CHAPTER 4

She didn’t bother to fall asleep that night. Not when she was going to wake up in a few hours anyway. She tried reading, but she could barely focus and make out the words at the moment.

She leaned her head on the window when she saw the light coming from the room.

She moved, pulled on a silk robe, and made her way down and to her father's study. She knocked twice before pushing the door open.

He looked up from the paper strewn across his dark mahogany desk, the lights in the room dimmed enough to read. Smiling, he beckoned her over.

Crossing the room over the chair he kept beside his desk for her, she sat down, head in her hands as she carelessly read over some of the papers.

“Couldn’t sleep again?” She shook her head. “Something wrong?” Again, a shake her head.

“Just thinking.” But she saw the way her father tensed ever so slightly, the little furrow of his brow barely noticeable. “I’m alright, papa.”

He chuckled, dropping his pen and leaning back on his chair. “You make me worry sometimes, darling.”

She frowned. “I don’t remember giving you a reason as of recently.”

“Ah, so you sneaking out more and more is to be ignored?”

“I can take care of myself. You made sure of that.”

He sighed. “So I did. But you are still a little girl to me, Verena.”

“Papa, Cathan is here as well.” But he just waved a hand and went back to his work, silently moving a few her way. A silent message.

She smiled, grabbed a pen and helped him finish the work. Then she remembered this afternoon.

So she asked while continuing to write, “When am I going again?”

He glanced at her but she kept her eyes on the words before her. “Let this week go by. It's pathetically gruesome as it is.”

“All for a little ceremony?”

“The Queen adores the youngest Prince. She wants her little one to feel special.”

“She has a daughter,” she pointed out.

“Then she and I might as well turn the same blind eye to their youngest.” He’s joking. He loves Cathan as much as she and Lyra. Alright, maybe her a little more. But the point still stands.

“I’ll let you go in two weeks. Autumn approaches and everyone will be forgoing balls for the time being and just waiting for winter. You can go for as long as you please.”

She chuckled. “Funny how they still wait for winter even after last year's fiasco.”

“You had no problem with it.”

“I had another reason to leave.”

And that was true. Esmery may not have shown it but she enjoyed her presence in her place. Even if all she does is make her read ancient tombs from her library and new books as well. But she knows the female enjoys teaching her new things. Be it a new topic or a new dish.

“Don’t you love it when that happens, now,” he said, standing up. “Off now. It’s late.”

She glanced at the clock. Half an hour. She stood up. “That didn’t bother you a while ago.”

“Yes well, that was then, leave.” He gave her a gentle push towards the door. She threw him an amused look over her shoulder.

“Goodnight, papa.”

—

“Had a lovely time, did you?” Kyler asked as she ran to her wardrobe, changing swiftly into a plain black tunic and pants. Tugged on her boots as Kyler handed her her daggers. She made quick work of strapping them on before grabbing her cloak and pulling it on.

She moved to the space of her bookshelves that filled the space of a whole wall. Tugged on the book right in the top left corner.

A hiss and a gap appeared and they both moved aside to make enough room to pass through before slamming it closed once again.

Darkness encompassed them.

“Verena,” Kyler whispered as if anyone was going to catch them here. No one would of course. These passages were thousands of years old and long forgotten. She only knew because Esmery had brought escape routes up once.

And she then made her way to the library in the manor to look for anything. And found a whole map of them in a forgotten corner in the forbidden section of the library.

For the manor and the palace. And the city.

“Afraid of the dark, Ky?” she laughed. He growled in warning. Left.

She brought her hand up to his face, startling him as she summoned the wisps of light that whirled and twisted around her hand. Not entirely white, but a hint of blue, the palest.

Starlight.

A gift. People believe only mages have magic. But a secret has been kept for generations. That the Royal Family and Duke. These two families turn out with magic, but rarely. It skips a few generations.

She had heard the second prince possesses magic, something she heard growing up when she eavesdropped on her father and king whenever he took her to the palace after her continuous pleading.

Only her father and Esmery knew about this. And Kyler too, but he didn't know how much she had. As far as he had seen, it was only this much. Party tricks.

She grinned at the shaky breath Kyler let out. Years and he still can’t get used to it.

She let them go, lighting up the path they took in the dark passages.

“Let's go.”