42

“Now,” the duchess said, “it’s time for the final trial. Tomorrow, you will be attending the closing ball for the King’s Choice. You will be expected to face the council again, but this time, you will be presenting to the council.”

“Oh?” Adora asked. “Like a diplomatic meeting?”

“Yes,” the duchess said. “The council has tested your knowledge of governance and manners, and your physical skill on the battlefield. Now, the council would like to know why each of you wish to wear the Crown of Nightfall at King Elias’ side.”

Fina nodded, trying her best to look excited, but I could see the despair in her eyes. This felt like a terrible school assignment—having to stand in front of the council and argue that I wanted the crown? I was good at navigating diplomatic situations, like trade disputes and legal questions, but just standing there and telling them I wanted this seemed like an impossible task. And I could only assume the duchess would be trying to thwart me every step of the way. She already distrusted me for what had happened with Rona.

It would be miserable. But if the duchess disliked me, surely Adora would be the one chosen. The king had said he had the final say—but sitting here in front of the duchess, I wasn’t sure if his desires would be able to outweigh her and the council’s influence.

I took a deep breath to try to settle my nerves and eat a little breakfast. If I was right, this ball would be the end of my time in Efra. I should enjoy it. I deserved to have a little bit of fun after yesterday’s horror show. I didn’t have any interest in heading back to the library—as curious as I was about the maps, the thought of going back to the archival tables and seeing the freshly scrubbed floors made my stomach turn.

“This evening, a designer from Camille’s will visit you in your chambers,” the duchess said. “The Court of Nightfall will have gowns made for you specifically for this ball, to represent your own courts. The wolves of Nightfall will of course be in our own colors.”

“That’s very kind,” Adora said. “Thank you, Duchess.”

Fina and I murmured our own thanks as well. Excellent—another designer. Maybe she’d be part Fae, and I could get a little more information about the return of the Fae to Efra in the privacy of my own room.

Adora carried the conversation—Gods bless her. She even managed to wrangle a smile out of the duchess at one point. After the meal, Fina caught my elbow in the hallway as I headed back toward my room. I had planned to review my notes about the maps and craft some non-suspicious questions to ask the designer, but Fina’s sparkling eyes made it clear she had something else in mind. “Reyna, can I ask you something?” she asked.

“Sure,” I said. “Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yes,” Fina said. “That breakfast was a bit weird and tense, but everything’s fine.”

That was an understatement. I nodded. Adora stepped into the hallway, too, and Fina waved her over.

“Listen,” Fina said, “I wanted to ask you—do you think you could train us in swordsmanship? Just a little?”

“Today?” I asked, blinking.

“Please,” Adora said as her blue eyes grew wide and pleading. “You don’t know how badly I failed in the arena. It was so embarrassing.”

“You don’t need skills,” Fina said with a grin, “you need to do some push-ups.” “I could hardly lift my sword,” Adora said, her face flushing.

“And you performed so well against the king,” Fina said. “It was really amazing to watch.”

I realized, then, that both Adora and Fina thought this might be the last day we had together in some time. Tomorrow, at the ball, one of us would be chosen as queen, and the other two would return home. I realized with a painful clench in my heart that I was going to miss both of these girls. More than I ever expected. But the thought of picking up a blade after what had happened in the library did not appeal to me, not in the slightest. I’d only just gotten the last of the blood out from under my nails this morning.

“That sparring really wore me out,” I admitted. “I think I’m still recovering. I need to be in good condition for the ball tomorrow.”

“Oh, of course!” Fina said, but she couldn’t hide the disappointment in her expression. “That makes sense, yes.”

“I’ll have to show you some tricks another time,” I said with a smile. “Regardless of who is chosen for the Choice, I’m sure I can make plenty of diplomatic excursions. There’s always trade going on in Daybreak.”

“You’re so sure you won’t be chosen?” Adora asked. “The king himself seemed impressed by your fighting skills.”

“Perhaps,” I admitted, “but the council doesn’t like me.”

“So it wasn’t just me?” Fina asked. She lowered her voice. “It really seemed like the duchess was staring daggers at you.”

“Oh, it makes sense,” I said. “The battle between Daybreak and Nightfall is too fresh. It’d be better to go with a different pack.” I waved a hand through the air. “Shouldn’t we enjoy the last of this time we have together, then?”

“Let me guess,” Fina said, “you want to go back to the library?”

I laughed, but it was a little forced. “No, not today. There was some interesting research I was doing, but…”

“You know,” Adora said, “I used to come to Efra often as a little girl, as my mother was part of the diplomatic envoy. There’s an additional archival room on the lower levels.”

I whirled to face her so hard I nearly knocked my shoulder into Fina. “What? Different than the library?”

“Yes,” Adora said. “It has older materials, things that aren’t accessed as often.”

Maybe there’d be maps—maps of the city before Daybreak took power. “Do you still know where it is?”

Fina laughed. “Of course, no library, but instead we’ll go to a different library.”

I shrugged. “I’d like to see more of the grounds, too, don’t you agree? I feel like I’ve been going between my quarters, the solarium, and the dining halls over and over.”