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She nodded. “I’ll pack light and say I’m spending the day at the beach. No one will notice.”

“Good. Find theUmbral Star,and when you board, if Vanessa asks any questions, tell her Zayne invited you.”

“Zayne,” she echoed my name. “The Shadow Prince?”

“Indeed.”

She didn’t quite meet my gaze. “The necromancer?”

“Perhaps.”

She stilled, taking that in, and then all at once, she shot to her feet. “I’ll meet you there.” She didn’t waste another moment, vanishing into her bedroom.

Satisfied all was secure, I turned my attention toward the tether.

Ayla…

The once-taut bond had relaxed, growing comfortable with the space between us. Still, she echoed of apprehension and excitement.

Maybe a twinge of fear.

Eager to return to her side, I shadow-stepped to the throne room, taking it as one flowing run, barely stopping between the steps as I weaved through the palace’s shadows, silent and speedy.

The throne room was bustling, and judging from the way Calindra was huddled with another merchant, they were taking a break. As I watched, Lord Tallus returned from the royal wing, a familiar parchment in his hands. Out of breath, he brought it to Calindra.

Meanwhile, Ayla stayed near Rhett, glancing nervously at the Starlit King, who was wrapping up a conversation with his secretary.

Had anyone noticed the theft of the shard? Judging from Tallus’s relaxed posture, relieved he had just finished a sprint back to his rooms, it seemed not. He was laughing, muttering to another mer who shared his table.

Ayla glanced in my direction, a genuine smile on her lips as tension eased from her shoulders. She probed my mind, almost like a question, and I assured her.

Everything’s going according to plan.

Iona was a surprise, but one I hoped Ayla would appreciate. For Rhett’s sake.

We both held our breath in anticipation as the Starlit King said a few more words to his secretary. Finally, he stood up and approached Ayla. She smiled bravely and stepped to his side.

Together, they left the hall. The Starlit King dismissed the courtiers who idly followed him, but when Rhett stayed by Ayla’s elbow, making it clear he wouldn’t leave, the king didn’t object. He even smiled at Rimu, trailing at Rhett’s heel.

Together, they left.

And cloaked by darkness, I followed.

Chapter twenty-nine

The Unprepared Princess

Ayla

The Starlit King and I walked in silence, treading from Mer’s great hall to the visitor’s courtyard. With his broad cloak billowing behind him, I was forced into a quick clip to stay ahead of its embrace.

My heart raced, though not from the excursion.

Rhett and Zayne were not that far behind, and whatever happened, I was secure in their backup.

One lesson.

One opportunity to learn how to control my powers. A single chance to discover how to break into the box that held his shards.