Emily was halfway up the stairs to the fifth floor before she realised that she was heading to The King's Office. She didn't know why she had decided to head in that direction; it just seemed like the right place to go.

Climbing the last few steps, she crossed the hallway, pushing open the door that led into the outer office. Ignoring the dirty looks from two of the other Sisters of Tristan, she crossed the office, slipping through the heavy oak door and into The King's Office. Perhaps she had known something inside, Emily thought when she spotted Thomas sitting on the edge of the desk, a book in his hands.

'You couldn't sleep as well?' he asked without looking up.

'I didn't try,' Emily admitted as she walked across the stone floor, her footsteps echoing. Once there had been a huge white rug in the centre of the room, but it must have been discarded after Sebastian had smashed a bottle of red wine on it in his last hours. 'What are you reading?' she asked, trying to peer at the book in Thomas' hands.

'Just some old records,' he muttered before tossing the book on the desk. 'Nothing useful.'

'I think Lewis is in danger,' Emily said slowly.

'I don't doubt it,' Thomas said. 'From what I've seen, he can take care of himself, though.'

'No, it's more than that,' Emily insisted. 'I spoke to Anthony.'

'What were you doing down there? You know you aren't supposed to go down there without guards,' Thomas demanded.

'I saw Edmund come up from the jail; what about him?' Emily asked. 'Why are the rules different for him?'

'They aren't,' Thomas said, a look of concern crossing his face.

'Anthony told me about The Dawn, but there was one problem,' Emily said. 'There aren't any creatures that are attracted to precursor powers.'

'You're saying that Lewis was set up so that he would go without a fight?' Thomas asked slowly.

'Yes, whoever they were, they want Lewis for something, and I don't think it will be anything good,' Emily said.

'Lewis still didn't have a choice in the matter,' Thomas said. 'The spectres might not be linked to his power, but the bond that The Dawn is capable of making with him is most certainly real.'

'Anthony said The Dawn used to train the precursors in the mountains to the north, beyond Springcaster,' Emily said.

'No,' Thomas insisted before she had even had the chance to suggest going in search of him.

'You don't know what I was going to say,' Emily argued.

'You want to go after Lewis,' Thomas said calmly. 'I can't let you do that. If anyone goes searching for him, then your life is on the line.'

'Exactly, my life!' Emily said. 'Surely that means that I get to make the decision.'

'Emily, no one understands more than I, but I can't let you go after him,' Thomas said. 'I want to get Lewis back here as soon as possible, but going after him just isn't an option.'

'Then what is an option?' Emily demanded.

'We have to wait for him to come back,' Thomas said.

'Anthony said the world would burn when he returned,' Emily said.

'What?' Thomas asked, taken aback.

'He said that someone was coming.

'Anthony has been making that threat since we put him in that prison cell,' Thomas sighed, getting to his feet.

'I don't think it's a threat,' Emily said. 'He seemed scared. I asked him who was coming, and he said 'the heir'. Who else could he be talking about?'

'Why would he be warning us now? He tried to kill both of you a few weeks ago. I think the isolation has addled his mind a little.' Thomas reasoned. 'I know you want to go after Lewis, but we can't. While he is gone, we need to focus on what we can do.'

'And what is that?' Emily demanded. 'I won't just sit around the castle doing nothing while he's out there in danger.'

'We still need to find George and the crown,' Thomas said. 'I've heard that he was sighted trying to secure passage to Arcadia.'

'All I keep hearing these days is Arcadia. Antony mentioned it when he was telling me about The Dawn as well,' Emily said. 'What is even there?'

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'Not a lot, as far as we know,' Thomas said. 'It was destroyed at the end of the war. No one has been there in at least a century; they have no reason to go to a city of ruins.'

'A city of ruins?' Emily asked, the vivid image of George walking down the hillside towards the towering city flashing in front of her. 'He's there, George.'

'What?' Thomas asked worriedly.

'I had a dream. A vision. I didn't get the chance to tell you with Lewis being abducted by The Dawn,' Emily said quickly. 'George was walking down a hillside towards a huge city. I've never seen anything like it; the buildings were taller than the castle.'

'Did you see anything else?'

I saw you and Arthur in the forest talking to Lewis; there were people in red cloaks there as well,' she said.

'That would be The Dawn,' Thomas said. 'Go on.'

'The last part was strange. I was underground, in some sort of cave. There was this strange, pulsing orange light in the distance.'

'That could be anywhere,' Thomas sighed, running a hand through his hair. Despite it being early in the morning, he already seemed exhausted.

'There were ruins there as well, if that helps,' Emily said hopefully. 'It was like it was some sort of temple or something. Most of the pillars had been knocked over and broken, though.'

'Did you see anything else?' Thomas asked, perking up suddenly.

'Just the orange light,' Emily said. Was there something else that she should have seen?

'I wonder,' Thomas muttered to himself as he turned to a pile of books on the desk behind him.

'What is it? Emily asked.

'I'm not sure yet; I need some time,' Thomas said as he began moving the books around, searching for one in particular.

'Is it connected with why George is in Arcadia?'

'Possibly,' Thomas said without looking up. 'We need to find him soon. Nothing good has ever come out of Arcadia, and I doubt that will ever change, even if it is an uninhabited ruin.'

'I'll go after him,' Emily volunteered quickly.

She had been expecting Thomas to reject her offer again, but he merely nodded. 'Wait until after lunch,' he said. 'We'll need to get a party together if we're going anywhere near Arcadia.'

With a sigh, Emily ran her hand through her hair. 'Alright,' she muttered, turning her back on Thomas and heading for the door. Perhaps she could just sneak out of the castle without anyone noticing.

'It isn't worth it; leave now. Lewis wouldn't want you to put yourself in danger if you could avoid it,' Thomas called after her.

Without another word, she strode out the door and across the outer office, ignoring the dark looks from the other Sisters of Tristan. How had he known what she had been thinking?

Once again, Emily found herself wandering the castle corridors aimlessly, her mind running a mile a minute as she tried to make sense of everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours. In the end, she always came to the same conclusions: Lewis was gone, she couldn't go after him, and George was up to something she doubted would be good.

As she pushed open a heavy oak door, she felt the warm sunlight on her face and the slight breeze blowing a strand of hair in front of her face. Tucking it behind her ear absently, Emily looked around the garden. Growing up in the castle, it had been one of the few spots where she had been able to find refuge from the dirty looks and taunting voices of the Sisters of Tristan.

'Sorry, I got lost,' a voice said quickly.

It was only now that Emily realised that she wasn't alone. Standing in the middle of the neat grass path that led to a huge marble mausoleum was Robyn Steele, the sun shining off her black hair. 'Sorry, Robyn, I didn't see you there. I was miles away.'

'I know how you feel; Arthur just told me what happened,' she said, relaxing visibly.

'He was looking for you, Lewis,' Emily said, wandering down the path towards the mausoleum. 'He was worried about you.'

'I'm fine,' Robyn said. Behind her, Emily heard Robyn's soft footfalls as she followed her down the path. 'Connor hasn't been well again, and my mother isn't in any condition to look after him at the moment.'

'You know you're more than welcome to stay in the castle,' Emily said, reiterating Lewis' previous offer. 'Your family as well.'

'It's probably best they stay at home. Besides, you don't need me wandering around here getting lost all the time,' Robyn said.

'Don't be silly; we would love to have you here,' Emily said. Well, Lewis would, she thought. She didn't really know anything about Robyn or her family.

'Thanks,' Robyn muttered shyly. 'I can see why Lewis wanted me to get you out of the city.'

'What?' Emily asked, taken aback.

'The day of the coronation, he came to my house and made me promise to get you out of the city if he died,' Robyn said. 'You must be really special to him.'

'Obviously, I'm not that special if he won't let me go after him,' Emily muttered darkly.

'Or he's trying to protect you,' Robyn said as she ran her hand over the white wall of the mausoleum. 'What is this?'

'I don't know,' Emily said without sparing the mausoleum a glance. 'Lewis knows I can take care of myself.'

'I'm sure you can, but that wouldn't stop him from worrying about you,' Robyn said as she wandered over to the stone entrance. 'What's inside here?'

'I don't know; no one has ever been able to open it as far as I know,' Emily said, finally looking at the mausoleum that Robyn was asking about.

According to Sebastian, it had been there as long as anyone could remember. As he got older, Sebastian spent more time examining it, more often than not at the expense of completing his piles of paperwork. In the end, it became an obsession. Before he had been poisoned, he had spent almost the entire season in the garden, regardless of the weather.

The garden was where she had often found him when she was seeking refuge from the other sisters. It was where he had taught her a lot of the survival skills she needed when she fled the castle after his death. Why couldn't he be here to offer her advice now?

'Emily?' Robyn asked slowly.

'Sorry, I was miles away,' she said, running a hand through her hair again. 'What did you say?'

'I asked if you were going to go after Lewis anyway,' Robyn said.

'Thomas won't let me,' Emily said. 'We're going to try and find George so we can get the crown back for when Lewis returns. If he returns,

'He'll come back. I know he will,' Robyn said with a smile. 'Anyway, I should get going; I need to check in on Connor.' With a smile, Robyn turned away, heading for the door Emily had come through earlier.

'Robyn!' Emily called after her. Pausing, Robyn turned around. 'Thanks.'

'Any time,' she replied. With one last smile and a small wave, Robyn opened the door, disappearing back into the castle and leaving Emily alone in the garden with her thoughts.

Hopefully Robyn was right and Lewis would come back, Emily thought as she slumped against the cold marble wall of the mausoleum, sliding down the side until she was sitting on the grass. Resting her chin on her knees, she studied the bed of roses opposite her absently.