Wulfram looked at the white-haired woman curiously, his tankard partway to his mouth. “How can you be so sure all these people will be at the ball? Quite frankly, and forgive me King Alastar, we’re not even really sure that Princess Daniella is alive. I read the report on the slaughter of High Queen Cerridwen’s caravan. My father was one of the people that found it. It was-” He paused and shook his head. “It was awful.”

The descriptions had been graphic and detailed. Everything had been recorded in hopes of finding who had orchestrated the attack. The original assumption had been bandits, but there was no way that a simple group of bandits could take out a group of Hesiodos warriors. Not unless they had help.

Aysia lowered her pale grey eyes, long lashes concealing them for a moment. “It is what I have Seen. The faces are not clear, and the future is, as always, in flux. But the most likely streams lead to this ball. Forgive me if I spoke out of turn My King.”

“Raise your head.” Alastar said firmly. He took a drink from his own tankard, watching Aysia with a frown. “You spoke as you felt you must. Now you will speak further. Tell me what you have Seen. Is it just this ball?”

Aysia raised her head and eyes, meeting Alastar’s gaze evenly. “It is where all streams lead. There are other, less likely paths for the future. Death, betrayal, love.” Her eyes glazed over, and it seemed as if she was looking elsewhere, far away. “Most lead to this ball, but not all.”

“Betrayal? Queen Aysia, I can assure you that our people do not intend to betray Hesiodos.” Wulfram leaned forward, his own gaze hard. He would not bring that war down on his kingdom! “We came in peace to help with what we think is a fools quest.”

He flinched as soon as the words left his mouth, cursing himself silently. Just what he needed, to accuse King Alastar of being a fool. But to seek his sister after all this time? It was ridiculous! Even if she were alive finding her would be nearly impossible!

Aysia’s gaze focused on Wulfram, and she spoke softly. “And yet you carry a piece of her soul with you and have said no word of it.”

“What?” Wulfram straightened as if he had been stuck with a pin. What was this woman talking about? Had she taken leave of her senses?

Alastar turned his gaze on Wulfram, his gaze hardening as he looked him over. “Explain, My Queen. You said that a piece of her soul traveled with another. Are you saying that Prince Wulfram is that other?”

“I am, My King. He carries a piece of her soul there.” Aysia leveled a slender finger at the bracelet Wulfram wore. This far from the city he hadn’t bothered to hide it, who was there out here to question it? The only other noble was Ben, and he already knew the story.

But wait. He looked down at the bracelet, the blue gemstone the same color of Dani’s eyes.

Dani, Daniella. Princess Daniella?

“That’s not possible.” He said softly, picturing the spirited thief as he had last seen her: dressed like a lesser lady, eating a warm pastie on their way back to Mrs. Haversaun’s. She had smirked as he took a cautious bite of his own pastie, nearly laughing at the look of surprise on his face.

“It ain’t half bad, is it?” She had said to him, almost looking sympathetic. “Ruin ya for rich peoples food if you eat too much though.”

He pulled his mind back to the present, looking at Alastar and his wives. Alastar had the same blue eyes, but he was huge, towering above Wulfram. Could Dani really be related to this behemoth?

“Where did you get that bracelet?” Alastar asked, his voice calm and even. As if the world hadn’t just been shaken, as if his wife hadn’t just claimed the impossible.

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

“It’s-” Wulfram paused, torn between how much he should tell this foreign king. If there was any way the claim was true, then Alastar had a right to know. And it would play directly into the peace agreements they had forged with High Queen Cerridwen. But how would that look? For their lost princess to suddenly appear in Aurum? For her to already be married to Wulfram but living in squalor in the Tangle? He stood up and started to pace, the night air cool against his bare skin. What would Dani think? She didn’t want to be his wife. Or did she?

Ben looked up from his own seat nearby, standing up when he saw Wulfram’s agitated pacing. He headed over, waving a hand to the guards for them to stay where they were. Things weren’t bad yet. “Your highness? Is everything alright?”

“Everything is fine. Our search for Princess Daniella may simply be easier than we had thought.” Alastar said. He curled an arm around Aysia’s waist, pulling her in close and pressing a surprisingly tender kiss on her cheek. “Bring me the skin.”

“Yes, My Husband.” Her voice was softer, a small smile forming on her lips as she turned and nearly seemed to float away.

Wulfram didn’t pause in his pacing, his heart pounding as he tried to think of what little he really knew of Dani. She was a thief, her father was a hunter. Could he have been part of the group that had attacked the caravan? But then why keep her alive? It couldn’t be for ransom, because there had never been one requested, had there? Surely they would have heard of it if there had been! But the name alone was such a coincidence! And then those beautiful blue eyes of hers, laughing at him as he tried peasant food for the first time.

“Easier than you thought? Why? Prince Wulfram, what has happened?” Ben moved to place himself directly in Wulfram’s path, reaching up to grab his shoulders. “Wulfram?”

Wulfram looked up from his pacing, not quite recognizing Ben for a second. He shook his head. “Dani. They believe Dani, may be Princess Daniella.”

Ben let out a snort of laughter, looking over Wulfram’s shoulder at King Alastar. “Dani is a thief from the Tangle, she’s no princess.”

“And yet my wife claims that your prince carries a piece of my sisters soul with him. And now your prince mentions this Dani. Which is not a far stretch from Daniella.” Alastar stood up as Aysia returned, taking the rolled skin she carried. “I find myself interested in finding out if there is truth to this theory. This skin is from my own fathers back, the diagram is drawn in my own blood. It took us years to get any sense of my sister at all. At first it was just one arrow, that led us to your border. The last two times I have activated the spell however, there were two arrows.”

He unrolled the skin, spreading it out on a table that one of his men had hurried to bring over. Its feet had barely hit the ground when Alastar set the skin on it. The diagram was complex, a mixture of symbols and letters in a language that was oddly familiar. Where had Wulfram seen something similar? He shook his head, dismissing the thought for another time. There were more immediate concerns. His stomach turned though as he looked at the skin. Human skin. This man had skinned his own father to make this spell, had used his own blood! Would Wulfram go so far to find his own sisters, if one of them went missing?

He prayed he would never find out.

“Blood of the Brother give us sight.” Aysia spoke softly, holding out a knife to Alastar. “My King, My Husband, let us see if the spell reacts to Prince Wulfram’s bond.”

“Yes, lets.” Alastar sliced the knife across his arm and extended it out over the diagram. Three large drops of blood dripped from him, landing solidly on the diagram and spreading through it. A deep red light filled the symbols and letters, and the diagram bled upwards off the page, forming the three dimensional compass that Wulfram had glimpsed earlier that day. Two arrows of blood curled from the compass, one pointing towards Cresenvasht. The other pointed directly at Wulfram, moving to follow him as he stepped to the side.

“It’s not possible....” He whispered, staring at the arrow that pointed at him in an almost accusatory way. Wulfram raised his wrist, moving it as far from his torso as he could. The arrow followed it. He lowered his arm, meeting Alastar’s eyes. “It’s just not possible.”

“And yet it is. I believe we should have a private talk.” Alastar cut a hand through the compass, letting the blood rain back onto the skin in deep red droplets. “Your advisor can come with you. But this is not a discussion for so many ears. Idun, send Cael to my tent.”

“Yes Husband.” Idun stood up from her spot lounging against Alastar’s chair, heading around the fire to where Cael had been drinking with her sister.

“I’m not sure we should go, Prince Wulfram.” Ben leaned in to whisper the warning, his eyes fixated on the skin that Aysia was even now rolling up.

“But I am. I want answers.” Wulfram fell into step behind Alastar, only pausing to grab his tankard up again. He couldn’t afford to get drunk, no matter how desperately he wanted to right now. But he was at least going to drink something.