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“Do the kittens have any special powers?” Aspen asked.

“Well, they poop a lot,” I said, shrugging.

Her nose crinkled up. “I see.”

“I think we’ll have to wait and see what powers they get, if any. They are still very young.” I leaned back on my hands. “So,returning to your quest to be Queen. Before we get started, is there anything else I should know?”

“I won’t lie to you, Leda,” Aspen said. “Thisquest, as you put it, won’t be easy. In fact, I might even call it impossible. From what I hear, the Committee has already chosen their twelve candidates for Queen. The announcement at the ball is just a formality. Furthermore, the ball itself is only a few hours away. Even if we can persuade the Committee members to change their minds, I don’t see any way to obtain the missing documents I need to qualify.”

“Documents?” I asked.

“All I need is a stamp on my application packet,” she said. “But the notary refuses to even see me. I suspect Lavinia paid him off.”

I was hating this Lavinia more and more. I couldn’t stand bullies and dirty cheaters.

“Don’t worry,” I told Aspen. “I know things seem grim, but that’s why you came to me, right? I’ve faced more impossible odds than these and won. I will get you on that list. That I promise you.”

CHAPTER 3

PREPARING FOR BATTLE

Angel clearly wanted to join us in our mission. She gave Aspen such an enthusiastic body-bump that the poor princess nearly fell over.

After Angel and Shadow kissed noses in farewell, the sleek black panther opened up a portal. He and the seven kittens hopped through the swirling ring of magic, and then they were gone.

Sierra and Angel sighed in unison.

“The kittens will be ok,” I assured them. “Shadow knows how to keep them out of trouble.”

Angel shot me a dubious look.

“Ok, so there was that one time when he took them to visit a dragon,” I admitted.

Poor little Duke had come back with half the fur singed off his tail. But it had grown back—eventually and with a little help from Bella’s potions.

“Shadow won’t make that mistake again,” I said.

Angel stared at me, unblinking. Sometimes I really wished I could hear what my cat was thinking.

“He’s still growing into his role as a father.”

Angel started grooming herself. I wasn’t sure how to interpret that.

“Ok, Aspen, show us the way to your world,” I said.

And so she did. Our first stop was the formal attire shop. To gain entry into the Ball of Champions, we had to dress the part.

“The Committee will formally announce the candidates at the end of the Ball,” Aspen said. “That’s how long we have to get my name on the list.”

I waved away the sleek midnight blue gown she offered me. “Beautiful, but impractical. The skirt is too tight. I won’t be able to kick anyone in the head.”

She frowned. “Do you expect a fight?”

“Ialwaysexpect a fight.” I snatched a scarlet dress off the rack. The skirt was nice and flowy. I’d definitely be able to move around in this. “What do you think of this one?” I held the dress in front of my body.

“That’s Iliana’s color,” she told me.

“Iliana?”