ANDORRA PUNCHED the man in front of her. She gritted her teeth against the pain, ducking to avoid being hit herself. She widened her legs, regaining her stance, only to be knocked back by a kick to her ribs.

"You're thinking too hard," Vulara sighed, reaching his hand out to her. "You need to be here, not just physically, but mentally too my Queen."

Andorra shook off the pain in her ribs, jumping to her feet. She rolled her shoulders, then tenderly prodded at where Vulara had kicked her. She winced as her fingers passed over the soon-to-be bruised area.

"Sorry. It's just that everything is happening so fast. And war is upon us."

Vulara fell back into his fighting stance. "We're always at war. We're fae."

"But we don't have to be. At war, that is." Andorra tried again, swinging at Vulara and missing him completely. The two of them circled each other for a moment, neither landing a hit, both ducking and jumping out of the way.

Andorra had come a long way since she had first arrived on his doorstep, unsure and lacking any training. Now, Vulara felt proud to call her his pupil, despite the fact that she was Queen. And becoming chummy with royalty had always been against Vulara's moral code.

A creature such as he didn't need to follow any law of the land set by a fae King or Queen, yet he found himself enjoying the young Queen's presence. Young enough to understand empathy and kindness without restraint or hesitancy. Human enough not to know the dangers that had preceded Vulara.

When Andorra clipped his shoulder, Vulara stepped back, hands up in a stop motion. "I think that's enough for tonight."

Andorra was still bouncing on her feet. "I'm not ready to be done." She practiced a few swings against the air, trying to perfect her form. She was still a long way away from becoming a fighting machine, but she felt proud of herself.

"Then you can fight your guard dog." Vulara sent a look to Callum, who had been lounging against the wall for the better part of two hours. His face twisted at the creature's comment, and he bared his teeth.

"Watch it," Callum snarled.

Andorra rolled her eyes. Despite the two of them acting like mortal enemies, Andorra knew the truth: Vulara cared about Callum.

"Callum is no fun. He cheats." Andorra heaved out a sigh, shaking out her limbs. "Fine. I guess we can call it a night."

"I don't cheat!" Callum crossed his arms, darkness crowding his space. "I reject that accusation."

Andorra turned back to Vulara. "Can we fit in time tomorrow to continue practicing? I still have a lot of ground to cover. Plus, you said we could practice fire today, and we ran out of time. You still owe me that."

Vulara waved her off. "Sure. Fire tomorrow. But tonight, I need to finish my duties."

Andorra and Callum followed Vulara upstairs into his shop, the sky outside of the windows beginning to darken with night. Callum didn't bother saying goodbye as he left the shop, but Andorra lingered, stepping towards the counter.

"You're being suspicious, my Queen." Vulara turned his back, reaching for inventory. "What more do you need from me?"

Andorra picked at her fingernails, biting her lip. "Have you heard anything more about the daemonium?"

Vulara shook his head, letting out a long sigh. "You need to go see the Rumplewren yourself. I tried, but he is a fickle creature, and he hates being disturbed. Even by me."

Andorra was hoping she wouldn't have to make the trip to the Woodland Forest, but it was clear she wouldn't have a choice. And, much like visiting the Prophet, Andorra would have to make the trip alone. "Alright. Thank you for trying."

Vulara turned suddenly, stopping her. "Take the Snow Clan Leader."

Andorra's mouth dropped open, surprise washing over her. "Why?" Her mind roared with the possibility that Vulara knew about her and Nohx, and he did, who else knew? Fear swirled in her gut as she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Sir Nohx has a connection with the Rumplewren."

Andorra found herself blinking at Vulara. More questions popped up in her head: why did Nohx have a connection with everyone? How was he close with the Prophet and the Rumplewren? Creatures that were born before the creation of fae?

Vulara misred her expression. "I know you aren't a fan of Sir Nohx, but he will help you. Well, perhaps not, since he is a Winter fae. But it is worth asking him about it. And you are his Queen now. You could force him to help you."

Andorra thanked Vulara for the tip as she hurried from the shop. When she stepped into the alleyway, Callum was staring towards the mouth of the street, his hand reaching out to Andorra. "My Queen, stop where you are."

Callum's name was on Andorra's lips until she spotted the figure standing at the end. Shivers crawled up her spine like spiders. "Kyle?"

"I just want to talk," Kyle called back, hands up in surrender. "Please?"

Callum answered for her. "No."

Kyle shifted, moving forward a step. "Andy, please."

Andorra crossed her arms, solidifying Callum's response. This wasn't Kyle, the boy who had asked her to the dance. This was Kyle, the man who had kidnapped her and wanted to erase her memories.

"You heard Callum. The answer is no." Andorra stepped closer to Callum, reaching for his arm. "You should go back to the Sun Clan, Kyle. You aren't wanted here in the Royal Court."

"Andy, please!" His voice broke, and he staggered forward as if he planned on grabbing her. Andorra drew both Callum and herself into the inbetween, shutting Kyle off completely. The two of them watched as Kyle stumbled, his knees hitting the cobblestone, his hands grasping his chest.

Andorra's head tilted. "Is he dying?"

The sight of Kyle slumping over in the street had something in Andorra's chest tightening. Something was wrong, and she knew that. She stepped closer to see what was happening to him. "Why is he acting like that?"

"It doesn't matter. He isn't our issue." Callum crossed his arms. "We should get back to the castle."

Andorra's human heart thumped in her chest at the sight of Kyle laying there, shaking. She didn't think it was an act, but she couldn't be sure. Not after he had spent weeks deceiving her. Not after Blakeley had given him the task of erasing her memories.

When they arrived at the castle, Andorra found herself having to blink away the memory of Kyle on the cobbled street. She didn't bother saying goodbye to Callum as she climbed the steps to the second floor, trying to rub away the sudden chill in her arms. The notion that something was wrong tickled at the back of her neck.

"Andy!" Andorra turned her head, watching as Eve rushed down the hallway towards her. "We need to talk. Now."

When Eve was close enough, she ushered Andorra into the Royal Council room. When the door snicked closed, Eve was rounding the table. "I have some intel. About the daemonium."

Andorra slid into one of the chairs, not bothering with sitting at the head of the table. "What?"

"A few neighborhood children saw Roseria in the woods that day. They distinctly described her as standing there, watching. I don't think it's a coincidence that she was spotted in the Summer Court at the same time as the daemonium."

"Okay. But we kind of already knew it was her. I'm struggling to understand her motive, other than killing us off. But why target all summer fae? Why target all of these random people?"

"That's not all. They found this."

Eve placed a vial on the table. It was missing a label, and to Andorra, it looked empty and plain. She picked it up, turning it in her hands, even bringing it to her nose to smell. The odor had Andorra pulling back, her nose scrunching.

"That came from her father, I'm sure of it." Eve declared. "And the smell? We had it tested in the Summer Court. It's a medicine of some sort. Not poisonous."

"Medicine for her? Or for the daemonium?"

"Unsure. Probably her. But I'm pretty positive Roseria doesn't have any ailments."

Andorra thought about that for a moment. She turned the vial over in her hand, trying to make sense of the clue as if she were a detective. But nothing was popping up in her mind, not right then at least.

"Well, maybe she'll have to come back and visit her father. If she needs medicine."

Eve nodded. "I think that's exactly it. I think she'll come crawling back to the Royal Court for whatever that is. And then we can catch her."

Andorra stood up. "I think we should pay her father a visit."

"I think you're exactly right."