Terrin assumed Snow was the one knocking on his door. He hadn’t spoken to the princess since the previous day, when she was invited to Lira’s chambers.

“I told you I don’t want to talk. Leave me alone,” he said flatly. He jumped when the door opened anyway and stopped speaking when he saw it was a page.

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but Queen Lira has summoned you to meet with her,” he said with a slight bow.

“Now?” Terrin asked in bewilderment.

The page nodded. Terrin stood and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes before following the boy into the bright corridor. The guards standing on either side of his door led them through the halls. In the courtyard below, servants were rushing with large baskets of clothes, wheelbarrows of tools, and jars of preserves. Guards strolled about, glancing around attentively. Servants’ children chased each other in a game of tag, and ladies of the court sat under their umbrellas, whispering to one another and fanning themselves.

The page led Terrin down a staircase and into the inner castle, where they left the open halls behind. That section of the castle felt older. Cracks ran down the walls, and dust gathered at the edges of the hallway. The wide double doors at the end of their path looked older and more decrepit than the rest of the entryways in the palace, which he thought was strange. The page motioned with one hand for Terrin to enter the room.

“She wishes to speak to you alone,” he told Terrin as he stepped away from the door.

Terrin was astounded to see the guards stand back as well as he pulled on the heavy metal handle. The hinges creaked ominously, and the door slowly inched open. When the opening was wide enough, he slipped inside.

It was dark. The door shut behind him with a heavy thud. He noticed the air was stale and musty when he took a deep breath. As his eyes adjusted to the gloom, he made out tall bookshelves reaching far beyond his sight.

What is this place? he wondered, taking a step forward. His foot bumped into a stack of pots lying on the floor, and the pile fell over. He jumped in alarm as the loud clang echoed through the room and started coughing when a dust cloud enveloped him.

“Hello? Queen Lira?” he called through fits of coughing.

He tried to fight his growing sense of unease, but it was not an easy feat. He carefully picked his way through stacks of old books, going mostly by feel. A cold shiver passed up his spine, and the hairs on his arms stood on end. He froze mid-step, his mind sensing danger. If his senses hadn’t been on high alert, he would’ve missed the quiet whistle of metal hissing toward him. He dove to the ground as a blade sliced through the empty space above him. He rolled through the dust, knocking over yet another pile of unsteady junk. That time, something hit the ground and shattered on impact. Terrin felt sharp stabs of pain in his arm as shards of glass imbedded themselves in his skin. He reached forward, wrapped his hands around a long dagger of broken glass, and sent it flying at his attacker. He heard a startled grunt and saw a flash of metal as a blade sliced the projectile from the air. Fragments of glass clattered to the floor around him.

“Very good, but I was expecting you to be,” Lira said as a bright light illuminated the room.

Terrin blinked several times before he recognized the queen dressed in black, standing over him.

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“Time for your second test,” she said as he picked himself off the ground.

With practiced ease, she drew a short sword from one of the many sheaths on her person and handed it to Terrin. He’d never seen anything like it. The blade was made from a cool, white metal with a translucent center strip that almost looked like opaque glass. The hilt had strange grooves that molded perfectly to his hand. The instant he touched it, the center strip glowed purple. Terrin felt a presence inside of him, like another consciousness entering his mind. Lira’s eyes narrowed, and, without a word, she drew her own sword and swung at him. He quickly countered her attack and felt a strange sense of calm wash over him, like he’d seen her attack a thousand times before. She went for his side, but he knew she was trying to trick him and was prepared when she unexpectedly changed directions and sliced upward. He sidestepped her, and his blade darted out as if it had a mind of its own. Metal clashed with metal.

His blade twisted through the air, leaving streaks of purple light behind as it met her swings. She was on the defensive as Terrin attacked her with moves he felt he’d known all his life, though he’d never been in a sword fight with anyone. A feminine voice in his mind whispered instructions, telling him exactly what to do and how to stand. To his astonishment, Lira looked worried. Shadows of doubt flashed through her eyes as she countered his attacks and tried to launch a few of her own. Finally, his blade smashed into her hilt and sent her sword flying from her hand.

“Kill her!” the new voice in his head screamed, but he stopped himself. His blade touched her throat lightly. She put her hands up in surrender and took a step back.

“You have Guardian’s blood in your veins,” Lira said breathlessly as she reached for his sword. He returned it reluctantly. As soon as it left his hand, the purple glow ceased, and the presence in his mind vanished.

“What was that?” Terrin asked, giving the short sword a wary glance.

“A Guardian’s weapon is technologically designed to respond to its user’s nanites and upload fighting techniques straight into the user’s brain by utilizing the nanotechnology in their bloodstream,” she said curtly. Terrin gave her an uncomprehending blank stare. She sighed heavily. “It was Zavier’s sword. It magically responds to you and gives you information telepathically. It is difficult to control for those who received nanites through blood transfusion or those who have an ancient Guardian lineage, but those born with purer Guardian blood can usually control the sword naturally.”

“What is teachno-wollow-agy?” Terrin asked, completely lost.

Lira waved her hand dismissively.

“I will explain eventually. You must have been born with nanotechnology in your blood if you are taking on that form, so there is no guarantee you are Terrin. It simply means one of your parents or grandparents was a Guardian.”

Lira walked off through the piles of storage. Terrin followed her, wishing she would explain. She was talking complete gibberish as far as he was concerned. She led him to the back of the room, which was covered in soft mats. She sat on the floor and gestured for him to do the same.

“Raeya, dear, you can come out now,” she called.

The girl appeared a moment later, her arms crossed.

“Mother, these tests are pointless. I told you he was my brother. You are being paranoid again. You cannot fake a bond,” she said flippantly. Her hair cascaded across her face like a waterfall.

“Sit down, Raeya. I will make that determination for myself.”

Raeya let out an exasperated sigh as she did what she was told. Lira knelt in front of her children and took both their right hands. Terrin tensed automatically.

“Relax." Lira commanded. He saw Raeya’s eye roll in his peripheral vision. “Dia charťa mhu ẻhr ranōk co varaiti venei.”[i]

Her voice resonated within him, filling him with a sense of power. A light appeared over his head, illuminating the area around him. The same light appeared over Raeya. The glowing mass descended over him, filling his mind and sight with its comforting presence. He felt a prickle inside, like the light could penetrate his very essence. He felt exposed. The light passed through his blood and organs, intent on unlocking his biological secrets. After what felt like ages, the light lifted from his body and hovered above him, changing from white to teal.

“See?” Raeya said contemptuously, flipping her hair. “He is my brother, just like I have been telling you.”