"Are you sure about this alliance, Nik?" Yuri's soil-brown eyes were dark with wariness. "I don't trust this Silent Knight. He could be anyone. Suppose he takes advantage of this and kills you while you're in the lake? That gets rid of one more competitor for the Princess's hand."

    "I won't die easily with Nastasia's future at stake," Nikolai replied through gritted teeth. He tied half of Alyosha Arlov's shoulder-length hair back and let the rest hang loose. "You should know that."

    "I do, but suppose he figures that out as well? He might try even harder to get rid of you."

    Nikolai exhaled slowly, letting some of the tension ease from his body. He turned and rested a hand on Yuri's shoulder. "I'll be fine. Trust me. Even Danitza told me I have nothing to fear from the Silent Knight. She wouldn't say that without good reason. She stands to gain nothing from my death."

    Yuri didn't protest, but judging from the look in his eyes, he remained unconvinced. "I hope you're right. On another note, I learned something that might actually be useful to you."

    Nikolai raised a brow. "Go on."

    "I overheard an Eldon aide speaking with the Knight he serves. He said there's a system of catacombs beneath Hywel that lead directly to Lake Pontus. The tunnels are partially submerged, so you'll start underwater, not from the surface."

    Nikolai's mouth curled sideways. "That's good, but Danitza also told me there's a plant that grows on the surface of the lake that will allow me to breathe underwater for a time. If we start already underwater, I doubt we'll find the plant."

    Yuri rubbed his stubbled chin thoughtfully. "Let me see if I can find that aide again. I bet I can get some more information out of him. It sounded like he's been down the tunnels himself, so he would know whether or not the plant grows down there." He set off without waiting for Nikolai's approval.

    Nikolai crossed his arms with a faint chuckle. "Where is he going?" Mischa called behind him.

    "To get information. We'll find out if he's successful soon enough."

•༻᯽༺•

    "Are you sure teaming up with Sir Arlov is wise?" Elise asked. "What if he accidentally finds out who you are?"

    "I'll be careful," Nastasia reassured her. "I don't like it either, but I think I'll need his help. The task itself is going to be challenging enough, especially since I can't swim well. Having someone to look out for me will be better than trying to do it by myself."

    "I think it's a great idea." Josephine plopped down on one of her trunks and crossed one leg over the other. She clasped her hands atop her knee with a beaming smile.

    "It gives you a chance to find out more about Sir Arlov's character," she pointed out. "You are here to learn about the contestants for the Princess, after all. I'm sure she'll be pleased to hear that one Knight isn't focused entirely on himself and wants to help another succeed."

    "Only so he can succeed as well," Elise remarked.

    Josephine waved a dismissive hand. "My point still stands."

    "I'll be careful," Nastasia repeated, glancing at Elise. "But Josephine is right. I can use this opportunity to learn more about Sir Arlov. And while I'm doing that, I'd like you two to see if you can find out what Mischa and Yuri are doing here."

    "Why?" Elise asked. "They're Sir Arlov's aides. Do they need another reason to be here?"

    Nastasia pursed her lips. "I was told they were going to Herodion with one of the Princess's friends. She wasn't pleased when I told her that the two of them were here while there's no sign of her friend. She wants to know what's going on, but I haven't been able to investigate."

    "I'll speak with Mischa at some point and see if I can figure anything out," Josephine promised. Her thick lashes fluttered against her cheeks as she smiled. "I've been looking for an excuse to talk to him again."

    "Have you now?" Nastasia laughed. "Well, good luck. I should get going. The other Knights will be grouping together shortly." She took the lower half of her scarf and pinned it back across her face. Josephine and Elise followed her out of the tent, but trailed at an unassuming distance.

•༻᯽༺•

    Nikolai waited as long as possible for Yuri to return before he noticed the other Knights drifting towards the palace. Mischa joined him as he left the tent, but Danitza remained behind.

    "Let's look around the camp quickly and see if we can find Yuri before we join the others," Nikolai said. "If we don't, I doubt I'll get a chance to talk to him before the challenge begins."

    Mischa nodded and broke off in another direction. He remained in Nikolai's line of sight while he searched for Yuri. Nikolai did the same. It wasn't long before he spotted Yuri's blond head. He whistled to Mischa and the man rejoined him. They stood silently beside a tent, waiting for Yuri to finish his conversation.

    He was speaking to an Eldon man, likely the aide he'd sought out to find. The man certainly wasn't dressed like a Knight or a servant. His clothes were of good stock, but not fine by any means. They seemed a little tight-fitted to his tall, well-cut body. It was obvious he didn't lack physical exercise.

    The man had a warm, tanned countenance with a heaping amount of freckles spattered across his face. Long tawny-brown hair was pulled back into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. His eyes were a deep shade of hickory and situated above a narrow nose. He had thin lips and a sharp jawline.

    On anyone else, his features would've been described as severe. But this man didn't give off any hints of severity or coarseness. He was smiling as he spoke to Yuri.

    Minutes later, Yuri caught sight of them. He said something to the man before joining them. The Eldon headed off in the direction of the palace, glancing back over his shoulder once. "Was that the aide you overheard?" Nikolai asked.

    Yuri nodded. "He said his name was Daryn Yale. He serves Sir Gareth."

    "Did you find out more about the catacombs?" Mischa asked.

    "Not much, but I did find out where one of the entrances are and he knew about that plant you mentioned. He told me that it grows anywhere in water so long as it can reach air and soil. It doesn't really need sunlight. It should be growing in the tunnels."

    "I suppose we'll find out," Nikolai replied. "Where's the entrance?"

    "On the eastern outskirts of Hywel. Daryn said it's in a mausoleum in an old graveyard."

    Nikolai grimaced. "Sounds like a fun place to go, especially after having faced Blod's undead."

    Yuri rolled his eyes. "Relax. I don't think this mausoleum is haunted. From what Daryn said, that graveyard hasn't been used in many years, but is kept well maintained."

    "I'll trust you on this, Yuri, but if it gets me killed, you're the one who gets to tell Nastasia."

    Yuri smirked. "I've always wanted to let a Princess cry on my shoulder."

    Nikolai rolled his eyes. "Let's get going."

•༻᯽༺•

    Nastasia shifted nervously beside Sir Arlov, praying that her shadows would remain hidden as she'd commanded them to. If ever there was a time for the Two-Faced Goddess and the Saints of old to heed her prayers, it was now. She was regretting her decision to partner with Sir Arlov more and more, but it was too late to back out now.

    At least the other Knights seem nervous too, Nastasia thought. But who could blame them, knowing what we're about to face? She'd learned her lesson by disregarding the spirits of the Rodt Woods. She wouldn't make the same mistake with the Eyes of Bourne.

    Nastasia had heard stories about them as a child, and they were part of the reason why she'd barely learned how to swim, even when Nikolai and Alexei offered to teach her when they went to the pond in the maze. Legends claimed the Eyes of Bourne were created by a greedy Mage to protect his treasure which he hid at the bottom of Lake Pontus.

    If ever a person attempted to steal one of his precious jewels, the Eyes would wake and induce visions upon the thief. The visions were said to be of a person's worst fear, and while the person was hallucinating, the Eyes would draw them to the bottom of the lake and devour them.

    Nastasia shoved the thoughts from her mind as King Wymond finished his speech and the challenge officially began. The Knights set off and Sir Arlov turned to her. "I learned about a set of catacombs that can take us to a starting point that's already submerged beneath the lake's surface. There should be a plant growing there that can help us breathe underwater."

    Nastasia felt a rush of relief. Knowing she'd be able to breathe underwater, at least for a little while, made her feel slightly better about their odds of surviving. She nodded and followed him towards the nearest gate in the walls surrounding the palace. Josephine and Elise waved as they passed by. Nastasia bowed her head to them and Sir Arlov followed suit.

    Neither of them spoke until they were well beyond the gates of the palace and heading down a city street. Sir Arlov's gaze slid to her. Nastasia stared straight ahead. "Are you nervous?" He asked. "I am. This whole, 'stealing a jewel while surviving giant magical eyeballs,' thing isn't my idea of fun."

    Nastasia swallowed a nervous laugh and nodded. "Oh well," Sir Arlov said with a shrug. "Anything to keep our Princess safe from Andrians, right?" His mouth pressed into a thin line.

    "It still doesn't seem right to me. She's a person, not a pawn. Although, I suppose many would disagree and say that as Princess, that's precisely what she is. You'd think being Moon Blessed would grant her more say in her own life, but instead it has taken it away."

    Nastasia cocked her head. I didn't know Sir Arlov felt so strongly on the matter, she thought. He sounds like Nikolai. She smiled faintly beneath her scarf, chest taut with longing.

    Sir Arlov shook his head suddenly. "Sorry. Sometimes it's just nice to get things off my chest." Nastasia nodded her understanding.

    "The catacomb entrance is in a mausoleum in an old graveyard not far from here. I bet the Eldon Knights have the same idea, so we'll have to be careful and go in after them. I don't want us to get caught and the Eldons do something to prevent us from participating."

    Once more, silence reigned. After nearly twenty minutes of walking, they'd reached the outskirts of Hywel. Nastasia squinted, then pointed to a long stretch of land filled with trees and tombstones. Still almost out of sight was the outline of a stone mausoleum nestled within the trees. Nastasia watched as two men slipped inside and closed a heavy wooden door behind them.

    Sir Arlov took the lead and wound his way through the cemetery, being careful not to tread on any of the graves. Nastasia followed his example. After what she'd seen in Blod, the last thing she wanted to do was upset the dead. They reached the mausoleum and Sir Arlov pushed the door open. Nastasia ducked inside and waited for him to join her.

    Near the back of the stone structure was a moss covered archway. An old stairwell descended into dark unknown depths. "That must be it," Sir Arlov said. He took an old torch off the wall. Nastasia drew her dagger and flint and struck them together, sparking a flame to life. They waited until the light brightened before heading down the stairs.