I'D NEVER RIDDEN a horse before. I'd never even been close to one until now. It only took me twenty minutes into the ride to realize I hated them. I hated the jostling, how impossible it was to judge the way the animal's next step would land, but most importantly: the awkward and constant bumping between myself and the psycho who killed a monster.

His name was Nicolo. That was what the other guy – Prince Elric – called him. Elric was a prince, and he said Nicolo was a knight. A Chief Monster Extinguisher, apparently.

Sir Nicolo sat behind me, arms bracketed around my sides to hold the reins and guide the massive horse as it lumbered through the woods. I tried my best to sit up straight and avoid any contact whatsoever, but there was the occasional jerking motion that messed up my balance and had my back colliding into his chest, or had his arm brush against me, and I honestly couldn't decide if I wanted to die from embarrassment or wheel around and punch him next. My knuckles still throbbed from punching the other guy – a prince! – but I could do it again. I would do it again if these weirdos tried anything.

I glanced down at the man's hands gripping the reins, and the dark ichor spattered across his gloves. Every time I blinked, I could see that monster staring at us through its hollow eye sockets. I could hear its hiss rasping in my ear –

At least nothing else weird happened yet, though. Nicolo hadn't said a word since the clearing, but Prince Elric more than made up for that. The dude couldn't stop talking, whether it was about the kingdom we were fast approaching, life in his country of Larnwick, or desperately trying to be funny enough to make Claire laugh.

This had to be a fever-dream. It had to be. But there was that monster. My worst nightmares couldn't create something like that, and even then, I would've forced myself awake before it could attack. And we wouldn't still be trapped here.

"We'll reach the capital city of Norcrest soon," Prince Elric said. "In fact, it's just over the next hill. I'm sure you're both anxious to retire. If you'd like, I can launch a search party for your horses and things."

"Cool," I muttered, disinterested.

"Yes, it is," the prince said. Frowning, I cut him a look, only to be met with Claire's furious shut-up-right-now eyes and even more serious or-so-help-me frown. "With us being positioned further north, closest to the Ramdall Mountains, our autumns arrive quickly. Is the climate here different than Velein, Lady Claire?"

Claire's cold gaze snapped in half as soon as she tried to crane her neck around to look at the prince. "Oh yes, Your Highness. Velein can hold onto its warm, especially in the southern region."

Who even was this person sitting on a horse next to me? Certainly not Claire, the girl who would crawl out of her skin at the thought of lying. And yet she was here, speaking like she was from Game of Thrones and glaring at me for having the audacity to not get it. I didn't know what was going on, and I was terrified to ask. All I could do, for once, was let her lead.

"Have you ever been to Velein, Your Highness?" Claire asked.

"I'm ashamed to say I haven't," he replied easily. "Even more so now that I know what could have been waiting for me if I paid the dear Canterwell family a visit."

I rolled my eyes just as the horse I sat on jostled us again. My back rocked into Nicolo's chest for the umpteenth time. "Sorry."

"Would you like my cloak?"

What kind of response was that? I had to turn around next, my still body aching and stiff from the fall. "What?" I asked.

Nicolo smirked, and I really wanted to punch him now. "You said it was cool out."

Oh God. They didn't know what cool meant! "No." I shook my head, hard and fast. "No, I'm good."

"Are you always so against any act of good will, My Lady?" he asked.

"Only when I know it might come with stipulations," I shot back, but I couldn't stop staring at his ichor-stained gloves as they twisted themselves into the reins. "So... you're a chief monster extinguisher?"

Nicolo scoffed. "His Highness thinks himself a jester."

Okay... so that was probably a no. Should I have been lucky he managed to kill it, then? "I was just trying to figure out how that thing... found us."

"It's not unusual for a golem to escape the control of its master and become feral," the man replied. "But they usually hunt magic. It's why they're created."

Of course. Because who could forget magic was a thing?

"It's been stalking the outskirts of Norcrest for days," he went on. "Forgive my suspicion. I only found it odd that it changed its course late last night, and moved fast. It seemed too much a coincidence that it found you in its pandemonium."

Maybe it was.

When Claire started talking about Velien and the mushrooms, I thought she was crazy, but that monster cleared any doubt in one brutal second. I couldn't stop glancing her way, at the place where I knew her book was, nestled safe and hidden in her purse hanging underneath a prince's cloak...

We were in an entirely new world, hiding behind a sheer curtain of lies Claire somehow created. I didn't understand them, but I wasn't about to question them. At least not now. "I guess it's lucky you followed it," I told Nicolo. "Who knew what could've happened if it..."

Actually attacked us? Killed us?

"I don't know what it wanted," I went on. I didn't like how tight my throat was. How hard it felt to get the words out.

"I'm sure it was nothing," Nicolo said. "Creatures like that become senseless without their masters."

"Perhaps we should race up the final hill?" Prince Elric suddenly challenged, a wicked grin on his face that sent cold chills through me. I didn't want to push any speed higher than our horse's current amble. I grabbed onto the protruding bump at the front of the saddle as if it were an emergency brake.

"Go ahead," Nicolo replied. "We'll meet you."

Claire's grin was electric when Elric tapped his horse's sides. He barked out a sharp noise to spur the animal into a canter – or gallop? Were those horse terms? – and blast ahead of us, tearing up the steep hill. Claire's excited laughter faded beyond my range of hearing. My shoulders sagged, but I didn't know if it was from relief of not moving faster, or dread that I was alone with a strange man. Why did Girl Code suddenly mean nothing to her?

Luckily, Nicolo said nothing else, and Claire and Elric waited for us at the top of the hill. The prince swept an arm out, smiling wide and proud. "Allow me to introduce you to Larnwick's northern star, our capital city, Norcrest."

I was only vaguely aware of my mouth dropping open, my eyes widening at the entire city made up of stone and wooden buildings. They fanned up into a massive building set into the mountains that loomed over everything else. It was a castle. We were going to a castle.

"You've come at a wonderful time," Prince Elric went on, urging his horse into walking toward his castle. "Norcrest is preparing for its Autumnal Festival. It's one of the most anticipated events of the year for many besides the subjects of Larnwick. Is that why you've traveled this way, Lady Claire?"

"We're only passing through," I replied before Claire could say anything. Because we were just passing. We needed to find a way to pass through this world and go back to ours!

"Right," Claire agreed. "We wish to tour the continent before the season is over."

"Of course," the prince replied amicably, his winning smile still in place, even if it was slightly forced.

The city of Norcrest was even bigger the closer we got, and it looked like something out of the Renaissance fair Claire dragged me to one time for an extra credit history class assignment, except so much bigger and so much... more real. Women wore dull cotton dresses, men wore breeches and tunics. If we were worried Elric was a liar instead of a prince, the way the people scrambled to bow or shout things like, "Hail the star of Larnwick!" or "Grace to His Highness!" kept him honest.

It was surreal. So many dirty faces rushed up to us and offered flowers, whole live chickens, bread, and other goods in favor of the royal Von Stetten family. We were the center of their attention. It wasn't like I wasn't used to that when I played in front of audiences, but... this was different. Whenever I met their eyes, I didn't see excitement or anticipation. I saw need. Overwhelming adoration. Proof that Elric was something way more than a celebrity.

Nicolo spurred his horse on to join close by Elric's side. I yelped at the sudden, jerky rush of speed, my back slamming into Nicolo's chest, who managed to balance me easily with one arm while resting his other hand on the hilt of his sword. Crowd control.

I looked at the crowd with a new sort of panic running through me. If anyone was going to hurt the prince, Claire would be in the crossfire.

Elric only accepted the tiniest bouquet of flowers, which he smoothly handed off to Claire. I narrowed my eyes. Elric Von Stetten was also the prince of flirting, it seemed. Then he twisted around and offered me half of the bouquet. "Welcome to my city," he said kindly.

At least he was sincere. Maybe that was why these people liked him... so much.

Maybe too much. They were crowding around the horses now, and I understood why Nicolo maneuvered us so close. The people were starting to block our way. Before that happened, he nudged Elric. "We need to move," he told him, then to me. "Hold on."

"What –"

The horse bucked forward, startling some of the people aside. I dropped the flowers in favor of grabbing onto the weird handle at the front of the saddle for dear life. "Make way!" Nicolo bellowed, the tenor of his voice vibrating all around me. "Make way for the Prince!"

The people parted easily, and only then did Elric's horse run past us, its hooves thumping hard into the ground. My stomach flipped. Were we about to –

Nicolo's horse streaked forward, renewing all the jostling and bumping in earnest and multiplying it by ten. "Oh my God –" I gasped.

"It will be easier if you relax," Nicolo said, which didn't relax me at all. At least the hand that had hovered over his sword came back around to take the reins, bracketing me in place. If I fell, I'd pull this jerk down with me.

We covered ground fast, climbing up a steady barely noticeable incline leading up to the castle in the mountain. But I still got an eye-full of all the medieval people milling about marketplaces and allies in varying degrees of grunge – and not the 90s kind. Everything looked straight out of the History Channel documentaries history teachers would play in class when they didn't feel like teaching, except this was real. It was all horribly real.

Wait. Did these people have electricity? Plumbing?!

The horses finally slowed once we approached a set of tall gates and two fierce-looking guards, who started moving as soon as they saw us, shouting commands to open the gates. Opening us up to... anything.