Laha and Bertie collapsed onto a pair of settees in the younger Prince’s rooms, chests heaving, heads spinning.

After a few minutes, when Bertie had finally caught his breath, he sat upright and crossed his arms. ‘I have questions,’ he said matter-of-factly.

Laha sat up slowly, considering how much of her suspicions she wanted to share.

‘Who was that woman? How did she do that thing with the vines? And how did you do that with the candle’ – he waved his hands dramatically – ‘just with a flick of your wrist?’ He stood up and paced the floor before continuing his rapid-fire questions. ‘Does this mean your magic is back? What does it—’

Laha stood up as well and held out her hands placatingly, as if she were calming a spooked horse. ‘It’s alright, Bertie. Everything’s going to be alright.’

Bertie spun toward her, wide-eyed. ‘Alright? How can you say that? I was beginning to think I missed all the excitement of the last year, but after seeing that woman and what she may be capable of…’ He shook his head, then fixed Laha with a serious stare. ‘I never want to see magic again.’

‘Don’t say that!’ Laha stepped closer to him. ‘Magic is…’ She searched for the words to describe what her powers meant to her. There was only one word. ‘Magic is everything.’

Bertie gave a heavy sigh and slumped back onto the settee. ‘Who is that woman? What exactly are we dealing with?’

Laha sat down beside him. ‘I don’t know.’ It was true; she didn’t know anything for sure…except that the woman was not a simple traveller. Laha sensed they had only seen a hint of the woman’s true powers – the thought was heart-stilling and intriguing.

‘Why do you think she’s here?’

‘I don’t know.’

‘What about you and your powers?’

‘I don’t know…I just know that it seemed…different from before.’

‘We should tell the Governess.’

Laha shook her head adamantly. If the Governess stepped in, Laha would be sidelined. ‘Not until we know more.’

Bertie frowned.

‘What’s the matter with you two?’ Alfred asked from the doorway, Mary beside him.

‘All tired out from mocking everyone, I expect,’ Mary quipped.

Laha poked her tongue out, but Bertie looked anything but amused. Alfred took in his brother’s ashen face and strode toward him, his eyes darting over Bertie as if to check for physical injuries.

‘I’m fine,’ Bertie said unconvincingly, backing away from Alfred.

The elder Prince spun on Laha. ‘What have you got my brother into this time?’

‘It wasn’t her fault,’ Bertie said weakly. It obviously was her fault…again.

‘What happened?’ Mary asked, her voice not unkind.

Laha relented, telling them about how she and Bertie had come across the tent and the Kengian traveller. She told them how the woman had claimed to have a prophecy, but made a point of saying that it must have been made-up. She glossed over the details of the magic the woman had used – mumbling something about simple trickery and illusions. Laha decided not to mention how she had magically caused a fire herself; she was intent on getting to the bottom of the mysterious woman’s visit and her powers, and she didn’t want any interference.

‘A prophecy?’ Mary asked.

‘Something about death, destruction, the Lamorian regime falling…’ Laha couldn’t have sounded any more disinterested. ‘Oh…and something about a saviour who can catch water…you know, the usual rubbish.’

‘No, it was much more than that,’ Bertie cried. ‘The woman had real—’

Laha cast a pointed look at Bertie, silencing him. Mary caught the look and raised a questioning brow at Laha, who pretended not to notice.

Alfred, ever the practical one, gave Bertie a sympathetic smile. ‘I’m sure she did seem convincing, brother. That’s what these travellers are so skilled at…making everything seem real…but I’m inclined to agree with Laha.’ At this remark, Laha flung her hand to her head and pretended to feel faint. Alfred ignored her and continued. ‘This woman sounds like a charlatan.’

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‘She wasn’t,’ Bertie cried. ‘She was a silver-eyes – a powerful one. The prophecy must be true.’

‘It’s not a prophecy, just the ramblings of a talented trickster,’ Alfred said, with a confidence that Laha didn’t share.

‘How can you say that after everything we’ve seen?’ Bertie said. ‘After everything we’ve done? We know magic is real. Why wouldn’t a prophecy be?’

‘Embert—’

‘No! I know what I saw and heard.’ Bertie paced the room, wild-eyed. ‘She said there will be darkness and defeat, that the King is to blame.’

‘Emberto.’ Alfred spoke as if he were talking to a small child, and not his brother who was merely three years younger. ‘We have nothing to fear. The kingdom is at peace, Father will live for many years to come, and after that, you and I will continue his good rule.’

‘But the prophecy—’

‘Nothing will happen while Father is King,’ Alfred said with an assertiveness that begged to end the conversation. Mary nodded her agreement.

Bertie stopped pacing and gave his brother a pained look. ‘I know. She said as much. That it wouldn’t be under Father’s rule.’

Realisation washed over Alfred’s face, replaced quickly with anger. ‘So you think Lamore will fall under my rule?’

‘I don’t think that…and she didn’t specifically say it was under your rule…but…’ Bertie paused, then continued in a quiet voice. ‘If you had just been there, you’d see. You have to believe me.’

Alfred sighed and put his hand on Bertie’s shoulder. ‘Brother, I do believe you. I believe that this woman has gone out of her way to trick you. She would have known some of what we have been through over the last year and played into your fears – it’s her job to be convincing.’

Bertie shook his head miserably. ‘To what end? She didn’t ask for anything.’

‘Only because you ran away before she could.’ Alfred nodded to Laha for confirmation.

‘That’s right, Bertie,’ Laha said encouragingly. ‘We got out of there before she had a chance to demand any payment.’

Bertie fixed an accusatory stare on Laha – Mary seemed to catch the exchange again. She touched Alfred’s arm.

‘Perhaps we go take a look for ourselves. Just to be sure that this…traveller isn’t planning on sticking around and targeting anyone else at court.’

Alfred looked between Mary and his brother, then nodded. ‘Yes, let’s do that.’

Bertie lifted his chin and bid his brother to go with him in search of swords for each of them. Once they were gone from the room, Mary directed one of her I’m-being-serious-now looks at Laha.

‘What do you think? Is this woman a traveller, or something more?’

Laha shrugged. ‘She was a silver-eyes, so she had some powers…but nothing extraordinary.’ She held Mary’s piercing gaze. ‘A failed Shaman, perhaps.’

‘Capable of divining the future or having visions?’

Laha didn’t like lying to Mary – least of all because they knew each other so well that the Princess could usually tell when Laha was deceiving her.

‘No,’ Laha said, unblinking.

Mary narrowed her eyes, her penetrating stare unwavering. Laha said nothing and tried to focus on keeping her expression impassive.

The Princess compressed her lips, then finally nodded. Laha suppressed the urge to sigh loudly with relief.

* * *

The group made their way through the grounds to the spot where Laha and Bertie had seen the tent, but it was empty. Not just empty – there wasn’t a single blade of grass out of place or any sign of a tent having been there.

‘The tent was right here,’ Bertie said, scratching his head.

‘It was,’ Laha confirmed, hiding her disappointment that the woman was gone.

‘She must have moved on,’ Mary offered.

‘She should hope so,’ Alfred said, his hand tightening around his sword.

Laha scanned the grounds ahead of them, still visible in the setting sun. Nothing.

‘We should get back,’ Mary said to Alfred. ‘They will be expecting us at the Great Hall for supper.’ She nodded at Bertie and glanced at Laha. ‘All of us.’

Bertie’s eyes were fixed on the ground.

‘Come on, brother,’ Alfred said. ‘Whatever this trickery was, it’s over now. Please don’t make me celebrate my birthday without you.’

Bertie looked up at his brother, who was nearly a foot taller, and gave a half-grimace, half-smile.

Alfred put his hands on his brother’s shoulders and looked him squarely in the eyes. ‘Prophecy or not, Lamore will not fall under me…It can’t, because you will be by my side.’ He looked at Mary. ‘By our side.’

Mary nodded encouragingly, and Bertie gave a real smile then. None of them looked at Laha.

The two brothers turned back and started heading toward the castle.

‘Are you coming?’ Mary asked.

‘In a minute,’ Laha said, unwilling to leave yet. Mary gave her an inscrutable look, then left.

So this was what it was going to be like. Alfred, Mary and Bertie, together, ruling Lamore and Kengia. Laha should have felt happy for Bertie, that there would be a place for him – a place that would be enough for him. But all she could think about was the lack of a place for her.

Gone were the light and energy that had stirred life in her. All that was left was the familiar dragging weight of darkness.

A breeze suddenly whipped up around her, her tunic flapping in the wind. Then an eddy formed where the tent had been, silver specks swirling through the air. The eddy quickened until there was nothing but a blur of silver – then, just as suddenly, the wind stopped. The silver specks vanished.

Laha looked around, hoping to see the Kengian woman, but she was disappointed. Then her gaze fell on a parchment piece on the ground. She rushed to pick it up.

It was the prophecy – the same parchment Laha had thrown into the fire, but completely unmarked. She traced the opening lines with her finger, an ember of excitement sparking inside her.

Laha grinned and tucked the parchment into her tunic. She wasn’t sure what the significance of finding the prophecy was, but she was sure it had been meant for her. That the Kengian woman had left her a message. And that message was simple…Laha did have a place – a purpose. And the mysterious woman with the unusual powers would help her discover it.