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“KEEP IT STEADY,” THEO cautioned. He was right beside me, but he could have been a mile away. The material world had become unmoored, breaking free from all anchors of perspective. As long as my eyes were closed, I was floating in a vast, immaterial void, both inside and outside reality.
It was really, really weird. I had never experienced anything like it.
My only benchmark was Theo’s voice, which stayed calm and steady. “You’re doing well, Amber. She’ll be impressed.”
I wanted to ask if she was on her way, or if we knew when she’d arrive, but found that, strangely, I had no idea how to talk in this space. My lips barely moved, if I still had lips. All awareness of my physical body was gone. I just knew that I was still alive.
And then, as rapidly as it began, the transcendental period was over. Being thrust back into a physical state without warning was akin to being dunked in an ice bath. I gasped. My eyes shot open.
“Hello,” said the young woman standing in front of me. “Was that your first time?”
Sarena was tall and slender, with eyes the color of lavender flowers and skin so pale it was almost luminous. She was beautiful in an ethereal, spooky way, her gaze full of untold secrets. I had the uncontrollable urge to shiver when I looked her in the face.
“Yes? I think so?” I scratched my head. “To be honest with you, I’m not entirely sure what that was.”
She let out a musical laugh, holding her hand to her mouth. “Fear not, Your Royal Highness. That’s a common reaction. The more doors you open as time goes on, the more you’ll become accustomed to crossing realms.”
She might as well have spoken an entirely different language. I nodded blankly. “Right. I’ll take your word for it.”
Sarena’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “That’s what most people do.” Her gaze moved across me, and I got the distinct impression that she could somehow see everything about me, as if my whole self was written out like a book for her to read. “You’re not half bad at it, you know. I think you have great potential for mysticism, if you ever decided to explore such a path.”
“Really?” The thought had never even crossed my mind until Theo mentioned it. Had it been suggested by anyone else, it would’ve seemed too far-fetched to consider—I’d come from a world where “psychic” was synonymous with “scammer,” after all. But Sarena had materialized out of thin air, stepped through a door I had helped to open. “Is that... true?”
Theo frowned slightly. He looked like he wanted to say something but thought better of it at the last minute.
“Of course it is.” Sarena reached over and touched my hand with long, cool fingers. “I speak only in truths, Your Royal Highness.”
I hesitated. “I wouldn’t know where to start.” A small voice in the back of my mind uttered a warning—you don’t know what you’re doing; you’re going to get in over your head. The lure of the unknown, however, was stronger than ever.
“Simple.” Sarena guided me by the hand over to one of the cushioned benches along the perimeter of the gazebo. We sat down side by side. She flipped my hand palm up and traced the tree of veins along my wrist. “We start at the beginning.”
“With my family,” I said softly. “My parents.”
The seer glanced up at me solemnly. “I must caution you, Princess; I can only reveal so much. Fate’s continuum is as fickle and delicate as gossamer in the wind. Choose your questions wisely.”
For some reason, her warning surprised me. The existence of a limit made perfect sense in context, but for some reason, I hadn’t expected one. A wave of panic threatened to overwhelm my senses. How to prioritize the knowledge I hoped to glean? What if I chose wrong?
I inhaled deeply. Both Sarena and Theo watched me in silence, waiting. “What happened to them?” I asked finally, fighting to get the words off my tongue. “To my mother and father. They’re not... they’re not still alive, are they?”
A shadow passed over Sarena’s face, and I knew the answer before she said it. “No, Princess. The king and queen have long passed. That is part of the reason you’re here now.”
“Right.” I bit my lip against the sting of her words. “Yeah. That’s what I figured.” Whatever vain hope I’d carried of maybe getting to see them someday was quickly and forcefully dashed. Suddenly, I didn’t want to discuss my history anymore. It was too real. Too tragic.
The seer squeezed my hand tenderly. “I am sorry to burden you with sorrow, Ambrose. Know that they have gone on to be together in the pale beyond, and that they will wait for you there.”
“Okay.” My voice trembled just a little bit. I felt the onset of helpless tears. But then I picked my head up and swallowed hard. “Can we talk about the future instead? I don’t want to dwell on the past.” Although I spoke with as much confidence as I could muster, my heart ached fiercely. That sadness would return later, when I was alone in my rooms with nothing else to think about.
“We can talk about anything you wish, as long as we stay on the surface.” Sarena smiled. “The present. The future. Your dreams.” She paused. “Your fears.”
I pretended not to hear that last one. “What can you tell me about Evrion right now? I hate being so far away from the city while the rebellion is gaining steam. It makes me feel like a figurehead.”
Sarena took a moment to contemplate. She let go of my hand, steepling her fingers in her lap. “The unrest is far from over. You are safe here, but...”
Theo and I both tensed. He glanced across the bench at me.
“But what? Will they come here?” I couldn’t stand the notion of having to flee yet another palace. Where would we go after Talyad? Surely the list was finite—how many secret fiancés could I possibly have?
“The hand of violence is far-reaching,” Sarena stated calmly. “This is something you have learned intimately.”
“Yes,” I murmured. In my mind’s eye, I saw Stas as clearly as if it had happened yesterday, sprawled out on the floor in the apartment, blood spreading in a crimson pool around his body. I saw Hamion crumpled on the ground, dead from a wound that I had inflicted. “It follows everywhere.”
Sarena nodded. “It lurks in corners,” she continued cryptically. “Travels in shadows, closer than you know.”
“We’ll be careful,” I told her. “I just wish I knew what was going on there. Firsthand, not through the lens of the court or the guards. I think they try to protect me from the worst parts of reality, and I don’t want that. I appreciate it, but I don’t want it.” I looked her in the eyes. “I know they’re in the palace, Sarena. Tell me who is sitting on my throne.”
The seer’s expression remained perfectly neutral. Her lavender irises grew luminous, and then hazy. I watched her peer through time and space, observing machinations far beyond my comprehension. The seconds dilated into minutes, hours, days. Time stopped meaning anything in that floating structure where the three of us sat. Maybe it stopped entirely.
Until she came back. The pieces of the corporeal world snapped back into place around us. “You know her,” Sarena said.
I gritted my teeth. “Yes, I was afraid I might. So the reports are true, then.” Part of me had hoped Daria’s contacts were wrong, that some wires had been crossed. “Raven’s there.”
“And she intends to stay.” Sarena’s tone turned grave. “She will not leave without a fight.”
“A fight with whom?” I kind of rolled my eyes. “A hundred Royal Guardians? Because that’s what she’s about to be facing.” Even as we spoke, the reinforcements winged their way across lightyears, heading to fulfill their duty. I imagined Raven looking out one of the palace windows and seeing them covering the grounds.
Sarena shook her head. “No,” she said. “With you.”
It took a moment for her answer to sink in. I turned to her. “I beg your pardon?”
