The clatter of my shoes gave way to the feeling of cold stone under my feet, and I whipped around to clutch them into my hands tightly.

  I kept running, and running. There were no guards in here. They were likely outside, watching the guests.

  I didn't know the way back to the garden, and Prince Caesar was nowhere to be seen.

  As the panic lessened, I slowly came to a stop in an empty hallway.

  I inhaled deeply, taking in a clear, fresh breath. I felt the cold stone against my feet. I smelled the faint scent of flowers from a nearby arrangement, and basked in the sun coming through a window to my left.

  "A sunny window. That must mean the garden is back in the other direction."

  My heartbeat became less and less noticeable, and soon I was calm once more and unburdened by any watchful eyes.

  "Oh, gods. What do I do now?"

  ---

  The Queen's palace seemed more tastefully appointed than the King's. Brilliant paintings were displayed at every turn, fresh flower arrangements filled every corridor, and a variety of precious stones and gems decorated the doors of the rooms that I passed by.

  "Each one has a different theme. I suppose when you're the Queen you do as you please."

  As I walked by, a door with a little silver rabbit caught my eye. It was leaping over the moon, represented by literal moonstones.

  I smiled, half-remembering something about rabbits. "I bet that's 'The Moonstone Room,' to go with the 'Ruby Room' and the 'Lapis Room' that I saw earlier."

  I laughed a bit at the thought as I walked by. "Yes, sir. Please send a snack to my darling in the Moonstone Room," I whispered to myself in jest, enjoying how ridiculously lavish it sounded.

  I needed to cheer myself up any way I could, because a heavy dread was settling in as I made my way through this far-flung corridor, in the furthest reaches of the Queen's palace, back towards the gardens.

  I had a difficult choice to make.

  "On one hand, I can follow Father's order and dance with Adrian."

  This was probably the safest option. If I made this choice, I could always defer to the very fact that it was an order to escape blame. Things would continue on their chosen course, and I would marry Adrian. Adrian was Duke Hiems's only son, and Baroness Verger had told me that the duke had vowed not to have any further children. I would be a duchess, and finally have a normal life.

  "On the other hand, I can take the Queen's hand and dance with His Highness."

  With this option came wealth beyond measure. As much gold as could be wished for. "A place at the Queen's side."

  I shuddered at that thought. What those people were doing wasn't love, it was worship. They had kissed her feet like supplication before a goddess. They were not lovers; they were slaves to her every whim, as easily cast aside as the rain washes away the hillside.

  "Not to mention the fact that I would have to marry Prince Caesar..."

  But it would be a way out from under Father's control. I would be free. Erika could be free.

  The thought of Erika made me stop in my tracks.

  "But Erika's not here."

  Erika was back at William's estate, waiting for me to return. Word would reach Father before I could hope to retrieve her.

  I thought of poor Paul... and what Father might do to Erika if I defied him. I thought of those vines, creeping towards her...

  My stomach twisted and turned, and I nearly vomited in fear right then and there.

  No. This was a false choice. With Erika not attending to me, with Erika out of my sight, she was a hostage to Father's whims.

  "I must dance with Adrian. I am a Printemps. For as long as it will keep Erika safe. For as long as I need to be."

  ---

  Adrian was waiting for me as I exited the Queen's palace, and the palace guards had barely finished closing the garden gate behind me when he pounced.

  He grabbed my hand rather forcefully, and I let him kiss the back of it.

  "Good afternoon, Lady Sophia. I am pleased to see you once again."

  "Good afternoon, Lord Adrian. I am likewise pleased to see you."

  He had a desperate, possessive look in his eyes as he glanced around to see if there would be any other interruptions.

  He bowed slightly, still holding my hand.

  "My lady, would you grant me the honor of your first dance tonight?"

  I breathed in, steeling myself. "My first dance."

  A debutante's first dance was always with her father or closest male family member. To dance with any other was a declaration that he was an even closer man, or in other words, her husband to be.

  It seemed that Duke Hiems had given the requisite permission to his son for our union. Father, of course, had already given his own permission long ago.

  I breathed out, slowly. "Lord Adrian, it would be my pleasure."

  His demeanor immediately relaxed, and as he stood up he grasped the end of my hair and kissed it tenderly.

  "You have my eternal gratitude, my lady. I will take my leave, now. Every moment until then will pain me for your absence, but such is the tradition."

  He looked like he was brimming with glee as he strode away.

  I had no idea what he saw in me. That had likely been the longest conversation we had ever had, and my magic was the only other thing he knew about me.

  I felt a twist of regret for having given him my promise. "Just another person who wants me for my magic."

  ---

  The sun was growing low, and the time for the ball was nearly at hand, when I finally found William. He was sitting across from the Baroness at a small table by a fountain in the corner of the garden.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  As I approached, I realized that I was thirsty, and looked into the fountain as I passed, tempted to drink from it. But my thirst soured when I saw that the fountain had flecks of gold flowing through it. The glittering from before, I surmised.

  When I sat down next to William, he jumped a bit before settling. He was clutching a small wooden box in one hand, and looking as distressed as I had ever seen him.

  "Did you secure a dance with Lord Hiems?" he asked, hardly giving me a moment to take in the presence of untouched food and tea on the table.

  "Ah... yes, William. I have indeed secured the promise that he will be my first dance."

  He calmed down considerably, but not entirely. "Ah, good. Father has sent, by way of the good Baroness here, a gift for you, should you fulfill his order."

  He slowly opened the box, revealing a silver bangle molded into the shape of a wreath of thorned vines. The sight of the vines instantly spiked my anxiety, and the thought of putting it on almost made me begin accumulating magic in anticipation of some hurt.

  If Father had given it to me, then refusing to wear it was not a choice. I slowly reached my hand over for William to put it on me.

  He reached out to clasp the bangle around my arm, but his hands began to shake, and his face twisted.

  He began to speak, "On second thought, perhaps..."

  But he was interrupted by Baroness Verger, who coughed, and said quietly, "I beg your forgiveness for my impropriety, Viscount Printemps, but the Duke's orders were--"

  His temper flared suddenly. "I know what his orders were!"

  He took several deep breaths. "I know."

  And with a swift motion, he clasped the bangle onto me.

  I looked down at it once more, a feeling of unease growing within me. The thorns were designed such that they pressed against my skin painfully. "A message? A warning? A cruel joke?"

  But the unease grew as William stood up to lead me toward the ballroom.

  "Father refuses to be misunderstood. He wouldn't use such indirect means to give a warning."

  William's arm was once again trembling slightly as I held onto it.

  "And he doesn't play jokes, either."

  ---

  I was standing just outside a side door to the ballroom, holding Adrian's arm. I heard beautiful music from the other side of the door: a cheerful, lighthearted tune for us to listen to as we mingled and waited for the event to officially begin. Heralds were calling in the guests, and according to tradition the debutantes would be the last to enter before the King and Queen.

  I was not the only one attending with a fiance, rather than a family member. Charlotte held onto Jerem, and both Savelli twins were holding on to either side of a tall, broad-shouldered man with neatly braided hair that reminded me of Sybil's. Neither of them looked particularly pleased with him, but neither of them looked unhappy, either. They were, instead, giggling at the sight of Adrian and me together.

  Multiple wives were not an unusual occurrence, but this was still an odd show of power from the man to debut both wives himself. He must have held a rather high title to accomplish getting such a thing onto the roll. "Well, at least it demonstrates that he respects them both equally. To whatever extent that is."

  Adrian held onto my arm tightly, causing a bit of pain. He had had another short confrontation with Prince Caesar earlier that led him to guard me zealously from any further interruptions. His possessiveness was intense, but I supposed that an entire winter of anticipation had made him feel like this was his due.

  From our fathers' perspective, he wasn't wrong.

  As the daughter of a duke, being escorted by the son of another duke, I was the final debutant to enter.

  "Lady Sophia Printemps, and her escort Lord Adrian Hiems."

  The door we entered through led onto a raised floor for dancers of honor, directly in front of the Queen and King's thrones. All in attendance clapped and praised the entry of each debutante, but this one was praised the most. "A union that would end a generational rivalry between two of the ducal houses. Of course they're happy."

  As we took our place in line, the King and Queen were hailed last. As they took their seats at their thrones, slightly above but only a few feet away, neither of them looked pleased.

  "A union that would join their two greatest enemies into one force, potentially against them. One in defiance of an offer from the Queen herself."

  The King stood up and raised his glass, clearing his throat.

  "Congratulations to our newest members of the fold. Welcome to high society! May you ever have allies at your side."

  He gave us a wry smile as he looked around the ballroom, adding, "And no enemies at your back."

  A few chuckles and nervous giggles rippled through the audience.

  The King's eyes caught my silver bangle and his smile turned to a scowl. I looked around nervously to avoid his gaze, and noticed that all of the other girls were wearing golden bangles. My stomach twisted.

  He spoke in a low voice, so that only the few of us in front, nearest him, could hear. "Your father seems to be lacking in manners, Lady Printemps. No matter. This error is easily fixed."

  He waved his hand, and his magic flickered out towards me, gently brushing against my bangle.

  And the world around me exploded into a blaze of roaring light.

  ---

  Every fiber of my being was screaming in complete, utter agony. I understood nothing, felt everything. It was so painful as to be nonsensical. The roaring in my ears drowned out all noise, and my eyes were blinded by my own magic surging from every pore of my body. I closed them.

  I tried to breathe, but every breath was forcefully converted into a strange, foreign magic, rather than my own. Whatever this magic was, it collided with the magic already stored within my body and caused what felt like bolts of lightning to sear through my bones. Soon, all of the magic stored within my own body had been released outward, and only this new, painful magic remained within me.

  Over the roaring, I heard a shrill scream of terror from someone nearby. "An outburst! Is everyone okay?"

  I tried to retreat into the corner of my mind, where the girl could look on, ignore the pain coursing through her body without feeling it herself, but the girl couldn't stay there long before I was drawn back into my body.

  That place would not avail me.

  So I turned to the other place, the void. It was where I went when I needed to control my magic. Perhaps it would help this time.

  Immediately, I felt just a bit better, and a distant memory came to me unbidden:

  "You are holding the triggering mental state for your magic at all times. Rather than being in control of it, you are letting it control you."

  What mental state was causing me to try to refine magic? The anticipation of pain? The very real pain that was coursing through my body? Was it even a mental state, this time?

  I remembered the unease I felt when I saw the bangle.

  "The bangle!"

  The bangle's thorns were biting into my wrist, and the clasp had melted shut from whatever it was doing to me. I yanked and pulled, but I couldn't fit it over my hand.

  I opened my eyes. Adrian was lying down next to me, still conscious but visibly rattled. He was wearing a ceremonial sword, just as William had been. I reached for it in a panic, and he didn't resist me.

  I whipped the sheath off, braced the end of the blade against the floor, and with a scream, I flung my hand against its edge as hard as I could.

  My hand came off. The bangle came off with it.

  I took a deep, forceful breath to replenish as much magic as I could. With the bangle gone, it was once again my own.

  Stumbling, I pressed the stump of my hand back against my arm. The sight of it made me vomit due to the sheer absurdity of it all.

  "The void. The emptiness. Take me back there, please. Take me back. It hurts. It hurts. It hurts."

  As the painful but intimately familiar burn of my magic came to life, I saw the cut reverse itself, and my hand slowly seal back onto my arm. I closed my eyes again, still begging to return to the void.

  Darkness, in all directions. The scent of camphor. A calm, even voice telling me that it would be okay.

  Whose voice was it?

  I latched onto the memory, bidding it return.

  Whose voice made me feel this relief?

  My thoughts became nonsensical and reached out in every direction, all lines of thinking terminating before they could go anywhere. What came to me then was not an idea, but pure memory.

  I remembered the stars.

  I remembered someone's cool, thin fingers in mine.

  I remembered...

  I passed out on the floor.

  ---

  When I next awoke, I was in an unfamiliar room. The sun was shining through the window, past ruby red curtains, and Erika was leaning over the bed, asleep. The sheets were stained with her tears, and her hair was messy and uncharacteristically unkempt.

  I was dimly aware that I was naked, lying on top of a bedpan, and exceptionally hungry. There was no telling how long I had been unconscious, but from the honey-smelling cloth clutched in Erika's hand I guessed it had been a while.

  I held up my hand, and saw that it was exactly as I always remembered it, with no scar to be found.

  But the only thing on my mind was:

  "Diana."