The next morning, Kai found Sterling curled up in front of the fireplace exactly where he had left her the previous night. The fire had burnt down and was nothing more than a few coals. A quick look at her bed told him she hadn’t touched it.

The floor creaked under his boots as he approached. Kai half expected her to spring up, knife in hand, but her eyes remained closed. Her face looked so young and innocent as he peered down at her, but after last night's events, he wasn't sure he could look at her the same way again. The image of her pressing a blood-stained hand against her mouth wasn't one he could easily shake.

He still couldn’t figure out why she had done it, and Sterling wasn’t telling. If she was to be believed, she didn’t know what had come over her, and it wasn’t until after that she had realized what she’d done. He’d never heard of such a thing before, and it worried him.

As Kai studied her, Sterling mumbled something and rolled over in her sleep, flinging a hand out. There was still dried blood beneath her nails.

He wished Seraiah or Kestrel were here—someone he could talk to about this. He’d thought the weight of ruling a kingdom was heavy, but it turned out it was nothing compared to the weight of keeping Sterling safe.

Her eyes cracked open and met his. The surprise at finding him standing there registered a moment later, and she scrambled to sit up.

"What time is it? Why didn't you wake me?" Sterling’s face transformed as the details of the night before came back to her, her expression flicking through a riot of emotions in rapid succession before smoothing out once more.

She could give Virelai some competition when it came to masking true feelings.

“I only just came in,” he said, taking a step back. “It’s still early, but I thought we could practice your magic before we seek an audience with the king.”

Sterling’s mouth opened. Closed. She blinked and then croaked, “What?”

Perhaps she’d expected him to ask about last night again.

Before he could repeat himself, she said, “Why would you want to see the king? I thought we were looking for the missing people.”

“We are. Yesterday’s foray in the market turned up no leads. Unless we’d like to continue wasting time wandering aimlessly, I think our best course of action is to seek an audience with the king. We’ll either learn the people are here or warn the king of what has happened.”

Sterling’s expression darkened. “I’m sure he already knows and doesn’t care.”

“If that is the case, then perhaps we can learn where they are,” Kai said.

Sterling still appeared reluctant, but she didn’t argue any further.

“The public audiences don’t open for another two hours, giving us time to practice your magic.” Kai headed for the door, calling back over his shoulder. “Get dressed and meet me in my room.”

He heard her soft sigh and then, “All right.”

Kai returned to his own room to wait for her. He understood Sterling’s hesitation over seeking an audience with the king. The man was known for his stance against magic. If someone was so much as accused of magic in his presence, they were as good as dead. No proof necessary. Kai had never learned why the king hated magic, but he thought it must have to do with fear. Perhaps he’d heard stories, or the mages had done something. Either way, it meant they would need to be careful. Given that Sterling had yet to call her magic, Kai wasn’t too concerned about an accidental slip. He was more concerned about the looks the city people had given them yesterday. Every one had been side-eyed and suspicious.

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He may have told Sterling they could remain in Daralis, but he feared the longer they stayed, the more likely the rumors would swirl.

If he meant to keep Sterling safe, he needed to get her away from other humans.

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Every hair on Sterling's body stood on end as magic swept through the room. She should have been excited. Finally, at long last, she had summoned her power.

Instead, all she felt was fear.

There was fear in Kai’s voice too as he said, "Pull it back."

Sterling tried. She really did.

"I can't!" She dug mental claws into the rest of the magic before it slipped out too. This show of power was nothing compared to what waited deeper—what wanted to be released and threatened to flood out through the small crack she’d managed to make.

She felt Kai grab her arms.

"Sterling," he called her name, distracting her. “You have to try harder.”

A moment later, he cursed and released her as though her skin burned him.

"Focus,” Kai said. He tried to keep his voice calm, but she still heard the undercurrent of uncertainty. “Imagine a box. Take the power and lock it in the box. Can you do that?”

Sterling gritted her teeth as another wave worked its way through her body. It threatened to rip her apart, and she knew it would if she didn't get it under control.

A box, she thought. Yes, she could imagine a box.

She squeezed her eyes shut, blocking out Kai's frantic face, and breathed deeply. The first box that popped into her head was the old dented coin box she’d found in the inn in Baromund. It felt like ages ago now.

Another wave rose, threatening to overtake her, and she focused back on the box. It didn't look like it was strong enough to hold anything, but it would have to do. In her mind, she flipped the lid open and grabbed fistfuls of magic, shoving it inside.

Sterling felt the moment it started working. The pressure that had been building beneath her collarbone eased ever so slightly.

"Keep going," she vaguely heard Kai tell her.

Sterling grabbed every bit of power she could feel coursing through her veins and shoved it into the dented old box before slamming the lid. She held her breath for a moment, half expecting the thing to burst open again and spew the magic everywhere.

A second ticked by. And then another. There was no sign the box was going to break.

Sterling released her breath in a whoosh and opened her eyes to see Kai studying his hands.

"Are you all right?" she asked him.

"I'll be fine, but let's never do that again. What happened?"

Sterling shook her head. "I don't know. One minute there was nothing like it usually is, and then it was like a dam bursting. It started with a small crack, and then it turned into a flood."

We did that, the voices whispered to her. We gave you that power, and you locked it away, but we will free it again.

"Sterling?"

"What?" she asked, shoving the voices away.

"You spaced out there for a moment. Are you sure you’re fine?"

"Yes." She dragged a hand down the side of her face. "I'm fine. Just tired. That was—that was draining." She realized as she said the words that it was true. There was an empty hollow now where the magic had been. "I think I need to rest for a bit."

"Your first time can be exhausting. I remember sleeping for 16 hours straight after the first time I used magic, and I have nowhere near the power you do." Kai flicked his hand, and the water in the washbasin lifted into the air. The droplets hung like jewels, catching the light from the window.

Sterling stared, mesmerized. "I didn't know you could do that."

"I can do a lot of things when there is a power source." He twitched a finger, and the droplets swirled, sending rainbows of light dancing around the room.

"Me."

"Yes," Kai confirmed. He closed his hand into a fist, and the water sprang together, splashing back into the basin. "Unlike you, I only have the ability to work with water. You have the raw power to control any element you desire."

And she had felt that raw power today. It scared her, but deep down, she was excited. All that power was hers if she wanted it.

"You must be careful, though," Kai warned. "You have to learn to control it, or it will control you. Now go take a nap. I’ll wake you when it’s time to leave for the audience with the king."