When Elurra returned, Kai and Aleah were squabbling.

“I was speculating! Light could be their weakness. What is so bad about that?” Kai demanded.

“Thank you, Pendulum Prince, for stating the obvious. They are made of shadow. Naturally, they aren’t fond of light!” Aleah retorted in exasperation.

As Elurra approached, she could make out Kai’s pouting face.

“Well then, Aleah, I am sorry for trying to be helpful. Next time I will not bother you.”

“Thank goodness. Getting you to shut up is a full-time job. Voluntary silence sounds like a dream.”

Kai inhaled sharply, and Aleah spun around to face him. Anger quickly rose within her. “What is it, Your Majesty? Has no one ever told you their opinion of you?”

Elurra was afraid to approach, not wanting to be caught in the crossfire. Kai sat up with only a slight wince, his eyes ablaze.

“No one has ever had the gall. Pray tell, what do you think of me?”

“I think you are selfish, daft, and conceited. You never stop complaining about even the tiniest of inconveniences, and even though you seem to know a lot about history and battle from our talks, you don’t seem to know the first thing about the struggles everyday people endure. I also think you go after every good-looking girl you meet if she is in your class, and your obvious lack of common sense around a beautiful woman got you into this mess. You are blind to character and interested only in the superficial. In short, I think you are a lustful cad!”

The attack clearly hurt Kai. His face drained of color, and his eyes looked hollow. He quickly hid his emotions behind a mask and glared at Aleah.

“How dare you say such things to me! You have no idea the burdens I have or what significant responsibilities drove my actions and led me into Nitiri’s trap. Nor should you, as they do not concern a commoner like you! As a prince, I am not used to this kind of life, so you have no right to ridicule my complaints.”

Aleah sneered. “You can’t see past your throne, can you? In the real world, we don’t always get everything we want, Your Majesty. Sometimes we must make do and keep our mouths shut, even in discomfort. But you either take or are given everything in life, so it’s no wonder you don’t understand the concept of sacrifice!” she shouted.

Her voice dripped with poison, and flames of anger and sadness burned in her eyes. Elurra was perplexed as she studied them. She could not figure out why, but both were lashing out at the other because of deeper emotional wounds. Aleah was consumed with deep-seated scorn and jealousy, but Kai displayed the same guilt and begrudging responsibility under his haughty, heated remarks she had seen the night before.

“Oh, yes! Naturally, as I am a prince, I will be denied nothing! I am never forced to do things I do not wish to do, and I am never disregarded. There is nothing I desperately want but cannot have, as I could hold no burdens as nobility!” Kai shouted with sarcastic bitterness.

His words were hollow, and the depths of his despair showed on his face as he took a shaky breath. They stared at each other in silence for a moment before he softly asked, “Aleah, do you really think so little of me?”

Aleah could not meet his gaze. Her body language implied she had just been angry and spiteful, not sincere.

“I cannot find another explanation for your behavior,” she growled crossly.

Kai sighed and stared at her for a few moments before he spoke again. “Have you ever wanted something so badly it hurt, but you could not have it? There are some things in this world that are impossible to grasp. Riches are elusive. True love is a fairy tale. The search for happiness brings pain. Longing rips up the heart and will kill us all eventually. Life is not fair, and you will never get what you want, no matter what class you were born into.”

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His words were as much for himself as for Aleah. Elurra didn’t understand the emotions rolling off them in waves. They spoke with hatred while trying to smother desire. They directed insults at each other they meant for themselves. It was like they were fighting simply to vocalize their pent-up feelings. Misery flashed in Aleah’s eyes.

“What happens when you’re alone, Kai? There is no one you trust, is there? Admit it: you’re lonely. You will be remembered not as yourself, but as one in a long line of rulers in Amora. You’re a figurehead, and that’s all you’ll ever be,” she muttered.

Kai turned his head to the side, hiding his face. “At least I will be remembered after I am gone. Who are you when you are alone, Aleah? You are always so formal and proper, but who are you really? Who will people remember when you pass away? What are you keeping caged inside?” His green eyes sparkled with genuine curiosity. Aleah met his gaze.

“The only one in a cage is you, Kai, and you know you cannot escape.”

She didn’t sound angry. She sounded heartbroken. Elurra didn’t know exactly what was going on, but she was done listening to their confusing argument.

“I found some shelter a little farther into the cave,” she called as she approached from the shadow where she’d been eavesdropping. “We should set up there so Kai will have a safe place to stay, then Aleah and I will try to find a way out.”

Kai and Aleah immediately turned away from each other to cover their intense expressions. Aleah nodded wordlessly and stood up, then took the torch and headed the way Elurra had come. Elurra sighed and demanded Aleah help Kai because she had to lead the way. Her governess stiffened and turned back. Elurra was afraid she would be rough with Kai purposefully, but to her astonishment, she treated him with tenderness. They both intentionally avoided eye contact, though.

Their fight bothered Elurra. She glanced back at them to see they looked genuinely upset. Elurra had come to care about them, although the solidarity of friendship still felt foreign to her. Aleah had been like a bossy older sister or a second mother to her growing up, but her views of her former governess had changed during their travels. She thought of both Kai and Aleah as her companions now, though she missed Terrin with a cutting ferocity that dwarfed her newfound relationships.

Why was Terrin so special to me?

The question had plagued her since the night before. His lilac eyes, goofy grin, and melodic voice haunted her, and she struggled to fall asleep each night—despite her exhaustion—because she missed sleeping next to him. She knew Kai and Aleah wouldn’t understand why she cried herself to sleep over a peasant boy, but she was acutely aware of his absence, and the anguish was a continuous dull throb in her chest.

Is this what losing a friend is supposed to feel like? she wondered glumly as she led her two somber companions to the cave she had found.

She had not known Terrin long, but in that time, he came to know her better than anyone else. She had even babbled to him in the forest about her favorite foods and stories. She often stopped speaking suddenly, wondering why she was telling a commoner such things, but it never bothered him. The thing she found most interesting was the way he reciprocated her musings.

She had refused to reveal her name or past, but he confided in her about random, insignificant things in an off-handed manner. The way he trusted her made her jealous. She could never trust anyone at the castle. She knew she had to be careful after watching her parents and hearing gossip about everything they did from the servants. Everyone was watching, so the easiest way to stay safe was to be silent.

When she was around Terrin, however, she was a person, not just a figure. She knew Aleah’s comments hurt Kai. She knew what it felt like to believe people only cared about her role in society. When she looked at Terrin, she did not see the same emotions she saw in everyone else. He could hide from her like no one else, but he chose to share things with her anyway. She never had to steal his thoughts; he always gave them to her willingly.

The dull ache in her chest intensified and made it hard to breathe. Elurra felt empty and knowing she would never see him again hurt her more than anything she’d ever experienced. A silent tear escaped her eye and slipped down her face before vanishing into the darkness.

She tore her thoughts away from Terrin and focused on the issue at hand. They had reached the cave, and Aleah quickly set Kai down on the ground and turned away.

“Let’s start looking for a way out,” she said, focusing on Elurra.

Elurra nodded, but she knew it was hopeless. If there were any exits, the Demons had probably blocked them. That was assuming there ever were any. Moreover, there were other things lurking in the darkness, waiting for another living thing to fall into their clutches. She shivered and faked a smile.

“Alright, but mark your path, or you might get lost.”