IT HAD BEEN TWO NIGHTS SINCE ELLIOT'S ARRIVAL and Valencia still hadn't spoken to him about her nightmares. The dark haired man didn't seem to care anyway; he floated around the Lehuan palace as if he owned it. He chatted up all the girls who melted at his gorgeous smile and dreamy grey eyes. Valencia, however, never budged her strictly-business attitude during the few times Elliot tried to confront her.

After a meeting with the Lehuan legislature, Valencia decided her nightmares should be the least of her problems. With her midsummer ball and her tour of the countryside coming up, Valencia could not afford to have her nightmares come in the way of their success.

As she made her way to her library, Valencia instructed a guard to bring Elliot to her. Golden sunshine filled her library with warmth. Her perfectly clean, oak desk reminded her of when she called Ophelia to the library a few days back. The empress sighed loudly — she wished Ophelia and her didn't have a problem. But when the statement came out about Ophelia's mistake in identifying the arsonist, the detective refused to speak to Valencia.

Perhaps it was Valencia who made a mistake. No, the empress thought, Ophelia has to learn.

Agreed, her devil replied suddenly, no one betrays the empress.

She was shocked to hear the devil's voice in her mind. He usually didn't creep up on her like that. Nevertheless, Valencia liked what he said. Ophelia couldn't withhold information from her — she had a witness from the fire and didn't tell Valencia — and get away with it. Ophelia lost Valencia's trust.

Just then, Elliot sauntered into the room wearing pinstripe bottoms and a crisp, white shirt. Valencia wondered where he got those clothes from because it sure hadn't been her. She told her guards to stand outside.

"Empress," he guessed, "I assume you want to talk about your nightmares. Finally. I almost thought you forgot about me: your friend!"

Valencia pointed at the seat in front of her, choosing to ignore Elliot's comment. "Take a seat. The midsummer ball is next week and I don't want my dreams troubling me."

"Then talk," Elliot said.

"There's this one dream I have oftenly," she paused, "I'm in the dark forest. I'm running from this group of men. They're fast, but I'm faster. I trip over a jagged rock and fall into some bushes. Thorns prickle my skin and my knees ache with pain. Blood oozes out. The men come..."

Valencia takes in a deep breath.

"You can take a minute," Elliot said.

"No," she continued, "The men surround me and I fear the worst. They claw at my skin with sharp, blackened nails. It peels off so easily. I see the face of a man I once knew and trusted. He rips my organs out one by one and leaves me there, dead and surrounded by my own blood. The animals come and feast and I wake up grateful that I no longer live in that satellite state."

A painful silence filled the room. Valencia wondered if she scared him off the way she was pushing Ophelia away.

"Have you spoken to this man recently?" Elliot finally asked.

Valencia looked away. "No."

"It might help," Elliot suggested, "as long as it's safe to do so."

"No," she repeated.

"There is an elixir," Elliot said after another long silence, "which will stop your nightmares. I'll get it for you as long as you promise to continue being honest with me about your nightmares, your past, your future. Whatever you need."

Valencia looked at him the way those girls he courted did. She never knew such an elixir existed in Lehua. "Who has it?"

"Leave that to me," Elliot said, "but will you promise?"

"Are you always this kind?" Valencia questioned.

He'll never be as kind as me, her devil thundered, He'll never care for you like I do.

"Ah, empress," Elliot said as he made his way to the door, "for you, anything."

"Then I'll be honest," Valencia said, knowing her devil's disapproval, "but you must know that honesty works both ways. And what we speak about is private. If rumors spread, just remember, you are still my prisoner."

"No one betrays the empress," Elliot stated before exiting the library.

At least there's one thing we agree on, her devil said.

Valencia shuddered at the fact that Elliot spoke what her devil had told her just moments before his arrival.

• • •

ELLIOT ENTERED CASPIAN'S FAMILY HOME and was immediately welcomed by the former prince. The smile plastered on Caspian's face made Elliot believe that he expected information. But Elliot didn't have enough to make Caspian happy.

"So?" Caspian said as they walked deeper into the house.

"She has nightmares," Elliot began, "she's only told me one so far, but there was a man in her dream that she seems to fear or hate. I want to find out more about him, but I can't push her too far. There's also a ball coming up, if that's important to you."

"The midsummer ball," Caspian said, "that's perfect. And this man — you find out more about him."

"Is the doctor here?" Elliot asked.

Caspian furrowed his eyebrows. "Yes, but why?"

"I told Valencia that I would get her an elixir to stop her nightmares," Elliot explained, "in exchange for her to continue confiding with me. May I?"

Caspian pointed at the door that led to the basement. "Whatever you need."

With a nod, Elliot headed to the basement, which had been converted to a lab for Dr. Auden Oberlin. The doctor, a close friend to the former empress Cyra Stone, lived and worked with the family. Cyra loved how he used both science and magic in his craft. Auden's lab was brightly lit and somehow cleaner than Valencia's library — A clean freak, Elliot thought of her.

Auden's bloodshot green eyes barely looked over Elliot. He was busy pouring a blue liquid into a flask.

"What?" the doctor asked.

"I need an elixir that'll stop nightmares."

Auden stopped what he was doing to look at Elliot. "For who?"

"Just get the elixir," Elliot demanded.

Elliot expected Auden to ask another question. Instead, Dr. Oberlin went into his cabinet and pulled out a small glass bottle full of a clear liquid. "There are repercussions. When dealing with magic like this, taken from another land, one must be wary that the magic can be taken back. Worse, the mage may unleash his full wrath on whomever drinks this elixir."

Although magic was uncommon in Lehua, it existed in abundance in neighboring countries. Elliot didn't like the terms. The idea of a mage possibly killing Valencia didn't garuntee Caspian's return to the throne.

"Are you saying you stole this elixir?" Elliot wanted clarification.

Auden slid the bottle across the table seperating them. "Take it or leave it. I've told you the price."

He grasped the bottle and left the lab without another word. Elliot promised Valencia this elixir and he was determined to get it to her — whether or not the mage wanted his magic back.