A Rebel's Path: The Enchanted Isles, #3

By I.L. Cruz

An unruly mage from the past has returned to test the limits of Inez's magic and terrorize Canto…

 

Magic has become a liability for mage-in-training Inez Garza. Now that she's accepted Zavier's proposal of marriage, the scrutiny she once avoided as a smuggler has become nearly unavoidable as his future queen. Any missteps with her magic risks exposing her at the highest levels of Canto and especially to her intended, who still doesn't know she harbors inherent magic.

 

Control over her Powers is essential, and her only hope is accepting help from one tutor who doubts her abilities, another who covets them and her mother, who doesn't trust either of the two.

 

Differences will have to be set aside when it appears a figure from the past only whispered about in stories returns and threatens all of Canto with his dark magic. Challenging a seasoned magic-wielder with her erratic Powers is just the kind of thing that could attract royal attention, or get Inez killed. She will have to uncover closely held secrets and take help from unlikely quarters in order to keep everyone safe. But even magic has its limits…

 

…when you walk a rebel's path.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bosky Flame Press
• Release date: Oct 3, 2022
• ISBN: 9781732547155

I.L. Cruz

I.L. Cruz wants to live in a world where words are chosen with care, shoes are as comfy as socks, and reading time is sacred. As someone who’s taken the plunge into writing, she’s been working on a fantasy series, posting on her blog and searching valiantly for her perfect writing tribe. When she’s not distracted by the voices of characters in her head you can find her wrangling her daughter and a super-mutt named Dipper, indulging in her guilty pleasure of predictable Christmas movies or fanboy flicks, and planning European escapes with her husband (where we always end up in a park).

Book preview

Prologue

The first thing Cat noticed was the air. It was clean and crisp with just a hint of the sea. He’d missed the way it felt against his fur. When he finally opened his eyes he glimpsed familiar stars. When he’d left Canto so abruptly all those years ago it had been midday.

Breathe in. Breathe out.

He remembered it all. In fact, he was so lost in the memory that he failed to notice the woman less than six feet away. She sat across from a humble fire and in her hand was a fiddle that shone silver in the moonlight. A haunting tune reverberated under the careful ministrations of her elegant fingers. Without conscious thought, his tail began to sway in time.

When he finally registered her presence, he stood transfixed watching her graceful and deft fingers holding the bow like a lost love. If he had been any other audience, he would have been moved to tears.

But he wasn’t just any other audience.

Instinctively, he recoiled. His muscles tightened and an involuntary hiss escaped his mouth. The player faltered on a note, but quickly recovered. Yet it was just enough time to slow his breaths.

He took a step forward and the playing ended abruptly. The woman lowered the bow and the fiddle but kept them near at hand. She wasn’t familiar. Her figure was hidden by a voluminous cloak and the surrounding darkness. How long had he been gone? From behind her she withdrew a horn, the color of the sky at dusk, making him stop his approach. She smiled.

Now that we understand each other, she began, perhaps we can work to each other’s benefit. Her voice, rich and resonant was a surprise to him. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d heard a human voice.

He smiled back, displaying razor-sharp teeth and appearing untroubled by this current wrinkle. He took another step forward, his tail undulating with the breeze. His long whiskers twitched and for a brief moment he wondered if he still knew how to talk. When he last walked the paths of Canto he had been feared, so either this woman was very powerful, or her desperation was great. Either way, he intended to find out.

One thing was certain—she was powerfully, desperately foolish. Teaching her that lesson would be an added bonus to his unfinished work. His smile widened and he was gratified to see the woman look momentarily alarmed.

Shall we begin? asked The Cat, who executed a mocking bow before taking his fiddle.

Chapter 1

Istood in the bay watching the shore of Canto. The icy pool enveloped my near naked body and wisps of air escaped my lips.

Warm...warm...warm...

I’d said it repeatedly for the past ten minutes in my mind, but my body knew better. Getting my Powers under control was more urgent than ever. Since accepting Zavier’s proposal over a month ago, I’d had too many close calls that could have revealed my illegal magic.

A stiff wind made ripples on the surface of the water.

Warm...hot...scalding...

My fingers told the real story, turning blue and losing feeling—along with the rest of me. It would have been so easy to give in to the feeling and float away. No more worries about Mythos discovering my magic. Or the royal house. Or Zavier. I wouldn’t be indebted to the hidden market anymore.

Warm...hot...fire!

Nothing was working. My breathing was ragged, and I imagined small ice crystals forming on the inside of my body. The chattering of my teeth made my jaw ache. It made the reality of my situation sink in. I didn’t have the luxury to turn my back on my responsibility to my Powers, my family or to Canto. I redoubled my efforts.

Warm...cold...ice...really cold...I’m so fu...

Time to get out, said a voice, rich and female. I bit back a response while the towing of my body through the icy waters felt like a thousand knife points piercing my skin. It was a relief when I reached solid ground and hot breath tried to thaw my hands through excruciating pain. I looked up to see the pink and purple swirls of the Mist House overhead.

I don’t understand. She’s done it before, said Viktor Lake. Her voice was once again disguised as male. Her hood was up, covering her silver-white hair and obscuring her sex. I was sure neither Rowley or my mother knew Viktor Lake was a woman and I’d yet to learn why she insisted on the ruse. It was only because of the magic in her home that she could continue the deception.

Shivering on her floor, I envied her disguise, if only for the added warmth. As if reading my mind, Mamá threw a blanket over me. She had flawless skin, but even now I saw the beginnings of the lines that would etch her face. Lines I’d caused, no doubt.

She was fighting for her life then. Deep down she knows we’re here and we’ll save her, barked Rowley. I knew he was right.

His response was harsh, and each word was tinged with impatience. My progress had stalled. In past attempts at getting me to feel warmth in the frigid water, he’d cast a warmth spell over me afterward. This time he didn’t bother. His one cloudy eye softened the hint of reproach in the other. His black fur shimmered in the mystical light of Viktor’s home.

Are you suggesting we leave her and hope she won’t die? asked Mamá, her words clipped and precise. Her hands chafed mine through the blanket. It was both an agony and a balm. Mamá said she came to these sessions to help, but I wondered if it was really to protect me from Rowley and Viktor’s expectations. Her jaw tightened when Viktor draped a coat over my shoulders.

Perhaps we should— Viktor began.

Perhaps you should just leave her alone! yelled Mamá.

Do you know the kind of fire I had to put out, Filomena? snapped Rowley. Few people talked to my mother the way Rowley did. Although she never expected the deference due to her by her right as a duchess, at that moment she loomed over Rowley like he was a peasant.

I can-can h-h-hear you, I said, feeling left out of the conversation. My three teachers were clustered around me, their truce slowly breaking down. They were talking about me again like I wasn’t even there. Just a vessel. I understood their panic because I shared it. The fire Rowley had put out had been a literal fire I’d started in my home with my erratic magic. The memory of it was humiliating and beyond frightening.

My chattering eased and I pushed myself up to a sitting position. I looked to Rowley, knowing he would agree to my demand.

Again, I said. Rowley nodded.

"Nena, no. It’s starting to snow. You need food and some rest," said Mamá. The snow drifted down in front of the entryway to the Mist House. It gathered close enough that it looked lit up by the swirling lights. It was a beautiful reminder that there would always be a reason to put off practicing my erratic magic. This Power was given to me by generations of my family, hoping that I would return magic to the Enchanted Isles.

So far all my magic had done was kill a queen from Faerie, trap a man in a shell and start a fire in my home. It had done good things, too, but rarely on purpose. I had to learn to control my magic before I destroyed anything or anyone else.

No, she’s right Inez. We’ll start practice again tomorrow, said Rowley grudgingly. Viktor was conspicuously silent. She had helped me convince Mamá and Rowley that I had to speed up my progress and had suggested the water test. The bay in winter was just short of freezing and my will to shut out the cold was supposed to trigger my Powers. So far that approach had been a dismal failure.

Yes, tomorrow, said Viktor without making eye contact. I felt her disappointment in me as keenly as I felt the cold that had seeped into every pore. I couldn’t argue with all three of them and gave a short nod before standing up. Dry clothes were waiting on a nearby stool and despite my fumbling frigid fingers, I refused any help. I may not have been able to will myself warm, but I sure as hell wasn’t going to be dressed like a baby.

I heard their hushed squabbling and started to feel like half the problem I faced was keeping my teachers from bickering amongst themselves. A flare of heat went through me and just as quickly retreated. Rowley’s head turned and I knew he was scenting the air for magic. Annoyed, and frankly frightened what that would lead to, I stalked off to the woods.

The woods were a haven for me.

They asked nothing of me other than to tread lightly and even that was more of a suggestion. I’d walked its secret pathways since I joined the hidden market. Searching for enchanted eggs filled with wild magic to sell while avoiding the long arm of the King’s Men was my only test.

That was until my inherent magic awoke and it was revealed that I was the Ternion, the one person who would bring magic back to Canto and all the Enchanted Isles. Rowley, Viktor and even my mother believed in the prophesy and it was the only point they all agreed on although how to prepare me for it was still up for debate.

My smuggling of enchanted eggs might have ended but being back in the woods where I’d plied my trade for so long was a comfort. After the Egalitarian Ball and becoming Zavier’s intended, I thought my days working for the hidden market were at an end. And they were...except for the deal I’d made with Áliz, the feared Jabberwocky.

It was risky for me to be seen connecting with her or any other market activity. At least in the open. Ever since the Jabberwocky had changed my role in the market from smuggler to spy, I’d had to resist the small pockets of magic tugging at my own coming from the contraband eggs. The enchanted eggs were ripe for the plucking and more lucrative than ever since the season was coming to an end.

The lloras that laid the eggs full of wild magic had already gone underground for their seasonal hibernation. They wouldn’t emerge until mid-spring and who knew what I’d be doing by then.

So much had already changed since discovering my inherent magic and the burdensome destiny attached to it. By now I knew I was less likely to cause irreparable damage this deep in the forest if I had a sudden burst of Power. No one would notice a few singed trees in all this wilderness. Anyway, I felt closer to my grandmother, Lita when I walked the forest paths.

It was funny I still thought of her as Lita when her real name was Sabrina. My young and inexperienced tongue couldn’t produce the word Abuelita clearly and Lita she remained. I smiled at the memory. She and my grandfather, Beval, searched for plants to bring back to her herbal room until he died and then I walked with her. We had many deep conversations about my future on those walks.

And yet she had kept my magic a secret, just as Mamá had done.

My future was just as uncertain now as it had been when I fretted about not inheriting the family title. I hadn’t known then, I had an even bigger title to inherit, that of the Ternion, the person who would return magic to all of the Enchanted Isles. But the prophesy hadn’t said how I would achieve that lofty goal.

Getting my own magic back had been easy—if dangerous. I suspected getting everyone’s magic back would still be dangerous and far from easy. I also suspected it would involve an inordinate amount of destruction. Who would I hurt and who would I lose along the way?

These were not the questions I’d been able to pose to Lita. She’d always said I’d find my purpose and I had, but it was a lonely realization that my purpose was safeguarding illegal Powers with little guidance and a very real threat of exposure. Even I didn’t know if revealing my Powers would lead to imprisonment, exile or worse. Lita would have understood. Then again, who was to say that she would understand me any more than the other people in my life? Would she have been cautious like Mamá, guarded like Viktor or impatient like Rowley?

I continued to trudge through the damp leaves, weaving through the dense growth of trees.

The chill in the air matched my self-pitying mood. But I wasn’t so lost in thought that I missed the signs of someone approaching. The steps were light and the gait distinctive. Without turning around I remarked, You’re losing your touch, Jacque. Is money making you sloppy? His inheritance was still new, but Jacque always moved like a thief.

Is being a princess making you slow? You should have picked me up fifty steps ago, he said, a smirk in his voice.

I had a momentary scare. What if he’d watched my practice at the bay? He’d be yet another person who knew about my illegal Powers. No, I did hear him approaching—his comment was just to goad me.

I’m far from a princess. Taking a stroll? I asked.

Jacque fell in step next to me as the path cleared. He cocked his head and raised his eyebrows at my clothes. I was wearing a riding suit and not my normal smuggler garb. Since becoming the official girlfriend of the heir apparent I had to marginally look the part. What I was wearing was better than what Queen Hortensia had originally insisted on, full court dress.

Mamá had acquiesced for a time before realizing how impractical fancy clothes were with my magic practice. I offered no explanation to Jacque other than to mutter, Royals, and after a few moments Jacque shrugged.

"Speaking of royals—the Empress would like a word," he said.

And how does she propose I do that? I asked. I’ve been barred from the hidden market to keep the KM—the King’s Men—away.

About that—there’s a secret I’ve been keeping, said Jacque.

Join the club. What is it?

I have to show you. Jacque led me to his old house. Since coming into an inheritance from Delaware Humphrey, he’d bought a place closer to the more fashionable part of town.

Why are we here? I asked. In response he opened the door and sitting in an ornate chair was the Jabberwocky.

Chapter 2

Ilooked around the room to give myself a moment to compose myself.

The windows of Jacque’s old house were boarded up from the outside—not unusual in this part of Canto—but inside was a cozy den with a roaring fire in a newly refurbished fireplace. Thick carpets covered the floors and while sparsely furnished, the chairs, table and tea set were opulent enough for the palace. It was quite the step up from when Jacque lived there.

The bigger shock was seeing Áliz outside the hidden market. To my knowledge a Jabberwocky never left the confines of the underground. Her graceful fingers drumming against the arm of her white peacock chair were the only sign of her impatience.

I could imagine what I looked like to Áliz. My clothes were sticking to my skin from the moisture that still clung to it. The tips of my hair were fragile icicles from where they’d touched the water. I couldn’t prove it, but from how cold I felt I was sure my lips were a purple-blue color. And as Jacque had noted, I wasn’t wearing my usual hidden-market clothes.  

Have you decided to become an honest citizen, or have you been kicked out of the market, too? I asked, taking a seat before she offered. A single eyebrow arched on her lined face.

Neither, although I hear great things from the world above, she said gesturing around the room. As I understand it, even a smuggler can become a princess. She held a smile and I returned it with as much grace as I could muster. Conversations with Áliz had always been dueling matches, but they were even more fraught since we’d struck our bargain.

A few weeks ago, I’d promised her access to information from the King’s Men about possible raids on her smugglers and procuring magical objects from the royal palace in exchange for her releasing the KM in her pay without murdering them. I also promised to be her personal smuggler but to stay away from the hidden market. It was a deal that benefitted both, but I’d yet to deliver any substantial results. I assumed this impromptu meeting was to take me to task.

Ladies, don’t fight. I’d hate for the neighbors to overhear you, said Jacque, casually leaning against the wall. For a moment I’d forgotten he was there. From her reaction, so had Áliz.

Nonsense. I’ve had that taken care of. All the houses on this block are now empty. I’ve decided it was in my best interest to have an above ground presence from now on, replied Áliz. We are alone.

The way she said it made me uneasy. The hidden market was a place for smugglers and vendors to sell illicit magical merchandise and while the KM didn’t like the trade, they mostly tolerated it. And then a visiting queen from Faery died in a magical battle and I had been involved. Soon after other magical crimes disturbed the relative peace of Canto. The result of the uptick in magic had been increased vigilance of the illegal magic trade. My Powers hadn’t been discovered yet, but it was a daily fear of mine.

Áliz setting up on Canto’s streets was brazen at the best of times and these were far from the best. As if reading my mind, she waved her hands in dismissal.

Not that my new home will be about the hidden market. Everything I do in this house, and the surrounding ones, will be above board. Except, of course, my dealings with you. Your Grace, she said with a nod of her head. Her being here was more about a threat rather than my working for her.

Áliz, if I’m seen coming here too often someone will get suspicious. At the very least they’ll think I’m spending too much time with Jacque, I reasoned.

Not if you’re visiting his grandmother, who is sadly housebound and hard of hearing, which sometimes makes it impossible for her to answer the door. You’re looking in on her as a favor and don’t royals need to be seen as charitable to their subjects?

My eyes darted to Jacque, and he shook his head.

Don’t look at me, he said. "She came up with the story and no one knows my grandmother anyway.

How’d she get here? I challenged.

A transport from the outer territories, said Áliz. Jacque shrugged.

Not the story you tell other people. How did you leave the hidden market without being noticed?

Jacque was about to answer, but a look from Áliz silenced him.

Some secrets are my own. The details of my comings and goings are not your concern. What is your concern, our mutual concern, is the deal we struck. I’ve yet to see any return on that investment. I was promised information and priceless magical objects. I believe palace clouds were mentioned. Where are they? Her tone was light, but the way she gripped the arms of her chair told me she wasn’t taking the delay lightly.

I need more time, I said simply. I was proud to hear how calmly I said it. I haven’t been called to the KM since the ball—

Since you became engaged to the crown prince, she interjected.

I’m not engaged, I admitted, reluctantly. Even though Zavier and I had shared the betrothal dance at the Egalitarian Ball, Queen Hortensia would have the last word, which she would withhold until absolutely necessary. The need for her approval rankled even as I worried about the implications of hiding my magic from a man I was supposed to share my life with. I’ve been recognized as Zavier’s girlfriend. And as Jacque can tell you, it isn’t easy stealing from the royal family.

A few months back Jacque and I had stolen rummage stones from the palace, and it hadn’t gone smoothly. I’d made it out, but Jacque had been caught. Somehow he’d managed to avoid any punishment from the KM and Áliz, which he still hadn’t explained.

He’d even maintained his membership in the hidden market, despite the fact others with lesser offenses had been expelled, or worse. I looked over at Jacque who kept his face blank. What does he owe her?

Áliz sat waiting.

It just so happens that I know exactly how hard it is to steal from the palace, so don’t waste my time. Áliz paused as though considering something, but I didn’t fool myself into thinking she hadn’t thought out whatever she was going to say well in advance of my arrival. My new home has me feeling generous—the same kind of generosity that allowed you to make this ridiculous deal with me.

Áliz, you and I both know you made the deal because it was too lucrative to dismiss, I said.

Lucrative remains to be seen. No, I have no doubt you will eventually get something from the palace that is valuable enough to warrant my kindness toward the wayward KM you made me spare. In the meantime, there is a little smuggling job I have, uniquely suited to your placement and talents. Áliz reached into a pocket hidden deep in her voluminous dress and removed a slip of paper and handed it to me.

The texture was rough and only had five words I read hastily before it disintegrated. It wouldn’t be hard to remember, and I assumed she wrote it for me, to avoid saying it in front of Jacque. I wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of getting this particular item.

Consider it done. Where should I bring them? I asked, happy I kept the irritation out of my voice.

You can hand them off to Jacque. Work it out among yourselves, but the job has to be done by you, alone.

Or course, I replied. There was no way I was bringing Jacque along on a job to Green Gardens. Not with Meiri being involved.

Jacque and I left Áliz in her cozy home, but neither one of us were at ease with the situation. Even so, we did not voice our concerns. There was no need—we knew the risks of the Jabberwocky being above ground. Áliz doing business out in the open meant risk of exposing the hidden market and its dealings. If she were caught, someone else would have to take over the market and the power struggle would cost a lot of lives.

Did she ask you about the Faery border? Jacque asked suddenly.

No; why is there something good coming through? I asked.

I don’t know, but the market’s been warned off any traffic close to the border. Security’s gotten tighter since that queen from Faery died at the Academy and it’s getting worse. But I don’t have to tell the princess that, do I? he said good-naturedly.

I’m not a princess, I said with more venom than I intended. His casual mention of Queen Celeste unnerved me. Only four people knew about my involvement in her death and Jacque wasn’t one of them.

About that, why did you tell the Empress you’re not engaged? I think we all know you are, even without the formal announcement, he said.

It’s a process, I replied and managed to keep from sighing. Queen Hortensia had been reluctant to make my relationship with Zavier binding. She never came out and said she didn’t want me to marry her brother-in-law and future king of Canto, but she’d done her best to make her feelings known that I wasn’t right for the role of queen. Since the ball, she’d found precedent after precedent to block Zavier’s and my wishes.

Mamá had made it her second career countering every hinderance the queen threw at us, doing as much research in the library as she had when she thought she could bind my magic.

In truth, I was almost as reluctant to make the engagement official as Hortensia. I still hadn’t told Zavier my biggest secret—that I had magic. More importantly I was the mythical Ternion, a mage able to wield Power in all three magical disciplines and was tasked with restoring magic to all the Enchanted Islands—against Mythos’ wishes. Zavier’s not knowing about my magic made it necessary for me to lie to him on a regular basis. It wasn’t ideal for starting a life together.

So, what are we stealing? asked Jacque. He walked with me to the center of town. All the shops were closed for the night and no one else walked the lanes of Canto, but I still shushed him.

We are not stealing anything. I have a job and you get to be the go-between once it’s done. Trust me, you’ll want no part in this, I replied. The problem was, neither did I.

Chapter 3

Y ou’ll just have to eat a little crow and call on Meiri yourself, said Zavier. He spoke like someone who’d had to apologize to Meiri more than once and that was not a surprise because they were cousins, but he’d never had to steal from her on behalf of the Jabberwocky. This would be my second time.

Zavier’s voice was a rumble under my cheek as we lay on the couch. Mamá had converted one of the many libraries in Árbol Real into a sitting room for Zavier and me. It was one of the many concessions we’d made to accommodate Hortensia’s sense of decorum.

I didn’t relish the idea of spending time at the palace and the queen was horrified by the idea of Zavier spending all his time off in my bedroom. In response to Hortensia’s concerns, Mamá had offered this solution. Hortensia needn’t have worried. It was a rare day when Zavier didn’t have KM or royal duties that kept him from spending time with me. We were taking full advantage of our free time and the excuse of a cold day to stay warm with each other indoors.

Maybe you could pave the way for me with Meiri? You are related, I said with my head resting on his chest. He still had a slight smell of horse, but it was mostly pleasant on him.

You seem to think that means something. I know she misses you because when she and the rest of the Verdants came over for dinner the other day she asked about you, he replied rubbing my back in lazy circles.

She did? What did she say exactly? I asked, lifting my head to meet his gaze.

Are we in school? I’ll pass her a note between classes, he said with a laugh. I slapped his chest lightly.

Fine. I don’t want to know, I said.

Very mature. Okay, she asked if I’d seen you and if you had asked about her, he said, and I could almost feel him rolling his eyes.

And I’m the one who’s immature? Dammit, I need to talk to her, don’t I? I asked, propping myself up to a sitting position. Zavier reluctantly joined me.

Is that such a bad thing? Unless you like talking through me, he said and added a light kiss. Where is your mother?

Not here, I said and kissed him back. It was a slow lingering kiss that I relished despite my predicament with Meiri. He ended the kiss too soon.

Are you ever going to tell me what you argued about? said Zavier, his hand brushing my hair back. I shook my head, pulling away from his reach.

After all that had happened at the Egalitarian Ball with Rex and Betlindis, I knew more than ever that magic was best served away from the seat of power—for now. I couldn’t tell Zavier in the same breath that I had thwarted a magical coup and then say it was my magical birthright they used to try and take the throne away from his family.

At the very least he’d have to report the whole affair to Mythos, our magic-embargoing overlords. At worst, he’d have to turn me in, for Goddess only knew what kind of punishment. And he’d hate me—hate me the same way he hated whoever had wielded the magic that had killed his parents. Telling him about my Powers was out of the question for me.

Not so Meiri. After all that had happened she thought I should tell Zavier about my shells, the prophesy and my magic.

Are you insane? I’d asked Meiri incredulously. He’s officially the heir. He’d have to do something about my magic.

He loves you, Inez. He stood up to Hortensia, Mythos, and all of Canto to let you decide. A man like that would not slap you in chains and ship you off to Mythos, she replied calmly. Her serenity irked me. Her problems were trivial compared to mine and for a moment I forgot we were friends.

You’re clinging to some vicarious romantic fantasy because you aren’t brave enough to go with Jacque and he won’t risk being with you. I regretted it even before I’d finished uttering the words, but the damage was done. The look in her eyes was cold fury.

Mother was right about you, she said and then walked away. We hadn’t spoken since.

Zavier prompted me, caressing my cheek with his hand and bringing me back to the present.

The argument was silly, I replied looking down. To talk about it would bring up too many questions that I still couldn’t answer. I pushed down a lingering bit of guilt and let Zavier put his arms around me.

Well, you should cut her some slack. Her homelife isn’t ideal. Aunt Eugenia is...formidable, he said with a mock shudder.

So am I, and you live with a very formidable woman, too, I replied.

Yes, but she’s not my mother—just my sister-in-law, he said. He was quiet for a minute, and I knew he was thinking about Queen Hortensia and his brother, King Xander.

How is that going? Home, I mean.

Home is just another place that I work. All my spare time I spend with you, he said, leaning in for another kiss. I wouldn’t be swayed.

Really, Zavier. Is everything okay?

It’s fine, I guess. After the Ball, when Hortensia realized I wasn’t going to pick Angelien, she moved on to other things. She has a lot on her plate, he said and then hesitated before he continued. There is a situation brewing with Mythos, he said, crossing his arms.

Our cozy afternoon was becoming chilly. After our announced pre-engagement there had been a flurry of visits from Mythosian officials. It was even rumored the Arbiter of Mythos had taken an interest as well. I was privy to none of it because Mamá and Zavier had formed a wall of silence about the whole thing. I presumed no one in Mythos was happy with the idea the daughter of the most vocal peer for magical return was marrying into the royal house. I didn’t want to press him.

How is shadowing Hortensia? I asked. I knew part of being the heir apparent meant learning all the duties of being the reigning monarch, including council meetings and creating favorable connections with agents from all the Enchanted Isles—especially Mythos. It should have been Xander’s role to mentor Zavier as his brother and the king, but we all knew Hortensia ran Canto.

Interesting, despite having to follow her around. I still don’t know all the issues she deals with, but there’s been a lot from Faery. Something about extradition treaties, but she kept me out of that one, he replied. You’ll have to start shadowing her too once the engagement is official. I cringed at the thought.

Promise you’ll never leave me alone with her? She’s liable to push me out a window, I said.

He pulled me in close. On my honor as a King’s Man, I will keep you safe from the queen, he joked.

I’ll hold you to that, I replied, turning to face him.

You can hold me to anything you want, so long as I can do this, he said, following with another kiss. It started to grow warmer as the kisses deepened. His hand cupping my cheek moved down to my back, crushing me to his body. My arms wrapped around his neck. Breathless, he stopped after a few minutes.

I think you’re the only guy who would stop at a time like this, I said, taking a deep breath.

Not to take away your belief in my gallantry, but I think I heard the door, he said, and I reluctantly sat up with his assistance. I was so busy straightening my shirt and smoothing down my hair to be presentable, that I didn’t notice Meiri standing in front of us with a bloody gash on her arm.

"Inez,