I blinked at the person floating through the doorway.

The woman was as tall as Castille. For a second, I thought it was Shay.

She was pretty and lean with dark brown skin, wearing a strapless dress made of golden sequins. They glittered as she glided into the sunlit room, her bare arms covered by a sheer shawl made of yellow silk. Curly, black hair was pulled back in a bun and held in place with a golden headdress that reminded me of Nostrand Del's halo.

Her posture was perfect: shoulders back, delicate chin held high and eyes taking us in as she moved to our end of the room. Dugan and Thor shuffled out of the way to give her space.

Alex jumped from his chair, a half smile curling his lips.

"May I present the Lady Serena Summer. The second eldest daughter of Lord Cyrus Sumner, Grand Marshal of the Luskaine Royal Army."

Sumner?

"My King."

Serena Sumner dipped into a low curtsy, taking the King's hand and pressing her forehead to his knuckles.

"Your arrival is timely," the King said.

"A trend I hope to continue."

The woman stood to her full height, raising a perfect eyebrow at the Crown Prince.

"Alex."

He smirked.

"Serena."

She turned to face the rest of us, her brown eyes settling on me and Isla. A slow, slight smile spread on her flawless face.

"You can call me Goldsmith. That's what everyone calls me behind my back."

Her smile turned into a lopsided smirk.

The King continued.

"Lady Sumner will escort you to our Southern border. She will be your guide, and she will talk some sense into her father."

"It will be difficult. There's nothing but lead between his ears."

Castille folded her arms, narrowing her eyes at the noblewoman.

"Why do you want peace? You're a Sumner."

"The best way to fight a Sumner is with a Sumner. It's an old family motto."

She paused, her shrewd eyes taking in the scars on Castille's face and hands. Her playful smirk dropped, and her expression became serious.

"I never supported my father's forever war. So, I came to the capital and became a lady of the court. After ten years, the experience has given me… Northern sensibilities."

"Hmph," Castille said, still skeptical.

Alex cleared his throat.

"Serena, Castille is the other reason Caf called you here. I need a second opinion."

Castille frowned, looking from Serena to Alex.

"What do you mean a second opinion?"

The Crown Prince walked to Castille's side, Angelo one step behind him.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

"Do you mind showing us your eye?"

The Northern woman obliged, flipping up her eyepatch to reveal the milky-white organ.

Alex raised one finger and waved it in front of her face.

"Still nothing?"

"Aye. Nothing."

He grimaced.

"What do you think, Serena?"

The noblewoman glided forward, putting two slender fingers under her Castille's chin to examine her face.

"I sense metal—fragments in the eye."

"Can you remove it?"

"No... The material is too fine for my abilities to grasp."

Castille's left eye darted between the two nobles.

"What does that mean? Can you fix me or not?"

Alex sighed.

"I'm sorry, Castille. There are particles of metal embedded in your optical nerve, and we can't take them out."

"If the metal were gold, maybe I could help. But steel... You would need Rugar for that."

"Too bad he's dead."

Castile blinked her one good eye. She stepped away from the nobles in disbelief.

"But… You're the Crown Prince..."

She pointed.

"And you're the King. You're the most powerful mages in the country. Why can't you fix me?!"

Caf clenched his jaw, narrowing his eyes at Castille for raising her voice at the King.

Dugan moved next, stepping beside Castille and placing a comforting hand against the small of her back.

"It doesn't work like that," Isla whispered, still wringing her golden sceptre. She stared blankly at the floor, her mind somewhere else.

Alex waited for Isla to continue. When she didn't, he gave her a concerned glance and took over the explanation.

"As royalty, we are connected to all the land in Luskaine, but using any type of Landbound Magic takes practice and skill. We can generalize and use a broad range of first-order abilities or specialize and develop a few second-order or maybe third-order abilities. But we can't do both."

That word again. What was the difference between first, second and third-order abilities?

"Even I have this limitation," The King said.

He extended a hand over the crushed replica of the Grand Terraformer on the floor.

"I can create gold, iron and steel... but the nuances of moving metal fragments as small as a spec of dust is beyond me. I am a creature of the sea. A beast of the field."

He put a pale hand against his chest.

That's the type of land I am close to."

Alex nodded.

"For me, it's the hospital and this castle. One to heal this country, the other to lead it. We have the wrong specialty, Castille. I hoped Serena could help, but…"

He grimaced.

Castille stared at the nobles in horror.

"So, I'm a cripple now?! One-eyed Castille!"

She scrunched up her face, caught between laughing and crying.

"At least the jokes will be good…"

Serena tapped her chin with her index finger.

"My youngest sister, Sabilla, may be able to help you. I'll ask her when we're down South."

Castille's face shifted from horror to surprise.

"You would do that?"

Serena returned the expression with a smile.

"Anything for a hero."

Castille blushed.

Dugan smiled through his thick beard.

"Until then, I'll be your eye."

Castille looked down at the short man.

"That would be hard. You're already my heart."

Serena narrowed her eyes in amusement.

"Cute. If that's all that's required of me, I'll see you all tomorrow."

"Oh! Uh, thank you, Lady Sumner," Castille said.

She raised an eyebrow.

"Call me Goldsmith… or Serena."

"Thank you, Serena."

"Better."

She dipped her head to the King and gave Alex one last lingering look before gliding out of the room.

Castille flipped her eyepatch down as Alex watched Serena leave.

"Are you sure we can trust her?" I asked. "She may not support the war, but she's still a Sumner."

Alex answered.

"All Sumners are warriors, Jacob. Her battlefield is politics, and there's no one I would rather have on my side."

I'd have to take his word for it.

Isla cleared her throat.

"If that's everything, I would like to be dismissed."

"Of course, you have the rest of the day to prepare for your journey. Travel safe, Daughter. I will prepare a feast for your return."

"Thank you, Father."

Isla turned and walked away without another word. Alex and I exchanged glances.

I dipped my head to the King.

"It was nice meeting you."

The King smiled.

"It was nice meeting you, too. I feel better knowing Isla has such trustworthy companions."

I winced, my stomach twisting with guilt. I spun on the balls of my feet and walked after Isla."

"Jacob, don't forget. You owe me a spar," Angelo said.

I looked over my shoulder.

The royal guard flashed a smug smile.

How I wanted to wipe that look off his pretty face.

"Next time."

Isla slipped through the door a heartbeat after Vincent opened it.

"Isla… Isla, wait up."

I passed through the doorway a moment later, the rest of the party a few seconds behind us. Isla walked in a determined stride, cutting a path through the winding corridors of the keep. When we were far out of earshot of the solar, she turned to face me.

I took a step back.

Isla's face was set in a snarl. In the dim lantern light of the corridor, shadows pooled around her eyes, adding to her dangerous appearance.

"Back in the Dellends, that Inquisitor gave you two assignments. The first was to find whoever poisoned Van Lagos. What was the second?"

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