Sometime just before midnight, Faryn slipped out of her room. She had arranged to meet with Peter and Cassian in the Hall of Mirrors.

The bedroom she'd been given was much more tastefully decorated than the rest of the palace. It wasn't one solid gold statue. The walls were molded with white gold that also made up her bedframe. The bed itself was draped in clover green. The idea of burying herself in those blankets for a week straight was tempting.

The hallways of the palace were dark, and light only shone from underneath some of the doors she passed.

The train Arlo meant for them to leave on was scheduled for ten in the morning. If she didn't find Ziva in Antimonia, she wasn't sure what she would do—that is if Harumi didn't get her captured first.

She stopped, hearing a door open behind her.

"Faryn?" Arlo.

She turned, facing him. Barely any light spilled through the open door, but it was enough to see that he looked tired. His hair was tousled as if he'd been running his hands through it, and he was still dressed as he had been earlier.

Then again, so was she.

He walked toward her. "What are you doing up?"

"I could ask you the same thing, Lord Arlo."

The corner of his lips turned up. "I have to say I like hearing you call me that."

"Lord?" Faryn tried not to snort. "Aren't you humble?"

He stepped all the way against her, until his chest pressed into her. He took her wrist in his hand, bringing it toward his mouth. "Never." He pressed a kiss over where her pulse pounded under her skin.

She didn't move. She couldn't deny the headiness swirling through her mind. "Ar—Lord Arlo." She kept her voice steady, and he lower their hands.

He titled his head, his eyes searching her face. "You do not want me?"

A month ago she would not have minded in the slightest to learn what it was like to kiss the Ratoncito Pérez, but now, the idea did not appeal to her as much as she would have thought.

He must have taken her silence for an answer because he let go of her wrist. "It's Cassian, isn't it?"

Her eyes widened even though she wasn't surprised by his question, not after how he'd witnessed Cassian behaving around the two of them.

He sighed. "I hope it is him."

"It's—" She blinked "Why?" What Acurial wished for a Fae and an Elf to be together? Even if they didn't kill each other, the drama from the families had to be enough to drive everyone in their vicinity up a wall.

"He could give you what I cannot."

Faryn frowned. "What is that?"

He brushed his fingers down her cheek and smiled sadly at her before stepping back. "Love."

He turned from her, heading down the hallway in the direction Faryn had come.

She let out a shaky breath and gave herself a minute to compose herself. Love? She'd laugh if she wasn't so tired.

*****

Because of her run in with Arlo she was late getting to the Hall of Mirrors, but Peter and Cassian didn't look annoyed.

"Was there a problem?" Peter asked, his eyes running over her as if to ensure himself she was okay.

The hall was largely dark except for a solitary candle on a shelf, reflected by a few of the mirrors.

"I ran into Arlo. That's all."

Cassian's face was drawn tight. "Did he touch you?"

She wasn't sure how to answer that. He had, but Cassian looked ready to pull out a sword and defend her honor if she uttered a yes. And really it wasn't her honor she cared about. It was her reputation. Her life. She was suspected of murder, and if she couldn't clear her name, she'd be ruined to history and be locked away in a cell, hated until she became nothing but an evil being from a fairytale.

"It's fine." She crossed her arms. "Have you ever flown onto a moving train?"

"Haven't had reason to."

Faryn's shoulders slunk. "So you're going to get us killed?"

He leveled her with a long look until she conceded and dropped her gaze. "It won't be a problem."

Peter scuffed the floor with the tip of his shoe. "We may have one problem."

"What?" Fae and Fata asked, Faryn's voice going a little too high.

"Andromeda left for the Spirit Court during dinner, or so she claims."

"You're thinking she's spoken to Winter?" Cassian asked.

"No." Peter shook his head. "I don't know. You know Andromeda, Cassian. I don't."

The Fata's brows furrowed. "I don't think she would. Not when Reyarney is her home. She'd be screwing more than us over. Arlo would be roped in, and she wouldn't risk that."

"And Clíodhna?" Faryn angled herself toward Peter. "Is she still planning to come?"

"Why are you asking me?"

Cassian arched a brow. "Because you spent almost all of dinner trying to get her to talk to you."

Peter scowled. Faryn half expected him to throw up his finger at Cassian.

"She didn't mention it again."

"Oh I'm coming."

The three of them whirled toward the voice and found Clíodhna beside one of the mirrors that came to the floor. Faryn hadn't heard her come in or scented her until now.

"I suppose you probably thought this was an opportune meeting location, one where you can see everything. But I tend to find mirrors to be liars."

Faryn didn't dare take her eyes off the Leprechaun. Clíodhna had a knife strapped to her waist, and the Leprechaun was much better at using one than Faryn was.

"Care to expand on that or do you just like sounding mysterious?" Cassian asked, his voice low.

"I rather like it." Peter walked closer to Clíodhna. "Though I am curious where you came from."

Without looking away from Peter, a bored expression resting on her face, she let her hand hover of the mirror's surface, and the glass slid away faster than Faryn could blink. How many other mirrors in the hall hid a similar secret? Was anyone else watching them?

"Some mirrors are windows," Faryn said, and Clíodhna offered her a small smile.

"Precisely."

The smile hardly put her at ease. "You're coming with us to Antimonia. Why?"

"Straight to it then?" Clíodhna sighed, rolling her shoulders back. "I don't very much like Reyarney."

"What about Rhonium or Actinerium?" Cassian asked, and she shrugged.

"I don't really like them either. Besides I want to help you."

"You do?" Faryn hadn't guessed that. Helping them earlier verses wanting to help them with Winter were two entirely different things. Clíodhna hadn't even known who they were earlier, and she might still have believed the three of them were guilty.

"Yes. Besides you could use my help in case your cousin shows up." Perhaps that was what she was hoping for out of all this—the chance to fight Jack Frost.

"What do you know about Andromeda?" Peter asked.

"That she wouldn't tell Winter about you."

"You're sure?"

"Do I need to repeat myself, oh, Prince of Spring?"

Peter didn't answer, and Clíodhna stifled a yawn before raising her hand to the mirror. "You should all get some sleep. Despite what Cassian thinks, he's not going to have an easy time flying tomorrow." And with that she disappeared through the mirror. 

Is anyone going to Wattcon?