Ash didn't recall falling asleep. After a few more hours practicing her glamours a meal, and a bath, Halawa had insisted both she and Caspian get rest before they had to leave. Even though they'd obliged, Ash didn't believe she'd be able to sleep with the horror of the past and anxiety for the future storming her mind.

Yet she slipped free from the dreamless darkness as someone shook her. One of the older orphans stood over her. "Muli said you need to wake up now," the girl said.

"Thank you," Ash said.

Satisfied she'd done her job, the girl left. Ash arose and made her way to a window. The last rays of the sun streaked the sky with golds and purples. She allowed herself to dwell with the sight for a few moments before turning to a chair that occupied the room.

The orphanage had little in terms of clothing, but Halawa reserved a couple pieces of formal wear for when she had to attend events for funding. One of the pieces lay out over the chair. It was simple, made of pale blue material with silver stitching forming small star bursts. A shimmery, darker blue material ran down the front of the skirt and lined the bottom. Halawa was shorter than Ash, so it would fall to her ankles rather than brushing the floor. Two gloves the same pale blue as the gown accompanied it.

Ash wished she didn't need the outfit. She'd wear her current clothes beneath it, but if something were to happen before she slipped off the dress, she'd have to deal with the folds of the skirt. Worse, though, was that she didn't believe she could return it to Halawa. It may not have been the most expensive of dresses, but it cost at least a typical lune's wages. They'd likely had to save to be able to afford it just so they wouldn't be laughed out of the events they required to keep properly funded.

Unfortunately, her glamour's effects didn't extend to touch, so she needed something to at least resemble the feel of her illusion should anyone brush against her.

She didn't have time to wrestle with her guilt. The sun continued to fall outside. Sighing, she pulled the dress and gloves over her clothing before taking a brush to her hair. She couldn't deny that brushing her recently washed hair felt amazing. Too quickly, she finished the task, and then she left the room and took the stairs down to the main floor.

She found Caspian waiting for her in the foyer. He stood beside Halawa and Muli, a whispered exchange passing between them. The matron reached forward and, cupping his cheeks, pulled him down so their foreheads met.

Just like Ash, he'd received clothing, though his came from Muli. While the dress fit her well outside of the height, the suit jacket he wore fit him strangely. It was wider than what he needed, but he was taller than the jacket was meant to handle, making the material hug his body awkwardly. Still, with his earlier shower giving his hair and skin a softer appearance and the quality of the suit, he looked handsome. Then again, if she were honest with herself, he normally was. His snark and attitude made it impossible to appreciate in most other instances.

Shoving down the unexpected thought, she took in the final piece of their group. Muli had also dressed to play a part. He'd taken something to his greying hair to make it nearly pitch black, and he wore too-big clothes that swallowed up his frame. His own practical disguise for acting as their driver. Although few would pay attention to the man, nobody wanted to risk him being traced back to the plan.

Caspian's eyes found her as soon as he pulled away from Halawa. He took her and her dress in, and his grim expression faltered slightly. He cleared his throat. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Not trusting her voice, she nodded.

"Then come along, children," Muli said. He grabbed a hat from a hook and placed it on his head. "Let's get you to a ball, shall we?"

The men went out first, and Ash followed. Halawa reached out and squeezed her arm as she passed, offering all of her reassurance and confidence in that single touch.

"Do you have the invitation?" Ash asked as she joined Caspian at the bottom of the steps. They'd stowed the horses behind the house, and she spotted Muli rounding the building to retrieve them.

Caspian produced the envelope from the suit's inner pocket. "Of course. Do you have your magic?"

"No, I left it on my bedside table," she said, rolling her eyes. It was a ridiculous question, and she knew he knew it, but it lightened the air, even if only slightly.

"Well, if you're not going to retrieve it, I suppose it's time for plan number eight."

"What about plans two through seven?"

He shrugged as he flashed her a smirk. "They didn't include enough chaos."

She shook her head at him even as she laughed. It felt good, but also strange. She was laughing with Caspian. All it took was their worst nightmare coming true to spark a form of camaraderie between them, perhaps even friendship.

The horses whinnied as they slowed to a stop in front of them, and the tentative ease in the air vanished. Caspian hopped in first, and he offered a hand to help her in after him. Once they'd settled in, he knocked on the wall closest to Muli. The carriage lurched into motion, carrying them to Maewyll.

To their friends.

To great danger.

"Well," Caspian said, tapping his foot against hers. "If we have nothing else to do, we might as well put on our disguises."

"Yes, right." Ash held out her hand, and Caspian placed his atop it. Despite their practice, she'd still yet to learn how to create a glamour in another space without touch. She closed her eyes and pictured Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth. Their forms took shape, and she filled in the details that she'd memorized. Then, as if it were a cloak, Ash slipped Mrs. Wadsworth's appearance over her. The magic sizzled through her before an excess built in her hand. She pushed the second cloak, Mr. Wadsworth, forward, and felt it slip over her target.

When she opened her eyes, a middle-aged man with salt-and-pepper hair sat before her in a deep crimson suit. Near black eyes replaced Caspian's amber ones, and she found that the most disconcerting for some reason. She would need to put him side-by-side with the real Mr. Wadsworth to know how she'd done. Although she knew it wasn't perfect, the glamour was close enough that nobody should have been able to tell.

He assessed her Mrs. Wadsworth glamour and nodded. "If anyone notices that we're not them, I'll swim all the way to the mainland."

"I think you'll need to worry more about escaping the Nimfeli's security if not, well..." She pressed her lips together and dropped her hands into her lap. Her gaze followed her hand's movement in their search for anything that wasn't Caspian.

Wolfbane had told Caspian to come find him. She couldn't imagine the pirate captain would ignore them if he found out his prey was nearby.

She debated asking Caspian about it. Even though she knew the pirate had hunted Caspian, it continued to feel like there was more to the story. The question wouldn't leave her lips, though. Everything was already so heavy. It couldn't be worth it to dig into that past now. If it was anything vital that she needed to know for their mission, he would have told her, she was sure.

Still, the curiosity lingered.

In the end, neither of them spoke as the carriage trundled along. The smooth dirt path eventually changed to bumpy cobblestone. The clatter of wheels and gentle chatter of the city filled the space. She watched buildings pass by, as well as a few stragglers making their way home.

She caught Caspian glancing out the window a few times, but he instantly dropped his gaze and hunched in on himself, expression closed off. Before she thought better of it, she reached over and squeezed his hand. He jumped at the contact, but then he stared at their hands.

As if it were her magic, she tried to channel her assurances into him from their contact. That everything would be okay, that he wasn't alone as he traversed a home that obviously pained him, that he was allowed to hurt.

"I hope you know just how strange this is," he said, lifting his eyes to hers. "There's an old lady whose face only makes me think of obnoxious privilege holding my hand."

As Mr. Wadsworth's lips curled into a smirk so characteristic of Caspian, she couldn't help but laugh. "You're right. This is very uncanny."

He glanced back down before raising his brows at her.

Her hand was still overtop his. Fire lit her cheeks, and she jerked backward. It was his turn to laugh. "You react quite a bit more to embarrassment than anger." He leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees. "It's quite entertaining."

"By the gods, Caspian, can you stop with this while you have that face?"

"But that makes this even funnier. I get to mess with you and the old wart at once."

Before she could respond, the carriage slowed. They both sat straight and searched the windows. Trees replaced the city. A quick check revealed they'd left it behind a hundred feet or so ago. Ash leaned forward and craned her neck to peek ahead of them through the window.

A dozen more carriages inched along in front of them, each leading to a pure white platform with a curving white back wall that reached six or seven feet into the air. Puffy white bundles lined the top of the structure. A couple in the lead carriage stepped out. An armored figure stepped up to them, took something from the man's hand, and then passed it back. The couple stepped forward onto the platform.

A clumpy, rounded chunk broke off the platform and lifted them into the air. Ash's mouth fell open as she watched, and when she saw where they headed, sand filled her mouth.

She'd seen Maewyll from a distance for the past couple of days, but she hadn't understood the sheer size of the cloud island until now. It spanned too far for her to find the sky beyond it, and it only grew as the carriage drew closer to the front. Before she knew it, they stopped before the platform.

Muli's face was pale when he opened the door for them. His wide eyes flicked between the two of them in their glamours, and he whistled quietly. "Right this way, Lord and Lady."

He helped Ash down first, and then Caspian. She waited until Caspian was at her side before she let herself look forward. Her breathing stalled.

Lightstones within pole-mounted lamps, shining light upon the two wardens of the platform. They were humanoid beings, standing upright at six feet, perhaps six and a half in terms of the taller one. Brilliantly shaded feathers flowed from the top and sides of their smooth heads, leaving a small overall of space to showcase their sharp, round eyes and hooked noses. More feathers hung on their arms to form something close to wings, but that ended in talon hands. Their upper bodies were covered mostly in feathers, but mid-way down their stomachs, their bodies shifted to scales, leading all the way down to their reptilian feet. A large, lizard-like tail flicked behind the shorter of the two beings. Both wore a thin vest but nothing else.

During their time practicing, Caspian had produced a book he'd taken from Lorica's office. It detailed what little researchers had gathered about the Nimfeli, and had even shown artistic renditions of the beings. Although the art had been nearly perfect, it couldn't capture how magnificent and terrifying they were.

"Invitation," the shorter one with the tail demanded. From the book, Ash knew this to be a Nimfela, the females of the Nimfeli race.

Caspian retrieved the invitation from the envelope and handed it over. The Nimfela studied it before giving it back.

"Mr. and Mrs. Wadsworth," she told her companion.

The other one, with a larger stature and lacking a tail, would be a Nimfelum, the males of the Nimfeli. He nodded and held up one of the strange ice-like sheets. With a quick flick of a finger, the tip of his talon sharpened to an unnerving point. He dragged it over a spot on the sheet. "You may proceed," he said. "Step upon the platform, and a cumula will take you to the palace."

Nerves rooted Ash in place, but Caspian circled his arm with hers and pulled her forward. Up close, she could tell the platform was made of clouds. There was a soft plushness that no stone could replicate. She braced herself as she placed her foot upon the surface, waiting to sink through, but the cloud held like any stone would. If anything, it felt better, providing just the slightest give and adding comfort to her steps.

They stepped into the center. For a moment, nothing happened, but then the spot beneath them quivered. Her stomach dipped, and wind brushed past her. Before she looked down, she knew what she'd see, but she still couldn't help her little squeak.

The ground grew further away by the second. Only the small cloud they stood upon separated them from a horrible descent.

A low chuckle tickled her ear. "I think you're going to bruise me, Cinders."

She hadn't realized it, but when she'd squealed, she'd also grasped Caspian's arm and drawn herself closer to him. She stayed there, though. It didn't matter that the cloud could have held a third person and still had some space. Too little separated her from the open air.

"Are you not scared?" she asked, loosening her grip but not releasing him entirely.

"Oh, this is terrifying. There's a reason I'm not taking my eyes off you."

She hadn't noticed, but he was staring very pointedly at her, and his skin attempted to match the cloud in its paleness. The sky moved past his head, and despite the fear screaming for her not to, she found herself glancing back toward the ground.

"Eyes on me." Caspian's fingers gripped her chin and forced her to face him again. "It's a lot harder to block out what's past your head if you keep moving it."

He was right. Staring straight at him made it harder to notice everything around them, yet her stomach refused to settle. The pixies danced a new dance, one she didn't know how to interpret.

"It's still so weird staring at this woman's face," he said.

"I could say the same, but it's much better than the alternative."

He raised his brows. "Oh? Is my face that hard to look at?"

She rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant."

"You didn't answer me," he said, smirking. "Should I be hurt? Here I thought women found me irresistible."

"More like unbearable." She said the words, but there was no bite to them. It continued to surprise her how much had shifted between them. A quarter-lune ago, she dreaded his presence, but they had played the grounding force for one another in the last day, keeping each other from being consumed by the darkness of their situation. Also, at the moment, from the sheer terror of flying.

Before he could reply, the cloud faltered, and his words shifted to curses. The foul stream trailed off as they both realized what had caused the change.

The city of Maewyll spread out before them. They'd arrived.

*****

Awwww, bonding time is fun!  They need the lightness of joking because, well... The alternative isn't very fun xP Also, I was sorta just making up stuff for the Nimfeli appearance as I went based on various mythical avian creatures, but then a month or so later, we watched The Rise of the Guardians, and I realized that there's definitely some Toothfairy vibes going on as well xD

Let me know your thoughts on the chapter down below, and if you enjoyed it, don't forget to vote and comment! I also have a discord open to anyone who wants to join, and we have a section there to discuss the book :D Let me know if you want to join!