The bowstring groans as I pull back, using all my strength to aim the bow at the target. My arms shake, my elbow rising and falling with uncertainty, and Renit's figure in the corner of my eye does not help manners. After all these days of training, I figured I would be used to the way he stands there, watching me with his arms crossed over his chest.

But today I've realized that no matter what I do, I'll never get used to him judging me. Maybe if I stopped trying so hard to please him...

"You're thinking too much, spitfire," Renit points out. I click my tongue and release the arrow, missing the target by a large number of feet. The arrow soars over the top and lands in a bush, nestling itself deep within the dark and thick branches. Renit watches it the entire way and frowns. That's another I'll have to go digging for. "Your sister is doing much better. Why don't you watch her?"

I roll my eyes, landing on Celestine, who grins at me. Renit nods at her and she pulls the arrow back, her hands steady and her spine straight. She calculates the target, the distance, and the amount of strength she needs to send that arrow into the air. With a smooth release of her fingers from the fletching, the arrow soars through the air at a perfect arc and hits the outside of the target.

Celestine winks at me. "That's how it's done," she purrs.

In return, I scowl and turn back to Renit. "Why do I have to learn this? Isn't my power enough?"

"You know what titanium bands do to witches. If your power is gone, you need something to back you up. Knowing how to use a weapon is a great resource and one you should know," Renit explains. He steps towards me and forces the bow back up. Pulling an arrow from the quiver at my hip, he hands it to me and gestures towards the target once more.

I pull the arrow back and Renit adjusts my aim, moving my arm down in the slightest before adjusting my elbow. He knocks a fist against my spine and I straighten. "Instead of that, I can have a prince escort me around. That seems much more useful."

Renit snickers close to my ear. "As tempting as that is...I have better things to do," he whispers.

Hiding my smile, I focus my attention back on the target in front of me.

It's been a week since the king left. We haven't heard any news and with every passing second, Renit is becoming more impatient. I caught him devising a team to head out to the flower meadows and forced him to stop, we would receive news when it came. Either the king will come back alive or he will not. That is something Renit will have to wait for.

Along with Renit's impatience, his boredom has grown as well. We tried training our powers in the clearing but he knows everything there is to know about his and watching me wasn't entertaining enough. This morning, when I was sleeping, he threw a bow on the bed and told me to get ready.

I had to go back to my chambers and take a bath—I've been sleeping in his bed every night after we shared that moment together. And it hasn't been strange. Instead, I've found myself having the best sleep of my life knowing that someone is there, like all those years Celestine and I shared a room. Just hearing his breathing in the middle of the night is enough to calm my soul.

Not only am I the target of his boredom but Celestine is as well. He asked her if she wanted to learn something, a witch of gardens is at a disadvantage. Their power doesn't revolve around strength and Celestine, innocent Celestine, needs to know something to survive. He didn't mention what happened to Darlene but I know those are his intentions behind teaching us, the prince doesn't want us to end up like her.

Dead. Because she couldn't defend herself in time to save her life and their son.

I adjust to Renit's changes and aim towards the target. For the first time in hours, I'm confident in my release and I let that arrow fly. It knocks against the outside of the target and breaks, landing in the grass in a small heap.

"Close enough," he sighs.

Celestine's arrow smacks against the outer ring in the center of the target and she releases a squeal of excitement. This is how I used to feel when the citizens of Arego fawned over her and I was left out to dry. She was always better at everything—I never had the advantage when it came to skills, Celestine soaked them up after one or two tries while it took me days to master something.

This is no different. But Renit doesn't pry and I thank him for that. Otherwise, the arrows might be traveling in a completely different direction.

I keep practicing, one arrow after the other until my quiver is empty and I have no choice but to search for the scattered remains of those in the bushes.

Once all the arrows are picked up, I look towards the Silas's tower and the darkened window to his chambers. Is it possible he's watching us? I haven't seen him since that day, neither has Celestine, and he's kept himself locked up ever since. The same goes for Hallie, they've both been missing from the natural hustle and bustle of the castle.

Not even Renit has gone to see his brother. If I wasn't welcome, there's little chance Silas wants to see anyone. I still can't get the emptiness of his face out of my mind; he looked nothing like the crown prince I've grown to know. It's a process, I assume, to find the light in his life again. All of us will have to be patient.

That's grueling for Celestine when he was one of her closest friends. They used to see each other every day and even went so far as to hang out with each other. Once the obliteration of the courtyard took place, Silas didn't want to see her either. Had kicked her out of his chambers when he said he wanted to be alone.

To witness Silas's decay had been disheartening for Celestine. She's said as such, had told Renit the same. If anyone grasps Silas the best, that is his brother. He commanded we leave him alone until Silas is feeling restored.

"While you may specialize in a sharp wit, the same does not go for weaponry." I look over to find the source of the voice, finding Dalis smirking at me.

Celestine giggles, cupping a hand over her mouth to keep from outright laughing at me. At least she has the gallantry to do that. I point the tip of an arrow at her after I pull it from a bush. "I can do much more than you think with a sharp wit," I joke.

Dalis wears a tunic of solid blue to match her eyes and enhance her golden earrings. In the kitchens, she is nothing but determined and out here, in the courtyard, she appears out of place. I've never seen such relaxation on her face or smoothness in her steps as she takes the bow from Renit's hand and aims at the target with such perfect form that the prince raises his dark brows.

The arrow she releases hits directly in the center of the target, nor a hair left or right. Not too high or not too low. Celestine gapes and I can't stop myself from doing the same. Even Renit appears mildly impressed.

"I'll have to teach you ladies a lesson or two before—"

Although Renit had been smiling a moment ago, his skin blanches and horror like I've never seen before crosses his gaze. I follow his stare, as do Dalis and Celestine, towards the castle gates. They're being opened and entering is one man on one horse. There's no one else with him.

Ignoring the arrows in my hands, I move to stand next to Renit, gripping his arm tight. The servants tending to the nearby gardens turn hushed as they witness who is entering. The clopping of hooves is the only sound throughout the entire courtyard and I stop breathing, just for a moment, as the king's eyes shift to us and lock on.

He's alive. The king's alive.

We don't wait to be summoned. Renit immediately follows his father after he disappears through the doors of the castle with a flurry of guards, healers, and servants following after him. They need to know if their king is all right, they need to provide a service if he needs it.

I follow Renit, leaving Celestine and Dalis in the courtyard—bows slack in their hands. I have a feeling they won't be training after this. Both of them knew what was to come of this plan, the king was not supposed to be the sole member of the group that returned.

As I'm jogging towards Renit to follow him, shouting erupts from the gates and the hinges groan as they're opened again. I turn quickly to see who happened to be lucky enough to survive this mission, whether they gathered prisoners or not, but I find Binx riding in on his horse, clutching his shoulder.

Dalis is there immediately, asking if he needs assistance. An arrow sticks through one side and out the other, blood staining his already crumpled tunic. My attention doesn't stick on him for long as I'm quickly winding through the halls, following Renit's hasty moving frame as he makes his way towards the throne room. Even if his father hadn't summoned him, that is where they are to go. Immediately.

The Marrons aren't fools.

The king is tired, his steps are unhurried, and when he walks up the dais steps, I get a good look at the blood stains over his tunic. I thought that to be the color he was wearing but...that is blood. Each inch of the fabric is covered with it. A shiver snakes down my spine as I realize his hands are covered in it as well; the substance of someone's life is caked on his face and hair.

Renit and I exchange a tentative stare but the king trickles down onto his throne and taps the toe of his boot on the marble. He's exhausted. This is the first time I've seen the king something other than himself, excruciatingly scary and overpowering. He's always been strong and never faltered in showing that but whatever happened in those flower meadows...it was not for the faint of heart.

"Report, please," Renit says. Ever the warrior.

The king rubs a blood-crusted hand along his forehead. "I encountered the rebels in the flower meadows at an abandoned farm, like you said," he explains. That hand gestures towards me and Renit tries to not appear offended. "There was a large group of them, each armed with not only their powers but their weapons. Each one of my guards was taken down in the fight except for Binx. I killed a large number of those rebels and left the few to die. Their injuries would have taken them down eventually."

His lips curl into a sneer.

"Are you well? Did they injure you?" Renit asks.

"No, they didn't touch me. My...condition is a result of beheadings and chasing down those that attempted to flee. Some did. The rebels are still out there." He slams the side of his fist onto the armrest of his throne, disappointed.

That means Bren might still be alive but there's a large chance he's dead. My stomach sinks as I realize that I could have sent my best friend into a bloody mission meant only to end terribly. We should have known; the king would always prove to be stronger than the rest. Especially with a group of guards on his side, the rebels didn't stand a chance.

I worry for Bren, for Tesha, for Akeno. Even if I wasn't welcome in their little rebellion, they still deserved to have lives without the king looming over their heads. That's why we crafted that plan in the first place. So innocent witches could live.

But he's sitting here now, on the throne that I expected to hold Silas in a matter of days. We will not be receiving a new leader any time soon.

"You did everything you could, father. You cannot fault yourself for leaving some behind." Renit bows his head in appreciation to his father but I know it's all a show. He told me himself that his father's death was the best for the kingdom and I can see the hint of disappointment in his eyes that he has to even consider moving to bow. I would much rather bow to his brother.

"No, you're right, son. I cannot fault myself at a time like this. We need to make plans. The forces that I encountered were not all that existed in the rebellion, there are more out there and I need to do something to find them." He waggles his finger in the air as some bit of realization hits him. "I need to find them and I need to start building forces against them. We don't know their strength." The king's eyes dart back and forth, staring at nothing in the marble floors beneath his feet.

It still sickens me to be in this room where my parents lost their heads. The stench of blood is forever in my nose when I walk in here; the faint, shrill screams whisper in my ears and the sight of my parents comes back in flashes. I miss them terribly.

"What are you planning?" Renit dares to inquire. Such a bold question from a prince to his king.

"I will send out forces to scour the flower meadows, they'll search for rebels hiding out on abandoned farms or any other locations. Another group will be sent out to Fosux to deal with the threat there, since you two never reached it. In the meantime, I have another mission for the two of you," the king orders.

My blood runs cold. Even Renit stiffens. Another mission, we'll go on another mission—together. I have no doubt the prince who has fought in wars and suffered endless amounts of injuries is willing to take on this mission. He'll never show that he fears the worst or doesn't want to go entirely.

"We will do anything you ask of us," I say easily. There's no backing out of this now. If we disobey, the king might realize something is wrong.

The king's lips curl into a sickening grin. "Of course, you will. After what you did to my courtyard, you wouldn't want to disappoint me."

My cheeks heat with embarrassment but I hardly let that show. Casting my eyes down to the floor is the only way to show my obedience to the king while making it look like that is the case. Instead, I'm trying to hide my shame for speaking in the first place. Renit used to stop me when I spoke out of turn but when he can't find the words at a time like this, I will take that leap and speak for him.

Turning back to his son, the king delivers what we are to do. "There is a mix of ancient power throughout this kingdom. The first witches created crystals and stones of different strengths to assist in events of threat. I want you to retrieve those treasures for me, they're placed throughout the kingdom."

Renit and I exchange a wary glance. "How many crystals are there?" He asks.

"Four," the king responds quickly. "I will have servants searching for the ancient texts in the library. For now, that is all you need to know. You leave tomorrow morning or as soon as that information is discovered somewhere on the shelves. I would suggest bidding your goodbyes to loved ones. This could be a very long mission."

"We will do as we are ordered, father." Renit grabs my wrist gently and as he bows, tugs me down with him. I try to make my bow look genuine but my entire body is numb.

I'm going to be leaving again. I'll have to leave Celestine behind when doing it the first time was enough to unsettle my stresses. I don't trust the king with her but in the short time we've been here, she's spent most of her time with Hallie or Dalis—two very strong witches that will not allow the king to touch her.

I can put my faith in them. These missions are why the king needed a Grounding for his son. Leaving Celestine and this castle behind to explore the kingdom are what was to be expected from this new life of mine. And I cannot stop because I fear someone will take advantage of my sister without my watchful eye.

On our way back to Renit's chambers, I try to think of all the possible outcomes. The king needs these crystals and if they're in dangerous parts of the kingdom, I'll have no choice but to engage those that threaten this mission.

This is the first step in the life I was ordered to have. And yet, I couldn't prepare myself for what is to come.