middle of it, then.¡± Their hesitance was getting them nowhere and Jadelynn was antsy. Sorceress Issabeth would have been inside the palace by now. ¡°Sorceress Rosaliy needs help now,¡± she said. ¡°We have to do something.¡± Cliff shaded his eyes to stare down the palace. It must have been its usual brilliant marble to him and not coated in a faint murk. ¡°I¡¯ll check it out,¡± he said. ¡°Worst case, I fall asleep on the steps, right?¡± ¡°As long as you fall forward,¡± Matias half agreed. It was the potentially forever part that was the worst possibility of a magical sleep, but the Glade would definitely not allow spells leading to death. The most comfort Jadelynn could offer without lying was a ¡°you can do this¡± smile. The ever helpful Matias clapped Cliff on the back. ¡°We¡¯ll wait here and see how you do.¡± ¡°You are such a baby,¡± Jadelynn teased him as Cliff trotted his way up the stairs. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s an insult to babies. I¡¯ve met babies braver than you.¡± ¡°I¡¯m smart,¡± Matias disagreed. She smirked. ¡°Drake would have gone.¡± ¡°Because he¡¯s an idiot,¡± Matias fumed. This was a delightfully sore subject. ¡°And brave,¡± countered Jadelynn. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you diving into the water to rescue Rosaliy.¡± He had no opportunity to defend himself because Cliff was waving at them from the top of the massive marble steps. ¡°Still awake,¡± he hollered. ¡°Can¡¯t get in.¡± ¡°The doors only open from the inside,¡± Jadelynn called back. ¡°Try knocking,¡± Matias yelled. Jadelynn responded to that with an exasperated sigh. She hauled her loaded satchel up the stairs and dropped it at Cliff¡¯s feet. ¡°Hang on,¡± she puffed. ¡°I have¡­¡± She dug through the bag. ¡°Some fire powder.¡± ¡°Burning the door down seems a little rude,¡± Cliff pointed out. It was not very well-made fire powder. It would not burn long enough to hurt a normal door, let alone one protected against magic. ¡°Does climbing a tree help our problem at all?¡± she grumbled, digging through the rest of her pack. ¡°What?¡± asked Cliff. ¡°Oh, this!¡± she exclaimed, pulling out a jar of clear, shimmering ooze. ¡°It makes holes in anything.¡± Plus, Pippa had made the enchanted potion, so it might actually work. She chose not to say that out loud. ¡°We can go through the door and open it from the inside.¡± Pippa to the rescue. The slimy potion ate a temporary hole straight through the castle door. The biggest challenge was figuring out how to smear the ooze on the door without using their hands. They were able to tip the jar up against the door, pour out some ooze, and spread it out with the arm of Cliff¡¯s jacket. ¡°Maybe we could have used something else,¡± Cliff considered, holding up his half-eaten jacket. ¡°It¡¯s just temporary,¡± Jadelynn promised. She climbed through the gap in the door after enough of the wood had been eaten away. She jumped back on the other side when her foot came down on something lumpy¡ªanother body. A watchman had tumbled in front of the door, blocking it. Cliff helped her drag the poor man back to avoid future trampling, and they worked together to unlatch and push open the massive wooden doors. Matias was still waiting all the way at the base of the stairs. ¡°We¡¯re in!¡± Jadelynn crowed. ¡°We¡¯re conscious!¡± added Cliff. ¡°I¡¯ll go ahead and stay out here,¡± Matias called up in reply. ¡°To keep watch.¡± He would be in the way anyway. Jadelynn had visions of mixing up a wonderful potion that would cascade down on the palace in a glittery mist, freeing everyone from their magical sleep. She ran to Athena¡¯s study to find books. She found the Sorceress slumped over her desk, hidden under a messy cascade of straight, blond hair. She waved Cliff over there. ¡°Go make sure she¡¯s alright while I find a counterspell.¡± Counterspell. She sounded so knowledgeable. She looked forward to rubbing Ivyliss¡¯s face in how she rescued Sorceress Athena and the whole palace. She pulled books off the shelves eagerly while Cliff checked on the Sorceress. Within minutes, her head hurt. She tossed an incomprehensible spell book on the table between Athena¡¯s walls of books. Jadelynn was out of her depth here. Nobody was better at mixing potions than Rosaliy. Maybe it would be safer for everyone to get the Sorceress¡¯s keys and use one of Rosaliy¡¯s potions. In fact, Sorceress Rosaliy already had a potion on hand to negate the effects of an enchantment or spell. She had to use it all the time when the girls¡¯ sleep spells turned them bright green or one of Ivyliss¡¯s growth spells turned another plant carnivorous. Mat might even come inside if offered the prospect of searching Rosaliy¡¯s room. ¡°Hey, Jade,¡± Cliff interrupted her. He had stopped what he was doing¡ªdropping Sorceress Athena¡¯s arm on the table over and over¡ªto pull a paper out from under her face. ¡°This is quite a list of people who have gone missing.¡± ¡°Uh huh,¡± Jadelynn muttered, half listening. She was more concerned with the people who were in front of her than not. ¡°Issabeth, and Daniella, and the kids, and a whole list of names¡ªTa-ly-rin, Kay-lix...¡± Cliff was stumbling over the names of the Naxturae. Jadelynn had no idea what it meant that Queen Katyrinna¡¯s father and brother were missing, but the Flifary had to be planning something huge. Huge was an understatement. They were planning something magically cataclysmic. She interrupted Cliff. ¡°We have to get the Sorceress awake now. We¡¯re going with a new plan.¡± Potion Troubles Rosaliy The chilly air in Dalor¡¯s darkened room sent prickling goosebumps over Rosaliy¡¯s skin after the drifting heat of the hallway. Her fingers hovered over Dalor¡¯s keys. She reached just a little further, fingers wrapping around the metal ring with an agonizing slowness. She was tempted to make a run for it, but she backed out of the room silently instead, trying not to breathe. Free of immediate danger, she darted to the locked room and slid the key in the lock, willing the click of unlocking to be quieter. She uncoiled the vine pinning the door to the frame and pushed it open. She was reasonably skilled at sneaking through a house, but her skills were honed from tending to sleeping twins. Although waking them might have felt like a life or death problem at the time, the stakes were considerably higher this time. As she took a second to catch her breath and calm her racing heart, she scanned the room for traps or living ingredients that might squawk or bite. Who knew what kind of dark magic Dalor might have been using? She found a mess straight out of a stress-induced nightmare. Dalor had been experimenting like a first-year magician who had broken into his master teacher¡¯s laboratory. He had pots filled with lumpy, oddly colored concoctions, some with spoons trapped hopelessly inside. He was succeeding through tenacity and occasional blind luck, not know-how. His most successful attempt at magic was a language potion sitting on a side table. She knew what it was, because the ripped page with scrawled Naxturaen directions told her. At least he could follow directions. She wondered who he had stolen the spell from. Other than that, Rosaliy was baffled by some of Dalor¡¯s attempts at magic. Not much of what he was using could be considered dark magic. A knife covered in blood sat on a nearby table next to a book filled with spiky Malum writing. Rosaliy could sense the magic in the blood, but she did not sense it in the nearby potions. Maybe Dalor understood using dark magic with his level of skill would likely kill him. He had tried repeatedly to mix potions to reveal hidden magical objects, but he was using¡­ Rosaliy bent down and sniffed. Rose water? If he had not been so off track with his attempts to improvise without Sorceress blood, he might have been successful now that he had a source of it. Maybe all the time he had spent distracted by tracking Daniella had actually kept him from finding the divination stone. Could that have been part of Daniella¡¯s plan? Rosaliy wanted to spend an hour organizing this sorry mess, but she restrained herself. She needed a spell to reveal the divination stone more than she needed a functional workspace. She poked at a gritty, brown paste drying in a stone bowl. She could cobble a few of these potions together with a drop or two of her blood, but they would take days of steeping to be potent. Rosaliy had no intention of finishing Dalor¡¯s potion for him and taking the chance he might have access to it in a few days. She needed something faster. She needed to think creatively. Contemplating, she moved to a different work station. Dalor had gathered up dozens of bottles filled with liquids she doubted he could identify, and he had an entire box full of bundles of herbs and dried flowers. She could make hundreds of things with this, but most of them cured toothaches or doubled the yield of vegetable harvests. Powerful enchantments took time. She was back to that problem again. Magic took more effort and time the further outside herself she intended to use it. But she did not have to cast a spell outside herself. That might be an answer. She could cast a spell on herself. A hiding spell would be a good start. She could sneak around the temple without fear of being caught if no one could see or track her.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. She was already uncorking bottles and sniffing the contents, separating out what she needed. Yes, she could sabotage the divination room, find out from the Seer where she had hidden the divination stone, and find the stone, all before sundown. She swirled pale blue liquid in a metal cup and crushed up some little yellow flowers, trying not to overdo the moss herb in her trembling haste. Rosaliy had made versions of this potion a hundred times trying to help Sorceress Issabeth create some sort of cure for Cedric¡¯s invisibility. Instead of creating anything that removed the effects of invisibility, she had inadvertently created a spell that made the user invisible. Unfortunately, the potion was rendered a nuisance when then-toddler Tansy had gotten into it and managed to hide from a frantic Chandra for an entire afternoon. After that, Rosaliy was told to please lock up potions that made the magical children invisible. She downed the concoction with its unpleasant mossy aftertaste, watching herself melt into oblivion. The potion spread through her body from her throat. First, her chest was missing, and then her arms and legs disappeared until she was just floating fingers, toes, and hair. Finally, she evaporated completely, just in time for footsteps down the hallway. Rosaliy hurried to the door and pulled it closed, although anyone looking would surely notice the missing lock and sleeping-monkey-filled satchel outside. Rosaliy¡¯s fingers wrapped around a stone bowl. Iketa¡¯s caustic voice hollered down the hallway. Rosaliy caught Dalor¡¯s name, but little else. She could fix that problem with a language potion. She happened to be in the room with one. Could she handle the big dose of curling nettle and arbis sap at the same time? She was going to have a horrific headache tomorrow, but the chance of surviving to tomorrow was worth the grief. She finished off Dalor¡¯s language potion just in time to catch some of Iketa¡¯s attempt to rouse Dalor. He was a heavy sleeper. ¡°(Something) need a power source (something)?¡± asked Iketa. Foreign words interspersed with the understandable ones. Rosaliy¡¯s potion was encountering resistance from the incompatible mix of ingredients while her head swam from the magical overload. She gripped the edge of the table as a wave of dizziness washed over her. Saps and nettles were a bad mix, but she had not expected such a strong reaction so quickly. Maybe Dalor was not skilled at following plain written directions. She stifled a gasp with her invisible fingers. The healing draught. She had no idea what had been in that or how long it would stay in her system. Her fingers faded in and out of view as the effect of three different potions battled each other. ¡°What?¡± slurred Dalor. ¡°¡­to start up the divination room. We just need a power source.¡± ¡°A power source as magically significant as the divination stone,¡± Dalor replied, still half asleep. Rosaliy pressed her fingers against her throbbing temples, taking quick, shallow breaths to avoid throwing up everything sloshing around in her stomach. She had just broken at least twelve of the rules she drilled in the heads of her incoming students every year. Now she had a convincing testimonial to accompany those rules, at least. ¡°Come with me, dung-monkey,¡± Iketa exclaimed. ¡°We¡¯ve got one.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± said Dalor, moving about as quickly as Rosaliy. ¡°If there were a powerful stone sitting around, there¡¯d be some sort of¡ª¡± ¡°We brought it,¡± Iketa interrupted, ¡°with the Sorceress.¡± ¡°Wait, are you thinking¡ª?¡± ¡°Yes. Hurry up.¡± People who would not finish their sentences when she needed to eavesdrop on them were terrible, horrible people. Rosaliy¡¯s head hurt too much to figure out what they thought they had. ¡°Couldn¡¯t this wait until night?¡± ¡°No. We¡¯ve got to get to the prison now.¡± The prison? At least she could follow them and meet up with Drake, but what kind of power source did they have at the prison? Dalor and Iketa were nearly down the hallway, so Rosaliy moved to follow them, nearly stumbling over her own feet. Her knees buckled, and her useless, paper legs sank to the ground. She was a living illustration of the necessity for care in potion mixing. She crawled to the hallway and slumped against the wall, squeezing her eyes shut to block out the swirling colors. She could rest in the hallway for just a minute and close her eyes, just until the dizziness passed. The Seer Drake Drake dove into an open room just before a flurry of guards stormed past, heading away from the Seer. Not being able to understand them was obnoxious, because they were moving with purpose, and Drake would rather know what that purpose was and where. Maybe the guards were flocking to help their commander, but a crackling nervous excitement told Drake they had a more important destination. Drake almost changed direction to follow them, but he let the feet pass by instead. He was well past time to check in with Rosaliy, and he did not appreciate being retasked mid-prison-break. Working with good people was impossible. Their noble goals operated under flimsy logistics. A lone guard trotted his way, and Drake slipped behind a pillar. Who knew a hunt for some royal kids would lead here? Did doing bad things for good people make them good? He knew how this guard would answer that question. Drake withdrew a knife and dove on the man from behind, wrenching the guard¡¯s arm backwards to render his spear useless and locking him in with the other, knife pointed at the man¡¯s neck. Still the man bleated out half a cry of surprise before the knife tightened further. Finally, the guard froze. He was larger than Drake, but being attacked from behind was unnerving enough for most people to react cautiously, especially anxious guards on a generally quiet shift. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Drake hissed in the man¡¯s ear, wresting the spear from the guard¡¯s twisted arm and kicking it out of reach. The back of the man¡¯s red head said nothing, although he did have a sun shaved into the back of his flaming red hair and matching sun ray tattoos cascading down his dark neck and shoulders. Drake sighed. ¡°Are you not answering because you¡¯re not answering, or because you don¡¯t understand me?¡± ¡°Dah terno?¡± the sun-tattooed man answered. ¡°Take me to the Seer,¡± demanded Drake, changing his grip to Sun¡¯s arm and sliding the knife to his back. ¡°Seer? Arlana?¡± Sun asked warily, half turning. ¡°Eyes forward,¡± Drake barked. Sun raised his hands in surrender and pointed back the way he had come. ¡°Go,¡± said Drake, scooping up his new not-friend¡¯s spear and encouraging him with a poke to the back. Sun took the hint and ventured forward. The narrow hallways opened up into something identifiably royal as they neared the southern corner of the palace. Scarves fluttered in the breeze, changing the light shining through them to filtered reds, purples, oranges, and blues. Pillars here bore intricate tops, and pedestals with vases and carvings were more frequent. They must have been keeping Arlana in the king¡¯s old rooms, either as a sign of terrified respect or as added insult. Drake should have left his observation and location analysis for later. Sun had edged his way toward the side of a wide hallway, putting him in prime position to spin and surprise Drake with a well-deserved kick to the chest. Drake was jolted backwards into a door that flew open on impact. He flew until the hard floor of a side room stopped him. Sun slammed the door before Drake could even gasp in a breath. Drake rubbed his chest as he picked himself up. As he scanned the room, he heard the distant sound of voices. His not-a-friend was explaining his prisoner to whoever was watching the Seer, Drake imagined. He heard footsteps down his hallway, moving too fast to make a plan. Drake gripped the spear in one hand, the knife in the other, and he took up position by the door, ready to jump on the first person through. The footsteps sped down the hall at a brisk walk¡ªjust one guard. Drake¡¯s hand tightened around his knife, and he pressed himself to the wall. Then the footsteps continued their quick walk straight by. Drake relaxed his grip, but not his tense worry. Was Sun leaving to wake a partner? Off to assemble a team? This did not bode well. More footsteps. They stopped outside. A Flifary voice barked out a few words, and Drake heard the sound of a latch releasing. The door opened slowly, then shoved open all at once, pushed by the tip of a spear. Whoever was out there must have pushed the door open from a distance. Drake waited. The voice spoke again from further away. He was not coming in the room. Drake was having trouble inventing a scenario fitting this behavior. He did not want to wait around for a team of guards when there was an open door between him and one man outside, but the whole thing seemed fishy. He braved a look into the hallway. One side¡ªempty. Other side¡ªhis not-friend, Sun. Sun waved him closer and took a few more steps back.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Drake hesitated. ¡°Seer Arlana,¡± Sun said. He pointed his new spear at Drake, then jabbed it toward the hallway behind him, visibly annoyed. Was he trying to shove Drake in the Seer¡¯s prison? Drake was probably a hair away from being pinned in on both sides by guards, but he could always escape into the Seer¡¯s open prison, assuming the head guard¡¯s concha was the right type. Drake hated assumptions. He had better follow Sun rather than waste time debating the matter with himself. He took a few steps forward and Sun backed away an equal number of steps. Clearly they had an equal level of trust built up between them. After an awkward dance of backwards walking and wary following, they were outside a grand room. Stone arches ringed a wide open space with a stone throne in the middle. Drake scanned the outside of the space. No visible guards. Sun called out quietly, and a figure approached with a tinkling of metal. A dark-skinned woman appeared in one of the archways. She was dressed in draping layers of thin, wrapped clothes with a head full of tiny, fire-red braids all wrapped around each other. Her arm was bandaged, but she had a sense of steady control about her--a quiet confidence. ¡°Are you the Seer?¡± asked Drake. She tipped her head. ¡°Since I cannot see any more than you can, you¡¯d best call me Arlana.¡± Her voice was powerful and calming. Drake walked through the archway into Arlana¡¯s cell, feeling the air crackle around him. Sun made no move to stop him, but he did launch into an explanation, which involved some pointing and glaring in Drake¡¯s direction. Wait, had the man he had just kidnapped at spearpoint cleared out Arlana¡¯s guard to give him a private audience with her? This prison had gone from being in the running for the worst-kept prison of all time and had vaulted straight to the uncontested winner. ¡°I often wonder,¡± mused Arlana, ¡°in situations of apparent coincidence or happenstance if there might not be another force directing events, keeping the balance where I have failed.¡± ¡°What?¡± was the best response Drake could manage. ¡°Of all the guards in all the hallways in all the times you might have arrived, you met up with Xayl. I¡¯d love to see the intersection of your paths. How close were both of you to making slightly different choices that led to completely different outcomes?¡± What was she talking about? ¡°I came to get you out of here,¡± Drake tried. She did not immediately embrace his intentions, nor did she question them. ¡°I don¡¯t know you,¡± Arlana murmured. What did she mean? Of course she would not know him. They had just met. ¡°I¡¯m¡­sorry? I¡¯m Drake.¡± A smile glimmered on her pale lips. ¡°Greetings, Drake of Bayselle. I¡¯ve always known the entire life story of the people I meet, emphasis on entire. Becoming acquainted through interaction and needing to trust based on impressions are rather awkward predicaments, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°So awkward,¡± he agreed wholeheartedly. ¡°I came with Rosaliy, if that helps.¡± ¡°It does.¡± Arlana nodded, huge feather earrings sweeping her shoulders. ¡°I know Rosaliy. Are Iketa and Dalor still in control of the island?¡± ¡°As far as I know.¡± ¡°Xayl tells me Iketa has called for most of the guards to monitor the moving of Issabeth to the temple. Iketa may be impetuous, but she is smart enough to take no chances with the fiery Sorceress.¡± ¡°What do they want with her?¡± Arlana turned to Sun, whom Drake should have switched to calling Xayl, but he had become attached to his made up name and would not be changing it any time soon. Drake assumed Arlana was asking Sun what he knew about what was going on. Sun did answer, running his hands around an imaginary ball as he talked. Arlana crossed her arms. ¡°I try to avoid simplistic labels like ¡®good¡¯ or ¡®bad¡¯ when even the most cataclysmic of events can lead to ultimately necessary outcomes, but this is bad. They¡¯re going to attempt to use the pearl in place of the divination stone.¡± That meant little to Drake, but it did sound bad. It was time to get the non-seeing Seer out of here to help Rosaliy. He went for a balcony, judging the distance to the ground and distance from there to the jungle. If the guards were occupied and Sun was trustworthy enough to run interference with anyone monitoring the perimeter, she had a good chance. ¡°What are you planning to do with that grappling hook?¡± asked Arlana after quietly watching him plot. ¡°So odd I have to ask. I have so much more sympathy for the choices you Terrans must make every day. How do you not curl up in a ball and refuse to make decisions at all?¡± ¡°I ask myself that question every day,¡± he admitted. He pulled the concha from his neck. ¡°The grappling hook will fix itself to the ground. The rope should be easy enough to slide down.¡± He held the necklace out to her. Arlana blinked at his gift, making no move to take the shell. ¡°This will let you escape,¡± Drake clarified. ¡°I know what it does,¡± Arlana answered, ¡°but what purpose can I serve?¡± She cocked her head and peered at him with an expression of bewilderment. ¡°You can find the divination stone and¡ª¡± ¡°Hand it over?¡± she scoffed. ¡°No. The little I can do I have done.¡± ¡°But you said something about a weapon,¡± he tried to argue. ¡°Hmm,¡± hummed Arlana, face tightening. ¡°A problem for sure. Is Rin here?¡± ¡°Who?¡± ¡°Queen Katyrinna of the Naxturae.¡± ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°Not here.¡± Daniella had taken care of that. Arlana relaxed. ¡°Then they will stall their use of the weapon. Plus they have no power source. Although, there is no way to tell if factors have changed their decision making or if they have learned to improvise.¡± What was happening? ¡°You know the situation, and you have people who are loyal to you,¡± Drake pointed out. Her dark eyes lit up. ¡°Yes, Xayl can help you destroy the magical defenses and free the prisoners. That will certainly increase the number of favorable scenarios.¡± ¡°Wait, me? Why don¡¯t you go?¡± ¡°Everyone is looking for me, and you know the layout of the palace better than I,¡± Arlana pointed out. ¡°Besides, you¡¯re young and agile and much more accustomed to making pesky choices without necessary information.¡± ¡°I¡¯m still not sure I¡¯m the right choice to¡ª¡± Arlana interrupted with a jingling wave of her braceleted hand. ¡°Neither am I, but in this case, neither of us will know if you were the right choice or not until after the fact.¡± Arlana shuddered and muttered to herself, ¡°Such a tenuous way to live.¡± This was hands down the most confusing group of prisoners Drake had ever tried to break out of prison. None of them would leave. ¡°Fine,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Where do you want me to go?¡± Divinating Rosaliy Rosaliy jerked awake with a gasp. Her heart raced and her palms were clammy. Where was she? She rubbed her eyes and bolted upright. Her hands were gone. Her body was gone! Slowly¡­slowly¡­whys drifted back to her. Oh no. How long had she been out? She pressed her invisible hands to the stone wall and clawed her way to her feet. The floor was either gently swaying or she was still woozy. The worst of her potion mixing catastrophe had passed, but she needed to avoid exposure to any more direct magic or she would be useless. Her one strength had been turned into a dangerous drawback. Light stretched into the hallway from an open doorway. The sun was going down. The whole island would be awake soon, or so she assumed. Her head hurt. Something rustled in a nearby room. Rosaliy was tempted to hide, but she was already hiding. She froze instead, holding her breath. ¡°Rosaliy?¡± called a soft voice. ¡°Are you here?¡± ¡°Zaphia?¡± Zaphia¡¯s red, feathered head popped into the hallway. ¡°Where are you?¡± she hissed. Rosaliy made her way over to the girl. ¡°I¡¯m right here. Don¡¯t panic,¡± she whispered, placing a hand on Zaphia¡¯s arm. Zaphia leaped into the hall and spun on her heels¡ªthe opposite of calm. ¡°You can¡¯t see me,¡± Rosaliy clarified. In hindsight, she should have led with that fact. Her head was still a bit fuzzy. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re ok!¡± Sort of. ¡°Where is Drake?¡± ¡°Well,¡± hummed Zaphia. ¡°He went into the prison.¡± In? No. This could not be happening. Not now. Not when they had come so far. ¡°They captured him?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Zaphia admitted. ¡°Probably not. Before he came out, Iketa and Dalor went in, and I thought it was because of him, but it turns out they just wanted¡ª Well, it¡¯s hard to explain. Come and see.¡± Zaphia took off, and Rosaliy scrambled to keep up. She nearly stumbled over her own feet a few times, but her head was clearing. ¡°This is bad,¡± Zaphia whispered as she tiptoed down the hallway. ¡°Really bad. I think Iketa and Dalor found a way to make the divination room work.¡± Rosaliy did remember something about that. Before she could ask any questions, Zaphia hissed, ¡°Quick.¡± Zaphia snaked through the dimly lit corridors of the temple, heading for the epicenter of the explosion Rosaliy remembered from her first time here. The outer temple was still orderly, filled with straight lines and dim, mellow corridors. The center of the temple had been that way once, but now it was a crumbling mess of broken rock and hastily-patched walls propped up by driftwood logs and vines holding broken columns together. Zaphia grabbed a bucket of what looked like wet mud and edged her way toward a buzz of activity spilling out of the divination room. She smeared mud paste on a cracked column, pretending to work. Rosaliy needed no pretense, so she joined the throng. Two guards wedged Daniella between them, blocking the doorway. Rosaliy would have loved to pass her a message, but she had nothing to say, and the guards would have heard her anyway. Dalor was inside the room stuffed with at least five more serious-looking guards. Rosaliy could see why the extra manpower was needed. Iketa and Sorceress Issabeth were just off to the side. All the cracks in the room had been sealed, so the many occupants were lit only by torchlight, suitably ominous lighting for a nefarious purpose. ¡°Try anything and I slit your throat,¡± Iketa threatened Issabeth, digging a knife point into her already-red shoulder. ¡°Try it,¡± Issabeth sneered, but her skin was pale, and she was covered in blood. Putting up a fight would be a one-time short-lived effort. Rosaliy knelt down for a better vantage point between the crook of a guard¡¯s elbow. What was Dalor doing? With the tips of his fingers, he unwrapped strips of leather like peeling a banana. His movements were slow and deliberate, like the object inside was delicate or dangerous. At the first sight of white underneath the protective wrapping, Rosaliy fought back a gasp. She should have given Iketa and Dalor more credit for their ability to improvise. Layer by layer, the pearl revealed itself, a glossy white sphere. The pearl was the most powerful magical object in the history of magical objects. She almost tried muscling into the room to tackle Dalor, but where would that get her? She could not incapacitate seven guards, Iketa, and Dalor, even if Daniella and Zaphia jumped in to help. While Rosaliy panicked, Dalor slid the pearl into place gingerly on the low table in the middle of the room. Nothing happened. Issabeth chuckled. Dalor picked up a glass globe and placed it over the seemingly-dormant pearl, looking hopeful up until it was definitively clear nothing was happening. He locked eyes sheepishly with Iketa. She tossed up her hands in question. ¡°I think¡­¡± stammered Dalor. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she has to make it work. It¡¯s connected to her.¡± Iketa yanked the glass globe from atop the pearl. ¡°Turn it on,¡± she ordered Issabeth. ¡°There is no chance I¡¯m going to do that,¡± snapped Issabeth. ¡°The Malum found some way to subvert the pearl, so I¡¯m sure I can, too,¡± Dalor insisted. Rosaliy had seen his laboratory, so she was less sure. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that,¡± Iketa snarled. ¡°Every second we operate blind, unanticipated forces are working against us.¡± Something like that. Unanticipated forces had no idea what they were supposed to do, but they were going to figure out a brilliant plan any moment now. Iketa ground her knife into Issabeth¡¯s shoulder, twisting deeper with each word. ¡°Turn. It. On.¡± Issabeth made a grab for Iketa, actually getting a hand on her knife before two guards jumped in to pin Issabeth on her knees. ¡°You want to be difficult?¡± Iketa smirked, waving to the doorway with two fingers. Daniella¡¯s guards pushed her into the room. ¡°It was so sweet how you risked yourself to save your brother¡¯s daughter. I don¡¯t think I have to tell you the ridiculous lengths you would have gone to to protect those kids. You can understand why we needed you out of the way.¡±Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. ¡°Does this have a point?¡± moaned Issabeth. ¡°It does.¡± Iketa twirled her knife in her hands. ¡°I¡¯m betting you won¡¯t sit by and let your mother die.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not very good at betting,¡± Issabeth muttered. Iketa stared down Daniella now. She sauntered forward to press the point of her knife into the skin of Daniella¡¯s neck. ¡°Want to play a Flifary game?¡± Iketa asked, eyes boring into Daniella¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯s called ¡®What if?¡¯¡± ¡°No,¡± answered Issabeth. Iketa was undeterred. ¡°What if I slit her throat right now?¡± Issabeth glared back, as much as a woman could glare on the verge of passing out. ¡°Not going to play?¡± Iketa pouted. ¡°Dalor, be Issabeth.¡± ¡°Hmm,¡± he considered. ¡°Kill Mom, and you don¡¯t find the Naxturaen kids.¡± ¡°Meh, she¡¯s not telling us anyway,¡± Iketa disregarded. ¡°She¡¯s less dangerous dead.¡± ¡°Can¡¯t argue that,¡± replied Dalor. ¡°Who would have guessed Arlana was desperate enough to get help from an old enemy?¡± ¡°She thought Daniella was more clever than us,¡± Iketa answered, taking a step closer to Daniella so her face was inches away, ¡°but now she¡¯s a clueless, powerless woman. It¡¯s almost pointless to have to kill her, since she¡¯s basically an innocent nobody. Not something I would think a Sorceress would want on her conscience.¡± She tipped her head toward Issabeth who rolled her eyes. Iketa stepped back. ¡°So, I¡¯ve killed Daniella. Hmm¡­what next? What if I killed the Sorceress?¡± She spun toward Issabeth. ¡°Who controls the pearl then?¡± It would go dormant. That was one of the main reasons the Malum had left Sorceress Athena alive when they had stolen the pearl years ago. ¡°Nothing?¡± Iketa chuckled at Issabeth. ¡°I guess it was a rhetorical question. Naxturaen magic doesn¡¯t play nicely when it¡¯s severed. Oh, here¡¯s one¡ªwhat if I stab Daniella in the heart, and give Issabeth the choice to use the pearl to heal her after activating the divination room.¡± ¡°If the pearl doesn¡¯t activate the divination room after all, poor Daniella is going to die,¡± said Dalor with fake concern. ¡°I¡¯m willing to take that chance,¡± said Iketa brightly. ¡°Is Issabeth?¡± ¡°Only one way to know the future.¡± Dalor chuckled at his own joke. ¡°That is a good point, Dalor,¡± said Iketa. ¡°So¡¯s this.¡± She turned the knife back on Daniella. ¡°Stop,¡± Issabeth spat out. ¡°Stop what?¡± Iketa said with glee. ¡°The horrible jokes,¡± answered Issabeth. ¡°You are like spoiled children with a new toy. And you¡¯re not killing anyone.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± warned Daniella. ¡°This is more important than me.¡± ¡°Well, I wasn¡¯t going to,¡± complained Issabeth, ¡°except I have to do the opposite of what you say, don¡¯t I? And even if you knew that, I get the feeling you¡¯re being all self-sacrificing right now. If I just sat here and let you be killed, I¡¯d be the monster, wouldn¡¯t I? You¡¯d like that, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Hurry up, Sorceress,¡± barked Iketa. ¡°Stop stalling.¡± Iketa pointed her knife toward the guards holding Issabeth and flicked the point of the blade toward the pearl. They dragged the Sorceress to her feet and over to the pearl. Issabeth hesitated for a moment, likely deciding whether or not to bring the temple down on top of them. Unfortunately, that was guaranteed disaster, and turning on the room was just an uncertain disaster. She did not have much of a choice. ¡°I hope you blow yourselves up,¡± grumbled Issabeth, placing her hand on the pearl on the pedestal in the middle of the room. ¡°Turn their room on.¡± The pearl glowed in response, casting, white, drifting light on the walls of the scarred stone room. ¡°Yes,¡± Dalor practically squealed, so close to the glass ball, he looked like he was hugging it. ¡°Look at those lines. It¡¯s working. Put out the torches! Out! Out! Everyone out!¡± Guards pushed out of the room, happy to get away from the manic magician. Iketa barked orders to have Issabeth and Daniella taken back to the prison. Zaphia had slipped behind a pillar and out of sight. Everything was happening so fast. ¡°Zaphia,¡± Rosaliy whispered. ¡°You have to get Drake.¡± ¡°What are you going to do?¡± Rosaliy had no idea. ¡°I¡¯ll find out what they¡¯re going to do next and stop the pearl somehow.¡± That sounded good, anyway. Zaphia dashed out after the guards, keeping herself out of sight. Rosaliy was left with Iketa, Dalor, and a single guard outside the door. Dalor was touching the ball, moving his fingertips in and out, tracing lines he saw inside. Iketa was less enthusiastic. ¡°What is this?¡± asked Iketa, pointing. ¡°Everyone¡¯s lifelines,¡± chirped Dalor, ¡°all intertwined. It¡¯s looking at everyone all at once. It needs to be focused. There¡¯s you, see?¡± Iketa traced the ball with her finger, peering inside at whatever she could see. Rosaliy could see only white glowing patches drifting across the walls. ¡°Why is this blurry?¡± asked Iketa. ¡°These lines all melt into each other.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the future. I don¡¯t think it¡¯s supposed to be doing that. Nothing is¡­clear,¡± he muttered, squinting like that would bring the future into focus. ¡°Oh¡­¡± he said, sheepishly. ¡°It looks like we can only see past events.¡± ¡°The past,¡± cried Iketa. ¡°What farce is this?¡± ¡°We replaced the divination stone with another power source,¡± Dalor sighed. ¡°It¡¯s not¡­well¡­divinating.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s no use?¡± ¡°Well, we can see past events.¡± ¡°You said that already.¡± ¡°It¡¯s still true.¡± ¡°What good does that do us?¡± Iketa snapped. ¡°We use it to find the divination stone,¡± Dalor promised. ¡°Show me Arlana.¡± The globe brightened. Iketa and Dalor bent in. ¡°There!¡± Iketa exclaimed. ¡°She grabbed it just before she destroyed the temple.¡± ¡°And she said she destroyed it,¡± scoffed Dalor. ¡°I knew that was impossible. She would never¡ª¡± ¡°Shush. Where is that?¡± ¡°Southwest corner?¡± ¡°Ack,¡± spat Iketa. ¡°Seconds before we caught her. It was in the stupid tree the whole time. And here I thought she opened a portal or buried it underground.¡± Dalor agreed he was underwhelmed, but they were both excited as they scampered off to find that stone. Rosaliy had failed. Or at least failure was so imminent there seemed no hope of veering off on a path that did not end in failure. When the Flifary found the stone, they would see everything¡ªevery move she might make. With these people controlling the future, there was no hope. Rosaliy took a deep breath. She could not afford to think that way. First, she would go in and steal the pearl. Then she would free Issabeth. It would take Iketa and Dalor time to untangle all those lines, she imagined, and see what their enemies were going to do. There was still time. Just a little bit of time. Rosaliy slipped past the lone guard. The room was eerily beautiful. Glowing clouds drifted around the walls, occasionally melting into shapes that were almost recognizable. One of those shapes became a frog that leaped across the doorway. A frog. That reminded her. This might be her one chance to know what Daniella had done with the children. Could she handle this much magic? Had she not just promised herself she would stay away from magic like a sane person? ¡°Show me Daniella,¡± she whispered, barely breathing the words. She felt the globe pull at her, making her stomach turn. The globe flew from line to line so fast, Rosaliy could hardly recognize the miniature scenes. She saw a tiny Katyrinna and Issabeth. She saw red-cloaked soldiers, and she saw a flicker of Alexander, all intertwined with a fuzzy white line. Rosaliy thought she caught a few glimpses of a smudged Daniella, but eventually the globe settled on a fuzzy, white haze. Either Rosaliy was not able to make the seeing globe work or Daniella had erased herself. Of course she had erased herself, Rosaliy realized. No wonder the woman had no memories. The children were only in danger of that divination stone. She needed to hurry. Rosaliy silently lifted the glass globe from the pedestal. She picked up Dalor¡¯s leather wrapping and covered the glowing white orb with it, being careful not to touch the pearl when she scooped it up. Noticing the lack of light, the guard peered into the dark room, blocking her exit. Rosaliy pushed the globe off the table, smashing it against the wall. The guard rushed into the room now, spear ready. He came to investigate the pedestal and Rosaliy darted around him. She dashed outside, trying to ignore that her legs felt like paper, about to crumple underneath her. Dalor and Iketa had procured a rickety ladder to climb a banana tree. Dalor was rooting around in the leaves while Iketa held the ladder steady. ¡°I¡¯m telling you, it¡¯s not here,¡± hollered Dalor. Not there? Rosaliy froze, heart pounding and paper legs swaying. ¡°What do you mean it¡¯s not there,¡± Iketa yelled back. ¡°It¡¯s there. We saw her put it there.¡± ¡°Somebody else must have taken it.¡± ¡°If somebody else took it,¡± Iketa argued, ¡°they would have given it to us or used it against us. It¡¯s there!¡± ¡°It¡¯s not here!¡± Dalor disagreed again. Not there. Not in that banana tree next to the temple. Where Arlana had hidden a disguised stone. Because somebody had taken it. Rosaliy¡¯s thoughts churned, clearing for the briefest of moments. The divination stone was sleeping upstairs in a satchel. She sped back into the temple, up stairs, and to the hallway growing darker now that the sun had fallen. She saw the bag in the hallway and breathed a shaky sigh of relief, until she noticed the top was flipped open and the scarf was spilling out onto the floor. Quita was gone. Rosaliy dug everything out of the satchel and flipped it inside out, patting the floor around the bag for good measure. Arlana had disguised the stone and put it in the banana tree. A curious Quita must have found it rooting through the bananas. The tiny monkey might grow tired of the stone and drop it anywhere, but, knowing Quita, she would hang on to her mysterious invisible lump forever. Rosaliy had to find her first. Lost in Translation Drake ¡°The horses are soldiers with experience in defensive magic,¡± muttered Drake as he hopped over a gap in the floor. ¡°Of course they are.¡± ¡°Ehno?¡± asked Sun. ¡°Nothing,¡± answered Drake, waving him off with his bound hands. ¡°Don¡¯t mind me.¡± Being arrested twice in one week was not a first, but being captive was not Drake¡¯s favorite way to pass time. Sure, this arrest was theoretically for show, but he missed free use of his hands. Mostly he was cranky about being sent on yet another detour when he needed to be meeting up with Rosaliy. Arlana claimed the prisoners Drake needed to free had been deemed ¡°influencers¡± by Iketa and Dalor, and whether or not that was true, they would serve as a formidable distraction. So she claimed. She also claimed they were horses, so something was getting lost in translation. Speaking of getting lost in translation, Sun put out an arm. ¡°Slow, wait,¡± he said in Old Baysellian. Actually, he said ¡°lobster,¡± but Drake was assuming Sun had mangled a word ending, especially when the footsteps of a guard patrol came down the hallway in the stead of a scuttling crustacean. It was useful they had a language in common, but neither of them knew it particularly well. Sun chatted with his fellow guards for a bit while Drake tried to look sufficiently upset about his capture. After a brief exchange, Sun pulled Drake onward while the guards continued on their way. ¡°Sorcess eh Dan-ella¡ªreturn back,¡± Sun told him. ¡°Here?¡± Drake asked. Sun nodded. ¡°Ya.¡± Did that mean Iketa and Dalor had been successful or not successful? In an empty hallway, Sun veered into an open room. ¡°Stay here, yes? Quiet.¡± Sun dug out the knives he had confiscated from his fake prisoner and set them on a lumpy driftwood table. He propped Drake¡¯s grappling hook next to the door as well. ¡°Barnacle seaweed.¡± That last one was probably ¡°Back soon.¡± Drake had a loose understanding of Sun¡¯s plan. He was intending to trade posts with the guard watching the Naxturae. Simple enough. Drake¡¯s sun-emblazoned guide had left him in a wooden section of the palace. Harvested driftwoods knotted together with vines made up columns and chairs and bedframes and artwork. Being trapped on a heatsoaked island for centuries seemed to make people eccentric. Crafting furniture from driftwood was one thing, but crafting an entire palace wing from the material seemed like the act of a bored, creative people. Perhaps they should travel more. Drake had forgotten to ask for the hand restraints to be unlocked, but he had insisted on being locked into the restraints with his hands in front, and he seemed to have a pocket full of hairpins. What kind of person subconsciously pocketed hairpins for later? The kind of person who regularly found himself in hairpin-relevant situations. By the time he answered his question, his hands were free and he had sheathed his knives. He was just in time to hear footsteps pass down the hallway. Drake waited for Sun anyway, on the off chance there were more guards watching the Naxturae. Since the Naxturae were magic resistant, there were no magic barriers in this section of the palace. That begged the question why they had not escaped, but the answer was¡ªno surprise¡ªgetting lost in translation. Sun poked his head inside the door. ¡°Bisque!¡± he said cheerfully. Drake had no guess for that one. It seemed to be an exclamation of success, so he followed Sun to a locked door. The keys Drake had taken from the head guard made short work of the door. Maybe freeing the Naxturae would be as easy as a locked door? When he pulled the door open, he had to shield his eyes from the brightness of the room inside. The palace had been growing darker as night fell, but this room was like walking into the sun. Giant glowing balls dangled high above a watery pit. Drake squinted and tried to take in the room. What was once a room with a glass floor had been shattered. Below the floor was a rocky pool of water, some sort of underground cove. Drake imagined this had been a grand ballroom, the pool below the glass floor both decorative and a way to keep the room cool. Now, jagged glass penned half a dozen huddled horses in shoulder-deep water. The damp conditions might have been partly welcome; the blazing globes made the room sweltering hot. ¡°What is this?¡± Drake asked, flabbergasted. ¡°No night,¡± Sun explained, pointing at the nearest globe. ¡°No men.¡± Drake could make little of that. ¡°The lights are trapping them?¡± he guessed. Sun made a motion like he was juggling invisible balls. ¡°Ya?¡± he said. This seemed like a job for Arlana or Rosaliy or Sorceress Issabeth or someone who had a clue what was going on. ¡°Can you turn them off?¡± ¡°Magic light,¡± Sun said. For some reason, that meant no. Drake and Sun both stared out uselessly, shading their eyes. One of the horses approached and whinnied. ¡°Any ideas?¡± Drake asked him. The black horse snorted and tossed his head at Drake. ¡°I¡¯ve got a grappling hook,¡± said Drake, slipping it off his back. ¡°The rope is strong, but you can¡¯t exactly climb a rope.¡± The horse tossed his head and jerked his head up toward the globe above him. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that seem like a bad idea?¡± Drake asked. The horse cocked his head. Drake aimed for the closest globe, which was tough work. Looking at the brilliant globe was impossible. Through squinted eyes, he could tell each globe dangled from a chain affixed to the vaulted ceiling. Drake hoped to catch the chain with the prongs of the hook and yank the globe into the water. Sun and the horses took several steps back. They need not have been concerned. The first shot was a complete miss. The grappling hook shot wide and lost speed faster than anticipated, not reaching the globe. Not being able to look at the target was a huge problem. Drake dragged the hook back in and readjusted, trying to balance likelihood of success with his desired distance from the swirling ball of magical light. His attempts at caution were for naught, however. To be in range, he needed to stand directly underneath the globe and shoot up. Was he more likely to grappling hook himself in the face as the pronged metal hurtled to the ground or to crush himself with a blazing, magical ball? Arlana would have been able to answer his question last week. Now, he was going to have to find out the answer for himself. He had to squeeze his eyes shut, unable to watch the trajectory of the hook as he pressed the trigger, but he heard the globe shatter above him. Goop rained down. Eventually, he braved opening his eyes. Glowing goo had sprayed everywhere, causing the water and glass to glow faintly. Drake hadn¡¯t anticipated these things being so fragile, but the room was a tiny bit darker, especially when the glowing blobs began sinking. There were at least five more globes in the still-bright room, so the loss of one was not enough. Shattering the globe had worked better than Sun expected. ¡°Ya,¡± he cheered, raising his fist in the air like they shared success. Drake, too, was glad no one had been incinerated. Then Sun took off like he had an idea. The horses had backed to the far side of the pool, flicking ears and monitoring the goings-on. Drake scraped an errant glowing blob from his neck. It was blistering hot. Sun returned with vicious-looking sharpened spears. Together, they shattered globe after globe, creating a pool of glowing water and dimly-glowing walls. Both of them were covered in glowing specks by the end of the ordeal. Hopefully being sprayed with magical glowing goo would have no long-term effects.If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The horses waded over to a darkened area. One of them shifted into the form of a man. ¡°Almost,¡± he gasped, ¡°I can¡¯t quite control¡ª¡± He finished that statement with a snort, a horse once more. Drake had never had things easy, but turning into a horse was a trial he was glad he had never endured. He eyed the location of the last dazzling globe in the center of the room. He could not reach that one from the unbroken floor. Without wasting time thinking about all the poor decisions made recently necessitating this one, Drake hopped into the dark water below. The water of the underground cove was surprisingly warm, almost unpleasantly so. The magical sunlight was turning the entire room into an oven. He swam to the center, where his head barely crested the water if he stood on his toes. Firing a grappling hook while swimming was a challenge he was about to attempt when his whole body shifted, being pushed up. A horse had pushed itself underneath him. ¡°Thank you,¡± Drake said, feeling rather odd about the whole situation. Sitting on the horse which Drake preferred not to think of as sometimes a person got Drake a few lengths closer to the swirling light. He fired, and the globe shattered over his head. The horse was smart enough to duck under the water, but Drake felt a smattering of drops on him, like slimy, boiling rain. He ducked under the water to wash it off, and when he came up, a man stood in front of him. ¡°Well done. Thank you,¡± said the dark-haired Naxturaen man. Drake wrapped up the rope of the grappling hook and locked it into place, his ability to pretend like everything was normal strained after the events of the day. Introductions were rushed, happening somewhere between Sun carefully hauling everyone onto the jagged shelf of glass and Drake expressing his hope the Naxturae could bring down the magic barrier trapping the rest of the scattered prisoners. Drake was nervous about their response considering his record thusfar, but this group of prisoners was eager to be free and enthusiastic about helping. Finally. ¡°How long will it be night?¡± asked the dark-haired man named Kaylix. ¡°Hours,¡± Drake answered. ¡°Sun just set.¡± ¡°Good,¡± said Talyrin, the leader. ¡°Any idea what sort of magic the barrier happens to be or where to find it?¡± ¡°Sun, I mean, Xayl might,¡± Drake offered. He had done his job, and he wanted out of here. ¡°Kaylix,¡± Talyrin ordered, ¡°take everyone to go and work on bringing down the magic trapping the prisoners and clear the prison of guards. Then send Faeliz to treat the High Sorceress.¡± Faeliz winced. Drake did not envy him his job. Kaylix spoke some Flifary, so he chattered away with Sun. ¡°Let¡¯s go free the Seer,¡± Talyrin said. That must have been directed toward Drake. Drake wanted to point out he tried that already. With the prison on the brink of being overtaken, Iketa and Dalor were likely to panic. Trapped enemies were the most dangerous kind. Drake really wanted to make sure Rosaliy was safe, but it looked like he was taking one more detour. ¡°Thank you again,¡± Talyrin insisted, as he and Drake made their way through palace hallways back to Arlana¡¯s section. Now that night had fallen, lights on the wall and ceiling glowed. In sections heavy with vines, nocturnal flowers opened and glowed with blue and pink lights of their own. Talyrin shivered after passing under a glowing lamp in the middle of a hallway. ¡°Does light cause you to change into a horse?¡± asked Drake. ¡°This form is normally less fragile at night,¡± Talyrin answered, rubbing his arm as it shifted from pale to dark fur and back again. ¡°The Flifary must harness magic from the sun.¡± ¡°Not that I¡¯m an expert on magic, but that seems dangerous, doesn¡¯t it? Drawing power from the sun?¡± ¡°You make an excellent point,¡± Talyrin agreed. Then Talyrin asked for an abridged explanation of everything Drake knew. Drake soon understood why. The missing royal children were his grandchildren. No wonder the Flifary had been so eager to keep an eye on Talyrin and his soldiers. ¡°No leads on them?¡± Talyrin asked. Drake wished he had better news. ¡°Hale might have been the last person who saw them, but he remembers nothing.¡± ¡°That is almost comforting,¡± Talyrin decided. ¡°If Daniella hid the children, they won¡¯t be found until she intends them to be found.¡± The tone of his response surprised Drake. ¡°You seem more confident in her than most.¡± ¡°No one who knows Daniella could doubt her competence,¡± Talyrin answered, distracted by not tumbling into the open floor of the stone section of the palace. ¡°Bad choice of words,¡± Drake admitted. ¡°I was tactfully saying a lot of people have grudges against her.¡± ¡°If I held grudges, she would be near the top of the list,¡± he answered. He held up a hand for silence and waved Drake behind a pillar. Drake heard the sounds of a Flifary patrol well after Talyrin. The soldier took up a small bow on his back and withdrew an arrow no larger than his forearm. Those arrows could not possibly stop a Flifary man. Talyrin drew back the arrow anyway, and in a smooth motion, he spun and fired at the first guard. The arrow hit the man on his bare shoulder, but instead of piercing him, the arrow exploded in an electric crackle, blue lines wrapping the man in a tight web. He fell backwards, frozen. Talyrin had nocked a new arrow and fired before the second guard was able to collect himself and rush forward. The arrow stopped him much the same way. Drake wondered how the Flifary had disabled the Naxturaen soldiers in the first place. After locking the men up in a nearby room, they hurried to Arlana. Hopefully Talyrin would have more success with her than Drake. Seer Arlana was waiting for them. Drake offered Talyrin the gold-striped concha, and the Naxturaen man took it through the barrier to give it to a reluctant Arlana. ¡°Great,¡± said Drake. ¡°If everybody¡¯s free, I need to go find Rosaliy.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Arlana agreed, ¡°as soon as you take me to Daniella.¡± That was not agreeing. Drake took Arlana and Talyrin to the makeshift prison cell where Issabeth was weakly trying to shoo away her Naxturean caretaker. The man took a break to give a report to Talyrin. ¡°Most of the prison is under control, but the barrier is giving Kaylix some trouble,¡± Talyrin translated. ¡°He says it should¡ª¡± He was interrupted by a pop and a trembling of the air around them. Daniella tested the doorway and found it passable. Talyrin announced his intention to find Kaylix and finish retaking the prison unless the High Sorceress had other plans. She mumbled something about needing to get the pearl back from Iketa and Dalor. He must have taken that as authorization, because he left soon after. Drake should have been off himself, but he was distracted by Daniella and Arlana. ¡°The Flifary have activated the divination room with the pearl,¡± Daniella was saying. ¡°How big a problem is this?¡± ¡°The pearl is no divination stone,¡± answered Arlana. ¡°The cobbled together magic may distract them as much as help them.¡± ¡°It seemed to be generating plenty of power,¡± Daniella countered. ¡°Where is their weapon? If they wanted to destroy Katyrinna, it would be near the prison.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Arlana agreed half-heartedly, ¡°but their intention was specifically to wipe out their magical competition. Without Rin, their weapon would be wasted. They won¡¯t use it.¡± ¡°Even if their original target was Katryinna,¡± Daniella disagreed, ¡°after losing the prison, Iketa and Dalor will be desperate. Desperation combined with destructive power leads to catastrophic decisions.¡± ¡°You always did have a knack for improvisation,¡± Arlana admitted. ¡°I know where they were originally intending to place the weapon, yes.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Daniella ordered. ¡°Maybe Rosaliy has found something,¡± Drake suggested, not really wanting to wedge himself into this argument. Daniella nodded. ¡°Good, she¡¯s here. She¡¯ll be needed. Seer, come.¡± Arlana hesitated. ¡°I can tell you where to look,¡± she offered. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how useful I¡¯ll be otherwise.¡± ¡°We¡¯re fixing your mess,¡± Daniella pointed out with an icy stare Drake would not want to be on the opposing end of. Even Arlana acquiesced. They encountered an occasional bound guard complaining with muffled yells on their way out of the palace. Despite their small numbers, Talyrin¡¯s soldiers had worked fast. Drake grabbed a lit torch from the wall. ¡°Which way to the temple?¡± he asked, before he was immediately interrupted by a breathless Zaphia. ¡°Drake! What happened to you? No, that¡¯s not important right now, but, really, did you know you¡¯re glowing? Anyway, Rosaliy needs¡ª Are you the Seer?¡± Arlana bobbed her head in acknowledgement, and Zaphia¡¯s jaw went slack. ¡°It¡¯s such an honor to meet¡ª Wait, should I be doing something? Bowing, not looking you in the eye?¡± Zaphia did half an awkward curtsy of sorts and studied the ground. ¡°Certainly not,¡± Arlana answered. Zaphia peeked up at her. ¡°It¡¯s Zaphia, isn¡¯t it?¡± Zaphia jerked her feather-laden head up and down. Drake would have interrupted this, but he had his own problems when a tiny ball of fur came hurtling at him from the dark treetops. He nearly dropped his torch and screamed, but he managed to hold himself together. Nobody was paying attention to him anyway. ¡°You¡¯ve always been a curious child,¡± Arlana murmured. ¡°Never content to settle for your surroundings. Always wanting something more.¡± Quita dug into Drake¡¯s shoulder with her feet and screeched frantically in his ear. Now he was listening to two unnecessary conversations. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry I helped them,¡± Zaphia blurted out. ¡°I had no idea how bad they were.¡± ¡°What is she holding?¡± Daniella asked Drake quietly. Quita was clutching something in her hands, but there was nothing there. Drake scooped up a half squashed banana and sliced off a tempting chunk. ¡°¡¯Bad¡¯ describes so many levels of gray,¡± mused Arlana. ¡°They are ruthless, selfish, and greedy, a combination which makes them dangerous for sure. But they are also ambitious, persuasive, and persevering, which often combine for positive results. A person is a complicated combination of their inclinations and the events that nudge them.¡± Was this conversation really necessary right now? He wiggled the hunk of banana in front of Quita. The monkey chattered quietly, looking from the invisible lump she was clutching to the tempting snack. She dropped the object in her hands to grab for the chunk of banana. Daniella caught what she dropped. She smeared it against Drake¡¯s arm, and some of the glowing ooze rubbed off on what was an invisible stone. ¡°But we need to stop them, right?¡± Zaphia asked uncertainly. ¡°Yes, these are people who should not have power and necessitate punishment,¡± answered Arlana. Daniella shot Drake a look as she held up the faintly glowing item in her palm. ¡°Where is Rosaliy?¡± she broke in to the other conversation. Zaphia was happy to answer. ¡°Oh! Iketa and Dalor used the pearl to activate the divination room. Rosaliy is stopping them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± rang out a mocking voice, ¡°and I thought my biggest threats were right here.¡± Iketa stepped into the torch-lit entrance of the temple. ¡°Iketa, you need to be stopped,¡± insisted Arlana firmly, raising her hands. ¡°If anything happens to me,¡± Iketa warned, gripping an amulet in her palm, ¡°my enchanted minions here will rip your friends to shreds defending me.¡± A rumbling growl punctuated her statement, and glowing eyes appeared in the jungle. Arlana could do any number of things in this situation, but that was the problem. She had to choose one. Drake could practically see her debating the likelihood of cause and effect, action and reaction at play here. Iketa grinned at the Seer¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Can you stop them all in time?¡± The Weapon Rosaliy While Rosaliy was still panicking over the missing divination stone, footsteps padded up the stairs behind her. She barely had the presence of mind to press herself against the wall and let Dalor rush by. ¡°I don¡¯t remember leaving you open,¡± he mumbled to the door while pushing his way into his workroom. He was in too big a hurry to stop to second-guess the careful locking of magical supplies he may or may not have done, so he disappeared into his magical mess. Rosaliy was about to slip closer when she heard raised voices downstairs. She detoured to the stairway. ¡°The pearl couldn¡¯t just disappear!¡± Iketa yelled. ¡°What do you mean the pearl disappeared!¡± Rosaliy could not hear the response, but what excuse could the poor guard give? The pearl had disappeared in front of his eyes. Iketa cut him off in the middle of whatever excuse he was mustering up. ¡°Tell Dalor to hurry up on that divination stone and watch out for sabotage. As soon as the night shift arrives, put everyone you have on that room.¡± Did Dalor have a way to track the stone now? The man asked Iketa a question just as a long, trembling shudder cascaded down Rosaliy¡¯s spine. Her ears and the translation magic sloshing around in her body picked out ¡°where¡± and ¡°going.¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to make sure Issabeth can¡¯t use that pearl even if she gets it,¡± was the answer. Iketa could have made the words, ¡°I¡¯m going to the market to buy cheese¡± sound threatening, so an actual threat was chilling. Rosaliy was torn between finding out what Dalor was doing and getting to the palace as quickly as possible. Since Dalor could patch together a plan to locate the divination stone or the pearl at any moment, Rosaliy felt like the frantic escape plan was the smartest. If she could get the pearl to Issabeth before Iketa arrived, Dalor would be no match for the High Sorceress. Unfortunately, Rosaliy only had a vague idea of the direction of the palace, and it was dark outside. She had to trail Iketa and her bobbing light through the dense jungle, hoping things that liked to nibble on bare toes did not awaken at night. Iketa burst out onto a main road. Rosaliy¡¯s heart beat faster as she dodged a townsworth of people going about their business. But they were oblivious to the trouble brewing and oblivious to Rosaliy, so the sandy, warm, well-lit streets were welcome to her feet. There was so much disconcerting cheer in the air around her. Hardly two people passed each other without a greeting and short chat about family or how the tweaks to the ice furnace were working out. A few of them tried to greet Iketa, but they were answered with no more than a distracted wave. Rosaliy wished she had time to learn more about the Flifary. So few people had a chance to visit the mysterious island, and she was standing right here. Sure, conditions were not ideal, but at least she could stare at their dark skin, flaming red hair, and intricately wrapped layers of wispy clothing without being rude since none of them could see her. As reward for her invisible impertinence, she was nearly knocked flat by two women crossing the street with a vat of water between them. Rosaliy hopped around them and scrambled to keep up with Iketa. By the time they reached a street that would obviously lead to the palace, Rosaliy realized she would never outpace the swift Iketa. Even at a run, she would only reach the palace seconds ahead. Who knew what she would find there? Surprise was Rosaliy¡¯s best defense and weapon at the moment. Iketa was tough, but Rosaliy was invisible. Rosaliy could always tackle her, although she hoped a better plan would present itself before that point. As they approached, Rosaliy could see more of the sprawling palace through gaps in the lofty trees ahead. Now what? Before she could cobble together a plan to find Drake or storm the prison, Iketa slowed, hearing voices up ahead. Rosaliy heard her own name and snatches of conversation strongly implying Iketa was interrupting a break-out. In hindsight, a warning would have been helpful, but now seemed like the time for a well-placed tackle and some attention-grabbing yells. Then Iketa lifted a chain from her neck, and the symbol on the stone amulet glittered in the glow of the light she carried. Rosaliy knew that amulet. When they had unearthed one at Crystal Palace years back, Pepper had been out of sorts for a fortnight. Finally, Athena had found the symbol in a Flifary manuscript and realized the poor cat was bound to the person wearing the amulet¡ªforced to do another¡¯s bidding. Pepper had been so annoyed by the whole ordeal, he sulked for weeks. No wonder these jaguars had been so vicious with Iketa pulling their strings. As if on cue, the forest around Rosaliy rustled with the summoned animals. Where there had been nothing, now three sets of eyes gleamed from the darkness, and more rustling implied more animals were arriving. Tackling was no longer an option. Rosaliy hurried forward and scanned the crowd in front of the palace: Drake, Daniella, Zaphia, and a woman Rosaliy assumed was the Seer. No Issabeth. Satisfied with her safety, Iketa surprised the gathering and called in her jaguars. They were pinned in. Especially in the presence of the Seer, but mostly because the situation called for a rescue, Rosaliy wished she could do something magically impressive right now. Obviously, she had the pearl, but it was no use to her. If she even tried to touch it, she would be zapped. But so would anyone else. Of course! ¡°Iketa, catch,¡± she said. Iketa turned in the direction of the sourceless interruption, and Rosaliy pitched the pearl at her. On instinct, Iketa put up her hands to deflect the pearl. As soon as it touched her skin, the pearl reacted with a bright spark of light and a violent buzzing sound. The shock knocked Iketa off her feet. ¡°Rosaliy,¡± exclaimed Zaphia. ¡°Is that you?¡± Everyone else was a bit more worried about those jaguars. Ears flat, slinking low to the ground, they made a slow but deliberate approach. Rosaliy had already dived for Iketa. She grabbed the amulet around the stunned woman¡¯s neck and yanked, breaking the chain. Touching the amulet sent a jagged flutter up Rosaliy¡¯s arm. There was no way she was going to muster enough magical strength to control a pack of jaguars, at least not without doing permanent damage, but she felt confident these normally independent cats would be furious over having been coerced by Iketa for days. Rosaliy flung the amulet out of Iketa¡¯s reach. Iketa moaned and struggled to sit, aware of her surroundings just in time to see one of her former furry slaves take a leap forward, glowing yellow eyes trained on her. ¡°Stay back,¡± she demanded, scrambling to recover from her jolt. She grabbed at her chest, but found no amulet. ¡°You¡¯re just going to stand there and let them rip me apart?¡± she screeched to Arlana. ¡°You were just a second ago going to tell them to rip us apart,¡± Zaphia pointed out indignantly. ¡°Daniella, you can use the amulet,¡± Rosaliy suggested. It had landed at her feet. ¡°And?¡± Daniella¡¯s response was chilly. She made no move for the stone. ¡°The jaguars have the right idea.¡± Arlana touched Zaphia on the arm and gestured to the amulet. The girl squealed with excitement and reached for it. ¡°Drake,¡± Rosaliy said, ¡°we need to find Quita.¡± ¡°Done,¡± he replied. ¡°Where are you?¡± He was soaking wet and glowing faintly. That would make an interesting conversation later. She would have answered, but at the same moment a cascade of horrible events happened. First, a leaf-wrapped bundle flew past her, shattering with a blast at Arlana¡¯s feet. Blue smoke poured out of the bundle, sucked toward the people and animals in its radius. Second, smoke-wrapped Zaphia froze right in the middle of reaching down for the amulet. In fact, the jaguars stopped, too. The crude but effective paralysis spell had frozen everyone where they stood. Fourth, Dalor stepped out into the torchlight, wearing thick glasses that made his eyes huge and distorted. Tracing a line only he could see with his hands, he walked up to Daniella. ¡°I¡¯ll take that,¡± he chuckled with glee, plucking something from her. Any of this might have mattered to Rosaliy, but she was distracted with her own problems. At the same moment the leaf bomb exploded, she felt like she had been kicked in the stomach by a temperamental cow. She felt a shudder rush through her body¡ªa wave of numbness, nausea, and tingling pains all at once. Maybe the sensations were in different places at the same time. Or maybe she was experiencing these conflicting sensations simultaneously. Whatever was happening, she was on magic overload. Patches of her skin faded in and out of view as visibility rolled back over her body. She could see one arm, then both, then the other, and then she could see nothing, because she was doubled over in pain. Somewhere in the middle of almost vomiting, she realized she had physically doubled over and physically squeezed her eyes shut. The paralysis spell was not working any more than her other malfunctioning spells.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Dalor was too excited to notice her fading back into view an erratic piece at a time. ¡°We¡¯ve got it, Iketa. Finally, we¡­¡± He babbled longer than that, but Rosaliy only picked up Arlana¡¯s name and a stray word or two until his words dissolved into indecipherable sounds. The language spell was as useless as the others. She wished that spell had held out a little longer, because he was clearly making a plan with himself out loud. He took off with purpose soon after. Rosaliy stumbled after him as he hurried down the side of the palace. He certainly was not heading back to the temple, so where was he going? And why? What did he have in his hands? He veered off on a rocky path that led up to the mouth of the closest volcano. Dalor clambered up a ladder on the side of a volcano to reach a higher shelf. Rosaliy¡¯s feet objected to her chosen terrain, and she worried about the wisdom of following an enemy into a volcano, but neither comfort nor safety was at the top of her mind. She forced her malfunctioning arms and legs to climb the ladder. Daniella had found Quita, she realized. Or since she was not looking for the monkey, perhaps Quita found Daniella. Either way, Dalor had been on the hunt for the divination stone back at the temple. His hunt led him to that spot. Rosaliy could not have felt any sicker, but she did in some symbolic way. Dalor was holding the divination stone. She was sure of it. But why was he taking it here, to a volcano? If her head would stop spinning, would any of this make sense? Dalor had disappeared inside a wide, rocky hole in the ground. She peered down, but hot smoke wafted past, obscuring her view. Coughing, she waved the smoke away to see a crumbling lip of rock dangling above a pool of bubbling orange lava. Dalor was patting a boulder nestled in the side of the volcano. He caught sight of her, but instead of anger or wariness, he reacted with a wide white-toothed smile and a clap of his hands. He was excited to have someone to share this moment with. Rosaliy was less excited. He cupped his hands around his mouth to holler to her. ¡°You have been a surprising amount of trouble, little Sorceress. What do you think of my magic draining device?¡± He held out his hands proudly. Magic draining device? She blinked, trying to focus her eyes. What he was calling his magic draining device was a stone pillar with a divot in the top, forming a tall pedestal. Right now, there was a dark liquid inside the rocky pedestal¡ªa substance to absorb and release power from the look of the set-up. This was a catastrophe waiting to happen, and Rosaliy could only hope she was back at the temple in a magic-overload haze, creating this scenario in a nightmare. ¡°Dalor,¡± she yelled, attempting to channel every scrap of authority she could muster into her barely-working voice. ¡°Stop this! What are you thinking?¡± He grinned back. ¡°What good does this do?¡± she tried again. Obviously intimidation was not the best move when the object of her scolding was older than ten. ¡°How does setting off a magical weapon get you what you want?¡± Surprisingly, that question did force a pause. ¡°It¡¯s not a weapon,¡± he said, apparently hurt she did not appreciate his achievement. ¡°It¡¯s true we don¡¯t have the Naxturaen Queen in place.¡± He sighed with regret. ¡°But now that we have the divination stone, we¡¯ll be able to make another plan for her. We just need to disable you, first. Well, mainly we need to disable the Seer and the High Sorceress, and Queen Daniella, but you have been troublesome, too.¡± If he thought this weapon could kill Katyrinna, it was as powerful as it looked. More stalling was in order. ¡°Queen Katyrinna will stop you,¡± Rosaliy promised. ¡°There¡¯s no way she¡¯ll stand for this.¡± In a few weeks during the next moon cycle. The threat was not hollow, but it was not timely enough to do anyone any good. ¡°I know,¡± he agreed, passing something from one hand to the other. ¡°That¡¯s why we were going to bring her here. Am I not being clear?¡± ¡°Using her children as bait,¡± Rosaliy realized out loud. ¡°You were planning to kill children?¡± ¡°No, no,¡± he scoffed. ¡°Of course not. You¡¯ll see.¡± One of them was confused. This weapon could not accomplish anything but massive destruction. Unfortunately, Rosaliy was in no position to stop his plans. Dalor shoved his hand onto a deep groove on the side of the boulder. Immediately the liquid in the rock pedestal of sorts glowed¡ªfaint at first, then brightening to a deep red. ¡°Your weapon is going to kill us!¡± Rosaliy exclaimed. This contraption was directly powered by the divination stone. Even Dalor could not have been this stupid. ¡°It¡¯s not a weapon!¡± he snarled. ¡°It absorbs magic, takes it in. You¡¯ll all be powerless¡ªArlana, the High Sorceress, the Naxturae, Daniella, you¡ªand I¡¯ll have a limitless source of power. It¡¯s brilliant in its simplicity.¡± The tall boulder began to vibrate, shaking the liquid on top. Red liquid bubbled, spilling out over the edges. ¡°If you think you can undo what I¡¯ve started by getting me to talk, you¡¯re too late,¡± Dalor crowed. He was right about that, at least. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can undo anything,¡± she replied honestly. ¡°I think you¡¯re going to destroy your island¡ªyour very magical island.¡± ¡°It¡¯s under my control,¡± Dalor scoffed, gripping the side of the volcano when a particularly violent shake of his boulder threatened to throw him off the rock ledge. ¡°Oh, really? Where is your control stone? How do you have control of this?¡± She hoped her question was rhetorical, because the ground had just started to rumble. The smile on Dalor¡¯s face grew strained. Rosaliy could have sworn even his spiky fire hair was starting to wilt. ¡°The¡ªthe parts about the control stone were in an old dialect,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to make one. Anyway¡ª¡± He recovered some confidence. ¡°The divination stone will compensate.¡± His face hardened. ¡°No, you¡¯re just trying to scare me. Her first,¡± he demanded to the shaking pillar. The side of the volcano cracked instead, jettisoning lava from the churning pool inside. Rosaliy had to grip the edge of the volcano¡¯s mouth to avoid skittering into that angry lava below. The whole mountain was shaking now. ¡°Dalor, don¡¯t be an idiot,¡± Rosaliy called. ¡°You¡¯re going to destroy your island and everyone on it!¡± Finally having some inclination she was not bluffing, Dalor decided to grab for the divination stone. He might have been hoping to stop the chain reaction of magical doom he had set in place, but Rosaliy was not going to pretend to be in his head right now. ¡°Dalor, no!¡± Rosaliy screeched, but he was blasted back by a shockwave that threw him back onto a rock, bashing his head. She scrambled down into the mouth of the volcano on instinct. At least the spitting lava was draining down the side of the volcano instead of rising. As she had the thought, the stone shelf under her feet cracked, knocking her sideways. Dalor¡¯s limp body shifted to roll over, and she grabbed him before he tumbled over the edge. ¡°Wake up,¡± she demanded, shaking him. ¡°You¡¯re trying very hard to go down with your poorly executed spell, but I will not let you take an entire people with you.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t stop it,¡± he moaned. ¡°It¡¯s too powerful already.¡± She believed him. She pulled him to his feet and shoved him toward a rope ladder, ignoring that she could barely keep herself on her feet. ¡°You¡¯re going to climb and think about your poor choices at the same time. Hurry!¡± Pieces of the ledge were falling faster than Dalor was climbing, but he only had a few rungs to scale. ¡°This is what Arlana meant,¡± he babbled. ¡°She said we were going to destroy everything. I thought she meant social structure or her magic chokehold on us.¡± ¡°Nope, she meant your genius weapon with no method of control was going to siphon off power until it destroyed everything.¡± ¡°What do we do? What do we do?¡± he started repeating, shifting into panic. On one hand, Dalor was suddenly deciding to be compliant. On the other hand, he clearly had no skills to avert this catastrophe and had decided he and Rosaliy were now some sort of nebulous ¡°we.¡± ¡°We find Issabeth,¡± she said, taking on the mantle of ¡°we.¡± The mountain split under their feet, and they both skittered down the side, rolling to a stop somewhere near the feet of the gape-mouthed Sorceress they were seeking. ¡°What is Issabeth supposed to do about this?¡± exclaimed Issabeth. ¡°Why does everyone wait until the world is ending and then throw up their hands and call in the High Sorceress?¡± Although a fair question, Rosaliy was not inclined to discuss that problem. Issabeth rubbed her shoulder and groaned. ¡°I come outside to find you and get some answers, and I find everybody passed out at the entrance to the palace and the pearl just lying on the ground. And then the ground starts shaking, and¡­¡± The volcano interrupted her tirade with another intimidating crack. ¡°What is going on?¡± ¡°Dalor has been working on a weapon.¡± Rosaliy glared at him. ¡°It¡¯s gathering power from the island, but he has no way to direct that power, so it¡¯s just going to keep feeding off the island.¡± ¡°Oof,¡± Issabeth said, her face wrinkling up in disgust. ¡°I do not have time for this.¡± Issabeth held out the pearl, and a net of light wrapped around the trembling mountain. For an instant, the net held, but a wall of red pulsed behind it, scarlet cracks lacing through the glowing barrier. ¡°You¡¯re up against the divination stone,¡± warned Dalor. ¡°The divination stone powered by an entire magical island,¡± Rosaliy added. ¡°That means nothing to me,¡± grumbled Issabeth. ¡°At least the ground stopped shaking.¡± ¡°Because the weapon is feeding off the pearl¡¯s magic,¡± Dalor explained. He was right for once. Those red lines were expanding, dissolving the shield of light like acid. Issabeth rolled the pearl in her palm. ¡°Rose, it¡¯s up to you to come up with a well-reasoned plan that doesn¡¯t make the situation worse.¡± ¡°You need to get this weapon off the island,¡± Rosaliy blurted out. ¡°Sure,¡± Issabeth said uncertainly, ¡°but where? Didn¡¯t you just imply it¡¯s going to seek out magic and destroy anything in its path?¡± That was a reasonable assumption. The shield had almost dissolved, and the ground was starting to rumble again. ¡°Somewhere with no magic for it to feed off of.¡± ¡°And that would be¡­?¡± Issabeth had a point. ¡°Wait, the opposite. Send it to the Glade.¡± ¡°You think the Glade can contain this? Is it even dark magic?¡± ¡°Dark magic is such an ugly term,¡± Dalor broke in. ¡°Living creatures use up bits of their lives on living every day. Why not magic?¡± Dalor needed a three-hour lecture from Sorceress Athena assuming he survived this. ¡°The Glade has to be able to contain this,¡± said Rosaliy, ¡°or every living thing on this island is going to be destroyed.¡± Issabeth held up the pearl. ¡°High stakes notwithstanding, what if I destroy the Glade?¡± That was a distinct possibility. ¡°At least we¡¯ll know we tried?¡± ¡°It might work,¡± agreed Dalor. ¡°Oh, good, the megalomaniac votes for shipping his weapon to the Glade,¡± grumbled Issabeth. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°The Naxturaen Glade pulls its power from the moon, and this weapon is formed from sun magics,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re pulling power from the sun?¡± Rosaliy exclaimed. Dalor crossed his arms like a sullen child. ¡°None of this would have happened if Arlana hadn¡¯t tried to stop us,¡± he muttered. ¡°Rose, translate,¡± Issabeth demanded. In a rush, she explained, ¡°The Glade is most powerful at night and this stupidly conceived weapon is the least powerful when the sun is down. Now is our best chance to contain it.¡± The light shield was buckling, and lava poured from cracks in the mountain, burning rivulets of destruction. The unstable volcano would be the first thing to erupt, but that would just feed the weapon. Closing her eyes, Issabeth held out the pearl. She grimaced in pain, and the volcano rumbled in response. ¡°I think I¡¯m making it angry.¡± Rosaliy scrambled for a new idea. This was just a big, magical problem with a pesky time crunch she would ignore for now. She loved solving problems. This weapon was feeding off magic. ¡°What if¡ªwhat if we could remove its fuel instead?¡± ¡°Its fuel?¡± ¡°Transport the Flifary?¡± Dalor interpreted. ¡°All of them?¡± That was a tall order, but Dalor was thinking too small. Practically everything on Flifary island had some sort of magic of its own¡ªthe people, the plants, even the rocks. ¡°All of it,¡± Rosaliy insisted. ¡°The island. Down to the last rock.¡± Crystal Palace Jadelynn Wrapped around a tiny bottle, Cliff¡¯s fingers hovered over Sorceress Athena¡¯s head. ¡°So, this should just work?¡± ¡°Wait,¡± cautioned Jadelynn, running her fingers down Rosaliy¡¯s notes. She had to scoot the lantern closer to the notebook to see. So much time had passed searching through Rosaliy¡¯s notebooks and finding the right keys. It was the dead of night by the time they were ready to use the potion, and the words were swimming in front of Jadelynn¡¯s tired eyes. ¡°One¡­drop. Or two.¡± Jadelynn was always forgetting measures of weight. At least Rosaliy had all her supplies meticulously labeled. This was definitely the right potion, not one that would be turning the Sorceress into a raccoon or a pile of diamonds. Jadelynn scanned further. ¡°Never mind. You¡¯re supposed to place a drop on each of her wrists.¡± Cliff drew back. ¡°Are you sure this time?¡± No. ¡°Yes, wrists. I¡¯m sure that¡¯s what Sorceress Rosaliy did when Iris started growing mushrooms all over her body.¡± Sort of sure. ¡°What if someone was outside when this spell hit?¡± claimed Matias. ¡°I should go look around. Outside.¡± This was a good point, but really Matias was just trying to get himself out of any possible danger. ¡°Fine, go.¡± Jadelynn shooed him off. ¡°Mushrooms?¡± asked Cliff. ¡°I don¡¯t know. It was some kind of fungus.¡± She waved her hands, annoyed at being distracted. ¡°It¡¯s not important.¡± She grabbed the bottle from his hand and tipped it, holding her finger tight on the end of the small bottle. Cliff turned over the limp woman¡¯s wrists where she lay slumped over her desk. Jadelynn smeared her wet finger on Athena¡¯s wrist like perfume, except this concoction was the opposite of pungent. What faint smell of aging books had permeated the room was now gone and replaced by nothing¡ªthe complete absence of smell. Jadelynn would have known more about this potion if she paid more attention in her classes. There was no immediate effect on Athena, so Jadelynn moved to her other wrist. The ground shook under their feet. ¡°Is that supposed to happen?¡± Cliff asked nervously. Jadelynn shrugged. Athena blinked and stirred. ¡°It¡¯s working,¡± said Cliff, who either enjoyed making obvious statements or hearing himself talk. ¡°Do you remember what happened?¡± Jadelynn asked a groggy Sorceress Athena. But her glorious moment of impressing Sorceress Athena with her magical prowess was interrupted by Matias skidding into the room like he had run in at full speed. ¡°You need to come outside,¡± he spluttered. ¡°Not now, Mat,¡± Jadelynn answered with literally gritted teeth. He could be so cluelessly irritating. ¡°Now,¡± he insisted. ¡°There¡¯s an¡ª Well, see for yourselves. Look out the window.¡± Normally Jadelynn would have refused to look out of spite, but there was something compelling in his tone. They all twisted to see out the window wall. They saw¡­something. Off in the distance, there were dozens of glowing lights illuminating curious silhouettes. ¡°Were those trees there before?¡± Cliff asked first. ¡°No,¡± Jadelynn and Athena replied in unison. Jadelynn was unsure what she was seeing. Athena was more sure. ¡°Flifary Island,¡± she murmured. The mass of sand and palm trees and green vines did look like it might be Flifary Island, except it was sitting in the middle of the Glade. Why was it sitting in the middle of the Glade? Cliff pressed his face to the glass, cupping his hands against his eyes to see. ¡°Are those people?¡± Athena flipped open a trunk nestled against her desk. She rifled through, opening sliding drawers and moving compartments before she pulled open a segmented wooden box to reveal several carved stones. She gathered up the stones and gripped them securely. ¡°What are those?¡± asked Jadelynn. The symbol was almost one she knew, but she could not place it. ¡°Protection,¡± Athena said. Cliff gaped out the window. ¡°You think they¡¯ve come to attack us?¡± ¡°Why else?¡± Athena¡¯s words were soft and chilling. Had Rosaliy failed? Was this all part of a Flifary plan to take over? What was happening? ¡°Why are you just standing there?¡± Matias exclaimed. ¡°Go magic them back to the ocean or something.¡± He wiggled his fingers toward the window for emphasis. Honestly, he spent half the time Jadelynn was home mocking her magical abilities and the other half begging her to use magic to solve all his problems. Matias¡¯s words were not helpful, but they did jolt Athena into action. ¡°Jadelynn, wake the rest of the palace. Start with Dmitri. And any guards you see.¡± She turned to Cliff. ¡°Who are you?¡± He smiled and bowed. ¡°Cliffinzo of the¡ª¡± ¡°He¡¯ll come with me,¡± Jadelynn interrupted. ¡°Mat, you¡¯re going to go wake up the drawbridge guards and get them to haul up the bridge.¡± ~~~~~Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Rosaliy Rosaliy finally braved words. ¡°The island isn¡¯t shaking.¡± Her voice sure was, though. Her words sounded hollow, like they were echoing inside her head. ¡°It must have worked.¡± ¡°¡®It¡¯ what?¡± muttered Issabeth. That was the question. Rosaliy had been hoping Issabeth knew. While Rosaliy and Issabeth were stunned, Dalor used this opportunity to attempt an escape. Issabeth snatched him by his loose clothes and knocked him to the ground, planting a foot on his back to anchor him. ¡°Izz?¡± Rosaliy could hear a quiet voice. Issabeth jumped as if she was hearing it loud and clear. ¡°Cedricowen?¡± she yelped. ¡°Where are you? Where am I?¡± ¡°Are you joking?¡± ¡°Why would I be joking?¡± ¡°You¡¯re home. You¡¯re standing a furlong away.¡± Issabeth stared at Rosaliy. ¡°Did you hear¡­?¡± Rosaliy bobbed her head, but the movement made her dizzy. ¡°I¡¯m coming there,¡± said Cedric¡¯s voice. ¡°Wait, no,¡± Issabeth argued. ¡°We need to¡­¡± Her head swiveled, like she was looking for a plan. She did not find one. ¡°Things. Many things need to be done.¡± ¡°Iketa,¡± Rosaliy managed to choke out. Assuming Dalor¡¯s spell was as poorly made as everything else he had done, the paralysis would be wearing off soon. ¡°We need to make sure everybody is ok.¡± By the time Issabeth and Rosaliy managed to drag a squirming Dalor back to the palace entrance, Daniella was barking orders to Drake to cut vines to tie up Iketa. Iketa was underneath the jaguar Zaphia was scratching between the ears. The amulet was around the girl¡¯s neck, and she was chattering to the big cat in Flifary baby-talk. ¡°No more bad Iketa,¡± Rosaliy heard her say. ¡°Bue gatito.¡± Dalor sank to the ground on his knees next to Iketa. ¡°She was right,¡± he mumbled to Iketa or maybe just to himself. ¡°The whole time. I almost¡ª We almost¡ª¡± Nobody paid his rambling any attention. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± asked Arlana. Spots swam in front of Rosaliy¡¯s eyes. She ignored them. Whatever magic Issabeth had produced must have been another powerful shot to Rosaliy¡¯s system. Next, she heard pounding. She squeezed a hand to her head, but after a moment, she realized the sound was a rush of feet coming at them from the jungle. Two spear-holding men burst into the light illuminating the palace entry. An entourage of at least a dozen Flifary men and women came with the guards. The people on the island had survived, so Rosaliy took a moment to rejoice in their continued existence. Of course, they were very agitated about something. The guards looked to Iketa¡ªwho was bound and pinned by an angry jaguar¡ªand Dalor¡ªrocking slightly and mumbling to himself¡ªand then Arlana. A few of the people who looked like normal citizens murmured, casting glances toward the ex-Seer and keeping their distance. A guard finally braved the question in Flifary. ¡°On¡­going?¡± Rosaliy¡¯s language potion had decided to give a feeble effort. Her ears tingled like someone was stabbing them with pins. ¡°Nayro,¡± Arlana said. The guard¡¯s eyebrows rose, surprised and more than a little concerned the Seer knew his name. ¡°Explain why you¡¯re here.¡± Nayro and his partner exchanged a glance. ¡°Somebody cough up something already,¡± Iketa growled from under her furry prison. Arlana gathered her arms around herself like she noticed a chill in the air. Maybe she did, but Rosaliy felt like she was on fire. ¡°Where the ocean used to be,¡± the guard¡¯s partner tried to explain, ¡°the ocean isn¡¯t.¡± ¡°We may literally be in the Glade,¡± Issabeth admitted. Arlana tipped her head, taking this in. ¡°You transported the island instead of disabling the weapon.¡± Issabeth nodded, shrugging. ¡°It was Rosaliy¡¯s idea.¡± Was it? ¡°It was a good idea,¡± praised Arlana. ¡°There was no way to disable the weapon once activated. Well, no way that I saw.¡± ¡°You saw all this coming?¡± Issabeth¡¯s question was equal parts judging and incredulous. ¡°No,¡± disagreed Arlana. ¡°Not this moment in particular. So many factors have changed.¡± ¡°The island destruction part, though,¡± Issabeth pressed. ¡°In every scenario, they activated the weapon to kill Rin,¡± countered Arlana. ¡°I did not anticipate them activating the weapon if Daniella could protect the children and keep Rin from coming.¡± ¡°Not kill,¡± Dalor tried to object with a quavering, shrill voice. ¡°Just siphon magic from.¡± ¡°Stop talking,¡± threatened Issabeth. ¡°I tried to warn them,¡± Arlana sighed. ¡°There was a tiny chance Dalor would listen, but he chose a more destructive path at Iketa and Ocery¡¯s urging.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the one who destroyed the temple,¡± Nayro said. ¡°For good reason,¡± piped up Zaphia. ¡°Iketa, Dalor, and Ocery were lying to us about everything.¡± ¡°There was enough twisted veracity in their assertions to call what they said half truths,¡± Arlana corrected. ¡°Rose.¡± Drake had worked his way next to Rosaliy and leaned over to talk quietly in her ear. ¡°Am I understanding you dropped Flifary Island and everything on it in the Glade?¡± Now she felt a cool breeze sting her blazing hot skin. ¡°Not me personally,¡± she tried to answer without shuddering, ¡°but I hope so. Dalor was about to destroy the whole thing.¡± He took this in. ¡°Should someone warn Crystal Palace?¡± ¡°Warn?¡± Rosaliy asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you think the island will be obvious enough?¡± ¡°I do,¡± he agreed, ¡°and more than a little suspicious.¡± She had to stop and repeat his last word to herself before it had meaning. ¡°As in they might think we¡¯re here for nefarious reasons?¡± ¡°I would.¡± ¡°He makes an excellent point,¡± contributed Daniella. That woman had the ears of a bat. ¡°We need to find out where we landed,¡± Rosaliy suggested to Issabeth, ¡°and find Athena.¡± ¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± agreed Issabeth. She pointed to Iketa. ¡°If you two would manage that one, I¡¯ve got him.¡± She referred to a still-stunned Dalor. Issabeth jerked him from the ground and prodded him forward. Drake did the bulk of the managing, although Rosaliy did have the presence of mind to bind Iketa¡¯s hands with vines; Iketa¡¯s transporting fog was not needed to complicate things. Rosaliy had to ignore a rolling wave of lightheadedness where she briefly lost sight of her arm and left foot. The magic was still at battle all through her. Rosaliy forced herself to put one foot in front of the other, and soon they were on shore. What was once the shore was now a wall of Flifary pressed together anxiously as though the sand formed some sort of physical barrier. ¡°Too late,¡± murmured Drake. He pointed to the figures standing off in the distance, barely black outlines in the night sky. ¡°We need to get through,¡± Rosaliy fretted. ¡°I can help there,¡± said Arlana. In fact, the crowd nearest her had already noticed her and was beginning to part nervously. ¡°You. Ground,¡± Issabeth barked to Dalor. Once she had Dalor and Iketa situated face first in the sand, she left Drake and Daniella to monitor them. Trailing Arlana, Rosaliy and Issabeth made their way to the front of the crowd. Where the ocean should have been, a sandy beach stretched off until it tapered off into grass. Throngs of Flifary hovered on this makeshift shore nervously, afraid to venture farther. Issabeth did not share their hesitation, and she breezed past, ignoring their wide-mouthed stares. The sand was still damp under Rosaliy¡¯s feet, and she could just make out Athena as one of the silhouettes on the crest of the dark hill, but those were the last two things she remembered. A delayed surge of magic chose the wrong moment to crackle through Rosaliy¡¯s system. She stumbled, and her vision went black. When Rosaliy opened her eyes again an instant later, she was flat on her back on her bed. It was either still dark or dark again. She shot up in bed, a horrible idea. ¡°I¡¯m not supposed to let you do that,¡± warned a voice. Her hazy eyes located Daniella. ¡°When is it? What day? What¡¯s happening?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same day,¡± Daniella promised, not really answering the spirit of the question Rosaliy had meant to ask. ¡°Iketa? Dalor?¡± she blurted out. ¡°Handled,¡± Daniella answered. ¡°They were shipped down to¡ªwhat was it called¡ªThe Pit?¡± That was a perfect place for them. ¡°The Flifary¡ªsomebody needs to tell Athena¡ª¡± ¡°Done,¡± Daniella interrupted. ¡°There are more than a few holes in the story yet, but Athena and Arlana have managed to hash out some tentative ground rules.¡± ¡°Is Drake¡ª?¡± ¡°Perhaps I should tell the story in order,¡± Daniella interrupted her once more. Rosaliy flopped back and sighed. ¡°Yes, please.¡± A Dramatic Entrance Drake When Rosaliy pitched forward, momentary chaos erupted. Drake lost focus for the instant it took Iketa to roll over and throw herself into Drake¡¯s knees. The drawback of sand was that he had no chance to keep his footing against such a tackle. Sand as a fighting turf had as many benefits as drawbacks. He would have righted himself had Iketa not kicked him in the chest the moment he was distracted by Quita clawing his shoulder in consternation. He was sent sprawling all over again. At least the angry monkey finally jumped clear of him. At the same moment, a dome of light appeared above their heads. This was too much for a crowd on edge. First there was a scream, and then there was general shouting and threats of a stampede. Iketa was just out of Drake¡¯s grasp, and for a perfect moment, she had a clear path to sprint off into the confused crowd. ¡°Gatito!¡± shouted Zaphia, and one of her new cat friends had Iketa back on the ground before Iketa could do any more damage. ¡°Quiet!¡± Arlana¡¯s voice boomed in a way that must have been magical, because her voice was everywhere all at once and audible above the yelling and pandemonium. Also, Drake felt himself freeze. ¡°Be still,¡± the reverberating voice said again, and he was free to move after the moment of paralysis. The crowd was uneasy, but obedient. They, too, had control of their voices and bodies, but they only dared to speak to each other in whispers. ¡°Seer?¡± was the only word Drake could pick out. Arlana barked an order in Flifary, but no one moved. Arlana sighed, and she came to Zaphia. ¡°My popularity is low, little one,¡± Arlana said in a normal, localized voice. ¡°I think explanations would be better from you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± Zaphia spluttered. ¡°No one will listen to me. Especially not loyal followers of Iketa and Dalor.¡± While Zaphia argued with Arlana, Daniella held out an arm, and Drake took it. ¡°I saw that,¡± she said with half a smirk as she helped him up. ¡°Saw what?¡± he grumbled, beating sand off himself. ¡°Exploitable weakness,¡± mused Daniella. ¡°Although I¡¯m sure it has a nicer name. Zaphia has the prisoners under control. Go see what¡¯s wrong with her.¡± Zaphia had clambered onto a boulder and waved her hands for attention before she began chattering away. Whatever she was saying, she was saying a lot of it, and she certainly had everyone¡¯s attention. Everyone but Drake. Daniella was right; he was only focused on one thing, and she was just past the crowd pressing in on him. He slipped through as the Flifary drew closer to hear Zaphia. Issabeth was on her knees next to a fallen Rosaliy. ¡°Drake,¡± Issabeth barked. ¡°Check on Rose. I need to stop us all from being destroyed or something.¡± She waved her arms at the glowing light surrounding them¡ªsurrounding the entire island, it appeared. Then she hopped up. ¡°Athena,¡± Issabeth yelled, waving her arms. ¡°Athena, it¡¯s me and Rose.¡± At some point, Issabeth talked Athena into dropping the dome of light to talk, but Drake barely noticed. He was busy rolling Rosaliy over like she was made of glass and brushing her thick hair out of her face. She looked like she was flushed red, but they were quite a ways from the light of the Flifary torches, so it was hard to tell. Carefully, his hand stole to her neck. He finally breathed when he felt her heartbeat. In fact, her heart was racing. Athena was at his elbow now, pressing a hand to Rosaliy¡¯s forehead and leaning close. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± ¡°She seemed fine when she decided it was a brilliant idea to¡ª¡± Issabeth vanished from sight and stopped in the middle of her statement. ¡°Aren¡¯t we fighting?¡± Drake heard her say. ¡°No,¡± something responded. ¡°Are you sure? That seems unlikely,¡± Issabeth responded, but she was nowhere to be seen. ¡°One hundred percent sure,¡± came an invisible response. ¡°Rosaliy is unbalanced,¡± said Athena to Drake like nothing out of the ordinary was happening. ¡°What kind of magic has she been exposed to?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he stammered. Should he know? So much had happened all at once. ¡°Is she hurt?¡± ¡°Old Coaster healing potion,¡± Jadelynn answered, because she had arrived. How had that girl gotten to the Glade? ¡°Drake!¡± exclaimed Cliff clapping Drake on the back and confusing him completely. What was Cliff doing here? Drake had no room in his head for any of these things. ¡°Healing potion?¡± Athena repeated. Drake dug the jar out of his pocket and thrust it at her. The Sorceress rolled the jar over in her hand. ¡°Rose would have known better than to use any conflicting spells while this was doing its work,¡± Athena said dubiously, ¡°but I¡¯ll examine her back in the palace.¡± She looked up and waved in the direction of the Flifary who were starting to venture off the sand, poking their toes in the grass and shivering in the chill of the Naxturaen Glade. ¡°Once someone can tell me what¡¯s going on. Who is to blame for all this?¡± ¡°Blame is a complex concept, old friend,¡± said Arlana softly, drawing toward them, ¡°but if the amulets in the young Sorceress¡¯s hand will send someone to the Naxturaen Pit for safekeeping, I recommend those two.¡± Arlana stretched her bracelet-laden arm back toward the island. Iketa and Dalor were visible in the glow of a torch, Iketa still pinned by a jaguar and Dalor cowed by Daniella¡¯s icy stare. ¡°You found her,¡± murmured Athena. ¡°The children?¡± That question was for Drake. ¡°Probably safe,¡± was the best he could offer as an answer. Had anyone explained to him why Rosaliy was not waking up? Athena shook her head, unsatisfied. ¡°Jadelynn,¡± she ordered. ¡°Go with the Seer.¡± ¡°Did somebody warn them about the spider creature epidemic in the caves down there?¡± asked Issabeth, out of breath when she popped back into view.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. Jadelynn was already out of earshot, and nobody felt like running her down. Zaphia was wrapping up her rousing speech in the background. People were clamoring to ask questions now. Cliff nearly jumped out of his skin as a tiny, claw-bearing weight scrambled its way up his back. He produced a chestnut from his side pocket for Quita. ¡°What happened to Rose?¡± he asked. Drake wished he could answer that question. Athena was patting her throat in a way that seemed investigatory. ¡°How did you get here?¡± Drake asked instead of attempting an answer. He was very quickly made sorry he had asked as Cliff detailed his journey and the discovery of the sleeping palace. Since Rosaliy still wasn¡¯t waking up, Drake heard about half of what Cliff was saying. ¡°Arlana,¡± Athena asked as soon as the Seer had returned with Jadelynn and Daniella, ¡°why is your island in the middle of the Glade?¡± ¡°That¡¯s my fault,¡± Issabeth admitted. ¡°It¡¯s Dalor¡¯s fault,¡± Daniella amended. A baffled Arlana shook her head in amazement. ¡°I can hardly believe he attempted to use his weapon.¡± ¡°Desperate times,¡± muttered Daniella, ¡°make small people resort to drastic measures.¡± ¡°Where are the children?¡± Athena asked Daniella directly. Daniella stared back like they no longer spoke the same language. Her eyes were slightly pained. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know,¡± Drake answered for her. ¡°And I have less than half a clue what¡¯s going on,¡± added Issabeth. ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask Rose.¡± Nobody was asking Rosaliy anything. ¡°I intend to,¡± Athena sighed. ¡°Are any of your people a threat to Crystal Palace?¡± ¡°Possibly,¡± Arlana admitted. ¡°Iketa, Dalor, and Ocery had plenty of loyal followers. None that were as dangerous or ruthless as they were, but¡ª¡± Arlana threw up her hands. ¡°I truly have no way to know. The divination stone must be buried in a crater at the bottom of Lansilia Ocean by now.¡± ¡°Sounds like we have quite a bit of catching up to do,¡± said Athena. ¡°Yes, my friend,¡± agreed Arlana. Drake needed them to be moving with a good deal less bewilderment and a good deal more urgency, but still the women chattered like they were having a meeting over tea. ¡°Arlana, if you would instruct your people to stay on their island¡ªor whatever it is now¡ªwe can get some answers,¡± Athena was saying. ¡°I¡¯ll set up a barrier,¡± Arlana agreed,¡± but I can¡¯t imagine such a thing will have a positive effect on my popularity.¡± ¡°Would you follow me with Rosaliy?¡± Athena asked Drake. Finally. He scooped Rosaliy from the ground. She moaned softly, and her head lolled back into his elbow. When he glanced back, a swirling fog bank was unfurling its way around the island. Soon, he could only see the glow of the lanterns through the thick fog. ¡°The Naxturae are still in there,¡± Drake pointed out. ¡°Good, good,¡± Athena muttered, not bothering to look behind her. ¡°They¡¯ll have the island under control in no time.¡± Two men were waiting at the base of the palace steps. One was an imposing man with graying hair Drake remembered from his stay at the palace, and the other was Matias. ¡°What did you do to Rose?¡± Matias accused, catching sight of Drake. ¡°Why are you everywhere I am?¡± Drake answered. ¡°I should never have let her get tangled up with the likes of you,¡± Matias growled. Drake could not acknowledge Matias without the temptation to squash him like the pest he was, but his arms were full, and Matias was easy to ignore. ¡°Dmitri,¡± Athena addressed the other man. ¡°The Pit has two new residents, and I need to care for Rosaliy. Is the rest of the staff awake?¡± ¡°Took us this long to find Polz,¡± Dmitri answered. ¡°He had tumbled into a pile of table linens to be washed. Everyone else is functioning.¡± ¡°Thank you, Dmitri,¡± Athena said with a tired smile. ¡°I knew you could handle this on your own.¡± ¡°It does seem like I¡¯m breaking a sleeping curse every other week,¡± he grumbled darkly. ¡°I¡¯ll go check on the Pit.¡± ¡°The newcomers have been legitimately incarcerated,¡± Athena warned him, ¡°but they could use food and some form of spider repellent, perhaps.¡± Athena beckoned to Drake to continue following her, and she stopped Cliff, Jadelynn, and Matias from doing the same, rescuing Drake from needing to pound Matias into the ground. Daniella was the only other person Athena insisted on keeping close. They were shuffled into a cozy little room with a table, lanterns, and a small bed. ¡°Sit,¡± Athena ordered while pondering a wall full of jars and herbs tied in bundles. Drake and Daniella followed orders. Athena set the jar of healing draught in front of Drake. ¡°How long has it been since she took this?¡± ¡°Last night,¡± he replied, relieved to know the answer to her first question. ¡°Did she take anything else?¡± asked Athena. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her to know,¡± answered Drake, his brief elation at having information immediately quashed. ¡°Seen,¡± Daniella murmured. ¡°She was invisible.¡± Athena¡¯s gray eyes widened. ¡°She cast an invisibility spell on herself under the influence of a healing potion?¡± Neither of them had any way to answer that question, but Athena was just thinking out loud at this point, so their silence was irrelevant. ¡°Hardly seems like a mistake she would make,¡± Athena muttered, backing away from the herbs in front of her. ¡°I¡¯m going to need something less magical and more mundane.¡± Issabeth poked her head in. ¡°Need me to use the pearl?¡± ¡°That¡¯s the opposite of what Rosaliy needs,¡± Athena told her. ¡°I think being magically transported in her condition is what tipped her over the edge.¡± ¡°She might have mentioned that,¡± said Issabeth, ¡°although¡ª¡± She bobbed her head in consideration. ¡°The island was about to explode at the time.¡± ¡°What can we do?¡± Drake interrupted. ¡°The best course of action is nothing,¡± Athena replied. ¡°Although I might be able to rouse her and drag out some useful specifics, it would be kinder to let her rest and rebalance.¡± Athena took in all the occupants of her little room. ¡°The same is true for all of you,¡± she decided. None of them had any intention of resting, but they did agree to move Rosaliy to her room. Drake gathered her up to carry her. Her skin was still on fire. ¡°What about her memory loss?¡± asked Issabeth, jabbing a finger in Daniella¡¯s direction. ¡°Daniella would be the expert on that subject,¡± pointed out Athena. ¡°Perhaps she left herself an antidote.¡± Daniella¡¯s room was on the way up to Rosaliy and Issabeth¡¯s hallway, so they detoured that direction. Although the hallway had been patched up, Daniella¡¯s door was lying in several chunks in a pile next to the splintered doorframe. ¡°I feel like Athena forgot to mention something,¡± said an amused Issabeth, peering into the destroyed room. ¡°Daniella set a swarm of shadow creatures in the palace just after she left,¡± Drake explained. He could have sworn Rosaliy shuddered. ¡°They were trapped in her room, and they burst out like¡­a swarm of shadow creatures.¡± Issabeth smirked. ¡°Very descriptive. Thank you.¡± ¡°That was why the Queen was taken to safety,¡± Daniella guessed. Issabeth chuckled. ¡°She¡¯s going to love that. Sometimes I think you stay up nights thinking of new ways to make people mad at you.¡± Drake shifted Rosaliy¡¯s weight on his arm. He should have delivered her to her room before this detour, but he was less anxious having her close. Daniella¡¯s room was in shambles. What seemed like a lifetime ago, Drake had been standing in this room to search for clues with Rosaliy, and from the outside, it looked like he had been the last one to brave the room. In fact, it looked like the hallway had been cleared by taking everything that had exploded from the room into the hallway and shoving it back inside. Drake guessed the servants were afraid to touch any of Daniella¡¯s things lest they release any more monsters. Daniella reached down and picked up a shattered piece of rounded pottery, charred on the edges¡ªa flower pot, maybe. ¡°It¡¯s fitting,¡± she said. She might have meant the room reflected her mental state or was what she deserved. Drake had no need to ask. ¡°Think you might have left yourself a clue to where the kids are?¡± Issabeth asked. ¡°Under the rubble?¡± Daniella stared at the shattered room. ¡°No. The children weren¡¯t meant to be found until after the Queen¡¯s return.¡± ¡°How do you know?¡± asked Issabeth suspiciously. ¡°Are you remembering?¡± Daniella shook her head, just slightly. ¡°It¡¯s what I would do,¡± she explained, making no move toward the room. ¡°This place will be home again before you know it,¡± said Drake, feeling some need to be reassuring. Unfortunately, he meant to be genuine, but his tone was so flat and monotone, not even he believed himself. ¡°Home is an odd concept for someone with no memories,¡± Daniella replied. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t know,¡± he admitted. ¡°About home or memories?¡± she asked. ¡°I have too little of one and too much of the other,¡± he replied. ¡°You two are a special kind of depressing,¡± interrupted Issabeth. ¡°Let¡¯s get Rosaliy situated.¡± Welcome Home Rosaliy Rosaliy heard Daniella¡¯s version of events, which was colder and more precise than Drake¡¯s, but still gave her the general impression of what had been going on around her while she was in her magical coma. Rosaliy pushed herself onto her elbows. She felt woozier than she preferred, but she could work past that. ¡°What,¡± Daniella snapped, ¡°are you doing?¡± ¡°Getting up,¡± Rosaliy replied. She had no energy to argue. ¡°I¡¯m specifically supposed to prevent that. The cross Sorceress whom everyone claims is my progeny said you would attempt to be up the instant you were conscious. The gray-eyed Sorceress who seems to resent me said you were not under any circumstances to leave this room until all the magic had flushed from your system.¡± This would not do. There was no way Rosaliy was going to lie around useless. ¡°But¡­I need¡ª¡± She floundered for reasoning Daniella might respond to. ¡°We¡¯ve come all this way, but we still need to find the children.¡± They were the whole reason for the original journey. Daniella¡¯s eyebrows rose slightly. ¡°Am I to assume you¡¯ve had prophetic dreams to that end?¡± That woman¡¯s weaponized sarcasm could cut through walls. ¡°There must be some sort of clue to their whereabouts,¡± Rosaliy insisted. ¡°When the Queen returns,¡± said Daniella in a chilly tone. ¡°But that won¡¯t be for weeks¡ªnot until the moon is aligned.¡± There was a soft knock on Rosaliy¡¯s door. Drake peeked his head in. Of course, he was washed and changed and back to his old put together, vaguely mysterious, unreasonably attractive self. Meanwhile, Rosaliy looked and felt like she had been trampled by a herd of stampeding horses. ¡°You were instructed to sleep,¡± Daniella accused. ¡°I thought about sleeping,¡± he replied, his eyes on Rosaliy. ¡°Come in,¡± Rosaliy beckoned. ¡°What¡¯s been going on?¡± ¡°What seems like normal chaos for this place,¡± Drake answered, slipping into the room. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Rosaliy felt like someone was alternately setting her on fire and then dropping her into a vat of ice water, but saying that would keep her confined to bed for a week. ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°I feel fine.¡± Drake had come in serious and concerned, but a smile broke over his face. ¡°You really are a terrible liar.¡± She heaved a sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t lie around doing nothing when an island and all the people on it have been dropped into the Glade and there are missing children to find.¡± His eyebrows rose. ¡°You have an idea where to look?¡± ¡°Apparently I need a way to speed up the moon,¡± she grumbled, sinking back onto her bed. All this aimless arguing was exhausting. ¡°Are you being serious?¡± he asked, taking a few steps forward. ¡°Because every time I think you¡¯re not being serious, you¡¯re being serious.¡± ¡°She wants to bring back the Queen,¡± Daniella clarified, ¡°and there won¡¯t be enough power to bring her back until a particular moon cycle.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s eyes shifted over to Daniella, who looked like herself but had just taken the time to explain a magical concept to another human being without sarcasm or a demand for results. She must have taken to Drake. Also, Rosaliy was suddenly aware she had both Drake and Daniella in her bedroom. She had many conflicting feelings about this. Drake nodded slowly, as if he had an idea. ¡°What?¡± Daniella demanded before Rosaliy could. ¡°What are you thinking?¡± ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°Surely someone smarter than me has had this idea already.¡± He was going to leave it at that, but the two women staring at him convinced him otherwise. He winced and explained himself. ¡°Now, I have no idea what I¡¯m talking about, but the Flifary were channeling magic from the sun.¡± ¡°Dalor was using the sun to power his ridiculous weapon,¡± Rosaliy agreed. ¡°The sun comes up in a few hours,¡± Daniella added. ¡°Arlana!¡± Rosaliy exclaimed, just before realizing she had been the last person in the room to come to this conclusion. ¡°That¡¯s brilliant.¡± She beamed at Drake. ¡°It¡¯s an assumption made from halfway paying attention to what goes on around me,¡± Drake disagreed. Rosaliy would have argued with him, but she was too excited. ¡°I need to speak with Sorceress Athena right now.¡± She planted her feet on the ground and nearly tumbled over. Drake caught her before her knees gave out completely. ¡°It would be wiser to bring the Sorceress to you,¡± Daniella scowled. ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡± ¡°Did she just offer to be helpful?¡± Rosaliy asked Daniella¡¯s departing back. Drake was also staring after her. ¡°She feels terrible about the things she¡¯s done. Maybe she needs to set one thing right.¡± Rosaliy could not wrap her head around that, nor could she try. She did, however, have so many things to tell Drake, except suddenly her mind was completely blank, and his closeness was increasing her heartbeat and making complete thoughts impossible.This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work. She gripped his arm for stability and tried to look him in his clear blue eyes without getting lost in them. ¡°Drake, I¡ª¡± Her door burst open. Matias sauntered in. Iketa with a rogue jaguar would have been more welcome at that moment. ¡°I thought you might be here,¡± he sneered in Drake¡¯s direction. ¡°You can¡¯t just walk into someone¡¯s room,¡± Rosaliy snarled. Matias glared at Drake. ¡°He did.¡± ¡°He knocked,¡± Rosaliy spat back. ¡°He did knock,¡± Drake agreed. Matias shot him a cold glare and looked like he might say something else, so Rosaliy interrupted. ¡°Why are you here?¡± ¡°Making sure he¡ª¡± ¡°No,¡± Rosaliy cut him off. ¡°Here. At Crystal Palace.¡± ¡°I helped Jade lift the spell on the palace,¡± Matias replied importantly. She hated to ask, but she had to. ¡°What spell?¡± she sighed, plunking down on her bed. Standing had been a failed experiment. And then she was subjected to his rendition of how he had rescued an entire palace from the brink of death while fighting to keep from succumbing to a sleeping spell himself. She would have to ask Jadelynn for the real story, she supposed. She wished her spell neutralizer would work on her now. She was feeling decidedly ill. ¡°Matias, you need to leave,¡± she told him flatly. ¡°My head feels like it¡¯s going to explode, and I need to get cleaned up. I¡¯m sure my skin tastes like a block of salt.¡± ¡°I could lick you and find out,¡± Matias offered. ¡°Did you really just¡ª¡± Drake was laughing too hard to finish that thought. Athena saved all of them by gliding past Matias into the open room. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you awake,¡± she said warmly, a small notebook and ink pen in hand. ¡°Now you can explain what happened to you.¡± She held up the jar of healing potion. Just seeing it made Rosaliy feel queasy. ¡°How hurt were you when the potion was administered?¡± She tried to remember. ¡°A few broken bones,¡± she answered weakly. ¡°Which ones?¡± asked Athena, still writing. ¡°Most of them,¡± she admitted. ¡°Plus you almost drowned,¡± Drake offered helpfully. Athena made a little sound of incredulity. ¡°Extensive internal injuries,¡± was all she said as she noted that on her paper. ¡°And then?¡± Rosaliy flushed red. ¡°I misjudged the extent of the healing potion in my system when I used an invisibility potion.¡± Athena jotted notes with a pencil. ¡°That I can balance out,¡± sad Athena, nodding. ¡°Well,¡± Rosaliy said, ¡°except there was also a language potion.¡± Athena¡¯s eyebrows rose as she noted that. ¡°Things were already going downhill after that, but when I was frozen by one of Dalor¡¯s mystery concoctions, that¡¯s when everything started going very wrong,¡± Rosaliy admitted. Athena stopped writing, and she stared at Rosaliy with judgmental gray eyes. ¡°I know,¡± Rosaliy muttered. She had lectured her share of Sorceress trainees on magic overload. ¡°The best I can do for you is order rest and chamomile oil,¡± Athena decided, tapping her silver pen on her notebook. ¡°A magical solution is bound to react poorly with the healing potion still at work in your system. You¡¯re young and resilient, and I imagine you¡¯re feeling quite ill.¡± That was an understatement. Athena blinked, looking around her. ¡°What are all of you doing here?¡± ¡°Matias was just leaving,¡± Rosaliy told him. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving unless he does,¡± Matias insisted haughtily. ¡°You¡¯re all leaving,¡± Athena reiterated firmly. ¡°Dmitri will make sure your recently habited rooms are made ready for you.¡± Instants after his name was mentioned, Dmitri appeared as if summoned. His ability to lurk and appear when needed was eerie. ¡°That was where I left them,¡± he grumbled, shooting them each a disapproving look. There was nothing worse to Dmitri than handled problems who insisted on continuing to be problematic. ¡°Then you know your way out,¡± said Athena pointedly. Even Matias knew better than to argue. ¡°Wait,¡± yelped Rosaliy. As much as she wanted Matias to go, she needed Drake to stay, but of course she was not going to say that in front of this audience. ¡°A¡ªAthena,¡± she recovered. ¡°Drake had an idea to bring back Queen Kat.¡± Athena turned her gaze on Drake. ¡°Let¡¯s not go that far,¡± he mumbled sheepishly. ¡°Sun-fueled magic,¡± Rosaliy said for him. ¡°Can Arlana bring them home in the morning?¡± Athena nodded approvingly. ¡°I had already made plans with her to return our Baysellian guests.¡± She nodded at Drake and Matias. ¡°I believe the star realm is within her power¡­perhaps with some assistance.¡± Athena and her far away look said she was already plotting. ¡°But I need Drake,¡± Rosaliy blurted out. ¡°To find the children,¡± she added hastily. ¡°Who are still missing.¡± Athena brushed this off. ¡°In the morning.¡± Chandra burst in with an armful of suspicious containers loaded on a tray. ¡°I have every home remedy the kitchen staff has ever heard of,¡± Chandra was saying. ¡°Surely one of these will work, poor dear.¡± Chandra patted Rosaliy on the cheek and deposited the tray on Rosaliy¡¯s table. ¡°Perhaps not all at once,¡± mused Athena, taking a vial of green ooze off the tray, examining it dubiously, and wrapping her hand around the glass tube. ¡°And perhaps I should examine these first. Is this one made with poison ivy extract?¡± Chandra answered with a one shoulder shrug. ¡°Silna claims toxins are needed to rid the body of toxins¡­or something.¡± Oh, horrors. Chandra grabbed a glass full of gloppy, gray liquid. ¡°Rock paste always cured what ailed me when I was a pipsqueak,¡± she insisted. ¡°Mixed it myself.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so sweet, Chandra,¡± Rosaliy mumbled. She doubted powdered rock had ever cured anyone. She would avoid the glass of liquid chalk. During Chandra¡¯s interlude, Dmitri had intimidated Drake and Matias out of the room with crossed arms and an icy glare. He made to follow them when Chandra physically intercepted him. ¡°By the way,¡± she said hurriedly once she had thrown herself in his path. ¡°Daniella¡¯s room is uninhabitable.¡± He grumbled something under his breath. ¡°Set something up on this hallway for now.¡± ¡°Me? But, I¡ª¡± She was silenced with a stony glare. ¡°I¡¯ll get right on that,¡± Chandra chirped on her way out. Rosaliy had not noticed Daniella reenter the room, but she was quietly occupying a corner. The woman¡¯s eyes focused in on Dmitri. ¡°Everyone who works in this palace answers to you, yes?¡± she said to him. ¡°I¡¯d like to believe so,¡± Dmitri grunted back. Knowing him, he was annoyed to find himself yet again motionless when everything had to be done. Rosaliy was sympathetic. ¡°May I speak with you?¡± Daniella asked. His dark eyebrows rose, turning his stony face into a stone that had been mildly surprised. ¡°You¡¯re asking permission?¡± ¡°It will be short-lived,¡± promised Rosaliy. ¡°Just enjoy it.¡± ¡°Not in here,¡± Athena decided, scooping them out of the room. ¡°For purely selfish reasons,¡± she insisted to Rosaliy, who looked like she might object. Athena squeezed Rosaliy¡¯s hand softly; her gray eyes warm for the first time. ¡°I need you to be well and rested for whatever is to come.¡± Rosaliy very much wanted to hear what Daniella was going to ask, and she even more wanted to talk to Drake to make sure he did not disappear before she could really talk to him. And she wanted to talk to Arlana about launching a new search for those kids. ¡°The island!¡± Rosaliy exclaimed, almost jumping out of bed again. ¡°There¡¯s an island sitting in the middle of the Glade. What happened to the divination stone?¡± ¡°Rosaliy,¡± Athena admonished her. ¡°Sleep or I will have you tied to your bed.¡± Since the last thing Rosaliy needed was guards set at her door to enforce rest, she decided to lie down to pacify the strained Sorceress. She would even close her eyes, she decided, listening for the click of her door as Athena left. Her magical senses were fuzzy and floating and fading in and out, but she could tell the Sorceress was waiting by the door, making sure she stayed inside. Rosaliy could use the rest anyway. Just a minute, though. She had too much to do to rest longer than that. Her traitorous body was asleep and dreaming about her long list of tasks to accomplish within seconds. Goodbyes, Part 1 Drake Drake was being swept along like ship wreckage being flung into shore. Truth be told, he felt a bit like ship wreckage. ¡°What?¡± he said absently, just realizing Cliff had been speaking for a good long while. ¡°Really? None of that?¡± Cliff answered. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen you this distracted.¡± Drake had no desire to respond. ¡°Just go find her and tell her goodbye instead of checking the hallway every three seconds,¡± said Jadelynn. That startled Drake into attention. He was staring at the hallway at the top of the stairs? Had he been doing that for long? Maybe he was just unconsciously checking for exits. He did that. Goodbyes were less his style. He forced himself to look away from the stairs and tune into Cliff¡¯s rambling. ¡°So what do you think about reaching out to Casaqui, seeing if the top merchants in the city would join the coalition?¡± ¡°If you put pressure on Erlos, the rest of them will fall in line,¡± Drake told him absently. Cliff¡¯s face contorted. ¡°By ¡®put pressure on,¡¯ do you mean ¡®have drinks and a friendly chat with,¡¯ because threats are exactly the opposite of what an above board coalition is supposed to stand for.¡± ¡°Sure, Cliff. That¡¯s exactly what I meant.¡± Matias thudded down into the room, unpleasantly surprising Drake because he was purposefully not eying the stairway like an eagle. ¡°Why are we up so early?¡± Matias said through a grumpy yawn. ¡°The sun has been up for an hour,¡± Jadelynn pointed out, sounding rather cranky herself. They were all tired. After being up half the night and going to bed knowing the entire castle was full of activity, none of them could have gotten much sleep. Through it all, Cliff was still his cheerful self. Somehow Quita had found him and decided his was the head to be on. ¡°It¡¯s amazing the Seer can just imagine us all the way back to Bayselle,¡± Cliff babbled while the monkey groomed his hair. ¡°In a blink, hundreds of furlongs away. They should consider taking that up as a career, the Flifary, now that they¡¯re on the mainland and all. Talk about trading possibilities¡ªcan you imagine being able to zip back and forth from Curi to Bayselle without crossing the desert at all? World changing. I should write this down.¡± He dug in his pockets for a little paperbound sketchbook where he wrote down all his best hair-brained ideas. The Seer in question appeared chatting with Sorceress Athena. Drake spotted them immediately because he was staring at the stairs again. Arlana had shed the signs of incarceration and was now adorned in feather-tipped scarves. Drake guessed the outfit was in response to the relatively cold Glade weather. Her fire-red braids were twisted in intricate patterns around her head, and she jingled softly when she walked from piles of bracelets around her wrists and ankles. Things on her island must have stabilized enough to allow her access to clothes. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll be a problem?¡± Drake could just hear Athena ask. Neither woman seemed to be in a hurry to dash down the massive stairs of the entry to the group waiting below. A searching look took over Arlana¡¯s face while she came to a halt on the stairs. ¡°How would I know?¡± ¡°We mortals have to base our impressions on past behavior, intuition, and likelihood,¡± Athena replied, some amusement in her voice. ¡°How terribly imprecise,¡± Arlana sighed. ¡°And how very limiting to judge a person only on what he¡¯s done up to the present and not upon the sum of his life¡¯s accomplishments.¡± ¡°Now that your divination stone is at the bottom of the Lansilia Ocean, you¡¯ll have to figure out how to muddle through like the rest of us, dear friend,¡± Athena reminded her. Arlana raised her hands in surrender. ¡°Zaphia will know how serious the unrest is. Funny, I never saw her as a leader. Some people seem to be shaped by their circumstances, while others are never molded by the events around them.¡± The ex-Seer lapsed into contemplation and resumed the walk down the stairs to join the group of Baysellians. ¡°Madame Seer,¡± Cliff jumped in, bowing awkwardly. ¡°I wonder if any of the Flifary would be interested in a business proposition.¡± ¡°Right now, they¡¯re interested in furs, coffee, and a new system of government,¡± she replied, drawing her feather-lined cloak closer around herself. ¡°Perhaps business will be on someone¡¯s mind next week.¡± ¡°Timing, yes.¡± Cliff nodded slowly and thoughtfully. ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Thank you for all your assistance.¡± Athena¡¯s eyes stopped on each of them in turn, landing on Drake. ¡°Especially yours.¡± His job had been to keep Rosaliy safe and to find the royal children, so he was unsure how much assistance he had rendered. If he expanded his responsibilities to include finding Daniella, he had accomplished that goal. One success of three was still rather abysmal. He bobbed his head to wordlessly accept the thanks anyway. Objection would just be seen as humility. ¡°Now Seavale,¡± Arlana pondered, drumming on her arm with her fingers. ¡°I believe I remember where the palace is.¡± ¡°Maybe you could shoot closer to town,¡± Matias suggested. ¡°Normally I¡¯d be mocking my brother for not wanting to walk, but I don¡¯t think the pirates are very happy with us right now,¡± Jadelynn agreed. ¡°Oh, this is post-pirate occupation,¡± Arlana said, cocking her head. ¡°Has the second pier been constructed yet?¡± ¡°Second pier?¡± Cliff echoed, eyes growing wide. ¡°In the future, Seavale is doing enough business for a second pier?¡± ¡°Or the original is horribly destroyed,¡± Drake pointed out. ¡°Yes, either of those futures is very likely,¡± Arlana agreed lightly. Cliff wanted to interrogate her, but her hands were already lifting. ¡°Wait,¡± called a voice. ¡°I need to go, too.¡± Drake¡¯s heart beat a little faster, probably from being taken by surprise. Rosaliy hurried down the stairs, pink-cheeked and out of breath, but put back together again. Every hair was back in place, kept in check by a fat blue ribbon. She was back in her calf-length skirts with large pockets, but she had traded jackets and cloaks for an airy blouse that implied she was expecting warm weather. ¡°Rosaliy,¡± Athena chided. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you well, but traveling is the last thing you need.¡± ¡°I feel infinitely better than yesterday,¡± Rosaliy promised with a sunny smile. It was such a careful truth, Drake had to fight the grin off his face. Since being able to stand was an improvement over yesterday, her assertion was not saying much. Athena was not convinced either. ¡°Regardless, Hale and your brother should be arriving any moment, and I need your help to¡ª¡± ¡°They¡¯ve already arrived,¡± Rosaliy interrupted. ¡°I¡¯ve greeted them and explained what they don¡¯t know, and I made sure Dmitri knew they were in already. They¡¯re being fed breakfast under duress.¡± ¡°And the retrieval,¡± Athena continued. ¡°To assist with Queen Katyrinna¡¯s return, we¡¯ll need a fresh supply of¡ª¡± ¡°Lalass root,¡± Rosaliy finished for her. ¡°Already shredded.¡± Athena crossed her arms. Before she could even utter the next word, Rosaliy told her, ¡°I have to go. I have very important unfinished business in Bayselle. It won¡¯t take long, I promise. Seer Arlana can bring me back as soon as you need me.¡± Athena sighed, still unhappy. ¡°You¡¯ll have need of a¡ª¡±Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Rosaliy withdrew a pouch from her large pocket by a handle protruding from one end. ¡°Mirror,¡± Athena finished anyway, eying the object. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not as if you need my permission to travel. If you have an important reason, I won¡¯t stop you.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s face broke into a smile. ¡°Thank you, Sorceress.¡± Drake wondered at her cryptic need to see Bayselle one last time. ¡°I didn¡¯t think Bayselle had made a good impression on you,¡± said Cliff, equally curious. ¡°No,¡± she laughed. ¡°No, it did not.¡± Her eyes flickered over to Matias; she accidentally caught his eye, and he smiled back rakishly. ¡°Seer Arlana, as close as you can get to Jadelynn¡¯s manor would be appreciated,¡± Rosaliy said. ¡°I¡¯m sure Jadelynn¡¯s mother is very worried about her.¡± Drake smothered a laugh. Matias was oblivious. A swirl of fog later, Arlana had placed them just outside the massive estate. Drake was familiar with this place, but no one could prove it, so he was smart enough to stay quiet. Rosaliy gave Jadelynn a firm hug. ¡°I am so proud of you,¡± Rosaliy told her. ¡°Thank you, and I¡¯ll see you soon.¡± Jadelynn tried to shrug off the praise, but her eyes were beaming. ¡°I have a lot to learn,¡± the girl said dismissively. ¡°At least I realize how much now. I¡¯ll be a model student when I come back.¡± ¡°I give that a day and a half,¡± Matias scoffed. He moved in closer to Rosaliy. Rosaliy, however, held up a hand to halt him. ¡°I don¡¯t have the time or energy to yell at you for whatever¡¯s about to come out of your mouth. Why don¡¯t you just save it for next time?¡± She turned on her heels and headed down the long, tree-lined walk, leaving him speechless in her wake. ¡°If your family is interested in pushing for open elections to the new trading council, consider coming to the coalition¡¯s next meeting,¡± Cliff urged Matias, clapping him on the arm. ¡°We could really use the support of leaders in the community!¡± ¡°Oh, Cliff,¡± Drake sighed, tugging him away. Rosaliy was waiting for them just out of sight, behind a lofty tuft of seagrass. ¡°For a moment, I was concerned he might follow you,¡± she breathed, relieved. She was in an equal hurry to drop off Cliff, who was chatty enough for all three of them. ¡°So, Casaqui?¡± Cliff asked Drake on the way. Drake arched his eyebrows. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t approve of my negotiation methods.¡± ¡°Well, I don¡¯t,¡± Cliff agreed. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be saying anything.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need me, Cliff,¡± Drake replied. Cliff was quiet for once. ¡°Where are you going to go?¡± he asked finally. Drake shook his head. He had been less lost in the middle of the chaos of the last week than he had been in a long while. Rosaliy seemed very interested in the answer to Cliff¡¯s question, but when Drake looked her way, she quickly averted her eyes, pretending to be focused on a distant fishing boat. Even though they were safely in view of the cliffside cottage of Cliff¡¯s patron, Rosaliy showed every intention of walking him straight to his door. So far, Rosaliy had given no indication of what was driving her urgent need to be here. Certainly everyone could have seen themselves safely off. Cliff heaved a full-body breath at the door. He turned and clapped Drake in a surprising bear hug. Quita¡ªstill on Cliff¡¯s shoulder¡ªpatted Drake on the head as well. ¡°Since you won¡¯t say goodbye, and I get the impression I won¡¯t see you in a long while, I¡¯ll say it for you. I¡¯ll miss having you around.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll be too busy to notice,¡± Drake scoffed instead of acknowledging the tiny lump at the back of his throat. ¡°Making a better tomorrow and all.¡± ¡°Making a better tomorrow,¡± Cliff murmured. ¡°I need to write that down.¡± He scrambled for his notebook. He was really going to write that down. Rosaliy shot Drake a glance sideways. ¡°I¡¯d never presume to tell you what to do¡­¡± she began. ¡°Unless a giant octopus is involved?¡± Drake mused. ¡°You make an excellent point,¡± she admitted. ¡°Since I do seem to have a habit of presuming to tell you what to do, don¡¯t you think now is the time to tell Cliff some things you may have been avoiding?¡± ¡°No,¡± he disagreed, feeling a smothering shot of panic. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like me at all.¡± ¡°Tell me what?¡± Cliff said, slipping the notebook back into his pocket after scrawling down his words of wisdom. ¡°Your father said he was proud of you, of the man you¡¯d become,¡± Drake blurted out. ¡°Before he died.¡± Cliff¡¯s face stared back at him, devoid of expression. He blinked. ¡°Really?¡± he said, stunned. ¡°That¡¯s really what he said?¡± His eyes narrowed. ¡°Are you making that up?¡± Drake was still stunned the words had come out of his mouth. And now Cliff was questioning them? ¡°Why would I make that up?¡± Drake countered. ¡°You¡¯re not surprised I was there?¡± ¡°Of course you were there,¡± Cliff said, annoyed. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid. So, wait, he talked to you?¡± ¡°It all happened so fast¡ªthe pirates and the Scorps converging right on top of the merchants¡¯ meeting. The pirates blasted in the wall of the meeting house, and people were swarming everywhere. Vincente was stabbed with a pirate blade, but I don¡¯t think he was a target. He must have been in between¡­¡± Drake trailed off and shuddered. ¡°The blow might have been meant for anyone.¡± It was as horrible as he thought it would be, explaining to another man how his father had died an unjust death. ¡°Why did you run?¡± asked Cliff, not sadly or angrily or with any other identifiable emotion. Drake shook his head. There was no way he could have faced Cliff. Nor could he be a part of the Scorps retaliation. He had been literally covered in blood¡ªZara¡¯s, Vincente¡¯s. ¡°All I could do was get out.¡± Cliff was finally having a reaction. ¡°Do you know how many times that man told me I was wasting my life and would never amount to anything?¡± he spat out angrily. ¡°And then he waits until he¡¯s dying to, what, take it back? Have a change of heart? To clear his own conscience?¡± Drake was still stuck in the messy turf war in his memory, and Cliff¡¯s words took time to sink in. ¡°You¡¯re mad at¡­your father? For being proud of you?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Cliff snapped. ¡°I¡¯m annoyed at you, too.¡± Without meaning to let go of the weight of this heavy incident, Drake felt the heaviness he had been carrying evaporate. ¡°At least you¡¯re standing in front of me, and I can be rightfully mad at you,¡± Cliff fumed, ¡°but Vincente thought he could erase years of heartache with a message he knew I might never receive.¡± Cliff¡¯s voice was rising and he was starting to gesticulate like he did during his inspiring speeches. Quita abandoned ship and launched herself to Rosaliy, peeking out from under her golden ponytail. ¡°But, he was a great man,¡± Drake said, half in defense of the dead man, half in bewildered confusion. ¡°Vincente was upstanding, as good as they come.¡± ¡°Moral inflexibility may or may not be good,¡± Cliff grumbled, ¡°but it does take its toll on bumbling children.¡± He huffed a sigh. ¡°Well, I¡¯m not going to let him get in my head. Hang on,¡± he said angrily. ¡°Wait here.¡± ¡°What is happening?¡± Drake murmured. ¡°You took up a burden that wasn¡¯t yours to bear, I think,¡± whispered Rosaliy. Drake shot her a pained look. She smiled and looked away. ¡°Family is complicated.¡± Cliff came out clutching a fat, engraved circle. He launched into a story. ¡°My past-past-Abuelina came to Bayselle from Curi.¡± Drake hoped this tale was going somewhere. Sometimes Cliff¡¯s illustrative stories veered hard left into murky symbolism and never returned. ¡°She started across the desert with her whole family and all their meager possessions, fleeing the Curi sleeping sickness plague. But they were set upon by robbers who took everything and killed everyone around her, leaving her for dead. As the robbers mounted their camels and left, she saw the glint of her father¡¯s watch as it fell from a sack of stolen goods and tumbled to the sand unseen.¡± ¡°Can you speed up this tale of woe, Cliff?¡± Drake asked. ¡°No,¡± he answered. ¡°She crawled all the way to the outskirts of Bayselle on hands and knees, a foreigner with nothing more than a watch to her name. She sold it for food and water, and she took jobs for shelter, climbing her way up from nothing. She apprenticed with an expert glass-maker, and he loved her like a daughter. When he died, she was left with his business. Soon she was hiring employees of her own.¡± ¡°How is the watch in your family if she sold it?¡± Drake interrupted, finally realizing what Cliff was clutching in his madly waving hand. ¡°She eventually married the son of the merchant who bought the watch.¡± In the same breath, Cliff said, ¡°You are missing the point! This watch has been passed down through generations. It represents making something of yourself from nothing, but the longer it stays in the family¡ªbeing passed down from father to son to daughter¡ªit also carries an ominous sense of legacy, of not being the screw-up to break the family line of greatness in adversity. This watch has been hanging over me my entire life, and I¡¯m done with it. I¡¯m passing the burden of greatness to you.¡± ¡°You¡¯re what?¡± Drake said, surprised to find himself suddenly in the story and with a watch thrust into his hands. ¡°I can¡¯t take¡ª¡± ¡°You will take it,¡± Cliff insisted, ¡°because you owe me. And you¡¯re going to repay your debt by being great, by living up to this spectacular story of rising from nothing that grows in magnitude every time it¡¯s told. It¡¯s a burden you need.¡± Cliff clapped a stunned Drake on the arm. ¡°And stop by for dinner next time you¡¯re in town,¡± he said cheerfully. Cliff scooped Rosaliy into a hug next. He whispered something in her ear that made her cheeks flush pink, but Drake was too stunned to hear what was exchanged. They were both left speechless with a door in their face. Neither Rosaliy nor Drake spoke as they made their way down the hill, back onto one of the main roads in town. Suddenly in no hurry, or perhaps just startled out of her hurry, Rosaliy glanced back at the house curiously. ¡°That was unexpected.¡± ¡°Which part?¡± he asked. A faint smile curled her lips. ¡°The whole Cliff experience, really, now that I think back.¡± Drake had not realized they had spent much time together, but Rosaliy and Cliff made a lot of sense. ¡°Did you two,¡± he started to ask before regretting starting to ask. ¡°Never mind.¡± ¡°Did we¡­¡± Rosaliy pressed, eyebrows tightening in confusion. ¡°You have a lot in common,¡± Drake said, now fully sorry he had begun this topic. Rosaliy¡¯s eyes widened as if he had caused her a shock of pain. ¡°I hope you¡¯re not implying I need as much looking after as he does. Most of the six-year-olds I know get into less trouble.¡± ¡°You¡¯re both good people,¡± he tried to clarify. ¡°Well, he means well,¡± agreed Rosaliy. ¡°I¡¯m sure he would love to see you again,¡± Drake said more directly. ¡°Oh,¡± Rosaliy exclaimed with a little intake of breath. ¡°Me? Oh, no,¡± she said, with a touch of horror in her voice. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s a wonderful friend,¡± she rushed forward, attempting to recover some politeness. ¡°He actually thinks¡­¡± She flushed pink again. ¡°But it was probably just Matias and his blather.¡± She waved the partial thoughts away with her hand. Drake was not going to pry into that mess. Instead he asked, ¡°Weren¡¯t you in a hurry?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right!¡± she exclaimed, as if she had just remembered. ¡°Would you come with me?¡± He needed to run as far and as fast as he could, but he had been of so little use to her thusfar, he could not deny her one last bit of assistance. ¡°Where to?¡± ¡°The big dock,¡± she said, evaluating the sky and pointing uncertainly north. ¡°This way?¡± She had her bearings correct, so he was not even any use with directions. Their trip to the main dock was swift and silent. She seemed as preoccupied as he was. Oddly, she led them straight to the Crocs headquarters. She gave a glance to their tiny warehouse and opted to head for the metal submarine instead, its outer hull glinting in the sunlight. Rosaliy stood on the dock and considered the hatch. Goodbyes, Part 2 Drake With growing wariness, Drake watched Rosaliy ponder the submarine. ¡°What do you need me to do?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, nothing,¡± Rosaliy said nonchalantly. ¡°Just stand there.¡± She looked over at him. ¡°But could you look more intimidating?¡± He stared back. ¡°Is that it?¡± she asked dubiously. ¡°Intimidation is something best not oversold.¡± ¡°If you say so.¡± She hopped onto the exposed top of the submarine and considered the hatch with her hands on her hips. She realized Quita was still attached to her back, and she reached her arms to her back to detach the monkey. A grin split his face while she struggled to remove Quita from her hair. ¡°Well, that¡¯s not intimidating at all,¡± she complained with a touch of real worry. ¡°Could you knock, please?¡± ¡°Only because you¡¯re not intimidated by anything,¡± he scoffed, landing on the submarine with a reverberating thud. He snatched a knife from his belt and knelt to bang the grip hard against the hatch three times. ¡°Excellent,¡± she praised. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Whatever your plan, this is not at all a good¡ª¡± ¡°Shh!¡± she shushed him and thrust Quita at him. ¡°Just go with me.¡± If anyone could get away with asking for blind trust, it would have been Rosaliy, but that kind of faith was not his default. The hatch flew open before he could object anyway. Quita bounced from his hands onto his shoulder and tried to burrow into his shirt. Carmell and Felipe¡¯s faces both scowled out from down below, and the point of a severely-sharpened harpoon greeted them along with Carmell snarling, ¡°Come to pay up?¡± Carmell launched herself out of the hatch so she was in better threatening position. To emphasize how threatening she was, she withdrew her knife, resting her knife-wielding arm casually against the rusty hatch sitting vertical to the hole where Felipe waited. Actually, this was Carmell, so she may have been unable to have a conversation without waving a knife around. Drake had never seen her try. Felipe still had his harpoon drawn for backup. Rosaliy pulled a jar out of one of the large pockets in her skirts. She wiggled it gently, and the contents sloshed. Rosaliy was delivering healing draught to the Crocs? ¡°I was sure you turned tail and ran,¡± said Carmell with what could be best described as a cackle. She reached for the jar Rosaliy held up before her, but before she was in range, Rosaliy jerked it sideways and smashed it against the side of the lifted hatch. Liquid dribbled down the metal. Horrified and filled with rage, Carmell took a step forward. Drake nearly reacted out of instinct, but Rosaliy was faster. ¡°Get out,¡± Rosaliy said, calm and inflexible. ¡°Get out of town. And don¡¯t you dare threaten anyone in Seavale ever again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t take orders from¡­whatever you are,¡± Carmell tried to bluster, but Rosaliy was already hopping back up to the dock. Rosaliy waited for Drake to follow, eyes locked on Carmell. As soon as Drake was back on the dock, Rosaliy stomped away. Carmell might have considered retaliation or some small attempt to save face, but furtive glances up and down the dock were stealing her way, and even she knew better than to attack Drake in broad daylight. As he walked away, he heard Carmell snap at Felipe. ¡°What are you doing down there?¡± ¡°Guarding the submarine,¡± he replied weakly. Drake choked back laughter as he caught up to Rosaliy. ¡°You might have warned me you were doing something that put you at risk of being stabbed in the face,¡± he said. She exhaled a shaky breath. ¡°Saying the plan out loud would have made me second-guess the plan,¡± she told him. ¡°That¡¯s the sign of a bad plan,¡± he pointed out. ¡°Is there any chance that worked?¡± Rosaliy asked, casting half a glance behind her. ¡°They have no way to pay off the pirates now,¡± said Drake, ¡°so they¡¯re getting run out of town one way or another.¡± ¡°As long as they don¡¯t go after Cliff or the Senira,¡± Rosaliy sniffed, eyes flashing. ¡°They¡¯d be fools,¡± Drake said, ¡°but they are fools, so¡­¡± ¡°Would it have worked on you?¡± she asked. While she was looking at him straight on with those earnest blue eyes of hers? He did feel the need to leave town as rapidly as possible, he supposed. But he answered, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be running me out of town in the first place.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± she teased. ¡°Why¡¯s that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t overstay my welcome,¡± he replied. She did not like his answer. He could tell by the way the edges of her eyes tightened, a barely visible twinge of displeasure. Her rapid egress had taken her down the beach and back onto a busy thoroughfare. Carts and swiftly moving people weaving in and out of traffic to their destinations slowed her pace until she stepped off the main road and stopped. Rosaliy seemed like she was searching for words. Drake had the feeling she was done with her urgent business and now was going to attempt an awkward goodbye. There was no avoiding it. ¡°How did you put up with it?¡± she asked instead. ¡°It? The Crocs?¡± he asked, genuinely confused by her question. ¡°Not just them,¡± she tried to explain. ¡°All of it. Every day, dealing with living in the middle of all the posturing and threats and uncertainty.¡± He was sure he could not handle a moment more of thinking today. She must have seen the hesitance in his face. ¡°You have to humor me,¡± she insisted. ¡°Even if you refuse to answer all the questions I missed, I have two for today, and it might be my last chance to ask them.¡± So he answered her, startling himself with his honesty. ¡°By thinking about it as little as possible, and pretending I didn¡¯t have any choices.¡± Rosaliy fell silent. She should have been contacting Athena, but she seemed like she had something to say. Or do, maybe. Drake was anxious to leave, not because he wanted to leave or had someplace to go, but because swallowing the idea of leaving was growing progressively more difficult. ¡°Something else on your agenda?¡± he asked to break the tension. ¡°Yes,¡± she said definitively. ¡°Before I lose the nerve.¡± But she made no move to leave. Drake scanned at the increasingly busy dock. A few fishing boats had returned to dump their early morning hauls. Crabs and lemon snapper tumbled onto the dock while busy workers scrambled to pack them in boxes and haul them away to the fish markets around town. ¡°Maybe not right here,¡± she admitted, seeming to take stock of her surroundings for the first time. She nodded at his shoulder. ¡°How about we deliver Quita back to the Senira? I¡¯m sure the little monkey has had enough excitement for a lifetime.¡± The task was such an afterthought when she had seemed in such a rush before. ¡°I can find my own way,¡± he pointed out. ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep you from what you need to do.¡± Besides, aimless beach walks and philosophical questions were the opposite of what he needed to do. A smile flickered across Rosaliy¡¯s previously serious, far-away face. ¡°No, see, you¡¯re the agenda. I need to talk to you.¡±The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. He should have run when he had the chance. ¡°What else do you want to know?¡± he asked warily. ¡°Everything,¡± she admitted, ¡°but it¡¯s more about what I need to say.¡± He owed her some sense of closure, so as much as he was tempted to bolt right then, he forced himself to follow her onto the beach away from the morning scramble and into the shade of the rotting dock. ¡°I¡ªI¡¯m going to miss you,¡± she faltered. No, this was getting worse and worse. She was the last person he wanted to cause any pain. Doing so through his absence hardly even seemed his fault. ¡°This whole time, I¡¯m not sure I managed to say¡­¡± she trailed off. ¡°And it just seems like it¡¯s important you should know¡­¡± She blinked at him hopefully, like she was testing his understanding, but she had not said anything to be understood, so she got a blank stare. ¡°You obviously wouldn¡¯t want¡­ I mean, after last week, you probably want to get as far away from me as you can.¡± An annoyed look etched itself across her face. She kicked at the sand. ¡°No, I was supposed to stay focused, not talk myself out of¡­ I¡¯m sorry. Let me start over.¡± She took a deep breath and focused her eyes on his. ¡°I think you¡¯re incredible,¡± she said in a rush, ¡°and you deserve to know that. If things were different, I¡¯d stay here in a heartbeat, but I can¡¯t, and I¡¯m sure you need a nice long break from me after all that.¡± She smiled a hollow little smile. ¡°But if you wanted me to visit, someday, I¡¯d love to see you again.¡± Oh, no. She thought she was in love with him. How? When? Most obviously, why? Rosaliy should have had better sense. She had seen through Matias, and Drake was a hundred times worse. How did he ruin people¡¯s lives without even trying? He opened his mouth to say she would come to her senses with distance¡ªso much distance¡ªbut her pocket glowed. She reached in and grasped the handle of her mirror, but hesitated, lips pursed and eyes troubled. ¡°I don¡¯t expect you to feel the same way or answer at all, but I needed to say¡­something, so I wouldn¡¯t always wonder. I hope you still consider me a friend either way.¡± He managed to nod his head. He might be getting an out. Maybe he could get out of here without saying anything. She could go on assuming whatever she needed to assume to give up on this ridiculous idea of him. She picked up the mirror. ¡°Greetings, Sorceress,¡± she said with another attempt at a smile that went nowhere. Drake heard Athena¡¯s smooth voice in reply. ¡°Rosaliy, I hope everyone has been safely delivered.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Rosaliy answered, clearing her throat. ¡°Safely delivered.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid Dmitri needed to talk to Drake. He was waylaid by Pit¡­happenings this morning. If you could find the Baysellian and contact me right away, please, I¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re together now.¡± Rosaliy winced. ¡°I mean, Drake is right here.¡± ¡°Excellent,¡± Athena answered. ¡°Warn him he¡¯s about to be standing¡ª¡± Luckily he heard the warning directly from the mirror because by the time Athena said, ¡°back in Crystal Palace,¡± he was already in a clearing occupied by Athena, Arlana, and Dmitri. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rosaliy asked immediately. ¡°Nothing new,¡± answered Athena calmly. ¡°Dmitri has a question for Drake, and we have need of you for timing the retrieval correctly.¡± ¡°Now?¡± said Rosaliy, mouth agape. ¡°Now,¡± Arlana agreed. ¡°We would be done already if someone hadn¡¯t broken all the sun globes on Flifary Island.¡± That sounded suspiciously like something that was Drake¡¯s fault. ¡°Can¡¯t we use the Naxturaen solar beads?¡± Rosaliy suggested. ¡°We could, if anyone knew where they were,¡± Athena said pointedly. Rosaliy promised to take Arlana to them right away, but she glanced back with worried eyes. Drake was feeling worried himself. What had he done? ¡°Oh, and Dmitri,¡± said Athena before she moved to follow, ¡°could you¡­¡± ¡°Finished this morning,¡± he said irritably. The Sorceress brightened. ¡°Fabulous.¡± Then she followed the other women to the palace with haste, and Drake was left standing next to a large man with a judgmental stare. ¡°Has something gone wrong?¡± Drake asked carefully. He did not want to give the impression he knew too much. That was easy, because he was clueless right now. ¡°The royal children were kidnapped and the entire palace put to sleep right under my nose,¡± Dmitri growled back. ¡°That¡¯s what¡¯s gone wrong.¡± Was Drake being blamed for those things or was this leading somewhere? Drake decided to wait and see. Dmitri seemed the type to get to the point right away. And then, in the middle of a terrifying stare, the words that came out of Dmitri¡¯s mouth were, ¡°You¡¯ve been recommended as someone who might be able to keep an eye on the children, assuming they¡¯re returned and in one piece.¡± ¡°What?¡± Drake stammered. Normally he could temper his reactions, but surely the whole world had gone crazy around him. Was Dmitri joking? Did this man ever joke? Dmitri¡¯s eyes said no to both. ¡°But, surely you¡­ There must be another¡­ Me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not an offer out of the kindness of my heart,¡± Dmitri muttered. ¡°You¡¯re in the unique position to understand how hard looking out for those children will be.¡± ¡°Wait,¡± Drake said, scrambling to comprehend. ¡°You said recommended?¡± But Rosaliy had been as surprised as he was, and he did not know anyone else. ¡°Who would have recommended me?¡± ¡°Your strongest supporter is in no position to make staffing requests, but you have more than a few people who think highly of you.¡± A few? Honestly, Dmitri must have Drake confused with an entirely different person. Drake swallowed. ¡°I¡¯m a criminal,¡± he admitted all at once so the words would come out. Dmitri did not flinch. ¡°Good. You might stand a chance of keeping up with Tansy.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not serious? Are you serious?¡± Dmitri¡¯s thick, gray eyebrows angled up. ¡°If we¡¯ve reached the point in negotiations where you¡¯re asking me if I¡¯m serious, you need time on your own to consider. Don¡¯t engage in any criminal behavior while in the Glade. I don¡¯t have the time. Katyrinna and Alexander will have more details for you on expectations and daily routine and such.¡± Dmitri stalked to the palace and up the stairs, leaving Drake alone in the streaming sunlight. His eyes followed Dmitri¡¯s exit to the palace until the massive wooden doors swallowed him up. Drake had no reason to follow the man inside. Rosaliy emerged soon after, carrying a pair of bags slung over her shoulder. She appeared to be heading around the back of the palace. He felt an equally strong compulsion to go talk to her as to avoid her. Since those compulsions were in conflict, his feet did not move, and she disappeared around the corner. The line of birch trees rustled and caught his eye. Drake had never been fond of trees; all those branches moving on their own were constantly sending him on alert looking for arms and legs that were really made of bark and wood. In this case, however, the motion did reveal a person standing in the shade. Drake had a nagging suspicion. He made his way to Daniella and stood next to her. She had chosen a good vantage point on the activity on the side of the palace. They both watched Rosaliy place stones in an intricate pattern on a flat stretch of close-cropped grass. Quita launched herself from Drake¡¯s shoulder to explore the birch trees. ¡°Does that monkey still have a summoning stone inside its body?¡± Daniella asked, breaking the silence. He really did not care. Granpulpo would have been a welcome distraction. With a healthy dose of accusation in his tone, he asked, ¡°You suggested that I stay here? To look after children?¡± ¡°I did suggest that,¡± she mused. ¡°Luckily, you had more credible supporters. I think Dmitri suspected my motives.¡± Drake suspected her motives. ¡°Who would have had anything nice to say about me?¡± he snapped. ¡°The Naxturae you freed from imprisonment,¡± Daniella answered calmly. ¡°One of whom is the children¡¯s grandfather. They said you were quick-thinking and resourceful. The Flifary Seer and her obnoxious assistant said you helped others at great personal risk to yourself. Rosaliy¡¯s brother was adamant about your alarming underworld connections and proclivity for getting tossed into prison.¡± See, that sounded more like what he had expected. ¡°But Dmitri merely saw the advantage in having a criminal mindset in order to thwart criminals. Even the brother begrudgingly admitted you seemed to be quite loyal.¡± ¡°But why you?¡± he asked. She had an automatic answer, like she had prepared for this conversation. ¡°You don¡¯t trust anyone, and these children do seem to be in constant danger. It¡¯s a logical connection.¡± ¡°No,¡± he argued, disbelieving. ¡°You love those children. There¡¯s something else.¡± She did not reply. Arlana and Athena had appeared down below, directing Rosaliy to move all her rocks to different places and then back again. ¡°I kidnapped you,¡± he pointed out. She smiled, a little flicker across her face, still smooth from a lifetime of subdued emotion. ¡°You did. And I took them. This all started with me.¡± It all started with Iketa, Dalor, and Ocery and their ridiculous quest for supremacy, but Drake understood Daniella¡¯s reasoning all the same. She looked over at him, her ice blue eyes nearly making him shiver. ¡°You would have been harder to fool,¡± she said. ¡°I would not have been able to take the children under your watch.¡± He was speechless. He felt the magnitude of the odd compliment. ¡°Do you realize,¡± she said carefully, staring forward, ¡°you¡¯re the only person here I know.¡± ¡°You are very good at manipulating people,¡± Drake said with equal amounts of compliment and accusation. ¡°It¡¯s not hard to understand how you were such a powerful queen.¡± She shrugged. ¡°I have an uphill battle to convince you to stay. I imagine you¡¯re hard at work trying to deny your feelings, so I thought you might be susceptible to mine.¡± ¡°No,¡± he disagreed sulkily. ¡°My feelings aren¡¯t the problem. You¡¯re very convincing, though.¡± Issabeth had appeared down below with the pearl. There seemed to be a good deal of gesturing and arguing over what was coming next. Horses had appeared, and Dmitri, and even Zaphia. Cade and Hale had come to stand just out of the way. ¡°I don¡¯t belong here,¡± said Drake, surprising himself when the words came out of his mouth instead of staying in his head. Daniella did not disagree. In fact, she nodded. He realized he had spoken for both of them. He wanted to tell her it was ridiculous for her to assume she did not belong. This was her family after all. But he very much understood why she felt like an outsider, and his argument would have been hollow. ¡°Don¡¯t run,¡± Daniella said out of nowhere. ¡°Is that an order?¡± he mumbled. ¡°No,¡± she answered quickly. ¡°I think it¡¯s advice, but since you¡¯d have to be mentally unstable to take advice from me, consider it a personal request.¡± ¡°Well, as soon as Queen Katyrinna and Alexander return, my decision makes itself,¡± he scoffed. ¡°I¡¯ve never met a parent who liked me.¡± She flicked her eyes sideways, evaluating his words in the measured, analytical way she took in everything around her. ¡°They chose you, didn¡¯t they?¡± Her eyes flicked back to the scene down below. With a brilliant flash, Katyrinna and Alexander were standing in the middle of the glowing stones, Katyrinna clutching a bundle with a shock of curly blue hair. If there was ever a time to escape, now was it, but Drake felt Daniella tense next to him. She made no move to join the joyous crowd greeting the Queen and her curiously-hued baby. ¡°Are you nervous?¡± Drake asked. She sniffed, disapproving of his word choice. ¡°I¡¯m uncomfortable with the unexpected,¡± she disagreed. ¡°I¡¯ve hurt these people deeply, yet I¡¯m dependent on them.¡± She sounded annoyed with herself. ¡°As soon as their children are safe and sound, you¡¯ll be welcomed back. Besides, you have no memory of your past. They won¡¯t be cruel enough to hold against you what you can¡¯t even remember doing.¡± She nodded slowly. ¡°Yes, I imagine I was counting on both of those things.¡± She sighed. ¡°I was hoping for something definitive upon their return¡ªa memory, a message, the children returning in a fire-drawn chariot streaking across the sky.¡± She scanned the sky, which was absent of fire-drawn chariots or children tumbling to the ground through any means. Drake felt Cliff¡¯s watch, heavy in his pocket. He was going to regret his words, but he said them anyway. ¡°I¡¯ll help you bring them home.¡± Return Rosaliy¡¯s fingers were busy, but moving solar beads into different configurations based on the casual arguing of the magical experts around her did not take up much of her thoughts. She was mentally free to fret over her mess of an explanation earlier and wonder why Dmitri wanted to talk to Drake. Arlana tossed her fire-red head in annoyance at the rock design on the ground in front of her. ¡°No, back where they were before. You¡¯re right, Athena. The arc is all wrong.¡± Rosaliy picked up the smooth, glowing beads for the fifth time. Until Drake was set to leave, Rosaliy had not realized¡­whatever she had realized. With all they had been through, having him suddenly disappear from her life was going to be a tough blow. Since he was obviously going to disappear anyway, at least she needed to tell him how she felt. It would help if she knew how she felt. Something about being busy trying to stay alive had caused this other spine-tingling feeling to stay hidden in the background. Absently, she measured off steps to find the mid-point of her newly created arc. She wanted so badly to have Katyrinna¡¯s children next to her, bouncing with the excitement of their parents¡¯ return, ready to throw themselves into their parents¡¯ arms and pelt them with stories of their adventures. Everything she had done was half finished. Somehow, even though everyone was safe, Rosaliy felt like she had let everyone down. She plunked down a glistening stone. It was not that she needed to be the hero, after all. That would be selfish. Although maybe she had wanted something for herself, some small piece of notoriety. What did she want? She did not need Drake to love her, but she needed him to understand how special he was to her. She did not need to be the one to rescue the children, but she needed them to be safe. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t this be a circle?¡± asked Issabeth, poking critically at the glass stones with her feet. ¡°Not while the sun is rising,¡± Athena disagreed. ¡°Although we may need the power of the sun directly overhead.¡± Oh, no. Now they were going to have the timing discussion again. ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, you can always try again when the sun is overhead,¡± Rosaliy pointed out. She would appreciate the quiet time alone shredding more roots, anyway. ¡°I¡¯m sure this will work,¡± Zaphia exclaimed, bounding up. ¡°Hey, Drake is back!¡± She waved emphatically toward the birch trees. There he was, lurking with Daniella. Drake was less enthusiastic to be noticed. ¡°Did he decide if he was staying or not?¡± Rosaliy snapped out of her stewing. ¡°What?¡± Zaphia jumped, startled by Rosaliy¡¯s sharp tone. ¡°Was that a secret? I kind of did just overhear people talking, and maybe I shouldn¡¯t¡ª¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to snap,¡± Rosaliy apologized. ¡°I hadn¡¯t heard.¡± Zaphia brightened, happy to know things. ¡°Well, the big scary guard who tells everybody what to do keeps telling everybody to stop gossiping about him because it¡¯s not for sure he¡¯s even staying, so of course that¡¯s all anybody is talking about. I love this place.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s heart did a little somersault. It was a happy flip and a nervous one at the same time, so it sort of thudded down into her stomach mid-flip. Drake might be saying. She would have to find him and tell him to forget everything she had said before. She had barely said anything anyway. ¡°Rose, hold this,¡± said Athena, planting a crumbling spell book in her arms. Those gray eyes scanned her critically. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re well enough to be up and about?¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t miss this either way,¡± Rosaliy replied. She needed to be doing something useful. Arlana placed a soft hand on Rosaliy¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Much has been asked from you, young one. Iketa and the rebels were foolish to have overlooked you.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t really do much,¡± Rosaliy replied. ¡°I hear that a lot,¡± Arlana mused. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll humor me for a moment. What might have happened if you had done nothing? Or if you had not been here at all.¡± ¡°Anyone could have helped in my place,¡± Rosaliy argued. ¡°I¡¯m no more important than Daniella or Issabeth or Jadelynn or Zaphia or Drake.¡± ¡°Do you need to be more important?¡± Rosaliy¡¯s cheeks flushed pink. ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just saying I¡¯m not an influencer, or whatever Iketa and Dalor called it.¡± ¡°Sometimes greatness is quiet,¡± said Arlana. ¡°A comforting smile before a rousing speech. A blanket in the bitter cold. Would another smile have brought confidence? Would another blanket have provided warmth? Perhaps. But the odds of two of those things being at the right time and place are staggeringly small. Would Daniella have depended on anyone but you? Would Issabeth have listened to another person? Would anyone else have sought out Jadelynn? Would Zaphia have trusted another so readily? Would Drake have followed anyone but you?¡± Arlana paused while Rosaliy wondered if she had done any of that in the midst of stumbling around making a mess of things. ¡°We¡¯re ready,¡± Athena announced. Arlana leaned forward to kiss Rosaliy on the cheek, lingering to whisper, ¡°Iketa, Dalor, and Ocery saw the lines of the future without seeing. Influencers may guide the future with dramatic spikes and sharp turns, but those lines need anchors, people on whom the future is built. I liked to call those lines heartbeats. Even in my line of work, a heartbeat is rarely noticed until it stops.¡±Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings. Arlana¡¯s words were so beautiful, Rosaliy would not have objected even if she had enough time to do so, but she was not entirely sure she believed them. Regardless, Arlana had already turned to Athena and nodded. Issabeth drew out the pearl, Arlana raised her hands, the stones glittered, and before Rosaliy could marvel over the symphony of such powerful magic working in harmony, Queen Kat and Alexander were standing at the base of the arc of stones. Their arrival was so sudden, the entire assembly held its breath, as if afraid the couple might vanish as suddenly as they had appeared. Issabeth recovered first, rushing forward to clasp her brother and her friend. She was more careful than she might have been under normal circumstances, because Kat carried a wrapped bundle in her arms. Wispy periwinkle curls peeked from the top of the bundle. Kat was as beautiful as ever, but she was tense with anxiousness. A cry escaped her lips at the surprise of finding herself back on solid ground. Alexander registered the change through bleary eyes with less surprise. ¡°By the fire burst, brother,¡± Issabeth exclaimed. ¡°You made a person with blue hair.¡± ¡°Welcome back,¡± he teased. ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you alive, too.¡± ¡°Yes, yes,¡± she dismissed. ¡°We¡¯re always glad to see me alive. Explain the baby.¡± ¡°It¡¯s her resting contentment color,¡± he explained. ¡°Orange is the one you have to watch out for.¡± ¡°Amazing,¡± Issabeth murmured, trying to take a closer peek at the snuggled infant. ¡°Have you named her?¡± ¡°Not officially,¡± he answered. ¡°Nothing seems to stick, and she was supposed to be a boy.¡± ¡°Oh, the sun,¡± Kat breathed, closing her eyes and lifting her face. ¡°I missed the sun.¡± ¡°I missed food,¡± Alexander grumbled. ¡°Women made of light have lost all touch with food.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t get me started on them,¡± Kat said through gritted teeth. The rest of the paralyzed crowd finally ventured forward¡ªAthena and Hale, Arlana and Zaphia, Naxturaen horses and Dmitri. Even Cade could not resist the draw of the homecoming. Obviously, the whole crowd did not approach. Drake and Daniella were still lurking by the trees. ¡°Where are they?¡± Kat asked Athena. ¡°Where are Lillya and the twins?¡± ¡°They¡¯re not here,¡± Athena admitted. ¡°We¡¯re sure they¡¯re safe,¡± Rosaliy added on hastily. ¡°Ask her,¡± Issabeth said darkly, head nodding toward the birch trees. Kat inhaled a breath upon seeing Daniella, and she scampered off before anyone could tell her more. Even the chilly Daniella looked uneasy to see the new mother hurrying toward her. ¡°You¡¯re safe,¡± Kat exclaimed. ¡°You¡¯ve returned.¡± She stood on tip-toe to gather Daniella into a one-armed hug, complete with a baby whose hair shimmered with strands of gold before settling back to light blue. Kat even kissed Daniella on the cheek. Rosaliy would have expected Daniella to burst into flames upon such a greeting, but her face merely softened to vague surprise. ¡°Why do you worry so?¡± Kat asked her. ¡°I don¡¯t know where the children are,¡± Daniella admitted quietly. Rosaliy had barely come close enough to hear her. She tried to shoot Drake a curious look to find out what Dmitri had said, but he was avoiding her eyes, so she gave up. Anguish twisted Kat¡¯s face. ¡°They did not leave the Glade with you?¡± Daniella fumbled for an explanation. Rosaliy could appreciate the oddness of the situation for her. What words could Daniella choose to pacify this person she had never met? ¡°They did,¡± Rosaliy chimed in, to allay Kat¡¯s fears more than to help the floundering Daniella. ¡°She took them to Kianne. Lillya left a note saying she¡¯d see you soon.¡± ¡°But if you took them to Kianne,¡± Kat pressed Daniella, her pale face frantic, ¡°why don¡¯t you know where they are now?¡± ¡°I erased my memory,¡± Daniella told her. Alexander exhaled a sharp, annoyed breath. The sun was accentuating purple rings around his eyes. ¡°That¡¯s convenient.¡± Kat¡¯s eyes widened. ¡°You don¡¯t remember anything?¡± Daniella shook her head a tiny bit. ¡°I will,¡± she promised quickly. ¡°I¡¯m certain.¡± Rosaliy was sure Daniella was lying, but she was not going to argue the permanence of Daniella¡¯s memory condition right now. ¡°We have a few other pressing concerns to discuss,¡± suggested Athena carefully. ¡°Could we do that over food?¡± grumbled Alexander. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s get all of you inside,¡± Athena agreed. Kat did not look happy about this. The baby was still sleeping, her head coated in wispy pale yellow curls. Alexander noticed Rosaliy¡¯s stare. ¡°It¡¯s warmer and brighter here,¡± he told her, pointing at the sun overhead. ¡°Or she¡¯s dreaming about ducklings. Who¡¯s to say?¡± ¡°Seer Arlana!¡± Kat had just noticed her among the throng of people who were trailing her. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± ¡°My island is just over the hill,¡± she answered. ¡°What?¡± Alexander exclaimed. ¡°I was going to break the news a bit more gently,¡± Athena chided, trying to nudge Kat and Alexander in the direction of the palace steps. That opened a firestorm. The world had been turned upside down in the span of a week, and every revelation just led to half a dozen more. The meal soon after was somewhat painful. Kat wanted to be on the move searching for her children, not trying to understand Athena¡¯s explanations of why she had prisoners in her underground dungeon of sorts and an entire country outside. Every time Alexander¡¯s eyes drooped, he looked like he might fall asleep face first on the table. Daniella was a pitiable combination of uncomfortable and nervous, made worse by Hale who kept trying to unsuccessfully uncover what she had done to him and why. Drake similarly had little to say, and Rosaliy could tell he was avoiding her, which was almost impressive around the same table. Her brother Cade could not have been more obvious about the critical way he stared down Drake. Arlana and Zaphia might have helped balance the combined awkwardness, but they were too busy meeting with the Flifary to establish ground rules for a grounded island. Similarly, Talyrin and Kaylix had nuzzled the baby approvingly outside in their horse forms, but they could do little else until they could transform back into men at sunset. Cedric had stayed for the impromptu banquet, and the fact that he and Issabeth were the only two comfortably chatting was a clear indication all was not well. ¡°Are there any other surprises?¡± Kat asked finally. The baby¡¯s hair was starting to turn green, and turquoise spots were creeping across her entire face, but neither Kat or Alexander seemed concerned. Rosaliy would have loved to meet the interesting infant under better circumstances. As it was, Kat was not going to relinquish the baby to anyone. ¡°Yes,¡± remembered Issabeth. ¡°I may have released Shrilynda, and she may be on a crazy rampage right now.¡± Kat stood. ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± she announced. ¡°I¡¯m going to change. I need to be searching. Hale, if you could find Dmitri to get things ready, please. Surely, Issabeth and Arlana can handle this island problem. Athena and Daniella and Rosaliy, I need you to give me a place to go.¡± She bustled off with a baby whose hair was growing brighter green by the moment. Many pointed stares were tossed Alexander¡¯s way. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can,¡± he grumbled, head in hand, ¡°but it isn¡¯t as if you¡¯re coming up with any reasonable alternatives to blind searching.¡± ¡°Try to give us until tomorrow,¡± Athena sighed. ¡°I have gotten the seeing pool up and working, so we can at least blindly search from the palace.¡± ¡°It¡¯s a start,¡± he said, pushing himself to a standing position. Poor thing looked like he needed rest more than Katyrinna. Considering how big a magical drain Naxturaen girls could be, he very well might. Daniella stood. ¡°There will be clues,¡± she said dully. ¡°I¡¯ll find them.¡± Alexander narrowed his eyes at her. ¡°If you left yourself any clues,¡± he said scathingly, ¡°now is the time to put them together.¡± Revelations Rosaliy Rosaliy watched everyone scatter with new purpose. Since he had been given no task, Drake had to choose his own direction. Rosaliy decided now was the only time she might have to talk to him alone. However, her brother Cade had the same idea, and he was faster. Rosaliy hung back, just around the corner from where Cade had intercepted Drake. ¡°You have nothing to worry about,¡± Drake was saying bitterly. ¡°I have no intention of staying.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Cade¡¯s voice was surprised. Rosaliy¡¯s heart sank. They were both quiet. Rosaliy wanted so badly to peek around the corner to see if they had walked on, but Cade finally spoke again. ¡°I expected to have an argument about breaking her heart and all that.¡± ¡°No need,¡± Drake answered in a clipped tone. That had killed the conversation again. Or maybe somebody had stomped off. Rosaliy was annoyed they were having this conversation at all. She should be having this conversation. She very nearly jumped in to interrupt them, but she did not. ¡°You really are in love with her,¡± Cade said after the pause. That was a confusing and alarming leap. She could have strangled her brother. ¡°Best not walk around announcing it,¡± Drake groused. ¡°Or she¡¯ll never let me leave.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand you at all,¡± said Cade incredulously. ¡°I don¡¯t understand me either,¡± Drake admitted. That was neither confirmation or denial. What did it mean? ¡°Are you finished?¡± Drake asked. ¡°No,¡± said Cade. ¡°Yes. Maybe? I¡¯m feeling kind of sorry for you. You probably should stay.¡± ¡°You¡¯re very convincing,¡± said Drake in a deadpan. ¡°I¡¯ll take it under advisement.¡± ¡°Really, though, Rose cares about you.¡± Yes, she was really going to strangle her brother. Possibly both of them the way this conversation was going. ¡°She cares about everyone,¡± Drake snapped. ¡°It¡¯s different with you,¡± Cade said. Rosaliy could feel her cheeks flush. She hadn¡¯t even known; how did he? That one seemed to stump Drake. ¡°Is that everything?¡± he finally asked. ¡°For now,¡± Cade said, trying to get the last word. ¡°Oh, and when you do see Rose, King Hale wanted to speak to her as soon as she had a minute. He has¡­well, he¡¯ll tell her. It doesn¡¯t seem like much of anything, truth be told.¡± Footsteps resumed on the marble passage. Rosaliy ducked behind a column as Cade hurried past. She was going to have words with him about meddling, but not right now. Drake was headed to his new best friend Daniella¡¯s former room. He was just a few turns away, and she could take a shortcut through the room across from her. She waffled over catching up to him or not. What was she going to say? She had no idea. But she knew she had no other opportunity to say it, so she had to say something. She flew in one side of the storage room and out the other, unkindly intercepting Drake just as he was rounding the corner. She managed to startle him, probably because he was preoccupied and had every intention of sneaking off without speaking to her. ¡°Congratulations,¡± she said in a rush. ¡°Assuming you decide to stay.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve heard?¡± His blank-eyed, frozen deer expression told her he had definitely intended to sneak off without speaking to her. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to the speed news travels in this place.¡± She forced herself to smile normally, like she had not just overheard an awkward conversation. ¡°You don¡¯t actually think me staying is a good idea?¡± he asked dryly. She was annoyed at his tone, like he was expecting her to admit something they both knew. ¡°I don¡¯t have any idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she said. Honestly, what was going on in his head? ¡°Of course it¡¯s a good idea.¡± His eyebrows rose. Had she scared him that badly? Well, if she was the obstacle to him staying, she needed to remove that obstacle. She pursed her lips and her eyes drifted away. ¡°You can just pretend like none of Bayselle happened.¡± She waved her hand. ¡°Forget I said anything. I never thought you¡¯d¡ª¡± She cut herself off. ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I¡¯ll be fine. Things will just go back to normal.¡± She forced that smile again and locked her eyes on his sun-browned nose. She could not quite look him in the eyes. ¡°You¡¯re all crazy,¡± he said quietly. ¡°All of you. I don¡¯t know what good you think could possibly come from me being here.¡± ¡°Look,¡± she countered, frustrated. ¡°You need to be here¡ªfor yourself as much as for anyone else¡ªand you don¡¯t have to worry about me throwing myself at you all the time. We got along just fine for days. Will it really be so horrible to occasionally cross paths with me?¡± She was probably proving the exact opposite of being fine, considering how hurt she was. Maybe having him around would be harder for her than she thought it would be. She squeezed her eyes shut. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. She took a breath. ¡°I¡¯m being the opposite of normal. We¡¯re friends, no matter what happens or how you feel. Please don¡¯t stay away because of me.¡± And then he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. This reaction was so opposite of what she was expecting, she hardly realized what was happening until he was talking. ¡°You¡¯re not the problem,¡± he sighed. ¡°I¡¯m absolutely stupid enough to walk away from you, but I¡¯m not cruel enough to let you believe it¡¯s your fault.¡± She had gone slack-jawed. She tried to make some sort of sound, but she was going to need to breathe to be able to produce sounds. ¡°What?¡± she managed to say. ¡°What?¡± He was standing much too close for someone who had no interest in her. Had he just kissed her, or had she imagined that? ¡°He¡¯s in love with you, but you¡¯re not allowed to return the affection because he thinks he¡¯s beneath love and happiness. Mystery solved.¡± There was Daniella in the hallway, looking downright frazzled, at least by her standards. ¡°I need you to use magic,¡± she continued, matter-of-factly. ¡°I need you to pull out my memories, undo the spells I cast.¡± Rosaliy was still reeling, and now she choked out a laugh. ¡°Edict or no, there is no way I can counteract your magic. More importantly¡ª¡± She looked wildly to Drake. ¡°What?¡± He stepped back. ¡°Maybe I can just go and let you two¡ª¡± ¡°You¡¯ll stay right here,¡± Daniella snapped without taking her eyes from Rosaliy. ¡°There must be something.¡± Drake was not talking, so Rosaliy tried to shift her focus. ¡°Where is this coming from?¡± ¡°Nothing is happening,¡± Daniella replied. ¡°Nothing has come back. Nothing has presented itself.¡± She was worried. Daniella. Rosaliy felt a prickle of sadistic joy at her plight, but she could not indulge the feeling, partly because she was not a horrible monster, but mostly because she and Daniella had the same goal. The adrenaline of her madly beating heart was not helping her keep a clear head. ¡°But you were sure the kids would turn up as soon as Queen Kat and Alexander returned,¡± Rosaliy pointed out. ¡°And they haven¡¯t,¡± Daniella said, wanting to snap, but keeping close guard over her tone. She really felt like she needed Rosaliy¡¯s help. ¡°I¡¯m not the right person for this,¡± Rosaliy warned her.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Daniella shot a glare in Drake¡¯s direction. ¡°Are you serious?¡± he said, like she had spoken. She just kept staring. ¡°You¡¯re calling me in now? Right now?¡± ¡°You did promise.¡± ¡°Like my word means anything,¡± he grumbled. ¡°What is this bizarre secret code you have between you?¡± Rosaliy marveled. Drake exhaled a long, slow breath. ¡°I promised I would help her find the kids,¡± he said grudgingly, ¡°which she has decided means getting you to find the kids.¡± All that from a glare? ¡°First of all,¡± Rosaliy pointed out, ¡°never make promises to that woman. What were you thinking? No, not a real question,¡± she said before he could answer. ¡°But second of all, and mostly, if I knew where the children were, I would be finding them or shouting it from the turrets. You¡¯d have to get into Daniella¡¯s head to pull out that information.¡± ¡°Maybe I thought I left enough clues to figure it out,¡± Daniella murmured, resting her hands on her hips and staring helplessly back toward her shattered room with the broken door. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you overheard your message to speak to Hale?¡± Drake added. ¡°Hale wanted to talk to me this morning,¡± Rosaliy replied without directly admitting she had overheard. ¡°He said it wasn¡¯t urgent, but since he was most likely the last one to see the children, he might have some kind of¡ª¡± Daniella cut her off. ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go talk to this Hale.¡± The odd trio headed to find Hale in awkward, mostly sullen silence. Drake did not use this travel opportunity to explain himself, but he did come. Rosaliy was directed and redirected by servants who thought they had heard Hale say he was going one place or another until she finally located him outside Queen Kat and Alexander¡¯s rooms in the Naxturaen section of the palace. ¡°Should I be here?¡± Drake asked warily. ¡°Yes,¡± Daniella and Rosaliy both snapped at him. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was in such a hurry earlier,¡± Rosaliy apologized to Hale. ¡°What are you doing out here?¡± Hale answered her with a warm smile. Despite being the acting King of Kianne, Rosaliy had always found him friendly and approachable. It was hard to remember he and the gruff Dmitri were brothers. ¡°Alexander fell asleep right in the middle of asking me a question, and if I go near the ladies hovering around the seeing pool, they ask me to track down plants I¡¯ve never heard of in my life.¡± He redirected his eyes to Drake. ¡°Are you the Baysellian responsible for my confusing dungeon report?¡± ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Drake agreed. ¡°Hmm,¡± was all Hale said, shifting focus over to Daniella and then back to Rosaliy. ¡°I wanted to speak with you alone, but it makes just as much sense to show both of you.¡± Hale produced a necklace from his pocket. ¡°I almost missed this until I checked my pockets for the slightest dregs of a clue. I don¡¯t remember putting it there. Does it have any meaning to either of you?¡± Hale¡¯s necklace had a streaked orange gemstone set in the middle. Rosaliy reached forward and turned it over, but the gold setting was plain and free of engraving. Daniella did not even examine the necklace that thoroughly before shaking her head slightly. ¡°It¡¯s amber,¡± said Drake. ¡°It¡¯s one of the only gemstones found only in Kianne, and its legal supply is held only by Kianne nobles and anyone they¡¯ve gifted the stones to.¡± ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± agreed Hale. ¡°We have a lot of it around the castle. I spent the better part of a day making sure nobody in Kianne had given it to me for a reason I didn¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°Is it a clue the children are in Kianne?¡± Rosaliy guessed. ¡°No,¡± Daniella disagreed, suggesting in a single word that Rosaliy¡¯s guess was the stupidest suggestion anyone had ever uttered aloud. ¡°Too obvious, and I was there. No sense in all the secrecy if the children are where anyone is looking.¡± ¡°Well, that eliminates Taragon, Bayselle, and the Glade if you¡¯re using that logic,¡± said Rosaliy. She was being sarcastic¡ªthe protectorates were quite large, after all¡ªbut Daniella latched onto her words, nodding. ¡°She sent Hale on a mission for her,¡± Drake reminded them. ¡°If it was child-related, how far could you have traveled in a few days, round trip?¡± Hale thought through his question. ¡°The Burning Mountains, the desert, and the fringes of Curi. I don¡¯t think Daniella would have dropped off a trio of children in the Burning Mountains or Movedizo Tierra.¡± ¡°And she tried to go to war with Curi,¡± Rosaliy pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Hale agreed, watching Daniella curiously. ¡°Hard to believe you¡¯d have any friends there. Not any you trusted that deeply.¡± Actually, it was hard to believe Daniella had ever trusted anyone at all. ¡°Not me,¡± Daniella replied, like this was a revelation. She took the stone from Hale and stared at it like it was speaking to her. ¡°Someone they trust. I wanted this to blow over¡ªto be easily forgiven. The children would be with someone they trust.¡± ¡°There are a few Sorceresses from Curi,¡± Rosaliy said. ¡°We can contact¡ª¡± Daniella literally brushed off the suggestion by flicking her hand at it. ¡°Too obvious. Too easily tracked down.¡± ¡°Well. Then.¡± Did Daniella want help or not? ¡°Alexander is most likely to know someone in Curi,¡± Rosaliy suggested. He was also the one most likely to follow Daniella¡¯s bizarre logic. Hale pushed the door to Kat and Alexander¡¯s room and held it open while they quietly filed in. Rosaliy could hear Athena, Kat and Issabeth dropping things in the seeing pool next door with splashes, plops, and unhappy murmurs. Alexander was asleep propped up on pillows, a squirming infant on his chest. Rosaliy hated to wake him, but she approached. The infant¡¯s tiny eyes saw her move at them. Her eyes flashed red and shimmering scarlet patches appeared in her periwinkle hair. ¡°Oh, no, don¡¯t be worried, little one,¡± Rosaliy said softly. ¡°I just need to talk to¡ª¡± The baby¡¯s hair turned deep red, and Rosaliy could have sworn it sizzled. Alexander shot up, took in his visitors in a panicked glance, and sank back into the pillows. ¡°You¡¯re going to need a better sense of actual danger,¡± Alexander told the baby, but he said it soothingly enough the baby¡¯s hair settled down to a pale lavender. ¡°I would take crying over direct emotion injection. What did you need?¡± ¡°We have an idea,¡± Rosaliy started when no one else jumped in to speak. ¡°We were wondering who you might know in Curi, people you trust.¡± Alexander blinked sleepy green eyes at them. ¡°The entirety of Curi hates me.¡± ¡°All of Curi?¡± Daniella pressed. ¡°You know I¡¯m not exaggerating. Or knew. You would have known that.¡± He yawned, shifting the baby to his other arm. ¡°The only person more hated in Curi is you.¡± ¡°There must be someone,¡± suggested Rosaliy gently. ¡°Nope. That¡¯s what happens when you break an engagement to a Duchess very popular with the people at large and she gets herself disinherited by running away with a gardener.¡± Daniella held up the amber stone in his hand. ¡°Did you give her one of these?¡± ¡°It had a twisted silver band,¡± he said, eyes far away like he was unpacking a dusty memory. ¡°But, generally, the answer is yes. I wonder if she still has it.¡± ¡°You can ask her when you see her,¡± Daniella said quietly. ¡°Why am I doing that?¡± he asked. Rosaliy saw where Daniella was going, but her certainty was questionable. ¡°Do you trust her?¡± Daniella pressed, eyes boring into Alexander. ¡°The Duchess?¡± ¡°I need more sleep to even begin to have a conversation with you,¡± he grumbled. ¡°Celia? I haven¡¯t spoken to her in almost fifteen years.¡± ¡°But you were fond enough of her to ask her to marry you,¡± Rosaliy admitted aloud. ¡°And no one would suspect. People assumed you broke off the engagement under bad terms.¡± Either Daniella¡¯s wild leaps of logic were making a twisted amount of sense or this was wishful thinking. Alexander looked like he was waking up slowly, understanding just beginning to dawn. ¡°You used Hale to deliver them and wiped his memory, disguised the children from any effort to search for them¡­¡± He trailed off, looking for Hale and Daniella to confirm anything he was saying. They were no help. ¡°You might as well explain to everyone,¡± Rosaliy offered, gesturing through the vines toward the seeing pool in the next room. ¡°At worst, they¡¯ll have a new place to look.¡± The baby had drifted back to sleep, hair settling into a confusing deep blue with matching freckles and an occasional tuft of whispy white curls. Alexander grasped the arm Hale offered and stood, still thinking. ¡°And, Hale, would you make sure to talk to Drake before he leaves.¡± ¡°About what?¡± ¡°The powers that be are trying to coerce him into taking on royal guard duties,¡± Alexander answered. ¡°That would be a relief,¡± Hale said. ¡°Although I can¡¯t say I envy you, Drake. Royal children are challenging enough without magical powers.¡± ¡°Nor I,¡± Alexander chuckled. He nodded to Drake. ¡°Hale was the guard for the royal family when I was a boy. I¡¯m sure you can imagine the trials Issabeth, Corin, and I put him through. He¡¯ll have good advice for you.¡± Drake was stunned by this casual order. Perhaps he was expecting Alexander and Kat to forbid him from having anything to do with their children. Since he could not very well explain to Alexander how he was absolutely not staying at that moment, he bobbed his head instead, looking uncomfortable. Hale chuckled. ¡°According to a report I read and a very angry Baysellian, he¡¯s more than qualified.¡± Alexander, Daniella, Hale, and the snuggly polka dot baby disappeared through the vines. Rosaliy hung back with Drake. ¡°You¡¯re all mad,¡± he murmured. ¡°Completely insane.¡± ¡°We are a bit mad,¡± she agreed quietly. ¡°Does Daniella know what she¡¯s talking about?¡± ¡°Sounds like,¡± he answered absently. ¡°I guess they¡¯ll know if they find the kids.¡± She had to smile. ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure she¡¯s on the right track with the kids. I meant about you.¡± ¡°Me?¡± He blinked. He had gone back to not looking at her, so she was sure he knew what she meant. ¡°You¡¯re very good at avoiding subjects.¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°I¡¯m also good at doing the opposite of what I intend to do.¡± ¡°You intended to kick me in the shins and run away laughing?¡± He scowled. ¡°It would have been better for you in the long run.¡± ¡°You let me be kidnapped the Flifary, blow myself up, call an octopus in open water, break into a Flifary-guarded temple, and threaten a Baysellian street gang,¡± she pointed out. ¡°After all that, I have trouble believing you¡¯re trying to protect me from you. This is about you, and I think Daniella was right. You don¡¯t want to be happy.¡± He had no response to this. He had more walls built up around himself than their first meeting when everything about him had been a secret. ¡°I have one more question today,¡± she told him. ¡°And if you have your way, it could be the last ever, so you have to be honest.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± he asked warily. What was her last question? It had better be the right one. She could have used a few hours to make a list, because boiling down everything that needed to be said to one single question was an impossible task. ¡°I¡¯m not hearing a question,¡± he said dryly. Then she had it. The perfect question. ¡°What would convince you to stay?¡± she asked. ¡°That¡¯s¡ªthat¡¯s a completely unfair question,¡± he replied, faltering. She shrugged, leveling a stare at him. It worked for Daniella. Most people¡¯s eyes showed their emotions. Drake¡¯s were like a protective shell. ¡°You would have to promise to have better common sense than to get tangled up with me,¡± he said, almost defiantly. His terror of being loved was heart-breaking. If he knew her at all, he had to know his fear just made her love him more. In what was the easiest lie she had ever told, she looked him straight in the eye and said, ¡°Done. I didn¡¯t have time for you anyway.¡± He scanned her suspiciously, but she knew this was a lie he was so desperate to believe, he would accept it. ¡°Was that your only condition to staying?¡± she asked before he could think too hard. He nodded slowly. ¡°Great,¡± she said cheerfully. ¡°See you around.¡± ¡°Rose,¡± Kat called, in the most welcome interruption in the history of interruptions. ¡°We need you.¡± Found Lillya Lillya stared down the pair of luminous, unblinking, brown eyes. ¡°Please,¡± she pleaded. ¡°Moo,¡± the cow lowed obstinately. ¡°Fine,¡± she shot back grumpily. ¡°There must be a better way to get milk, anyway.¡± Having somebody else do it was how, but Lillya wanted desperately to be useful. Celia had been so nice, but their stay had stretched on longer than anyone had expected. Although the family tried to pretend like three extra people was no strain, one of those people kept taking things apart and chopping things down and setting things on fire. In fact, Tansy had been too quiet, and Lillya should have been checking on her. This milk-tastrophe was unanticipated. Lillya sighed. Everything here was slow, slow, slow. She peered in the bucket. She wanted to believe there was more milk inside than there had been when Celia had so patiently showed her how to milk the cow and Lillya had promised, yes, getting milk out of the giant animal was absolutely something she could do herself with no problem. If Lillya was being honest, there was no additional milk in that bucket. She could chalk milking cows under the category of farm chores she could not do. Lillya took a deep breath. ¡°I think we¡¯ve gotten off on the wrong foot¡­or hoof. Foot for me, hoof for you.¡± She tried to keep her voice light and soothing. She patted the cow softly on her bulging, spotted side. ¡°You are full of milk, and I would like that milk. Maybe we can trade. Would you like to have your neck scratched, or I can tie bows around your ears, or tell you a story? Maybe a plant in your barn would help your mood?¡± ¡°Are you trying to talk Mallow into giving you milk?¡± interrupted an incredulous voice at the door. ¡°No,¡± Lillya scoffed. Well, reasoning with the cow had not been the first thing she had tried, anyway. Barx fully entered the room to survey the scene with his barely-teenaged judgment. He had the same curly silver blond hair as Ivyliss¡ªwooly, like a sheep. Lillya had been looking forward to spending time with the secretive people of Curi, but she had seen nothing but farm animals and fruit trees. Grandmama had been very specific about how far she was allowed to stray from the house, and it wasn¡¯t even to the edge of the homestead. This cow could wander farther than Lillya was allowed. She was stuck. Most of all, she wished the world would hurry up and not end, because she was full on homesick. Her eyes flooded with tears. ¡°Oh no,¡± Barx moaned. ¡°What now?¡± Lillya¡¯s voice was strangled. ¡°I just want to go home, and I can¡¯t help with anything because I¡¯m useless and med¡ª¡± She struggled to get words past the lump in her throat. ¡°Mediocre!¡± ¡°But¡­you¡¯re a princess,¡± he said, looking at her like she had sprouted pink feathers from her nostrils. ¡°A mediocre one,¡± she sniffled. ¡°Yeah. Ok.¡± Barx was not sympathetic. ¡°What if everybody¡¯s dead,¡± Lillya wailed. ¡°The forces of evil could be in control right now. It might be just us left.¡± How long could she stay on the run with the twins? Tansy might have a shot outside the magic dampening circle where none of them could use their magic, but then they could be tracked. Grandmama was very clear about not being lured outside her protective circle. ¡°Maybe I should go get my mom,¡± said Barx, backing out the barn door slowly. He did not make it very far. ¡°What. Are. You?¡± hissed a voice behind him, a voice that made Lillya¡¯s spine tingle. Barx spun around, and Lillya craned her head. A woman was sliding through in the barn door, but she was blocked by Barx¡¯s wooly head. ¡°Who are you?¡± Barx stuttered. ¡°Quiet,¡± snapped the woman, punching the ¡°t¡± like she was a snake spitting venom. Powder billowed up around Barx¡¯s head, and the woman pushed the poor boy out of her way as he crumpled to the ground, unmoving. The woman in the doorway was in clear view now, a gaunt specter of a woman framed in tattered clothing and matted, stringy hair of dull black. ¡°You. Child. Come closer.¡± She stretched out a hand and snapped, but nothing happened. The magic she was trying to use was blocked here. Rage twisted the woman¡¯s pale face, and she withdrew a dagger from the ripped shards of her dark clothing. The blackened metal was smeared in blood. ¡°I know who you are,¡± Lillya stammered, out loud for some reason. ¡°Good,¡± said the dark-haired lady. This woman was supposed to be locked away¡ªgone forever. Lillya could not quite remember her name; Mama hated hearing it out loud, because she was that awful woman who had stolen Mama when she was a child. Lillya¡¯s heart leapt to her throat. ¡°What do you want?¡± she managed to whisper. The woman narrowed her eyes under the curtain of matted, dark hair. ¡°I want you to be less disappointing,¡± she said in a matter-of-fact way. ¡°You¡¯re not like her at all. You do have her eyes, though,¡± said the woman in an almost dreamy tone. Lillya was terrified, but she could not be terrified right now. Right now, she was staring face first into a crazy lady with a dagger, and Grandmama had given her instructions for a situation like this one. ¡°Are you working with them?¡± Lillya asked. ¡°The Flifary?¡± If she could buy a little time and get some information, somebody would come to check in on Barx¡¯s absence. ¡°No.¡± The woman recoiled from the question like it was rotting garbage. ¡°I hear their island has been destroyed. Gone. Imagine my relief to discover you weren¡¯t on it.¡± ¡°How did you find¡ª¡± Lillya just barely stopped herself from saying ¡°us.¡± ¡°Me,¡± she corrected. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± the woman murmured. ¡°Daniella¡¯s old tricks¡ªthis rather obnoxious magical dead spot for one. We did work together briefly. Although together is a loose interpretation. We worked toward similar purposes at the same time.¡± ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± ¡°Rarely.¡± The woman smirked. That dagger in her hands was glossy with blood. Lillya tried not to think too hard about who the blood belonged to. ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill me,¡± Lillya told her boldly. A wave of sadistic amusement swept across the unnaturally young face under a curtain of stringy hair. ¡°Oh, Princess?¡± ¡°You can¡¯t use magic here,¡± Lillya pointed out, ¡°and you have to step away from the door to stab me. I¡¯m pretty good at running and screaming.¡± ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at hitting a moving target,¡± the woman countered in a smooth, completely terrifying way, ¡°but killing you now would be a waste of potential. Maiming, however¡­You may want to watch your tone. Where are the others?¡± Lillya¡¯s stomach seized. This woman did know about the others. Lillya stared back defiantly, her mind whirling for a solution. If she threw up, would that be a decent distraction? The woman¡¯s mouth twisted into a terrifying smile. ¡°You do have a bit of Her. You don¡¯t have to tell me. I¡¯ll find them soon enough anyway.¡± She sounded so calm and certain. Lillya hoped that was the crazy talking. Why was no one coming? She braved a glance toward the door. ¡°Oh, they¡¯re busy,¡± promised the woman with ominous certainty. ¡°Doing what?¡± ¡°Putting out the fire.¡± Lillya¡¯s heart sped up. Or maybe it kept stopping and starting. Her heart was definitely doing a series of things that made it hard to decide what to do. Lillya had to make sure Tansy and Duck were ok. It was her responsibility. But she also had to keep them ok by keeping this woman with ill intent away from them. Lillya edged closer to the door¡ªthe door unfortunately being blocked by the unbalanced woman with murderous intent. ¡°Yes, go.¡± The dark-haired woman waved her dagger at the door. Lillya took a shaky step forward. She did not want to get closer to that dagger, but the door was worth the risk. She was dumbstruck the second she had a clear view out the barn door. Walls of flame streaked across Celia¡¯s orchard. Nothing about this fire was natural, made evident by the way the towers of flame seemed to reach an invisible wall and stop, forming a curved wall of flame in a circle around the back of the house. With horror, Lillya watched the previously invisible boundaries of Grandmama¡¯s magical barrier shudder, rippling like a breeze across a pond.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Ah,¡± the woman sighed, coming so close Lillya could feel the slick dagger brush her arm. ¡°If I had been but a few minutes more patient.¡± Then the barrier would have fallen and the crazy lady would have been able to zap Lillya to some sort of death cave where her entrails would be used to reduce the world to cinders, probably. Lillya jammed her foot down on the woman¡¯s thin boots and bolted at the sound of her shriek. She ducked grasping fingers and the swoop of a dagger. Her skinny legs flew across rough grass and around the building. Aunt Issabeth said size was an advantage in an escape. Small size made Lillya a hard target to hit, but only if she used obstacles to block line of sight. She wanted to hide, but she needed to find Duck and Tansy right now. Also that barrier was about to go down. Then this whole farm and orchard would be on fire. And who knew what sort of horrible powers that woman might have? As she rounded a corner to make a break for the cover of some nut trees, that woman with her crazy eyes and fluttering shards of clothes breezed in from the other side of the building. Lillya skidded to a stop. High above, the barrier quivered. Time was up. ¡°Hey, Shril,¡± called a very welcome voice. The voice was welcome to Lillya, anyway. The unhinged lady found the voice less welcome. Her face twisted in rage and she spun to see Aunt Issabeth emerging from the trees. An arrow zoomed straight for the dark woman¡¯s chest. The same instant, the sound of snapping erupted around them. The collapse of the magic barrier was like an explosion inside Lillya¡¯s brain. She clutched at the sides of her head as spots filled her vision. The instant Issabeth¡¯s arrow would have pierced the lady¡¯s heart, she disappeared in a cloud of smoke. The black smoke swirled up right in front of Aunt Issabeth, and before she could react, the resourceful crazy lady had tossed another handful of powder in Issabeth¡¯s face. She folded to the ground just like Barx had. Lillya gaped, frozen to the spot, head bursting with color. ¡°Shrilynda!¡± exclaimed another voice, and Lillya¡¯s attacker had two more foes to contend with. In the haze of her own head, Lillya barely recognized them as Rosaliy and that man from Crystal Palace, the nice one who hunted pirate treasure. Shrilynda was between them, and her hungry, desperate eyes locked on Lillya¡¯s just before she disappeared once more. Lillya stumbled for Rosaliy, but smoke reformed in front of her before she could take three steps. The woman¡¯s red-smeared hands reached out of the dark cloud. One touch and Lillya might vanish forever. She dove backwards, head still pounding with the magic crumbling around her. The Baysellian man reacted as quickly, but the woman snapped her stained fingers before his hands closed around her. His arms wrapped around nothing more than a second cloud of smoke. ¡°Where are Tansy and Duck?¡± Rosaliy called, pressing the sides of her head. Lillya threw up her hands. ¡°I think¡ª¡± Rosaliy spun. ¡°Something¡¯s over here.¡± She rubbed her temples. Lillya understood her pain. It was like magical fireworks were exploding with bursts of debilitating sound and color. ¡°Stay with Drake. Check on Issabeth,¡± Rosaliy yelled, running to find the twins. ¡°You ok? Lillya?¡± Drake asked, reaching down to haul Lillya off the ground. ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± she said. ¡°No.¡± Her head was throbbing and the sounds around her were echoing. She almost fell flat on her face when she tried standing on her own. ¡°We¡¯ve got to find the twins before that woman,¡± Lillya insisted breathlessly. ¡°I was supposed to keep you safe,¡± Drake objected. ¡°And what about¡ª¡± He waved to Lillya¡¯s prone aunt. ¡°She¡¯ll be safer where I¡¯m not,¡± Lillya argued, ¡°but have you seen Tansy and Taurin when they¡¯re trying to hide? If they¡¯re scared, Sorceress Rosaliy will never find them.¡± Drake scanned the flame wall bearing down on them and the barn in the opposite direction. ¡°There are ten furlongs of ground to cover in this homestead, and it¡¯s all going to be on fire soon. Where would you start?¡± Lillya closed her eyes and tried to find her brother and sister, but her malfunctioning senses made her woozy. She pointed toward a feeble sputtering of light she could see bouncing behind her eyelids. ¡°That way?¡± ¡°That¡¯s exactly opposite from the direction Rosaliy just ran,¡± he pointed out. ¡°So it¡¯s either the right way or the exact opposite direction from trouble,¡± Lillya said. ¡°Win-win?¡± Drake blinked back, his face hard to read. Perhaps he was impervious to her logic. But he waved a hand for her to lead the way. They loped toward the edge of a cluster of chestnut trees that bordered the creek where Duck was always playing with his toad. This was a likely hiding location. Unfortunately, they were also reaching the edges of where the magical barrier had been, and the smoke from the fire was heavy. Drake dug out a pair of bandannas from his pocket and held one to breathe, offering her the other. She was glad for the partial relief from the stinging smoke attacking her eyes and lungs. As they closed in, Lillya¡¯s head began to balance out, and the lights she was following grew stronger. They were definitely getting closer to the twins. She was about to tell Drake so, but his face went rigid just as she removed the bandanna from her mouth to speak. He pulled her behind an overgrown chestnut tree and put a single finger to his lips in warning. An instant later, Lillya heard a chilling voice call, ¡°Where are you, darlings?¡± Drake silently unsheathed a knife on his belt and wrapped his fingers around it. His presence was comforting, but he was no match for magic. Branches snapped, and Shrilynda was walking away from them. She was heading toward the creek, going for Tansy. She must be. Pressing himself close to the tree, Drake peered around the trunk. Satisfied the woman was out of sight, he knelt to match Lillya¡¯s height. ¡°Are they close?¡± he whispered. Lillya bobbed her head. ¡°Up for being bait?¡± he asked. She was expecting something more along the lines of ¡°stick close to me¡± or ¡°let me hide you where you won¡¯t get hurt,¡± so she had been prepared to argue her importance to this mission. She blinked a few times before his words sank in. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°Scream,¡± he ordered. ¡°As loud as you can.¡± She understood what he was doing. Her scream was a half-strangled pathetic thing suffering from numb terror and a lack of air, but it did the trick. A billow of smoke appeared between the orderly lines of leafy trees. Drake lunged for the smoke, knife in hand, but Lillya¡¯s eyes went round with horror. Shrilynda had baited him. He sliced through empty smoke while she solidified just behind him. Before Lillya could even begin to cry out a warning, she planted her dagger in his back. He crumpled, but his attacker trembled with the exertion as well, bending to catch her breath like she was exhausted from running ten furlongs. The woman¡¯s magic was reaching its limits. Lillya finally managed to turn half a gasp of air into another scream, and she mustered the next giant breath into a truly earth-shattering call for help. A dark blaze of fur was the first to answer. Pepper appeared in the fringes of the smoky orchard and raced for the woman. With tired eyes, Shrilynda withdrew another handful of powder and tossed it at her own feet, vanishing in the largest cloud of black smoke yet. The putrid smell of the powder lingered in the already smoky air. Lillya batted her way through the noxious smoke to get to Drake. He shuddered and moaned when she put a hand on his shoulder and tried to shake him awake. At least he was still alive. ¡°Sorceress Rosaliy!¡± she hollered. ¡°Celia! Tansy! Duck! Anyone!¡± Wary green eyes blinked back at her from between the branches of a nearby tree. ¡°Tansy! Duck!¡± Lillya called. ¡°Come here! Help me!¡± ¡°What¡¯s happening, Lil?¡± asked Duck¡¯s scared little face from above. Well, the trees around her were on fire, her protector was bleeding to death right here, and there was a crazy woman looking for them. ¡°Aunt Issabeth and Sorceress Rose are here,¡± she promised them, holding out her arms. ¡°If we stick together, Rosaliy will find us.¡± Duck and Tansy tumbled to the ground and ran for her. Lillya pulled them into a warm huddle next to Drake. Tansy was a mess, shaking with loud sobs. ¡°Breathe, Tans,¡± Lillya urged. The last thing anybody needed was an earthquake from a Tansy tantrum. ¡°Everything¡¯s going to be ok.¡± Pepper nosed himself in, and the little girl gripped his fur in a powerful hug, trembling. Lillya pried Drake¡¯s knife out of his hand, just in case that lady returned. She tried shaking Drake again for good measure. ¡°You have to wake up,¡± she urged. ¡°There¡¯s fire everywhere.¡± He did stir and blink his eyes a little. ¡°Get out of here,¡± he murmured faintly. ¡°Find Rose.¡± Fire was spreading to the tree where Lillya had taken cover just before. This spot would be engulfed within minutes. Maybe between the three of them, they could drag him. Luckily, before she convinced Tansy and Duck to take a leg each and pull, Sorceress Rosaliy burst coughing through the smoke and spotted them. Rosaliy hugged the twins and examined the bloody wound on Drake¡¯s back. It looked truly terrible, all rimmed with black and purple streaks creeping out into his skin. He tried harder to wake up for her, Lillya noticed. ¡°You just promised not to leave, and the first thing you do is get yourself stabbed,¡± Rosaliy chided him. ¡°Sounds like me,¡± Drake grunted. She was already folding his discarded bandanna and pressing it to his side. ¡°It¡¯s bleeding a lot, but it doesn¡¯t look like the blade went through anything catastrophic. Hold,¡± she ordered, clamping his hand over the cloth. ¡°Feels worse than that,¡± he gasped. ¡°Well, Shrilynda¡¯s dagger was probably laced with some kind of life-draining magic poison, but what good does it do you to worry about that right now?¡± she answered. ¡°I¡¯m sure Issabeth can use the pearl on you when she¡¯s up.¡± Aunt Issabeth and the pearl were amazing, but dark poisons followed their own rules. Plus, Issabeth was out cold. This was never going to work. Lillya realized Rosaliy was making up a comforting story because she could not move Drake. The poison would work itself through his system in a flash if they tried. The smoke so thick it was blanketing the trees now. Lillya could hear brittle trees toppling and crashing. ¡°Celia and her family,¡± she bleated. Celia was about to lose everything, and it was all their fault. ¡°Tansy,¡± Lillya said, thinking fast. ¡°Rain. We need a big storm.¡± ¡°But, I¡ª¡± The dirt-streaked girl trembled. ¡°But¡ª¡± Rosaliy knelt down in front of her and took her hands. ¡°Tansy, you know how I¡¯m always talking about control and using magic responsibly.¡± Tansy bobbed her head up and down with fearful eyes. ¡°Forget all that,¡± Rosaliy said. ¡°We need the biggest, wildest rainstorm you have trapped in that little soul of yours.¡± Tansy took a long moment to hear what Rosaliy had said to her. As the words sank in, her dirty forehead crinkled in confusion under her wild mop of raven curls. ¡°Tans,¡± Lillya added, ¡°you¡¯re a pirate Princess at sea, and there¡¯s a wild squid attacking. You have to send him back to the depths of the ocean with a tsunami.¡± ¡°Pirate Princess at sea,¡± repeated Tansy, and she stretched out her hands. The wind that ripped through the orchard was very nearly the death of them. It flung flaming branches and spread fire from tree to tree like they were matchsticks lighting each other. ¡°It¡¯s not working,¡± Tansy wailed. ¡°It¡¯s ok,¡± whispered Duck, hugging his sister around the middle. ¡°You can do it.¡± He was so sure of her, they all felt it. Literally. He radiated a calm certainty that touched all of them even in the middle of raging fire. Tansy closed her eyes, and they heard the cracks of rolling thunder. The crackles of fire gave way to the sounds of thudding on treetops all around them, and soon water pelted down through the bare, charred branches. Lillya almost heaved a sigh of relief. ¡°Drake?¡± said Rosaliy, shattering the almost-relieved moment. He had slipped into unconsciousness. Lillya had rarely seen the balanced Sorceress so worried before. ¡°The poison,¡± Lillya murmured. ¡°Duck, that bark mom¡¯s always gathering¡ªany of that around?¡± ¡°No time,¡± Rosaliy objected. ¡°I need to get you out of here.¡± Duck looked at Drake and shook his head. ¡°I know where to find some.¡± ¡°We have to help,¡± Lillya agreed. ¡°Can¡¯t we do healing?¡± Tansy asked, shivering from the cold. ¡°I could maybe turn him a faint shade of magenta,¡± answered Lillya, ¡°and you don¡¯t want to mess with poison.¡± Rosaliy took Drake¡¯s hand and scooped Tansy under her arm, nodding at Lillya to go. Lillya and her bark whisperer brother scurried into the pelting rain. Worries Katyrinna (Rin) Queen Katyrinna was faced with an all-too-familiar dilemma¡ªtoo much family to protect and only one of her. Of course, Rin was rather liberal with her definition of ¡°family.¡± The Naxturaen definition was strictly limited to one¡¯s line of blood relations. Rin had a growing cluster of blood relations, but the idea of confining the people to be concerned about based on something as arbitrary as relation made no sense to her. Of course she considered Alexander and Issabeth the closest of family, along with anyone ¡°related¡± to them, and then Athena and Rosaliy and anyone in the palace, and she had so many Glade residents who depended on her now. Dripping in family was a nice problem to have until the world was ending, and then protecting them all at once was quite the challenge. In fact, as she could see off in the distance, a country had just been dropped under her roof, metaphorically speaking, but she could not even begin to think through what that would mean for the future. No one could watch the future anymore. Rin had never counted on Arlana to intervene in a way that was timely and useful, but knowing the Seer was watching for the most dire of potential catastrophes had given some peace of mind in the past. ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be resting, not fretting,¡± Alexander broke into her thoughts. ¡°Resting makes me fret,¡± she replied. He nestled behind her on the window seat and pushed aside her hair to kiss the back of her neck. ¡°You¡¯ve already changed your mind?¡± he asked, resting his head on her shoulder. She reached back for his hand and interlaced her fingers with his. ¡°I can¡¯t say I truly made up my mind in the first place.¡± ¡°Go,¡± he said simply. She smiled and kissed as much of his cheek as she could reach. ¡°What about walking into a trap and me having limited powers and trusting Issabeth and Rosaliy and letting Drake do his job and the baby and all that?¡± ¡°The crazy ramblings of a terrible husband,¡± he said flippantly. ¡°Half of that may be true,¡± she teased. As awful as this latest adventure had been, at least it had not demanded Alexander of her. Being trapped with him and the new baby for so long would very nearly have been a vacation if it had not been marred by worry over her children. Of course, Rin would never admit that to the meddling star women. The pounding on the door surprised both of them. Normally Rin could see these things coming, but the baby was proving to be quite the magic siphon. Each of her children had responded in unpredictable ways to being half Terran and half Naxturaen. Lillya had been the fussy, Terran baby the palace was expecting, and Taurin and Tansy had been a mix of magical tantrums and twin mischief. This baby was Naxturaen in a way Rin had never experienced. Naxturaen babies took time to acclimate themselves to the world around them, Kalilya had warned. This little girl had spent days soaking in the magic around her, barely eating, just sleeping and drinking in the people and places. One thing remained the same. As with the other children, Rin herself was a mix of pure love and complete terror. ¡°It¡¯s Daniella,¡± Rin said after an attempt to focus on her surroundings. ¡°Alarming,¡± Alexander murmured. She transferred the sleeping bundle of striped rainbow hair to Alexander. Best she could figure, the baby was dreaming about colors. Crystal Palace was a land of color after being trapped in the night sky. By the time Rin¡¯s toes touched the moss floor, Daniella was rapping on the door again. Rin could sense her radiating urgency now that she was focused. She raised a hand, and the door responded by swinging open. She felt a tiring little rush of magic before she remembered she was supposed to be conserving her energy. Daniella¡ªwhite-faced¡ªtook a step inside the open door. She clutched the amber necklace. ¡°It¡¯s turned black,¡± she blurted out without any other greeting, and she thrust the stone forward. The oval-shaped amber rimmed with gold was marred by a black cloud hovering in the center. ¡°What does it mean?¡± she demanded. ¡°Whoever the stone is linked to is in danger,¡± Rin answered dully. ¡°Of course it¡¯s a link stone,¡± Alexander muttered. ¡°How did that not occur to me?¡± The fact that he was conscious and mobile so soon after the baby¡¯s arrival was stunning enough. Rin had no wonder why his tired mind was not as sharp as normal. ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± said Rin. ¡°We?¡± asked Alexander. Daniella¡¯s odd behavior had earned the notice of an anxious pair of guards who were creeping into the Naxturaen hallway in case they were needed. They were being rather brave, all things considered. ¡°Nayil,¡± Rin called to one. ¡°Find Dmitri, please.¡± She would have told him to move as quickly as possible, but the haste was implied. Nobody ever needed Dmitri on a leisurely timetable. Meanwhile, Daniella tried to pass the necklace off to Rin. ¡°You aren¡¯t coming?¡± Rin asked, surprised. Daniella¡¯s eyes darkened like they did when she was annoyed by a stupid question. Rin chose to interpret her mixed emotions as nervousness. She always had the hardest time reading Daniella. The woman made no sense. ¡°They¡¯ll be anxious to see you¡¯re alright,¡± Rin told her gently. Her words were chilly. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be anywhere near them.¡± Alexander chuckled. ¡°We tried that.¡± Daniella looked wary. Poor thing. Rin wondered if turning a memory spell on herself was a last resort or if she had wanted to start new. Alexander claimed his mother was trying to garner Rin¡¯s sympathy after what she thought might be an unforgivable crime. If so, she had calculated well. Rin was highly sympathetic to the cruelty of Daniella¡¯s self-imposed punishment. ¡°Nobody was more adamant about keeping you away from baby Lillya than I was,¡± Rin agreed. Daniella narrowed her eyes. ¡°What changed?¡± ¡°Nothing,¡± Rin mused. ¡°Everything.¡± She shot a glance to Alexander, telling him to find words Daniella would understand. ¡°You¡¯ve always been obsessed with legacy,¡± Alexander told her. ¡°So we were understandably worried when Lillya was born. I was sure you were going to find some way to subvert her powers and use them for yourself. You weren¡¯t allowed anywhere near her.¡± Daniella nodded crisply, not at all insulted by this information. ¡°Sounds like a wise choice.¡± ¡°No,¡± Rin disagreed. ¡°Before Lillya could walk, she was stricken by a blood disease¡ªWhat was it called, dearest?¡± ¡°You¡¯d think I¡¯d remember, but it was ten years ago, and these things do seem to happen with alarming frequency.¡± ¡°Alarming,¡± Rin agreed. ¡°You helped find the cure for her, Daniella.¡± ¡°Which was more suspicious than absolving, to be honest,¡± Alexander added. Issabeth and Alexander had indeed been suspicious about Daniella¡¯s possible involvement. They couldn¡¯t feel her visceral fear and hatred of her own helplessness.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°But the first time you saw Lillya,¡± Rin tried to explain, ¡°you were afraid to touch her, and I realized you were perfectly happy being kept away. You were afraid of¡­facing yourself, perhaps.¡± ¡°I gave up long before the twins,¡± Alexander remembered, ¡°but if I hadn¡¯t, they would have been the final straw.¡± ¡°He barely survived them,¡± Rin remembered, taking his hand. ¡°You, Daniella, were all I had.¡± Rin felt the woman¡¯s cloud of skepticism, an appropriate reaction to such a declaration. Once, it was a story only she and Daniella had known, and now it was solely Rin¡¯s. Again, she felt pity for the odd punishment. Even Arlana had said she could do nothing for the woman, which made sense. If a Flifary spell could break what Daniella had worked so hard to hide, what use was the spell? Rin had become familiar with Daniella¡¯s cold logic in the past decade, even if they rarely understood each other. ¡°Besides,¡± Alexander was adding, ¡°If the children were really your long goal, you¡¯d find a way to accomplish your nefarious ends. Best to keep your enemies close and all that.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t this proof? All of this?¡± Daniella shot back. For some reason, this little talk was not working for Daniella. ¡°It is, rather,¡± he said calmly, ¡°but it¡¯s proof you did have the ability to take them at any time. If you wanted their powers for yourself, you¡¯d be off in a cave somewhere training them how to master dark magic.¡± Rin took the necklace from her all the same. ¡°You¡¯ll see,¡± she promised Daniella. Dmitri had been effectively summoned by now, but even with all his powers of efficiency, leaving happened with agonizing slowness. Arlana needed to be located, along with Talyrin. Alexander needed to be hurried along, a skill with which Rin was particularly familiar, although doing so while tending to a baby sprouting alarming magenta stripes all over her body was a challenge. Still, they beat everyone else to the meeting point outside. In the sunlight, Rin could just see the troublesome island in the distance. Dmitri and Arlana were heading their way. A whinny broke her thoughts. ¡°Sorry to wake you,¡± she apologized to the horse, who nuzzled her cheek. ¡°I really thought I was getting out of this one,¡± Alexander murmured, smoothing out invisible wrinkles in a decorative layered vest. She almost found his nervousness over facing the woman he was betrothed to amusing, but she had no room for humor until she saw her children. Being without them was all her worst fears come to life. The only reason Alexander and the baby were coming was that she refused to let them out of her presence. Rin felt a jolt of excitement not her own. With a full-body yawn, the baby was waking up and responding to the hubbub around her with rainbow freckles. An adventurous spirit would serve her well in this family. It would also land her in a whole pile of trouble. ¡°Something¡¯s wrong,¡± Rin informed Arlana as soon as the woman was within hearing distance. ¡°Can you find the spot where Issabeth, Rosaliy, and Drake were sent?¡± ¡°Certainly,¡± Arlana agreed. With that, the Once Seer raised her hands, and fog rushed around them. The smell of drenched fire hit Rin at the same moment as the rain. The baby¡¯s hair went red as the rain pelted her head. Her tiny face twisted in baby rage. Rin adjusted her cloak to shield her from the offensive rain and evaluated the scene. They had appeared in front of the burned remains of a house. A family huddled under the shelter of a barn nearby, so Rin¡¯s party hurried their way. A woman rushed to intercept them in the opening of the barn. ¡°I don¡¯t know where they are,¡± exclaimed the slightly hysterical woman with curly silver hair. She had a passel of similarly silver-haired children around her. One of them was limp in the arms of a man. ¡°Celia,¡± Alexander blurted out. ¡°What¡¯s happened?¡± The woman tossed her head, annoyed at the question, and her arms reached for Rin¡¯s. Daniella¡¯s choice had been a good one. Celia¡¯s level of concern for Rin¡¯s missing children was a pure, panicked, brimming compassion that few people¡¯s hearts had a capacity for. Rin loved her immediately. Weakened powers or no, at this distance, Rin could find the blazing spots of light that represented her magical children. They were together. They were unhurt. ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± she said for Celia¡¯s sake as much as anyone else¡¯s. ¡°I¡¯m not sure where exactly they are, but they¡¯re close. There¡¯s some sort of magical disturbance.¡± Talyrin¡¯s nose flared. If they had come at night, he could have told her more about the crackling magic Rin could feel in the air, but she had no time to wait for information about trivial details like what sort of danger she was up against. Not when her children were so close. Rin stretched out a hand to the sleeping boy in the man¡¯s arms. Pale powder lingered in his curly hair. ¡°Pulveriso Dormio,¡± she said softly, the horror of her words striking her heart cold. She felt the baby shiver in response. Just when Rin thought the Malum were gone forever, an offshoot always managed to spring up. ¡°What does that mean?¡± the man holding the boy asked, pulling him back from her just slightly. ¡°Malum,¡± Arlana answered him. ¡°It means Malum.¡± That word sent a mixed flutter of alarm and disgust among the gathering, excepting Celia¡¯s pack of children, who were staring at Arlana in amazement. She was rather exotic, especially in her draped layers of feathered scarves. ¡°Dmitri,¡± Rin said, unable to finish her request. There were no traces of Malum here now, but that could change at any moment. ¡°Of course,¡± he answered anyway. ¡°Tal, you can cover ground more quickly to sweep the area. I¡¯ll head north, you south?¡± ¡°Northeast and southeast,¡± Alexander amended. ¡°We¡¯re heading south.¡± He waved a finger at the sky. The dark clouds were concentrated just south of them. ¡°Tansy,¡± Rin agreed. The black horse snorted in agreement, and he and Dmitri hurried off in opposite directions through the rain. In the little time since they had arrived, the rain had settled from a deluge into a light spatter, which indicated Tansy was calming down or tired, or both. ¡°The boy will wake unharmed,¡± Rin promised Celia and the understandably grumpy man. ¡°Arlana will stay with you.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll all stay with me,¡± Arlana said, gesturing to the trees. Lillya was sopping wet and shaking, but still, relief flooded through Rin the instant she saw the girl. The bedraggled girl sped toward Rin and Alexander and clamped her parents around the middle, her already wet face streaming with tears. Meanwhile, Rosaliy emerged with Tansy and Taurin. Taurin seemed to be faring the best of everyone, seeing as how he was wet and covered in ash with no danger of a bath in sight. ¡°Celia and Silas have cows and chickens and trees that grow apples,¡± he babbled happily. Tansy, however, was going to remain a fixture on Rin¡¯s leg for a while. Rin ruffled her hair and kissed her head. ¡°Is everything ok now Mama?¡± she asked, muffled by the fabric of her dress. ¡°The scary lady made a fire, and I didn¡¯t know what to do, but Rose said it was ok to rain it out.¡± ¡°Good job, firefly,¡± said Rin, heart brimming. She could even muster up some real magic if she needed to. Rin¡¯s eyes asked Rosaliy the question she did not want to ask. ¡°Shrilynda,¡± Rosaliy whispered. ¡°Lillya said she threw a handful of powder to disappear.¡± The name caused a spike of horror the baby recoiled from and threw back to Rin in alarm, like the echo of a frightened shiver. Rin shoved her feelings aside. Shril was long gone. Although that just shoved the problem to a later day, she was relieved all the same. Lillya tugged on her cloak. ¡°Mama, Drake. That awful woman stabbed him.¡± Poor Drake. Rin should have taken the time to be more clear with him about the danger inherent to being anywhere near her or her loved ones. Celia had needed a similar briefing. ¡°And Aunt Issabeth.¡± Lillya waved wildly southeast. ¡°She got hit with the same powder as Barx.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll drag her back here,¡± Alexander offered. Rin wanted to insist they all stick together¡ªfor the rest of time, preferably¡ªbut she could not be in both places. ¡°Silas will help you,¡± Celia volunteered her husband. Both men flinched, but Alexander needed the help, and the grumpy Silas chose not to argue. ¡°Show me where, Lil?¡± asked Alexander, not being at all subtle about the fact he wanted someone nearby as a buffer against Silas. Or perhaps Rin just knew him well enough to see what he was doing. Rin raised her eyebrows. ¡°Look at what happened to his homestead,¡± Alexander exclaimed, albeit quietly. ¡°I need to stave off my murder any way I can. Duck, why don¡¯t you come along with us,¡± Alexander suggested louder. Rin very nearly smiled, but Rosaliy was still anxious. She was sopping wet and filthy, but she cared about none of that. ¡°How badly hurt is Drake?¡± asked Rin. ¡°Duck found blue bark,¡± Rosaliy replied, ¡°so the poison isn¡¯t spreading, but he¡¯s not particularly resistant to magic.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll have to do something about that,¡± said Rin. ¡°For now, I need you and Arlana to recover albin grass and sanofi flowers from Crystal Palace. Mash them together into a paste, if you would.¡± ¡°Albin?¡± Rosaliy asked. ¡°Mmm,¡± Rin agreed. ¡°Shril always coated her daggers in a particularly vile mix of heart strings and powdered swamp toad bones.¡± ¡°I¡¯m so sorry she got away,¡± sighed Rosaliy. ¡°I can¡¯t say I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rin admitted. ¡°I have no desire to deal with Shrilynda right now. Will you find me and force me to make a plan for her later?¡± Rosaliy smiled a little and nodded. She and Arlana vanished in a cloud of fog. Rin was about to coax Tansy into letting her move enough to find Drake when Dmitri and Talyrin returned together from their scouting trip. ¡°No sign of the witch,¡± Dmitri grunted, ¡°but Tal did find this.¡± Drake was slumped across Talyrin¡¯s dark back, looking worse for wear. Rin could see the red stains on the side of his tattered shirt. One look at the purple spiderwebs down his side told her she had guessed the poison correctly. Shrilynda had always loved poison. ¡°Can you fix him?¡± Tansy asked, her green eyes pleading. The simple answer was no, Rin could not tangle with a magical poison right now, but she could help another way. Repair Queen Katyrinna (Rin) Rin smoothed Tansy¡¯s dark hair and wiped an ash smudge from the girl¡¯s cheek. ¡°Do you remember the mark on Duck¡¯s back? And Papa¡¯s?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tansy said. ¡°Boys need magic protection because magic hurts them all the time. Poor, poor boys.¡± She shook her head mournfully. That seemed to be how things worked in Rin¡¯s family anyway. ¡°Drake is going to be helping to look out for you,¡± Rin explained. ¡°Do you think he might need some magical protection?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Tansy said with a full-body nod of agreement. ¡°So much.¡± One of Drake¡¯s dangling arms already bore an E-emblazoned scorpion, so hopefully he would not mind her use of the other arm. Rin pushed up his shirt and placed her fingertips on his forearm. After having a child, her magic knew exactly what she wanted from it. Power rushed down her arm and through her fingertips. A black tree with branches shaped like a bird¡¯s wings started as faint, pink outlines against the Baysellian¡¯s tanned skin. ¡°That tickles,¡± giggled Tansy. The baby stirred a bit as well, and even Talyrin flicked his ears. Naxturaen blood was a fascinating and powerful thing. Now that he was basically a member of her blood family, Drake¡¯s body was better able to fight Shrilynda¡¯s poison concoction. Rosaliy and Arlana would be back in plenty of time for him. Rin waited until the lines of the tree blackened and solidified before she withdrew her arm, feeling a rush of exhaustion sweep over her. She could stand a bout of that ordered rest now. ¡°He¡¯s safe to move,¡± Rin murmured to Dmitri. Celia had settled her sleeping boy down in a makeshift hay bed, and she seemed to have the rest of the children hauling things around in the barn to keep them busy as much as to create some semblance of order. Dmitri removed Drake from Talyrin¡¯s back and hauled the Baysellian to a patch of hay next to the sleeping boy. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± Celia fretted, putting a hand to Drake¡¯s clammy forehead. ¡°Is there anything I can do?¡± ¡°I am the one who is sorry,¡± Rin insisted. ¡°Without my magic at full strength this will take a week to fix.¡± She looked mournfully out the barn window at the charred land and the sad, crumbling building that was once a house. ¡°Fix,¡± said Celia, mouth agape. ¡°A week?¡± ¡°Yes, that is far too long,¡± Rin murmured, missing Celia¡¯s tone of surprise. Perhaps she could call in a favor from the Bellicus to haul out the broken trees and shattered bits of house. After that, the Naxturae were phenomenal builders when they had hands instead of hooves to work with. Perhaps the Flifary could provide some light. Of course, placement would be an issue¡­ ¡°Tal and I are going to finish our sweep of the perimeter,¡± Dmitri announced. He did not announce his wish to find Shrilynda for the purposes of wringing her neck. Rin knew he would return disappointed, but precautions were rarely a bad idea. Alexander and Silas returned shortly after, dragging Issabeth between them. Closely following, Lillya was being suitably reverent with Issabeth¡¯s bow and quiver of arrows. Duck carried a single, dirty arrow that appeared to have been retrieved from the ground. His toad was stowed safely in a now-muddy pocket. ¡°Silas,¡± Rin greeted him. ¡°You must come to Crystal Palace as my guest until your home is repaired.¡± The expression on his face was as if she had asked him to set his head on fire and he was figuring out how to politely run away screaming. As if in preparation for that act, he transferred Issabeth¡¯s weight to Alexander, who nearly fell over. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to regrow an entire orchard from nothing right now,¡± she explained. Trees were a specialty under normal circumstances, whatever normal circumstances were. ¡°You¡¯ll have to choose from the trees at Crystal Palace so I have a healthy branch or two to start with. What were you growing here? Pomegranates? Persimmons? Figs?¡± Her eyes scanned blackened husks in the distance, determining space. ¡°Hopefully you have room for a good-sized plum orchard.¡± He was softening by the fruit. Celia nudged him. ¡°You know you¡¯ve been trying to grow olives for the past five years.¡± Silas scratched his thick, silver-blond hair. ¡°You don¡¯t have any almond trees, do you, your highness?¡± Silas suggested carefully. ¡°Please don¡¯t get her started on the almond trees,¡± Alexander interrupted, hefting Issabeth off his shoulder and depositing his sister on the ground. ¡°They¡¯re threatening to take over half the palace.¡± Silas was very tempted to accept Rin¡¯s offer, which was a relief because his land was in shambles and Rin would use every bit of her royal pull to set things right. Rosaliy and Arlana returned with the paste she needed before he tried to turn her down again. Rin sent the family away with Arlana and Issabeth. ¡°Wait, what about Mallow?¡± asked Celia in a panic as Arlana assembled the family around Issabeth¡¯s body. ¡°And the¡ª¡± She scanned the burnt buildings. She had little else to manage at this point. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure all the animals are taken care of,¡± promised Lillya cheerfully. Celia forced a smile that tried to be genuine and stopped somewhere just past strained. ¡°Of course you will, dear girl.¡± ¡°How often do the chickens lay eggs?¡± Lillya asked. ¡°She¡¯ll have help,¡± Alexander promised. In response to an incredulous glare from Silas, he added, ¡°Not from me, obviously.¡± ¡°You would adore him if you gave him a chance,¡± Celia whispered to Silas as the fog swept around them all. Silas¡¯s glaring face was the last thing visible before the family disappeared. ¡°That is highly unlikely,¡± Alexander muttered when they were gone. Lillya took Duck and Tansy to go tend to the cow. Rin was unsure what that meant, but they were in view, so things could not go too badly for the cow. ¡°What does he blame you for?¡± Rin asked. Alexander shrugged. ¡°Not marrying the love of his life, I think.¡± ¡°What sense does that make?¡± Rin asked. ¡°There is a twisted sort of logic,¡± Alexander admitted. ¡°Celia seems lovely,¡± said Rin. ¡°Is this what it looks like?¡± asked Alexander, peering at Drake¡¯s arm, perhaps trying to change the subject. ¡°Duck and Lillya said they felt something tingly.¡± She nodded. Alexander was familiar with the perks of Naxturaen protection. ¡°How are you?¡± he asked, pretending not to be worried. The mark on his own shoulder had cost the giver her life. ¡°A little tired,¡± she admitted. Rosaliy had set to work dabbing the paste on Drake¡¯s wound. The boy gave a valiant attempt to stir when the antidote seeped into his skin. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he murmured first. ¡°Sorry is an epidemic today.¡± Rin lifted his eyelids to see the purple lines of poison just receding from the whites of his eyes. Honestly, the only people with cause to be sorry were Shrilynda and the Flifary down in the Pit, and Rin doubted they would be offering apologies any time soon. ¡°What are you sorry for?¡± ¡°I did a poor job of rescuing the children,¡± he said, wincing as Rosaliy dabbed more of the paste. ¡°In what way?¡± Rin asked curiously. ¡°That woman nearly killed me,¡± he grunted. ¡°That¡¯s an odd thing to be sorry for,¡± said Alexander contemplatively. ¡°Very few people can claim the distinction,¡± Rin added. ¡°She usually succeeds.¡± Drake tried again. ¡°I meant hopefully you can find somebody better equipped to¡ª¡± Rosaliy had tensed, and her face had tightened into an expression of displeasure. Rosaliy had caught Drake¡¯s meaning long before Rin had.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. ¡°Oh, you¡¯re trying to quit?¡± Rin realized. ¡°Well, no,¡± he said, pained eyes looking from Rin to Rosaliy to Alexander. ¡°But why would you want me to stay?¡± What a sadly genuine question from a man accustomed to being unwanted. Rin recognized that emotion right away. She had spent a childhood wallowing in it. Something about childhood sparked a memory. ¡°I do know you,¡± she realized instead of answering his question. ¡°We met in the desert. You were with the smugglers.¡± ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed. ¡°Alexander.¡± She brushed his arm. ¡°The boy who fetched the coconuts.¡± ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he answered. ¡°In the desert, when we were kidnapped by smugglers.¡± He shrugged. ¡°You were there. You must remember,¡± she chided. ¡°What you remember and what I remember about that event are two wildly different things.¡± He looked straight at Drake and snapped his fingers. ¡°Meena.¡± Rin looked down on Drake critically. ¡°I don¡¯t see it,¡± she decided. It was hard to imagine Meena ever being this young. ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Drake admitted. Alexander¡¯s face lit up. He did love being right. ¡°She was my grandmother.¡± ¡°You must have had an interesting childhood,¡± Alexander mused. ¡°Interesting, yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll fit right in,¡± Alexander told him. He responded with a glazed expression hiding mild panic. ¡°To what?¡± ¡°To the family,¡± Rin replied. That pushed Drake over the edge into panic. ¡°But I¡¯m not¡ª And I am¡ª Don¡¯t you know what I am?¡± His words had an edge of desperation to them. Rosaliy hid a grin by bending over his wound in a particularly attentive way. ¡°If you go back on your promise,¡± she threatened, ¡°you have no leverage to hold me to mine.¡± His mouth opened, but only a strangled sound of incredulity came out. ¡°Rin managed to bring Daniella into the fold,¡± Alexander pointed out. ¡°You have no argument here.¡± ¡°But she is your actual family,¡± Drake insisted. ¡°So you think being born into a family means you deserve it?¡± Rin asked curiously. ¡°Of course,¡± he said, flabbergasted. ¡°Why?¡± Rin asked. ¡°You have royal blood,¡± he tried. He was not the first to try to explain to Rin the flimsy reasoning behind blood ties. Frankly, the idea mystified her, but her own family history was confusing. ¡°So everyone keeps telling me,¡± she sighed, ¡°but my ancestors locked me away for their own good while you treated my family as your own: the children, Daniella, Rosaliy. So who has the better understanding of family?¡± His eyebrows rose. He was not absorbing this. Rin could not blame him. Family was something best learned through experience. ¡°But the people I was supposed to protect had to rescue me,¡± Drake pointed out. ¡°It¡¯s a team effort most days,¡± said Alexander. ¡°Merely proves you¡¯re willing to put yourself in harm¡¯s way,¡± agreed Rin. Drake raised his eyebrows and shot a look to Rosaliy. ¡°Yes, they¡¯re serious,¡± she said, not able to stifle her grin anymore. ¡°In all seriousness,¡± said Alexander, ¡°there will be a next time, and if you would rather go back to your vaguely shady past, I¡¯ll only think badly of you once in a while.¡± ¡°Perhaps you shouldn¡¯t strong arm important decisions from the wounded, dearest,¡± Rin suggested. ¡°Me?¡± Alexander teased. ¡°Who could say no to you and your love-based arguments? He¡¯s already decided to stay.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Rin asked, pleased. She thought he seemed rather tenuous about the whole thing. ¡°I promised already,¡± Drake admitted, eyes drifting to Rosaliy while she was busy digging out bandages, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean I understand why it¡¯s so important to everyone that I stay.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± said Rin. This, she understood. ¡°You may not figure that one out for quite a while, but you¡¯re young, so you have plenty of time.¡± ¡°I hear you can pick locks, for one,¡± Alexander said. ¡°How good are you?¡± ¡°Is that a trick question?¡± Drake asked warily. ¡°He¡¯s very good at locks,¡± Rosaliy chimed in. Rin was very good herself, but there had been a locked trunk driving Alexander crazy for moons now. She had no success battling it. Alexander said, ¡°A trick question would be ¡®What type of hard alcohol is best for children?¡¯¡± Those children had returned from comforting the cow and a few horses. Rin felt a twinge of guilt over how normal events like these seemed to them. Their fear of Shrilynda had practically evaporated. ¡°The baby!¡± Lillya gasped, catching a glimpse of turquoise under Rin¡¯s cloak. ¡°Can I hold her, oh, please!¡± ¡°Stay calm,¡± Rin warned the girl, handing over the tiny bundle. ¡°And if she turns orange, you¡¯d best take cover,¡± Alexander warned. ¡°She?¡± Taurin wailed. ¡°You promised to be a boy!¡± The baby did not take the admonishment to heart; she shimmered at the sound of her siblings¡¯ voices, knowing somehow. ¡°Oh,¡± Tansy breathed, eyes mesmerized. Rin would have to keep an eye on her, she sensed, lest Tansy decide to test out the baby¡¯s transformative capabilities. ¡°I think the fire¡¯s out,¡± Lillya suggested brightly, gingerly handing back the now-squirming bundle. ¡°Could I go into the house and see if any of my books survived?¡± Rin nestled the little one back into wrappings under her cloak. ¡°Sure,¡± Alexander answered. ¡°Priorities. I¡¯m standing in a soggy barn, so I might as well be slogging through a soot-damaged husk of house instead.¡± ¡°Hooray!¡± said Lillya, and she scampered off with her father close behind. In an instant, things were as normal as they ever were. At least for Rin. Drake and Rosaliy seemed to be experiencing a fair bit of abnormalcy. Rosaliy finished dabbing another layer of paste around Drake¡¯s wound. The purple lines were already receding. ¡°How does that feel?¡± Rosaliy asked Drake. He shot her a pained look. ¡°Much better, by which I mean it feels like a run-of-the-mill gaping stab wound and not a poisoned one, so thank you.¡± He ended with a tentative smile. Since Rin could not avoid soaking up the emotions of those around her, she did her best not to pry into them at the very least. These two were going to strain that policy. With Rosaliy, Drake was especially guarded and hesitant, which was saying something. Things were strained between them, and he was determining how strained. Rosaliy smiled back at him. She was less conflicted and more relieved. ¡°Well, then stop whining and sit up so I can wrap up your side.¡± Drake gingerly pressed himself to sit, catching sight of his arm for the first time. ¡°I should have asked your permission, but you were dying at the time,¡± Rin apologized. Rosaliy set to wrapping bandages tightly around him while he was distracted. He traced the wings of the dark bird tree on his skin. ¡°What does it mean?¡± he asked. Rin had already answered his question, and it appeared he was going to need time to discover what being a member of her family really meant. ¡°I have one of those,¡± Taurin announced proudly, yanking down the back of his shirt to show the tree below the base of his neck. ¡°It protects you when Tansy tries to zap you with lightning.¡± ¡°Among other things,¡± mused Rin. ¡°Duck, Tansy¡ªstay with Drake, please.¡± ¡°Have you ever ridden a cow?¡± Taurin started in as they left. ¡°They have a cow here.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have much cow wrangling experience,¡± Drake admitted, ¡°but I am familiar with camels.¡± Just like that, he was Tansy and Taurin¡¯s best friend. Rin linked arms with Rosaliy and walked with her. ¡°Rose, remind me to make sure Celia¡¯s animals are all accounted for. Perhaps you can make a list? I was going to have the Bellicus haul away the burned buildings.¡± ¡°That should be¡­interesting,¡± said Rosaliy, smoothing back a few stray hairs that had wriggled from her long ponytail. Rosaliy was good at order and harmony, but although she was exhibiting those emotions, she was not feeling them. ¡°It¡¯s best to keep the Bellicus busy,¡± Rin pointed out. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Rosaliy turned a little pink. ¡°Physically or¡­otherwise?¡± ¡°I care about both things,¡± Rin told her, ¡°but you don¡¯t have to talk about either if you so prefer.¡± ¡°I¡¯m feeling a little muddled, and I think that¡¯s my answer to both questions.¡± ¡°It feels like someone smashed your heart with a hammer,¡± Rin pointed out. ¡°Pretty close,¡± Rosaliy agreed. ¡°Are you ready to talk?¡± Rosaliy waved her off. ¡°You¡¯re far too busy to deal with my problems.¡± ¡°I¡¯m never too busy for you, Rose,¡± Rin promised. ¡°Perhaps doing other things at the same time, but never too busy. I know Drake doesn¡¯t understand what being family means, but surely you don¡¯t need a fumbling speech on the subject?¡± ¡°Do you really consider me family?¡± Rosaliy asked with a touch of incredulity. ¡°Ah me,¡± Rin sighed. ¡°It sounds like I¡¯ll have to prepare a speech after all. None of the heroes of this week are willing to admit their importance.¡± ¡°Oh, no, I¡ª¡± Rosaliy started to object. She and Drake had that in common, it seemed. Rin interrupted her. ¡°There¡¯s no point arguing with me. You¡¯ve been one of my heroes since you were eight.¡± ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating,¡± Rosaliy said, deciding there was a point arguing. ¡°Not a bit,¡± Rin told her. ¡°You¡¯ve been a constant for me.¡± She looked at Rin askance. ¡°Arlana tried to say something like that,¡± she admitted. ¡°That settles things,¡± Rin agreed. ¡°Although you have all created quite a problem for me.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s face went serious. She was always so willing to jump in to solve a problem, even at her own expense. Rin pulled back the cloak to stroke the fluffy purple hair of the baby snuggled underneath. ¡°This little person owes her safety to quite a few people. I¡¯m not sure I can find a name big enough.¡± ¡°You have this problem every time,¡± Rosaliy laughed. ¡°What is today¡¯s name?¡± ¡°Draella Rose,¡± Rin said. A smile spread over Rosaliy¡¯s face as the mish-mash of name bits struck her. ¡°That is a big name for such a little girl. What kind of person is she likely to grow up to be with such a name?¡± ¡°A skilled criminal who can take over the world with her pure heart?¡± Rin suggested. Rosaliy laughed. Considering her namesakes, Rin imagined this new little person was going to be able to be anything she wanted to be. As long as the world did not end first. ¡°I¡¯m going to take advantage of this brief interlude where Shrilynda is too weakened to launch a direct attack to travel a bit,¡± Rin decided, ¡°and you missed your entire vacation with your family.¡± ¡°Oh, I managed to squeeze in a visit,¡± Rosaliy chuckled. ¡°Although I imagine I should tell my parents I¡¯ve survived and your children have been found safe and sound before they launch their own rescue attempt.¡± ¡°Then it¡¯s settled. We¡¯re all going. I haven¡¯t seen Ana and Darrow in years.¡± Rosaliy¡¯s eyes drifted to Drake and the children. They were pestering him for camel stories, and he was fumbling to come up with one that met their demands. A light glinted in Rosaliy¡¯s eyes when she said, ¡°That sounds wonderful.¡± The End