The Queen of Darkness was coming. The Wards around Tenebrarum had been breached. 

That was all Matias could hear throughout dinner that night. He kept an eye on his father—who was pale, slightly shaking, and barely eating.

Cal jerked her chin towards Miles as if to ask, Is he okay?

Matias started tapping and dragging his finger across the tabletop lightly. I'll tell you later.

Meet me in my rooms after dinner? she tapped. 

He nodded once.

A few minutes later, Cal stood up. "I'm retiring for the night. I'll see you in the morning."

He watched her leave and waited for several minutes. Matias rose from his seat, saying that he had guard watches to schedule and bid everyone a good night. 

Matias stepped out into the halls and couldn't see Cal anywhere. He started jogging in the direction of her rooms. After ten minutes, he was knocking on her door.

"Enter," she said.

Matias opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind him. He saw Cal leaning against a wall. She was in a sea-foam green nightgown that stopped just above her knees. Her red hair was unbound and cascaded over her shoulders. She was beautiful—and too good for him.

She pushed off the walk and walked towards him. She was a few feet away when she said, "Matias—"

He closed the distance between them, silencing her with the kiss. His hands were on her waist and—oh, gods, it was a silk nightgown. Cal Pyro was going to be his undoing. Matias picked her up and carried her over to the bed. He paused when Cal pulled back.

"Not ready," she whispered, and he knew what she was talking about. She wasn't ready for the final intimate act. 

"Okay," he said. "I understand. Whenever you're ready."

"Do you want to spend the night in here, though? Just like old times," she asked. "Tell me what you wanted to say."

Matias heaved a sigh. "I think we should sit down for this."

—

Within minutes, they were under the blankets of Cal's bed. Cal was in her nightgown, Matias in his undershorts.

She summoned a ball of light as the sun set, allowing them to see in the dark. 

"What did you want to tell me?" asked Cal.

She heard and felt Matias sigh. "The Wards around Tenebrarum have fallen. That's why you have magic."

Cal twisted around to look Matias in the eyes. "There's more. Something you're not telling me. What is it?"

"The Queen of Darkness is coming."

Her heart dropped. Melania Andhera, the Queen of Tenebrarum, was coming.

"How long do we have?" she asked.

"Hard to tell," he said. "We can have anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks."

She swore. "Was that why Miles was so anxious at dinner?"

"It was."

"Makes sense. Tenebrarum is unstable, and now, fourteen years after it was isolated from the rest of the world, they somehow managed to get through the Wards? Kind of makes me worried, in all honesty."

"I'm sure that everything is going to be okay, Cal."

"I hope so," she said through a yawn, her eyes drooping.

Within minutes, she was out.

—

The sky outside the windows began to lighten as dawn approached. Matias looked down at his friend and her scandalous nightgown. She'd worn his favourite colour. 

Cal's head rested between his shoulder and chest. Carefully, Matias eased Cal off of him and set her head down on a pillow. He looked down at her. She looked so peaceful in sleep. He wished he could freeze this moment in time and live in it forever. 

Matias quickly got dressed and wrote a note, placing the paper on her night table. He quietly ducked into the hallways and made his way to his own rooms.

—

Cal stretched her arm out to the other side of the bed. It was slightly warm. She cracked open an eye. 

There was a piece of paper on her night table. She picked it up and read its contents.

Meet me in the courtyard half-past eleven. Be prepared for sand.

Sand? What was Matias planning that involved sand?

She looked at the clock. It was eleven! Cal jumped out of bed, grabbing the first tunic and pair of pants she could. She threw them on and hastily braided her hair back. Cal ran through the corridors, down multiple flights of stairs, and out into the courtyard. Matias stood there, waiting between two horses. 

"You cut your hair?" she asked him as she got closer.

Matias grinned. "I did."

Cal reached up and ran her fingers through his too-short hair. "You look so cute with bed hair," she pouted.

He chuckled. "Come on. Let's go."

They mounted their horses and rode through the castle gates. People jumped out of the way of their horses, a few of them cursing colourfully at them. They rode all the way to the sandy shores of the Jumelé Droit. They halted, dismounting their horses, and walked closer to the waves crashing on the sand. A rough, cold wind blew in off the water. Cal shivered.

"Why did you bring me here?" she said through chattering teeth. She lit a flame in her palm and savoured its warmth. Cal sat down in the sand next to Matias. 

"Winter is coming," he said. "And I thought that you could get out of the castle for a day."

She smiled. "That's sweet of you."

His eyes moved past her to something in the distance. "What the—"

Cal looked over her shoulder. There were several ships docking in the harbour. All of the ships bore the black and silver flag of Tenebrarum. 

"We need to get back to the castle," she said as they got to their feet.

The Queen of Darkness had arrived.