The Osha castle rose before them days later. Phoenix pulled her cloak tighter, feeling much too encumbered and warm in the heavy material. Maverick and Eric had forced it on her, and with good reason--she'd be spotted too easily with her tattooed bare arms in the middle of winter.

"We don't exactly look like everyone else," Eric said, making sure his cloak had a drooping hood to hide his face.

"I don't know." Maverick eyed them both. "We look pretty conspicuous by hiding our faces, don't we?"

"Not in Osha." Eric tied his horse to a pole outside the stables outside the city gate. "Not if you know where to go."

Eric wasn't wrong, Phoenix realized, as he led them through the gate and immediately into a back alley. Most of the people they passed wore cloaks just as obscuring as theirs. She wasn't sure what good it would do once they actually reached the center of town and the castle.

"We'll wait until night falls," Eric said, pointing up at the afternoon sun. "We'll hide better in the dark. No one will notice our cloaks or faces in the shadows."

"And you know how to get into the castle without being seen?" Maverick asked.

Eric let out a snort of laughter. "Of course I do. I spent my childhood searching for secret passageways and entrances. Found a few. I doubt the Militia knows about all of them."

"Why are there so many people milling about?" Maverick asked, staring at the packed area.

"Where do you think they're keeping them, the dungeon?" Phoenix asked. They'd come to a stop at the opening of an alley facing the front of the castle. The ominous black building loomed over them, casting a shadow to the east as the sun made its descent in the west.

"I don't know. Maybe their--" Eric stopped, straightened, and waved his hand to keep them quiet, pointing up at the large balcony used for public announcements.

Phoenix's mouth dropped open. Several individuals had crossed onto the balcony dressed in such ridiculous splendor, the light shining off of their outfits almost forced Phoenix to look away.

Mygel, Helena, Roman, Aundreya, and Noelle stood abreast at the balcony railing, staring down at the people gathered below them. Mygel, Phoenix was glad to see, wore a sleeveless top that displayed the burns Phoenix had given her.

I hope they hurt.

Aundreya wore the most resplendent outfit of sparkling gold, which somehow made her features even more striking than usual. Her dress was twice as voluminous as necessary, and she wore a tiara of diamonds. Beside her, Noelle wore a dress of deep rose, not as puffy, but equally as lovely.

Helena, at Roman's right, dressed more muted than the others--a matronly bronze dress covered her, her silver hair twisted up in a bronze circlet. Beside her, in the center of the five, stood Roman. He wore a deep crimson tunic with a sapphire blue jerkin. A golden crown circled his head, and Phoenix's heart sank.

"Noelle," Maverick breathed to her right. "What have they done to you?"

Phoenix shifted her attention back to Noelle, ignoring the dress and looking up at her friend's face. A large, grotesque scar cut down the middle of Noelle's face. Even as her heart broke, something about the scar inspired Phoenix, and she tucked the thought away.

"My good people," Roman said, beaming down at the gathered crowd. "I thank you for your presence today. As your king--"

"Wait, what?" Maverick said, too loudly. Eric pounced on him, covering his mouth and pushing him into the shadows. A few people looked around but turned their attention back to the balcony.

"--I want to keep you safe and happy." Roman hadn't stopped, unaware of the minor disturbance. "Word has spread that a rebellion rises against us. Towns are afraid of a new ruler, and they want to cling to the Tremaine ways that have failed us so greatly in the past."

There were boos from the audience. Phoenix snorted in disgust.

"We don't want to be like those who came before us," Roman said, gesturing beside him to Aundreya. "In the past, Queen Narissa murdered anyone who sneezed in a way that displeased her. But there still needs to be law and order, and because of this, those who fight against the crown must make a choice."

"What choice?" a voice called out from the audience.

"Swear allegiance to the crown, or face the consequences," Roman said. "If they choose to defy my rule, they still have a decision--they can be executed, or they can be banished."

"Banishment is as good as execution!" It was a woman's voice this time, and she sounded panicked. Phoenix couldn't find her in the crowd, but she saw Helena's face shift slightly as she murmured something under her breath.

"My people," Aundreya said, her voice loud and as grating to Phoenix as ever. "Don't be afraid." She slipped her hand over Noelle's, and Phoenix felt the magnitude of Aundreya's power grow around her. "You are good and true, and you will never turn against your king. As the fiancee to King Roman, the future queen of Braskey, I ask--nay, I demand your loyalty. You owe everything to us, and you agree to our conditions of safety. Tell me you agree. Cheer for me."

The crowd shouted, raising its arms and cheering, chanting Aundreya's name. Phoenix rolled her eyes, her fingers itching to shoot a fireball right up into Aundreya's face. This was the perfect place for her--she could use her gift at will and demand adulation. Everything Aundreya ever wanted.

"There are others coming," Aundreya continued once the crowd quieted down. "Others who would want to hurt your king and queen." More boos and hisses. "These people will come claiming to be rightful heirs to the throne--they will have Guardians with amazing powers, and they will want to destroy us all. You mustn't let them. You must fight for your rulers. You must take up arms and die for us. Do you understand?"

Phoenix could see Aundreya clenched Noelle's hand now, the latter amplifying Aundreya's power as far as she could. It would take everything, Phoenix knew, to convince others to die for her. Scanning the crowd, she could see many people ready to do as Aundreya asked, but others looked less sure.

"She's trying to preempt us," Eric whispered, he and Maverick having reappeared. "I'd love to see the look on her face if she knew we were here listening. Or at least the two of us."

Maverick squinted up at the balcony, his mouth moving as he tried to read Aundreya's lips. Thick, yellowish white wax stuck out of his ears, blocking his hearing.

"Good call," Phoenix said. "How are you doing?"

"She's trying to reach too many at once," Eric replied. "I don't feel even minutely compelled to do anything she says. It's facing her one on one that I fear."

Several more minutes of Aundreya encouraging the people of Osha to die passed before they finished.

"We will close the gates each night," Roman said, pointing in the direction of the entrance of town. "To keep our citizens safe. If you're caught outside the gate after darkness falls, you won't be allowed in until morning. Thank you for understanding."

The crowd cheered as the Roman, Aundreya, and the rest disappeared back into the castle.

"They're afraid," Phoenix said, pressing her lips together. "Good." She hadn't liked seeing Roman and Noelle like that, standing with Aundreya, Helena, and Mygel. It churned her stomach to think of them as her enemies.

"What now?" Maverick shouted.

"Now," Eric said, pulling some of the wax out of Maverick's right ear. "We wait until dark."

"This isn't good." Maverick's jaw clenched, his eyes still fixed on the balcony. Phoenix could feel his tumbling emotions---fear, hurt, and anger. "We need to move up the plan. We need to be ready to fight. If we can't get them out--"

"How are we supposed to send word?" Phoenix asked. "It's not like we can trust an Osha messenger. We--what are you doing?" She stared at Eric, who had dropped down to a cross-legged position, his eyes screwed shut.

"Shh--I'm busy."

"Busy doing what?"

He sucked in a long breath and exhaled in the same measure. After the third breath, Eric's eyes flew open. "There--I think that worked."

"What worked?" Phoenix asked, her tone tinged with annoyance.

"I think I just connected with Samson--Castor--and let him know to get everyone into position. Either that or just had a relaxing moment of meditation."

"Let's hope it worked," Maverick said. "I have a feeling we're walking into our doom."

LET'S GET INTO THAT CASTLE, Y'ALL!

But first, reactions to Roman now being touted as king, Aundreya professing herself as his fiance, and Noelle's compliance in it all.