Despite all the formal pleasantries that had to be made for her visit in the Eleysian palace, Cyrene couldn’t neglect the real reason she was here. Basille Selby had told her to come to the Eleysian capital city and find Matilde and Vera. They would be able to help people like her. She hadn’t known what that meant all those months ago, but now, she understood.

Doma.

She needed to find Master Domas Matilde and Vera. Somehow, they were still alive even though two thousand years had passed. And it was the sole reason for coming to Eleysia.

With Orden, Ahlvie, Avoca, and Ceis’f searching the rest of the island, Cyrene had concentrated her efforts on the palace even though Dean had claimed that he had never heard of anyone with those names.

Cyrene was right the first time she had walked inside the building. It was crowded. Since the island wasn’t all that big, many nobles and members of the Privy Council chose to live on the palace grounds as part of the court. It would be as if every Affiliate and High Order lived in the Byern castle instead of reintegrating into the city after fulfilling their educational components.

That meant she had a lot of ground to cover, all while trying not to look like a suspicious Affiliate snooping around the palace. The only place she had found where no one cared if she looked around was the library, which was enormous and had so many different subjects than what were found in Byern. Her head spun in there.

But still, the first two weeks she had been in the palace, she had no luck. Maelia snuck off the grounds unnoticed to search the Lower Sector, the southern district that attached to the Palace grounds, for any clues. But both of them came up empty-handed, and worse, Cyrene hadn’t seen Dean at all. His sisters would come around to get to know her—otherwise known as irritate her to no end, take up too much of her time, and generally try to sabotage her very existence. They told her that Dean had gone back to work after his long absence, but she didn’t know what that meant. Princes back home didn’t work, not as far as she knew. Prince Kael mostly just fraternized, fornicated, and frustrated her.

She had known that it might take some time to find them, but it was easy to get discouraged when they didn’t have any clues and no word from her friends on the outside.

“Any luck?” Maelia asked.

Cyrene jumped on the bed where she had a pile of books sprawled out before her. “How are you so silent? I didn’t even hear the door open.”

Maelia shrugged. “Years of training with the Guard.”

“You’re even quieter than Avoca. That’s a feat.”

Maelia smiled, as if this were a compliment.

“Did you find anything?”

Maelia shook her head. “I think we should go meet with the others and see how their search is going. Try to come up with an easier way to go about this than blind searching.”

“You’re right. We need to reconvene. I don’t want to spend years searching for them. We need to be more pragmatic.”

Cyrene followed Maelia out of the castle grounds. In such a short time, Maelia had already figured out the perfect time to get in and out of court without being seen. Cyrene couldn’t help but admire that training. While Cyrene had been preparing for her Presenting and learning any number of subjects, Maelia had been learning swordplay, tracking, and other militaristic things from her parents and the guards whom she had grown up with in Levin.

Maelia flagged down a gondola and gave the man directions to where they were to meet the others at an inn in the First Sector. They cut through the water, and Cyrene got her first real look at the city during the day. It was bustling as much as the palace was. Every square inch was built up, and for every waterway that Orden had drawn on the map, there were dozens of other smaller waterways navigating throughout the various sectors. The canals crisscrossed the city in a manner quite like the back roads of any other major city. It was incredible that these boats were the major source of transportation instead of horse or carriage. Though most of the canals had sandstone bridges connecting the various buildings as well as the different sectors.

Their gondola traveled off the main canal and into a narrow waterway in the First Sector. Cyrene could tell immediately that this area of the city was much less reputable than where they had come from. The buildings were more ramshackle, and children ran around barefoot. Taverns littered every corner, offering a drunken reprieve.

“Why am I not surprised that this is where Ahlvie chose to meet?” Cyrene asked when the boat stopped in front of a tavern and inn called The Sea Bride’s Chamber.

Maelia laughed and followed her into the inn. Loud music played over the boisterous cheers from the crowd who took up the majority of the space. People were dancing in the center of the room and repeatedly crashing into each other, spilling ale all over the floor. The floors were sticky, and Cyrene was sure she was ruining her silk slippers. She wished she had worn boots, but the weather was so hot in Eleysia that most people didn’t even own them.

Cyrene cast her eyes around the room, looking for some kind of gambling table, knowing she would find Ahlvie there. Then, Maelia laughed next to her and pointed up to the stage. There, decked out in full entertainer garb, complete with a flowing mendicant cloak in a mishmash of colors, playing a lute and singing, while the crowd cheered him on was none other than Ahlvie Gunn.

“Way to stay undercover,” Cyrene grumbled under her breath.

“He is the most irritating man in Emporia,” Maelia confirmed.

“And, somehow, he always figures out what we need to know. So, let’s go see if he’s figured it out this time.”

Cyrene angled toward the stage and started meandering through the crowd toward Ahlvie. She passed a table of men throwing dice and another playing some kind of card game. She was glad Ahlvie was singing on the stage tonight rather than gambling.

He finished his song and swept a deep bow to the room. Everyone cheered and called for another. Cyrene caught his eye then, and his eyebrows rose. His smile grew into that normal devious look she knew all too well. It meant he had a bad idea brewing.

“That’s my final song for today, folks. Same place and time tomorrow,” Ahlvie called.

“Haille, one more!” someone cried.

“Mardas, sing us your favorite again!”

A cheer went up in the crowd. “Mardas! Mardas! Mardas!”

Cyrene shook her head. Haille Mardas was back. That only meant trouble.

He bowed one more time with a flourish and then hopped down. He found Cyrene in the crowd, and at least a dozen times, he was clapped on the back by happy customers who appreciated his music.

“Ladies, ladies,” Ahlvie said, wrapping an arm around Cyrene’s and Maelia’s shoulders. “Let’s get you upstairs where you belong.” He winked at a man at the bar and then pushed them toward the stairs.

“You are vile. You know that, right?” Maelia said.

“Horrid, Ahlvie,” Cyrene agreed.

“You both love it,” he said, squeezing their shoulders and pretending to nuzzle Cyrene’s neck for the crowd.

“I am going to kill you,” she growled.

Their group made it up two flights of stairs. Ahlvie opened a door into a two-bedroom suite. Cyrene’s eyebrows rose.

“You must be throwing dice to afford this room,” Cyrene said.

Ahlvie laughed and shut the door behind Maelia. “The owner of the inn lets me stay in exchange for my performances. Seems it brings good business. Better for us to have one place for everyone with ready meals,” Ahlvie said. He pulled off the cloak he’d worn for the show and slung it on a hook at the door. “Not better money than dicing, but less chance of getting thrown out.”

Cyrene shook her head. “That’s because you cheat.”

“I take from the rich and stupid and give to the poor and intelligent.”

“You give to yourself.”

“Exactly.”

“Cyrene!” Avoca cried, coming into the main room from the bedroom to the right.

Cyrene felt the connection with Avoca like a gentle thrum. A constant reminder that they were bound together. When they were apart, she could still feel it but dimly. This was the longest she had been away from Avoca since their ceremony.

Cyrene pulled her into a hug. “I’ve missed you.”

Avoca patted her back twice. “Yes. It has been interesting without you around.”

Cyrene released her and didn’t miss the look that passed between she and Ahlvie. Cyrene wasn’t sure if that meant they had finally given in to their feelings or if Ceis’f was being a royal pain.

“Where are Orden and Ceis’f?” Cyrene asked.

“Ceis’f is on watch,” Ahlvie said. “And Orden was following a lead in the Market Sector. He should be back shortly.”

As if he’d heard his name, Orden trudged in through the door. His oversize hat drooped to one side, and he looked like he had been in some kind of brawl. “No luck,” he grumbled.

“What happened to you?” Ahlvie asked with a raised eyebrow. “Met another mistress?”

Orden glared at him and removed his hat. “Don’t mess with me, boy. I’ve had a long day, and I’ll be happy to put my fist through that pretty face of yours if you want to keep up the attitude.”

Ahlvie raised his hands. “Be careful with the pretty face. It pays the bills.”

Orden huffed and then stomped into the other bedroom. Cyrene could hear him washing up, and then a couple of minutes later, he returned. He didn’t look all that more cheerful, not that she had ever really seen him cheerful before.

“Cyrene. Maelia,” he said, dipping his head toward the girls. “Are we going to bring in Ceis’f?”

Ahlvie shrugged. “I think he’s fine,” he said casually.

His eyes sought out Avoca again, but she purposely looked away. Whatever was going on didn’t seem to be good for anyone here.

“Then, let’s get started,” Orden said. He leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms. “I assume you girls are here for a reason.”

“We came for news, but considering you all look ready to kill one another, I find it hard to believe you have any. Is there any good news?” Cyrene took a seat by the unlit hearth. She didn’t understand why the room had a fireplace with Eleysia’s sweltering heat.

“Ahlvie found out that the boat we were supposed to come in on is supposed to dock at First Harbor tomorrow,” Avoca said. Ahlvie tipped his head with a devious smirk. “So, hopefully, it will still have our belongings on it, if they haven’t been confiscated or sold.”

“I see,” Cyrene said. “Well, that is kind of good news.”

“Though it seems you have new clothes already,” Ahlvie said. He couldn’t hold back his smirk.

“Dean has eleven sisters,” she explained. “They’re doing their best to clothe me in between their everyday sabotage.”

Avoca raised her eyebrows. “Anything I need to worry about?”

“Nothing I can’t handle.”

“They don’t know who they’re dealing with if they think a little sabotage will stop you,” Ahlvie joked with a wink.

“Why, Haille Mardas, that was almost a compliment.”

He grinned devilishly. “They haven’t seen you take on a Braj.”

“Or destroy an entire group of Indres,” Avoca said.

“Or break people out of prison,” Orden added.

“Or take on the entire Aurumian army and Prince Kael,” Maelia said.

Cyrene held her hands up. “Okay, I get it. When you say it that way, it does sound pretty impressive. But you were all there; you know I didn’t really do anything. The magic saved my life. I didn’t even know how to use it. Everyone else helped with the breakout as much as I did. And…you all are just embellishing.”

Maelia touched Cyrene’s shoulder. “If that’s what you have to tell yourself.”

Cyrene smiled at her crew. At least they believed in her, even when she didn’t believe in herself. “Well, I’ve no better luck than you lot. All I’ve done is spent time in the library and run into a bunch of dead ends. I’ve had hardly any time without Dean’s sisters continually interrupting me. No one has heard of Matilde and Vera. I worry that, if I keep asking around, people will start questioning my motives.”

“How about we start with this one?” Ceis’f said. He pushed a man through the open window. He rolled half the length of the room before stopping with a thud.

Cyrene jumped up in shock. “What in the Creator’s name?”

“Found him snooping outside the window, listening in on your conversation when I caught him,” Ceis’f added.

The atmosphere shifted instantly. Avoca had her knives out from her hidden compartment and was threateningly twirling them. Ahlvie looked laid-back, but she could see his shoulders were tensed, as he was waiting for a fight. Orden reached for a sword at his belt. Even Maelia shifted into a fighting stance. Her hands strayed to her hips, but there was nowhere to conceal a weapon in these flimsy Eleysian dresses. Not that they would have done her much good.

The man grunted when he came to a stop at their feet. His light hair fell forward against his forehead as he hung his head and dropped into a crouch. He wore all black clothing, and a black mask mostly obscured his face.

Cyrene walked forward before anyone could say anything in protest and ripped the mask from his face. “Dean?” she gasped.

“Hello, Cyrene.”

When the rest of the room realized who it was, they relaxed their hold on their weapons and shifted back into a neutral stance. But Cyrene didn’t move. She just stared at him in surprise. She hadn’t seen him in weeks, and now, he was stalking them outside of the palace grounds.

“Why were you outside of that window?” she demanded. “Why are you here?”

He didn’t look sheepish even though she thought he should for spying on her. “You and Maelia left without anyone for protection, and I wanted to make sure you were all right, so I followed you.”

“I’m getting rusty,” Maelia breathed.

“You followed us because you wanted us to be safe?” Cyrene asked. “Don’t lie to me. You were spying on us. Otherwise, you would have made your presence known.”

“I did want you to be safe.”

“And…you wanted to spy. Why?”

She had the strange realization that she was interrogating the Prince of the country she was currently in, and one of her friends had just thrown him through a window. If he had other soldiers with him, then they were about to be in a lot of trouble.

Dean stretched up to his full height, towering over Cyrene. “I wanted to know where you were going and why you left the palace grounds.”

“I didn’t think I was a prisoner.”

“You’re not, but most people who don’t want to be found have something to hide. I don’t apologize for following you.”

“Just for getting caught?” she quipped.

He smiled, and she tried to ignore the dip in her stomach. “For trying to get closer to you.”

Her cheeks heated at that comment, and she tried to regain control of the situation. “There are other ways to get close to me without spying on me!”

“Is he with us or not?” Ceis’f asked.

Everyone turned to Cyrene for the answer. Dean had saved them back in Aurum. There was no reason for her not to trust him after he had risked himself to get them out of the city and then spoken on her behalf to Queen Cassia so that she could stay. But still…she didn’t like him snooping around.

Dean raised his eyebrows and awaited her decision. “Cyrene?”

“Is there anyone else with you?”

“No,” he answered immediately.

Ceis’f nodded his head in confirmation.

“Fine. Yes, of course he’s with us,” she said, turning to Dean. “But don’t spy on us again.”

Cyrene looked to Maelia, who always protested when they added new people to their group. “I know…you don’t trust him.”

Maelia frowned and then puzzled over Dean. “No. I think I do.”

Cyrene balked. “Well then, I guess you are in.”

“Can we get back to the matter at hand?” Orden asked.

And just like that, Dean was accepted into their group.

“Mind if I ask what exactly this is all about?” Dean asked. “Is this about the people you’re looking for?”

She took a deep breath. “Yes. I know you said you’d never heard of them, but my source told me that they were rumored to be in Eleysia.”

“And you’ve been what? Scouring the island for them?” he asked.

“Something like that.”

“I could have helped. I happen to have valuable resources at my disposal.”

Ahlvie snorted. “Cyrene is trusting, but even she wouldn’t alert the palace to this.”

“So, tell me everything about these women. What are their surnames? What do they look like? Where were they last seen?”

Cyrene frowned. “We don’t know any of that information.”

“So, you’ve been looking everywhere for these two people off of just names then?” Dean asked skeptically.

Ceis’f threw his hands out and leaned back against the window frame. “I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this entire thing is insane.”

“Look, Basille Selby told me that I should come here to find them. It must be for a reason. It’s not a wild goose chase, and I won’t stop looking.”

Dean startled forward.

Cyrene gave him an appraising look. “What?”

“Basille Selby? You’re sure?”

“Yes. Why?”

“I don’t know Matilde and Vera, but I know Basille Selby,” he said after a moment, “and I can take you to him.”