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The map had led Seth through hallways of guards, but the absence of security in the current corridor told him he was in the homestretch—which was good since Princess Eve's room was located on the opposite side of the castle and walking bored him.

Paintings hung on the stone walls, with no racket to disturb the strokes of peaceful scenes. The blending of yellows, blues, and greens made the paintings seem to glow. Some stretched higher than him and some hid between larger canvases. Each one made him long for landscapes he'd never seen.

He breathed in and out, making sure he was still shadewalking. The sensation still chilled as much as it did his first try.

The first time he had ever done any shadow charming was mere seconds after Kendra had slain Bahumat. Before his first display of power, the essence of the demon had flown into him as Bahumat's' rough hands had dropped from his neck. The darkness had overwhelmed him, the dark power drowning him. The intensity had terrified the kid. Especially when the rush had dissipated, and he could still feel the darkness sitting inside him.

The terror of the battle's aftermath had hijacked the newfound dark power, and he could see everything, on a new plain of shadows. He could see the connection between him and Bahumat, the flow of darkness. Darkness had lurked in half of the sword Kendra held, still wet with the demon's blood.

Blood—there had been so much blood. Before the knights draped a cloth over his parents, he could only focus on the blood incarnadining their clothes and skin.

No time had been available to explore the new darkness in him afterward. His parents' deaths had hung over the castle like smog. Those first few days, he floated on denial and choked on grief. And to think of the darkness inside him that had come from Bahumat? To think of the connection between him and his parents' murderer? That would've killed him.

So, he kept quiet and hummed himself to sleep so his thoughts didn't get a chance to intrude. He didn't even have a name for the dark power he held until months later, on an adventure with Patton.

Beer cans had filled the shelves of the bar to the point where glass bottles stood a breath away from falling and shattering. Seth had watched the bartender serve drinks with the grace of an acrobat as they swerved the stacks of glass. Each time they got close, Seth held his breath and daydreamed how he'd save the bottles and the bartender from their shatterful fate.

The bar presented itself as a sketchy hole-in-the-wall, but the two had needed directions. Usually, Patton would just forge a new path sans directions, but this was Seth's first expedition and only Patton's second month as his valet—Patton wouldn't let them get lost.

Seth's previous valet had quit after Bahumat's attack, and Seth was still getting to know Patton.

Seth had happily agreed to have the adventurer—he was a cool guy! But now, Patton was treating him like such a kid. He's eleven. That was old enough to kick ass without supervision in Seth's book.

Nevertheless, this was his chance. He might've failed against Bahumat and sucked at royal stuff, but he could be a good adventurer. He'd put all the darkness inside him aside and become a good adventurer.

The stool creaked as Seth fiddled, waiting for Patton to come back.

The fiddling stopped as a young man sat on the stool beside him. A scar across his eyebrow drew Seth's attention. "Hello."

"I didn't expect to meet a shadow charmer in this hellhole."

"Shadowcharmer?" Seth turned to the man.

"Dark power?" Ronodin gesticulated, drink in hand. "Ability to wield darkness? That's you, right?"

A rush of knowing pulled his mouth into a smile. "I'm a shadow charmer."

The word was completely foreign to him, but as memories flashed before him, it clicked. This was his word.

It explained everything. The darkness—the shadow—he carried with him after Bahumat's death. The moment when he had been yelling at his sister, and the temperature dropped to teeth-chattering cold.

It explained all the goblins he'd spot even when Kendra would squint with her all-new night vision spells and assume the creatures had hopped off already. But, he saw them. He heard them.

He knew he wasn't supposed to have been able to.

"Thought so," the man stuck out his hand. "Ronodin. Master of the dark arts."

"Dark arts?" Seth reluctantly stuck his hand out. The guy grinned like a shark, but Seth needed his knowledge.

A drunk man fell against the bar as Ronodin shook his hand. "That's what shadowcharming is as well, isn't it?"

"Well, I don't know." Seth eyed the drunk failing to stand up. "Does he need help?"

"Don't worry about him. Me and you, however, we need—" Ronodin's eyes trailed behind the prince. "I didn't know you had a babysitter."

"A babysitter? 'Course not." Seth didn't understand what Ronodin was getting at until Patton's hand clamped his shoulder. Seth froze. It wasn't like he disobeyed Patton—he had told Seth to stay put and Seth hadn't moved—but the adventurer seemed unhappy.

Ronodin sloppily saluted. "Patton Burgess. I didn't expect to meet a celebrity in this hellhole, either."

A couple of patrons trained their eyes on Patton—even the drunk who had given up and stayed seated on the floor. Despite Seth's trepidation, he was excited to meet all of them. They were people he'd never have encountered inside Fablehaven.

Patton patted Seth's shoulder. "Excuse us."

Ronodin lifted his drink in reply. "I wouldn't keep a busy man like you waiting."

Patton nodded and then led Seth out of the bar.

Once the hurried exit finished and they were untying their horses, Seth opened his mouth. "So—"

"Who was that?"

Seth stood as Patton continued to unwind the rope. "He said he was Ronodin."

Patton glanced at Seth and began to unwind the rope faster. "What'd he say?"

"Um." Seth's mouth was dry. "Nothing."

"Nothing?" Patton raised an eyebrow. "I'm not your grandfather, Seth. I won't tell on you or anything."

"He didn't say anything memorable." The saddle felt rough as Seth swung his body onto his horse. "Just small talk."

Sometimes, Patton made Seth feel like the man could see through him. This, unfortunately, was one of those times. Noble whinnied as Seth sunk lower in his saddle.

The adventurer tried to coax answers out with silence, but soon he conceded. "Alright. I'm trusting you."

As the two rode off to the next town, Seth buried the guilt that wondered if he had just made a huge mistake.

Months later, in the comfort of passed time and Kendra's room, Seth broke out his new knowledge. "Do you know what the dark arts are?"

"The what?" Kendra stopped braiding her hair. The mirror reflected her frown. "Doesn't sound good."

"But, you got your powers from Bahumat's death, right? That must be the dark arts."

"I didn't..." Kendra swiveled to face Seth. "I didn't get the magical capacity from Bahumat. I got the ability to access it during the fight, but it wasn't from him."

"That doesn't make sense, Kendra." He flopped against her bed.

"It's—I'm going to sound insane, but you remember those old theology textbooks Dad had?"

"Yeah." The celestial galaxy painted on her ceiling seemed to wink at him.

"Well," Kendra hopped off her stool and pulled a book from her shelf. The bed bounced as she took a seat next to Seth. He pushed up onto his elbows to see the book. On the pages, a woman decked in floating flowers and cloth smiled. Kendra's finger tapped the woman's head. "This is the Fairy Queen. Some magical goddess from long ago, but I found her statue."

Seth knitted his eyebrows. "Where are you going with this?"

"Before Bahumat broke into the citadel, I had asked for a miracle. The statue had cried with me." Kendra hesitated. "It was either that lady or I was born with it."

"People aren't born with sorcery," Seth refuted.

However, she might be right that she didn't get it from Bahumat. He didn't remember any dark tendrils feeding into Kendra that night. But without that explanation, either Kendra broke the laws of sorcery (wouldn't put it past her) and was born with it or he had to reckon with some old deity.

"Exactly. I don't know if it's—maybe I don't know what I'm talking about."

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The picture of the Fairy Queen didn't leave his head after their conversation.

Naturally, he brought it up with Ronodin the next time they ran into each other—which happened a lot. Ronodin had denied the prince's accusation of stalking, merely stating "people like us gravitate towards each other."

When Seth had asked him how humans would get light magic, Ronodin had wrinkled his nose. "Don't tell me you're talking to any of those fairy types. They are so annoying."

Seth had leaned against the bookshelf they were hiding behind. Ronodin's knowledge of people and magic implied an older age than his young complexion suggested. It wouldn't do well not to get his opinion. "So you don't know?"

"Of course, I know," Ronodin snapped. "But I hate talking about that lady."

Seth knew that if Ronodin didn't want to talk about someone, he wouldn't. However, his mention of "fairy" and "lady" already seemed to confirm Kendra's theory.

"I don't know if you've heard their preaching yet but remember: light doesn't always make right." Ronodin's hand swung out as he punctuated his point, shoving a few books off the shelf. "Just because someone has sparkles doesn't mean they have a moral compass. And just because you have a bit of darkness doesn't mean you're bad, either."

Seth nodded as he stared at the fallen books. The words weighed on his heart and mind. If there was anything to thank Ronodin for, it was that piece of wisdom.

"Now, tell me about this special human who prompted this discussion."

"Can't," Seth shrugged. "Magic. Illegal."

Ronodin rolled his eyes. "Hate that stupid treaty."

He did enjoy his talks with Ronodin—but they were few and far between. They couldn't bear the full weight of Seth's heavy conscience.

He had confessed to Patton not much later. The crackling of the fire and bird calls had dampened his pained words.

"Seth, I will never be disappointed or mad at you. I'll—I'll always be there." The firelight might've played tricks on Seth's eyes that night, but he could've sworn he'd seen tears in his valet's eyes. "We'll figure this out together."

Patton urged Seth to tell Kendra next and that confession ended with a hug he didn't think would ever end.

The rest of the inner circle—Warren and Vanessa—soon found out as well. They became the only people sans their grandparents that knew the full extent of their power and the danger that came with it.

And now, standing outside Princess Eve's door, he realized just how much danger threatened him.

It was more than when he'd roam with the undisguised satyrs and more than when he'd faced down Bahumat.

He stood in enemy territory—the birthplace of the treaty that outlawed magic of any kind.

It outlawed his kind.

The revelation knocked around his skull as he knocked on the door.

No answer.

His fingers wrapped around the doorknob and twisted it. Locked.

Another knock. More silence. Well, the occupant had given him no choice.

Reaching out with his magic, he hovered his hand over the door. A click assured his success and he arrived in the bedroom.

Plush pillows drowned in a fluffy canopy bed perpendicular to a posh couch. Seth faced the couch, not daring to take a breath.

His stillness asked a question waiting to hear footsteps or exhales of the princess. Nothing answered.

Pulling the door closed, he took another step, his shoe sinking into the fluffy carpet.

Lights lit up the room—a bit too well. He could feel the chandelier's light burning away his cloak.

He was safe though; no one was in the room.

However, that begged the question: where was Princess Eve?

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After an hour of snooping around, Seth concluded that someone lived in the bedroom. Possibly Princess Eve.

A toothbrush laid on the bathroom counter, and a pair of shoes laid scattered across the carpet. A plate of fruit sat on the window sill, the apples only a bit brown.

Rain began to patter on the windows just as wood scratched behind the couch. Seth watched as the bottom half of the paneled wall shook and then fell a bit to the back of the couch. A hand emerged to push the panel to the side, and he ducked into a nearby shadow.

Which turned out to be the only shadow dark enough to allow him to shadewalk. He stood stuck in the tiny, uncomfortable corner unless he wanted to reveal himself. The dresser pinched his skin against the wall.

The couch moved forward and revealed a girl in a blue dress crawling out with muddy boots.

Based on her likeness to Terrabelle's royalty with her dark skin and coiled hair, he concluded that she was, in fact, Princess Eve. She lived, and this was her room.

Who would've guessed?

After brushing off her hands and leaving dirt streaks on her dress, the Princess replaced the wood panel and scooted the couch back in position. Nothing looked out of place. The movement seemed automatic, suggesting she'd been at it for a while.

Now, what exactly was she doing in the walls?

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Seth wanted to leave. He really did—it was unnerving just watching someone go about their day. Especially when they did weird things, like take off their muddy boots and leave them in their shower. Or stuff keys into their drawer.

But, alas this one shadow was his only cover. He could always try to make it to the door, but the Princess constantly faced his direction.

The princess finally put down her journal that she'd been writing in for the past decade and turned to the shelf to grab a new book.

Adrenaline entered his veins once she didn't turn back around immediately. It had been forever since he got shoved into the corner. This was his first good chance.

His feet slid across the floor, his shadow gone. Not even halfway to the door, his elbow caught a vase on the dresser.

He spun and caught the container, but the lid slipped and shattered against the floor. With a stifled scream, the book snapped shut.

He'd never dreaded anything more than turning around in that moment. Nevertheless, he turned, hands raised with a vase. Fury painted her face.

"Who are you?" A book fell as Eve backed up against the wall with her hand searching the shelves for a shank. "Where did you come from? You broke my vase!"

A million different lies whirred through his head. Best go with his own identity. Seth held up one finger and slowly set the vase back on the dresser. "Prince Seth of Fablehaven."

Eve whipped her crown off her head in lieu of a weapon, but readied the point towards him.

But, from where did he come? The door? No, he was too far away. The shadows? No, no magic in Terrabelle. "I came from the tunnels. Also, so sorry, I didn't mean—"

"You know about the tunnels?" Eve's makeshift crown shank wavered in her hand. "Prince Seth?"

"Yes, yes, I do. Very lovely. I just didn't know that it came out up here." He channeled his inner Garreth as he smiled a million-watt smile. Hopefully, she wouldn't notice how the panel was still closed.

"You know about the uh—" Eve flapped her hand.

"Yes, that." Seth swore his talks with Ronodin were influencing Seth's dishonesty. "We don't have a word for that back at Fablehaven. What do you call it?"

"What? It's the—the dragon." Eve flapped her hand again.

"Oh, thank you for telling me," Seth took another step towards the door. "I actually didn't know about that."

"What?" Eve's shriek matched the terror on her face. The terror darkened her face into anger.

Seth shoved his hands in his pockets. "Hmm?"

Eve suddenly crossed the room. He blinked and her crown pressed against his neck.

"You tell no one."

"Woah, there," Seth struggled to keep up his smile. "Please don't hurt me."

"You tell no one what I told you. They'll kill him."

"Kill the dragon? Why?"

Eve looked taken aback. "Have you never been to Terrabelle before? My mother?"

"Your mother...?"

Exasperation colored her face and her free hand flew into the air. "Are you really who you say you are?"

"Yes," Seth raised his hand and flashed his royal ring. "I arrived last night."

"I know, I was in the throne room." Eve gazed afar, presumably thinking about how much she shouldn't be pressing the sharp crown against a prince's neck. Or, at least, that's what he hoped she was thinking.

"No, you weren't."

"Yes, I was! In the rafters. I couldn't see you that well." The crown pressed against his throat harder as her hand shook. "Don't tell anyone about that either."

Seth couldn't help his smile. "Wow, you're bad at this."

Wetness sprung up from his throat and Eve's eyes glanced down. She stepped back and dropped her hand.

Eve covered her face with a hand. "My dad's going to kill me."

"No, wait," Seth touched his throat and came back with a bit of blood. "I'm not going to say anything."

Seth knew that he should comfort her. At the same time, she literally just cut him. However, it wouldn't do well to ostracize the kingdom's princess. "I'm sorry."

"Wait." Eve lifted her hand off her face with a grin. "You can't say anything, anyway. My father told Kendra that any magic caught with any of you and you were out."

Seth tilted his head in exasperation. This situation just kept getting worse. He wished he was the one on a picnic. "Did he now?"

Eve let out a laugh. "Perfect."

"Not perfect," Seth chided. His foot tapped the floor. "But, hey, could you show me that dragon?"

Eve dropped her smile. "You're kidding."

"Favor for a favor. I don't say anything about your tunnels and your absolutely ruthless attack and you give me a tour of the tunnels."

"Or I could say that I found you in my room trying to assassinate me, and I fought back in defense. And then, my father would kill you. I wouldn't have to deal with you at all."

"That's also an option," Seth placated. His foot stopped tapping. "I don't particularly prefer it, however."

Eve opened her mouth but a knock turned both their attentions' to the door.

Seth lifted his eyebrows in question and Eve just shrugged.

The knock repeated itself. "Princess Eve?"

"Yes?" Eve crossed to the door. "Don't come in."

"Your brother and Princess Kendra are missing. The knights are on their way to retrieve them in the storm. We're looking for Seth. I'm told he was in here?"

They lost Kendra.

"Yes," Seth spoke up. Worry began to prick at his demeanor. "Here."

"I'm coming too," Eve opened her door.

"No, just Prince Seth, please," the guard's helmet barely peeked through the small opening. "Your father doesn't want you in danger."

Eve and Seth locked eyes. He knew that look. She was worried for her brother. It would be excruciating to sit and wait for information while Garreth stayed in danger.

Seth cocked his head and lowered his voice.

"Favor for a favor?"

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thank you for reading!

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