Welp. That was definitely the wrong room.

  I floated absently through the empty hall, the pale moonlight striking the finely polished granite flooring. I felt a subtle warmness that had grown in my cheeks. I was supposed to be talking to Queen Marie, but I’d never been in her castle before. I’d assumed they would’ve put the queen’s bedroom in the most prominent position, but evidently she and her husband had decided her son would get that spot. No matter. I’d just have to look the old-fashioned way.

  As I continued to move down the hall, I flew past a pair of guards at the end of the hall. They both wore simple gambeson and each had a long steel-tipped spear. Passing by them, I could sense some kind of primal magic coming from the metal. Perhaps an enchantment of some kind. That might be a decent bit of small talk to have with Marie. I hadn’t noticed that kind of enchantment on the prince’s blade, but it wasn’t nearly as shiny as what the guards were carrying. Perhaps it was a different metal entirely. Thinking of that encounter more, I began wondering how he’d seen me at all. I was meant to be invisible to everything except demons. Was the prince a demon? Surely not. The idea of a queen having a halfdemon as her only son was completely absurd to me, especially considering her husband was fully human. Then again, I really hadn’t had time to get to know anyone yet. I had very limited memories of my past, though that was to be expected of a month-old herald. The only person I’d been around so far was Larn.

  Glancing up from my vacant gaze, I found myself in some sort of dining room. The table was rather short for what I assumed belonged to a king, though his seat overlooked a large ornate window. As my eyes stayed fixed on the chair, I began to recall some of the details I’d learned while studying up on Queen Marie. The queen wasn’t royalty by blood, having married into the royal family of Theolia through King Jakob. Jakob was a powerful warlock, perhaps even on par with his wife in terms of combat prowess, though, of course, using mostly spells rather than weapons. He was the warlock to Sha, the goddess of death. Despite how rocky the king and his patron’s relationship was, Larn and I had both agreed it wasn’t a good idea to get tangled up in their mess. Queen Marie, however, was patron-free, and thus fair game. That being said, she’d been approached by heralds before and turned them down every time. It was going to be hard to sell her on Larn’s mission, but I had to try my best. The heavens themselves were at risk. We couldn’t afford for her to decline.

  I shook my head rapidly, then rubbed my eyes slowly. It was late, and I was getting caught up in my own head far too easily. I began to wonder if that was a side effect of the memory loss. I shook my head again.

  No. Focus, Adora. Find the bedroom.

  Looking out at the rest of the room, I saw two doors I hadn’t yet passed through. Poking my head through one, I saw a vast and fully stocked kitchen, complete with ovens, griddles, and overflowing cabinets, so full the doors couldn’t close. I began to feel my mouth water, then pulled my head back into the dining room. Floating onward to the second door, I saw nothing but a long hallway. Seeing nowhere else to go, I passed through the door and proceeded. The hall was dark and oddly vacant, with no windows and extinguished torches. After rounding a corner, I came across a single wooden door. As I floated into it, I was stopped at the wood of the door itself, bumping my head into it. Stumbling back, I rubbed my head a bit to soothe the minor pain. Odd. Very odd. Whatever was behind that door was being protected by some sort of spell. If that was the bedroom, it seemed I’d have to wait till morning to talk to the queen. Then again, from how Larn had described Sha, I imagined she wouldn’t have allowed her warlock to spend the evening in a magic-free room like this one. Perhaps this room led to a vault or an archive of some kind. Regardless, it was a room I couldn’t enter, and the hall continued onward. With a light sigh, I turned and pressed on.

  At the very end of the hall stood one singular door, this one dolled up more lavishly than the first with paint and engravings depicting flowers. The room most certainly belonged to the queen. I floated closer to the door and reached out my hand, checking this time to make sure I could pass through it. As I moved through the wood and into the room, the first thing I noticed was the bed. It was rather large with white curtains all around it, concealing whoever was inside. From the outlines, I could see two people were sleeping there. On my right was a large window which had been left open, exposing the couple to the bitter February air. On the left wall was another door, which I imagined led to a changing room or a lavatory. Either way, it was quite obvious to me now that I’d found the right room. I took a deep breath to compose myself, then began floating toward the bed and through the curtain. Entering in, I found a man and a woman sleeping turned away from each other, both seeming peaceful in their slumber. Floating over to the right side of the bed, I tapped the woman very lightly on the shoulder.

  Almost immediately, the woman leaped out of bed, brandishing a small dagger and thrusting it forward through the curtain, completely unrestricted by her pale green nightgown. As I floated upward and out of her way, she took a few quick breaths as she looked around the room wildly.

  “Marie?” the man asked weakly

  The queen slowly let her arms fall to her side and carefully removed the dagger from the curtains.

  “Go back to sleep, Jakob,” she sighed. “It was nothing.”

  The queen took a few steps forward, brushing the curtains out of the way and wandering toward the window. I noticed a bit of ivy begin to grow over the windowsill as she rested her arms on it, and she absently toyed with its vines with her fingers for a moment. Slowly, I began moving closer to the queen.

  “It’s nice out tonight,” I heard her mumble. “Very calm, very serene.”

  She stood, then turned around, looking out over the room.

  “I know that wasn’t just the wind,” she continued, her voice still soft. “Reveal yourself, whatever you are.”

  Even with her gaze only adjacent to my position, I felt a shiver run down my spine. This woman was fierce in all aspects of the word. I slowly floated down to the floor, making sure to stay out of the moonlight, and as my feet made contact with the stone her eyes snapped to my position.

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  “Another herald, I presume,” she said quietly. “Who is it this time?”

  “Good evening, your highness,” I began softly, allowing the light in the room to interact with my incorporeal form. “I am Adora, the herald of Larn.”

  “I wasn’t aware Larn had a herald,” the queen replied. I noticed the tension in her body had diminished slightly. “What do you want?”

  “You see, your highness,” I resumed, “Larn has a problem. A problem that threatens the-”

  “Excuse me,” she interrupted. “Miss… Adora, was it? I don’t mean to be rude, but it’s midnight, it’s cold, and I’m in my nightgown. Get to the point.”

  “R-right,” I chuckled a bit. I took a deep breath. “If you are willing, Larn asks that you might allow me to take you as my warlock so that we might destroy his temple in Egypt.”

  I noticed the queen’s guard drop even further. “You want me to serve you, under Larn, to destroy Larn’s temple?”

  “Yes.”

  The queen took a deep breath, then let it out slowly, rubbing her eyes.

  “Why?”

  “The temple has been taken over by Thoen,” I explained. “He’s already begun to use Larn’s temple for sacrificial purposes. If he grows to be more powerful than Larn, he’ll extinguish the sun itself.”

  “And subsequently slay all of his followers,” she countered. After a moment, she looked away. “I’m not trying to be rude, truly. I’m just… it’s been a long day for me.”

  I nodded. The queen turned back toward me.

  “I understand the gods all have their petty disputes, and I’ve told every other herald who’s come here that I don’t want any part in it. They all say the world is going to end, and yet here we are. Explain to me why I should care.”

  I sighed, looking away from the queen.

  “You’ve heard of the Day of Darkness, I presume.”

  “I have.” I noticed the queen’s guard raise slightly.

  “That is what Thoen intends to bring about,” I explained. “The day the eclipse does not end, the day the heavens are paused. If Larn wants any chance of winning that conflict, he needs someone strong and capable. Someone like you.”

  The queen’s eyes shifted away, and she turned herself to the side.

  “It’s a prophecy,” she argued. “Whether I accept it or not, the prophecy will come true. My family, my nation… They need me. I cannot leave.”

  “Your highness-”

  “I said-!”

  She turned toward me quickly. I stumbled back a bit, and she let out a soft sigh.

  “I will not leave Theolia,” she continued, lowering her voice. “My duty is to my husband and my kingdom. Neither can survive without me. I’m sorry, but I have to ask that you pick someone else.”

  I took a deep breath, then turned away.

  “I understand, your highness,” I replied softly. I began to rise into the air.

  “But before you go,” the queen interjected. I turned toward her, and she motioned her hand to the window. “Follow me.”

  “I… I must stay hidden from Thoen’s light,” I explained.

  “That’s fine,” she smiled, her complexion emanating with a newfound patience. “Use your spell again if you must.”

  After a brief moment of concentration, I felt the light of the room begin to pass through me completely once more. I floated out into the moonlight and through the window.

  “Where did you go?” the queen asked.

  “Outside.”

  “Right.”

  She hopped up onto the windowsill, and the ivy along the wall began to grow rapidly, creating a little seat for her underneath her rear. It slowly began lowering her to the ground, and just before her feet made contact with the snow a tree stump grew up out of the ground for her to stand on.

  “Adora?” she asked.

  “Yes?” I answered her as I landed beside her, making sure I only left a tiny mark on the surface of the snow.

  “I needed to get out of earshot from my husband,” she explained. “Listen. I cannot help you or Larn, but… my son. He’s been desperately looking for a patron for the past few days. I’ve been begging Jakob to finally let him go out into the world, but… he’s scared. He doesn’t want to lose his son. Neither do I, but… Philibus needs a chance to live his own life. He’s been training under me for years now. If I could make one request, I’d ask that you and Larn consider him to be your champion.”

  I took a moment to absorb what Marie was asking of me. After a moment, I formulated a response.

  “I’ll talk to Larn,” I answered her. “Though… I have to ask. How can you trust us with your only son?”

  Marie chuckled a little to herself.

  “You came to me honestly,” she answered. “You were scared, I could tell. Cowering into your cloak, keeping your distance… I knew from your body and your tone that you believed everything you were saying. It’s rare to see a servant of the gods so honorable.”

  “That doesn’t answer my question,” I chuckled lightly. “Just because I seem honest doesn’t mean that I am.”

  Marie smiled.

  “A wise response,” she noted. “No, it’s not just that. I also trust my son in his ability to discern. He’s always been able to tell truth from fiction. If you are malicious, he’ll figure that out soon enough.”

  I glanced over at the ivy on the wall. Some of the leaves and vines had retreated into the stone, huddling into the castle for warmth. For someone of such remarkable physical prowess, it was amazing to see how adept she was with her magic. She really seemed to have it all: magic, a kingdom, a family. The latter two… I couldn't help but envy. After a moment of staring, I shook my head a bit and floated up off the ground.

  “Thank you for your time, your highness,” I said at last. “I’ll discuss your idea with Larn.”

  The queen nodded. “I look forward to seeing you again, Adora.”

  “Only if he agrees,” I reminded her. “If not, then… Well, I enjoyed speaking with you.”

  “As did I.”

  Queen Marie turned back toward the castle, and I began rising up into the air. As I continued to ascend up above the clouds, I began thinking about that prince again. I’d need to do more research on him. Beyond that, I’d need to figure out if he was even worth my time. Before any of that, though, I’d need to speak with Larn. For the moment, I could just return to my castle and turn in for the night. My body was still used to sleeping regularly, and being a herald of Larn I’d probably never get over it. As the air grew thinner and thinner and I passed into the heavenly plain, only one question remained on my mind:

  Would I want Philibus Jakobson as my warlock?