If I went to Wildewall, the entire court and everyone around it would know of it.

Every debt collector, every sailor and merchant who cursed the Montbows, every petty thief from the Thundercoast region who knew we had coin in our coffers now, was listening and looming in the shadows. Ariane not having a shred of compassion for our situation wasn't a surprise, but even she had to understand I couldn't take off with her and Oleander to the autumn ball.

"My family would practically be begging to get robbed. Or worse," I protested. "Especially if Ytel may be planning on coming here. I have to decline the invitation."

Ariane looked at me like I had just insulted the thunder god. "One does not decline an invitation from the queen. It's not a question. It's an order."

"If I don't decline, there may not be a house Montbow to return to!" 

Leaving for the Serpentine mountains for a week had been a risk we could take. Nobody but the knight commander, a few court clerks, and my carefully chosen guide, Endris, knew I wasn't at the Thundercoast. But an event as large as the autumn ball couldn't stay hushed and hidden. I would likely be gone for at least a month.

While my heart pounded with fear, Ariane's eyes swept the coastline dispassionately.

"Yes, your enemies will certainly feel emboldened, knowing the blessed storm-touched of house Montbow isn't home and won't be able to strike them down," Ariane simply said.

"Exactly." I crossed my arms. "I am not leaving the Thundercoast unless my entire family is coming with us."

Ariane mirrored my annoyed tone. "Have you already forgotten what I said? Ytel, just like everyone else, must answer to the invitation of the queen. He will need to be back in Wildewall in time for the ball, like all of us."

I stared at her.

Ariane clacked her tongue. "Meaning, if Ytel wishes to overwhelm the Montbows, steal the land, and cover up the evidence of what he did, he will need to attack soon. Once the window of opportunity passes, everyone who has the kind of manpower to attack the Montbows must be present in Wildewall."

"That doesn't mean they can't send warriors to the Thundercoast during the ball," I pointed out.

"That remark only goes to show how little you remember of court life." Ariane sighed. "Think, Laurence. Each and every noble who is someone to this world is leaving their home to travel to Wildewall for the ball. All leaders are forced to leave their region, and nobody is risking an invasion while they are gone. Their best warriors will be home."

"So, what are you suggesting, then?" I asked. "You're saying we leave at the last possible moment and slide into the halls of the palace with a stretched leg, giving Ytel no chance to attack and then make it to Wildewall in time?"

"No," Ariane replied. "I'm saying you, me, the miracle herbalist, and our servants, if you have any, will depart from the Thundercoast at once."

"What?"

"We ride to Vespertin in the night to make it seem we left and tried to do so in secret. In reality, we return by ship."

"... What?"

"Is what the only word you can say?" Ariane asked with a smile that was stuck between amused and contemptuous. "We pretend we leave, see if Ytel takes the bait, and then we actually leave. That is all. It's plain and it's simple. I assume there are no more questions."

Ariane turned on her heels and started walking back to the mansion.

I walked beside her, speeding up my pace to keep up with her strides. "And you just arranged this already? Without consulting us?"

"I did consult you. I consulted your brother," Ariane said. "He is most capable of keeping a secret and making sure the necessary precautions are taken."

Speaking of the devil always made him appear. 

As Ariane spoke, Conrad, Endris, and Valda came outside. They were going to the hills to forage for the antidotes. Ariane's dark eyes settled on Conrad, like a predator while it was hunting.

"Conrad," I said. I stared at my brother as he marched to the stables with my sister and Endris, but he didn't look up at us. "He should have mentioned what he was planning."

"There are many things he does for house Montbow that are best not mentioned." Ariane chuckled. "Do you think your storm-touched powers have been the only thing staving off the intruders all these years?"

"I didn't think that!" 

I knew Valda and Gisela made debt collectors more patient with their charm or with intimidation. I'd never really known what Conrad did. Conrad went where Conrad wanted to go. Sometimes he went out to steal back a horse. Other times, I assumed he was simply visiting taverns.

Ariane smirked. "Either way, you will not have Conrad's help in Wildewall at the autumn ball. So I suggest you read your invitation and prepare yourself."

I wanted to protest purely for the sake of it, but my curiosity won. I took the letter out of my bag and swiftly read the first few lines of the invitation as we walked inside.

The lobby smelled like rising bread. Ariane's servants must have found their way to the kitchen and the rest of the mansion. The light scuff of footsteps coming from all directions was something I hadn't heard since I was little. Usually, the halls were silent.

I expected most of my family to have gone to work, but I found my mother and Oleander in the living quarters. He perked up when he saw me. 

Shooting Oleander a subtle smile, I walked to my mother and handed the invitation letter to my mother. "Look at this," I said.

Mother narrowed her eyes at me, then read the first few lines, just as I had outside. I saw the exact moment the realisation of what this was dawned on her. Her dark eyes shot back up to meet mine. I read worry and excitement in equal measure in her gaze. Mother always hoped, for our sakes, that we would be welcome at the court again.

"But the invitation is only extended to Oleander and I," I muttered.

"The queen invited Oleander," my mother repeated incredulously.

Ariane shrugged. "Her majesty loves her rarities and peculiar tales. Perhaps she even wants the miracle herbalist to work in Wildewall if he pleases her."

"Oleander doesn't know the proper etiquette for such a formal event," Mother replied. "We must tell the court he fell ill and can't attend."

"You know we can't, mother," I mumbled.

Much as I didn't want to say it, Ariane was right. Unless Oleander was literally dead or had a highly contagious disease as proven by a doctor from the court, the excuse wouldn't be accepted and house Montbow would be blamed.

Oleander rose to his feet, only to bow elegantly for my mother. "I will spend all my spare time learning, lady Montbow," he promised. "Whenever I'm not making antidotes, I will study court etiquette and ensure I don't shame the Montbow family. I owe it to your son for saving my life."

"That is most diligent of you." Ariane smiled brightly and linked her arm into mine. "And we shall have my servants, my love. They'll be plenty for the both of us. Don't fret about having none of your own."

"Yes, thank you," I hastily replied. While I carefully pried Ariane's arm off of mine, Oleander's cheeks flushed with anger. He clenched his jaw and lowered his eyes. Ariane's smile widened at his rage and my discomfort.

"You can take Endris," my mother offered, gracefully ignoring the silent tug-of-war happening in front of her. "We could also summon some of our old servants back to the mansion now that we have the coin to pay them. We had been planning on that, regardless."

"They won't be in time. We need to depart tonight," Ariane said.

I opened my mouth to tell my mother of the plan, but Ariane shot me a pointed look that told me 'shut up.'

"Tonight?" Mother asked. "You had a long journey, Lady Seydal. Wouldn't you prefer to stay one night and depart at a later time?"

"No, we must leave tonight," Ariane insisted.

"If that is so, I would like to leave you with some more healing salve recipes," Oleander told my mother. "I have potent ointments that can soothe sore muscles or stop disease from taking hold of open wounds. The common folk working in the fields or at sea need them."

"They would be less expensive than the rare antidote," Mother remarked. "But good for the heart and soul of our region. I see your point. Thank you, Oleander."

Mother's smile didn't touch her eyes. I couldn't be sure, but I had an inkling that she felt what I already knew: something wasn't right.

I wanted to know why Ariane refused to tell my mother everything. Why leave everyone in the dark about Ytel and his presence at the Thundercoast, and his plan to attack? I only went with it for now because Conrad also knew. While my brother and I didn't see eye to eye and his ways were opaque like the dark, deep sea, I knew he wanted his family alive. That didn't mean I was happy with lying, however.

When I looked into my mother's eyes, I realised she was worried for me too. I'd be travelling straight into the viper's nest with an elven man and my betrothed. Thinking of it like that, I was worried about Oleander and myself too.

Conrad, Valda, and Endris returned from foraging in the hills as the sun rose to the highest point in the sky. I summoned everyone to the living quarters, and I told all my siblings and my father the news about the autumn ball. Conrad didn't bat an eye. Valda was visibly upset they did not invite her, while Gisela was visibly relieved Valda wasn't invited. Father left the room without a word and slammed the door shut behind him. Mother insisted I brought my green formal wear since I looked best in it, and gave me coin to purchase new clothes in Wildewall itself, for our wardrobe was likely horribly outdated for capital standards. Besides that, Oleander did not even own formalwear and would have to buy it in Wildewall.

We were so unprepared, it was laughable.

My littlest brother, Fynn, didn't seem to grasp the significance of an invitation for the autumn ball yet. Born in an already disgraced house, he had never seen Wildewall's court. Besides, Fynn was getting attention like he had never gotten attention before, with all Ariane's servants finding him adorable and sneaking him pastries in the kitchen. There was a lot of excitement for him in one day. I was almost surprised he came up to my room while I was packing the last things for the ruse journey, after we finished dinner. 

Fynn entered my room with his hands stuffed into his pockets. When he saw me, he grinned and revealed one palm with a sticky pastry on it. "I saved you one from the kitchen."

The idea of eating the half-melted pudding tart almost made me gag, so I shook my head and ruffled Fynn's dark curls. "That's sweet. You eat those yourself. I will have plenty of pastries at the autumn ball."

Fynn didn't protest. I'd hardly even finished my sentence, or he had already shoved the pastry into his own mouth. "You should take Spot when you leave for the palace," he said with a full mouth. "He will get you there safely. And back."

I smiled at Fynn's innocence and the bits of pudding on his cheeks. Him offering me his favourite horse was a big gesture, given how hard he'd cried when the horse was taken. "Thank you, Fynn. I will make sure to take Spot."

"And marry Oleander in Wildewall. In the palace of the queen."

I chuckled awkwardly. "Alright, that's enough out of you, little troublemaker. Don't let Ariane hear you. Come on, downstairs we go."

I flung my knapsack over my shoulders and picked Fynn up. We headed down the steps together.

I was late. Oleander, Endris, and Ariane already stood ready to depart, and so did all of Ariane's retainers. We said our goodbyes. I tried to push down the guilt at seeing the fear in my mother's and Valda's eyes, and the way they squeezed me as we hugged. 

I mounted Spot, and we rode into the night while my family waved us goodbye. I could only imagine how worried they all were, save for Conrad. For all they knew, they were sending two utterly unprepared men to a ball that would judge them harshly for not knowing its rules. Endris, who had some understanding of the court and how it worked, could only guide us so much. 

For a moment, I worried about Oleander on his horse too. I'd never seen him ride on his own, but it appeared my concerns were unwarranted. Like he moved with grace on his own two feet, he also rode a horse like a natural. He had no trouble staying in the saddle or leaning the right way to help his horse during its descent down the cliffs.

I waited until we were out of the mountain passages and in the woods leading to town before speaking up. "Are you going to tell me why you didn't share the whole story, Ariane?"

Ariane pursed her lips. "I said all I needed to say."

I glanced at Oleander and Endris, who both looked at me for answers about what was going on. "They will find out once we lead them to a ship, you know," I said. "Why the secrecy?"

Oleander's eyes went round. "We're going to a boat?"

Ariane ignored Oleander. "You will see what the plan is soon enough, Laurence. Just be patient, and don't break your pretty little head over it."

Ariane led us deeper into the woods where the vegetation grew thicker. There, three of her retainers wordlessly dismounted their horses and opened the saddlebags.

I lowered myself from Spot's back as well. Then I watched, perplexed, as the most beautiful robes and dresses emerged from simple bags. In front of my eyes, one woman and two men started changing and swiftly made a transformation from simple servants to haughty nobles.

"Ariane, why are your servants dressing up like nobles?" I asked, politely averting my gaze when the woman started disrobing in front of me, seemingly without shame.

Ariane snorted. "Think very hard, Laurence, I know you can do it," she patronised me. "What are we trying to do here? Where do we want to go, and what do we want our enemies to think?"

"We are creating a diversion," Endris spoke up. His dark eyes glided from the servants' faces to Ariane, Oleander, and finally to me. "These men and woman will pretend they are you, Lady Seydal, and Oleander... While we go elsewhere?"

"At least one of you has a brain," Ariane said.

"Damn," I muttered. 

I looked at the three servants again. With this new information, I suddenly realised their complexions and stature seemed to correspond with mine, Ariane's, and Oleander's. The woman was a tall redhead like Ariane. One man had brown skin, black hair, and dark eyes like me. And the walking sculpture, who also worked as Ariane's messenger, was most like Oleander. His hair wasn't silvery, his nose not freckled, but I suppose it was hard to find someone who looked like Oleander. Nobody did. The alabaster man at least had the elf's fair skin.

"We go to the boa- ship," I said. "To wait and see if Ytel makes an appearance."

"Yes," Ariane replied. "We will circle behind the cliffs and board the ship Conrad arranged. We will see an attack coming from that position, but they won't see us coming." A smile spread on Ariane's lips. "And if they do attack, Laurence, you wiggle your fingers and burn them to a crisp with your thunder."