After I convinced myself that snow wasn't going to hurt me—as long as I didn't touch it—we moved onward. We passed through a forest of trees so caked in the white stuff that we couldn't see leaves or trunks. The clubbers trudged on without difficulty, as if they'd been bred to mosey through the snow without complaint.

Eventually, we turned up at a steep section of mountain. Before us was a narrow, vertical stone staircase that I was certain the clubbers wouldn't be willing to climb. I expected us to leave them here—in this cold, though?—and continue on foot. But no, again, the clubbers surprised me by going forward without even a hint of hesitation. The flight of stairs only permitted us to use it one at a time, and the steps were quite vertical and slick. Not once did my clubber indicate any sign of difficulty.

Thin lanterns lit our progress through a haze that loomed a few feet over our heads. No matter my clubber's ease with getting up, I gritted my teeth the whole time.

At the top, the mountain flattened. Through the fog was a pathway lined with short shrubs, leading to a stone archway two stories high. Rusted letters along its surface spelled out Diamond Valley. As we crossed under the arch—unguarded, which I found odd if this was a town governed by a princess—I shuddered, a wave of frost slithering up my spine.

This city was empty. There wasn't a sound aside from a few whooshes of wind darting into nearby trees, and the clubbers' hooves clicking on the icy ground.

Diamond Valley was a quaint, uphill village of wood and stone houses and buildings, smothered with old moss and sharp icicles dangling from rooftops. Slippery pebbled passages weaved between deserted shops and empty marketplaces. Everywhere I turned, everywhere I looked—nothing but stony structures, no sign of life.

"It's not as uninhabited as it appears," Ysac mentioned as he pointed at one curtain-covered window to our left. He smiled at the sight of a small child glancing out at us. Ysac waved, and the child disappeared behind the drape. "The Diamond dwellers are shy folk. While they love the snow, they also love their cozy hearths and thick blankets. At this hour," he glanced up at the gray, dreary sky, "the temperature is at its lowest, so they're usually inside. They avoid the cold, no matter how used to it they are."

After trekking through the surprisingly large town, passing homes and businesses all built in the same wooden constructs, we reached the end, where a massive iron fence awaited us.

"The Outer Gate," he said, as he gestured towards a small booth near the gate. "This space is patrolled and guarded, as it separates the main town from the castle itself."

I took note of the shuddering soldier inside the tiny, frozen booth. He pulled on a lever that opened the gate with a loud creak.

Past the gate, we galloped through what Ysac told me was the Diamond Forest, a thick wood of pines and ominous sounds and unidentified shadows. Black branches above us scratched at the grayish sky, and a freezing wind whipped them back and forth in menacing motions. I had a hard time not hiding under my hood, fearful of where our journey would lead us.

"This is the castle's backyard, believe it or not," said Ysac, his voice muffled beneath his raised coat collar. "But the guards and groundskeepers are so afraid of what lies within this woods that they simply carved a way through and left it at that. Not that it should happen," he winced, "but if we were to get separated, make sure to never stray from the path."

I gulped, gripping my clubber's mane tight and swearing internally to not move my gaze from Ysac until we made it to safety. If safety even existed here.

We had plenty of frightening woods in Eroa, some even reputed as haunted. But we'd never venture in them or dig pathways through them. Was there no other way to reach this Diamond Castle where our first princess resided?

We ascended yet another rising path that took us to what Ysac told me was the Inner Gate. It was bigger than the outer, and linked to solid, tall, iron fencing surrounding the grounds. A thick line of trees squeezed against the railing, but beyond it was smooth, snow-covered ground with little to no vegetation.

The guards here had a larger, more comfortable appearing booth from which to operate the gate. They scanned Ysac from head to toe, grunted at me, but let us through with a pull of their lever.

When the gates opened, it was like entering a new world of white crystals and bright shimmers descending to blanket the ground in fresh snow. The cobbled passageway was bare, as if magically protected from the white substance. And up ahead, like a mirage, stood Diamond Castle. Shaped like an actual diamond, and seemingly made of diamonds, it was composed of five towers with pointed, sky-blue roofs. The facade was off-white and beige, so sparkling it was almost see-through. Arched windows and their copper trims reflected the snow, watching us meander nearer.

We slowed our pace as we emerged in a diamond-shaped courtyard. Ysac halted and hopped off his clubber, and I did the same, my boots crunching onto the lightly dusted ground. I peered around, searching for a stable, somewhere to dock our animals until we needed them again.

"Don't bother," said Ysac, pulling at his gloves as he studied the massive, glistening doors a yard or so away from us. "They'll wander a bit and find shelter on their own. There are no stables up here; just garages for all of Astrida's...contraptions."

"Contraptions?" I glanced around us, seeing nothing but plains of white, and the iron fencing in the distance.

My clubber took off through the snow, sniffling at tiny patches of grass underneath.

As we walked towards them, the glittering main doors squeaked open. A minuscule man in a silver suit hobbled up to us and bowed.

"Master Ysac," he said, his voice much deeper than I'd expected for someone so small. He wasn't any kind of supernatural creature, from what I gauged; just a smaller-sized human. He gawked at me, scrunched his nose, and returned to Ysac. "And an unidentified companion?" He stiffened as he motioned at the door. "Please, be welcome at Diamond Castle. Do come in and warm up. Sir Sym sent word that you'd be arriving soon."

I hadn't realized this was an expected visit. The mages back in Acewood made it seem like this was a secret mission, and that these princesses wouldn't have any clue that we were on our way. But I had no time to ask Ysac more as we were ushered inside.

So entranced in our travels, I didn't know how long we were on the road exactly, but it was at least the entire day. We'd traveled so far so quickly...were the clubbers enchanted to go that fast? And I didn't recall my stomach grumbling in hunger. Had the Aces enchanted our bellies, too?

I was itchy all over, as if suddenly having a reaction to all the magic enveloping me, suffocating me.

Ysac nudged me as we journeyed past the enormous doors. "Relax," he whispered, picking up on my tension. "If you're fidgety and stressed, she'll eat you up."

Being in a place with so many creatures and magic, I wasn't clear on how to interpret that. Was he being figurative...or literal?

The silver-suited man guided us into the entryway, and my jaw dropped. The entrance alone had to be a mirage, a dream. Its high walls were made of diamonds, its floors a fragile reflective glass, its ceiling mirrored, its chandeliers a glowing rose-gold, sprinkling glitter all over the ground.

Ysac unfastened his cloak and it deflated, returning to normal. "Ah, much better."

I mimicked him, but struggled to untie the strings properly as I was so absorbed in the scenery. "Wow," I said, spinning on my heels as my coat also deflated. I'd seen my share of luxury, having lived in one of the most gorgeous castles of Eroa, but this was...beyond.

"Her Majesty awaits you in the main hall," said the silver-suited man, bowing at us as he signaled towards an intricate, bejeweled hallway to the left.

Ysac didn't need him to show the way, apparently. He'd already been turned in that direction, and took off so fast I almost couldn't keep up with him. We marched down a narrow, shining hall that led to a circular room that matched, if not surpassed the entryway in its sparkle, but was smaller in size. Its arched doorway was made of prismatic gemstones that blinded me as we traveled underneath.

Inside, a rose-colored rug lined the space from the threshold up to a modest dais, where a woman lounged on a gem-encrusted throne.

"Ysac," she said, her voice sultry and spicy. She twisted her neck to look at us, showing icy blue eyes that pierced my soul, crushed me, nearly tripping me. Her pouty pecan-shaded lips curved downwards. Her luscious locks of scarlet toppled down her bare, porcelain shoulders. A resplendent crown nestled atop her curls, and her diamond dress was fitting to her flattering figure. A slit in the dress revealed her creamy legs and a pair of high-heeled ruby slippers. "I was told of your visit before I could prevent it. So, what on earth do you want?" She squinted at me. "And where is Jack?"

As she stood from her throne, the layers of her diamond gown ripped down until they grazed the floor, making a clink sound, showing the heaviness of the fabric. I noticed a pendant around her neck, with a diamond symbol identical to the one that hung above Lady Ossenna's seat in Acewood Castle's throne-room.

"Queen of Diamonds," I mumbled to myself, as Ysac yanked me closer to the platform where she waited, her fearless gaze scrutinizing our every move.

I'd been intimidated by a woman before, but not in the way this woman intimidated me. Something about her expression, how her eyes roved over our bodies, made me realize that Ysac's uttering of eat me alive was definitely on the figurative side. But strongly accurate.

My tongue tied as we crept up, and I again almost tripped over the hem of my cloak as she glowered at me.

"Who is this?" Her tone was stiff as she crossed her arms, her long sleeves swishing against her hips. She was beautiful, for sure, but so impressive it was challenging for me to look at her.

"Majesty," said Ysac, bowing, "a pleasure, as always. And this," he forced me into a bow, "is Teodric, our newest envoy. He speaks on Jack's behalf."

"Where is Jack?" Her eyebrows twitched.

"Indisposed," said Ysac, so fast, so rehearsed.

I wasn't sure I'd believe such a rapid response, but Astrida seemed to. "Fine." She tapped her index finger to the crook of her elbow, her vibrant red nails digging into the diamonds. "But why are you here, then?"

Ysac readjusted his posture, and I sensed his tension as he became rigid at my side and cleared his throat. "We're here to, uh...bring you home. To Acewood."

"No." Her tone was so sharp, yet so low, it was more menacing than if she'd yelled the words. "I won't return to Acewood, Ysac. I've said it before, and I'll say it again."

"Still," Ysac bowed again, "I've been tasked with trying, and we've had quite the journey to make it here. Would you allow us to spend the night and recuperate before we return to Acewood to inform the mages of our failure?"

Reluctantly, Astrida accorded us this privilege. But she also insisted on giving us—me, more specifically—a tour of the grounds.

"I mean it, Ysac." Astrida's heels clicked on the glassy floor as she took us down the hall and out into the entryway. "I'm not going back. I refuse."

She said it again while showing us the diamond-plastered ballroom. Ysac acknowledged her, played along, but winked at me whenever she wasn't looking, implying she'd change her mind shortly.

And repeated herself after she took us to her elaborate dining room. Diamonds made up the grand table, and the plates and cups and utensils and chair-backs and door frames and crown moldings, as well. There, she reiterated her reluctance to go home. She said it between bites as we souped on elk and some sort of green vegetable I'd never eaten, along with a potage that I could have sworn had liquid diamonds in it. She reminded us as she sipped from her jewel-decorated goblet.

Her final caution came after we'd indulged in a fluffy, vanilla-flavored cake, warning us for the umpteenth time that she wouldn't abandon her castle. Unless we guaranteed the Acewood crown was hers.

As we couldn't do that, and wouldn't lie to her, we retired for the night.

I had to admit, despite her capricious, stubborn nature, she offered us the finest of comforts. I didn't think I'd ever seen a bed-frame made of diamonds, nor touched sheets so soft my fingertips melted in them. Her servants were graceful, the wine she'd gifted us at supper was the best I'd ever tasted—albeit a bit cold—and her talent for wooing guests was unprecedented. Yes, she was hospitable...but that was all.

I lay on the guest bed with a lengthy, exhausted sigh. My eyes hurt and my ears rang, my thighs were sore from riding, and I craved a fluffy pillow to put under my aching head. The cushion beneath me now was perfect, and already my eyes began to close.

The queen's reaction troubled me more than I cared to share. I thought I shouldn't care at all. Acewood Kingdom wasn't my kingdom, so why did it matter? Yet something about this place, this woman, made my stomach ache.

When Ysac and I parted ways in one of the circular towers, teetering feet from one another on the diamond-lined steps, he didn't seem so concerned. He smiled, batted his long lashes as his grape-hued eyes glazed along my body, and whisked off to his chambers as if he'd had the time of his life.

I, however, had had the nightmare of my life, and once more hoped to wake up in my bed in Springport.

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