Garbled voices drifted around the corner, and Orion ducked to hide just beneath the rim of a vase. Back in the inn, Romril claimed that the human queen had chosen to claim the necklace soon after it had been stolen, even going so far as hissing out a short retort comparing all of humanity to the magpies that frequently circled the Dillid city.

Orion slunk across the wall, gingerly following a gaggle of servants that drifted by with empty plates and stained napkins. The kitchens may not lead to the lowest levels, but at least that would be a start. He wandered close behind their clobbering heels, making absolutely sure to remain out of sight. But he soon realised that he should direct his focus to navigating the frustratingly plush carpet that lined the halls. With each step, he sank up to his chin, making it increasingly difficult to keep up.

Even still, he found himself grateful for the comfort it offered, and after finding his stride, he turned his attention to listening in on the servants' conversation. Aunt Niamh detested eavesdropping, calling it a coward's game. But now Orion's heart dipped when he realised that he had no choice.

The smallest of the trio looked the most dejected, and judging by the careful shine on her shoes, Orion guessed that she was also the newest. He watched as she brushed her blond hair to the side before turning to the person next to her.

"Why the long face, Linnette?"

"Long face?" Linnette readjusted the tray in her hands and cast a quick glance behind her. Orion ducked to hide behind a table leg. "I am feeling as right as rain and you need to be careful not to disparage the abilities of others."

"I—I didn't mean it that way!"

"If there is one thing you need to learn, it's not to point out the shortcomings of others." The third one, her voice worn like the tired wind that once swept by Orion's bedroom window, shook her head before inclining her head at the guards.

"Yes, but—"

"With the upcoming celebrations and the arrival of new guests, Linnette is tired and there is nothing more to it." She smoothed her apron with a hand before giving the young woman a careful smile, "The preparations have stretched us thin, and while the castle and its new guests crave attention, Prudence will not hesitate to dismiss those who can't keep up."

"I understand..."

Linnette sighed and veered to the left, down a smaller hallway and towards a nook in the wall. "It is unfortunate that you weren't given much time for your training, but it seems that everyone wishes to participate in these games and—"

"Can you blame them? It's been many years since the Unravelling–" Judging by the confident thud in her step, Orion guessed that the third woman was the oldest. A theory quickly proven when she turned to the others on her left and frowned. "What am I saying? Neither of you were born when it happened."

Linnette laughed, "Seventeen years wasn't that long ago, Agnes. But to answer Joan's question, the King has only just succeeded in sealing away the remains of a tragedy that encompassed his own life—"

"And heart." Agnes leaned towards Joan and Orion watched the younger woman inch away from Linnette's glare.

"Yes...heart. But idle gossip has never served anyone well. All you need to know is that these celebrations are in honour of King Helia's efforts to tame the evil that nearly consumed us."

The other two nodded rather enthusiastically, and Orion almost giggled. The last time he remembered being that excited about learning something new was when Aunt Reuna decided to show him how to use magic to levitate small objects. Niamh had allowed it until she caught him making the cat fly. The memory tugged at his heart, and by the time his attention returned, Orion found that the three women had stopped before an ornate set of double doors.

Two gold lions, their faces set into a painful scowl, stood proudly on either door. They held a tarnished tome between them, and Orion watched, eyes wide, as Agnes knocked.

Upon getting no response, she nodded at her companions and pushed the door open with a small grunt. Linnette hesitated, and when Orion slunk past her ankles, he gasped. Dark shelves laden with leather-bound books and busts of nobles gone by arched towards a ceiling of cerulean blue. Sunlight filtered through the wide windows, and beyond that, Orion could see the tops of trees and a tower. He ducked to avoid Joan's boot and raced to hide within the folds of a nearby curtain.

"Make sure to clear all the ashes from the fireplace, we don't want to disappoint the guests." Agnes' voice was surprisingly hushed, and when Orion tilted his head to properly look at where she was standing, his jaw dropped. A large rectangular mirror lined with silver metal hung proudly above the fireplace. Scattered candle holders, and a vase of dried roses stood awkwardly atop the mantelpiece, and even they didn't escape the Linnette's hurried dusting.

Joan stood silently to the side, having placed her tray onto a squat table rimmed with polished marble. "If the guests are participating in the games, then surely they are busy preparing to make use of this room."

Linnette stopped and let out a laugh, a half squawk that startled the stillness of the air. "Most nobles pride themselves on their shining stones and gilded fabrics far too much to consider participating. They have their champions and will remain in rooms like these to discuss the fates of others."

"That's not true! I heard that the prince—"

"And that is why Linnette said most nobles. There are indeed a fair share of individuals and houses who wish to dirty their hands and prove their worth, but if you ask me, it's not the praise they are after, it's the prize."

Her voice trailed off, and Orion found himself scrambling to get closer. The armchair felt cold and slippy beneath his toes, but upon using his tail, Orion realised it was much easier to keep his balance that way. The sour smell of old leather made him wince, and given his tongue, opening his mouth only intensified the scent.

He coughed and the squeak briefly alerted Linnette, who quickly waved it off as the old floorboards giving out.

Orion shrank into the crease between the arm and the cushion, and kicked himself to be more careful.

"Given her personal losses during the Unravelling, the queen felt personally obligated to offer up something that was retrieved during the incident as a way to honour those who lost their lives. Rumour has it that it has to be magic"

The Unravelling. This was the second time one of them had brought it up. Orion pulled his attention away from their conversation and quickly picked through his mind for any recollection of such an event. He came up empty and frowned. Perhaps his aunts had referred to it by another name. And as he turned back to the three women chattering in the corner, he hoped that his ignorance would not come back to bite him.

Linnette had now taken to balancing the ash-filled bucket on her foot as she leaned in, wide-eyed, and pushed her hair back behind her shoulder.

"That can't be true. The king banned the old practices."

"Joan, he banned the old magic, not the new. And besides, there is no use in tangling our anxieties and guesses. We'll see the prize once they announce the winner."

Linnette scoffed, "There's no harm in playing a guessing game. I've heard that the prize is silver and you should really—"

Her voice trailed off, and Orion cast a quick glance over at the open door. Frustration, thick like old syrup, churned in his stomach when he saw no one there. But when he looked back, he noticed Linnette peering carefully at the chair he was perched on. With a sinking gut, he looked down at his own feet and was struck by the startling realisation that, as a sandy-coloured lizard, the size of a grown man's tumb, he stood out strikingly against the dark leather.

Orion blinked, his tail curling gingerly around his foot. Perhaps if he stayed still, Linnette would think him nothing but a trick of the light.

"Oh blazes!"

Orion's heart sank.

"Prudence will have my skin if she sees that."

"See what?" The other two gathered behind her, carefully trying to peer around Linnette, who only sighed and pulled a rag from her apron pocket.

"Prudence tasked us with cleaning these halls. Imagine what she will think if she catches sight of that critter over there."

Critter.

If Orion's life didn't depend on blending in, then he would have been offended.

He leapt from the chair with a quiet squeak, away from the rag and Linennete's panicked face. The loud smack of cloth on wood made him shudder, but he turned his focus to scrambling out of the room, up the walls and behind a nearby painting. Once hidden away, he listened as Linnette's gentle cursing retreated back into the room and was somewhat pleased to hear Agnes's claim that all would be well given that lizards die easily. At least he could trust that they would not come looking for him.

Orion hummed as he sat comfortably by the edge of the painting. Clues were like threads, impossible to comprehend until woven into an image. And before Orion had been tossed rather unceremoniously out a window, Romril had reminded him once again about the necklace.

Forged from star-silver and old magic, the necklace had moved through time undisturbed. That was until the King's family had apparently ripped it from the Dilid queen. He turned the servants' words over in his head. The king was giving away old magic and it sounded horribly similar to what the Dillid queen wanted.

Someone shouted, and Orion peered carefully around the painting's edge. The honourable thing would be to enter the games and win this prize. But he risked wasting precious time and possibly being wrong. And besides, he highly doubted Romril would allow him that much freedom beyond his control. So he would have to stay true to Romril's plan and steal it.

Orion's toe began to itch and burn. He tapped it with his tail and hoped the sensation would go away. Perhaps seeking out the treasury hadn't been a wasted idea. This prize, regardless of what it was, sounded valuable. If it wasn't in the treasury, Orion could take it off his list as a place to look.

He found himself beaming. Aunt Niamh would be proud to see him planning ahead. After all, she had always called it his greatest weakness. Moments later, the smile slid off his face. The shouting got louder, and he became keenly aware of just how lost he was without his family.

"I do not wish to argue any further. We will expand the mines. No questions. And Yarin's ambassador owes us an explanation for the disaster he called a meeting." A new voice joined the fray, this one loud, unchallenged, and confident.

"But sir,"

Boots thundered down the hall, and Orion quickly turned to stick his head out from beneath his hiding spot. His breath instantly caught in his throat. If authority had a form, it was the man walking past. His face, while young, deeply contrasted with the streaks of grey that ran through his dark hair. Three men, all dressed in green, scrambled after him, their hands clutching battered scrolls, and with each word, the man dismissed them with a wave of his gloved hand.

But it was his red jacket that caught Orion's eye. Intricate stitching lined the edges of the garment with swirls and harsh corners. On its own, the jacket was striking. But with the jagged crown, Orion finally realised who he was looking at.

Somehow, throughout his wanderings, Orion had found the king. The monolith of nightmares and the demon that haunted his aunts' dreams.

Though the king's eye never sought him out, Orion found himself shrinking to hide safely behind canvas and paint. The burning in his tail had also intensified, and with horrified bated breath, Orion remembered Laurel's warning. If there was one thing about Romril's spells, you always knew when they were able to expire.

He darted from behind the painting, frantically trying to remember the route back to the tower he had come from. But as he jumped from painting to painting, he soon became keenly aware of a presence standing behind him.

Orion froze and gingerly turned around only to see a blue-haired woman staring at the wall above him. Her broken fingernails tapped steadily on a mirror in her hand, and as he kept looking, Orion realised that she didn't blink. Her green eyes coasted the wall slowly before settling on him and, panicking, Orion locked eyes with her.

Moments passed.

She narrowed her eyes and Orion blinked, tore his attention from her, and raced away. He rounded the corner and scrambled away. Then he made the mistake of pausing to look back.

The woman stood there, silently watching. Then she smiled a crooked smile and put her finger to her lips.

"Don't worry, I won't tell a soul."