The sound of clapping and cheers pounded in Lewis’ mind. It was little relief as he stepped out of the sun and into the shade provided by the entrance of the castle, shedding the ceremonial golden cloak as soon as he was out of the public eye. Two weeks of late nights in the library had left him with a pounding headache on the morning of the coronation. Thankfully, it's over now.

Never, even in his lessons with members of The Dusk, had he felt as uneasy as when he sat before hundreds of people for the ceremony. At every moment, he had been on edge, surrounded by the few people he trusted, waiting for George to appear from the small number of shadows.

As if the coronation hadn’t been causing enough stress, there were still the trade talks with the Orian Dynasty to deal with. In the few months that Anthony had been in charge, he had almost completely destroyed the tentative relationship between the two empires. Or so Thomas had told him.

His walk through the castle to the office was unimpeded; he passed off the cloak and crown and accepted the cold water handed to him without a word. He longed for the day to be over and to rest for what felt like the first time in weeks.

Lewis sat hunched over, his face buried in his palms, as people moved and talked far too loudly around him. He looked up, immediately regretting it as his head pounded. ‘Are you alright?’ Emily asked quietly, her hand sliding over his shoulder as she crouched down next to him.

‘Just a headache,’ he muttered. On the far side of the office, Edmund stood with a handful of guards discussing their journey, the crown safely boxed up beside him.

‘You should take a break; I’m sure Thomas can rearrange the negotiations with the Emperor of Oria,’ she said, taking the ceremonial golden cloak that had been returned to the back of his chair and folding it carefully.

The past two weeks in the buildup to the coronation have been frantic. Not only had he had to deal with the large public display, but he had spent every free second in the library with Thomas trying to learn as much as he could about all the dignitaries who had travelled to Tristin.

He shook his head. ‘The sooner I get it over with, the sooner they’ll all be out of the castle.’ In the last four days, the only break he had had from introductions and trade negotiations was the three-hour ceremony in the courtyard earlier in the day when he had been crowned. Never had he longed for the secluded cabin in Fir Forest as much as he did now.

‘Why don’t we get away to the cabin after the wedding?’ Emily suggested it as if she had read his mind.

‘That sounds like a good idea,’ he said, shifting some of the papers across the desk as Emily perched on the edge, the golden cloak folded in her lap. ‘I’m sorry I haven’t been able to help more.’

‘We’re getting there. It sounds like things were messier than Thomas had realised. How did Anthony manage to derail things so badly in such a short space of time?’

‘I don’t think it was all Anthony,’ he said, running a hand through his hair. ‘A lot of these things could have been put right a long time ago if it hadn’t been for The Dusk.’ Emily winced slightly at their mention. Many of the scars The Dusk had left were still healing, and they were only the physical ones.

There had been a number of times he had awoken in a cold sweat, the scars burning as if the wounds were fresh. Emily never asked about the nightmares, reassuring him that he was safe now as he tried to force the sight of the fire within the volcano from his mind.

‘Lewis,’ Edmund said, appearing across the desk from him. ‘We’re going to make an early start for The Misty Isles in the morning. I just wanted to congratulate you again in case I do not see you before I leave.’

‘Surely there is somewhere we can keep the crown here. We know George wanted it; he’s hardly going to be able to break into the castle and take it,’ Lewis said.

What to do about the crown had become a bone of contention between Lewis and Edmund in the last week. He would much rather keep it at the castle or, if it had to be returned to The Misty Isles, be the one to return it.

‘We have had this discussion before,’ Edmund reminded him.

‘I’m aware,’ Lewis muttered, unable to hide his bitterness and frustration as his head throbbed.

Edmund’s nostrils flared as his eyes narrowed at Lewis. Before he could respond, the office door creaked open, the sound of voices that were far too loud for his liking interrupting the quiet murmurings of the others already in the office.

In deep discussion with the people over his shoulder, Thomas entered, unaware of the rising tension in the room. ‘Lewis, may I introduce you?’ He trailed off as he turned to see Edmund and Lewis face-to-face.

‘Emperor El-Farha, welcome,’ Lewis said, his eyes not leaving Edmund as he pulled the crown from his grasp, setting it down on top of the papers stacked to one side of the desk. ‘Forgive me, Edmund was just leaving to get some rest; he has a long journey ahead of him tomorrow afternoon.’

Edmund’s glare lingered a moment longer before he turned away, biting the corner of his lip. With a nod to Thomas and the new arrivals, he motioned the guards who had been with him from the office until only Thomas, Emily, and the emperor, flanked by a guard and a well-dressed man a couple of years older than Lewis, remained.

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‘No forgiveness is necessary; my many years have taught me that the time of someone in our position is valuable, and those who seek it seldom conclude their business within the time afforded to them,’ he said, adjusting his long, sandstone-coloured robe before offering a hand as Thomas pulled forward a pair of chairs for him and the younger man. ‘I will try to keep within my time; Thomas tells me you have much planning for your wedding still to do.’

‘There’s still some work to do, but I’ve been very fortunate that Emily has taken care of the majority, as guilty as I feel about it,’ he said, with a smile in her direction as she dipped her head as he shook Emperor El-Farha’s hand.

‘Many congratulations to you both. May the years be as kind to you as they were to me,’ he said, lifting Emily’s hand to kiss it. She smiled, tucking her hair behind one ear, her eyes suddenly caught by the golden cloak tucked over her arm. While Lewis had assumed that she had spent a large portion of her life around such dignitaries, he could see that she was uncomfortable with the attention.

‘Thank you,’ she said quietly. ‘I had best let you get to your business; I have some preparations to make for the wedding.’ With another nod to Emperor El-Farha and Thomas, she moved around the desk, making her way out of the room. As the door shut behind her, Emperor El-Farha took his seat.

‘May I introduce my son, Dhaahir? I hope you do not mind him sitting in with us today. One day he will take my place, and there is no better way to learn than experience.’

Lewis shook hands with Dhaahir as, behind them, the guard waved away Thomas’ offer of a seat. Backing away with the chair, Thomas moved to Lewis’ side of the desk, taking the chair for himself.

‘Of course not; without Thomas, I’m sure that we would not be in this position to try and rectify the wrongs done by those in my absence,’ Lewis said.

Emperor El-Farha nodded. ‘Thomas spoke highly of you on our way to your office. I see his praise was worthy.’

‘Thank you,’ Lewis said, glancing to Thomas, who gave him a reassuring nod.

‘It seems you have found the way for yourself, but a little reinforcement never hurts. If I may, from one leader to another, choose your advisors wisely and, above all else, remember why you chose them and listen to them,’ Emperor El-Farha said. ‘I have dealt with Thomas many times in the past decades; it is good to see him back within these walls.’

‘As much as I miss a quieter life, it is nice to be back,’ Thomas smiled. ‘Shall we begin? I have taken the liberty of recovering our past agreements from the archives.’

‘I feel that we may be in need of reappraising our past agreements, but yes, let us begin,’ he said, some of the pleasantness fading from his tone.

‘Shall we begin with trade?’ Thomas offered, shuffling through his papers before pulling one to the top.

‘Actually, I had other intentions for us.’

‘Go on,’ Lewis gestured, his worried glance mirrored by Thomas.

‘I am sure that Thomas has told you of Oria. Do you know how it got the name ‘The Jewel of the Desert’?’ Lewis shook his head.

‘The ancient Dewdrop Jewels,’ Thomas said. ‘They were said to be artefacts from the lost civilization that once thrived in the desert.’

‘Precisely, except during that time it was not desert. You see, the Dewdrop Jewels are an incredibly powerful item—magical even,’ Emperor El-Farha explained. 'You are Vandemark blood; you know of The Precursors and the power they once wielded. The Dewdrop Jewels were vessels of similar power. Where they went, if used properly, they could turn the most barren and lifeless area into a thriving habitat for both wildlife and people. During my lifetime, I have successfully recovered two Dewdrop Jewels to add to the one recovered by my great-grandfather.’

‘Until recently, they resided in three locations within Oria, breathing life into the desert. One of the jewels was stolen from the most secure location in our world.’

Lewis felt his heart sink. ‘George.’

Emperor El-Farha looked at him questioningly. ‘No,’ he said slowly. ‘Although it was an interesting conclusion. I do believe you know the person responsible, though: The Prophet of Oria. Russell, I believe you know him as,’ he added when the title was lost on Lewis.

‘I haven’t seen or heard from him in many moons,’ Lewis said, getting to his feet. ‘What makes you think he is bringing the jewel here?’ he asked as he stopped by the window. Far below them, the lights had flickered into life across the city, the last trace of sunlight on the horizon. For a moment, he wondered if Sebastian had ever stood here, watching Lewis patrol the rooftops.

‘I very much doubt that he is coming here himself. Even as a child, he was undeniably the most intelligent person I had met; perhaps it was his powers that amplified that,’ Emperor El-Farha said. ‘He’s still in the desert somewhere, I would wager. The girl he was travelling with, however.’

‘You think that I am hiding it from you?’ Lewis asked, ignoring the warning glance from Thomas.

‘No, of course not,’ he said. ‘In our short conversation, I can see that you are too smart to do that. Besides, should she be travelling here, I doubt that she would have arrived just yet.’

‘I assure you that we will keep our guards on the lookout,’ Thomas said quickly, trying to ease the palpable tension in the room. ‘If you have a description or any more details, then we would be happy to help.’

‘Of course we would,’ Lewis said, his eyes lingering on the green star for a moment. It seemed brighter tonight than he remembered. Sparing the rest of the stars a glance, he turned to face Emperor El-Farha. ‘What information do you have about her?’

‘From what I have been told, she is around fifteen, has long brown hair, and, according to the clerk at The Vaults, goes by the name Clara Lowe; whether that is her actual name or not, I don’t know,’ he said, pulling a piece of paper from a pocket within his robe and holding it up to show a sketch of the girl.

Lewis nodded to Thomas, who took the sketch from Emperor El-Farha. ‘Do you think he had recruited her to help him with the theft or the jewel?’

‘Possibly. I don’t think she knew what she was involved in, if at all. She requested access to what she claimed was her family vault and was able to produce the key for it,’ he said, turning his attention back to Lewis and watching him intently. ‘It was in the name of Maryam Bridwell-Lowe.’

The sinking feeling in his heart, which had just about subsided, plummeted again. Behind the Emperor and his son, Thomas coughed, a wine glass almost on his lips. Lewis could feel Emperor El-Farha’s intense stare, almost as if he were trying to force his way into his mind.

Instinct told Lewis to turn away and break eye contact, but it was like Emperor El-Farha had him trapped. ‘I’ll make a note of that,’ Thomas said, breaking through the silence. Emperor El-Farha’s eyes suddenly went wide, the colour draining from his face. Lewis barely felt the release of whatever had held him when there was a deafening boom and he was thrown forward as the window behind him exploded inward. Trying to shield his eyes as he was thrown through the air, he saw Emperor El-Farha, his son, a guard, and Thomas all thrown to the ground.