Read 2 Opening Chapters of...

Chapter One Cali landed hard on her palms on the grassy ground. The impact stung and rattled clear to her elbows. She shook away the hazy streaks of pain, but the more she moved, the more her mind filled with sharp edges. She squinted, waiting for the stabbing aches inside of her to cease. Soon enough, the hurt ebbed, and strength stitched itself back into her limbs. Her breathing slowed, and even the smallest movements now came with ease. Mouth dry, Cali released a few coughs and shook her head—working to clear the haze and the potion’s acrid residue from her tongue—and pushed to her feet. Had she made it? She couldn’t be sure. This land was so…different from Zara. A great bird with gold and magenta wings flew lazily from a tree overhead to perch on one of the villa’s rooftops. Buttercream sunlight pooled heat over every inch of her, and she stared at the grasping view of the ocean’s endless blue stretch at the hill’s base. These sights were such a contrast from her flat, bleak homeland that reeked of death and rotting flesh she’d left behind. “She did it,” Cali said, drinking in the scenery around her—scenery she didn’t recognize one bit and yet felt more relieved to be in than she could ever recall. “She got me across.” The witch woman—a dark, mysterious person named Lyric—proved to be as helpful as Cali had hoped. She’d given her a potion that had not only enabled her to cross the boundary—it had transported her. Here she was. In another land entirely. A land of magic. The very idea made the edges of her skin tingle. She’d arrived beside a wide, cobblestoned street bordered by thin trees that speared into the sky and exploded with green fronds at the top. Fragrant flowers bloomed, their colors contrasting the bone-white color of the flat-roofed villas on the hillside in every direction. Cali circled in place with a gasp, inhaling the humid, perfumed air. The breath was full and clean and expanded her lungs in a way they hadn’t been capable of since she saw Darren collapse. She wasn’t sure how Lyric had managed it—and at this point, she didn’t much care. All that mattered was that she was here. She was… With a jolt of panic, she drew up the sleeves on her gown and heaved a sigh of relief. While she’d been searching for Lyric, Cali had begun showing symptoms of the necrosis. She’d worried about bringing the disease with her across the boundary, but Lyric had assured her this land was so replete with magic, its effects would quash those symptoms quicker than a boot to an ant. “It will not spread,” Lyric had said. “Magic will be in the very air you breathe there because of the plants I’m sending you after.” Cali traced her fingers up and down her smooth skin. Sure enough, her spots were gone. Vigor and stamina coursed through her as she pumped her fists in and out. She was healed. “Incredible,” Cali whispered. It was true—this land had healed her. Which meant healing her people was possible, too. All she needed now was to find the plants and transport them home. Lyric had tasked her with finding three specific herbs whose magic—when brewed together—would produce the cure her people needed. Cali had a limited window in which to find these plants—and then she had to make her way back across the boundary, which was another matter entirely. This thought made her mission that much more urgent. She didn’t have time to linger any longer than she already had. Several women scurried across the street, casting perplexed glances in Cali’s direction. Colorful, embroidered veils covered the lower halves of their faces. In the other direction, Cali noticed another woman with a black veil covering everything but her eyes as well. Did all the women keep their faces covered here in Lunae Lumen? She brushed a few errant blades of grass from her skirt, grimacing at the streaks of dirt along the brocade—fabric much too heavy for heat like this—and shucked off her traveling cloak, lifting the shawl from her shoulders to cover her hair. Carefully, she tucked one end of the shawl across her face and secured it behind her ear to give herself the semblance of a veil as well. Mama had covered her nose like this the day she’d first discovered that Cali had been in the infirmary. Had she discovered that Cali was gone yet? If not, she soon would. Cali didn’t regret the manner in which she’d left. But she did worry about her parents’ safety. Had they contracted the disease yet? All the more reason to get moving. A marvelous palace was situated on the crest of the hill, at the end of a wide, pavestone avenue. The structure was made of the purest white marble, its exotic roof lined with gold. Teardrop-shaped points topped each of its columns, making the palace gleam brighter beneath the sun’s raging heat. Cali longed for a horse to get her there faster, but as it was, she’d have to walk. Steeling herself, she made her way toward the palace. A strange tension in the air accompanied her every step. Aside from the few women she’d noticed before, the streets were oddly barren. She peeked along the cobblestones, down the narrow alleyways that stretched between the stone buildings, but no one was out. Even the women seemed to scurry away quickly. Where was everyone? Fear clacked up her ribs with cold, sharp fingers. It splintered through her lungs, making her struggle for breath. The impossibility of this entire situation began to bare its teeth as she gazed once more out at the ocean looming in the distance beyond the palace. What had she done? How could she ever find these plants in just a matter of days? That was all her people had left. Days. Cali pressed the heels of her hands to her face. “Undine’s wrath,” she cursed to herself. She would have to describe the plague in detail to this other royal family. Get them to understand the seriousness of the necrosis. Convince them to allow her to take the firethorn, dett wort, and glitz foil plants Lyric had instructed her to find. The least she could do was try. “One step at a time,” she told herself. She forcibly relaxed her shoulders and straightened her spine. She was a princess, slated to be coronated the instant this plague’s effects were nullified. She’d been bred to help her people wade through all kinds of disastrous scenarios. She could handle a little snatch of the unknown. The gates were impressive, gold and far-reaching, and a pair of guards with swords at their belts stood at the cusp. Cali marched straight toward them. The guard on the left, a man with graying hair and sun-spotted skin, cast a confused glance down to her heavy skirt and back to her covered face. “Good day, gentlemen,” she said, her voice muffled beneath the heavy shawl. “I would like an audience with your king.” Only seconds passed before both men broke into laughter. The sound grated her, and she ground her teeth, working to keep her composure. The graying guard on the left elbowed his comrade. “You—you think anyone can demand to see the king?” “Thinks she’s high and mighty,” the other joined in, still laughing. This was infuriating. What did these men know—men who were in the pinnacle of health? Ignoring the humiliation blasting her cheeks, she lowered her shoulders. The shawl pulled away from her ear, and she hurried to secure it in place. “I am in need, and I demand you take me to your king.” Did they not care about citizens here in Lunae Lumen? The graying guard inched from his post, closer to her. She caught the smell of onion in his breath through the fabric over her nose. His gaze trailed over her again. “You’re filthy,” he said in a low, degrading tone. “Your dress is ridiculous, and this is no place for beggars or delusional servants.” Servants? How dare he? This was a fine quality gown, sewn by the greatest seamstresses Zara could provide. What fashions did Lunae Lumenian noblewomen wear here in this humidity? The air itself was sticky. She clenched her fists. “How dare you?” she said. “You are not fit to be a guard, not with your despicable manner and lack of personal hygiene.” She sniffed to prove her point. Onion Breath bared his teeth. “Get out of here, girl. Unless you’re here to serve at the princess’s coronation banquet, you have no place here.” “Yeah, I heard the staff is short,” the other guard laughed. “Go to the back of the palace where you belong.” Heat rose up to the sides of Cali’s neck. No one had ever dared speak to her this way. “Listen, you addlepated piles of dung,” she began, ready to lay it all out for them—her identity, her mission—but behind her, a man tsked and spoke before she could finish. “Gentlemen, you ought to be ashamed of yourselves.” Stilling, Cali turned to find a tall man approaching her side. His dark hair was pulled into a ponytail at the base of his neck, and his blue eyes sparked with a gleam of amusement. He wore a brown leather vest over a cream shirt, whose sleeves were rolled to his elbows, displaying a series of tattoos inking his tanned skin. Worn black boots climbed to the knees of his equally dark breeches, and a cutlass hung from the thick band around his waist. “We ought to be ashamed?” Onion Breath scoffed, eyeing this imposter with as much disdain as he’d given Cali. “It’s our job to keep misfits from creeping into the palace, and I’d say we’ve just done the king a great service.” He spat at Cali. Spat! The spittle struck her skirt just below her knee. “You’re disgusting,” she said in revulsion. Once more, the shawl threatened to fall. Cali tugged it back into place. She wasn’t about to show these cretins who she was and give them a way to track her down later. The handsome man’s dark eyes gleamed with treacherous bemusement. A shiver licked up Cali’s spine at that glance. She was glad it wasn’t directed at her. “Then perhaps instead of insulting this woman as a common reprobate might, you should be thanking her.” The guard’s head reared back. “Thanking her? Why?” “Because she brought trouble right to your door. It seems you’ve forgotten the thrill of a little danger.” “Dangerous?” Onion Breath’s eyes trailed down Cali’s form, making her squirm. “Her?” The tattooed man threw his hand in her direction. “Do you truly misjudge her intent? A woman as fierce as she?” Cali glanced down at her dress. Fierce? What was he talking about? Why pin her as a threat? That would only make them less likely to grant her entrance. Then again, she wished she were more of a threat to these men. She wished she had the wherewithal to show them swift judgment for talking down to a lady the way they had. An elbow to the face, perhaps. The guard on the left stiffened. “We didn’t realize—” “Of course you didn’t,” the man said. “But that’s why I’m here to remind you that it’s sometimes the quiet ones that make the biggest ruckus.” He leaned in toward Cali, stirring the air with his warm breath and the scent of nutmeg as his voice dropped to a whisper only she could hear. “And I do love myself some ruckus.” Heat fizzled in the pit of her stomach. As irritated as she was by his approach, she was transfixed by his blue eyes and his playful abandon. Who was he? “She did say she wished to see the king,” Onion Breath amended. “Not to threaten him,” Cali insisted, wanting to set the record straight. “I mean to ask for his help, you selfish ingrate.” The man gestured toward Cali with a tattooed hand. “There you have it. She’s not a threat after all. Don’t you think you should grant the lady her wish? Let her pass.” The guards bowed their heads. “Begging your pardon, but today is no day to be stirring up trouble.” “On the contrary,” the man with the tattoos said, swaggering backward and looping his thumb into the band around his waist, “today is the perfect day to stir up trouble.” He winked at Cali, making her stomach squirm all over again. “Now, step aside and let the lady through.” Exchanging uncertain glances, the guards did as the man commanded. Cali didn’t wait for them to continue arguing. The tattooed man had given her an opportunity, and she was going to take it. Leaving the men behind, Cali dashed toward the palace. She wasn’t sure where the best approach was, but movement along a nearby pathway caught her attention. A woman wearing stark black attire and carrying a basket of leafy greens trundled along the gravel at a quick pace. She wove her way through the avenue, veering toward a line of trimmed hedges along the palace’s side lawn. At the sight of her, a new thought dawned. She couldn’t approach the palace as a visiting dignitary, that much was obvious. She could, however, blend in as a servant might. The guards’ mocking aside, it wasn’t a bad idea. She could stay low, find the plants she needed, and return without anyone being the wiser. Perhaps this way was better after all. Cali scurried along in the woman’s wake. The loose fabric of her shawl continued masking her face, leaving only her eyes visible. For a moment, she lost sight of the woman carrying the basket, but she quickened her pace, skirting around to the opening at the back of the palace, hoping to find the servant’s entrance as the snarky guard had suggested. The woman in black livery paused a few paces ahead, cradling the basket against one hip as she raised her free hand to pound against a thick mahogany door that stood out against the palace’s stark white exterior. Cali ducked into an alcove and watched, steeling herself, preparing to do the same. She had nothing to carry in with her and, despite the unkempt state of her gown, was admittedly dressed finer than a servant would be. Would they even grant her entrance? “You look like you’re up to no good.” Cali shrieked in spite of herself at the low voice. Placing a hand to her suddenly racing heart, she peered to find its owner. The handsome rogue who’d sweet-talked her entrance onto the grounds gave a casual grin that hinted at all the teasing things he wanted to say but didn’t. Coolly, he tucked a hand into the band at his waist and leaned a shoulder against the palace’s white marble as if to show how careless he was. Cali’s defenses went up. He may have helped her out of a tight spot, but that didn’t mean she had time for any more of his interference. “You again.” “You’re the one I’m interested in,” he said. Ridiculously enough, her heart gave a little flutter. “Me? What interest can I possibly hold for you?” He quirked a brow. “You make me curious. Why should a lady such as yourself be sneaking around the palace lawns? What is it you want from the king?” Cali straightened her shoulders. “What makes you think it’s any of your business?” “I like to know who I rescued, that’s all.” She scoffed. “You didn’t rescue me. I didn’t need your help.” His grin stretched in a devastatingly magnetic way that made her heart hiccup. “My mistake.” “Why are you here, then?” she asked with every intention of deflecting his attention away from her. He released a heavy sigh filled with boredom and trouble. “I, my dove, am waiting. I detest waiting.” “Waiting for what?” she asked. “For my heart’s desire.” He directed his gaze up to the tip of the palace’s tallest teardrop tower. The low grumble of his voice as he said the word “desire” shimmered through her. She closed her eyes, cursing herself for finding him handsome. He’d called her his dove. She was no one’s anything. This man talked nonsense. Was he speaking of some kind of tryst? If so, she wasn’t going to linger long enough to find out whom he was meeting. “Good luck with that.” Cali attempted to slip past him but the lackwit kept talking. “I’ve descended on many a port, but the view here is the best I’ve seen,” he said, gesturing to the ocean crashing against the rocks below. “Wouldn’t you agree?” “Would you please go away?” The whole idea had been for her to scamper in unnoticed, and he was thoroughly ruining it. Not to mention the havoc being near him was wreaking in her bloodstream. She wasn’t here to ogle handsome men—she was here for Darren. To her dismay, he didn’t move. Would he not step away from the entrance? “I see.” Darksome delight struck his features. “It’s power you don’t like.” “Power?” Was he saying he had power? He moved his body with a sort of flow and lilt, like he was on the water and adjusting his weight to the crashing of this latest wave. “No one has more power than the sea, but a sailor can tame her well enough. Like a woman.” He leaned in closer with this last statement as if knowing how much it would bother her. Cali bristled. “Women aren’t that easily tamed, sir. And to contradict you completely—again—the sea witch who owns the waves upon which you sail has more power than any of those waves.” He cast this argument aside as he’d done her others. “The sea witch is a pestilence. Nothing more.” At least they could agree on that. Cali wasn’t going to dwell on the sea witch’s fearsome traits. Lyric had alleged that Undine was no witch, but a goddess—a concept Cali was certain she could never accept. Ugh. Would no one answer this door? She tried the handle but to no avail. She was tempted to begin banging against the wood when the rogue had the audacity to lean a shoulder against it and sneer at her. “You don’t like me.” Much as she wanted to, Cali was too well-bred to answer in the affirmative. “I don’t even know you.” “All I can see is your lovely eyes,” he said. “And in them lies the deepest shade of detest I’ve ever seen from a woman I’ve just met.” Again, this seemed to amuse him. “Your eyes are irritating, and you are in my way.” His grin extended. “Am I now?” “Yes. So if you will please move.” “Irritating,” he repeated with a laugh rumbling in his chest. He then swept his body into a surprisingly graceful bow, keeping one hand on his cutlass. “Very well, then, my lady, who happens to be entering the back of the palace instead of the front. I will step aside for you, as you request. See what a gentleman I can be?” He moved, adding another heavy knock on the door and never taking his eyes off her as he did so. The force of his direct attention sent heat into her stomach. Soon after, the door opened. But Cali was too bamboozled to do anything about it. “Well?” said the young woman dressed all in black who answered. Cali tore her gaze from the man. Whoever he was, he was misfortune robed in a beautiful exterior, and she’d been taught to avoid scoundrels like him the way she might the plague she’d just left. No man had ever spoken to her the way he had. Then again, no man had ever dared. She was the princess of Zara. Even Darren had enough sense to cease his banter when he could tell he’d gone too far. “I came to see if I could help,” Cali told the girl. “Well, come in then.” Cali turned her back on the scalawag and stepped inside. No, she wouldn’t give the man a second thought. She was ready to play whatever part she needed to until she could return home. Forget roguish men whose eyes could unravel her with a single glance. She had a cure to find. If only she’d known that finding that cure would be anything but easy.   Chapter Two “What’s your face veiled for?” the girl who opened the door asked once the two of them were inside. She yanked Cali’s scarf from its place. Cali startled as if she’d been slapped. While she appreciated the ability to breathe without any kind of covering, the girl was forward. “Oh—I—” “You’re a servant, not a lady,” the girl said, rolling her eyes. “And no one here is impressed by you putting on airs.” She pointed down a long hallway. “If you’re here to help with the feast, you can change in there. I’d suggest doing so before Ayat catches you.” “Who is Ayat?” Cali asked, but the serving girl had already rejoined the tumultuous bustle in the servants’ ward. The sound of clanging metal chimed from somewhere down the hall. Men and women hurried past, speaking under their breath and carrying trays laden with decadent, thickly sliced meat, garnished with leaves and ruby-red cherry tomatoes. The aromas wafted to Cali and pricked her empty stomach. She hadn’t eaten since the night before, since she’d pushed her way through the death smothering her countryside to find Lyric. Cali attempted to tread along the uncarpeted floor in the direction the girl had pointed, but she was stopped by passing men in dark suits and white gloves following after the ladies. Each of them carried more trays and chattered among themselves in quiet tones. She couldn’t take in their words, but suspicion began creeping in. The guards at the gate had mocked Cali for wanting to join a feast. Were they preparing for some kind of celebration? Did whatever this event was have something to do with the scoundrel she’d left outside? “—and get that message delivered before I get back! Had to send for more staff on such short notice. What were they thinking?” A stern, plump woman with white hair in a tight bun backed into the room Cali stood in. She wore a black, high-necked dress hidden by a dirtied apron. Her eyes widened with ferocity in Cali’s direction. “You! You must be among the new staff they’ve sent. What are you standing around for?” “Oh, I—” Cali was at a loss for words. Before she could come up with an answer, the woman herded her and several other young ladies through the heady rush of servants and into a separate room bare of anything much aside from its white stone walls and several stacked barrels. “Hurry now,” the woman snarled, indicating the row of what looked like black cloaks hanging from hooks on the opposite wall. “Get into your uniforms and get back out here.” She left them as quickly as she’d come, closing the door behind her. Wordlessly, the young ladies slipped from their simple dresses, sliding them over the skirts of their underclothes. Cali wasn’t sure whether to look away or pretend she was one of them. She decided on the latter, moving in close enough to speak low to the girl nearest her. “Are we in Lunae Lumen?” Cali asked. The girl’s dark brows snapped down. Her gaze questioned Cali’s sanity. “Where’d you think we were? The moon?” The other girls laughed, so the first young lady rolled her eyes at them and went on. “Are we in Lunae Lumen? Honestly. We’re only working in the ruddy palace.” More laughter followed. Cali fought the burning in her cheeks. She couldn’t care that this laughter was at her expense. “Then please, can you tell me where I can find the gardens?” The request sounded ludicrous even to her own ears, but she didn’t care. Once she got the plants she needed, she’d never have to see any of these people again. At that thought, she removed the list Lyric had given her from her pocket and held it in her fist. “You’re mad.” The thick-browed girl gaped mockingly at the others. “Who does she think she is? A visiting dignitary? Certainly, darling, we’ll escort you to the gardens, right after we seat you at the table with the king!” She burst into snorting laughter, clearly enjoying being the center of attention at Cali’s expense. Cali ignored the girl’s ridicule, her heart sinking. Lyric had made the task of locating the gardens sound simple. She was starting to realize it was anything but. The plump woman bustled in once more and snapped harshly behind them, clapping her hands loudly. “Come, come! The banquet will wait for no one,” she barked. Her attention flicked to Cali and the fury in her wide eyes increased. “Why is it you haven’t dressed? Are you daft, girl? Get in uniform, or the king will have your head as well as mine!” Cali couldn’t exactly walk away now, not when this woman had her in her sights. A lump rose in her throat. She wasn’t inclined to leave her dress here, the way the other girls had exchanged their shabby dresses for pristine, black serving attire. But what did a fine dress matter? You have a matter of days, she told herself. She would do what she had to, to find what she needed. “Move along, or this feast will be in ruins.” “Take this one here,” said a girl with a pleasant face: thin cheeks, dainty eyes, and a rosebud mouth. She pointed to a dress on its hook. Kindness that had been vacant from the other girls lingered in her eyes. “It won’t be missed.” “Thank you,” Cali said. Perfect. Making a friend here could only help her cause. Perhaps this girl could at least tell Cali where the gardens were located. Cali seized the dress and changed, lost in a whirl of thought. So much had happened, in such a short amount of time. Her body had healed instantly in this place whose very air was magic, just as Lyric said it would. Did that mean no one got sick here? How would that be? She paused at the realization while a chorus of chills sang across her skin. She had healed. Instantly. The scent of cooking food, the bustling servants very much alive and in peak health as her people had once been, a banquet being held. Cali had crossed the boundary. She was in Lunae Lumen. And there was no necrosis here. Which meant there was still hope. Undine take it, there was still hope. Cali fastened the dress’s buttons hastily, brushing away stray hairs from her face and stuffing Lyric’s list of plants into the pocket once more. The rest of her hair remained in its braid. “You must be new here,” the kind girl said, giving Cali a pleasant smile and reaching out in a comforting way. “My name is Lenora.” “I’m Ca—Ana. It’s Ana,” Cali said, correcting herself. She didn’t want anyone else mocking her the way the guards outside had. Lenora smiled. “The trays you’ll need to retrieve are in the kitchen, just down the hall there.” She pointed in its direction. “Speak to no one, either as you enter, or as you leave, or if something is asked of you. Set the trays on the rear table in the dining hall and then stand by to refill goblets, retrieve fallen napkins, or see to other minor mishaps.” Cali’s nerves raced with tense agitation, but she was grateful for the girl’s suggestions. She’d interacted with servants often enough but hadn’t given much thought to their comings and goings. She gave herself a mental note to give her staff more credit once she returned home. Moments later, she followed Lenora out the door and into another room. Large, simple wooden counters angled on the room’s longest side. Silver trays of food were piled high on the counters’ every surface, some stacked with gelatins and vegetable salads, others offering roasted pheasants garnished with potatoes. A series of rotund bowls held pools of mouthwatering soups, while serving dishes of finest porcelain waited on the side, ready to be used. Uncertain of which to choose, Cali selected a tray beset with bowls of potatoes. Heat collected in her palms beneath the tray. The divine smell of butter, onions, and herbs blended in a perfect concoction. Again, her stomach rumbled. Lenora and the other young ladies scurried up a set of stairs. Cali did her best to keep pace, grateful when they emerged into a lavish banquet hall filled with people. Instrumentalists were collected in one corner. They held stringed guitars with long necks, and the tinkling music drifting from them teased Cali to slow down a bit more and enjoy the sounds. Where her palace back home had been square and circumspect, adorned with red carpets and white flowers, this palace was all bulging curves that narrowed to sleek angles at the tips of columns and along the ceilings. Shutters were cast open high overhead to allow sunlight to join the festivities. And the colors! Vibrant, luscious colors painted the drapes of fabric swooping from the columns—purples and teals and pinks the shade of blushing cheeks and secret admirations. Open balconies yawned behind the guests, offering glimpses of the restless sea outside. She hurried to place her tray alongside the others on a buffet table behind the line of draperied columns before joining the other servants along the wall. It wasn’t long ago when Cali’s parents had announced her coronation at such a banquet, where she had been seated beside her father and mother at the head of the room while noblemen and women gathered to celebrate and enjoy a fine meal. And now she was on the sidelines, carrying the food instead of waiting to be served. At every banquet she’d attended for all of her eighteen years, she’d never considered how difficult it was for her staff to stand by while everyone else indulged themselves. The notion was difficult, but she was here for a reason. She was a princess. This wasn’t her true role. She had to keep reminding herself of that. The king sat at the head of the assembly, his crown glinting in the sunlight as though he’d chosen that spot for that exact reason. Cali’s heart took flight. Even if the peasants in this kingdom didn’t believe Zara was real, their king would be educated enough to know of her kingdom and recognize her seal, wouldn’t he? She had only to figure out how to present herself to him. He was dark both in hair and demeanor, glaring at his guests as though wondering why they were there. A beautiful young woman sat on his right, her hair similar to Cali’s raven-black locks and set off by a glistening tiara. She wore an enchanting indigo gown with translucent opals decorating her throat, and a thin, gossamer veil covered the lower half of her face. Behind the king, another set of doors overlooked a glorious view of the ocean. Cali paused for a moment, her breath catching. Four years before, she’d sworn never to set foot near the sea again, but their ocean back in Zara had never been this blue. From this vantage point, she remembered the scoundrel’s words about the sea being as easy to tame as a woman. The arrogance. Even still, when not being goaded by him, she found she had a sudden longing to escape, to be swallowed by the ocean’s proximity, to feel its spray on her skin as she had when she had sailed to the boundary with her father years before. Other servants moved about, serving food and waiting tables, all while urgency tapped its feet within her. Servants not being allowed in the gardens meant she needed a way to approach the king and speak to him herself. She bent her head toward Lenora, ready to ask about the possibility, when a gentle pinging captured the room’s attention. The king rose from his place, lowering his goblet and the fork he used to tinkle against it. “Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you to our home on this remarkable day. It is fitting for the sun to shine as it does, for no other weather would be so perfect to announce the ascension of my daughter, Soraya Keilani Cressida, as Crowned Princess of Lunae Lumen.” Cali exhaled with a gust of relief as applause broke out among the guests. If she’d still been looking for confirmation, this was it. She was in the right place. The young woman beside her father beamed. His dark expression lifted into a pleasant smile as though the thoughts that had been troubling him vanished, taking his surly demeanor with them. He offered the princess Soraya a hand, inviting her to her feet. Color flooded the top of the girl’s pallid cheeks, her skin almost too pale, like Cali’s. Yet she stood, eyes wide in light of the attention. Had Cali appeared as innocent and deserving of her position as this girl did? Cali had felt nothing but pride, mingled with fear, during her banquet. This princess faced her people’s attention with a sense of gratitude. “And, of course, you are all welcome to attend the ceremony. The coronation will take place on the eve of Soraya’s eighteenth birthday, in four days’ time.” The reminder banged like a gong. Four days. And Cali only had five days herself to retrieve the plants and figure out her way home. The affairs of this kingdom were none of her concern. She needed to get moving. More cheering broke out. Cali wracked her brain, waiting for a distraction that would give her the chance to approach the king. She prepared to take advantage of the crowd’s distraction and stand before him, perhaps show her ring. Cali wove through the collection of tables, boldly marching toward the head table. The king’s dark gaze locked with hers. His brows drew together, and the look they exchanged was more than a passing glance between king and servant. He examined her, almost as though he’d seen her before but was trying to place where or how. Unnerved, her steps stilled. Cali felt as though she were in some kind of dream, as if she were standing somewhere fully exposed without knowing how she’d gotten there. The sound of rustling clothing and scuffling boots sounded behind her. She turned without thinking, losing her lock on the king. Men and women, newcomers—unkempt and unruly with distrust in their gazes and no good in their grins—stood along the banquet hall’s walls. Uneasy at the new arrivals, Cali moved out of the room’s center and back to the sidelines beside Lenora. With their dirty, ragged clothes, these intruders certainly didn’t fit in with the rest of the nobles in their finery. They looked more scoundrel than safeguard. Their attire didn’t match the black-hued fabric worn by the palace staff either. Even though the guests continued applauding, Cali caught Lenora’s eye, and the tension in the other girl’s expression told her just enough. These people were trespassers. Their arrival wasn’t part of the meal’s entertainment. And they were about to bring a fair amount of trouble indeed.