The brothers flew next to Kael, who was holding me as he beat his wings against Raynea’s warm atmosphere.

“You’ll have to share Sera eventually,” Micah said. His hat was gone, but the image had been imprinted in my mind. “It’s immature to keep your playthings all to yourself.”

“All right, baby brother,” Kael replied. “Weren’t you the one who just pulled down my pants in an entirely childish fashion?”

“Do you still see me as such?” I asked Kael.

He peered down at me. “As?”

“A plaything.”

“No.” He hugged me tighter to his chest. “At least, I don’t think so. You’re foreign to me.”

I curled my fingers into a fist and pressed on his chest.

“I’m taking Sera to the council tomorrow,” Rylan said.

“You did that all last week!” Micah said. I didn’t want the brothers to bicker over it, so I decided to make Rylan’s fetching me a permanent thing. He agreed, so I didn’t argue. It made things simpler.

“We need to come up with a roster,” Gaius suggested. “And since Rylan’s been trying to keep Sera all to himself, I say I get the next turn.”

Micah growled. “Who let you decide?”

“Guys,” I said, “I appreciate your volunteering, but is it such a big deal? It’s giving me a lift—”

“It is!” they replied in unison.

And I couldn’t help but sense a bubble of happiness swell inside me.

“Why not we let Sera decide?” Rylan said.

Kael nodded. “Good idea.”

Four pairs of expectant blue eyes met mine. I clutched my right hand around my left gloved one—I’d made sure I had my gloves on before I left. I swallowed. I was afraid the wrong answer, or any at all, would hurt their feelings. “We’ll draw lots later. Or…”

“Or?” Gaius prompted.

“Next person to pull Kael’s pants down gets the turn.”

“Hey!” Kael said, as his brothers narrowed their eyes on him. They were seriously considering it.

“I’m joking!” I quickly said, in case they decided to get into a fight in midair. “We’ll draw lots. Paper ones, without having to swing any fists around.”

We reached the council shortly after, and Kael let me down. We didn’t bother to find an inconspicuous location to drop me off, since there were probably more than enough rumors about me already. I preferred to have them by my side.

I turned from the princes, looking at the imposing door of the Council of Intelligence. Suddenly Rylan’s suggestion to skip the meetings sounded more alluring. Could I simply stroll in and act like nothing happened?

“Do you want us to come along?” Gaius asked. “It might be better.”

I shook my head. “No, that’s all right. Pick me up at the day’s end?” I was getting too used to having the princes as my personal transport service. Previously, I’d had to walk all over the place, but they made things so much easier with their wings.

Gaius raised a brow. “At five in the evening?”

“Yeah.” I nodded.

They spun and walked away. Micah gave me a little wave, and Kael blew me a kiss before they left. Nobody, except for a few maids, was watching. The meetings had already started, and most of the scholars were already inside.

Arriving late was probably a bad idea. I’d done so because I had been procrastinating about facing the consequences.

Without the brothers, loneliness hit me. I reminded myself they’d be back soon. Heaving in a deep sigh, I wrapped my fingers around the door handle and pulled the entrance open.

The council members had already broken up into teams. I strolled in, pretending nothing had happened during the ballroom event, ignoring the strange stares people gave me as I walked past.

I climbed up the stairs to find Frederick and my team.

My best friend was leafing through his papers, while the others sat around, looking lost without my direction.

Frederick jolted out of his seat when he saw me. “Sera!”

“What did Tindyll report this morning?” I asked. “I missed her announcements.”

“Forget that.” He hesitated before grabbing my hand and pulling me aside. My teammates’ eyes trailed after me as I was tugged along by Frederick. He directed me to an empty corridor.

I watched him and his panicky manner. “What is it?”

Frederick stopped and let me go. He rested a hand on the wall and placed one hand on his hips. “Yesterday.”

“What about it?”

“You can’t be acting as if it didn’t happen.”

“It did. And it was a wreck. But so far nothing’s gone wrong because of it, and—”

“Nothing’s gone wrong?” Frederick pressed his lips together. “Everything is out of order. You shouldn’t have left so early. You left your reputation defenseless and allowed Vancel Gavril to say whatever he wanted about you.”

“What did he say?”

“He let Mei give a long testimony about how your touch felt. He even brought out that maid—which I knew nothing about, by the way—who Gaius had made you touch, and he started calling you names like ‘demon-born’ and ‘Aereala’s hated one.’ It was a mess. The princes weren’t even there to speak in your favor because they rushed out the moment you left. Now everybody thinks badly of them, too.”

I stared at Frederick in silence, not knowing how to respond. The truth was out, and I’d messed up. What now? I wasn’t sure whether to be angry or scared. My feelings seemed to take the easiest route, settling for numbness instead.

“Tindyll’s probably going to have a word with you later,” Frederick said.

“You think… What do you think is going to happen?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t have a clue. But whatever happens, be prepared.”

I nodded solemnly.

One of the scholars came up to us. He stopped farther away than he needed to be, and said loudly, “Sera, Tindyll’s looking for you.”

My palms were becoming sweaty. I’d decided to let myself ride this current of turmoil, because as hard as I tried to think about ways to talk myself out of this, I knew how people could be. They enjoyed pointing fingers at a common enemy. And a girl who could hurt every single one of them with a touch? A person like me was easy to hate. After what Vancel had done, it seemed like there was no turning back.

“Bring me to her,” I told the scholar, and let him lead me to Tindyll. She was in her study, sitting at her desk and writing.

The scholar asked, “Can I go now?”

“You may leave.” Tindyll waved him away.

I walked closer to Tindyll’s desk, wanting to sit down on one of her chairs, as I often did.

Tindyll dropped her pen. “Don’t come any closer.”

“What? I’ve been on this council for years. Nothing has changed.”

“You’ve been on this council under the guise of innocence. Now I know what you actually are.”

My chest constricted. All the trust I’d spent years building up—gone. “And what is that?”

Tindyll flicked her gaze down to the desk, considering her next words. “Dangerous.”

“I have my gloves on. I’d never hurt anyone my entire stay here. All I’ve been is hardworking, trying to help. I’ve never been late with any of my assignments. The people here like me—”

“Liked you, Sera. Now they’re just afraid.”

I attempted to steady my breathing, but my heart raced so quickly that I couldn’t. “I can’t stay anymore, can I?” I should have known this would happen. I’d bluffed myself, told myself that I could hide from my curse and live my life as if it wasn’t there.

Tindyll drew her lips into a thin line. She glanced down and pulled open one of her drawers, taking out a document tied with a string. She set it down on the edge of her table. “For you.”

I walked to it. Slowly, and behaving cautiously—because it looked like Tindyll would jump out of her seat if I made any abrupt movements—I picked up the document from her desk, stepped back, and unraveled it to read it.

We thank you for your service were the last words scribbled on it.

It was a letter of termination. I’d not only lost my chance at the secretarial position, but also my job at the council. With that, I had to leave the palace, because only personnel and the royal family were allowed in.

“Please,” I said, hating the way I was begging. I couldn’t go back to my family. People would talk about why I’d been kicked out of the palace, and soon they’d hear about my curse again. I’d lose everything. I thought about whether the princes could do anything about it, and held on to that hope. If I had to start cleaning the latrines again…

Tindyll hooked her fingers together and sat straighter. “On account of your service, I’m giving you a week to say your goodbyes and pack up your things.”

“I’ll need longer than that. I’ll need someone to take over my duties, teach Frederick at least—”

“You have to leave. Soon. A week is probably already too much.”

“Why?”

“It’s not safe for us, or you. I’m doing this because I care about you. There have been petitions to have you executed.”

“Executed?”

“The nobles see you as a bad omen. A threat to the nation. A sign, along with the famines, that everything is going wrong. Plenty of people want to eliminate you, but your elders and I have grown… fond of you over these past years, and we’ve been vehemently against the idea. Luckily, the Council of Intelligence has its fair share of power. But there are other threats to your safety. Assassins, for one.” Tindyll sighed and leaned back into her chair.

I was holding my letter so tightly that it crumpled in my hands. “What do I do now?”

“You can’t stay in the palace. I’m not even certain if you should return to your family. Leave as soon as you can. Go into hiding.”

“I can’t do that.”

“You have to.”

I stared at the ground. I had to talk to the princes. They’d have a better way to deal with this. Would they leave the palace with me if I asked them to? Probably not. My having to leave them scared me more than the thought of leaving the council, much to my surprise.

“Why the sudden hate? It was an accident.”

“You’ve shown your true colors.”

“I’ve always been like this. What did Vancel say about me exactly?”

“Nothing but the truth.”

I knew that there was no convincing her. “Thank you for everything, Tindyll.”

“You’re welcome.”

I walked out her study, trying to ignore how everyone gave me a wide berth when I approached.

Frederick waited outside. “How did it go?”

I showed him the letter.

He snatched it from me and skimmed through it, then his mouth hung open. “You’re going to be sent home?”

“Not even that, probably.”

“Then where?”

“I don’t know yet.” I could cry. I could break down where I stood before snapping at everyone, but I decided I’d done that enough during that night with my princes. I had to grow up and face what life was handing me.

I’d always known that power was needed to earn the respect I needed. I didn’t realize how easily it could be stripped away, despite how hard I fought for it.

“Come with me, Frederick. There’s a lot of things I’ll need to walk you through for when I’m gone. We still haven’t sorted out all the new reports from Jura—”

Frederick shot me an incredulous look. “You want to talk about work now?”

“What can I stay? I guess I’m a stickler for it.”

I spent the rest of the day going through all the current projects we were working on and the laws I had been assigned to draft. He was to make sure that everyone in the team knew exactly what to do once I left, and that he could cover for them should they make mistakes. It was too much to finish in one day, so I told Frederick I’d visit him every day for the next few days to go through it all.

I wasn’t sure how the princes would play into this. I hated being so needy, but I was counting on them as my lifeline.

At five, I walked out the council’s door for what I assumed to be the last time. I looked back at the large entrance I’d stepped through so many times. I hadn’t even thought twice when I did so before.

Kael, Gaius, and Micah were waiting for me, next to the some carved marble pillars.

“How was work?” Gaius asked, grabbing my hand.

“Not good. Where’s Rylan?”

“He’s busy. We’re going to meet him at the quarters. So, who do you want to take you back?”

“I’m too tired to think about that right now.”

Gaius shared a worried look with his brothers. He swept me into his arms, and the others didn’t quarrel over it, probably sensing that my energy had been too drained for me to deal with their antics.

I pressed my cheek against Gaius’s chest, letting the humming sensation between us soothe me.

* * *

“What happened?” Kael asked, swooping in next to his brother.

I handed him the letter. “Nothing good.”

Kael read through it. “You… you were terminated?”

“Vancel apparently used the opportunity to bad-mouth me,” I replied. “And now the officials are worried about my existence. There’s talk about executions and—”

A growl rumbled from Gaius’s chest. His grip tightened on me. “No one’s doing anything of that sort to you. If anybody cuts you, even with just a paper cut, I’ll tear their heads off.”

I smiled, loving how much he cared. “That’s a bit drastic.”

“Just saying it as I know it.”

“It’s not just that. Tindyll’s worried about assassins and the like, although I’m not sure if anybody would go through such efforts just to get rid of me.”

“One more thing to worry about,” Micah said with a sigh.

“It’ll be all right,” Gaius said. “We’ll protect you.”

“I’ve been given the order to leave the palace,” I said.

“You will do no such thing,” Kael replied. “Who am I going to tease once you’re gone?”

“Rylan? The council? Isn’t it your life’s mission to find people to trick?”

“Maybe. But it’s not going to be as fun.”

Gaius kissed me on the forehead. “We’ll make things better. They can’t kick you out of the council like that.”

“I was given a termination notice from Tindyll.”

“Rylan, as crown prince, has executive authority over her. He can order you reinstated.”

“I’m not sure if I’ll like it if I have to fight my way back in so forcefully. The other members wouldn’t be so willing to accept me.”

“Isn’t that what you’ve been doing all this time?” Micah asked. “Fighting your way up?”

I looked at Micah, who was giving me an encouraging smile. “Yeah.” He was right. I’d proven my townsfolk wrong before. Now I just had to prove to those on the council that I could still be important to them, despite the curse. “I’m not sure if it means much if it’s Rylan helping me get back in. Maybe if I find a way back in myself…”

“How?” Gaius asked.

“I’ll think of something.” A strong will always provided opportunities. I had to get creative.

Gaius landed in front of the quarters, and I slipped from his grasp. “Rylan should be finishing up soon. We’ll meet him once he’s done.”

“And then?” I asked.

“We thought we’d make good on the promise to show you around the city, before visiting that bar we were talking about.”

“Sounds like a plan.” If I hadn’t just been terminated, I would’ve objected to it. My striving to get to the top had made me swamp myself with work, so I never really got the time to live. Now that the workload was gone, it felt like a weight had lifted off my shoulders…

But another terrible kind had replaced it.

“I’ll go look for him,” I told the brothers.

Micah nodded. “We’ll be waiting here.”

I spun around, lifted the skirt of my robes, and climbed up the stairs to Rylan’s room. It took me some time to get there, because of the sheer size of the palace. When I did, I found his room empty, so I tried his study, which I had to wind down a few corridors to reach.

I heard his voice, muffled by the distance. I scampered up, wanting to greet him, when I heard King Gisiroth’s voice too.

“You like this girl,” the king said.

I stopped, hoping they didn’t hear me, and pressed myself against the side of the wall, next to Rylan’s open door.

“Yes,” Rylan said. “I’ve grown to care about her.”

“And what of your duties?” Gisiroth asked.

“She helps me with them. She’s intelligent and quick-witted. Sometimes she suggests things I never would have thought of.”

“Not those. Those small tasks are not ones you should spend much time bothering with. I’m talking about your responsibility as our future king. For the sake of our nation.”

“Sera’s been nothing but useful. I don’t see why my interest in her—”

“Rylan, my son, wake up. She’s cursed.”

“You were the one who asked me to keep watch on her in the first place.”

“Yes, to monitor how her curse might affect us. I didn’t ask you to fall in love with her.”

I should have left then. This wasn’t my conversation to hear. But I wanted to know more. I stilled my breathing.

“I…” Rylan said. “I apologize, Father.” Wait… did that mean he was admitting his feelings for me?

“So what of your findings? Or were you too busy courting her to investigate her abilities?”

Rylan didn’t respond.

“Now that the secret’s out, we can’t do our investigations in private. Many of my subjects are suggesting she be locked up and experimented on, and I’m inclined to agree—”

“No!”

“No?”

“Sera’s… She isn’t some animal to experiment with.”

My heart caught in my throat.

“She can’t stay here any longer,” Gisiroth said. “The Gavrils are using her reputation to tarnish ours. You might have told the council that your time with Sera isn’t personal, but many have seen your public displays of affection and are thinking otherwise. We can’t have the royal family be associated with a curse.”

“I understand, Father.”

“And what will do you about it?”

“I’ll… I’ll think about it.”

“You’re not convincing me you’re taking this seriously.”

“I am. I’m just… This is a difficult position you’ve put me in.”

“You’re to be our future king. This isn’t going to be your first difficult decision, and you’ll have to come to one soon. I want an answer by tomorrow.”

Rylan kept silent. The screeching of a chair pierced the air.

I heard Gisiroth’s footsteps. My chest thumped, and I readied to scamper away, but he was out the door before I could.

“Let us talk, Sera,” Gisiroth said, not looking in my direction. So he’d known I was here all along.

I took a deep breath and followed him, keeping a distance behind him as we walked. Gisiroth had his upper body bare, like his sons, and had the same tattoos, but unlike them, scars littered his back. Hidraes weren’t supposed to scar easily because they healed so quickly. What had happened during Aiden Gavril’s rebellion?

“You have my sons wrapped around your finger,” Gisiroth said. “How did you manage it?”

“I’m not certain, Your Majesty.”

“You should realize you’re not healthy for them.”

“I’m sorry you believe as such.”

We paced past a few more doors. The ringing silence was making anxiety pour through me.

“Perhaps it would be easier to have you dead,” Gisiroth said.

“Perhaps,” I replied. “Then you’d never find out what’s behind my curse.”

Gisiroth halted. He spun around, regarding me with his hawkish eyes, and smirked. “Is that a threat?”

It was the first smile I’d seen from the king. It bore no warmth. “No, Your Majesty. I’m just saying it as it is.”

Gisiroth continued walking. “I want to lock you up and do everything I can to get to the bottom of this, but that would upset my sons, and as a father, I do care. I’ve also heard about your service. I try to be just, and I don’t think such treatment is something you deserve. But you can’t be lingering amongst the Everborne family anymore.”

“Then what will you do with me?”

“I will find you a place. A comfortable one. Isolated. Far from here and my sons. I’ll send those with more courage to run their tests on you every so often, so we can figure out what’s happening. The matter will simmer down and resolve itself.”

“With me out of the way.”

“Yes. With you out of the way.”

This was so terrible that it almost felt surreal. It was like I wasn’t living my own life anymore. Sera Cadriel had just turned into an object. An experiment. Worthless.

Exactly what I’d always been afraid of.

A bitter taste lingered in my mouth.

We had meandered our way down the stairs and to the entrance. In the distance, Gaius, Micah, and Kael sat on a bench, waiting for Rylan and I. They were underneath a grand pavilion. They spotted the king and I and wore confused expressions.

“That’s likely the most logical course of action,” I said.

Gisiroth nodded. “I’m glad you agree.”

“But I don’t want to leave.”

“Oh? Are you defying orders from your king?’

“You might think I’m terrible for your sons, but I don’t believe the same thing. I can make them happy. They like spending time with me. And it’s not just that. I work harder than anyone on the council, and I’m confident in my abilities to aid the problem you have with the droughts. To toss me aside would be losing a useful asset, Your Majesty.”

I hated referring to myself as such, an “asset,” but that was all the king saw me as. I just needed to prove I wasn’t simply an experiment, and could be much more.

He halted. “And what proof do you have of this?”

“I’m working on something involving the crops. It’s still in development,” I said. I left out the fact that we’d only experimented with this idea a few times, when the princes and I visited the nursery. So far, little progress had been made, and the seeds hadn’t reacted to our spells.

The king narrowed his eyes. “One week.”

“Until?”

“If you can prove to me your abilities in a week, then I’ll let you stay. I’ll even ask Tindyll to reinstate you on the council.”

Hope fluttered through me. “I will not let you down, Your Majesty.”

A corner of his lips quirked up. “You’re amusing, Sera. I think that is why my sons have chosen you as their next plaything.”

“I believe that I’m more than that.”

“Do not overstep. My sons are fickle. And perhaps my failures as a father have made them too spoiled. They do not keep their attention well, and you’ll be cast aside at the first hint of boredom or trouble.”

I didn’t believe what he said. “They’re better than that.”

Kael sauntered over. “Father.”

Gisiroth regarded his son. “When will you start on your royal duties?”

“Are you still expecting me to do those? I thought you’d given up a century ago.”

“I have. I was asking out of habit.” Gisiroth looked at me. “He’ll tire of you. If you stay, you will keep him entertained for only an extra month—at most.”

“I won’t,” Kael said. “Sera’s too fun to be around.”

“Only for now. You’re not one to settle. I know my sons well.”

A niggle of doubt crept into my chest. I didn’t sound a retort.

Rylan walked through the front door, entering the courtyard.

“I’m looking forward to your new findings,” Gisiroth said. “But even if you do succeed, you cannot stay with the Everbornes.”

“Who made those rules?” Kael said.

“I did. Start learning to show some respect.”

“Sera’s not going anywhere.”

“She will. Good luck, child,” the king said to me.

Gisiroth called to his white wings, which were similar to Kael’s, and took off. The king looked just as majestic as his sons did in flight.

“Forget about everything he said.” Kael draped an arm around my shoulders once Gisiroth was out of sight. “Father’s always too serious about things.”

“I don’t think I can,” I said.

Rylan strolled up to us. “So, tour of the city?” He tried to hide his worry behind his straightened posture, but I could see it, clear as day.

“I’d been waiting so long that I thought my hair was going to turn gray,” Kael said.

I pointed at his head. “But your hair’s already white.”

“Figure of speech.” He took my hand in his. “Well, let’s go. We’re going to spoil Sera the best we can.”