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Magda refocused on her own mission. She had to speak to Queen Sanyal and ask her about being a guardian, and more importantly her strange dreams. Since she couldn’t reveal that she was the princess publicly, she would have to steal an invitation to Princess Kiran’s birthday party.

She crossed to a miniature spiral staircase and descended to the first floor. It was a small kitchen space, with barely any room to move around. Odie hopped down the stairs next to her, landing quietly.

Magda opened the door, stepping out onto the street. Now, during the day, Magda could see the expanse of the city, which stretched as far as the eye could see. In the distance, on the lush fields outside of the tan, urban sprawl, was the palace. In the opposite direction, lay the docks.

Ravi lived off a busy intersection shaped in a circle, surrounded by bars, nightclubs, and shopping centers. Vines and plants peaked through cracks in the walls, and weeds dotted the edges of the streets. It was a distinct enough area to retrace her steps to later or be able to ask for directions, if she needed to make her way back here.

Magda paid for a small breakfast before heading to the waterfront. She was certain that if Ishani had an invitation to the royal birthday celebration, the invitation would be kept on her person. The best place to find the leader of the Fowler’s Guild would be on the docks.

Magda and Odie walked through the busy streets along the dock, searching the crowds of people for the Fowler Guild’s leader. She remembered Ishani telling her that she lived on the ship, so Magda traced her way back through the busy marketplace and toward the coastline.

For a few minutes, Magda had considered leaving Odie behind in Ravi’s apartment. Especially if there were people looking to kidnap dogs on these streets. However, Magda preferred not to let Odie out of her sight. All she could do was hope that no one would confront her during the day, when the streets were crowded with witnesses.

When Magda reached the end of the streets, she saw the Starway docked in the harbor, the wondrous turquoise flags moving in the wind as the vessel bobbed up and down in the clear water. Beyond the ship, a pink sunrise illuminated the clouds on the horizon.

Magda took in her surroundings before proceeding any further. She stole a side-eye at Odie, but his stance didn’t indicate any danger. There were no guards at the immigration gate this time, and she suspected it was because there were no incoming or outgoing ships at this hour that were coming from other kingdoms. So they slipped forward, walking directly through the gate, before standing in the middle of the docks.

Magda made her way to the magnificent ship, Odie trailing behind her. She didn’t know for sure that Ishani had received an invitation, or if she would keep it out in the open in her office. All that she had to go on was the information from Ravi, and she hoped it would prove true. She didn’t have any more time to waste, especially if assassins were still searching for her.

From Magda’s viewpoint, the ship appeared deserted. She was not able to make out any sailors on board. The harbor was still, and the air was void of commotion. It seemed as if she was one of the only people on the docks; however, Magda guessed that wasn’t the case, and assumed that there were sailors either sleeping or preparing the ships below deck. Boarding the ship would be dangerous, and Magda had no idea if it was preparing to venture on the high seas today.

The gangway plank leading up to the ship was down. It would be too easy to head directly on board. Magda stepped carefully, one foot in front of the other, as she crossed the gangway and boarded the ship. Odie followed behind, sniffing the edges of the planks as he went. When she reached the upper deck, she noticed two sailors cleaning the floorboards. They hummed a tune in a foreign language under their breath.

“What are you doing here?” the older man asked. His eyes glanced toward Odie.

“I have a message for Captain Ishani,” said Magda. The lie was quick. “She told me I could come see her at any time.”

“And who are you?” the man asked.

“My name is Dagmara, and I’m affiliated with the royal court in Azurem. I came all this way, and I assure you that your captain will want to hear what I have to say.”

The men exchanged glances, wondering whether to believe Magda’s story or not. Finally, one of them said, “She’s been expecting information from Azurem. You’ll have to wait for her in her office. She’s gone onto the Marauder’s ship to speak with Captain Vex.”

The sound of Vex’s name—the man that had accosted her last night and tried to kidnap Odie—made Magda’s heart jump. Suddenly she regretted bringing Odie along with her to the ship. She didn’t know where Ishani’s allegiances lied, and if she was also engaged in illegal dealings throughout the city alongside Vex. But she didn’t want to show any hesitations or fear. That’s not what Dagmara would do. Dagmara wouldn’t let her emotions show, regardless of what she was feeling. Magda kept her face blank, channeling her best friend’s persona.

“Perfect,” said Magda. “Show me to her office. I can wait.”

Magda and her dog followed the older man down a set of stairs on the right. They both passed through a door with turquoise stained-glass paneling. Inside, was a lush office, full of treasures and trinkets from the Starway’s travels across kingdoms. On the right, was a painting of Ishani as a young girl next to a handsome captain, who Magda assumed was her father based on the age difference in the portrait.

“Wait here,” said the man. “I’ll get her. Don’t touch anything.”

Magda nodded before taking a seat on a velvet blue chair across from a wooden desk in the center of the room. Once the door slammed behind her, and she was sure that the man had gone, she leapt up from her seat.

“Odie, watch,” Magda motioned toward the door. Quickly, Odie obeyed, bounding to the door.

Magda raced around to the other side of the desk, yanking open drawers and cycling through papers in a frantic manner. Her eyes were drawn to anything that looked like a royal seal coming from Queen Sanyal.

When she was sure she had given herself enough time to search the drawers, Magda scanned the top of the desk. All that was on the tabletop was a large map of the world, showing the kingdoms of Celestaire, Ilusauri, Azurem, Flaustra. Interestingly, there were many Xs and scribbles drawn along the kingdom of Azurem. Circled towns were situated within the border of Magda’s kingdom. What was this map?

Magda’s eyes scanned the room once more. There must have been one hundred books on the varying shelves, scattered between two porthole windows, and a set of stained-glass paneling behind the desk. In addition, eight trunks were stacked in one corner of the room. There was no way that Magda could search this entire office before Ishani returned.

Magda’s eyes caught a small side table underneath one of the porthole windows. On that table, was a golden letter opener. Magda’s heart raced as she dashed over to the side table. Next to the expensive letter opener, was a stack of mail. Magda grabbed the large pile of letters and began sifting through them, looking for anything that appeared to be a Flaustran crest.

Her eyes widened when she stumbled upon the crest of Ilusauri. This was the seal belonging to King Claude. Letting her curiosity consume her, Magda opened the letter from the so-called Mad King, written in Flaustran. It read:

I don’t care if your payment was delayed. The terms of our agreement still stand. Report back to me when you have anything useful to tell me about the locations we discussed. Otherwise, don’t waste my time. If you think I care about your birthright, think again. There are many other captains that would take these contracts for far less. Think about that next time you report back with nothing.

If I get information from Princess Magdalena before you get me anything, I’ll have no use for you anymore.