super long chapter! i apologize in advance haha. i couldn't figure out how to split it...

The three boxes of pizza were left empty by the end of the dinner, and they had all retired to their respective rooms. At eight o' clock, Sophia was coming back to the room from the kitchen where she had gone to get a glass of water when she bumped into James.

"Hey," he said. "I was just about to ask you guys if you wanted to play cards. Valentino, Loren, and Adrian are coming to the kitchen now."

"I'll ask Samantha," she said, turning the doorknob to the room and pushing open the door. James nodded and headed towards the kitchen.

A couple minutes later- Samantha took awhile to get ready no matter where she was going- they were making their way out the door.

"Something's going on," Sophia heard a voice say from the kitchen- James? She couldn't tell. "I mean, Clio's been gone for days and then Kaly gets called to Asteri this morning?"

"Maybe something's up with the Praei." It was unmistakably Loren's voice- soft and light.

"I don't think so. Why would a Loteira be called into a Praei problem?"

"I think it has something to do with the Viperi invasion in the Ice Kingdom." At the mention of that night, Sophia's heart began to beat faster, ringing in her ears. "Think about it. Clio was called in the day after the Queen was killed. What else could it be?"

They seemed to notice her then- James, Valentino, and Loren. Adrian had joined them, and all four of them were staring at her with varying degrees of guilt and horror on their faces. She wasn't sure who had been talking, but every one of them was silent now.

"Sophia," James began, forehead creasing worriedly.

"It's fine," she interrupted, waving a hand through the air. "Don't worry about it." Was it fine? She didn't know. The mystik Celia had put on her seemed to have muffled her emotions whenever that night was brought up. She wasn't sure exactly what she was feeling, but she was sure that she didn't want them to look at her they way they were, with pity in their eyes.

Only Valentino wasn't looking at her that way. Instead, his eyes were narrowed at her, something that looked like suspicion or confusion rather than pity in them. But the look passed and he turned back to the game.

"Are you guys joining?" James called from his chair, leaning around Valentino to look at them. Samantha looked at Sophia questioningly.

"You go ahead," Sophia said. "I think I'm going to sit this one out."

"Are you sure?" Samantha's voice was concerned. She looked as James had, with worry in her eyes.

"Yeah, of course," said Sophia, trying hard to make her voice light. She waved her off. "Go, I'll be fine."

Samantha knew her long enough to know when to stop arguing and she left, sliding into the empty chair beside Loren. Sophia turned away and headed towards the elevator. The down-button lit up as she pressed it, the number displayed above the elevator climbing as it rocketed past the floors. 98, 99, 100.

A bright ding sounded and the doors opened, the light from the floor lamp reflected in the metal. She stepped in, pressing the lobby button and stared out the elevator's one clear wall as the doors closed. The cars and street down below drew increasingly nearer as the elevator shot down, the people walking on the sidewalks growing more detailed as she arrived at the lobby.

She didn't know why she was upset, exactly, or if she even was upset; she just knew that she couldn't bear staying in that kitchen, with everyone seemingly walking on eggshells around her, any longer. She hated it.

Sophia stepped out of the elevator; for once, the lobby wasn't crowded, only a few scatterings of staff and students walking around. It was dark outside now, the sky a curious shade of indigo. She paused for a moment, unsure of where to go next; she hadn't exactly planned this out in much detail.

"Sophia." The voice came from beside her- a boy's voice, low and familiar. She turned around.

It was Valentino, his expression as devoid of humor as she had ever seen it.

"Valentino?" she asked. "What are you doing here?"

He ignored her question.. "Walk with me." He headed out the door, and after a moment of hesitation, she followed.

The air was crisp and cool outside, the stillness marred only by a slight breeze that rustled the treetops. Valentino didn't speak, heading towards the dark expanse of trees across from them. Central Park.

They entered the park, trees towering above them, their branches reaching out on either side of the path. This late at night, there was barely any people there, only a few sitting on the benches, laughing to a companion.

The two of them arrived in a somewhat excluded area, only an elderly couple sitting on a bench present. They sat down and Valentino finally spoke, looking over at her. His eyes were sober, not even a hint of amusement in them. Sophia felt a flutter of nervousness in the base of her stomach.

"James hasn't known loss," he finally said. "At least, not the kind of loss that comes with losing someone you love, so he doesn't know what it should look like. I do."

Sophia had a sinking feeling that she knew what he was getting at, but she didn't want to admit it. "What?"

"In the academy, when Adrian mentioned your mom-" Ah, so it was Adrian. "You didn't even flinch. Usually, when people die, you still grieve for them- months, even years later." His voice held no emotion as he continued. "Losing someone feels like a hole in your chest that will never go away, never fill. Sometimes, you still feel their presence around you, like a phantom limb but you learn to get past it, to keep living regardless. It never really heals, but it becomes normal. Ordinary." His eyes flashed towards her. "You don't seem to feel that way. I saw your eyes back there, when your mom was mentioned. Even now. There's no grief in them, not as much as there should be. So what happened?"

She didn't answer right away, breaking her gaze from his and pulling a knee up to her chest. She turned to look out at the park, the trees and bushes black outlines in the darkness. Streetlights here and there illuminated the asphalt path winding up and down the hills. Beyond, she could just make out the lights of the city and the rumble of the cars as they made their way down the streets.

"Valentino, can I ask you something?" she finally said, turning to glance at him. Even in the darkness his eyes shone a deep gold, the light from the nearby streetlamp casting a darker, orange tone over them.

He looked over at her, eyebrow raised. "What is it?"

"If you had been given the option to temporarily remove yourself from all that pain, would you take it?" She held her breath, heartbeat quickening as she waited for his response. She remembered Celia, remembered the mystik she had cast on her back in Velçare, except now, she was beginning to wonder if it had been the right choice.

Valentino shifted slightly, and she could feel the brush of his sweatshirt sleeve against her arm. He looked down at his hands, linked in front of him, hesitating, "I don't know," he finally said. "I don't think I'd want to have all that pain taken away, become numb to it, and then have it all rush back. I think I'd break." His voice had softened to a whisper at the end, his expression unreadable. And then there was a tinge of amusement in his voice again, but it was a dark sort of amusement. "Which isn't exactly new to me."

"Well, I did it," Sophia said. She didn't look at him in fear she might break herself. "My aunt, Celia, cast a mystik on me the day after my- after Bayleigh died." She bowed her head. "People have been coming up to me, telling me they're sorry about my mother, but I don't feel anything. Upstairs, when Adrian was talking about it, I couldn't even tell what I was feeling. I don't even think I recognize myself." She didn't exactly know why she was telling him all of this, this boy that she had barely just met, yet she felt as if she'd known him for far longer than she had. Her voice was beginning to shake and hated herself for it.

Valentino didn't speak right away, turning to glance at her. "It's coming back, isn't it? The emotions? The pain?"

She steadied herself, raising her head. "It wasn't supposed to. Celia said that when it returned, there's no warning; you don't expect it." She looked sideways at him.

He was looking back at her, eyes unreadable. "I'm not going to pretend to know how this mystik works, but I understand why you did it, I guess. I'm not sure I wouldn't have made the same choice, in your situation." He rose gracefully to his feet, looking down at her. "Come on, let's go back."

She walked beside him as they headed back to the academy, both of them silent. Talking about what had happened had brought the memories back- sharp and detailed as if it had happened so recently- which, of course, it had. She remembered the shock she had felt, standing above the lobby and watching the Viperi swarm into the Palace; she remembered the fear and panic that had threatened to choke her as Juliana had held her back; she remembered the flashing blades and shouts and the look on her mother's face as Sophia knelt beside her.

She glanced down at the phone in her hand, wishing that she could call or text Juliana but she knew phones-any electronic device from the mortal world, really- wouldn't work between worlds.

The lobby had become emptier when they returned, the elevators empty. Valentino stepped in first, Sophia following. It was uncomfortably silent, neither of them knowing what to say. The ride to their floor was agonizingly slow, the only sound the ticking of the floor numbers steadily increasing and the rush of the elevator as it speeded upwards.

It finally coasted to a stop, the doors sliding open. Sophia got out first, scanning the floor. The lounge was empty, the only light coming from the ceiling light in the kitchen. The hallway leading to Kaly's office and the training room was dark- it seemed as if the audie still hadn't returned from Asteri.

"Looks like Kaly hasn't made it back yet," Valentino said beside her, echoing her thoughts. He sighed. "At the rate our government works, it's a surprise the whole of Asteri hasn't collapsed in the process."

Sophia ignored him. "Before I came in, when you guys were in the kitchen, what were you talking about?"

He looked slightly surprised, as if he hadn't expected her to ask that question. "It's just weird that Clio and Kaly got called in. I mean, it's normal for Clio to be in a meeting in Asteri, but not Kaly. Adrian was saying that it might have something to do with the Viperi invasion, since Clio was called in the morning after."

Sophia frowned. "I never really thought about that. It was strange that the Viperi were even able to enter Asteri at all, much less the Ice Palace. There were supposed to be aegises protecting both the kingdom and the palace from attacks like that one."

Valentino glanced at her, puzzled. "The Viperi came through a Gateway, didn't they? Why was it even there?"

Sophia shrugged. "There's always an open Gateway in the lobby, just in case anyone needs to go somewhere quickly or if an ambassador is arriving from a different kingdom. It had never posed any threat before."

Valentino looked thoughtful, hopping up onto the back of a couch. "So either someone messed with the Gateway or the aegises. Or both."

Sophia frowned at him. "But that would mean the person was in the kingdom or the Palace when it happened." Sudden fear struck her, her heartbeat rising quickly and the hairs on her arm going on end. "If that's true, then whoever instituted the attack could still be there." Juliana could be in danger.

She didn't say it, but Valentino seemed to know what she meant. "The Praei increased the security in all government and capital buildings, so your sister should be fine. Besides, we don't know that that's what happened. In fact, no foul play could've been involved at all."

She was still uneasy. "I don't know." She couldn't lose her sister, not after she had just lost her mother. She knew she'd break for sure. Sophia turned to Valentino. "I'm going to go to bed. Thanks for listening to me," she added with a light laugh.

He grinned at her. "Alright. See you tomorrow."

"Bye." As soon as he had turned around, she hurried toward the training room, searching for a weapon. She spotted a dagger first, lying on the ground in the shadows. Grabbing it quickly, she raced out of the training room and burst into the room she shared with Samantha.

Panic and urgency must have been clear on her face because Samantha stood up immediately, putting her laptop down. "What's going on?"

"I need to talk to my sister," Sophia responded, grabbing a warmer jacket from the closet; the Ice Kingdom was usually a few degrees colder than other places. "If you want to come, I'll explain on the way."

"Alright," Samantha took the jacket she had thrown over the back of the chair and slipped it on immediately. "Let's go."

Sophia held the dagger up, pointing it at the blank wall before her and concentrating. "Partum porta." A faint spark appeared, followed by a dull roaring sound as the Gateway expanded into a shadowy circle. "Ice Palace, Velcare," Sophia said loudly, and the scene inside the Gateway changed to the lobby of the Palace, new guards stationed near the walls like wax statues.

Taking a deep breath, Sophia stepped into the Gateway, feeling Samantha's reassuring presence behind her. A whirlwind of sparks consumed them almost immediately, wind rushing past them. And then it was over.

They stumbled out into the bright lights of the palace lobby, the guards all raising their swords in one fluid motion. Sophia rolled to her feet, facing them. Some of the guards seemed to recognize her- the old ones, she assumed, before the Praei assigned more after the invasion. They lowered their weapons slightly, but the others looked on, stony faced.

Sophia glanced at Samantha, only to find her friend looking back at her uneasily. Sophia didn't want to fight the guards, and even if she did, the two of them against twenty guards were not chances she wanted to take.

"Stop!" a voice called out from the bannister at the top of the stairs. "Stand down." Sophia recognized the voice instantly, but she still looked up, one hand above her eyes to block out the glaring light from the chandelier.

Juliana was standing at the top of the stairs, in full regalia. She was wearing a royal blue lightsuit, a silvery cloak with the Altus family crest embroidered in white in the center draped across her shoulders and hanging down her back. She raced down the stairs, running up to Sophia and embracing her tightly. "Sophie! I've missed you so much."

Sophia hugged her back, inhaling her sister's familiar floral scent. "Hi, Jules."

Juliana pulled back, looking intently at her with dark blue eyes. "What are you doing here, Soph? Did something happen?"

Sophia suddenly remembered her promise to let Samantha know what was going on before they arrived. Oops, too late. "Everything's fine," she told Juliana. "I just- I wanted to talk to you." She glanced around at the guards. "Alone."

Juliana stood up. "Come on, we'll go to a meeting room." The two of them, along with Samantha, made their way through the lobby and into one of the meeting rooms in the back of the palace. They entered, and Juliana shut the door firmly behind them.

The meeting room was small, a oval table surrounded by office chairs in the center taking up most of the space. "Talk to me," Jules said, sitting down and looking at Sophia expectantly.

Sophia sat down across from her, Samantha at her side. "I think the invasion was organized by someone- here, in the palace," she said without introduction.

Juliana blanched. "What? Why would you think that?"

"Think about it," Sophia said earnestly, leaning forward. "No Viperus has been able to get through the aegises protecting Asteri and the kingdom and the palace. Somehow, masses of them were able to come through the Gateway, straight into the lobby of the palace. How could that have happened, unless someone tampered with the aegises or the Gateway?"

Juliana seemed at a loss for words, and beside Sophia, Samantha was gaping at her, open-mouthed. Juliana finally spoke. "I can see where you're coming from, Soph, but so many things could've happened accidentally that would've allowed the Viperi into the palace. The Praei and the Vanguard are investigating it now, and I'm sure it's nothing." When she saw Sophia open her mouth to argue, she added, "Besides, even if it was someone in the palace, I have thousands of guards to protect me. Don't worry, Sophia, I'll be fine."

Sophia frowned at her sister. "You know Praei investigations never get anywhere."

It was Samantha who spoke next, her voice thoughtful. "I agree with you, Soph, that it might've been someone in the palace. But even so, what could you or Juliana possibly do? It's not like she can just leave- she's the queen now," Sam pointed out. "And there's no way you could protect the entire kingdom either."

"The Praei and the Vanguard could," Sophia protested, but she already knew Samantha was right. Whatever danger there was, she couldn't protect Juliana or her kingdom from it. Even if she did tell the Praei, what were the odds that they'd even believe her? Sophia clenched her fist tightly; she had never felt so helpless.

Juliana rose to her feet lithely, the silver cloak rippling behind her. It refracted the light from the ceiling onto the walls like a fluid sheet of metal. Sophia had one too, but she had left it in the closet upstairs. There hadn't been enough room in her suitcase to fit the cloak in.

"Thank you for the warning, Sophie," Juliana said. "You're welcome to stay the night, of course, but I assume you didn't get permission to leave Joie Hall?"

Sophia looked at her. "Just be careful, Jules, okay? Don't end up like..." She trailed off, realizing that unlike her, Juliana still felt every dash of pain clearly.

Her sister nodded. "I will."

Samantha stood. "We should be getting back. Kaly will be returning soon, and if she sees us gone, she'll probably freak."

Sophia sighed, pushing her chair back and rising. "We can show ourselves out," she told Juliana. "Bye, Jules, and be careful. Don't let your guard down."

Juliana opened the door for them, her voice gentle. "I'll be okay, Sophia. I promise."

They left the room, heading back towards the Gateway in the lobby. Unease had settled in the pit of Sophia's stomach and she gripped the dagger she was holding more tightly. "I don't like this," she muttered, as they stepped in front of the portal.

"Me neither," Samantha responded, "but there's nothing we can do. We just have to trust that the Praei knows what it's doing." She glanced at her. "Are you ready to go?" At Sophia's nod, she turned to gaze at the Gateway, sparking before them. "Joie Hall," she said, and stepped through. Sophia followed, and the Ice Palace dissolved around her into a million fiery sparks. 

A/N: hey guys! hope you enjoyed :)) please leave any feedback you have as well as vote/comment! love you all xx

dedication: dedicating this chapter to JustMiah17!!! her story Accidentally In War is soso good so please give it a read!! <