Alarms began to sound again. Myrial looked to Garette. “Assembly,” he said.

“What does that mean?”

“Captain’s muster, the Hall. We must hurry.”

Myrial turned back to Adrina. “We can do this together, you and I.”

Adrina nodded absently. They started walking. Within minutes they were standing outside the great hall.

“Are you ready to do this?” Myrial asked, knowing what Adrina knew. If the king sat on the throne, he lived; if Valam sat on the throne, the king was dead.

Adrina’s heart pounded in her ears. The doors opened. Her worst fears were realized. She had a direct view of Valam. Their eyes met. It was all she could do to stand.

The weight of the world crushed her.

She couldn’t breathe. Her face flushed. Her knees buckled. Only Myrial’s arm locked in hers kept her from falling. Everything seemed surreal as if she looked in on another’s nightmare.

For an instant the iris of Valam’s eyes flashed white. It was as if Adrina had a window into his very soul. He stood beside their father’s throne. His arm rested on top the thick dark wood on the mighty chair’s back. He wore the crown jewels, and the great green jewel atop the crown glistened in the waning light of the day.

Beside Valam stood a woman Adrina had never seen before. She wore a circlet of gold. The color of the woman’s thin silk dress was matched perfectly to the olive color of her skin. She looked like a queen, though Adrina knew she wasn’t. It wasn’t until the woman turned to look at her that Adrina saw, really saw.

She understood then, but she didn’t want to. She started to scream. She wanted to scream.

A voice called out to her. The sound of it as if the person speaking were far away, far away in another time and place. She gasped.

Feeling light-headed she put her hand to her face, closed her eyes. When she opened her eyes moments later she found she was still standing before the closed doors of the great hall. “Would you like to sit a moment?” a voice asked her. She nodded. She did need to sit.

Garette and Myrial helped Adrina to a chair near the hall’s entrance. Adrina closed her eyes and breathed. All around her the palace was in an uproar. Alarms continued. Guards ran along the halls. Doors opened and closed. People shouted.

Someone handed her a cup, bade her drink. She put the cup to her lips and drank deeply. The bitter liquid went down poorly. She spit what she couldn’t swallow back into the cup. “That’s awful!”

“Stout,” said a strong, clear voice. “The bitters clear the mind.”

Adrina made face, looked up at Garette Timmer. “That’s awful,” she repeated.

Garette grinned. “Good to see you’ve regained your senses, princess. Trying times test a person’s mettle. What kind of person are you?”

At first Adrina was taken aback by his directness, outrage followed. How dare he speak to her as if she were a commoner. How dare he speak to her in that tone. Her friends could speak candidly but Garette Timmer was a stranger to her. “Guard your tongue,” she shot back, her face flushed with emotion.

“She’s regained her senses, all right,” Myrial said, winking at Garette. “We can sit here, or we can go in.”

Adrina understood. She took Myrial’s hand.

The three walked back to the doors of the great hall, their four-guard escort only a few steps behind. Adrina looked directly at the door guards, each in turn. They opened the doors in unison. Adrina led the way into the hall.

Her feet held steady when she saw Valam standing on the raised dais directly in front of the throne. He turned to look back at her, disquiet showing clearly in his eyes. She caught a breath in her throat. He took a step toward her, opening the view to the throne. It was empty.