Aurora sat in the armchair in Thalia's little room and watched as her son read a book to an unconscious girl. She looked horrible, with her sunken cheeks and ashen skin. Rori's heart clenched. It's been almost a week since she had fallen ill and four days since Sky and Gawyn crossed to the Blighted Lands.

And still, they heard nothing.

Kane finished the book and closed it gently. He reluctantly patted Thalia's unmoving hand.

"Mum?"

"Yes, darling?"

"Do you think she can hear us?"

"I don't know. I certainly hope so."

The boy bit his lips and frowned. "It's stupid, talking to her and pretending like she's still there. She looks so frail now. Like she..." his voice broke.

Rori got up and closed his son in a tight embrace.

"It's not stupid." She kissed the top of his head. "Having hope is very important, Kane. I believe Thalia is still in there. She needs a little help to get back to us, and aunt Sky is working on that right now. In the meantime, we must keep her company. It would be terrifying if no one were here, wouldn't it?"

"Yes, it would." Kane sniffled and wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "I'll keep reading then."

"Good. But that's quite enough for today. It's already past your bedtime. You'll come back here tomorrow."

"Fine," the boy huffed in a long-suffering tone. He leaned over the bed and gently kissed Thalia's head.

Aurora walked out to the hall and held the door for him.

Willem was leaning on the wall waiting for her. He smiled at her kindly. Even after they married, he still acted as her guard, not willing to give away this privilege to someone else.

"How are you holding up, Rori?"

"I've been better." She sighed. "I wish we got some news already."

"We will soon. Have faith in your sister. If someone can do it, it's her."

"Yes, you're right. Of course."

"Daddy!" Kane jumped into the man's arms.

"Hello, little knight. I've heard it is bedtime already. Shall we go and let Mummy get some rest too?"

"Yes, but only if you read me a story."

"Fine, let's go then." Willem looked up at Rori. "You'll come soon?"

"Yes, be right there." She nodded with a smile. But it was hard to keep that smile recently. Everything was going wrong, and Aurora had a feeling that they were all drowning while she could do nothing to help.

Aurora watched them disappear into the dark hallways, and then she turned on her heel and walked the other way. She didn't spend much time here, in Evergreen, but she liked the place. It wasn't as pretentious as expected of the manor situated in the Capital, and it had a cosy feeling to it. She was glad that her stunt ended up so well.

Willem often asked her if she ever regretted her decision to manipulate her sister into marrying the man she was supposed to marry, and Aurora always assured him she didn't. But the truth was, the first few months were torture for her.

She couldn't forget the hurt and pain that was so clear on Sky's face when she told her the truth. She was pretty sure her little sister would hate her forever, that she lost her for good. Thinking back, she beat herself up for how poorly she handled the whole situation. Now she could think about dozens of different ways out of it that did not involve breaking her sister's heart. But she was older now and probably a bit wiser too.

When Sky returned home eight years ago, after she was accused of regicide, Rori couldn't be happier, despite the dire circumstances and inevitable threat looming over their heads. Because to her surprise, Sky and Gawyn seemed to be very fond of each other.

She did hope they would be a good fit for each other, considering their personalities, but she was afraid that Sky would be too stubborn and blinded by her hurt to see that. So, when Rori saw them happy together, she felt relief for the first time in months, as her concise was slowly letting go of the guilt.

When they emerged victorious from the Blighted Lands invasion, there was time for them to spend some time together and speak all those unsaid things they were both keeping locked inside. And after that, they both cried and laughed, and the world was whole again. Aurora finally felt at peace.

But it seemed that fate was not kind to them. Peace quickly turned into turmoil in just a few days.

Aurora opened the heavy mansion doors and went outside to the main yard. She hugged herself as it was a chilly night. The sky was clear, and one could see all the stars and crescent moon shining brightly. She wondered if Skylar was looking at the same firmament now, somewhere far away in that cursed place.

The shadow passed through the sky, covering the glittering starlight for a moment. Rori took a step back to make more space, and the magnificent gryphon, white as snow, landed gracefully with a small shriek.

The woman with bright violet hair jumped off the creature's back and walked toward Aurora.

"Are you sure you should sneak from the palace at night without any guard, Your Highness?" Asked Rori with a curtsey.

"Oh, please, spare me a lecture, Aurora." Aliyah scoffed, taking off her leather gloves. "If I dragged the guards with me everywhere I go, I would never get anything done."

A high-pitched shriek pierced the air, and a little wobbly creature jumped off the window on the first floor and soared on small wings to the ground. Gale chirped happily and ran toward her pup.

"Oh, they are so cute together," Rori gushed. She was still not used to seeing those mythical beasts so often.

"They are. Let's leave them to enjoy each other company and move on to business, shall we?" Aliyah said, already walking towards the house.

They settled in a small and comfortable furnished sitting room. Zachariah brought and served them tea and then left, leaving the two women to talk privately.

"So, what's the word at the court now?" Aliyah asked.

"Not good, I'm afraid." Aurora sighed. "People are restless and look for reasons to blame it all on you and your family."

"Not surprising."

"No, but it's getting worse every day. I can sense a difference. Something is brewing there, and it will erupt soon."

Aliyah sipped her tea, thinking for a while. Aurora waited patiently. When Thalia got sick, she came back here to support Skylar. Fortunately, Colart was still strong enough to manage their lands for a few weeks without her assistance. Of course, she wasn't treated as one of the local nobles at court, but she was cunning and good at politics. And, what's most important, she could walk where the Queen herself couldn't, so she acted as her eyes and ears at the court.

"Any suspects?"

Aurora slowly shook her head. "Nothing definite for now. They are good at covering their tracks, and they are careful. Many people are speaking against you, but at the same time, they know to not cross the boundaries of treason. I can name a few possible dissidents, but it's only an educated guess so far."

"Fair enough. What should I be cautious of?"

"The authority of the new general is shaky at best. Gawyn held all the soldiers in a hard grip, to the point that they were more loyal to him than to their own noble houses. But with him gone, the situation is quickly deteriorating. Of course, Jenson is an experienced soldier and commander, but he lacks his predecessor's charisma. I'm afraid that if someone tries to pull an insurrection, the military will be broken down to what we had ten years ago."

Aliyah rubbed her chin in thought. "Yes, I noticed those signs too. But there is not much I can do about that. I need to gain more supporters from the strong, noble families, so the others would be too afraid to pull any dirty tricks due to the threat of immediate retribution. Do you have any candidates for that?"

"Blazehides and Longcutters," Rori said without a pause.

The Queen raised her brow. "Blazehide, I get. They are a family as old as ours and had a lot of respect at the court. But Longcutters? They are barely nobility."

"Yes, but they are keeping all wood industry under their thumb. They are one of a few families pushing forward our economy. The nobles will think twice before betting against them to keep their trading treaties. Also, Jonas always shows you only respect, and he is not participating in any scheming. He's a straightforward kind of man, and once he's loyal, he would stand at your side."

Aliyah nodded slowly. "Just like your father. How is he, by the way?"

"He has better and worse weeks. Right now, he's feeling quite well."

"Good, because I'm not letting you go home just yet. I need your advice here if I hope to survive this crisis." She smirked. "Gawyn would kill me if I lost the throne while he was away."

"Do you think they are all right?" Rori asked.

The smile faded from Aliyah's mouth. "I hope so. They are both capable. We have to trust them."

"I know, but they also are not in their best form right now, aren't they?"

"You know about their... affliction?"

Rori scoffed. "Of course, I know. Not that Sky told me. But she is terrible at lying, so I recently pried the truth out of her. And it worries me."

"Me too," the Queen admitted quietly. "We were looking for the cure for years, but we've got nothing. And the Spirit's answers were clear – they can't live long sharing one soul."

"What if they won't come back?" Rori whispered, barely audible.

"I don't know. I really don't know."