The trip to Fera was long and boring. It wasn’t that I didn’t have anything to do. It was that I only had two things to do: meditate and sleep. Eumen, Clecia, and Corek were, tragically, confined to their own carriages with the rest of the personal guard. I couldn’t even sneak over to them at night to talk since they had to patrol, leaving me with only Evada and Enri for company. Evada insisted I wasn’t in tune enough with myself to properly be an air mage.

“The trip there will be a great time to learn more about yourself. Meditate while we ride. You’ll see what I mean.”

I didn’t. The entire time, all I did was think about my sister, worry about Enri, and try not to jostle too much in the carriage.

Any time I had a prolonged moment to myself, I always found myself thinking of Sayla. What she would do and how she would handle things. She was my motivation, of course, but I still missed her so much. I found myself aching with homesickness at night, and nothing but the nonsense of the day helped.

On the carriage, there was simply too much time spent alone. Even when we stopped at night and stayed in inns, it was hard.

When we finally hit the bigger cities, a few hours away from the palace, I started to feel more like myself.

Just from looking around, I could tell that Fera was old and well established. The cities were bigger, grander, and tougher. It reminded me more of the cities I was used to: Dallas, New York, Philadelphia. Huge buildings, bustling businesses, and a grid system. Yvanta had its charm as an up-and-coming kingdom, but everything shined like new, and I enjoyed the well-worn roads of an established city.

When we pulled past the gates and to the courtyard, there were guards waiting for us. Instead of the red colors of Yvanta I was used to, they were in deep purple garb. They looked almost regal in their uniforms, arms behind their back and looking straight ahead. What I assumed was the Fera Family Crest of a crowned pigeon in a nest of tulips on their backs. A woman in a fine purple and gold dress was standing behind them. She looked like she had seen the end of the world and was content with her findings. She was the spitting image of Enri.

The personal guard unloaded first, two of the five people unknown to me. Our carriage unloaded next, and I stretched, my shoulders popping and joints creaking. Zann got out of his carriage last, looking around like he needed to take in everything around him. Maybe he did.

The queen looked at Zann, smiling. “Welcome, Zann of Yvanta. I hope your trip wasn’t too challenging?”

“It was delightful, Queen Forana.” He stepped to the side and gestured to us. “As mentioned, I have brought with me Evada of Mandine, Enri, and Kaiya of Yvanta, along with my guard.”

“Actually,” I said. “It’s just Kaiya.”

Zann shot me a glare and continued. “It’s an honor to be welcomed at your palace.”

Forana’s eyes skimmed over Enri and landed on me. She looked like she had questions, but instead turned her gaze to Enri and said, “It’s lovely to see you again. Come. Let us show you to your quarters.” She turned on her heels and started into the palace. The guards parted and followed behind after grabbing our luggage.

Every part of the palace looked shiny and new. If it had ever seen battle, the cleanup was immaculate. It looked a little like Yvanta, but with fewer domes.

As we walked, I couldn’t help but imagine Enri as a young child, careening through the halls.

“I was kind of a shithead kid,” she had said, laughing as we soaked in my bath. Her crying session had left her far more relaxed than I was sure she’d been in a while, and we talked a bit more about her life before Yvanta.

I splashed her, fake gasping. “I really am rubbing off on you.”

She shrugged, tilting her head back as she said, “The only classes I liked were sorcery, math, and science. I hated history and language, though I know now how important they were.”

I couldn’t help but wonder, as we wound our way through the maze of the palace, if she knew what she’d become. If that rambunctious, shithead prince, knew they’d become a beautiful, deadly princess.

There were only three rooms available, and we split based on where we rode in the carriages, though I planned on sneaking over to guards’ room at some point to talk. The room, much like the palace, was simple in an elegant way. There were two beds and a beautiful couch. A dresser with ten drawers and two vanities. There was enough space for ten people to fit comfortably.

“Under normal circumstances you would all have your own spaces, but I’m currently hosting distant family and, to put it frankly, there’s a lot of them. In two days, they’ll be gone, but until then, I hope this is okay.”

“This is more than fine,” Evada said. “It’s a pleasure to be your guest.”

“We’ll break fast an hour after dawn,” she said. “Sleep well.”

She left and as the door closed, Evada said, “I call first bath!” She grabbed her bag and booked it to the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. Must have a lot of siblings, I thought.

Enri looked ready to throw up. She had been stoically silent since we’d arrived in the city, but now that we were alone, her eyes began to water, and her legs shake. I caught her before she fell. She was shaking so hard from the effort of silencing her sobs. She looked like she was trying to scream, but nothing was coming out. I held her as tight as I could while she gripped my shirt so hard it started to rip. I thought back to our conversation in the carriage.

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We had been reaching the border when I asked, “Are you ready?”

She looked up from her notebook. “For what?”

“You know for what.” Evada was sleeping on the floor, using her bag as a pillow. She was entirely unbothered by the jostling. “To see the queen again.”

She looked back down at her notebook. “No, but it’s something I’ll have to do. However I react, I know you’ll be there for me.”

“Of course, Enri. And if you need someone to curse out Zann…”

She laughed. “I think you just want to exchange harsh words with him.”

“I mean, yes, but at least I’ll have a reason for it.” She smiled, and I moved to sit next to her, kissing her forehead. “We’ll make it through.”

And now she kept her grip tight until all at once she let go. I stooped down and picked her up, cradling her until we got to the bed. I stripped off her boots and leather armor, took off her knife belt, and unbraided her hair. When I went to pull the blanket over her, she grabbed my hand. “Stay.”

“I’ll be on the couch.”

“Here. Stay with me here, little dove.”

“Little dove?”

She grabbed my necklace. “Just until she gets back. Stay.”

I knelt beside the bed, holding her hand until just before Evada came out of the bath. Enri fell asleep within minutes.

“Normally she takes a bath every night,” Evada said, sitting on the other bed. “Guess she was really tired.”

“How was the bath?”

“Fantastic,” she said. “You’ll have a great time in there. Do you want the bed? I can take the couch if you do.”

I grabbed some clothes. “The couch is fine. Have fun in the bed.”

Enri was still sleeping by the time I got out, looking almost peaceful. Even in sleep her brows were scrunched in concern. I laid on the couch, a little annoyed that it was almost as comfortable as the beds, and fell asleep.

Enri and I woke up around the same time. She still looked like death but dragged herself into the bath. I sat in there with her, keeping her company while she showered. We didn’t speak, but I knew she needed time to collect herself.

By the time Evada woke up, we were both dressed and ready for the day. She blinked hard at us sitting on the couch, then fell back. “Go on without me. I’ll be there soon.”

Enri looked almost like herself as we opened the door. Two Fera palace guards were there with our guards. They seemed to be chatting softly about something and stopped once we opened the door. One of them stayed, and the others escorted us to the dining room. Enri was wound up tighter than a toy car about to dive off a restaurant table as we made our way there.

Zann and Forana were already seated, having a quiet conversation we couldn’t hear. If possible, Enri got tenser. They stood as we entered the room, greeting us with gentle hellos before sitting again. Enri sat next to Zann, and I sat next to her.

Before anyone could speak, two children ran in, circling the table. It had been a while since I’d seen any children and I couldn’t help but wonder how Kejesi was doing. I needed to respond to Lenris’s last letter. The mailman only handed me her reply as we were getting into the carriage to leave and I was right about the Berra Clan having a hard time adjusting.

They ran around the table, bumping into the chairs and screaming their giggles into the quiet room. Forana smiled, shaking her head as two women rushed in after them. Their dresses were nearly as fine as the queen’s and looked almost like her. They must have been the family she was talking about.

“Granti! Anana! You two know better than to interrupt Queen Forana when she has company.”

The women split up and the taller woman managed to catch the little boy, but the girl dodged her captor. She ran past us, right into the queen’s waiting arms. She kept the squirming little girl in a tight grip, kissing her face until the woman came over.

“I’m so sorry, Your Majesty.” The shorter woman managed to wrangle the girl into her own arms.

“That’s more than okay. Introduce yourselves, ladies.”

The taller woman gave a small bow. “I’m Xala of Fera. Her Majesty’s younger sister.”

The other woman bowed next. “I’m Lautin of Fera. Her Majesty’s youngest sister. And these little darlings are my children.” She tickled her daughter a bit when she said ‘darlings’. “My sincerest apologies for the interruption.”

“Nonsense,” Forana said. “Join us. I’m sure His Majesty won’t mind.”

“Of course,” Zann said. “I’d love to meet more of the… Fera family.” His recovery was so smooth it was hard to tell, but I knew he almost said ‘feral’ again. What an asshole.

They all sat with a child each on their laps and the doors opened again, butlers and maids came through with steaming plates of food, enough for all of us. Maybe they already guessed that Xala and Lautin would be joining us.

The food was different than what Zann had. It smelled more like the Creole food my grandma used to make when we would visit, and it tasted just as good. I wanted to melt in my seat from the taste and I could see Zann’s pale face turn red. It wasn’t even that spicy.

Xala and Lautin kept sneaking glances at Enri, who was pointedly looking at her food the whole time. They wanted to speak with her, but I couldn’t imagine how they would go about talking. Everyone knew the constraints of her predicament, and talking about it wouldn’t help. Enri likely didn’t want to talk, but I could tell from their looks and energy that they wanted to say something.

“Kaiya.” I jumped at the sound of Forana’s voice. Her voice was soft but demanded attention. “Just Kaiya. You don’t have a clan?”

“Technically, I do, but I have no ties to it, so I have no reason to use it. My dad was God awful, and my mom was useless.” I shrugged. “Is what it is.”

She nodded. “That’s unfortunately the case for many without clans. I’m sure you’ll find one that suits you. Perhaps you’ll make His Majesty’s wish come true.”

I couldn’t help but snicker. If Enri had grown up with her, I was sure she’d be a menace. “Maybe, but I’ll have to see about that. It’s a big decision. Speaking of decisions, can me and Enri use the library?”

Forana glanced at Enri briefly and said, “You’re more than welcome to use any of our facilities. May I ask what for?” This time, she looked at Enri as she asked.

“For the ritual.” Enri’s voice was strained. She kept her eyes on her plate. “I need more sorcerer’s materials.”

“Oh, yes. His Majesty was just about to tell me about it before you all joined us.”

“Yes, as I mentioned before, we just have two more elements for Kaiya to work with, and then we’ll be ready for the ritual to begin.” Zann seemed thrilled to have an opportunity to talk. He looked like he’d been sulking since he was being ignored. “In roughly two months, we’ll be ready to perform the ritual that will help us in the war we’ve found ourselves in.”

“I see,” Forana said. “Tell me more.”