The Winter Queen kept speaking, but Sterling had stopped paying attention. She was too busy trying to remember where she had left the book. Had it been in Ratha? Or maybe Daralis? Did she have it with her when they’d run from the king’s men after she’d taken out his golden room? She couldn’t remember.

  “If you come across the spell, do let me know. I would like to help you with it,” the Winter Queen said, sliding another vial of potion across the table and signaling the end of their visit. If she noticed Sterling hadn’t finished her food, she didn’t say anything.

  “I will,” Sterling said.

  If I can remember where I left it.

  But maybe it was in a different book. She must have gone through those pages a million times as a child, but not once had she seen anything resembling a spell.

  The Winter Queen’s potion dropped her back into her room in Nyrene, startling Iris, who was reordering the bottles and pots on the vanity.

  Iris quickly righted the bottle she had knocked over and dipped into a curtsy. “Your Highness—”

  “Where are the books from my old room?” Sterling asked, cutting her off.

  Iris folded her trembling hands in her skirts. If Sterling didn’t know any better, she would have said the girl was worried about being caught doing something she shouldn’t be. “I-I believe they are still there. Is there a specific one you are looking for? I can get it for you.”

  “Yes. I mean, no.” She didn’t want to explain about the spell. She had forgotten to ask the Winter Queen who else knew about its existence. A spell with the ability to give her power to someone else would be highly sought after.

  “Your Highness?” Iris prompted when she was silent for too long.

  “I want to look at them for myself,” she said. “I’m not looking for anything specifically. Are there books anywhere else in the castle?”

  “Of course. There is a room downstairs for any of the castle residents to use, and each of the noble families who live here have their own personal collection.”

  Sterling should have known it wouldn’t be easy. “Does that include Gavaran?” she asked. He would never let her look through his belongings, even if he knew about the spell.

  Iris bobbed her head. “I’m sure any of them would be happy to lend you a book if there were a particular subject you were looking for.”

  “No, no.” Sterling waved her offer away. “I’ll take a look at what is in my old room. We don’t need to bother anyone else.”

  She didn’t need Gavaran asking questions about her sudden interest in reading material. He may have been working for the Winter Queen, but Sterling didn’t trust him not to put his own interests first.

  Iris fidgeted but didn’t leave.

  “Is there something else?” Sterling asked.

  “No, nothing, Your Highness.” Iris curtsied again and backed out of the room.

  Sterling watched her go. Perhaps she should ask for a new servant, but that would have to wait until later. Right now, she needed to get upstairs and start looking for the spell.

  Hours later, Sterling knelt on the floor, surrounded by piles of books. Only a few remained on the shelves, but she doubted they would have what she was looking for. Unless one of the nobles was hiding it in his personal collection, the book she needed wasn’t in Nyrene.

  She looked at the mess around her, trying to picture when she had last seen her book. When they’d escaped the inn in Daralis, she was almost certain she had her bag with her. After that, she and Kai had stowed away on Jeb’s cart and spent some time on his farm before he turned them over to the king in order to save his daughter. When the king’s men arrested her, they took her straight to their horses, which meant her bag should still be somewhere in Jeb’s house.

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  She needed to go back to the human world and search that house.

  It would take weeks of travel to get there, so there would be no hiding it from Gavaran. She would have to come up with an excuse or have the Winter Queen order him to let her go, but even then, he would never let her go alone. He would send his own people with her to watch and report on her every move. No, she decided, it would be better to keep this a secret.

  Then Sterling had another idea. She scrambled to her feet, sending the nearest pile of books tumbling. If the transportation potions the Winter Queen used worked between worlds, she wouldn’t need to be concerned about travel time. She could jump to the human world, retrieve her book, and be back before anyone noticed.

  She nearly ran Iris over on her way to get to the scrying bowl.

  “Your Highness,” Iris said, barely keeping hold of her tray. “I was bringing your dinner. Would you like it in your room instead?”

  “Yes, that’s fine,” Sterling said, brushing her off. “You can leave it. I’ll be there after I’m done.” She didn’t wait for a response.

  With the potions in hand, Sterling returned to her rooms. Night had fallen and her dinner tray had gone cold on the table, but at least Iris wasn’t around to see her disappear again.

  She pocketed three of the vials and popped the cork on the fourth. The Winter Queen had happily provided them with a promise that Sterling would return straight to the Unseelie Court after she retrieved her book. She had also explained that the potions would not carry Sterling across the portal between worlds, but she would need to use one to reach the portal, cross over, and then use another to reach her destination. If she used them too quickly in a row, it would leave her with a lingering dizziness.

  She drank the first vial and closed her eyes. The strange fizzy sensation took over her body, and when she opened her eyes again, she was standing beneath of blanket of stars in the middle of an empty dirt patch.

  Sterling took a couple of steps, holding her hands out in front of her. The first and only time she had crossed the portal had been with Kai. She didn’t remember him doing anything special.

  She kept walking, feeling for the invisible thrum of power. When her fingers touched it, it felt like they were pushing through syrup. A tingle of power ran through her body as she passed through the barrier and out the other side. If not for that feeling, she never would have known she’d crossed over worlds because everything looked exactly the same.

  Sterling fumbled in her pocket and brought out a second vial of potion. She pictured Jeb’s farm with the little pond where she had practiced her magic with Inesa and swallowed the liquid.

  Her thoughts became a reality.

  The potion dropped her on the edge of the pond, the mud from its bank soaking into her shoes. To her right, she could see the dark shape of the farmhouse and the cluster of barns.

  Now that she was here, she realized it might have been better to arrive during the daytime. While Jeb may have given her up to the king, she didn’t think he had any ill will toward her, but that didn’t mean he would welcome her in the middle of the night.

  Sterling made her way to the farmhouse and knocked on the door. While she waited, she used the edge of the step to scrape off as much of the pond mud as she could. There would be no saving the beautiful silk, but she had plenty more pairs back in Nyrene.

  When no one answered, she decided to try the door. It wasn’t locked, so she pushed it open and stepped inside.

  “Hello?” she called. “Jeb? Inesa? Are you here?”

  No response.

  Sterling still hadn’t mastered holding a ball of light, but she found a candle on the side table and used her magic to light it.

  “Hello?” she called again as she crept deeper into the house, heading for the bedrooms.

  Inesa’s was the first room on the right. The door was open, and when Sterling held the candle up, she saw the bed was empty. She crossed the room and felt the sheets. Cold. No one had been here. Wherever Inesa was, Sterling hoped she was safe.

  She turned to move on to the next room when a familiar leather satchel sitting on Inesa’s desk caught her eye. Sterling set her candle down and rummaged through the contents. All of her clothes were here, but her book was gone.

  She looked back at the empty bed, thoughts racing. Were her missing book and Inesa and Jeb’s absence connected? It was possible the king’s men had come back for them after Sterling and Kai had escaped his prison, but why would he take a book that looked like children’s stories?

  Her hand went to the two vials of potion in her pocket. She didn’t want to leave without her book. She could use one of the potions to get to Daralis and find out if the king was responsible, but then she wouldn’t have enough to get back. She would either have to steal a horse to reach the portal or walk back to Nyrene after crossing. Both options would take time. Too much time.

  No, she would save the potions, Sterling decided. Daralis was only a few hours’ ride from Jeb’s farm. She could take one of his horses and be there by dawn. She would have to hope she would then find Jeb or Inesa and her missing book.