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I looked over at Cynder. “We can’t stay here!”

“But you have to,” argued the king. “Luca will want to see for himself that you are still alive.”

“I won’t be alive long if Luca finds me!” I said, the tone of my voice getting more panicked by the second. “Have you not been listening to me? He needs me dead so he can become the king and marry Drusilla Bloom. If I’m alive, all his lies will come out.”

“I heard what you said, dear,” the king came over and patted my arm in a comforting manner. I could smell the whiskey on his breath. At some point, he’d finished the second glass too. “I think this is all one big misunderstanding. When he gets here, we can all sit down and hash it all out. I think you’ll find that you’ve got nothing to worry about. Luca loves you. He’ll get rid of that horrible woman when he knows you are still alive. I think it was only a rebound thing borne of mourning you, my dear.”

I could tell that he was trying to be nice and make me feel better, but his words were having the opposite effect. Luca was on his way.

I turned to Cynder, my face full of desperation. I didn’t know what to do.

“He’s days away!” said Cynder, coming over to me. He took the glass of untouched whiskey from my shaking hand and placed it down on a nearby surface. “We can be miles away by the time he gets here.”

I nodded in agreement.

“You can’t leave!” announced the queen. “Luca told me to keep you here. He said not to let you go under any circumstances.”

“He’ll be devastated if you go now,” agreed the king.

“I’m sorry, but we have to go!” I replied. “Unless you are going to keep me here against my will.”

“Of course not,” blustered the king. “But...”

I turned, heading for the door.

“What shall we tell Luca if you go?” asked Theron gruffly.

I turned back and looked directly at him.

“Ask him about Seraphia. Ask him about me. Listen to what he says and see if you still believe him. Then you can tell him that I’m not going to stop. He’ll never find me, and when the time is right, I’m going to bring him down!”

I stalked towards the door, Cynder hot on my heels. Just before I slammed the door behind us, I heard the queen exclaiming “Oh dear!”

I thought the guards might follow us as we raced through the castle to the front door, but nobody tried to stop us. The guard opened the door and let us leave freely. Even as we jumped back on our horse and left through the iron gates, I was expecting someone to chase us. It was only when we were a good few miles away that my panic subsided.

Cynder brought the horse to a standstill next to a homely looking inn. “Let’s get some food while we think our next move through.”

I nodded in agreement. I was hungry, tired and cold.

Cynder waved his wand over my face, and I could feel my features changing back to what they were before we went to the castle. We were once again the auburnhaired brother and sister.

The inside of the inn was cozy with a roaring fire crackling away in the fireplace. We took a seat in a booth in the darkest corner and ordered a couple of coffees and a roast dinner from the waitress.

“What now?” I whispered, not wanting to be overheard.

Cynder grinned. I wasn’t sure why. As far as I could see, we had nothing to be happy about.

“Don’t you see? Luca is doing us a favor.”

“By coming here to kill us?” I deadpanned.

“By coming here, yes. If he’s here, that means he’s not in Silverwood. He’s leaving the place with no one in charge.”

I didn’t see how that would help us any. His men would still be there and no doubt shoot us on sight. “If Luca knows we are in Thalia, he’ll know we somehow got across the border. Do you really think he’ll let us back in? I’m betting all those permits for the farmers will now be revoked.”

I speared a potato and took a bite.

It’s funny how having a hot meal inside you can make you feel so much better, and so it was with me. By the end of the meal I couldn’t say I shared Cynder’s optimism, but at least I wasn’t as fearful as I had been.

I ordered some sandwiches to go. The trip back to Silverwood was a long one, and I had a feeling that Luca would get his men to all the inns along the route just in case we showed up. This was going to be our last hot meal for the foreseeable future.

The journey back was harsh, made harder by the dreadful weather conditions and the fact we had to keep off the main tracks so that we didn’t accidentally bump into Luca.

Snow had begun to fall by the time we got back to the border, and we still hadn’t come up with any idea on how to get through.

In the distance, I could see two guards standing sentry, one at either side of the roadblock.

“Can’t you just blast them with your wand?” I asked, only half-jokingly.

“Nope, blasting people is not a spell. However, you have given me an idea. Hold on!”

I wrapped my arms tighter around him as he kicked his legs. The horse bolted, nearly making me fall off in the process.

The roadblock got nearer and nearer until we were close enough for the guards to see us.

“Slow down!” I hissed. We were going to crash straight into it.

Cynder ignored me and pushed the horse faster. I closed my eyes, waiting for the crash. It never came. Instead, we took off. I opened my eyes to find us sailing over the roadblock. The horse landed deftly on the other side. I looked back to see the guards getting over their shock and pulling out their guns.

“They’re going to shoot!” I screamed.

Cynder waved his wand behind us and shouted out a spell, just as I heard the crack of a gun being fired. Seconds later another shot echoed through the night.

A volley of shots came at us, but none hit. We’d escaped. We were free.

Cynder kept the horse going until we pulled up at a familiar house. The door opened as we cantered up the farmhouse tracks.

Alan welcomed us back into his home. “Charm, Cynder, you’re back. How did it go?”

It was so nice to be back in a comfortable home. Alan and Jeannie couldn’t be more accommodating. After a home-cooked meal and a long hot bath, we all sat down in their cozy living room to get each other up to speed.

I’d been right about the farmer’s permits. As of three days ago, no one except Luca himself was allowed to cross any of the borders into or out of Silverwood.

“I think he’s cracking up personally,” said Jeannie. “The news from the city is that everyone is fighting. Not that the newspapers are reporting that. They are trying to cover it all up. All they ever print these days is news about the royal wedding and coronation. There’s nothing of any value in any of them anymore. I have to say I miss the Charm Chronicle.”

“We’ve not heard any real news for days,” agreed Alan. “Even the TV stations are full of reports about what Ms. Bloom will be wearing on her wedding day and what food they’ll be eating at the reception. I mean, who cares?”

“I don’t know,” replied Jeannie coyly. “I’m quite enjoying it. Seeing how the other half live. I know it’s a diversion tactic to keep eyes away from all the problems in the capital, but it’s fun all the same.”

I sighed. The royal wedding was getting so close. Only three weeks away. That meant the coronation wasn’t far behind and then... and then the execution of my dearest friends. The paper had only mentioned the ones that had been printing the Chronicle, but why would he stop there? There was nothing to gain by him keeping the ones in the police cells alive. They were only alive now because he was hoping that I’d try and get to them.

“Can we watch it?” I asked, pointing at the TV in the corner. Jeannie seemed surprised by request but turned it on all the same.

It was weird watching the news about Luca’s wedding. It hadn’t been that long ago that I was at one of Luca’s weddings. Watching it brought back horrible memories of that day. I probably shouldn’t be watching it, but I had to see what was happening.

Alan passed me a beer as I took in all the details of the royal day. They’d booked the same cathedral, hired the same bands, and even picked the same caterers.

I almost choked on my beer when I saw Xavi on the screen giving an interview about the bride-to-be’s makeup.

I cheered when she announced to the world that she’d have to use much thicker makeup on Drusilla because her skin wasn’t as clear as mine. Seconds after she announced this, she was quickly cut off to be replaced by a segment on the wedding color scheme.

Something vibrated. Seconds later, Cynder threw the talk stone to me. As I read the three words, my heart flew into my mouth.

Elise in labor

I stood up quickly, spilling beer all over the floor.

“What’s the matter?” asked Cynder in concern.

“We have to get into the capital. Elise is having her baby.”

Cynder stood up and took the talk stone from me as though he didn’t quite believe what it said.

He took my hands in his. In a soft voice, he replied. “We can’t go into the capital. You know that. Even with Luca out of the kingdom, his men will still be on guard. Word that we crossed the border back into Silverwood on a black horse will have already gotten around. We won’t be able to do that again. The only reason they didn’t shoot us last time was because I used a shield spell. This time they’ll be ready to follow us.”

“None of that matters. I already know how to get in, and we won’t need any horses or any spells.”