Rachael rocketed out of the chair as we emerged from the hallway. "Well, what happened? Did they squeal?" Her excitement quelled as soon as she saw my face. "Aly ...?"

Leihalani put an arm around my cousin and guided her to the other side of the room. "I'll explain."

Casting my eyes around the room, I found a chair, slumped into it and stared dejectedly at my sneakers. What the hell had I done back there? That wasn't me—was it? I'd never used my snow leopard form to threaten anyone before. It was one of the first lessons we were taught as children: being a shapeshifter didn't mean that you were better than anyone else, nor did it give you permission to be a bully.

I'd disappointed my entire clan with that stunt. God, I felt like utter shit.

Kesio and the captain stood by the lone desk. Propping my head up on one arm, I stared off into the distance and listened to their conversation.

"How soon will the transcripts of our conversation be ready, Captain?" asked the crown prince.

"Within an hour, Your Royal Highness. My scribe already completed the dialogue from our earlier chat."

"Good, I need them. I must return to Everfell immediately and inform the queen of the situation."

"Of course, Your Royal Highness. If you would wait a moment, I can summon the scribe."

Kesio grunted. I heard boot heels click on the floor and the sound of a door opening and shutting.

"Well, look at that," the elven prince said, slumping into a nearby chair. "You single-handedly uncovered a plot to sabotage the Convergence."

Wonderful for me. I sighed and rubbed my face with my free hand.

Leather and wood creaked as Kesio leaned forward. "I complimented you, lady."

My chin jerked up sharply. "That doesn't make up for how you talked to me back there," I told him, eyes narrowed. I wasn't one of his groupies or whatever it was they called royal sycophants here.

He leaned back, frowning. "I am a prince."

As if that made a world of difference. Assholes were assholes, whether they were princes or paupers.

"And I am the daughter of a Marine!"

"Enough," Leihalani sighed, walking up to us with Rachael in tow. "You know, Kes, that imperious act of yours has got to go," she said, running an exasperated hand through her chestnut hair.

The crown prince glared at his sister, murder burning in his silver eyes. Suddenly, he pushed himself to his feet and signaled to his bodyguards. "I will be waiting in the carriage," he said. "Ladies." He bowed stiltedly to the three of us and left the room, the Tsolas trailing after him.

Laughing dryly, Leihalani dropped into the seat her brother had vacated. "Don't mind my delusional brother," she said with a wave of her hand. "He's used to women fawning all over him and agreeing with every word that comes out of his mouth. Someone like you is positively foreign."

I rolled my eyes. Jesus. Just my luck.

Rachael stared at the elven princess. "He's never had a girl tell him 'no'?"

Leihalani shrugged. "Other than myself and our mother, no." She crossed her legs and propped her chin up with one hand, staring at the jail's front door thoughtfully.

"So," I said, trying to steer the conversation away from her brother, "what's our next course of action?"

"Ah, that." Leihalani leaned back. "This is a Crown matter now. It's up to my mother to decide what should be done."

"So, what does that mean for us?" Rachael asked, twisting in her chair.

"You'll come with us to Everfell, of course." Leihalani snorted wryly. "I promised you that I would help you to the best of my abilities, and as a Summer Princess, I intend on honoring that. Besides, you know what the boy looks like." She leaned on a closed fist. "If there are indeed other children being held captive, well, at least we know where one needs to go."

Small consolations.

Leihalani looked at me. "Does that suit?"

"Yes."

We left the guard station soon thereafter and returned to the tavern in the carriage. Kesio sulked the whole ride back. That was fine with me. At the tavern, we stayed long enough to grab a quick snack and then it was on the road again. This time, I didn't lament the fact that I was on horseback. I would rather suffer saddle sores than be stuck in a carriage with the crown prince.

Thankfully, it only took about an hour to ride from Valderon to Everfell. In that time, I concentrated on the scenery; it took my mind off of other things.

The ride up to the palace took us beneath a long stretch of cobblestone roadway, overshadowed by a living archway of birch trees, their branches intermingled. Elves dressed in the same fine, garishly-colored garments as in Valderon traversed to and fro, either promenading or on horseback. Upon noticing the Crown Prince of Summer and his sister, anyone in our way immediately pulled off to the side to let us pass.

The arch opened up into a view of a massive garden: tall shrubs, dozens of fountains depicting rearing Sághas and other horned non-unicorn horses, carefully-maintained fruit trees, and so many flowers. The road crested in a hill and as we dipped down, a tall stone wall appeared and stretched beyond my sight in both directions.

Rising high above the wall was a massive oak tree. Taller than the tallest and most ancient of redwoods, it was at least twice as wide, with branches that stretched nearly to the clouds.

"The Daughter Tree," Leihalani explained. "This is where Ágsa, the daughter of the goddess Onye, came to rest at the end of her mortal life."

"That is the biggest tree I've ever seen in my whole life," Rachael breathed, craning her head back as far as she could to stare at it.

Leihalani chuckled. "You should see the one in Sylh Thalas, the capitol."

My cousin's eyes widened. "It's bigger?"

"Much bigger."

"Wow."

I would be lying if seeing a tree as tall as a skyscraper didn't pique my interest. My coolness towards the crown prince did not diminish the sheer wonder I felt at each new sight or experience.

The road twisted to the right—and there it was, the crown prince's fabled manor: Everfell. It perched on and among the massive, twisted roots of the Daughter Tree. The manor itself appeared to be hewn from a single, extraordinary chunk of marble and its shape evoked the image of a bird of prey hunched over its nest. It was smooth, polished and gleaming, unlike the craggy, gloomy jail in Valderon. A place meant to instill awe and inspire whomever saw it.

Me, included.

A lone bridge extended over the sea of roots and descended into the courtyard of the manor. A pair of guards stood sentinel at both ends of the bridge; clipped to each right shoulder was a short cape of dark brown embroidered with forest green thread.

Tightly-packed gravel crunched beneath the horses' hooves. In the center of the courtyard was a large circular fountain; set amongst the sprays of water were statues of slim, winged faeries cavorting with dolphins.

As if magically summoned, a long line of servants poured out of the front entrance. From the left, a handful of stable hands appeared, one for each horse and rider. This time, I dismounted with far more grace than my previous attempts—but my legs still hurt. I was going to blaze through that small tin of ointment before this little adventure was over.

"Do we go with them?" Rachael asked me as Kesio and Leihalani approached the household staff. The two Tsolas trailed after them, twin pillars of protection.

"Uh, I don't know." I shifted from one foot to the other. "Let's wait a minute and see."

My knowledge of protocol was sketchy at best—especially royal protocol. But this was the crown prince's home; it was up to him what to do with us now. Hopefully he wasn't as big of an asshole as to leave us outside.

After a minute, the siblings left off with the staff and entered the manor. One by one, the dozen or so staff members pivoted and followed. Rachael and I exchanged a disbelieving look. Well, I was wrong.

Taking a deep breath, I glanced around the courtyard. The horses had been led off to the stables, leaving us looking like two chumps by the fountain. At least they left us our backpacks.

"They forgot us," Rachael said with a shake of her head. "The bastards up and left us here."

Yeah, that's what it was looking like, all right.

"So, what are we going to do? Knock on the door and say, 'Hey, remember us? You left us outside.' "

Biting my lower lip, I stared at the manor door. Just as I was gathering up enough courage to do just that, the door opened up again. Two maids in pressed brown dresses and white aprons exited, followed by two elven men in brown and green livery. One of the men wore a slim white sash that slashed from right shoulder to left hip. He was tall, slim and austere, with an aquiline nose and long black hair caught back in a queue. A heavy gold chain made up of broad plates hung around his neck. Upon approach, he sketched us a small bow.

"Lady Alina, Lady Rachael, I am His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's seneschal. Be welcome to Everfell. Please, come this way."

I glanced behind us at our backpacks, but the maids already had them in hand. Turning to Rachael, I shrugged. "Let's go."

We followed the seneschal up the steps and into the manor. We emerged into a grand foyer; the walls, carpet, flowers, and furniture were all patterned in various shades of white, gold and green. Directly ahead was a massive staircase that branched off to the left and right. An elegant, scrolling white railing encircling the second floor, affording anyone who peered down a view of the foyer. At the base of the staircase was a wide, circular oaken table upon which rested a trio of tall porcelain vases bearing white and gold roses.

"Do not touch anything, please," the seneschal announced without turning his head. I glanced back at Rachael, who snatched her hand away from one of the vases. Glaring at my cousin, she blushed and tucked her hands behind her back.

We were led up the stairs and turned left, the maids and remaining footman trailing after us. "This way," the seneschal said, making an immediate right turn beneath an archway of interlocking vines. Beyond that was a wide corridor with oak-paneled doors every twenty feet or so. White globes of light bobbed in silvery sconces on the walls.

The seneschal led us halfway down the hall and stopped in front of one door. He dug around in his pocket and produced a ring of keys. Selecting one, he slid it into the lock and turned the handle.

"My ladies," he said, gesturing us inside.

Rachael hustled in eagerly, followed by the maids and footman. I stayed outside with the seneschal.

"Yes, my lady?" he inquired in an urbane manner that suggested that I was already wasting his time.

I rocked back on my heels, trying to find a way to properly formulate my question. "We're not confined to this room, are we?" I asked. The seneschal lifted a thick black eyebrow with the barest hint of condescension. "I mean, no one is going to forget that we're here, right?"

"The exact details are being drawn up as we speak, my lady," he replied. "For now, His Royal Highness requests that you and your cousin remain here. Meals will be brought up to you and if you require any entertainment, one of the footmen will be pleased to fetch books from the library."

"Uh, yeah." I lifted a finger and glanced briefly over my shoulder. "So, how do we go about that? Summoning a footman?"

"This way." The seneschal extended a long arm, indicating the suite. Thoughts tumbling, I trailed after him. "Simply ring this bell and someone will be up shortly," he said, pointing out a small white button set into the rose-patterned wallpaper.

I nodded absently. "Fine. But please inform the crown prince that if no one comes to get Rachael and I in three days, we'll find him." I wasn't up for playing games with a prince's bruised ego.

The seneschal had the balls to smirk. "That would not be wise, my lady."

I folded my arms and shifted my stance. "Please inform the crown prince," I repeated firmly.

"Very well." He inclined his head. "Dinner will be served in an hour. Enjoy your stay at Everfell, my lady." Turning on his booted heel, the seneschal quickly left the suite.

I stared at him, watching as he disappeared down the corridor and out of sight. With a sigh, I slowly turned around, shut the door and walked into the suite. We were going to be forgotten, I just knew it.