Seraiah grunted as she hit the dirt again for what felt like the millionth time that day.

“Get up,” Kestrel commanded.

Seraiah slowly climbed to her feet, not bothering to brush off the dirt. Every time she had to pick herself back up, it was a little harder than the last. Her body was screaming at her, but Kestrel wouldn’t let up.

Before she could get her practice blade up, Kestrel flashed forward, and Seraiah was back in the dirt again.

“That’s enough for today,” Kestrel said, throwing her wooden blade to the side.

Seraiah loosed a breath. Those words were like music to her ears. She had known she would have a hard time learning how to fight, but she hadn’t imagined it would be this difficult. Her body ached in places she hadn’t known existed.

She picked herself out of the dirt and exited the training ring, handing off her practice sword to a waiting elf.

“You can take an hour rest,” Kestrel said over her shoulder. “Then I want you back here, practicing your throwing.”

“Fine,” Seraiah said tiredly.

Out of all the things Kestrel was attempting to teach, the only one Seraiah seemed to be remotely decent at was dagger throwing. She even semi-enjoyed it. If she ever had to protect herself, she had better hope the attacker held still long enough for her to throw a dagger at it because she was hopeless at anything else.

Finding a bench in the shade of the stables, Seraiah sat down to rest a moment. She’d been training with Kestrel for almost two weeks now and still showed little improvement. Both of them were getting frustrated with her lack of progress, but Seraiah was even more frustrated that they were still here. It was well over the few days Kai had asked for to plan. She feared if they waited much longer, Sterling might not be in the Cave of Faces anymore. Then what were they meant to do?

Along with her physical training with Kestrel, Seraiah had been practicing calling her visions. She’d been just as unsuccessful. Things might be different if she had someone to learn from, but for this, she was on her own.

Seraiah stretched an arm over her chest, wincing at the soreness. Today, she decided, she would seek out Kai and ask what was taking so long.

She hadn’t seen much of him since he’d ordered her into training with Kestrel. She’d still been annoyed with him, so the conversation hadn’t lasted very long, and now she regretted not asking about his plans.

This is about Sterling, Seraiah reminded herself as she switched to stretching her other arm. Whatever complicated feelings she may have about Kai, she needed to put them aside and do what was best for the search. Finding Sterling was the only thing that mattered. She couldn’t let anything else sway her focus.

She knew Kai often spent time in his study, so she would start there. After dinner tonight, she would find him and get some answers.

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Kai had put it off long enough. He’d tried to gather information on his own, but it was time to face that it was taking too long. He needed to seek her out and be done with it.

Lately, Kai had been avoiding the court dinners, choosing to take his meals alone in his study, but tonight, he joined the others.

Virelai watched him the entire time, but she wasn’t the only one. Others observed him too. Some looked away when he glanced in their direction, but some, like Virelai, made no attempt to hide it. Kai made mental notes of who was watching and sorted them by likely threat. More than one council member made the list, though surprisingly, Gavaran was not among them. In fact, Gavaran hadn’t bothered to make an appearance at dinner at all.

Kai had learned through his spies that if Gavaran was in the castle, he usually attended the dinners and made himself the center of attention. He knew from those same spies Gavaran was in the castle now, so it was interesting he’d decided to avoid dinner tonight.

Perhaps it was something else to ask Virelai about. His eyes strayed to her, and she met his gaze with a small smile. She hadn’t tried to talk to him again since the night he’d refused to play her game, and she had warned him he would lose his head. It seemed she had no intention of doing so now either. It would be up to him to make the first move.

Near the end of dinner, when many had already left, Kai decided it was time.

Kestrel and Seraiah were headed out the door together, deep in conversation, and paying him no mind.

Good, he wanted to involve them as little as possible. It would be safer that way.

Kai rose and down the table, Virelai did the same, taking her time saying her goodbyes to her dinner companions. She watched him approach from the corner of her eye.

When Kai drew even with her, she turned as if just noticing him.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

“Oh, Your Highness. I was about to retire for the night. Walk me out?”

It was bold, but it would give him the chance he needed. He held out his arm and, with a final wave and wink to her friends, Virelai tucked her hand into his elbow.

Kai waited until they were through the doors and in the hall before untangling himself. “I need to speak with you. Come to my study in an hour.”

Virelai smiled coyly. It hadn’t been a question, but she still responded anyway. “Of course, my Prince.”

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As though Seraiah’s thoughts earlier in the day had summoned him, Kai attended dinner that night for the first time in at least a week. She wanted to ask him then and there when they would leave, but he was surrounded by others, and even approaching him to ask to speak with him later would draw attention.

Instead, she kept an eye on him from beneath her lashes, while keeping up a conversation with Kestrel and Eryx. She only half listened as they discussed training plans for their recruits. For some reason, Kai’s gaze kept straying over to Virelai, who had been unabashedly staring at him the entire time.

What was going on there?

“Seraiah?” Kestrel called her name, drawing her attention away from the pair. “Did you hear me?”

“Sorry. What did you say?” she asked.

“I wanted to know if you thought you would be up to joining the other recruits.”

“Oh, um, if you think that’s best.” Her gaze strayed across the room again.

“Everything alright?” Kestrel asked. “You seem distracted.”

“I’m just tired. Still getting used to the training.”

Kestrel seemed to accept her answer and went back to her discussion with Eryx, leaving Seraiah to pick at the food on her plate.

She hadn’t mentioned her intention to seek out Kai and his plans to Kestrel. She had a feeling Kestrel would tell her to wait and trust that Kai knew what he was doing.

Dinner finally wound down, and Seraiah left with Kestrel.

“Tomorrow at dawn,” Kestrel told her.

“As always,” she replied, and they bid each other good night, heading to their respective rooms.

Kai had still been at his table, so Seraiah decided to wait in her rooms until the castle quieted down for the night before seeking him out. With any luck, she’d catch him alone in his study, where he wouldn’t be able to avoid her questions.

When Seraiah arrived at her rooms, she perused the bookshelves for something to keep her awake. She hadn’t lied when she’d told Kestrel she was tired from training. It was going to be a struggle to keep her eyes open.

An hour and a half later, on the verge of falling asleep, Seraiah decided it had been long enough. Dinner should be well finished by now, and Kai returned to his rooms.

When she arrived at his door, she knocked softly and waited, rehearsing what she would say in her head.

To her surprise, when the door opened, it wasn’t Kai standing there, but Virelai.

“Hello, seer,” the other girl grinned at her, using her body to block Seraiah’s view of the study. “The Prince and I were just finishing up.” The way Virelai said it and her slightly disheveled appearance suggested exactly what they were finishing up.

So, there was something going on between them then, Seraiah thought with a pang of jealousy. She shoved the jealousy down, replacing it with anger. Was this why he had delayed leaving for the Cave of Faces?

Suddenly, she no longer wished to speak with Kai about his plans. If this was how it was, then she was on her own to rescue her sister.

“Sorry for the interruption,” Seraiah all but sneered at Virelai. “I’ll be going now.”

It was time to make her own plans.

“Suit yourself,” Virelai responded. “I’ll be sure to tell him you stopped by.” Her eyes said she would do no such thing, and before Seraiah could respond, Virelai shut the door.

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Virelai arrived in Kai’s study an hour later, exactly as he had asked.

“To what do I owe this pleasure?” she asked him, settling herself in one of the chairs.

“I think you know exactly why I asked you to meet me.” He leaned his elbows on his desk, steepling his fingers.

“Oh, that.” She studied her nails, feigning disinterest, but Kai knew better.

“Yes, that. I need to know what your father is planning,” he said, laying his cards on the table. It wasn’t as if she didn’t already know.

“What’s in it for me?” she asked, looking at him through lowered lashes.

“You seemed so eager to meddle in your father’s affairs before.”

She shrugged. “That was before. So, I ask again. What’s in it for me?”

He’d known she would want something for the information, and now she knew he was desperate for it, giving her the upper hand.

“Name your price.”

Virelai smiled. It was a cunning smile, like the one a fox would give its prey before it pounced. “A favor of my choosing that I will collect at a later date.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You’re assuming I will live. If I recall correctly, I believe you said I would lose my head.”

“It’s a risk I am willing to take,” she said. “Now, do you accept?”

He didn’t want to be in debt to Virelai, but he didn’t have any other options at this point. “I accept. Tell me what you know.”

Virelai confirmed some things that Kai already knew and others he didn’t. He was mulling over what she’d said when there was a knock on the door. Before he could tell her not to, Virelai sprang up and answered it.

“Hello, seer. The prince and I were just finishing up.”

Virelai had angled her body to block his view, but there was only one seer in this castle.

Why was she here?

Seraiah said something in response that he couldn’t hear.

“Virelai—”

“Suit yourself,” she said, speaking over him. “I’ll be sure to let him know you stopped by.” She shut the door and turned back around to face him.

“What the hells was that?” he demanded.

“What?” Virelai asked, widening her eyes with fake innocence. “Did you want me to invite her in to join us?”

He didn’t respond.

“That’s what I thought,” she said, stalking forward. “You’re keeping secrets from her. As you should. That human needs to know her place around here.”

“Get out,” Kai ordered her.

“What? Was it something I said?”

“I said, get out!”

“Fine,” Virelai huffed. “I’ll let you know if I find out more about when my father plans to make his move. It will cost you, of course. Oh, and one more thing.”

Kai averted his eyes as she reached into the bodice of her dress.

“Here.” She slapped a small leather book down in front of him. “Thought you might want this. Consider it free of charge.”

She threw one last smile at him before leaving him alone to figure out how he was going to get out of this mess.

His eyes wandered to the little book. It was worn looking like it had been handled a lot. It was probably something useless. Why else would Virelai give it to him without asking for something in return?

Kai picked it up and flipped the cover open. On the inside, a name he hadn’t seen in years was inscribed in spidery letters.

Atherly Zandion.

This was the previous court seer’s journal.