Nikolai slid into an empty chair beside Mischa. "All right. What was it you wanted to tell me?"

    Yuri leaned across the table with a grin. "We found out which of the Knights won't be participating in the tournament and I happen to be friends with one of their servant boys."

    "Friends?" Mischa snickered.

    Yuri rolled his eyes, though amusement shone in their brown depths. "Friends who occasionally spend the night together," he amended. "He works for Sir Alyosha Arlov. I've already spoken to him and he said he could grab Sir Arlov's title papers and bring them to us. Possibly his personal armor as well."

    Nikolai rested his chin in his palm while he thought. "That's one problem solved, but there's still the issue of my appearance. Almost everyone who will be traveling knows me, and Sir Arlov is a well recognized man. I won't be able to pass myself off as him outside of a suit of armor."

    They all stared into their drinks, the ruckus of The Dancing Bear echoing around them. At last, Mischa scratched at his head and spoke. "What about using magic to disguise yourself? Don't Mages know how to do that?"

    "That's what I've heard," Yuri agreed.

    "It might work, but where are we going to find a Mage willing to help out? I'm guessing this isn't the kind of spell that lasts indefinitely. It would have to be reapplied, and we could be traveling for weeks, if not months," Nikolai pointed out.

    "What about the woman who treated me after I was jumped?"

    Mischa brightened with a nod. "I bet she knows the spell."

    "Will she be willing to travel with us?" Nikolai asked.

    Yuri shrugged. "What's the harm in asking?"

    "All right. Let's go ask her."

    "Now?" Yuri lifted his brows.

    "Now. Everyone knows Mages are more active after dark, so if she really is one, she's bound to be awake." Nikolai emptied his tankard and pushed himself to his feet. "And we don't have much time left to make our preparations. I want to get this figured out as soon as possible."

    His friends followed him out of the tavern and into the cobblestone street. Yuri fell in step beside Nikolai while Mischa walked on ahead. "We've got everything figured out with our jobs," he said, gesturing to Mischa as well. "Our employers think we're leaving for Herodion to help with the summer harvest, and that we'll be staying for the autumn harvest as well. Have you spoken to your mother?"

    "Not yet. I'm having a hard time trying to figure out what to say to her," Nikolai sighed. "Lying to Nastasia was awful. Lying to my mother will be even worse."

    "How did the Princess take your dismissal?"

    "She was upset. Volya said she punched him and she pleaded with the King on my behalf. Nothing came of it, of course."

    Yuri gave a slow nod, then elbowed him with a smirk. "Well, I wouldn't say nothing." Nikolai's face flamed and he looked the other way. "Come on, Nik. Admit it."

    "I didn't mean to kiss her. It just happened," Nikolai mumbled.

    "And were either of you upset by that?"

    "No." Nikolai blew out a sigh and shook his head. "But there's no use dwelling on it. I'm entering the tournament for a reason and I need to focus on that."

    They reached Danitza's office and Mischa knocked on the door. Nikolai glanced at the windows, hoping to catch some signs of movement from within the building, but all he saw was dim candlelight seeping through the curtains. Mischa knocked again, then stepped back and folded his arms across his broad chest. They stood there for several minutes before footsteps approached.

    The door opened and a sliver of light spilled onto the street. "What do you want?" Danitza asked, only one of her icy blue eyes visible through the cracked door.

    "I need to speak with you about something," Nikolai said, coming forward. "Preferably somewhere we won't be overheard."

    "I'm busy." The door began to close.

    Yuri jammed his foot in the crevice and yelped. Danitza hauled the door back, her lips curled into a snarl. "It's important," Yuri grunted. "I've got some sudden foot pains you can treat if you need a reason to let us inside." He pointed at his foot. Nikolai ran a hand down his chin with a smothered groan.

    Danitza grabbed Yuri by the wrist and hauled him inside. "Make it quick. I've got work to do." Nikolai and Mischa trailed them into the office.

    Nikolai stared at Danitza in surprise while she closed the door. She was dressed in a sleeveless shirt, and the layered skirt wrapped around her hips fell only to her knees. That wasn't what shocked him however. He was gawking at the dozens of runic markings inked onto her arms and shoulders.

    "You wouldn't have come to me for the help you so desperately need if you weren't aware of what I am," Danitza barked, snapping Nikolai's attention to her face. "What do you want?"

    "I need someone who can use magic to make me look like Sir Alyosha Arlov," Nikolai explained. "I'm going to pose as him to join the tournament, but I won't be able to pass off my face as his."

    "Why would a stableboy want to join a tournament of Knights?" Danitza scoffed. Then, realization flashed across her features. "The Princess those two oafs were teasing you about. She's the prize for winning the tournament."

    "I'm not joining the tournament to win Nastasia's hand. I'm just hoping to make sure that someone worthy does."

    "Really?" Danitza cocked a narrow brow, looking him up and down. "Why don't you just win her for yourself?"

    "Because I would have to lie to her. I'd spend the rest of my life pretending to be someone I'm not, and I can't do that. I've already lied to her once. I won't do so again."

    Danitza began to pace the length of the room. "If I do this, what do I get out of it?"

    "What do you want?" Nikolai asked.

    "A position in the Amethyst Temple, in Olezka," the Mage answered without hesitation. "I want to serve Ismene without fear of persecution and death."

    "We'll do what we can," he promised. "Will you help us?"

    Danitza continued to pace. "I need more assurance. I've heard that the Knights will be traveling to all five kingdoms. Do you know what some of the people do to my kind? If I'm revealed anywhere but Seena, my life is forfeit. Especially in Eldon. They'll cut off my hands, shove them down my throat, and boil me in oil."

    Mischa flinched and Yuri's face took on a green hue. Nikolai swallowed hard. "Your assurance is me." Danitza glanced at him curiously. "I'll be posing as a Knight, a crime punishable by death. And not only that, but my brother is Captain of the Guard and a Knight, and the King and Queen are well acquainted with me. If I'm revealed to them, I'll be executed. That's your assurance. If you're discovered, you can reveal me as well."

    "Nik," Yuri hissed.

    "Very well. I will accompany you," Danitza said.

    Nikolai dipped his chin. "You should inform your family. I don't know how long we'll be gone."

    A wry grin crossed her round lips. "I'm a Mage, remember? I have no family. At least, not one that claims me."

    "I think we might all be able to say that by the end of this," Yuri grumbled.

•༻᯽༺•

    Sleep did not find Nastasia, both because she was avoiding it, and because she was too anxious to rest. The Knights were leaving for Blod in the morning. Questions and concerns plagued her thoughts. Suppose she forgot something? What if she was found out? What if she was wounded or killed? What was she getting herself into? She should just stay at the palace where she'd be safe.

    No. Nastasia thrust the notion aside. I have to go. I've already made up my mind and it's too late to back out now. If I stay, I'll never forgive myself.

    She rolled over and her gaze landed on her armor, packed away in a large set of saddlebags. She'd be riding Moxie when they left. She'd made the decision after watching one of the kitchen maids ride away from the palace on the mare, likely to run some errands. If a kitchen maid was allowed to ride Moxie, surely she could too.

    Nastasia sighed and twisted out of bed. She padded across the room on bare feet and pushed open her balcony doors. The night air was balmy and smelled of dew. She lifted her gaze to the moonlit sky.

    "I'm trusting the visions you've given me. I hope I'm not mistaken in doing so. Whatever my purpose is, let it be to actually serve my people, and not just as a martyr or a pawn. Give me a fate of my own. Don't force me down the same path as the other Moon Blessed."

    She glanced over her shoulder as her bedroom door creaked open. Alexei stumbled towards her, rubbing his eyes and raking his fingers through sleep-mussed hair. "Can't sleep?" He asked.

    "No. You?"

    "I was, but..." Alexei trailed off with a shiver.

    "Did you dream again?"

    He nodded and she held a hand towards him. Alexei joined her by the marble railing and stood close to her side. Nastasia watched him worriedly. Since her brother was very young, he'd often claimed that he didn't dream, except for one rare, but repetitive nightmare.

    "Was anything different this time?"

    "No, and it's still unclear. I know I'm being held against my will. There's a flash of light and darkness. I hear screams and something collides with me. I feel pain, and then I wake up."

    Nastasia said nothing, but wrapped an arm around Alexei's shoulders and drew him closer. She could still recall the first time he'd had the dream. He'd only been five years old, and his screams had put the entire palace on high alert.

    Their parents made him speak to Stepan about it, but even the Soothsayer was puzzled by the dream. At one point, the nightmare came so frequently that Alexei was forced to take a sleeping draught just so he'd sleep through the entire night. Now, the dream came less often, and Alexei didn't talk about it when it did.

    "I'm going to miss you, Nasi," Alexei murmured. "It's going to be lonely without you and Nikolai here. Promise you'll be careful. Promise you'll reveal yourself to Mother and Father if the tournament is too dangerous."

    "I promise." Nastasia hugged her brother before he had a chance to protest. Alexei returned her embrace. "Don't convince your professors to quit all at once," she attempted to joke. "Mother and Father will be very unhappy if they have to find all new ones for you when we return."

    "I make no guarantees," Alexei laughed.