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“This is a dreadful place, to be sure, but at least you’re not—” She rounded the next corner only to come face first with the king. Nude. “Small…” she trailed off, eyes as wide as saucers when they lit on a rather large part of his anatomy. And what a gloriously nude body he had. She turned around, face flaming and heart skipping several beats. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t come to pester you, I swear.”

“Oh? Then what did you come for?” he asked, his voice deepening.

“I… I was hoping you might answer some questions I had.”

“Regarding?”

“Trisia.”

“Hmmm, I thought you had a strange accent. Are you a foreigner, then?”

“I…yes. My home is very far,” she answered, her heart aching.

“Then it is a pity you arrived in Viridis first. Had you landed anywhere else, you would have been treated with dignity.”

Doubtful, given how desperate and foolish she’d been when she’d woken up in the ancient past. She’d have just as likely made a mess of things wherever and whenever she’d landed.

“I want to ask where the high priestesses of Passion and Justice currently reside.”

“High Priestess Myrina of Passion resides in Altanus, the capital of Aureum. As for Justice’s Nerio, I cannot say. With no interest in marriage or romance, she is often on the move, travelling the length and breadth of Trisia. She last visited Niveum.”

So it was Aureum she needed to travel to. It was a shame. That was a two-week journey if the weather held and the roads were safe. Now that the cycle of calamity had begun, travelling would be extremely dangerous. As a lone woman with no family, friends or even acquaintances, she had no one she could rely on but herself. Suddenly, her sad travel bag full of pilfered little nothings seemed wholly inadequate. She supposed she could try sneaking into that place, but it wouldn’t be without risk.

“I’m sorry to say, madam fairy, but I doubt you will be able to meet them. Royal hostages rarely get audiences with such influential women.”

No, she couldn’t let herself be dissuaded. She wouldn’t know unless she tried. Phaedra would move mountains for her and Aurora could do no less.

“Were you actually attacked by monstrosities?”

“Yes,” he replied.

His tone suggested he didn’t wish to speak more on that matter, but Aurora was aching with curiosity.

“Where?”

“At a place called the Colonnades Of The Colossus. Why do you ask?”

Bitterness nearly stole her breath. Damn Orithyia. The high priestess had known for a while now that Aurora had spoken true, yet left her here in this nightmarish place. It only strengthened her resolve to leave, monstrosities or not.

“I promise to leave you alone after this but… would you be able to take a look at a drawing? If you’ve seen this creature before, please tell me where and when.” She unfurled her scroll to the right section. “I promise not to look,” she said, turning around, dutifully closing her eyes as she held up the scroll for his perusal.

He padded over, his wet feet slapping the tiles of the bathhouse. She could feel the heat of him this close, and was grateful he’d managed to wrest the soap from the attendant. Gone was the stench of refuse, replaced by sandalwood and musk.

“I’m afraid I must disappoint you. But what reason do you have to be looking for such a beast?”

Aurora swallowed down her disappointment and turned away, rolling up her scroll and placing it in her satchel.

“It is Drakon, and it killed the person I love the most.”

“And you intend to slay it?”

“I must, or it will never stop. Thank you for your help, Your Majesty. I will leave you to your bath.”

Theron sat in the hot, clean waters of his bath, rubbing his newly shaven jaw with oil as he chewed on what had just transpired. Whoever the little fairy was, she knew of Batea’s secret beasts. Was she a spy? If so, she was an odd choice. She would stand out no matter where she went. Green eyes were a rarity, her long, pointed ears even more so, and her stature was downright unnatural for a Trisian adult. And whatever magic she possessed allowed her to escape his grasp so quickly he’d not even seen her do it. He was lucky she was not as capricious as her mythical ancestors were rumoured to be, else she could have slit his throat.

The other possibility was that one of Batea’s monsters had escaped, causing devastation abroad. After all, unlike the people of Trisia, beasts didn’t depend on the protection of the Divine Triad. Outside the borders of Trisia, any Trisian would be at the mercy of foreign deities and the whims of fate, cut off from the beneficial influence of the Triad. If the little fairy had been driven here by a need for vengeance, then she had forsaken the protection of her own deities to do it. That made her either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.

Foolish, most like. He’d seen her injuries with his magic, both current and past. She’d been subjected to horrific violence, and yet was ready to face more.

In either case, his curiosity was piqued. Not only did she present an entertaining mystery, she was the first halfway civilised person he’d met since he’d stepped onto cursed Viridian soil. No surprise, since she was not of this queendom. And if her reaction to his body was any indication, she might be persuaded to entertain him in other ways.

He washed the last bit of grime from his hair and made his way towards the entrance, determined to find his little fairy and uncover her secrets.

Only to be stopped by a veritable hoard of nobles.

Leering nobles.

Theron wrapped himself in a towel and gave them his best scowl. Usually, that was enough to cow even the most impertinent of pests, but this lot were either immune to it or simply enjoyed courting death.

“I told you he was going to be a handsome one.”

“Look at those muscles.”

“I never thought I’d be jealous of a water droplet, but the world is a strange, beautiful place.”

“Do you know how to pleasure a woman, Your Majesty?”

“Or a man?”

“We’ve all been betting on whether you’re a show pony or a proper stallion.”

These people had no fear, no dignity, no honour. It was a shame he had more important things to be doing, because it might have helped let off a little steam had he the time to thoroughly teach them proper respect.

He unleashed a wave of his magic, pouring through the wretched lot before him, letting it trickle through their sinew and bone, ferreting out their painful pasts. And with a great and terrible pull, he fractured them along their weakest points, their mended wounds reopened, their healed bones rebroken, their greatest physical pains retold in a symphony of agonized screams.

“I am Theron, king of Aureum, and it would do you well to engrave that on your withered hearts. I will not tolerate such disrespect a second time. Now, point me to my quarters,” he demanded as he strode towards the moaning, sobbing heap. One of the women pointed a trembling finger in the direction his fairy had gone. She’d mentioned they were a cruel lot. Best nip that in the bud. “And another thing. The little fairy woman? She’s mine now, and I don’t share.”

He marched down the hall with more confidence than he felt in naught but a towel. Unease slithered through him. Losing his mind to a goddess’ wrath had shaken him, her mark a dark reminder of how easily he could be snuffed out, how powerless he was. His long, humiliating ride here had only compounded the fear, every time the Viridian’s eyes lit with glee forcing him to master his emotions to give them as little satisfaction as possible. He’d drowned himself in anger, in promises of vengeance, in dreams of their destruction. Theron might never be able to touch a goddess, but mortals were different. Yet as he stormed through the halls all but nude, his defences slipped.

Weak .

If the soldiers guarding this gilded cage took it upon themselves to get revenge for their recently one-eared friend, the beating would be deeply unpleasant. And he was under no illusions—Queen Flora had likely given the order to make his stay as unpleasant as possible. Every action he took to defend his honour would only compound the compensation she would demand. And that was before that bitch Orithyia had her chance to play with him. He needed proper allies, and so far, the only one in the running was a powerless foreign fairy whose name he didn’t know.

Just as pressing, he needed to get his seal ring back from that bastard Stentor. The general had stolen it on the way to Boreas. If she were cunning, Flora would draw up some ridiculous treaty promising Aureum’s enslavement to Viridis, sign it with his seal ring and present it to Batea as a fait accompli. Batea was much too stubborn to countenance such a thing, but it would all but guarantee a disastrous war.

An attendant walking the hallway eyed him warily and ushered him to his room. Good. A little fear would help keep these dogs in line. He was pleased to find that new clothes were laid out for him. Less pleasing was the low-quality fabric and the lack of trousers. He’d forgotten that the Viridians eschewed the practicality of trousers, preferring skirts and tunics.

Donning his new outfit, Theron walked to his terrace and scoped out the surrounding gardens below. It appeared, if not heavily guarded, then well maintained. Queen Flora was counting on political pressures to keep her prisoners in their plush cells. That, and the fact that the only obvious way out was through the front gate, one that was guarded day and night. Perhaps he should have been more concerned being the vivarium’s newest curiosity, but unlike the other wretches here, he was no mere lordling’s heir.

A knock on his door interrupted his perusal.

“Your lunch is prepared, Your Majesty.”

“You may enter.”

A servant entered, placed a platter of food on his minuscule dining table, bowed deeply and left. Theron looked over the offerings of lamb on the bone and smiled. This was why he wasn’t overly concerned. He scraped the meat off to read the message scrawled on the bone by another talented healer and Aurean spy.

Friends wear red.

He defaced the message as best he could with the silverware available to him and partook of the only decent meal he’d had since he’d been taken from Aureum. The succulent juices dripped down his chin. Merciful Triad, he hadn’t realised just how much he’d missed freshly cooked food. When he was finished shovelling it into his mouth and wiping it off his face, he sat back in his seat. He would be sure to keep an eye out for guards, servants and attendants wearing something red. He needed that ring back as soon as possible.

Theron looked out at the view, sighing. When was the last time he’d had so little to do? No wonder the nobles here had gone mad. At least he had the fairy woman to entertain him until Flora set a date to drag him to her court and make outrageous demands.

As he watched the breeze rustle the petals of the neatly planted flowers, a flash of colour caught his eye in the bushes. The very top of a blonde head bobbed in and out of view.

“Madam fairy?”

Theron got up from his seat and leapt from the terrace. He landed painfully, using his magic to heal himself in a rush of heat. Following the start of the treeline, he spied the small woman sneaking rather adeptly through the undergrowth. She made it to the wall encircling the palace and looked around, only to squeak in terror when she noticed him behind her.

“Merciful Triad! What… what are you doing here, Your Majesty?” She stood abruptly, dusting the hem of her skirt.

“Oh, I wasn’t aware this area was off-limits.” He smiled the more uncomfortable she appeared. Either she was the greatest actress in Trisia, or she was simply very bad at keeping her thoughts from showing on her face.

“It’s not, it’s just… well, would you mind coming further off the main path? Out of sight of the patrol about to come around the corner?”

Theron entered the underbrush. She cringed at every snapped twig and rustle of greenery. When he was about halfway, she grabbed his hand and pulled him forward, gesturing wildly for him to duck. He dutifully obeyed, but not as well as she’d wanted if her frantic look was anything to go by.

“Apologies, Your Majesty but…” She pushed him down onto the ground, covering him with her body just as the patrol passed by, gossiping about some high society scandal or another.

He blinked in surprise as she crouched over him, all her attention focused on the soldiers above. Theron had never been so thoroughly ignored by a woman who had essentially pinned him. Her long, pointed ears twitched as she listened, her slender neck straining as she kept them in her sights. It took a great effort of will to keep his eyes from following her graceful collarbones down to her cleavage. Was this her attempt at seduction?

The woman sighed when they were alone once more. Her sparkling peridot gaze searched his. A blush followed shortly.

“I—”

“Theron.”

“I—what?”

“My name is Theron.”

The strangest expression passed over her face before she swallowed, her gaze turning from his.

“…Aurora.”

“Was there a reason you were skulking about back here, Aurora?” he asked, tucking an errant blonde strand behind her ear. He was gratified to feel it twitch, to see a faint blush on her cheeks.

“Do you vow to keep it secret?” she asked, chewing her bottom lip.

“That depends. What do I get in return?” he asked, deepening the tone of his voice suggestively.

But his little fairy didn’t take the bait. She pushed off of him and offered him her hand.

“If I’m right about something, then would treasure suffice?”

He raised his brows, declining her aid and getting to his feet on his own.

“Yes, that would suffice. You have my vow.”

“I’m going to escape. But first, I need something to protect myself with.”

Far be it for him to tell her that people like her never escaped the vivarium. She seemed so certain of herself. Whatever the outcome, he was happy to be entertained for the afternoon.

“Then lead the way, Aurora.”

She frowned at him.

“You don’t think I can escape from here.”

“I said nothing of the sort.”

“You don’t have to. The pity is written into your gaze,” she said, turning away from him.

“I meant no offence. But a cycle of chaos has begun. And you must know that—”

She pulled off her gown in one fluid movement and tossed it at him.

“Hold that.”

He pulled her gown from his face only to nearly choke on his gasp. Underneath her gown, she wore trousers that fitted her like a second skin and a sheer, lacey nightgown that ended at her waist. Triad’s tits, how did the men of her homeland not walk around gawking every moment of the day? Her attire left nothing to the imagination.

And yet, he imagined.

She dropped to her knees and grunted as she moved a rock from the wall. Theron swallowed, feeling the faintest blush cross his cheeks.

“Hand that to me once I’m on the other side,” she instructed him.

“Right.”

She crawled through a hole in the wall, testing his honour with every wriggle. Once she was through, she put her hand back under and wiggled her fingers.

“Your Majesty?”

He handed her the gown and considered his options. There was no one present to enforce his captivity inside the guest palace, though it would be best to return before his absence was noted. He had no intention of running from his duties as a king, but surely a trip into the Viridian capital would be an interesting diversion.

Theron gazed at the tiny hole in the wall. Shoddy workmanship. Typical Viridian laziness. There wasn’t a chance he could fit through the same tiny crack she had. But going over? He would land in the servant’s laneways on the other side. He backed up and raced down the incline as fast as he could, using his momentum to climb the wall, grab the top and vault over. Aurora squeaked as he landed next to her, her gown covering the scandalous clothes beneath. She frowned, adjusting her hair to cover her elongated ears and her gown to make her appear as flat-chested as a child. Disguise complete, she took his hand in hers and led the way, escaping through the narrow servant’s lanes snaking around the perimeter of the guest palace and melting into the bustle of the capital.

It wasn’t nearly as splendid as Altanus, nor were its citizens as well fed or clothed. Sickness and despair lingered in the dark alleys, and children ran barefoot through dirty streets. Did the queen have no pride? No shame? How could she think herself better than him when the people in her capital suffered despite her good harvests and overflowing treasury? Was she even making proper sacrifices to the spirits and tangible gods?

“Look! A market stall!” Aurora said, pulling him closer to inspect the goods.

“Is this your first time in a city?”

“No, of course not but—oh! Is that how that’s supposed to look? That makes so much more sense now,” she said, her eyes alighting on another stall.

Before he could chide her, she was distracted once more, oohing and aahing over the strangest things. From the way people walked on the raised sidewalks, to the flow of traffic, to the height of the apartment buildings, to the paintings on the walls of businesses, to the explicit graffiti scrawled across every surface. All the while, she peppered him with questions. He answered her queries about everything from children’s toys to how concrete was made. What in the Loom had this woman’s homeland looked like for these things to fascinate her?

After a while, he gave up trying to keep her on track. Maybe the rumours of fairies and their flighty, whimsical natures were not so far off the mark. She flitted from stall to stall, from one bit of everyday paraphernalia to another, never seeming to tire. But as the sun signalled the end of the afternoon, he began to worry they would be discovered outside their cells. No need to ruin her potential future escape just because she couldn’t stay focused. Though if this was how she normally acted, her freedom would be short-lived. He was fairly certain the gates of Boreas closed at last light.

“If you wish to make good on your escape, you’ll need to be more mindful of the time.”

“Hmmm? Oh, no, we have time yet. And I’m not leaving today. But you’re right, we should probably go there now.”

“And where is ‘there’ exactly?”

“You’ll see,” she said, a smile on her face.

Tugging him along to the temple district, she slipped into the alley behind the temple of Knowledge with utter confidence. She looked both ways to ensure there was no one else around and pushed in one of the bricks near the ground.

“Lead me to the fathomless depths of Knowledge,” she whispered.

The bricks dropped down and moved aside, revealing a hidden door.

“How did you…”

Who exactly was this woman? How did she know about this? Not even his spies knew about a secret chamber underneath the temple of Knowledge. Did she know that some people would pay a king’s ransom for such information?

“It’s a secret. Now, hurry up, before someone sees us.”

He followed her down into the cool passageway as she closed the entrance behind them, leaving them in utter darkness. She took his hand in hers as his eyes failed to adjust.

“How can you see?”

“You can’t?”

“No.”

“Don’t worry, Your Majesty, I won’t let you fall into any pit traps.”

“You had best be joking.”

“Hmmm, who knows?”

“If you’re doing this to prove a point about your capabilities, consider the message received loud and clear.”

Her laughter echoed in the chamber.

“It’s not far now.”

She stopped, releasing his hand. The sound of grinding metal against metal presaged a flash of light. He squinted against the suddenness of it before his eyes properly adjusted. And then widened as shock rooted him to the spot.

“Oh, good. I was worried the stories about this were just myths,” Aurora sighed. “Come on. I need to find some kind of weapon to defend myself on the road.”

“Yes, of course…” he replied, dumbstruck.

He stumbled into the glittering hoard of ancient artefacts, his jaw slack. Even one of these was often enough to suffice for a princess’ dowry. Several were displayed in places of honour in Altanus’ royal palace, the dowries of several royal spouses over the generations. Every single one could mean discovering an ancient technology that would change the fate of a kingdom. The last one that his father had collected contained instructions on how to treat torchlight fever. It had come too late to save Theron’s elder brother, but that knowledge had been used to treat tens of thousands of children, and even spared some of the adults for whom the fever was a death sentence.

How in the world had Orithyia kept such a hoard to herself all this time? More importantly, why would the high priestess of Knowledge refuse to disburse the gifts her goddess had bestowed on the world? Even if the hoard’s existence wasn’t enough to take down the high priestess, the secrecy of it would tarnish her reputation.

An irrepressible grin spread on his face. Blackmail of this calibre was usually impossible to attain without a great deal of bloodshed and gold. But his little fairy had gifted it to him for nothing.

It was almost too good to be true. Was this the beginning of some labyrinthine plot by Orithyia? Or had the Triad finally answered his prayers?

What could not be denied was that if someone meant to entrap him, they’d laid the perfect bait. As Aurora picked through the hoard, ignoring him entirely, he wondered whether she’d been put in his path to destroy him…or save him.

Theron couldn’t wait to find out.