Western Scotland, AD 500

The day that Kimberley Áedán was kidnapped began with a broken wheel. It was the wheel of the royal carriage of the kingdom of Dalriada, and it fractured completely by chance. There was no magic involved, no road rut, no conspiracy, and not even the hand of destiny, as generations to come would claim. It was just a very old wheel.

The coach raced wildly in the dense forest, shaking from side to side. The driver tried to take control over the panicked horses. But the weight of the carriage, shifting the balance to the side, was too difficult to maneuver between the divots in the road.

The two men inside were jolted in their seats.

As the coach kept racing at top speed, the door flew open, letting out one of the trunks, which fell, spilling its contents.

“Stop the horses!” Seth cried. He was the younger of the two men, in his late twenties, with short brown hair and taller but a little slighter in build than his companion.

He pushed himself through the open door and hoisted himself to the roof, with rare agility, nearly falling as the carriage shook. From there, he joined the driver and with their combined strength, they pulled the reins. The horses whinnied and finally slowed down, but the coach only stopped once its corner fell into the road.

“Are you all right?” the driver asked.

“Fine.” Seth turned to look back through the carriage window, at his companion, who was still inside. “Niall?”

“I’m good.” Niall caught his breath and opened the left door. “I’ll stay with the driver. If you could go look for the trunk…see if the box is still in one piece.”

Seth climbed down and let Niall take his place.

Niall was the first knight, the highest mortal rank in any court. He belonged to the court of Fergus Mór, the regional high king. This journey was of great importance. Fergus Mór had secured his throne by arranging the marriage of his son Domangart Réti, the crown prince, to the daughter of King Áedán, the wealthiest of the lesser kings. Niall was delivering the marriage treaty that would seal the alliance between these two kingdoms.

The golden box, containing the marriage contract, was in the trunk that had fallen out.

Seth retraced the path of the wheels, his sharp eyes scanning the road on both sides. Behind him, Niall helped the driver pull the carriage out of the dirt. The driver cursed loudly.

Fergus Mór was a good king and ruled with justice. His knights always felt a duty to serve him well. Some of them feared what would happen when he was succeeded by his son. Much importance was placed on the marriage. The treaty was a complex one, and it took two weeks of negotiations just to get the first draft.

The bride was Áedán’s only daughter Kimberley. Seth had heard little of her. Áedán had traveled to Fergus Mór a few times to discuss the terms. From the stories, she seemed no different than other ladies of court he had met. Exactly what Domangart would be looking for, given his exploits at Fergus Mór’s palace.

It took a few minutes, but Seth finally spotted the glitter of the box. It was lying on the wet grass.

He walked over to it and picked it up. It was an impressive piece of art, ornamented with floral engravings around the royal crest. To his relief, it had survived the fall. There was one small scratch on the bottom and the hinges got twisted, but in spite of the deformity, the lock was still intact.

He tilted the box and heard the paper move inside. A strong odor came out when he did this. He had sensed it earlier and mentioned it to Niall, who said he didn’t smell it. He returned the box to him.

“It didn’t break,” Niall remarked in relief.

“No, but I think you should smell it. The odor is stronger now.”

He handed it over and Niall held it close to his nose. “I can see what you mean. It must be the prince’s ink. You’re right. It is strong.” He wrapped it carefully with a cloth. “The lock looks all right.”

The driver joined them, covered in mud.

“How are we doing?” Niall asked.

The driver shook his head. “There’s no way she’d make it to the castle, I’m afraid. Not with both of you inside.”

“Do you remember the way?” Niall asked Seth.

He had been there twice before. “It would be a little over an hour’s ride from here. As long as the same roads are still open since last spring.”

“As far as I know, they are,” said the driver.

“Good,” said Niall. “Seth and I will take the horses. We’ll send a few people to help repair the coach once we reach court, and hopefully we’ll see you at dinner tonight.”

*

Kimberley Áedán paced the marble floor of her father’s palace. What was taking them so long? She went to the window and looked out, biting her fingernails. Then, she noticed herself doing it and put her hands behind her back.

Patience was not one of her strengths. Neither was dealing with excitement.

Marriage. She had never really given it much thought before her father sat her down to speak about Domangart Réti. The notion itself didn’t surprise her, of course. Marriage was a necessity. Something that nobles did, and she was a king’s daughter.

Her father said that it was her right and duty to be married well, and this alliance would be very carefully arranged and made beneficial for her, placing her on track to the crown. The final decision would be up to her, but it was clear that she was expected to go along with it. Enthusiastically.

She was brought to his court a few months earlier, when her year and a half of education was complete and it was certain that she had the necessary skills and preparation to excel in her father’s court. It was the richest one in the region, and a high level of sophistication was required to maneuver its politics.

She didn’t remember her life before that, not since the accident she’d had. A fact that her teachers instructed her to prudently conceal.

Her mentor had been no other than a fairy queen, Morgan Le Fay. Few princesses could boast that—to be trained by someone with that amount of experience, an immortal who had walked the earth for many years, seeing different courts, speaking foreign languages, and meeting nobles of different ranks. Morgan was a great teacher, too. Harsh at times, as fairy leaders often were, but always fair.

Kim missed her. And the fairy tribe, in their beautiful forest town, built generations ago, with its arched pillars and silver roofs blending naturally with the surrounding woods. She’d lived with them there, in that beautiful paradise, learning everything she could.

No matter how grand or luxurious court life was, or how much she was looked up to by other court ladies, her every wish immediately fulfilled, she’d often find herself glancing out the window toward the woods with a longing. She remembered clearly the last time she saw Morgan, looking back from her coach, before disappearing from view in the dense foliage.

Soon, the royal carriage would arrive, coming out of those very woods. The regional king’s first knight. Here to deliver her wedding contract.

She had written Morgan about the marriage, and it was clear from the reply that Morgan was not supportive. She wrote that it was a hasty choice, too early in her court life and that Domangart was not the right one for her.

It didn’t sound like Morgan. Though strict, Morgan normally pushed her to excel and take challenges. She looked up to her. It would have been nice to have her support.

Three months till the wedding. She looked out the window, beyond the high walls of her father’s castle and the fields outside the gates.

“Don’t stare out too long.” She remembered Morgan’s words and took a step back, into the room. “It’s not ladylike.”

But she liked to look out, to the distant horizon where she saw the tall mountains that some of the knights had spoken of when they came back from their quests. Beyond them were other kingdoms, some smaller than hers, some larger. Then, after that, there was the sea. Merchants who came to court spoke of a land in the south, where there once was a great kingdom ruled by mages.

Her father said there was nothing of any value beyond the castle walls, except perhaps the nearby marketplace, where he would take her from time to time.

Perhaps it was that way for him. King Áedán was definitely a court person. There was always something on, with knights visiting, to enjoy the feasts and games he’d arrange. They’d bring stories with them, but those were too often about other courts, which sounded all too familiar. Between these, she’d catch the real tales. The things that knights had seen on the journey itself, with accounts of places, dangers, creatures, and people who were very different than the ones in court. Sometimes she’d lay awake at night, imagining that she was there with them.

She was grateful for her father’s investment in her, but he never knew who she really was. And she had no mother to talk to, because she had died giving birth to her.

He’d definitely taken every effort to make her happy here, since she came to court. He made sure to surround her with other court ladies her age, hoping she’d enjoy society the way he did, but most of them envied her. Long before it was announced that she was marrying the crown prince, she’d catch them during the endless balls and dinners, staring in that particular jealous way and often whispering to each other afterward. Their gaze would fixate on what she was wearing or at her jewelry, things that her father made it his business to provide at the highest quality he could afford, which was a lot.

They were sure to do it tonight, she realized, as she straightened the light purple dress she wore, which accentuated her blue eyes. Her long blonde hair was raised and tucked behind her ears; a delicate pair of golden earrings was all the jewelry she wore. It might have already been too much. After all, it wasn’t the prince himself who was coming, but his first knight. Still, she was expected to make an effort.

That was what she’d excelled at: doing what was expected.

After the wedding, she’d be moving to an even larger court. Everyone said she’d be a good match for it. She could display her accomplishments, her social talent, and her known taste in fashion. They all assumed that she would be happier there. She sighed. They couldn’t be more wrong.

She walked toward the mirror. A drawing of the prince lay next to it. She picked it up.

“They’re here.” She heard a voice outside her door.

She turned. Through the window, she could see two riders coming in on horseback. She put the drawing down.

The first rider had the shield of Fergus Mór. That would be Niall, the first knight, she concluded. The other must be his squire. He was dressed more simply.

Niall was tall. A man in his early forties with dark eyes and hair as black as coal. She’d heard stories about him. He was a well-known and respected knight, who came from a land across the ocean, in the south. The squire looked about fifteen years younger and had light-brown hair.

There was a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

Two maids entered and bowed. One of them walked around her, inspected her from top to toe, and bent down to rearrange the folds of her gown, so that the lacy edge would show first.

“They should be ready in a few minutes,” said the other maid in a tone that reminded her of the training she’d received with the fairies. How to walk straight and seem slightly distant, while looking forward with a smile. All the time telling her she was lucky to live life as the king’s daughter.

Keep calm. Kim managed to slow her breath.

The first maid readjusted her hair and then both girls helped her go down the stairs.

Soon, she stood next to her father, his chief of staff, and the riders.

“Your Majesty. Your Highness,” Niall said.

“Sir Niall,” she said quietly.

Niall shook her father’s hand. Then, he took her hand and kissed it, bowing for the second time.

“We’re sorry for our slightly disordered appearance, Your Majesty.” Niall addressed her father. “As I was just explaining to your chief of staff, we’ve had a mishap on the road just now.”

“Not to worry,” said the king. “My men will make every effort to have your carriage ready in time for your departure.”

“Thank you. That is very appreciated. And, of course, you can rest assured that we’ve kept the treaty safe at all times.”

“Excellent,” said the king. “I trust you had a good ride apart from that?”

“Yes, sire. We did.”

Her father spoke to both men, and it seemed he knew the squire.

Kim observed him. He gave her a cold smile. He didn’t seem too excited to meet her. Perhaps he was tired from the trip.

“I’m sorry.” Niall interrupted her gaze. “I realize you have not met my companion. This is Sir Seth.”

A sir. Another knight. Clearly the customs of the high court were very different. In her father’s court, squires were young apprentices, new to the life of knighthood. This was their opportunity to learn the ropes and sometimes to shine and win the favor of the king when it was time to select new knights to his order.

“Nice to meet you too, Sir Seth.”

“Quite the lady for our prince,” said Niall. “Talk at the palace has not done you justice.”

She blushed. “Thank you.”

Seth was still silent.

Her father made a gesture of impatience.

“You must be hungry and tired from the ride,” she said quickly. “We wouldn’t want to delay you from getting to your rooms.”

“Thank you. That is kind, Your Highness,” said Niall.

She smiled at him, then looked at his quiet companion. Seth was looking at something behind her. Rude, she thought. Or perhaps just distracted.

She had to give him the benefit of the doubt.

A servant came and led the two knights to their rooms.

*

Finally, she was gone. Seth didn’t know how much longer he could have endured it.

Court ladies were always a bit of a nuisance, but this one was a pro. It was as if every word, every gesture, every muscle in her face, the very tone in which she uttered each sentence was aligned with court behavior to such an extent that it was mechanic.

How did they get that way, and why? Was it considered attractive?

Of course, he too had once fallen for it, and Niall would at times hint that that was his reason for disliking them. But thatwould never happen again.

He lay down on the bed, exhausted, and tried to forget that he’d have to see Kimberley, or Kim as he heard the staff call her, at dinner too. Niall had left half an hour earlier and the guest quarters were quiet.

“I’m going to check if there is any news about our coach,” Niall had said before exiting, “and a letter arrived by pigeon from Fergus Mór. Too bad we got here so late in the day. I would have liked a lesson before the big feast tonight.”

“We can do one tomorrow.” He liked being Niall’s fencing teacher.

Niall was a good student. He had perfect technique and a vast variety of advances. Catching him off guard was a challenge, and Niall liked being his student because he succeeded. Teaching was interesting, and demanded patience and creativity.

But it wasn’t anything like the tournaments. He missed them. He’d sometimes think about them, remembering what the sword in his hand had felt like, before he’d damaged his wrist in battle. Everything had been difficult since, but he was still good enough to teach. At least that, he still had.

Memories of the tournament hall were often hard to shake: seeing King Fergus Mór looking on; knowing that soon victory would be his. But the hardest memories were not of the sword fights, or the doctors and wizards who worked hard to do everything they could to heal the wound and failed.

The hardest memories were of silk and embroidery and deep, mysterious eyes that belonged to someone he desperately tried to forget.

The sound of footsteps disrupted his train of thought, bringing his sharp senses to focus. They came from the other room. The door in between was half open.

He concentrated. It was definitely not Niall. These were lighter steps.

Whoever was there opened a drawer, then closed it. Then another one. Items were being moved.

He reached for his sword and put it on the bed beside him silently. The golden box was with him, and he placed it carefully on the table next to the bed. Then, he waited, alert, observing.

The sounds got closer to the door, and then moved farther away. There was a shadow of a person.

Seth pulled the blanket to cover himself and his sword and pretended to sleep. The footsteps came closer once again. This time, the door between the rooms moved, and the man stepped inside.

The man crept around the room, as if trying to find something in the dark. He took a few steps closer, to see whether Seth was asleep. Then, he turned. Without making a sound, he picked up the box from the table.

“Put that back down,” Seth commanded. He’d been quick. He sat upright, the sharp edge of his sword touching the intruder’s back.

The man laughed. “Or you’ll what?”

“I said, put it down.” He got up.

“I don’t think so.” The stranger took a step forward toward the table and then turned, quickly drawing his own sword.

Seth smiled. “I don’t want trouble and neither do you.”

“You talk too much!” said the man and, in a swift movement, he backed toward the window and closed the curtain and darkened the room even more.

It was an advantage, to be in the dark. Seth had fought in almost complete darkness before, and he doubted the man had had the experience. “Again. Put the box back on the table.”

“No.”

And then, their blades met.

The man was skilled. He had good moves and advances. In a longer fight, he would have won.

But then, that was always the challenge. How to spot and go straight for the opponent’s weakest point, catch him off guard. It was what he’d been teaching Niall. Speed was a far better strength than stamina. No one knew that better than a fighter with an injured wrist: a man who had to count on his instincts to serve him where his strength would fail.

His sword flew above the man, who ducked successfully, only to find the weapon approach him again immediately from below, sending his own sword flying across the room.

The fight was over in a matter of seconds, with Seth’s sword pointed at the man’s neck.

He walked around him to the window, and opened the curtains. The man was dressed in noble attire, but his shoes were worn.

“Who are you?”

The man didn’t answer.

“More importantly, why do you want the treaty?” He shifted the tip of his blade, pressing against the man’s throat.

The man was motionless, smiling.

“Fine,” said Seth. “We can do this the hard way.”

Chapter 2

Oxford, Present Day

I never knew my parents as Mark and Julie Ralston. To me, they were always Markus and Julia Taylor. The identities that they had chosen.

I discovered the truth about our family on my sixteenth birthday, when my mom took me to Glastonbury for a weekend and we had the talk. Only mine wasn’t about guys and safety.

It had convinced me that we were by far the weirdest family at my school. Of course, I had already made that statement many times before.

After all, we had magic.

I was at my final year of college now, eager to graduate and start my own independent life. I was president of the JCR—the Junior Common Room—which meant that I was out in the college quad every day, welcoming the new students and teachers.

This year was more quiet than last. By Wednesday, I was almost alone at my stall, with most freshers sleeping in, tired from the wide range of social events.

“You’d think by now they’d start showing up to the guest lectures,” said Jane Omondi, my best friend, who was helping set up the newcomers program.

“It’s the beginning of Freshers Week. They’re busy meeting people.”

“They’ll meet a lot of people at the lecture halls, if more of them showed up.”

I giggled.

Jane had a unique personality that combined her affectionate, warm nature with strict ideals about how committed people should be at school. You had to know her to get it. Most people just loved her because she was so caring and down-to-earth.

But when you got close, you also saw her sophistication. That, and the amount of effort it took her to get to where she was.

She was raised by a single mom, who immigrated from Kenya when Jane was fifteen, and her dream was to become a literature professor. English was her second language, but it was hard to tell, because she spoke it so well.

She worked hard. When we were in our freshmen year, she’d organize study groups for exams. Now she was helping the college with hosting guest professors, and was on a first-name basis with some of the leading names in her field of literature.

“They’ll come, Jane. They can’t party forever.”

“Well, they better do it tomorrow. It took me a lot of effort to get the Morganstein lecture set up. I was ready to bang my head on my computer screen.”

“I know.”

The lecture was with Fiona Morganstein, a world- renowned researcher from Edinburgh, and Jane wanted to make a strong impression. Morganstein’s team had a position opening for a masters student and Jane was giving it all she had.

“I’m sure there will be a good turnout this time.” I tried to sound more optimistic than I was. So far, attendance to parties far surpassed that of lectures and the two were mutually exclusive, for obvious reasons. People needed sleep. “So, did you hear from the summer conference in Paris?” I changed the subject.

Her face lit up like a Christmas tree. “Gosh! I completely forgot to tell you. I got in. And they’re paying for me to come!”

“What? Wow. That’s great, Jane! It will be a door-opener for you.”

“I sure hope so. I’ve already applied for one of their post-graduate posts. They only have two new positions for next year. It’s a drying well over there.”

“Don’t worry. You’ll dazzle them. And I’m sure you’ll impress the professor tomorrow.”

“You’re coming, you know.” She gave me a slightly sharp look.

“I’ll do my best.”

“Kim!”

“I have to run an event tonight. I’ll do whatever I can to make it. I know what it means to you.”

An alarm went off on her phone, signaling that she needed to go to her shift at the library. She turned it off and looked at two boxes of pamphlets that I needed to take there. “Should I grab one of these?”

“Oh, that would be great! Thanks.”

She lifted the heavy box and smiled. “Well…Got to go now. Enjoy your time at the booth.” And she was off.

I was actually almost done, and the next person was already supposed to be here for me to hand over some things to. But it seemed nobody bothered to arrive anywhere on time during Freshers Week.

I watched Jane walk away slowly.

Her college experience was different than mine. She knew from day one that she wanted to become a professor. And she was committed to it, finishing every year with an overall distinction and winning scholarship prizes. She had bursaries to pay for her boarding and supplemented those by doing library shifts and working as staff for summer conferences.

Fortunately, she also managed to get serious in other aspects of her life. She was engaged to her sophomore-year boyfriend, Oliver, a Philosophy, Politics and Economics student from a small village in Ireland.

I sometimes felt we were polar opposites.

To begin with, I didn’t want to go to college, but my parents had pushed. Only one of my high school friends went—Tilly, who studied art history in Spain, and would speak with the rest of us once a month at most.

The other two, Scarlett and Mindy, started a beauty salon in West London. Scarlett’s father, who was an accountant in a big firm, got them set up with a place and helped them hire a manager to run it. They now had a thriving business and a beautiful website with pictures of them working with famous clients.

I wanted to join them, but my parents were dead set against it. Especially my dad, who was always on my side, except in this case.

We were close, despite my constant fight for independence. My mom was caring and strong. Beautiful inside and out and a good listener. But whenever something happened, I’d go to him. I could trust that he would understand. He invested a lot of his time in me and my younger brother, Harley. He was down-to-earth and I knew we could see things eye to eye. Except for this.

I argued that in his previous life, back in New York, it was his entrepreneurial skills that made him successful and not any university knowledge. He said that if I truly felt that way, he’d pay for me to study business.

We fought about it a lot. Eventually, I figured that if I applied and didn’t get into the place he wanted, he’d let it go.

He wanted Oxford.

He prepared me for the interviews. He had a natural gift for that type of thing, speaking to people in a convincing way. I was afraid that he would take it personally when I didn’t get in, but I had to show him that even with the best efforts, I would still fail. And I didn’t use any magic.

I got in with a full scholarship to study literature.

I was miserable all summer. It was Mindy who said that I could be happy here. She still lived at home, while getting the salon off the ground. She said college would be my ticket out of the house. I’d always spoken about how much I wanted to be on my own, away from my family. It was also close to London and we could meet up a lot.

She was persuasive and it actually worked out well. Even for social events here. For tonight’s party, Scarlett’s boyfriend, the up-and-coming London DJ, Tyler Clash, was coming to do the first hour of music. She was too busy to make it, but we said we’d meet up soon.

I had to text Tyler to ensure everything was good to go with his travel arrangements. Then, I tried to call the volunteer who was supposed to replace me in the stall. She was now half an hour late.

Her name was Veronica Hobbs, a second-year music student who had arrived a week early. I hadn’t had a chance to meet her yet, but she seemed keen on the phone. In spite of this enthusiasm, she hadn’t answered any of my previous texts today, and her phone rang now without a response.

“Excuse me,” said a soft voice.

I looked up and put the phone down. “Sorry.” I got up from my seat and smiled. “I didn’t notice…”

She was a young girl, with an eager smile. In her hand was the handle of a neat pink suitcase with large wheels.

“Sorry. Yes, how can I help?”

“I can’t find my dorm. I’ve been walking around, but the signs aren’t clear. My parents are going to arrive with the rest of my things really soon.” She spoke fast. Stressed. “I can’t understand this map at all.” She showed me a folded sheet with markings.

“Oh, actually, that’s close to us. I’ll come show you.”

“Really?”

“Sure. Just let me leave a note with my number, if anyone is looking for me. I’m Kim Taylor, by the way.”

“Zhi Ruo Wang.” She shook my hand.

“Welcome to Christ Church college, Zhi Ruo.”

I could tell by the look in her eyes that she was already mesmerized by the beauty of it.

I jotted my name and number on a piece of paper, and picked up the box of pamphlets to drop at the library on my way back.

We started walking toward her dorm.

“You don’t mind leaving your personal phone number there like that?” she asked.

“It’s on the brochures anyhow. I’m president of the Junior Common Room.” I had decided to hand over the post this year, but my number was still on the pamphlets, because the next president hadn’t been selected yet.

“Wow!”

“Thanks. So, what are you going to study?”

“Physics. How about you? What do you study?”

“Literature.”

“Oh, you must read so many books.” She seemed impressed, which was surprising considering her major was in science and mine wasn’t.

“I just like reading.”

“I like equations.” She giggled. “But, I do read.”

She seemed very nice. We reached her door a few minutes later, still talking about books. Zhi Ruo searched for her keys, and I put down my heavy box and took a breath.

“I’m actually handing over the post this year.” I handed her one of the pamphlets. “You should apply, that is, if it won’t interfere too much with your studies. Oh, and since you just arrived, there’s a party tonight, at the Junior Common Room. You should come. You’ll get to meet people from the college.”

“Thanks.” She smiled, opened the door, and pulled the heavy suitcase into the hall. “I might just do that. I will see you at the party?”

“Sure.”

The door closed behind her, and I bent down to pick up the box. As I turned back, I felt a sudden pain in my side and stumbled forward, realizing that the door had opened when I moved and someone had just walked straight into me. The box fell to the floor, spilling its contents into a muddy puddle.

“Are you all right?”

I turned. A guy stood right beside me.

“Fine,” I managed. But my side hurt badly.

He looked around at the mess. Half the brochures were in the mud. “I can help you get them.”

“Thanks, but I think it’s too late. We’ll have to throw those away.” I started to pick them up. A soft, warm feeling spread through me as my magic healed the wound. I stopped it. I was always extra careful not to be noticed using my powers.

He joined me, silently picking up the pamphlets.

I kept waiting for him to apologize for having bumped into me, but he still hadn’t done it when he handed me the last brochure. He just pulled out a canvas bag from his pocket and put them all into it.

“Here.” He handed me the bundle. “You should really recycle those.”

He had the nerve! “Thanks. I’ll be sure to learn good manners from you.”

“What?”

I had surprised him.

“You’re very welcome for the help!” he said with evident anger.

“Hey, you bumped into me.” And still hadn’t apologized, I wanted to add.

“No. You bumped into me. You weren’t even looking when you moved with that box, standing right outside a dorm entrance.”

“I was helping a freshmen. I’m head of the Junior Common Room.”

“Oh, you are, are you?”

What was his problem? I took a deep breath. “Okay, I think we got off on the wrong foot here. I’m Kim. I get that this is a hard week for everyone. So, how about I welcome you, uh…”

“Seth. The name’s Seth. And I’ve already been here for a year. Well, not at this college.”

A year? He seemed too old for a second-year student, but some people came here at a later age.

“So you’re a sophomore.”

“I’m a masters student.”

Oh. He was looking away from me. I had to be polite, though I didn’t want to be there either. “So…what do you study?”

“Computer science. You?”

“Literature.”

“A Charles Dickens fan?” He looked at me now.

“Yes, actually. My favorite is Great Expectations.”

The look changed to that of interest. “Mine too. I like what he did with Estella. Showing that the princess femme fatale was really a nut head.”

“What? No, she wasn’t. She was miserable, because she wasn’t free to be who she wanted to be.”

For a moment, it seemed my words had impressed him. Though, part of me couldn’t help but wonder, from the way he had said the word princess, if there wasn’t a hidden insult there. I decided not to let this go on any further. “Anyhow…I must leave now. It was nice meeting you.” I gave him a short smile.

“You too.” He picked up the box, handing it to me, and placed the canvas bag on top of it.

“Thanks.” I walked away, trying to put this Seth guy out of my mind.

The college was quiet, and it was easy to find a hidden spot where nobody would see what I was about to do.

I closed my eyes and thought of the wet pamphlets in the bag. Pamphlets, be clean and dry! Pamphlets, be clean and dry! I concentrated on the image in my mind, of what the pamphlets had looked like before.

Magic started deep inside me and rushed through me, from my core and through my fingers to the bag. I felt something move, straighten, lighten. Then, I opened my eyes and peeped into the bag.

The contents were clean and dry. I took the risk and let my powers heal my painful side, and then I walked to the library, remembering how much I loved having magic.

“What’s in the bag?” Jane asked, when I put the box on top of the one she’d brought.

“Pamphlets that had fallen. Some guy bumped into me.”

“Well, then he should have helped you carry it here.”

“Good point.” Her way of seeing it immediately put me at ease.

She opened the bag to examine its contents. “You’re lucky. They’re all dry.”

For a moment, I felt tense. I’d never told Jane, or anyone, about the magic. “Yes. Very lucky.”

“You’re okay, right? He was just an idiot.” She put a warm hand on my shoulder. She must have sensed my stress without knowing its real cause. “And people are all crazy this week. Can’t find a straight head on campus.”

“Yes. They are.”

“Should I make you a cup of tea?”

“No. Actually, I have to get back to my post. My replacement didn’t show up.”

“Who is it?”

“Veronica Hobbs.”

“The music student?” She opened a drawer and took out a student card. “Someone brought this in a few minutes ago. Said they found it near Tom Tower.”

She handed me the card. On it was the picture of a curly-haired girl, almost too young to have finished high school, smiling shyly. “Have you tried calling her?”

“Yes. I also texted her. How could she leave this behind?”

Jane chuckled. “Should I show you the lost and found box…or should I remind you of the time that your own card was in it?”

A few minutes later, I headed back to the booth. When I turned from the library to the quad, I could already see that it was empty. When the next student showed up, almost two hours afterward, I asked him whether he knew Veronica.

He said that he did and he saw her earlier, talking with someone near Magdalene College. He waved to her and she looked at him, but didn’t wave back. Then, a car stopped by and she got in, hurriedly. The person she was with just kept walking.

“Strange.”

“Do you think something happened to her?” he asked.

“Probably not, but I’ll text her again, and leave a message with security right now.”

There was still no word from her when I was preparing for the evening back in my dorm. Security had said not to worry, that people could often be unavailable during Freshers Week, but I didn’t feel relieved.

Before going to shower, I sent an email to her, and to the welcome booth volunteers – to text me if they saw her.

There was nothing more I could do, so I tried not to think about it too much when I was getting ready, hoping that I would hear from her by morning, or even just meet her at the party and she’d say that she had lost her phone.

Still, I couldn’t stop thinking about it when I was getting dressed.

Jane texted that some guy walked into the library and saw his bag with the pamphlets in it. She said he seemed very nice and had asked her to apologize for what happened. I wondered whether she had knocked some sense into him.

She also wrote that he completely exaggerated the situation, saying that the brochures had ended up in the mud, and she had to tell him that most of them were clean and dry.

It made me wonder how she would have reacted if she found out the truth about my being a witch. I didn’t know why I never told her. I guess it was because magic often confused me.

Just because I was a witch didn’t mean that I could do whatever I wanted. Magic took concentration and could really tire you.

It was also not completely mine to enjoy. It was in the service of mortals. Your powers were just waiting. Given to you only so that you could protect someone else. Someone you would meet and fall in love with, for life. Your Charge. I sometimes thought it wasn’t fair that my greatest gift was nothing more than a service for someone else.

To add to it, those born to magic couldn’t use it to get ahead, or bestow influence to anyone else. The magic got undone when we tried.

Of course, I also had the added stress of my parents’ story that meant that both me and Harley, had to keep magic a secret, so I didn’t really have any witch friends to share it with. I often wished that I at least had that. Then, I could help people like Veronica.

There was a buzz on my phone. I glanced at it.

“Hi, it’s Zhi Ruo. Sorry to bother you, but I was just checking the form for the JCR president.”

“Hi, Zhi Ruo. Glad you are applying. Do you have questions?” I texted back.

“No. But I’m having issues with the system. It keeps crashing. I understand you’re announcing the candidates tonight.”

“Yes.” I texted and glanced at the clock. There was plenty of time before I’d have to get going. Maybe my inability to help Veronica put me in a mood to try to help her. “You can use my computer, if you need to.”

“Really?” she replied. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to be a burden.”

“It’s not a problem at all.” I texted her my address. Luckily, my room was very easy to find.

For some reason, it took her awhile to get there, and I was beginning to worry that I might be late.

“Sorry. I got lost on the way,” she said when she finally arrived, and I opened the door to let her in.

“Don’t worry about it. I have the form open and ready.”

She smiled thankfully and took a seat at my desk. “Will you be presenting us?”

“Each candidate will be presenting themselves. But, if you want, I can help you with a couple of tips. We can talk on the way to the JCR.”

“Wow! That would be great.”

“I’m in a bit of a hurry, so just do your best with the form.”

“Of course.” She turned to the computer and started typing her answers.

My makeup needed one last touch, and I moved away from the desk to my sink to give her privacy.

With my back toward her, I felt something. Something that completely surprised me.

Zhi Ruo was using magic.

I concentrated. The sensation was clear. She was definitely radiating spell power.

Puzzled, I looked at her through the mirror.

Through a small mirror on my desk, she was looking right back at me.

1. Chapter 3

Western Scotland, AD 500

It was late when Niall returned to the room.

“What happened here?” was his immediate question.

Seth looked up. He was at the table, examining the golden box. The intruder was lying—unconscious, tied and gagged—on the bed.

“He tried to steal the treaty. I need to know why he wanted it, and who he is working for.”

“Why don’t we just ask him?” said Niall, in a tone that indicated that that type of asking was not something he was unfamiliar with.

“You know I don’t do that,” said Seth. “I gave him a dose of the truth potion instead.”

“You had a truth potion with you?”

“Yeah. You can never know.” The man was asleep, which informed him that the potion was still working its way through his system. It was how the drug acted, twisting the mind when it dreamed. When the effect was complete, he would wake up and they should have a few hours to question him. It was far fairer than torture. “I might have given him a bit too much. He’s been down for a while. Either that, or his mind doesn’t give in easily.”

“How long has it been?”

“Not long after you left.”

“Really?” Niall went to the man and felt his pulse. “Still very weak. Might take a few hours longer.”

“We should find a way to open this box and see why he wanted the treaty.”

“There could be many reasons. Why don’t we just wait until he wakes up?”

He turned to face him. “We’ve both delivered important documents for Fergus Mór before. None of them reeked. Don’t you think it’s suspicious?” Niall could sometimes be too trusting, especially when it came to the people of the court. “Who besides Fergus Mór and Áedán has the key?”

“Prince Domangart.”

Seth swallowed hard. Niall was normally careful not to mention him by name. For a moment, a painful memory flashed in his mind and once again he saw the woman he was trying so hard to forget. He shook it off.

“In that case, we should definitely open the box.”

Niall chuckled. “We’ve both seen the treaty. It’s just a standard wedding contract, with a few special additions.”

“There’s nothing standard about the prince.”

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation.

“I’ll check who it is.” Niall left the room.

The main door to their quarters opened, and a lady’s sweet voice spoke. “Dinner will start shortly. There are hot water buckets ready for you if you want to use your baths.”

“Sure. Please leave them in this room. My companion is resting in the other.”

A few people entered, and heavy noises indicated buckets were placed near the door that connected the two rooms.

When they were gone, Niall returned. “I’m going to clean up. You should too. The box can wait.”

Seth checked the unconscious man’s pulse. It was still very faint.



Kim sat in her room, waiting. An empty dinner plate and a half-empty glass of wine stood on the table beside her.

“Always be the last one to come down to dinner,” her maids told her when she had first arrived. “Your father would meet the guests and talk about the court’s affairs. Unless you find that type of thing interesting, you’d do well to avoid this part of the meal. It will also make you something for them to wait for. The highlight of the evening.”

She’d sometimes wonder what the court affairs talks were about, and whether the men talked differently before they had had their drinks.

At this point, her father would be making a speech about the upcoming marriage that he had successfully secured. He’d talk about the alliance with the high throne and crown prince, along with his hopes that she wouldn’t forget to visit her home when she was queen.

What the maid said was definitely true. She was the highlight of the evening.

Her father would see to it each time. Every dinner required a lavish gown. It would take a couple of maids to put it on, along with fine jewelry, and she would come down wearing it. Or, if she were perfectly honest, the clothes were wearing her.

Food etiquette was also important to the king. Her maids would bring it to her in private, straight from the kitchen, to give her a taste of everything and then bring seconds of anything she liked. It ensured that when she sat at the king’s table she would seem modest in her appetite and fine in her taste and be free for conversation.

She had seen a traveling puppet show visit the fairy tribe. Now, she felt that she could relate to those dolls on a string. It seemed that in court, everyone was a puppet.

She remembered the first time she met her father. He came to the fairy tribe, a stout man with ginger hair and beard.

She looked nothing like him. When she mentioned this to the fairies, they said that she took after her mother, who had died giving birth to her. She wanted to know more about her, but kept getting conflicting facts whenever she asked. Once, she was a princess from that land in the southwest. Another time, she was a lady from the east. She even got an answer that her mother was a fairy. In the end, she learned not to ask them about it. Especially not Morgan.

She knew that it was important, and that they were not telling her the truth for a reason. But, there was one far more important question on her mind.

She found the courage to confront Morgan on that final day, before they were going to leave for Áedán’s court.

“I have to ask you something.”

“We’re going to be late. The carriage is ready for us.”

“Please. This is important to me.”

Morgan looked at one of the other fairies who was with them. “All right. But I can’t promise I have the answer.”

She took a breath and went right for it. “I really want to know: I don’t remember anything except the last year or so, which I’ve spent here, with you. How is that possible?”

Morgan seemed impatient. “We’ve been through this, a few times. You had been raised by a different fairy tribe, but you got kidnapped and injured during the rescue attempt that didn’t go as planned. When they found you, you had a serious head injury and other wounds which were too strong for them to heal, so they brought you to me. You should be happy not to remember anything prior, because luckily this includes not remembering the kidnapping.”

She was lying, Kim knew. A consistent lie, one always told with a warm and kind voice. She often saw regret in Morgan’s eyes when she said these words, as if she wanted to tell her the truth, but couldn’t. As if it were for her own good not to know.

“It’s time.” A maid entered the room, her words bringing her back to the present. “Your father is just about to end his speech.”

She rose. Time to put on the show.

The maid looked at her dress and was content. The seamstress had stitched the top tightly, to push her bosom upward and accentuate her curves. She was about to get married and all the men in court had to be reminded of what they were losing. Before leaving the room, Kim looked in the mirror and tried not to laugh.

Everyone rose when she entered the hall. By the way the men looked at her, it was evident that the dress was getting the job done. She wanted to roll her eyes at them, but kept a broad, fake smile on her face.

“I present to you, the future queen of the high court of Dalriada, my daughter, Kimberley Áedán,” her father said, once she took a seat on his right, his glass raised.

There was a loud applause, and then murmurs. They all made a toast to her long life.

On her father’s left, she spotted Seth and Niall. She smiled at them. Seth looked away. What was his problem? She decided she didn’t want to know. This was her night. Well, sort of.

The main course was served, and conversations were minimal small talk, but things picked up again during dessert. Niall told them about a merchant town he had visited on the journey there, where a fortune teller delighted a crowd of spectators, saying that the prophecy of Camelot was about to come true. People laughed.

The prophecy of Camelot. It sounded familiar. She knew that there was once a famous mage called Ivan of Camelot. The fairies had spoken about him and how he defeated the tyrant mage, Harthenon.

It was a few hundred years ago, and the world was ruled by mages then. Harthenon was head of the great kingdom of Avalon. To prevent a rebellion, he created a curse that, in the event of his death, would cause the earthly dominion of mages to end and make them serve as protectors of mortals.

Nobody dared challenge him. But a vision came to a young mage called Ivan, from the small village of Camelot, which Harthenon later burned to the ground. In the vision, he saw that the new world would be a better one. He also saw a human king build a capital city on the ruins of Camelot, and rule the country from there in a way that would benefit both mages and humans.

He saw guardian love and the girl he had just lost in the fire, alive again, and him as her savior. That gave him the courage to risk his life and kill Harthenon, thus activating Avalon’s Curse.

She listened more intently to the knights now, but the conversation had moved on.

When the feast was over, the staff cleared the tables to allow space for dancing. It was expected that she’d linger with her friends, watching the couples take the dance floor, doing a few dances herself, and talk about how sad she was to leave, and how much she was going to miss them when she was married. That she would write often and invite them to visit her whenever she could. And they would make her promise to write about all the jewels and gowns and the high court’s gossip.

Luckily, her father came after a few minutes, asking her to join him with Seth and Niall. But shortly afterward, he had to leave them.

“My lovely daughter will entertain you,” he said to the knights and left the three of them alone.

She gulped. She wasn’t sure how they’d like her to act. She wondered what type of small talk would match what they were used to, and whether she could break the ice with Seth.

She directed her attention at him. “It’s very nice of you to have come all this way.”

“We were ordered to do so,” he replied coldly.

Niall’s hand tightened on his drink.

“Well, I am still thankful you did. I trust that, at least, the journey was to your satisfaction,” she said, deliberately ignoring his previous response.

“Yes, the…flowers on the way were lovely,” Seth said, with a hint of irony.

Why was he being like that? She decided to challenge him and play along. “Were they now? Too bad I wasn’t there to see it. Unfortunately…” she paused, smiling at Niall, “I seldom come out of the palace.”

“How very ladylike of you,” said Niall.

“Yes. It is indeed quite a large palace,” said Seth in a cynical tone.

Niall choked.

“Are you all right?” she said.

“Yes,” Niall said, catching his breath.

Seth looked at her impatiently.

A lost cause, she concluded. “You’ll excuse me, sirs. I just remembered something I forgot to tell one of my friends.”

She walked back to the women, but paused when she heard Niall’s voice, speaking low to Seth. “You must be out of your mind!”

She turned.

Niall immediately smiled and walked to her. A dance had just ended and a new one was starting. “It’s a shame to miss the music, Your Highness. I noticed you are yet to have your first dance. Might I have the honor?”

A true gentleman.

“Of course,” she smiled, “and the honor would be mine, to dance with the first knight of the high court.”

He took her hand and led her to the dance floor. Everyone made space for them. They reached the center of the hall, and Niall put his hand on her waist. A foreign young knight, who she knew was in love with her, looked away.

The music began. A lively piece that she liked.

Niall was an excellent dancer. He led her well, his movements swift and his lead clear. The floor seemed light under his feet. The crowd clapped to the beat and other couples joined them. She was finally enjoying herself after that long day and the tune ended all too soon.

She and Niall bowed to each other, and then he took her hand and led her to Seth, who had just danced with the daughter of one of her father’s ministers.

It shouldn’t have come as a surprise, of course. Officially, Seth was her guest too. But an awkward moment passed between them as they stood there, about to dance.

Then, something strange happened.

It started when Seth’s hand touched hers, and she felt a tingling sensation on her skin.

It was a strong hand, his left. But then he placed his right hand on her hip. That hand seemed weaker. Curious, she tried to look down at it, but he didn’t allow her time to do that, leading her straight into the center of the circle. He glanced at the musicians and they took the hint. The music started immediately.

His dancing surpassed Niall’s. And any man she’d ever danced with.

His moves seemed effortless. No, not just effortless, and… it wasn’t only his moves.

Despite having danced this dance many times and the fact that the moves were the same, it felt different with him. It felt… perfect. As if there were no two dancers better matched, and that tingling on her hand where he was touching her bare skin became stronger with every step.

Though he had previously avoided her, he now looked at her the entire time, deep into her eyes, but never smiled. She felt as though he were trying to hypnotize her. As if they’d danced together before and he knew exactly what would make her body do what he wanted.

The floor seemed to spin around them, the music beating inside her. She could feel his warm and steady breath, aligning with hers and with the beat of the music.

It was intoxicating and she let it all in, something deep inside her awakening for the first time since she could remember. She closed her eyes and moved, dancing like never before, every step in exact harmony with his.

She didn’t even notice that no other couples joined them, and that the court stood still, observing. She didn’t care about them, or what they thought. She just let him lead, take her wherever he wanted. And every time she opened her eyes, she was met by his gaze, a deep grey like the ocean on a warm but cloudy day.

She’d never danced this well before. Nobody in court had. It was their enthusiastic applause that brought her back to her senses, back to reality, when the music ended.

For a moment, the two of them stood still. Then, Seth bowed, his eyes still penetrating hers, and she bowed too.

“Thank you,” she whispered, her voice quivering.

“Yes…” he said, almost in a whisper, and for a moment he smiled.

Then, he quickly led her back to Niall and excused himself.

Her head started to spin. As though something deep inside her that had so long been asleep had been awoken by a loud bell, and now that Seth was gone, she just wanted to be alone.

She started to walk out of the hall.

“Are you unwell?” Someone had stopped her on the way.

“Tired. I need to go.” She didn’t even notice who the speaker was.

From the other end of the large gallery, she heard Seth’s voice, speaking with Niall. They were next to the musicians, who were playing loudly, but she could hear him clearly, as if he stood right next to her.

“I’m not going to tell Áedán.”

“Surely you don’t suspect the king.”

“I didn’t, until he just invited us to stay for a whole week,” Seth replied.

“To fix the carriage.”

“He can lend us one of his ten. You’re first knight. You are needed at court. Why delay us?”

“Is this really about the king, Seth?”

“What do you mean?”

“You know what I mean.” Niall paused, and then said in a meaningful tone, “The princess. I saw you. Both of you.”

For a moment, all the dizziness was gone and her senses were sharp, alert, tuned in on the conversation.

“She’s just like all the other court girls,” were Seth’s sharp words. “Probably worse.”

No, he couldn’t have just said that!

“I’ve seen the way you danced with her just then,” said Niall.

“She’s a good dancer. But otherwise, she’s arrogant, spoiled, and madly in love with herself.”

Nobody had ever spoken of her this way. Nobody! But if ever anyone might have dared to say anything against her, anything she didn’t like, she couldn’t be hurt by it.

Seth’s words hit the bottom of her soul like a poisonous arrow.

She was almost too angry to miss Niall’s response. Almost. “She just reminds you of her. They do look a bit alike.”

After that, it all went into a blur. Seth’s words, arrogant, spoiled, and madly in love with herself, echoed through her mind, along with two strong, conflicting emotions. Hurt from Seth’s harsh words made her imagine how much he would have to watch his back when she became queen. But far stronger than that, jealousy made her wonder who that other woman was.

She made it to her room on her own, forgetting to call the maids, which was against all the rules she was always following so diligently.

Other rules were more important. Older ones. Ones that felt as though they had been rooted deep inside her long ago.

Soon, she was comfortable in her bed, under the warm blanket. She just wanted to close her eyes and not think. Sleep started to take over.

Right before she drifted off, she saw an image of Seth in her mind and then, though she wasn’t sure whether she was awake or dreaming, she thought she saw the light of the moon shining on her blanket.

Right where Seth’s fingers had touched her, there was a strange bluish glow. Somehow, she knew that this had happened to her before.

1. Chapter 4

Oxford, Present Day

The party turned out to be more surprising than a normal Freshers Week one with its small pranks. Everything was overshadowed by discovering Zhi Ruo’s real nature.

She managed to maintain that naive new girl vibe while we walked from my dorm to the Junior Common Room, and seemed enthusiastic about getting tips on how to become president. But my first impression of her changed dramatically throughout the evening.

The whole time, I pretended that I hadn’t noticed her use magic when she was doing the application. It had puzzled me. You couldn’t use magic to gain power, so what was she doing?

When we got to the JCR, a few students were chatting outside, and the party hadn’t started yet.

A familiar face greeted me at the entrance, and I nearly stopped fifty feet away, when I recognized him.

What was he doing here?

He stood next to one of the younger students and smiled once we reached them.

“Hi, Kim.”

“Seth. Good evening.”

His lips closed. He seemed amused by my formal response.

“I’m Bradley.” The young student introduced himself.

“Nice to meet you, Bradley.”

“I understand you’re president of the Junior Common Room.”

“Well…” I’d miss that introduction soon. “Actually, we’re announcing new candidates for the presidency tonight.”

“Really?”

“And I’m one of them.” I heard that girly voice next to me. She smiled at him coyly, her head slightly tilted.

Gosh!

“Well, I promised I’d bring Bradley to the right place,” said Seth. “So, I’ll just leave you guys to it.”

I felt an inner sigh of relief, but then I remembered that I was going to ask everyone I saw about Veronica. I had printed a picture of her from the student records and brought it along with me. I also looked her up online and found out that she was new to the university, having transferred this year from Berkeley.

“Wait. Before you go: I’m looking for someone. She’s a music student. Maybe you guys know her. Her name is Veronica.” I showed them the image.

They all shook their heads.

“Hey, I can ask people at the party for you,” Bradley volunteered.

You could tell he was a nice guy.

“Thank you, Bradley.”

“Yes, that’s very thoughtful of you,” said Zhi Ruo.

I wanted to roll my eyes at her, but then I realized that she might be genuinely interested in him, and this was her way of showing it. She might also have had something to drink already.

They started talking about their experience of the first week, and Seth said goodbye and left. I was just about to walk into the JCR when Bradley’s words made me stop.

“Do you know who that was? That was Seth Rivers!”

The name was familiar. Was Seth famous?

“Our fencing champion. He was on the news last night.” Bradley continued, Zhi Ruo watching him with admiration. “They said he’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. He’s been winning tournaments all year and they think he’s a sure Olympic gold medalist, if there ever was one.”

A fancy athlete. No wonder he was so full of himself!

“Isn’t Oxford great?” said Zhi Ruo. “We get to meet all these really important people.”

I decided to leave them to it and entered the Junior Common Room.

Inside, there was already a small crowd, with students near the refreshments and drinks tables. Tyler Clash stood by his equipment, a group of girls surrounding him.

My eyes searched the room for Veronica, but she was nowhere to be found. I spotted two students from the music program who had visited the booth during the week. When I showed them Veronica’s picture, they didn’t recognize her, and said they didn’t recall seeing her face at an event with the faculty this afternoon.

About half an hour later, once the room was full, I asked Tyler to pause the music so that I could introduce the new presidency candidates.

Zhi Ruo gave such an impressive speech that it made me wonder why she’d asked me for any advice in the first place.

After that, I filled a plate with some food and went to my table, where students could come and ask questions. From there, I also watched Zhi Ruo.

Somehow, she managed to talk with everyone. I tried focusing my senses to detect some of those conversations. She seemed to find something in common with every person she spoke with.

At some point, she sat on the couch, surrounded by guys who looked at her with admiration. Bradley was there, at the edge, ignored and disappointed. My original suspicion about the lack of real interest in her earlier flirt was confirmed.

I heard her mention the lecture that Jane had arranged. “Are you guys coming to hear Morganstein tomorrow?” And just like that, I knew there would be no problem getting attendance in the lecture hall. Someone asked her what it was about, and Zhi Ruo explained it was focused on Arthurian legends, while smiling in all directions. “Some people believe that they are based on true events.”

Yeah. Witches.

She was being careless. I would never have gone down any road that could lead into real conversations about magic.

The lecture was mentioned once more when a physics major joined the group. It turned out that Professor Morganstein had a dual professorship – she did physics research as well.

When I listened again later, she was talking about organizing a swimming day.

I even heard her ask someone about how to become the head of Oxford Union, which nobody even dared try, especially not a new student, because it was less likely than winning a lottery.

Something was not right with that girl. This was a strange kind of ambition. Or, perhaps she was one of those people who were just ready to do anything to get ahead. Maybe she wasn’t a girl at all. Witches could choose their age by magic. She could well be over one hundred years old.

“Working hard?”

A voice that I recognized all too well woke me up from my preoccupation, reminding me that there were worse things in college than Zhi Ruo.

“Oh, hi, Seth. I didn’t see you.”

“I can tell.” For the first time, he had teased me, but didn’t seem amused. “Have you seen Bradley? His sister is looking for him.”

I looked at the couch where Zhi Ruo sat. I had been so focused on her, that I hadn’t even noticed that Bradley was no longer there. Though, come to think about it, why would he stay?

I couldn’t see him anywhere else either.

“Sorry. I don’t know where he is.”

Seth looked around the room.

“He might have left,” I said, thinking of how things had gone with Zhi Ruo.

Seth pulled out his phone and texted something, and then his eyes went back to searching the room. “His sister wrote me half an hour ago that he hadn’t called as they arranged.”

“He may have gotten distracted.”

“How do you mean?”

I pointed at the couch with Zhi Ruo.

“I see.” For a moment, he stopped to observe her and raised an eyebrow. For once, watching his critical look, I almost liked him. But his next words brought us back to our usual tension. “She’s going to make president for sure.”

Was he hinting that this was the needed behavior to win the vote? “I never had to stoop to those tactics when I got elected,” I said simply. I didn’t want to give him an opportunity to start an argument.

“No?” he teased.

Okay. He had it coming. “It’s surprising how much you get done, when you’re not busy bumping into people.”

He laughed. “I thought we agreed that it was you who bumped into me.”

“You agreed.”

“I still have a red mark.”

Just then, a dancing couple crashed into my table. The girl burped, and I could smell a strong scent of alcohol. Seth moved away just in time, but the guy still managed to knock over my glass. Seth tried to catch it, and it slipped from his hand, spilling all over me.

“Sorry.”

“Oh for…” I couldn’t be seen to curse in front of everyone. I looked down at my ruined dress. “You know, for a fencing champion, your coordination sucks!”

“Hey, I was trying to help you. Blame the drunk newbies.”

The couple laughed, and looked at me, then at Seth. “You two need to get a room,” the girl told us.

Seth looked at me and suddenly his expression changed. He looked down, and waited for the couple to leave.

“I’m really sorry, Kim.” He shook his head. “I haven’t had a fight with anyone in months. And now it’s twice with you in one day. I don’t know why this is happening.”

“I thought you were a pro at fighting.”

For the first time, he gave me a kind smile. “Actually, I’m an amateur.”

Right. He had to maintain the status for the Olympics.

“Look. I’m sorry about your dress. How about…I walk you home and take it to the dry cleaners for you, or if you don’t want to be around me, I could pick it up from somewhere tomorrow? And on the way, I’ll apologize for not carrying your pamphlet box.”

He did not just say that! Was he for real?

I looked at him, confused. Up until that moment, he was all sarcasm and mockery. Now, suddenly he was the nice guy? Maybe something Jane had said to him clicked just now?

Or maybe Seth had a personality issue? I wanted to say something about his apparent mood swings, but then I realized that it was not something I’d normally do. I was usually forgiving. I liked to give people a second chance, especially if they apologized, which he did. It was just that, with him…wait, why did he upset me that much?

He looked at me with anticipation. I took a deep breath. It was more important for me to be true to myself.

“Okay, yes, I’d like that.” It was so hard to say it. But it felt good afterward, because I knew that I didn’t let him get to me anymore. “Just give me a moment to tell the organizing team that I’m leaving.”

He smiled. “Sure. Should I wait for you by the entrance?”

I nodded and quickly gathered my things.

Right before I stepped out through the front door, I felt the urge to turn. It was like that feeling that comes when you have a hunch that someone is looking at you, and when I looked back, from the couch where she was sitting, I saw Zhi Ruo’s eyes fixed on me.

The night was cold, but the moon was shining brightly when Seth and I got out and walked across the quad.

We had to take it slow. The damp fabric clung to my skin, making it difficult to walk. I would have magically dried it, but I was not going to take the risk of using my powers so close to Zhi Ruo, who was sure to detect them.

Seth seemed happy to walk at my pace.

Above us, I could spot a few stars through the mixed colors of the college night lights, which were soft and gave the gothic quad a look of mystery and enchantment. It had also rained while we were inside and the floor we crossed shimmered like marble from the small drops.

Seth looked at me intently. “I’m sorry about before.”

His tone was sincere, which meant that I shouldn’t be mad at him anymore.

“It’s okay,” I said.

“So… How come you’re stepping down as president of the JCR?”

“I wanted to focus on my studies this year. Finish with good grades to open options for later.”

“Smart move.”

I couldn’t help but smile.

“You’d be hard to replace.”

“Oh?”

“I’ve met people who do this type of thing before. You’re a lot more passionate and diligent. Even after three years in the role. Bradley’s sister spoke very highly of you.”

He’d been speaking about me with other people? “How do you know her?”

“I had a tutorial with her this morning.”

“You teach?”

“Yes.”

“How? I mean, with all the time you spend on sports.”

“Just like you, I find study time, even with all the socials.”

“I do literature.” I was a fast reader, and that was the part that took the most time in my course. “It’s lighter in comparison. You have to do a lot of…”

“Coding,” he completed my sentence. “So, we each contribute in our own way.”

“You are involved with the college?”

“I was helping them fix a computer system this evening.”

How did he have time?

We reached my dorm quicker than I’d thought. And suddenly, I felt sorry that it didn’t take longer.

“Should I walk up with you, or wait out here in the dark and cold as punishment for this morning?”

I looked at him for a second, and then I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it, and I could tell he was satisfied.

“I’m not exactly sure I’m going back there. I think I want to clean up first and then see how I feel.”

He glanced at his watch. “It’s not that late. You can still make it back.”

I thought for a moment. “Okay. But, the only place to wait for me is the kitchen and someone was baking for the first time in their life earlier today.”

He chuckled. “I can deal.”

“Your choice, then.”

I walked with him to the kitchen, where the smell of burnt starches and sugar was still strong. He made a funny comment and then I rushed upstairs to shower and change.

When I returned, he was sitting by an open window. The smell of burnt cookies was hardly noticeable.

“You’re not dressed to go back.”

I wore jeans and a sweater. “I think it’s getting late and I’ve got a lecture tomorrow.”

“Fair enough.” He got up. “I’ll walk you to your room then.”

“Thanks.” An idea came to my mind. “Hey, maybe you can help me with something? Someone was using my computer today. I’m wondering if you could tell me what they did.”

“Sure. I can’t promise anything, but I’ll give it a go.”

We walked up, together. I was eager to find out what Zhi Ruo had been up to.

When we got to the top floor, I fished inside my pocket for my key, unfortunately sticking my hand in at the wrong angle. It fell to the floor, and Seth bent and picked it up. He handed it to me.

His hand was warm. For a moment, it actually felt nice. “Thanks.” I smiled.

And then he ruined it. “Dropping keys? Maybe we should work on your coordination.”

I turned away.

“Sorry. I’m really sorry. Look, I…thought it was funny.”

It wasn’t. It was insulting. Or was it? Was I getting overly emotional around this guy? I quickly turned the key and pushed open the door.

He held it for me. “Forgive me?”

“Okay.”

“Hurray!”

“Can you wait here for a second?”

I didn’t bother turning on the lights. I just rushed to my desk and grabbed my computer. We walked back to the kitchen, where, after careful examination, Seth couldn’t find anything special about what Zhi Ruo had done on the form. He pulled out her entries for me to read and I had to admit, they were not any better than average. He looked for other things she might have done, but didn’t see anything suspicious.

Why had she used magic? Was it to conceal something so I couldn’t find out about it now?

When we were done, he carefully closed the machine and handed it back to me. We walked up again and stopped by my door. This time, the key was ready in my hand.

“Thank you for your help,” I said.

“Anytime.”

For a moment, we stood there, looking at each other.

Then, he smiled. “I’m glad we got to talk.” He looked as though he was going to bend down and give me a hug, but hesitated.

“Me too,” I said. “I…should go now.”

“Yes. I mean…hey, we should meet again.”

“Uh…yeah, sure,” I said, not really knowing how to react.

“Good. See you soon then.”

And with that, we parted.

Did I want to meet him again? I wondered, when I was finally alone, in the quiet of my own room.

He puzzled me. I wasn’t myself around him.

The things that had happened today went through my mind, as I lay on my bed, thinking, still in my jeans and sweater.

The more I thought about Seth, the more agitated I got. His words from earlier this morning were aggravating, and when I recalled them, my blood boiled in my veins. But then, I thought about how nice it was when we just talked and I saw his warm and helpful side, and then I really did want to meet him again.

I turned my face to the wall and tried to hush my chattering mind.

Nobody ever made me feel this confused before. People had said stupid things to me, but it never really got to me. Not like this. What gave him such influence? Was it his bluntness or the fact that he could also be that friendly?

How did he even manage to insult me in the first place? I didn’t lack confidence. I knew who I was. I didn’t require validation from anyone. I was popular, I was smart. I was…reassuring myself? What was wrong with me?

“Love can be confusing.” I suddenly heard my mother’s words to my brother Harley, a little over a year ago. Love? What love?

Harley was seventeen then, and as tall as my dad. He also had his bright eyes and my mom’s dark hair.

The memory was completely out of context. It had happened when Harley told us that Amber was the one.

He rushed down the stairs to show me the Moon-Sign. “Kim, you won’t believe it,” he said, tears in his eyes. I’d never seen my brother cry. He hardly even cried as a baby.

He stood next to the window, in our old house in Reading, and where the moon shone on his hand, I saw a bluish glow in the shape of fingerprints. “I took Amber out and we held hands. Look! Look, Kim! The Moon Sign! I found her.”

Their love was bubbly and energetic. Much like a normal high school love, with raging hormones, but on steroids. It was as though they couldn’t sit still.

My parents, on the other hand, were sweethearts at first sight. But my mom, who was the one with the magic, often said that there were many types of love. Of course, I’d never met the rest of the family, so I didn’t know what other examples were like.

I got up. I needed to do something that would stop my overactive brain. I brushed my teeth and then put on my pajamas. Routine tasks, which didn’t require much thinking. When I was ready to go to sleep, I opened the window and sat on my bed.

The room was too hot, even with the fresh air coming in.

So much had happened in one day. The party, Seth, Zhi Ruo, trying to find Veronica. I hoped she was okay.

I looked at the moon, and its bright light, following the glare down from the window, and onto the bed and my nightwear. My eyes half closed.

Then, I looked at my hand.

Shining clearly, where Seth’s fingers had touched me to give me the keys, was a strong bluish glow.

I sighed.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

2. Chapter 5

Western Scotland, AD 500

When Seth got back to the room, the intruder was still in deep sleep.

“What are we going to do with him?” asked Niall.

Seth went to the bed and had a closer look. “Too bad nothing about him betrays who sent him.”

Who would want the contract? There were many visitors that night. Áedán’s invitation was extended to any noble in the area, and they could all guess that the treaty would be arriving.

Of course, the man could be acting for someone who wasn’t there or even for himself, which would explain why nobody had come looking for him.

A quick check of the man’s coat pockets earlier had produced a few items, like the key to their rooms, but nothing to identify him.

There was no harm in trying again.

Seth turned him onto his back. The search didn’t take long. Under his heavy coat, the man had a shirt made of rough material. Inside a large pocket was a folded paper. In another internal pocket, a tiny jagged object brushed against his fingers. He pulled it out. It was a small golden key.

“Look.” Seth put both on the table and unfolded the paper. It looked exactly like the marriage agreement.

Niall’s eyes opened wide. For a moment, he stared at the objects. Then, he picked up the folded page. “What? Why would he have this?”

“He might have been planning to steal the original and replace it with this forgery.”

“How could he know what the original looked like? You…don’t think he was working for Áedán?”

Seth held up the key and gave Niall a meaningful look. Nobody would have bothered to put gold into a replica. It was Áedán’s original.

“Right,” said Niall.

“We’ll have to find out what’s going on. I think we need to open that box.”

This time, Niall agreed. The key fit perfectly and the lock opened immediately. When the lid lifted, the room filled with a strong odor. The treaty inside was dry to the touch and the smell came directly from it.

Seth put the original and the replica side by side on the table. They looked exactly the same. Then, he picked up the original, turned it and held it close to one of the candles, exposing it to the light and warmth of the flame, which now revealed invisible ink.

Behind him, he could hear Niall gasp. For a moment, he felt his own blood stop in his veins.

The back of the page was covered with Prince Domangart’s handwriting.

Our pact will be complete, as soon as Fergus Mór’s men arrive. Detain them as arranged. My assassins will attack in Dalriada on the first day of the equinox.

It was six days away.

“What the devil?” Niall mumbled, taking the page in his hands.

“It was the only way to deliver the message,” Seth found himself saying. “The prince had been trying to come down to meet Áedán for the past few weeks, but Fergus Mór needed him at court.” Of course, a messenger or a bird would have been too risky, as both could be easily compromised and the message intercepted. But nobody would suspect the treaty itself.

Still, it would be safer for Áedán to send someone to have the original replaced.

“Six days to save Fergus Mór,” said Niall. “We must return to court immediately. Áedán and Domangart have conspired against the king.”

There was a noise outside their door. Seth turned. Footsteps. Heavy ones.

By now, Áedán would realize that something had gone wrong with his plan, and they both knew that he would try to stop them from returning home.

Outside the window, they could see the high walls and the massive castle gate. Even in the dark, one could make out the soldiers patrolling. And Áedán’s moat was a deep one.

An idea crossed Seth’s mind. A way to ensure that they didn’t meet with resistance. It was somewhat diabolic, but it could have higher chances of working than a direct approach.

He turned to Niall. “How far would you go to save the king?”



Kim turned in her sleep. Her dreams were lucid, but made no sense. There were buildings she hadn’t seen before, and people spoke in a strange language.

Then, there were the fairies. When she had first met Morgan, she remembered waking up, not knowing where she was. Someone was saying things she didn’t understand, holding a note. She knew the language now. They were saying, “She’s the one we’ve been waiting for,” and, “There is a letter in her pocket.” Or was it Morgan herself who had said it? Everything was blurry and muffled.

The images of the strange buildings returned. Tall, with too many windows, sometimes with walls made of glass. Then, a mirror where she saw herself, dressed very differently than the garments of her father’s court. And there was strong white light in the room. Stronger than a hundred candles.

Then, for a moment, there was Seth, or at least his voice, and his smell, so close, his warm hand on her face.

“Don’t make a sound.”

Don’t make a sound. Kim opened her eyes. There really was a hand on her face!

A sudden chill sent shivers down her spine. Her whole body shook, her heart beating fast in her ears.

The room was dark and the large hand covered her mouth.

She froze, unable to move, or scream, or do anything. But then, she noticed a strange warmth coming from that touch.

“There are two of us, and we’re both armed.”

It was Seth. She recognized his voice. His touch on her face was surprisingly soft. As though he didn’t want to hurt her.

“Can you hear me? Nod, so I know.”

Her head felt heavy, but she managed to do it.

And then, suddenly, it was as though a surge of power came over her, and her body stilled. Her pulse became cool and strong again. All the heaviness and the fear were gone.

“Get up quietly.”

She could move now, easily. She sat in bed and then turned to the side, getting up and taking a step forward.

Seth slipped behind her. He put his hand on her waist.

Suddenly and without thinking, she caught it and swiftly twisted it, taking him off-balance.

He was quicker than her, countering her move. A sharp metal object was at her throat.

“Nice try.”

Still, she had surprised herself with that maneuver. She’d never done anything like it before. It had always seemed impossible when she saw the knights perform it in unarmed training. Her move was faster than theirs and different in style.

“If you cooperate, you’ll have nothing to worry about. We honestly don’t want to hurt you.”

He meant it; there was sincerity in his voice. If that was indeed the case, why was he there?

“What do you want? Why are you doing this, Seth?”

There was a moment of silence. She couldn’t see the other person with him, but she could easily guess that it was Niall and that a non-verbal message had passed between the two men. She had made them aware that she knew their identity.

“We need to get back to our court and we have to take you with us. It’s all you need to know. We’ll keep you safe. For now, we need you to lead us to the stables.”

“Or…I can just scream for my guards right now.”

“Scream, and your father dies.” It was Niall’s voice. He pulled out a small golden object that shined in the dark. “You know what this is?”

It looked like a compact mirror. But when Niall opened the lid, instead of her reflection, she saw her father’s room, with the king asleep in his bed.

She heard herself gasp.

A Magic Stinger. They were rare, created before the Curse, but word was out that Fergus Mór had one. Through the mirror-shaped object, Niall controlled a poison dart. He must have flown it into the king’s room through the window. One word and it would kill her father.

“Now,” Niall said, closing the lid. “Is there another door out of this room? Or do we take you out the window?”

He was overdoing it. There was no need for further threats.

Seth’s kinder approach was far more intimidating. He meant every word, so it was clear that any danger coming from him was real. Not more and not less than he said.

She considered her position. It reminded her of a story her father had once told her of Fergus Mór, that spoke of a similar situation. His course of action then was to cooperate in order to save his people from a battle. She would be saving her father.

“I’ll lead you out then,” she said. “I know we all stand a better chance of getting out of this without a scratch that way.”

She put her hand on Seth’s and pulled it away from her neck slowly. He understood. Complied. Trusted her words.

She turned to him. “But, in return, I expect no harm from either of you.”

“You have my word,” Seth replied.

He said my, not our.

“There is a closet behind Niall.” She deliberately said his name. “I’ve got a warm coat there. That’s also where you’d find the way out.”

There were noises, as Niall went to check the closet and inspect the coat. He must have tried to look for any sharp objects she could use. “Clear,” he said. “I’ll lead the way.”

Seth took the coat and handed it to her. Then, he helped her find her footing in the dark and they descended a small spiral staircase that started behind her wardrobe.

They walked slowly and silently, reaching the bottom floor and then heading toward the stables. Once there, Niall surveyed the hall. He found the night guard asleep and hit him on the head from behind.

Kim’s heart missed a beat.

There was no need for him to do that. She could have easily talked her way through.

He picked up their saddles and walked to the horses. Seth motioned her to join him as he prepared his own horse.

When they were ready, Niall pulled out a sword and walked to the door.

“Stop!” she heard herself say.

Niall turned.

“My father’s men obey me. I can get you out of the castle without violence. But only if you do your part, and not hurt anyone else.”

He sniffed. “What exactly do you propose?” His tone was condescending. Still trying to assert power, though there was no need.

She knew that she had caught him by surprise. She, too, wondered at the authority in her own voice. Her whole behavior was strange to her. Instead of freezing in fear and closing down, she was cool minded, choosing what she said. Knowing that every word and the tone in which she uttered them mattered. She had to be strong. She was defending her father. She’d never thought that that could give her so much confidence.

She turned to Seth. “There is a hidden passage that goes under the wall and moat, large enough for a horse. There are usually only two guards, one at each end, but they have ways of alerting others. The tunnel ends in the woods, near a large waterfall.”

“I find it difficult to tell if she’s speaking the truth,” said Niall. Her fists clenched in anger.

“She is.” Seth’s voice was calm. Confident. “Let’s go.”

Why was he so much easier to speak with than Niall? Far less brutal. What was his role, compared to Niall’s?

He was clearly no squire. They behaved like equals, and sometimes he even took the lead. She’d have to figure this out soon, and use it. Once again, she was surprised at her own thoughts.

She led them to the passage, stopping by the first guard, and he saluted her immediately.

“Your Highness.”

“These men are Fergus Mór’s knights.”

“I’m aware.”

“My father ordered a Code Silver tonight. There’s been a threat on my life. Two of my maids will follow in a few minutes, to chaperone.”

“I have to check this with—”

“No time. Trust me. My father would praise you for letting us through quickly. Every moment matters.”

He hesitated, observing them. “Where’s your horse?”

“Waiting on the other side,” said Seth. “Her safe escape has already been arranged.”

The guard looked at him with recognition. With trust. “If you say so, sir. Just be sure to keep her safe.”

How did they know each other? Was this planned? It couldn’t have been. Seth must have been to her father’s court before. Prior to her own arrival.

“You shouldn’t have told him that your maids are following,” Niall said once they’d put a distance between themselves and the guard.

“He wouldn’t have believed it otherwise,” she said coldly. “Besides, pretty soon someone will figure out that I’m gone.”

They had a similar conversation with the guard on the other end. Again, she noticed that he recognized Seth.

Niall got on his horse. Seth was preparing his to help her mount.

“I’m not going any farther. Not until you tell me what’s going on!” she said.

“Oh, really?” said Niall, pulling out the Stinger. “You’ll come, willingly or not. You’re lucky you don’t have any broken bones yet.”

Clearly, his knightly conduct didn’t extend beyond the halls of court. Seth seemed the opposite.

“Your dart will be discovered by morning, and then what will you do? I’m the crown princess-in-waiting. And not only that. My father has every knight in the area working for him. You can force me on that horse, but there’ll be people catching up with you. The birds will be out with the message faster than you can ride.”

He laughed. “We should have knocked you unconscious.”

She kept her wits. “But you need me alive. Clearly. And you couldn’t guarantee that I would survive if you got into a fight. Not if it was against even half of the knights who are my father’s guests tonight. So tell me, why do you need me?”

Seth looked at her. His face in the moonlight showed he was deeply impressed. “There’s been a conspiracy around your marriage,” he said, without hesitation. Niall seemed shocked. “We’re not sure about the details, and the only way for us to save the king is to take you with us.”

What? A conspiracy against Fergus Mór? How was her marriage related? “Does this involve Prince Domangart?”

Seth winced when she uttered the prince’s name.

“And you need me to prevent it? Without me, this conspiracy can’t happen?” Did she have leverage?

“It still can. But your absence will send a message, an alert that the plan had been discovered. And having you with us will deter knights from attacking, who might fear for your safety.”

There was something else, something he wasn’t saying.

He walked to her, cautiously. “I don’t want to do this by force. You’ve been fair, but I need to take you with me. I’m sorry, Kim.”

His calmness and his warm voice were terrifying because in that moment she knew that Seth was far more dangerous than he seemed. He was kind because he could afford to be. It was suddenly evident to her that Seth never needed her compliance in the first place. She had no leverage.

And yet, something about him made her feel complete trust. It was in his behavior toward her.

She let him help her mount his horse and they rode away.

Seth took the lead, riding down unmarked paths that were apparently well known to him. After half an hour, he and Niall decided to split. Seth handed Niall the golden box of her marriage agreement. So, the treaty itself was significant somehow! If Niall were caught, he could threaten that Seth would kill her.

She knew that it would never happen. Another knight might do it, perhaps even Niall, but not Seth. His actions had reasons; something about his ways almost spoke of choosing morals over power.

Once Niall was gone, calmness took over, and she leaned forward, closing her eyes, and fell asleep.

She woke up to a gentle touch on her shoulder. She tried to push it away with her hand and turn her head, but it just resumed.

Something hairy moved under her chin.

“What?”

“You need to wake up.”

It was a man’s voice. Someone she knew.

Slowly, she tilted her head. The hairy thing moved and gave a soft neigh. Instinctively, she moved back and opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was the light of the moon shining on a valley below her.

The horse gave another neigh, and then she remembered: Seth, Niall, and the escape in the night.

“Where are we?” she said, turning.

“We’ve reached the end of our ride. Beyond is the trail to Haven. By foot.”

Haven? She’d heard of it. The knights sometimes mentioned it in their stories. It was one of the safest places in the kingdom. It also had a direct road to the high king’s court.

Seth dismounted and held his hands out to her. “Come.”

She tried to bend down, but it was difficult. Her body was filled with the physical discomforts caused by having slept the way she did. Her back hurt, her legs were sore, her arms felt as though she’d been holding something heavy, and her neck was stiff.

“I can hardly move.”

“Lean and I’ll pull you down.”

She obeyed, hearing herself mumble as he did it, but his movements were careful.

“Just sit here for a bit. Try and rest your legs. I’ll be right back,” he said.

He approached the horse and took the reins in his hand, leading it away.

She looked around. Everything seemed to be alive in the night. Soft sounds of animals mingled with the rustles in the bushes.

There was a full moon and in front of her, long shadows gave the valley and the scenery an effect of mystery. Between the trees, mist rose above a small stream and in the distance, she could hear a waterfall.

Something moved inside her. It started in her heart. A sensation of warmth. It spread from there, moving through her veins, down to her feet, toward her fingertips, and up to her head.

She closed her eyes. The feeling was a pleasant one. It reached her neck and she felt a release; the pain in her back disappeared, as did the one in her arms and legs. When this ended, there was no trace of her discomforts and pains.

“I wish you could stay with us.” She heard Seth’s voice, speaking to the horse, and opened her eyes.

He stood a short distance from her on a split in the road, in one of the paths that led away from where they were. He spoke very softly in the horse’s ear.

To her surprise, the words were completely clear to her. It must be the cool night’s silence, she thought.

“We must leave you here. I hope you find the way back safely.” Seth gave the horse a smack on the rear, and the horse set off.

“Why did you do that?” she asked when he returned.

“We must walk from here.”

“All the way to Haven?”

“It’s just a two-day walk.”

“You’re kidding!”

“I’m afraid not.” His voice was impatient. It was very late. “It’s a good path, and there’ll be places to rest on the way.”

There was no point resisting. She was in the middle of nowhere, and she knew the terrible things that could happen on these roads if she were to escape Seth and attempt to go back alone. At least in that, Seth was trustworthy. If he’d had any sinister intentions, he would have acted on them by now.

He took her hand. His grip was firm, but once again, she noticed the weakness behind it.

He led her down a sheep’s path, near the cliff’s edge, and stopped by a large bush. Seth removed the foliage and revealed an entrance to a cave.

“After you.”

“What?”

“The cave helps us descend to where the path begins.”

“That cave?”

“It’s safe. I was here yesterday.”

“No!”

For a moment, he had that sarcastic look in his eyes again. He took a deep breath.

“What are you doing?”

“Counting to ten slowly.”

She gave him a push. “Don’t mock me.” She moved forward before he could say anything else.

“Walk quietly. You don’t want to wake up the bats.”

3. Chapter 6

Oxford, Present Day

I found it hard to sleep that night.

Right after I saw the Moon Sign, my life flashed in front of my eyes. It was the way it worked, but not what I needed after the day I’d had.

After that, I fell asleep but kept waking up with thoughts of what happened the previous day. When I did dream, it was of past memories, stories I’d heard about magic and guardians, my own powers and how I experienced them. My family. And Seth.

When the alarm clock rang, it was a relief. The night was finally over. I rubbed my eyes and sat up in bed. But I couldn’t linger. I had just enough time to eat and dress up for the lecture.

I sat in front of the computer, munching on my fruit bowl. Jane had put up some links to Morganstein’s videos on the lecture page. I tried to watch them as I ate, but my mind was clouded.

I wondered when I’d meet Seth again. He said he wanted to see me. His hand had been so warm when he had touched me.

The lecture hall was still mostly empty when I stepped in. I looked at my watch. I was early. Somehow, I’d managed to be quick at getting ready. I told myself that it was a result of overexcitement after drinking too much coffee, but I knew the real reason was my hope to see him there.

There was, of course, no reason for him to come. This was mainly a literature lecture, but I couldn’t help but wish for it.

“You’re all flushed,” Jane said when I walked up to her. She had saved me a seat in the front row. It was a disappointment, because it meant I couldn’t observe the rest of the hall.

“Bad night,” I said.

“Sorry to hear it. What happened?”

“Just… distracted from the day.”

“Worried about Veronica?”

“That, and other things. I didn’t get any messages from her or from security.”

“Strange. Maybe she hooked up with some guy…”

“Yes. But she was seen getting into someone’s car hurriedly.” I had texted Jane about it after speaking with the other volunteer.

“That is someone else’s account. You weren’t there. She might be fine. And you did the right thing in calling security.”

Something told me that my worry was well founded.

“How about, after the lecture, we go around campus and see if we could find out if people saw her?” Jane suggested.

“What about the professor?” Jane usually had to spend time with our lecturers to check everything went well with their stay at the college.

“I’ve arranged for her to have lunch with the college dean.”

Of course she had.

The door opened and an excited group of students got in and made it all the way to the other end of the front row. I spotted Zhi Ruo in the middle of it, energetic and chatty.

She caught my gaze and smiled.

I looked back at the rest of the room. Seth wasn’t there.

Soon, the doors closed and the head of the department stepped up to the stage to introduce Morganstein. His words were similar to the summary I saw on Jane’s page.

Her expertise was Arthurian legends. To me, these were witch history distorted. Though, by the end of the lecture, I was forced to admit that her story was the closest I had heard to the truth.

She was greeted by applause when she got on the stage, a tall and slim woman with long, black hair and abnormally pale skin. Her large, almost crystal-blue eyes observed us. She was far more impressive in reality than in any of her photos or videos. She smiled at the room and everyone went quiet.

“When I say to you the word Camelot, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?” she asked the audience.

“King Arthur.”

“Knights of the Round Table.”

“Lancelot and Guinevere.”

“Magic.”

“Merlin.”

Morganstein smiled.

“The National Lottery!” some wise guy shouted and everyone laughed.

“And where was this Camelot?”

The room was silent. A few hands were raised. Zhi Ruo’s was one of them, and Jane’s.

Jane was chosen. “Glastonbury area. About one thousand five hundred years ago when cross-referencing most literature texts.”

“Very good.” Morganstein smiled in approval. And then her eyes moved from Jane to me.

For a moment, it was almost as though we were the only two people in the room. In her short gaze, I saw surprise and a hint of recognition. She looked away.

“Anyone else?” She turned to the room.

There were a few more answers. None as strong as Jane’s.

Morganstein went on to speak about Arthur and his role in establishing not only Camelot and the Knights of the Round Table, but also a legacy of justice, honesty, and human rights. The quest for the Holy Grail was really a metaphor for finding the truth and the source of everlasting life within ourselves.

The important thing to remember, she said, was that Arthur was a regular human. What he did was possible for all of us, but he took the lead in doing it. He had his many flaws but his dedication outshined them, enough to allow him to make his impact and create his legacy. She also quoted some texts that showed the negative sides of the king, and what brought Camelot to eventual ruin.

“She’s so amazing. Don’t you think?” Jane said during the break. Her eyes lit up.

“I’m actually positively surprised,” I admitted. I reached down for my phone and opened it to see a voicemail from security. “Sorry. I have to get this.”

I quickly stepped out of the noisy room and dialed the number. The message was about Veronica. Her phone was traced and discovered at the edge of South Park. The police had been informed of her absence, and security reassured me that most missing people were found within a day or two. They asked that I call if I heard anything new.

I walked back to my seat, to tell Jane about the message, when a familiar voice stopped me, right before I entered our row.

“Hey.”

It was him.

I turned, smiling. “Hi, Seth.”

He wore jeans and a dark T-shirt that highlighted his grey eyes. I hadn’t noticed their color before.

“What are you doing here?” I immediately regretted saying it. But then, it was probably clear that I was glad to see him.

“Should I leave?”

I laughed. “I just didn’t know you were into literature.”

“Are you kidding? King Arthur, sword fights, knights in armor…”

“I see.”

“I was also hoping you would be here so I could ask you something. Ah…” He looked around.

Almost everyone else was seated again. On the stage, Morganstein was arranging her papers on the speaker’s lectern.

“To be continued,” Seth said in a low voice, and I felt butterflies in my stomach as I returned to my seat.

Jane gave me a meaningful look.

The second part of the lecture was about Merlin, the mage at Arthur’s side.

“What do you think this means, that Arthur was supported by someone with far more power than him?”

“Some would say it was a show of Arthur’s leadership to be able to gather strong people by his side, but I think that Merlin was not given a real chance to lead.” I heard Zhi Ruo’s girly voice. She didn’t even raise her hand. “He was discriminated against, like many capable people today. The whole world would have been different if it were Merlin who ruled.”

Morganstein’s eyes narrowed. “That’s one way to see it.” It was not the answer she was expecting, to say the least. “Others would say that Merlin helped and mentored Arthur throughout his life, like biblical prophets did.”

“But is that what Merlin truly wanted? To be second?” She was persistent, and Morganstein smiled impatiently. “And maybe it wasn’t up to Arthur and Merlin at all. Maybe something else happened that forced magical people to serve humans.”

I froze in my seat. She was referring to Avalon’s Curse!

Was she out of her mind? There were some things that humans should never know about us, not even as a legend. The Curse was what changed the world and made mages guardians to humans. This was one of magic’s greatest secrets. There were even witches who never heard of it. When my mom first told me about Avalon’s Curse, she warned me about ever mentioning it.

“It’s… to establish democracy,” I said, loudly.

Morganstein’s attention immediately shifted to me. I could see a look of contempt in Zhi Ruo’s eyes. It was time she got challenged.

“One of the key elements of a fair rule is separation of power,” I said, glad I had paid attention in civics. “If Merlin were to rule instead of Arthur, he’d be unstoppable.”

Morganstein looked more content. “But, do you think that Merlin would have wanted the throne?”

“I know it’s what I would do,” said someone in the front row, sitting next to Zhi Ruo. There was laughter in that area of the class.

I knew it didn’t matter what Merlin wanted. Magic wouldn’t have allowed it.

“And use magic for everything?” Morganstein said to him.

“Sure.”

She turned back to me. “But what would be a reason not to?”

“If you used magic for everything, people would become irresponsible, because with a flick of a hand you could fix anything you did wrong. Without it, you need to think twice before you do something bad.”

Morganstein looked at me approvingly. Zhi Ruo glared at me.

“Actually,” I straightened in my seat, looking straight at Zhi Ruo this time, “some would say that magic in Camelot was just a metaphor to describe the good versus evil forces of those dark ages.” I was improvising here, but I did take part in a few literary debates, so I was used to making an argument without preparation. “The story of Merlin and Arthur is that of… reshaping society. Creating justice. Making people more responsible.”

“Well done!” said Morganstein.

I had over-aimed. But it worked, and Zhi Ruo was quiet the rest of the lecture, done exposing my world.

The class moved to discuss the forbidden love story between Guinevere and Lancelot, and I sat back, sighing with relief.

Jane scribbled something on the last page of her notepad. She turned it to me. “Nicely done!”

And then another note. “He’s been smiling at you ever since you started talking.”

Seth. Jane’s words made the butterflies return, and I found it difficult to concentrate after that.

When the lecture was over, Jane walked to the stage to speak with the professor.

I stayed in my seat.

“Great debate.”

I turned, to see Seth enter the row. He sat next to me.

“Thanks. Just doing my best.”

“It would have been worthy of the debating society.”

“Oh, stop it!”

He chuckled. “So…” He suddenly had a funny look on his face, and he moved his hand through his hair. Then stopped, noticing he’d done it. “Um, about before…Do you…want to maybe grab a drink later?”

He was asking me out! “I thought you saw me as a preppy sorority queen with nothing but a social calendar.”

“Who also debates in class.” He took it as a yes. “It’s a whole new world for me!”

I looked at him for one moment, and then, I just started to laugh. I couldn’t help it. I could see a winning smile on his face.

“I think it would be really nice.”

“Good. I’ll pick you up at seven thirty?”

I nodded.

“Right then,” he said, excited, and turned to leave.

“Wait. Don’t you need my number?”

He pulled out one of my pamphlets. “Got it.”

“And what about yours? What if something happens and I need to cancel?”

“You can’t.”



It was almost time for lunch when Jane and I had finished walking around the college, trying to see whether we could find out anything about Veronica. We thought it was still a good idea, even though security and the police were already involved.

It turned out that Veronica had chosen to rent a room in a regular flat, outside of campus, so she wasn’t staying with any of the students. She also didn’t seem to have participated in any Freshers Week activities. We met only one other person who knew her and said they’d seen her once, at a party that she left early.

“She likes to keep to herself,” I said when we were done. None of her flatmates had seen or heard from her since she disappeared.

Jane now shared my worry, but tried to be encouraging. We made a quick call to security and learned that there was still no news. They requested we didn’t do anything else.

Jane suggested I come over for lunch and relax a bit. Speak about other things. I assumed she meant Seth. But I wanted to tell my family about him first. After all, it wasn’t as if I could say to her that he was my Charge. I said I needed to stop at my dorm, and would come over afterward.

When I reached my room, I carefully locked the door and I took a seat on the old couch, leaning on my favorite heart-shaped pillow. I had to think hard before making that call. I wanted to tell my folks about Seth, but they were under a lot of pressure.

My family had a great secret to hide.

Shortly after they met, my mother did something that had resulted in my parents getting threatened. The only way that they could protect themselves and my mom’s pregnancy with me was, incredibly, to travel back in time and live in the past, hiding their identities.

They never spoke about what had happened, and I only found out that they were from the future when I was sixteen. And they didn’t share details on how they managed to achieve something that, to the best of my knowledge, mages couldn’t do.

Hiding who we were had a huge influence on our lives. A lot of things were forbidden in order to keep a low profile. I couldn’t practice magic openly, even amongst other witches, and I couldn’t join a coven. This was because members of the same family left similar magical traces, so if a witch by any chance knew any of my mom’s family, they might recognize my trace.

Somewhere in this world there was another Julie and Mark—Ralston, not Taylor—who didn’t know that I existed. And there was a whole family—a large one, on my mom’s side—which, from her stories, was close and warm. They knew nothing about me either.

But not for long. I looked at the calendar. Monday was marked, “Parents Travel.” The day of their return to their older lives to replace the Ralstons, who would be traveling back in time. It was the date.

Edinburgh was where it had happened. Where they had been sent back in time.

We had talked it through over family dinners during the past year. I was going to stay behind and finish college, visiting them in New York or Edinburgh on my breaks, as a long distant relative. Harley and Amber got into an exchange program abroad. They would also move in together, though Amber’s parents didn’t know about that part of the plan.

As a cover story, my parents would say that they were taking a sabbatical, to be close to Harley’s school.

There was a lot going on. Especially for my dad. He was about to leave the small and comfortable life that he and my mom had built as teachers in private high schools, and return to the known businessman he was before.

I wondered if, despite the excitement of finally going back, they wouldn’t miss the easy and serene life they had built here. Or how much difficulty they would face when they went back to deal with their unresolved problems. At least, they succeeded because they saved me and Harley.

There were instances when I wished they could tell me what had happened to them that made them do something that drastic. Or why they would go away every few weeks for a four-day weekend, which Harley and I were not allowed to join. And then come back exhausted, as though they hadn’t had a moment’s rest.

I learned not to ask too many questions about these things. I knew that once they went back, I’d have my mom’s family to talk to. And hopefully finally learn the truth.

I hesitated before calling my parents now.

Was it the right time to tell them about Seth? But I was certain they’d be happy for me. I decided to just go for it. I picked up the phone and tapped their contact. It rang twice and my dad picked it up.

“Hi, Dad.”

“Kim. Hello.”

There was a noise on the line and my mom was with us. “Hi, honey. How are you?”

“I’m good.”

“How’s Freshers Week?” said my dad.

“Going well.”

“Did they elect a new Junior Common Room president yet?”

He liked that I had been involved with the college in that way. He’d say that being in a position of leadership and organization built character and taught responsibility. Harley had been captain of the basketball team twice.

“No. Not yet, but we’ve introduced the candidates. How are you guys?”

“Busy, but we got some good news.”

“Yes,” said my mom. “We found a family to rent the house to.”

“That’s wonderful.” I knew that they would have preferred to sell, but that wouldn’t have worked with their cover story.

“How is Harley?”

“Still traveling. They emailed yesterday. Their school is being very flexible, letting them do remote work.”

“Sounds good,” I said and waited, hoping for a pause on the line.

It worked.

“Honey, are you there?” said my mom.

“Yes. Yes, I’m here. I have something to tell you too,” I started and realized I was speaking more quickly, animated. “Yesterday, I met a guy. Someone special.” I had to be discreet, even on the phone.

“You mean…?” My dad got it immediately.

Then, my mom spoke, in an excited tone with a voice higher than her normal. “That’s wonderful news!”

“When did you find out?” said my dad. He meant the Moon Sign. I was almost certain he was smiling on the other end.

“Yesterday. Right before going to sleep.”

“What does he study?” It was my mom again. Still excited.

“He’s doing a masters in computer science. Got transferred to my college this year.”

I could hear my dad chuckle. Of course, I’d missed the obvious. Back in their old life, he was a big shot in the software industry.

“What’s his name?” he asked.

“Seth Rivers.”

There was a pause. “The fencer!?”

“Yes, Dad. How did you know?”

“I read he had come to your college.” He had an alert on his phone for all news relating to Christ Church and to Oxford. “Nice fellow. A bit shy on his interviews. Will be great for you.”

“It’s not like I have a choice.”

He laughed. “So, has he married you yet?”

“Mark!” my mom exclaimed, and then she laughed too. It was the sentence that my grandfather had asked her right after they’d met. He and my grandmother had tied the knot after five days.

Again, I was reminded of the fact that I would soon meet the rest of my family! “We’ve just met,” I replied.

“That’s what we said,” answered my mom. She and my dad got magically handfasted after a week. Harley and Amber were secretly engaged. It was how guardian love worked. Fast. Intense.

Not the way I liked it.

“Kim, honey…” My mom’s voice was suddenly serious. “Remember what we said about telling the truth as soon as you can. It’s important that he knows.”

“I’ll tell him when the time is right.”

“The time is always right.” She once told me that she had waited to tell my dad, and it complicated things for them. “Remember, he’s bound to accept it well. It’s how it works.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I said in a stern tone. I was going to do this my way.

They got the hint. We went back to talking about them.

The new tenants were going to move in during the weekend. And my parents were coming up to Oxford to stay at a hotel so we could have some time together before parting.

“We thought we would arrive on Saturday morning, leaving Sunday.”

“You could stay longer.” I surprised myself. For such a long time, I’d been busy building my distance and establishing my independent space. But now that they were leaving, I suddenly missed them.

There was a pause. “How about we decide when we’re there with you?”

“Sounds good.”

The conversation ended with them saying they’d love to meet Seth.

It went well. Better than I’d expected. After the call, I texted Jane to see whether there was anything she wanted me to bring to lunch. She said she was making spaghetti and asked whether I had basil. I stopped by my kitchen to get a bag from my fridge shelf, along with some mushrooms, herbs, and white wine to make a side dish.

Then, I went to her flat, which she and Oliver shared. It was paid for by scholarships and bursaries that they worked hard to get.

Her apartment was neat and warm, as usual, with a pile of library books with Post-it Notes sticking out of them, carefully arranged on the coffee table, next to a framed photo of her mom with the family back in Kenya.

“Did you read all night?” I asked.

“No, but I worked like a plow horse most of yesterday.” Jane could sometimes get creative and utter really funny things when she was passionate about something. She smiled now, taking Professor Morganstein’s card out of her wallet. “It paid off.”

“Nice!”

“She said she’d interview me while she’s here, so I don’t have to travel to Edinburgh, and that there is another position coming up that I might be even more suited for.”

“That’s amazing. I don’t know how you do it!” I took the ingredients out of my bag.

“Just keeping their bellies full while they’re here.”

I laughed. It turned out the dean had taken Morganstein to one of the fancier places in town.

Jane placed the card into an index box, where she kept business cards from the people she’d met. It stood next to her go-to books, Get Your Next University Job and The Beginners Guide to Networking in Academia.

I started to wash the basil and marinaded the mushrooms in the wine, with herbs and soy sauce.

“So…the guy from the library?” Jane started working on the pasta sauce.

I blushed. “His name is Seth. He’s a second-year masters student in computers. And he’s also an Olympic fencer.”

“Interesting.” Jane looked down and smiled to herself. “What happened?” she teased.

“What do you mean?”

She raised her eyebrows, indicating that I knew very well what she meant. She must have noticed how much Seth was different from the type I normally ended up with. She called them the playboys from London. They were usually Scarlett’s friends. “Your bad-boy fuse must have finally burned. I thought we’d never see the end of it.”

“Oh, come on! They were not so bad.” They were. I couldn’t count the amount of times I spent sobbing on her couch.

“Don’t make me remind you! But, at least this one, well…I thought he was nice.” She got back to Seth. “Back at the library.”

I put down the chopping knife I had been using. “You said something to him.”

“Nope. But I sure as hell would have if he hadn’t apologized to you. I wasn’t going to stand by and let him be an ass.”

“Rest assured, his bad ways are now mended.” I chuckled, thinking of guardian love. “He was very nice when he asked me out.”

“Good. And where is he taking you?”

“Actually, it’s a surprise.”

“A surprise? No fancy party or gourmet restaurant opening?” She knew my playboys well.

“Nope.” I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s his style.”

“Down-to-earth. I like him.”

“That makes two of us.” I blushed again.

She stopped. “Ooh. You’re all smitten already!”

Yes. It was definitely going fast.

When we sat down to eat, the conversation drifted to other things: my plans for the year, stepping down as head of the Junior Common Room, my parents moving away.

But Seth came up again toward the end.

“Text me when you get to where he’s taking you.” Jane took the last bite from her plate and lay down her fork. “I know he’s a good guy, but you can never be too careful.”

“It’s fine. He’s my Char—” I closed my mouth mid-word and almost bit my lip.

4. Chapter 7

Western Scotland, AD 500

She wasn’t what he had assumed, Seth had to admit.

He’d expected panic, shouting and screaming, but Kim had reacted in the opposite way, far stronger in mind than some of the knights he knew at court. She was even able to doze on the horse!

Maybe Niall was right. Maybe he had read her wrong initially, because she reminded him of someone else. The resemblance was there. He saw it when she was asleep, and the memories came, the pain in his wrist suddenly strong.

He remembered lying on his sickbed after that battle. Seraphim, Fergus Mór’s head mage, was by his side, trying his strongest spells. His body was almost cured, but the wrist wouldn’t heal, and he was weak from all the spells and treatments. He felt like a shadow of his former self.

“Don’t despair,” said Seraphim. “I know other mages I can write to.”

These were kind words, but empty ones. If Seraphim couldn’t do it, nobody could.

Niall would come often. A true friend. “Everyone in court is waiting for you to return.”

“I think we both know I won’t be coming back.”

“Seth, you’ll heal.”

“No. Not completely. Someone will have to replace me.”

“Fergus Mór said you’re keeping the title. So, any replacement will be temporary. Now, you work on getting yourself better. You’ve got a wedding to go to. Won’t happen without the groom.”

That was another problem. “She’s been coming less and less.”

“She’s a woman. They need encouragement. Surprise her. Bring her flowers in the night.”

He decided to do that. A few weeks later, when he could walk again. He went to her, excited, expecting she’d be happy to see him, and that the ice that had formed between them would melt.

But her quarters were closed, locked, and the noises coming from inside were all too familiar. She wasn’t alone.

He waited. He wanted to see who it was. The door opened early in the morning, and Domangart came out.

He couldn’t challenge the crown prince. They quarreled, but the part that hurt remained the look in her eyes that showed no regrets.

“Don’t bother explaining,” were his last words to her and the last time he ever spoke with her.

Now was his opportunity to get back at the prince. Give Domangart what he deserved. He wondered how far the treachery went.

Getting the warning through was the challenge. Domangart might already be monitoring any pigeon stations around the palace. If that were the case, Niall would have to reach court in person to deliver the message.

There was one other way to get a letter to the king. Haven. The king’s sister lived there. Her pigeons were received directly by the king.