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Chapter Eleven

T he bed was everything I could have ever wished for, but that wasn’t the wish that I was waiting to come true.

The impossibly soft silk sheets and fluffy pillows swallowed me in the center of the mattress.

The multiple rounds of dizziness had left me completely drained, and by the time I had left the party, my mind was more than ready to shut off for a deep, dreamless slumber.

It wasn’t until I felt a soft pecking at my ear that my eyes dared to peel open.

“Kya! Kya!” Kipu’s shrill voice tugged me back into the land of the living. “Guards! Guards!”

“Guards?” Panic surged through me like a jolt of lightning. I sat straight up, alert and already breathless as I prepared to get up and run for my life.

Then I remembered where I was.

My heart slowed back down as I took in the frilly palace suite, recalling that I was no longer camping on a rooftop with stolen jewels stuffed in my pockets.

In my panic, I had knocked Kipu off my back, where I could still feel the pressure from his talons lingering.

He was perched at the end of the bed now, flapping his wings like I was the annoying one.

“Kipu!” I tossed a pillow at him, and he dodged it easily. “Why did you scare me like that?”

“Guards!” Kipu repeated. He fluttered over to the door and started pecking on the wood frame.

I pressed a pillow into my face, letting out a soft groan as I remembered the time I’d thought it was such a good idea to teach Kipu how to alert me to incoming guards. It had come in handy a few times, but often he would fire off the warning anytime he wanted extra attention.

“Kipu, it’s early. Go back to sleep.” I rolled over in my bed, flopping face-first into the warm mattress. The morning sun had barely broken through the curtains, still cresting over the horizon with a honey-golden glow.

“Guards!” Kipu continued, apparently determined to be a rooster today. “Jean! Guards!”

“Jean?” That got my blood moving. I looked down at my ring, double-checking that it was still safe as I thought back to the wish I’d made last night.

I crawled out of bed, my nightgown swishing with my steps as I hurried to the door.

My ladies’ maids had promised to help me get ready in the morning, but I wasn’t sure what constituted as morning after a late night of dancing.

With slow movements, I creaked the door open, cautiously peering through the crack to see who was waiting outside.

Just as Kipu had said, there was a guard positioned right outside my door. I shifted to get a better angle, trailing my eyes upward until I spotted the grey feather on the top of the helmet.

“Jean!” I called in a projected whisper, causing his head to turn in my direction. “Can you come in for a second? I need to speak with you about important guard duties.”

He tilted his head, but after a quick glance around the hallway, he followed me inside the room.

“Jean! Guard!” Kipu squawked happily at our new visitor, perching on his shoulder like it was what he'd been asking for since the start. Jean didn’t even flinch under the bird’s added weight, remaining as stiff and stoic as ever.

“Good, the gang is all here now,” I said as I took a seat on the edge of my bed, crossing my legs and folding my hands into my lap. “There’s something I need to discuss with you both.”

Kipu and Jean looked at each other, sharing a confused shrug before turning back to me .

“Jean, you’ve looked out for me nearly all my life.

Kipu, I’ve looked after you nearly all your life, I feel like I can trust you both with anything.

” I twisted the ring on my finger, suddenly feeling nervous about what I was going to say next.

“Jean, what I’m about to tell you has to stay between us.

I can’t have you telling the royals or any other guards. ”

I’d meant to say You can’t tell Jeteran, but the constraints of Adir’s wish altered my wording.

Jean nodded, not even hesitating to offer me his loyalty. Kipu nodded too, bobbing his entire body as he mimicked Jean. I trusted them more than anything, but something inside me still felt the need to add another layer of protection.

I pulled the ring off, pinching the diamond between my fingertips as I held it up for them both to see. “I wish for you to keep this ring a secret.”

My head pulsed as I felt the magic lock my words into law.

Jean’s eyes widened for a moment, but nothing else about him seemed to change.

I felt a little guilty for commanding him, but even if Jean couldn’t speak to anyone, that didn’t mean Jeteran wouldn’t have other ways of getting information out of people. .. I made the wish to protect him .

“This is the wishing diamond.” I held out the ring, watching Jean’s chest constrict with a snatched breath.

“I’m not sure what its limits are, but it appears to grant every wish that I ask it in one way or another.

Unfortunately, there are some dangerous people who are after it, and I can’t tell the prince that I have the ring.

This is where I need your help.” I bit my lip, wishing I could get more of a reaction out of Jean than just a subtle nod.

“Can you help me keep it safe? Guard it while I’m away? ”

Jean didn’t answer, not that he ever had before. He stared at the ring for a long moment, his eyes filled with wonder and fascination. Finally, he curled his fist, pressed his arm against his chest, then bowed his head. His mark of a promise.

“Thank you,” I said as a smile spread up my lips. “I knew I could count on you.”

He nodded and Kipu happily pecked at his helmet.

The pecks tinged everyone’s ears for a moment, until the guard turned his head and pinched Kipu’s beak closed with a tart glare.

I couldn’t help but laugh at their antics.

They weren’t much in the way of friends, but they were more than I could ever wish for.

“Now I just need to find a place to hide it...” I curled my hand around the ring, tapping my chin as I scanned the room for the best place to stash it .

The maids had cleaned every inch of the suite when I was at the party last night, so there weren’t a lot of spaces that would be safe from peeping eyes.

I considered hiding it under the rug, but even though it was a diamond, I didn’t like the idea of powerful magic being stepped on.

Placing it with the other jewelry I’d been given seemed like a bad idea too—that would easily be the first place Jeteran would search if he snuck inside. ..

I can’t keep wearing it... It’s only a matter of time before Jeteran swipes it or another accidental wish is made.

Wishing for him not to find it was always an option, but what if that backfired and allowed someone else to find it for him? Magic needed to be used as minimally as possible for this to work. I just needed to hide it.

Where would no one think to look? What could possibly go unnoticed in a palace where everything glittered?

My eyes turned to the brass lamp at my bedside, the ring warming in my palm as an idea formed in my head.

Perfect.

I grabbed the lamp from my bedside and popped off the lid.

What better place to store the ring than where I found it in the first place?

The lamp was considered to be a gift from the prince, so not even my maids would dare to touch it, plus it was a plain enough addition to the suite that it wasn’t particularly eye-catching.

Not even Jeteran knew that the lamp came from the vault since he wasn’t around when the guards fetched it for me!

A laugh rolled up my throat as I dropped the ring in the lamp with a clank . I pressed the lid back on top, then set it back on the bedside like it had never been touched.

“There! Now all we have to do is guard the lamp,” I said proudly. “You can keep an eye on it during the day while you’re on duty, and I’ll keep an eye on it at night.”

Jean gave me a thumbs-up, and for the first time since I’d been brought into the palace, I felt like I could finally relax. This was it. As long as the ring stayed safe, all I had to do was enjoy life as a princess so Adir could keep his reputation protected.

“We’ve got this! From this point forward, the lamp is the most uninteresting part of the room.” I popped my hand on my hips, earning a happy flap from Kipu.

“Lamp!” Kipu repeated the new word with a beam of pride. Oh no... “Lamp!”

“Kipu, no.” I shook my head sternly.

“No.” Kipu repeated in my low tone, then like a cheeky toddler, tilted his head. “Lamp.”

Great...I guess wishes don’t work on talking birds.

“Lam–” Jean pinched Kipu’s beak again, gently quieting the bird with another firm glare. He shook his head at the bird, and Kipu ruffled his feathers, pricking one up on the top of his head to mirror Jean’s helmet decoration.

“Lamp. No.” Kipu said in an almost growly voice. “No.”

“Thanks, Jeanie.” I smacked a palm to my cheek, praying the kingdom wouldn’t be thwarted by a talking bird.