THIRTY-SEVEN

It didn't take long for another mage to find me outside the gates. And it was for another attempt to persuade me into entering the safety of the castle.

Lady Ossenna's presence didn't go unnoticed as she stormed into the brewery, where I'd taken up temporary residence while I waited for my sisters. I'd expected someone else to come to me, but not this fast. It felt like only a few hours had passed since my tense moment with Sir Sym outside.

"Majesty," she said, slipping into my booth without bowing, with none of the poise and discretion she was known for. She wore a shabby cloak and a hood over her shaved head, but her gleaming pantsuit was so intricate under the old threads, she still stood out.

Luckily for us both, most of the patrons here were too drunk to pay her much heed. She'd wandered in with such speed, they likely thought they'd hallucinated her image in their intoxication. A blur of sparkles and magic and lavender; she was undetectable, except to me.

"Lady Ossenna," I said, expressionless as I brought the rim of my drink to my lips. The liquid within was tasteless, but it at least masked the bitterness on my tongue. "Can I help you?"

"Yes." She tapped a finger to the sticky table. If the decrepit surroundings bothered her, she didn't show an ounce of discomfort. "I'm not here to beat around the bush. You need to come to the castle."

I glared at her, unmoving. "Did you not speak with Sir Sym? I'm not passing those gates until my sisters are there."

"Tilda is there," said Lady Ossenna, annoyance in her tone. Her galaxy eyes roved over my face, searching for an emotion to latch on to, to take advantage of. "And Astrida is on her way; her carriage is near."

I rolled my eyes, thinking of my sister's flair for flamboyant entrances. Her flying carriage was the only magical item she possessed and actually liked, and she traveled by no other means. It was a gift from Father, when he moved her to Diamond Valley. "Because the snow is endless and treacherous, and I wouldn't want my precious girl wading through the muck if she ever wants to come home."

I wasn't jealous. Father could spoil Astrida to his heart's content, lavish all the silky fabrics and furs on Tilda until his eyes bled, and admire Luned's handling of Spade Island politics with as much energy as he wanted. I was the queen. I was his favorite, his eldest, even if he didn't display his love to me like he did his other children. Of them all, I was the most mature, the most willing, the most deserving of this title. He never needed to show me that, to tell me that. I knew.

Unfortunately, Ossenna also knew me better than I wished. All the Aces witnessed our births and were eerily connected to us in a way that gave them exclusive access to our innermost emotions. So right now, she had no doubt I was considering leaving this musky, damp bar and retreating to the comforts of my castle. She had no doubt I was on the verge of coming quietly, well aware that my sisters had fulfilled their duty, and it'd be preposterous if I didn't keep my word.

Fuck.

I guzzled down the remaining drops of my beer, left a few coins on the table, and gestured towards the door. "Shall we, then?"

While she'd surely guessed I wouldn't put up a fight, she still raised her eyebrows in surprise as I slithered out of the booth and adjusted my cloak and hood. "Yes, we shall."

She led the way in silence, which I was thankful for. I wasn't in the mood to chat, to engage in the small-talk I knew she and I both abhorred. In any case, I preferred to focus on my feelings as I passed the gates, teeth gritting, and wandered down the pebbled path leading to the castle courtyard. Guards were so in shock at my arrival that they didn't speak; and I silently thanked them for not pointing me out, for not greeting me the way they were supposed to.

It was a long walk, but we maintained a steady rhythm, traversing between patches of vivid green grass decorated with wildflowers. I noticed the stables in the vicinity, the tall trees surrounding the property, and the workers in the fields plowing, gathering, planting.

When I fixated on the massive building towering ahead of me, I almost paused, needing to gather my bearings.

The circular towers loomed larger than ever. I gawked at the lofty windows leaving colored shadows on the sandy ground, the roofs stretching towards the sky. So many memories, so much contained within this place that I'd been so afraid of for the past few years. And there I was, walking towards my destiny, at last. Potentially my doom.

The massive front door gradually opened at our approach. A scent of baked bread and warm sugar reached my nostrils as we entered.

A serving girl removed my cloak and took Ossenna's. Chills crawled up my arms, and I shuddered, unsure if I was nervous about reentering my home, or if something ominous lingered in the air. I'd never been so chilled upon padding through the entryway, gazing up at the marble steps, the frescoes along the ceiling and crown molding.

"Why is it chilly in here? Are the hearths not working?"

Lady Ossenna was already halfway to the throne-room as she rotated, wrapping her arms around herself. She sniffed the air. "It is a bit chillier than normal. I'm not sure what's going on." She frowned as she slowed her pace, waiting for me. "It was homey when I left."

As I spun on my heel, seeking something amiss, I thought I saw an icy blonde mane around a corner, spying on us. And it was hair I'd recognize anywhere, curling down over a creamy, coral-colored gown that flared out exaggeratedly, looking hard to walk in.

Luned is here?

I wasn't positive it was her, as the woman disappeared behind a wall almost as rapidly as I'd seen her. A flash—maybe a hallucination?

But why would I hallucinate Luned?

I shrugged it off, desperate to get out of the open before any courtiers spotted me. The hallways were oddly empty, though, and I found that navigating them wasn't as risky as I thought. It was quiet, as if everyone was either gathered in one place on the opposite side of the building, or not there. In bed, or out of town, or...disappeared.

That was strange. Most courtiers never left court unless they were summoned back to their homes or in the city gathering supplies or buying new clothes.

By the time we passed the four thrones—which I snarled at, still unhappy they'd been crafted—and slithered into the meeting room, my skin was glacial. The cloak I wore wasn't retaining any warmth, because there was no warmth to be had in the castle. Wisps of icy smoke blew from my mouth and nose whenever I breathed. It was as if a cloud of ice had swarmed over the structure and plunged us all into its frigidity.

Ossenna's teeth clattered as she took a seat near the end of the table, indicating the head chair where she wanted me to sit. "This isn't right." Her breath came out smoky, too, and her eyes widened when she noticed it. "Definitely not right."

"Where is Tilda?" I settled into the seat, cringing at the cushion's frigid surface. "And why is it so damn cold in here? Guards!" I snapped towards the door, which I'd left ajar.

Ossenna tugged on her sleeves, pulling them as far as she could over her wrists. "This is ominous." She rubbed her hands together for warmth. "But we are safe here, in the meeting room." She shivered. "And Tilda is in her room, resting, last I heard. The journey here was tiring, and our magic was bothering her, she said." I saw her fight not to roll her eyes. "Before you ask, Astrida is probably ten to fifteen minutes away. I sense her approaching."

I tried not to sneer at the weirdness of her words. Sense her approaching—it always put me off that the mages could feel us, smell us. That they were so tethered to us that if they really focused on it, they'd likely be able to read our minds, even from afar.

I wished to toss a hood or a veil over me, hoping to block my mind from any invasions, but would that help? In any case, that wasn't a priority.

"Luned is here, too?" I massaged the back of my neck, wishing to dispel the knots that formed there from clenching my jaw against the cold.

"Luned?" Ossenna arched one eyebrow, scrunching the other. I never knew how she was able to do that—magic, or training her face?

"Yes, Luned," I set my fists atop the table, "the mermaid one? Petite, blonde, an air of ridiculousness twirling around her at all times?" It was no secret I cared little for her, and not only because we didn't have the same mother.

"She's here? You saw her?" Ossenna's arms tightened, and she flattened her palms to the table as if about to push up to a standing position.

"Yes?" I cocked my head, studying her, wondering why she was so tense. Wasn't it her intention to have all the princesses here? I definitely didn't want Luned to have a claim to the throne, but as a daughter of Hendry, she did. Which meant she was allowed to be here, to compete for the crown just as Astrida, Tilda, and I would. "I believe I caught her lurking. I mean, I could have been seeing things, but with how boisterous she is, it's hard to miss her."

Ossenna slowly stood, keeping her hands on the table, leaning forward. "I didn't perceive her arrival."

I would have found this statement disturbing if I didn't know that it was in fact terrifying. The Aces perceived everything, knew everything. If Luned was here, Ossenna would have known, would have told me.

Either I'd truly imagined her, and this icy sensation was a form of magic Ossenna didn't recognize...Or Luned had come in somehow without triggering the Aces' awareness.

And that...wasn't possible.

"No one told me she was on her way. Last I was updated, she had to consult her mer-people." She closed her eyes, inhaled, then exhaled as she reopened them. "Sym would have informed me with any changes."

"Where is Sym?" I peered towards the door, then at the threshold behind me, that led to the mage quarters. "I would have thought he'd come to welcome me." I didn't add that I'd envisioned his smug face of victory and his fake smile of warmth. He'd have waltzed in and sat on my other side and assured me I'd made the right decision to come here.

Ossenna's eyes slitted as she fixed her gaze on the wall across from her. "Close." She was sensing him, I presumed. "Not sure what he's doing...but he must be on his way. He's aware I planned to come fetch you from town." She straightened up, her eyebrows furrowing. "But I can't sense Arden. Or Otho."

I shrugged. "Arden must be protected in their lair, and Otho is off seducing someone—"

"—no." She stretched her arm out, palm facing me, quieting me. "Even in their lair, I can detect Arden's presence. Right now, I can't detect them at all. Like they're...not on this plane of existence."

"Plane of exis—" I scoffed. "What in Efura are you talking about?"

"Majesty," Ossenna swept closer to me, kneeling at my side, lowering her voice, "I don't have time to explain much. But know this—there are other realms out there, adjacent to ours, and they have opened up and...things have happened, here, while you were in Club Fields. There's a darkness in this castle, enveloping it in malice. There's a culprit among us, doing foul things behind closed doors."

"Is that why it's so cold?" I almost snorted in laughter; how long had I been telling them all this myself? "Arden, right? They're operating some plot to take Father's throne?"

She flinched. "I don't know if it's Arden, but I know it's not Sym, and it's not me. He and I both have been feeling something off lately, and it appears as though Arden has, too. Are they to be trusted? We have no clue. But we trust each other, and you must trust me when I tell you I'm worried right now."

I curled up in my chair, bracing to defend myself. "Worried about what?"

"No, you're not in danger," she tapped my arm, trying to get me to calm down, "not here, not at this exact moment. There's something sinister, but it hasn't taken action yet. Or maybe..." She perched back up so swiftly she nearly knocked me off my chair. "Maybe it has started, and that's why everything is so cold, all of a sudden." She squinted towards the door, like a dog on alert, its ears pricking up at the sound of prey approaching.

I angled away from her. "Where is Ysac?"

Ossenna froze in place, only her nostrils moving as she sniffed at the air. "I don't know."

I trembled, trying not to let her attitude throw me off. She said I wasn't in danger...yet. But what was this sinister danger, and why was it putting her so on edge?

"Arden? Otho? Jack?"

"Don't know, don't know," she swallowed, and one of her eyes twitched, "and gone."

"Jack is gone?" I twisted to better observe her; she was immobile as a statue, engrossed in the door, still.

No guards had come when I summoned them. The eternal emptiness out there, beyond the throne-room, remained.

"I told you of other realms," said Ossenna, her voice darkening, spiraling into a lower register I knew to be her menacing one. Her defensive one. But she wasn't using it at me—whatever bugged her was outside, away from this room. "And he was transported to one of them. Gone, like I said. He's not around right now."

My jaw started to drop, but I popped it back into place. "This is absurd." I gripped the armrests and forced myself to stand, though my legs wobbled. I didn't want to be afraid of this unknown entity, or of Ossenna's cryptic attitude. But something swirled in my gut; something I didn't recognize, something that made me the most uncomfortable I'd ever been.

"It's not. Majesty," she suddenly gripped my arm, tugging me backwards with her, away from the table. "We're not safe."

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