When I awoke the next morning, it took me a minute to realize that my legs weren't hurting. Throwing back the covers, I peered at my inner thighs. Well, would you look at that—the redness and soreness was gone! I was definitely smuggling that ointment tin back home.

Rachael was already up and perched on the window seat, looking down on the street below. She waved me over. Rubbing sleep from my eyes and giving a great yawn, I padded over to the window and squatted down beside my cousin.

"It's like watching a movie ... but we're in it," Rachael breathed, leaning up against the window. "Horse-drawn carts, folks in dresses and trousers, quaint little shops, elves ... !" She trailed off and ended up just shaking her head.

I ran a hand through my hair, which had a tendency to stand up in odd places during the night. "I know," I agreed. In many ways, it was truly fantastical.

"Do you think we can look around later? After we've found Jimmy?"

As much as I agreed with her, I had to play the party-pooper. "I don't think that would be a good idea. There's a reason why Leihalani has us trooping around looking like cultists."

Rachael sighed and tossed her hair over one shoulder. "Yeah, I know that. But maybe after the Convergence?"

That was a tougher question. "I don't know, Rach." I sighed and shifted on the floor. Knowing how the general human population reacted to the mass coming-out of our supernatural community over a century ago, I didn't have high hopes for an open-armed welcome. I told Rachael as much.

"Yeah, you're probably right." Rachael curled her arms around her knees, drawing them up to her chin.

I stood up and tapped her lightly on the knee. "Better take a bath and get dressed. We're supposed to have breakfast with Leihalani."

"You go first. I want to watch for a little while longer."

Shrugging, I trudged into the bathroom. Our set up was the same as Leihalani's, except far less ostentatious. My quest for a bath was immediately put on hold because, as I realized with a start, there was only one spigot on the tub. You couldn't tell me that in a world where they used runic magic to pump water through pipes that everyone was taking cold baths.

As I puzzled over this dilemma, I noticed an oval-shaped stone about the size of my palm sitting on a corner of the tub. Hmm, I thought, picking up the lava rock. Was this some sort of pumice stone? Or ... I dropped it into the tub. As soon as it hit the water, it began to bubble.

"How about that," I marveled as a gentle steam rose from the tub.

Pleased to have figured out the bath puzzle, I stripped and sank into the warm waters.

Some time later, washed and dressed—with cloaks—Rachael and I made our way down the hall to Leihalani's room. I knocked on the door and stepped back.

A muffled shout from what sounded like Leihalani echoed behind the door. Rachael and I exchanged shocked looks. Before we could do anything, the door swung open mere seconds later. But the person standing in the doorway was not Leihalani.

It was an elven man.

He was tall, at least six feet, with golden brown skin, silvery eyes and long, dark brown hair that was caught back in a short queue at the base of his neck. A silver circlet of oak leaves and acorns rested on his brow. All of the elven men I'd seen on our journey had been good-looking, but this one was on a whole new level, with a strong, square jaw that was somewhat toned down his high cheekbones. And when he smiled, butterflies involuntarily fluttered in my stomach.

Was it warm in here, or was it me?

"Ah, the humans who kidnapped my sister," the man said dryly, causing all butterflies to flee immediately.

Rachael and I looked at each other with growing horror. I took a small step forward, one arm reaching out to push Rachael out of his way. Could I spare bursting out of these clothes to defend the two of us? Laughing, the elven man leaned against the doorframe and crossed his arms. "Oh, it's quite all right," he said with a grin. "Come in. I cannot say that I've met humans if you keep backing away."

Pushing away from the door, he turned and strolled into the suite.

"That wasn't funny," Rachael muttered, frowning.

I had to agree.

We walked into the suite and closed the door behind us. Leihalani sat at the table with all sorts of breakfast foods covering it. Her brother slid into the seat opposite her and gestured for us to join them.

"Kes," she chastised, shaking her head. "Alina, Rachael, please come and sit. You may ignore my brother—I often do." He chuckled at that and took a sip of tea.

We sat down and I looked to Leihalani for an explanation.

"Ladies, this is my brother, Kesio," Leihalani said by way of introduction. "I was not expecting him." She leaned forward and arched a feathery brow at her brother.

"You speak of me as if I am the plague, Leiha," her brother sighed, unbuttoning his green and gold embroidered jacket. Slipping it from his shoulders, he hung it on the back of his chair. Beneath the jacket was a white shirt that did nothing to hide the fact that while he was lean he was also quite muscular.

So much for the myth of tall, willowy elves, I thought, right before I wrenched my eyes from his physique. If only his hair was short. I had never been one of those girls who found long hair on men a desirable quality—even if they were built like action stars.

Hmph. I gave a mental snort and shifted on the chair. Look at me, talking as if I had a snowball's chance in hell. Plain girls probably didn't even register on this man's radar. Why would they, when every elven woman I'd seen was beautiful?

"I had to come and see you when the message arrived from Captain Ashlore," Kesio continued. "Two humans from the Otherlands seeking a boy who was stolen from their city? Why wouldn't I be intrigued?"

"You're only here because you dismissed your latest paramour and are bored," Leihalani retorted, folding her arms defensively and glaring across the table at her brother.

Rachael bit her lip and squirmed in her seat.

"Uhm," I said, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with this turn of conversation. "Shall we leave you two?"

Kesio flashed me a disarming smile. "No, you needn't go. It's an old argument between my sister and I." Leihalani rolled her silver eyes dismissively. "I'm sure that you two have your own sisterly squabbles."

"She's actually my cousin," Rachael said, pointing at me. "I have two older brothers."

"Well, you certainly had me fooled. I thought you might be siblings with that raven hair and purple eyes." The elven man flashed a smile. I wasn't quite sure if he was one of those guys who liked to disarm women with their good looks for sport, or if he was genuinely being friendly. "And you?" Kesio asked, looking right at me.

God, he was a charmer, but I wasn't completely naïve or stupid. "I have an older brother as well." Strange, how I could see Richard's and mine dynamics play out between the two elven siblings.

Leihalani sighed. "Kes, let them eat. We've got to get on the road to Sabbach."

As she said that, my stomach conveniently rumbled.

Kesio glanced at the food, as if he'd forgotten it was there. "Ah, Onye take me. My apologies, ladies. Please, eat."

We managed to fill our plates, but as soon as we started eating, Kesio remarked, "So, you must tell me how you managed to capture a Summer princess. My sister has been quite coy on that matter."

I nearly spit out my oatmeal. "P-princess?" I choked out as Rachael pounded me between the shoulder blades. "You're a princess?"

Leihalani shot her brother a dark look and threw her napkin at his face. "You couldn't keep it a secret, could you, you insufferable asshole?"

Kesio swiped the napkin off the top of his head, smirked, and returned it to the table.

As I gulped down some juice, Rachael leaned forward. "Is that why everyone was stumbling over themselves?" she asked. "You told them not to address you as 'princess'?"

Swallowing hard, I dabbed at the corners of my eyes. Hm, Rachael was more perceptive than I gave her credit for. I thought something had been off, but chalked it up to normal human—or, in this case, elven—conversational ticks. But Rachael—she saw straight through it.

Leihalani folded her arms, defiantly staring at her brother. "Yes, I did it for protection. How was I to know how you would treat a royal prisoner?"

Well, she had us there. I doubted we would have treated her any differently had she revealed to us such information, but I understood where she was coming from.

"So, what does that make you?" Rachael asked, looking at Kesio.

"The crown prince," Leihalani muttered, shoving bread and jam into her mouth while she shot daggers across the table at her brother.

"Now, now, Leiha, you aren't giving me my due deference," he chided her gently.

Leihalani spit a long stream of liquid, Celtic-sounding invectives at him.

I didn't know what she was saying, but he was definitely an asshole.

"So," I said as Leihalani finished and sat back, fuming, "are you here to help us find Jimmy?"

He sighed dramatically. "Unfortunately. Mother insisted when I informed her."

Mother? The queen, perhaps?

" 'Unfortunately'?" Rachael repeated, eyes darkening. "How is a missing kid 'unfortunate'?"

Certainly, my aunt and uncle would want me to remind Rachael of her manners, but in this case, I let the kid go off. I didn't care if he was the Crown Prince of Summer. A missing kid wasn't a joke.

Kesio's silver eyes flickered between us three women. An uneasy smile replaced his smarmy expression and he held up both hands. "My apologies, dear lady. I mis-spoke."

"Like hell you did," Rachael muttered.

"Okay, Rach," I said, holding up a warning finger. I didn't want to start a war.

Kesio took a deep breath. "So, what does this boy look like?"

"About yea-high," Rachael said, hand hovering six inches over the table. "Sandy blond hair, gap teeth. Typical kid."

The crown prince's lips quirked, mercurial in his moods. "I've no idea what a typical human child looks like," he told her. "Still, there are many villages they could have escaped to in the timeline you gave." Cracking his knuckles, he leaned back in the chair, folding his hands behind his head. "And who is to say that his captors are even of Summer? The Spring border is barely a day's ride from that Gate."

I paused with the fork half-way to my mouth. Slowly, I lowered it to my plate. "Are we going about it the wrong way?" I whispered, biting the knuckle of my index finger. Were we doomed before we really started?

Rachael turned to me. "We didn't even think to search at the Gate. Should we go back and try?"

It was a solid suggestion, one that I was actively considering until Leihalani offered one of her own. "We can continue to Everfell. There are four villages between here and the manor. If you cannot find a scent, we'll turn back and search the border. How does that sound?"

What other plan did we have, other than completely canvassing an entire mystery island? One that I still had no idea of its size.

"You forget that the main highway also passes through Everfell," Kesio pointed out. "We can check with the toll takers to see if they noticed a boy matching your description came through."

Leihalani arched an eyebrow. " 'We', Kes? Who said that you were coming along?"

"Mother did. I told you so."

"I don't care what Mama said. You're not coming with us."

Kesio leaned forward, staring at his sister from across the table. "I'm certain our mother would disagree with you." He cocked his head to the side. "Despite what you may think of me, Leiha, I am not a simpering fop. I have a working brain and military training."

"And how are we going to keep a low profile with you and your two Tsolas?" the princess retorted, rising in her chair. "Did you think of that?"

Oh, boy. "Uh ..." I raised a shaky pointer finger. This was getting too heated for my comfort level. Rachael looked as if she wanted to slide beneath the table, muffin in hand. "We're going to head back to our rooms to pack." Despite both of them being royal personages, I didn't wait to be dismissed.

Rachael and I grabbed our cloaks, exited the suite and bolted for our room at the end of the hall. Even as I closed the door, we could still hear the siblings shouting at each other.