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Destin smiled pleasantly and took his hands in mine. “Of course. You should rest.” He paused. “Adira, I do hope, perhaps come morning, we might discuss what I said before this happened.”

Unease tightened in my chest. “About being your queen.”

“We do not know each other well, and I know you’ve lived a life apart?—”

“It is more than a life apart, Destin,” I said softly. “It was another realm. Most of my memories are mortal. Although there are mortalkings and queens, my land did not have such royalty. I don’t even know where to begin.”

“That’s all right,” he assured, gently cupping one side of my face. “I will teach you what is expected. I will restore you as the queen Magiaria deserves.”

How different two brothers could be. Where Destin spoke of compliance and toeing a line, Kage told me to burn wildly and fiercely.

I returned a tight-lip smile. “Let’s talk about this tomorrow. Perhaps you can help me study from the Ravenwood books.”

“I’d be honored.” Destin pressed a kiss to the top of my hand. “We are close, Adira. A little longer, and I know everything will be right again.”

“I hope so, Destin.”

My smile fell the moment the door closed.

There would be little sleeping tonight.

I cuppedthe two herbs in either palm, crouched outside the tower door. One like a sliver of glossy onyx, the other rough as a scrap of bark.

Ravenwood wing proved valuable indeed. Like stepping from the shadows into the sunrise, thoughts, instincts, places, were all clear. I fumbled through a few shelves of the books, finding nothing. But after a time, it was as though I simply began to know where to look.

No, I was not a skilled spell caster, but I found a few beginner spell books laden in smoke spells, distraction spells, the sort young Soturi mages would master before they matured.

Once I found the books, a smoke edged memory revealed a cupboard near the back rooms. There, bowls, mortars, pestles, and jars filled with ingredients were there for the taking.

Pyre leaf and venom seed created a pungent smoke when joined. A sort of distraction spell Soturi mages would use to make anarrow escape from an enemy. The smoke drew out burning tears—like a bushel of onion fumes.

A pang of irritation burrowed deep in my chest at the sight of royal guards stalking outside his door. As though Kage were some sort of beast that needed to be watched. Destin did not trust his brother, and I hoped when all this was over he would see how much the second prince had truly done to keep their people safe.

I blew out a rough breath. This was nothing. I’d threatened, taunted, thieved, on behalf of Lloyd. To defend a man who actually cared about me—albeit with more magic and blades—was nothing.

Still, I clenched my eyes when I slammed my palms together, crushing the seed against the leaf.

Ribbons of white smoke billowed between my fingers in the next instant. I coughed, tossed the herbs aside, and scrambled back into a narrow alcove. Now would come the trying part. An incantation. It was one thing to ignite a mystical smoke bomb, it was quite another to aim it at the proper place without being seen.

I’d torn the page from the book. The former owner, wherever they might be watching, would need to forgive me. With trembling fingers, I unfurled the sheet and kept my gaze locked on the smoke. Key, apparently, to all spell casts was focus.

“Fram um hræsni fremja min vil.” The way the words rolled off my tongue felt awkward and choppy, like a student in language class with no concept of intones and dialects.

One palm out toward the smoke, I repeated the incantation until the smoke spilled over the floorboards like water flowing back to the sea.

I cursed under my breath. It was moving, coiling unseen around the ankles of the guards outside Kage’s door.

The man nearest to me noticed the assault first and cried out. Wrong move. The cursed smoke leapt into his mouth and dug down into his lungs. The other tried to flee but was swallowed up by a plume that slithered up his nose.

Soon both men faltered on their feet, spluttering, choking, slapping the floor as a desperate sort of alarm.

Echoes of the attack rang in the passageway. Somewhere deep inthe lower levels of the towers, guards responded through shouts and heavy steps up spiraling stairs.

I wasted no time before rushing for Kage’s door.

A cry broke from my chest when a strong fist curled around my wrist, yanking me back. The sound was muffled out when another hand covered my mouth.

“Wildling.” Kage’s dark satin growl breathed against my ear. “Hush for a moment.”