It was no more suspicious that Enri spent the day in the library than usual. I wanted to join her in hopes of finding some way to break a binding vow, but that would be odd considering I was almost never in the library unless I was retrieving Enri for something.

The anxiety of last night didn’t fade even as we settled into bed. She was stiff next to me, and I knew she was thinking of a million ways to fight the hands of fate. Her mother’s life was on the line, and I expected nothing less from her.

“I heard what you said.” Her voice startled me. Exhaustion was beginning to claim me, and I had already closed my eyes. “What you said to Her Majesty.”

“I think you can call her ‘Mom’ now.” My heart was starting to pick up speed, and I stared pointedly at the ceiling.

“I—I don’t know that I can.” Her hand found mine and laced our fingers together. “I know you changed the subject because you’re nervous, but I just wanted to know if it was true.”

“Of course, it’s true,” I said. “I would never lie about something like that. Forana… she needed to be sure I would take care of you. And I will always take care of you.”

“Kaiya.” Her hand brushed my cheek and turned my face toward her. The curtains were still open, shedding moonlight on her eyes, making them seem like glowing gold. She was smiling so softly. “I love you. I have loved you for longer than you know, and I will always love you.”

I could still see her when I closed my eyes. Her pale hair and dark skin glowing as she kissed me over and over.

The next day, I stayed with Evada all day, trying to puzzle out the best move forward. We had more information than we’d had before and with Clecia, Eumen, and Corek training with the guards, they’d have first access to all the important things to come. Normally Enri would have first gossip, but even Zann wasn’t stupid enough to tell her about his plans to murder her mom. We had a month and a half to figure out what to do—and even that was pushing it. Our trip was coming to an end within the next week, and I would no longer have immediate access to Sayla.

It made my heart ache knowing I wouldn’t have her around, but at least I knew she was safe. I knew she was being taken care of and if all else failed, I would still have her.

“You seem distracted, Kaiya.” Evada leaned on her staff, taking weight off of her leg as she stared me up and down. “Have you been having so much fun with Enri you’ve forgotten to sleep?”

I dropped down to the ground, stumbling a bit on the landing. She was having me hover continuously to have a better understanding of weight. I was still struggling a bit but was getting better every day. “What?”

“You can’t be that surprised,” she said, grinning. “It’s easy to see how much you care for her.”

“Of course I care,” I said, rolling my ankle in slow circles. Even with Iljana, I never fucked up my ankles quite so much. “Why wouldn’t I?”

She looked a little surprised, her stance wobbling for a moment. “Oh, um. I just thought you cared more than she did. Kinda hurts, doesn’t it?”

I shrugged, focusing on lifting myself off the ground again. “I spent a great deal of time caring for people who couldn’t give less of a shit about me if they tried. This isn’t that much different when I know she cares about my wellbeing for reasons aside from just liking me as a person.” That used to be how I felt, at least. Even as I was falling, I thought it’d be okay even if she was just doing her duty. That I’d find chances to make her laugh even if it couldn’t last forever because seeing her smile was worth it.

It would always be worth it.

I managed to get off the ground, leaning back to hover just above the ground. Evada watched me with a critical eye as she nodded. “I supposed I can understand that. Caring for someone that will never care for you back the same way.”

“It is what it is.” I relaxed, breathing out a sigh of relief. There was something nerve wracking about being just above the ground, even though if I fell, it’d be a small bump. I stayed there for a while, Evada looking toward the palace in thought. She’d been trying to get me off balance for most of the training, but this was the first time that she’d mentioned Enri specifically. We hadn’t been especially careful, but we hadn’t broadcast it to everyone. It was a need-to-know basis, and no one really needed to know.

“You know, if you keep this up, you’ll be bouncing over walls in no time,” she said. “And you might even be able to carry someone else with you.”

I avoided telling her I could fall with someone. “I can only hope to be as skilled as you are one day.”

She laughed. “It’ll take a few years before you get there, but you’re making good progress. His Majesty really appreciates your dedication.”

“Well, what else am I gonna do with my day?” I asked. My concentration was failing, and I was starting to fall. All I could think about was Enri’s kisses and how we were going to find a solution to Forana’s planned assassination. “Wander around and look pretty?”

“You do plenty of that already,” Evada said. “I think we could find another use for you if you didn’t agree. You can be scholarly if you chose to.”

“I was meant to teach. Of course, I’m scholarly.” I settled myself on the ground and sighed. “I’d be a great teacher.”

She held out her staff, and I grabbed it as she pulled me up. “You have a subject to teach?”

“Nothing y’all have here. I could figure it out, though. Are we done?”

“For today.” She stared at the palace again as if checking for something. “Tomorrow we up the sparring. I expect you to start using your magic to fight me.”

“I’ll try,” I said. There was still something about wind magic that was eluding me. Something about not being able to see what I’m working with made it difficult.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Begone, Kaiya. I’ll see you here again tomorrow.”

I didn’t loiter in the bath today. I took my shower and made my way to the library. I wanted to immediately go to Sayla, but I needed to check in with Enri first.

Enri was in her normal seat in the library, surrounded by more books still. She probably wouldn’t have slept last night if I hadn’t been there.

She barely spared a glance to acknowledge me and went back to her reading. I leaned against her chair and said, “I’m gonna take a walk.”

“Around the city?”

“Yeah. May do some more exploring. If I can go alone?”

There was a pause before she signed, “Yes. Just be careful.”

“I will. Take a break, sometime. I know we’re on a time crunch, but you’ll be better at it if you’re rested.”

She nodded, though I didn’t think she was paying too much attention. Her body had gone still and her head a little lower as she fell back into her book. There would be no stopping her unless I carried her out, and she was still much better at hand to hand than I was.

I made a quick exit from the library and snuck my way through the castle and out one of the servants’ doors. Most of the servants didn’t care what I did so long as I wasn’t getting in their way, and far be it from me to bother someone while they’re working.

Enri, of course, didn’t count.

Sneaking was becoming easier, and almost second nature to make my way out of the palace unnoticed. I could have walked out of the front gate, but then I would have been followed by Feran or Yvantan soldiers, and I didn’t need that.

“You’re important, Kaiya,” Zann had said when I bitched about always having an escort. “We’re in foreign lands and anything can happen. You’re strong, but I want to be prepared. Do you understand?”

I had just shrugged, and he took that as a yes. He was an idiot who believed I had any deference to him.

Out of the palace walls, I wandered the city a bit, getting a feel for the traffic. It was relatively quiet today, which was why I realized so quickly someone was following me. Several someone’s actually. I didn’t recognize them, but from their footfalls, they were trained in combat. Likely soldiers, but I didn’t hear any of the distinct whispers that came from soldiers being out and about.

I stopped by the café I went to on the first day and sat. Like the rest of the city, it was quieter than usual, and a waiter came right away. If I remembered correctly, his name was Sanva. He smiled and said, “Hey! It’s been a while since I’ve seen you. I thought you might have left already.”

“Left? Peg me as a tourist so easily, did you?”

He leaned against the table, a playful smile on his face. “I know all the regulars and locals enough to know when I see someone worth noticing. Not here with your guards today?”

“I gave them the day off. Can’t have them working all the time. My girlfriend would have made an appearance, but she’s a nerd and likes to stay in the library.” Flirting was normally fun, but I couldn’t keep up the act when I knew Enri was just a few blocks away. Flirting with her now was more fun than before, knowing something could come of it.

“Girlfriend?” He sighed dramatically and pushed off the table. “I should have known someone like you would be taken. The last beauty like you who walked in here just wasn’t into men. I’ve got no luck.”

“Try your luck with one of the palace guards. I’m sure they need a pretty face to look at.”

“I’ve already tried, but they’re too duty bound. Anything I can do for you?”

“Yeah, I’ve got a bit of a complicated order. Can I talk to the cook?”

He looked at me for a moment before he said, “I’ll see what I can do about that. The manager can be a hardass.”

After the first time Sayla and I reunited, she’d told me that if I wanted to get out of the city unnoticed, all I had to do was come to the café. She’d informed the manager and staff (who she had a long-standing relationship with), who I was and why I would need their help. They were willing, and all I had to do was pretend I had a complicated food order. I hadn’t had to use it before, but the people following me made me want to be cautious. There was something off about them, but I couldn’t quite place it.

The waiter peaked his head out of the door and waved me over. I hovered, trying to keep my footsteps to a minimum until I got behind the door. He stared in awe as I flew over to him, though snorted in laughter as I nearly sprained my ankle on the landing. One of these days…

“Go out the back door and keep going straight until you reach the noodle shop. From there it should be pretty standard. If they come and ask, I say nothing.”

“I appreciate it, Sanva. I owe you.”

He shook his head. “Any favor for Sayla is one given freely. I don’t know if she told you, but she’s part of the reason my family has this café in the first place. If she hadn’t helped us, we’d still be in the slums of Wildepoint. She’ll always have my gratitude. Now, get gone. They might show up soon.”

I booked it out of there, trying to fly as much as I could. Even though I wanted to keep an eye on them, I knew if they heard anything suspicious behind the café, they’d come looking. It wasn’t until I made it to the noodle shop that I let my feet touch the ground. They hadn’t moved from their spot in front of the café. Mission success.

Sayla was pacing when I walked in. She left the door unlocked during the day, knowing she and her guards could tackle pretty much anyone who would try to rob them.

“Is there a problem here, too?”

She stopped, lighting up as she saw me. “Kai! I didn’t think I’d see you today. I thought you’d be training.”

“I was. I learned something last night that I needed to tell you as soon as possible.”

“How convenient. I wanted to talk to you, too.”

“Wanna go first? Also, wanna sit down? Your pacing is making me anxious.”

She sat, plopping down with more force than necessary. I sat across from her and she sighed. “Last night, my guards were called away by the queen so she could tell them about something. I don’t know what it was, just that it was urgent. When they came back, they told me I had to prepare to leave in the next two months. They still won’t tell me why and they’ve been gone all day trying to do something. It’s got me worried, and I’ve been waiting for them to come back.”

“I talked to her last night. The queen.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, Clecia gave the signal to meet in the garden and I ran into her on the way. She wanted to talk to me and during it, she said that things are changing faster than we know. I haven’t had time to think about that conversation, because when I met with everyone, we were told how Zann has plans to assassinate the queen.”

“As—That fucking snake,” she muttered. “Do you know when?”

“Once I became fully realized in a little over a month. At some point after that—probably another month—we’ll return, and it’ll happen then. I’ve been trying to figure out what to do and Enri’s been trying to figure out if she can break a sorcerer’s vow. Eumen, Clecia, and Corek have been keeping close to the other guards to learn as much as possible, and we can’t blow their cover.”

She nodded. “Let’s go over everything we know. If we don’t figure this out… Well, two months isn’t that long.”