#starredwrites

Diana pulled into the parking lot and found a parking spot. She turned off the car and checked the address Astrid had texted her. This was the place. Now she had to let Astrid know she was here and ready to talk. Whatever that meant, whatever that led to.

While she did want to talk with Sam and Quinn at some point, now would probably not be the best time. They were probably the ones who had taken care of Astrid in the aftermath of the breakup, so she wanted to talk to her ex-girlfriend first. And maybe, just maybe, convince her to come back.

Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and walked towards the entrance. The doors were glass, and through them Diana could see Astrid with Sam and Quinn at a table, eating their food and laughing. Something in her heart pinched.

She texted Astrid. I’m right outside. Still looking into the cafe, Diana watched Astrid check the message on her phone, and saw her expression change as she looked up at the door. Diana gave a small wave.

***

Astrid looked up, and there was Diana. Without fully thinking, without actualizing what she was doing, Astrid stood up from her seat and started walking towards the door, only to be stopped by a light touch on her wrist from Sam.

“Where are you going?” He looked politely curious, as if expecting her to say “bathroom,” but concern still creased his features. Apparently she hadn’t been as surreptitious with her secret as she’d thought.

“I just wanted to get something from the car,” Astrid fibbed, hoping he wouldn’t notice the way her heartbeat was rising, the exhilaration pulsing through her body.

“Cool.” Sam dug back into his food, and Astrid walked towards the front of the cafe. She could hear Quinn asking Sam where she was going as she walked away, but she couldn’t think about it.

The steps towards Diana took forever and no time at all. Astrid’s heart twisted as she approached, as Diana’s beautiful face neared. It had been so long since she’d seen Diana, and yet she looked exactly the same. The same eyes that Astrid had gazed into many a time widened as she approached.

She opened the doors to the restaurant and stepped outside into the just-cold California air. Astrid walked towards Diana, tongue-tied.

How do you talk to your ex that you’re still in love with?

Diana crushed her into a hug, and Astrid breathed in her familiar scent as she returned the embrace. They stayed there for longer than was necessary, slightly swaying. Astrid hadn’t been lying when she said she missed her.

Both of them separated at the same time, and Diana felt a pinch in her gut at how synchronized they were, after months of not seeing each other.

“So…you said you wanted to talk to me?” Astrid said, the words evaporating into the space between them.

“Yeah,” Diana said, looking down. Overtaken by shyness, she half-mumbled. “I missed you.” She met Astrid’s eyes. “Also, I wanted to talk to you about something. Like, long-discussion type talk.”

“Let’s um, go over to the outdoor tables,” Astrid said, moving in the direction of the umbrellad tables just outside of the restaurant. She fought the urge to hold Diana’s hand as they walked over. Maybe I’ll get to do that again someday, she thought.

They sat next to each other, both no longer willing to deny themselves the closeness they’d been missing. Diana spoke first. “Before we go into anything else, I want you to know that…I want to get back together.”

All the hope Astrid had rose to her mind, flooding her senses. She could have everything back that they’d had before, and more. But she couldn’t help but wonder why Diana was proposing this. It seemed too good to be true. “What about Caine?” Astrid asked.

That had been why they’d broken up, after all. The danger Diana’s ex presented.

Diana took a deep breath and looked into Astrid’s eyes. “I don’t think he should control who I date, Astrid. I don’t want to give him that sort of power over my life, but I did. And what we had—” she gestured between them “— it was so wonderful, so perfect. I’m going to fire him from the station tomorrow, because he’s a shitty employee as well.” Diana paused for a moment, thinking through her words. “I don’t care about him, or what he thinks he can do. Letting him into my head was the worst mistake I ever made, because I never got him out. But I want to have you by my side, if you’ll have me.” She held eye contact with Astrid, even though she was getting emotional.

“No more sneaking around? No more shadows?” Astrid asked, tears welling in her eyes. This was everything she’d wanted since Diana had broken up with her. Or since she’d met her, because Astrid could imagine no better future for herself than one with Diana in it. Diana as her girlfriend, her whole girlfriend. No hiding from everyone, no fear, just being with her in private and in public.

“No,” Diana said. “You can introduce me to your parents, and we can get dinner in Perdido. Does that sound good?” She ignored the happy tears starting to run down her face, even as she started to smile.

“As long as we still stop by the Healing Place once in a while,” Astrid said, grinning. “I missed us.”

She turned in the chair, and moved close to Diana, seeing her expression mirrored on her girlfriend’s face. “I love you,” Diana said.

Astrid kissed her, tangling her hands in Diana’s hair. She let Diana kiss her back, matching her fierceness ounce for ounce. It was the kiss that they’d wanted for months, and as hurried as it was, it was perfect.

They broke apart, breathing heavily. There were tears in both their eyes, streaking down their cheeks, maybe mixing together.

“So… are we back to dates every week? And calling each other when we’re lonely? Texting into the morning?” Astrid asked, looking at Diana with all the love in her heart.

“Yeah. Whatever you want, dear,” Diana replied, smiling at her girlfriend.

“Should we go in and talk to Sam and Quinn? I think they might want to catch up with you,” Astrid said, holding Diana’s hand in her lap.

“Of course,” Diana said. Hand in hand, they walked back into the restaurant.

The look on Sam and Quinn’s faces when they saw them was priceless. Quinn took several seconds connecting the dots until his face landed on an expression somewhere between confusion and understanding. Sam was befuddled, squinting at them as if somehow, they weren’t real.

Astrid pulled up a chair for Diana, and they sat down.

“Diana,” Sam said, like he wasn’t sure about it.

“Hi.” Diana said, sensing the awkwardness slowly engulfing their table.

“Didn’t you break up with Astrid?” Quinn asked, still trying to connect the dots.

“Yeah, she did,” Astrid said, “But I think we’re back together now, right, Diana?” She turned towards Diana, looking at her for confirmation.

“Uh-huh,” Diana said, very happy at this information.

“Ok…” Sam said. “When exactly did this happen?”

“Just now, actually. It’s kind of crazy.” The two girls laughed, sharing a look.

“Is Caine no longer an issue?” Quinn was still confused, while Sam appeared to have accepted their reunion as a fact of life.

Diana let out a short, brittle laugh. “Fuck him, he doesn’t get to determine who I date. I am in contact with several large, intimidating security guards who I have bonded with over talking about cute dogs and cute girls. I’m his employer. He should be afraid of me, not the other way around. Plus, he’s getting fired,” Diana said. It was so satisfying to say it out loud, that she didn’t give a rat’s ass about Caine.

Sam high-fived her. “You are a godsend. Can you send him across the country?”

“I have tried to get him reassigned to another city, but apparently some people in Perdido like hearing his voice on the radio,” Diana said, rolling her eyes. “But I am going to look into a restraining order, since I have plenty of evidence against him.”

“You deserve to stay away from that creep forever,” Astrid said, squeezing Diana’s hand.

“Totally,” Quinn agreed, finally understanding everything in the situation and kicking himself for not figuring it out earlier.

“I’m happy you guys are back together,” Sam said, piling up their dishes and silverware. “You’re a cute couple, and I’ll let you know if Caine is going to do something dumb. He is my brother, after all.”

“Thanks, Sam, but we shouldn’t need it too much. Once I fire him, there shouldn’t be much risk of him finding out and coming after any of us.” Diana looked down at her and Astrid’s entwined hands. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“So, talking about Diana and Astrid is great, but Diana has missed out on some great Astrid moments,” Quinn said, shit-eating grin ever-present on his face. “For instance, we went surfing today and—”

Astrid groaned, cutting him off, but let Quinn tell the story anyway. Diana laughed and smiled at Quinn’s dramatic retelling of the event, much to Astrid’s mortification. They stayed at the cafe for longer than the staff liked, Sam and Quinn catching Diana up on everything she’d missed in Astrid’s life.

Most, if not all, of the stories were hilarious, and even Astrid found herself laughing at the more embarrassing ones. She enjoyed Diana’s company, too, savored Diana’s warmth as she leaned her head on her shoulder.

it's kate, who is also watching edwina dance and sizing up who she's dancing with. anthony, of course, has some clever retort about how less-suitable partners make the suitable ones look better by comparison. and they're off, trading gossip about everyone in the ton loud enough for everyone to hear in a series of complicated and increasingly stupid arguments about who would be better with who because of what pedigree and accounts and ugh. pen is sitting at the wall behind them hastily taking mental notes for lady whistledown.

this continues, of course, after that first ball. i imagine that anthony drops his whole "marriages don't need love" thing then, but him and kate are on good enough terms for it to be a friendly argument rather than a Horrific Dealbreaker. besides, she's not evaluating him as a husband, just as someone to talk with while she supervises her sister's courtship. they are exactly as stupid as in canon, but with a fun twist of actually going through courtship rituals with one another without realizing it. and doing so publicly, might i add. however, they're insistent on the fact that they are simply friends, nothing more throughout all of this. the reactions of the people around them start as "you're friends? i thought you hated each other" and evolve into "are you sure you guys are just friends." there are a ton of fun scenarios i imagine, esp with violet and anthony.

violet: where are you off to at this hour? it's so early.

anthony: i am going to call on the sharmas before eloise's suitors arrive. miss sharma has informed me that indian tea is inherently better than british and i should like to see if her claim is true.

violet: is that not the girl you were arguing with at last night's dance? i thought you would be sick of bickering with her by now.

anthony: well, i hope that this visit will put our argument to rest. good day, mother.

it is several weeks later that violet fully puts together the pieces that her son, who is apparently "off the market," talked with a girl all of the night and called on her the next morning.

meanwhile edwina is actually wise to what the hell is going on here bc she's not blinded by a crush on anthony (being the season's diamond just means you have a braincell ok) and so is teasing the living hell out of her sister for having the viscount as a suitor. i picture the sharmas being asked to dinner for similar, bullshit reasons. "oh you must see how eloquently gregory speaks latin if you are to judge my means of running a household miss sharma" "alas i would be remiss to dine at a house with a cook less gifted than the danbury's, i think i will be fine staying at home lord bridgerton" "well tell me your favorite dish miss sharma and i shall have our cook prepare it. if it is not to your liking you may assist me in hiring a new one." etc. etc. etc. yaknow. foreplay.

at some point in this endeavor, they are insulting each other as usual and kate says something insulting about his brothers. which, well, anthony is well aware that they're annoying little buggers, but he's the only one who gets to call them that. so he talks them up like nobody's business, and, just to drive the point home, suggests that they would each be suitable for edwina. after all, the family already has one diamond, why not two? kate says she'll give them a chance with her sister provided that they are not too much like their brother. i think it would be extremely hilarious if anthony tried to pressure his brothers into dancing with edwina, especially because i think colin would just run for the hills after what happened with marina while benedict would be like "you fucking hypocrite. i will do it for three bottles of brandy." (anthony, desperate to wipe the smirk off kate's face: "deal.")

so now as far as they are concerned, there is perfect plausible deniability for them to be spending so much goddamn time together (like half the town hasn't caught on already lmao). this of course means edwina is extremely sick of her sister's shit. also, by this point (pre-aubrey house stuff), eloise has figured out how to game the stupid dances through a combination of dancing with her brothers & the few noble men she can tolerate , foisting anyone she doesn't want to dance with onto penelope, and pretending to enjoy small talk while stuffing herself with food & drinks so that it looks like she's socializing. anthony (a complete fucking dumbass) is convinced that he's made a respectable lady out of eloise and lets his guard down a little bit.

lady danbury has been talking with edwina and knows exactly what is going on. she gets violet to announce that anthony is looking for a wife like in canon (although it is later in the season). he is immediately mobbed with debutantes & spends part of a ball miserably dancing. once he manages to free himself he runs over to kate, pulls her aside, explains the situation, and asks her to dance with him because she's the only interesting lady to dance with here. so, they dance and violet and lady danbury watch.

violet: i don't know why you thought announcing that would make anthony more willing to court, he's back with that sharma girl again.

lady danbury: yes, that means it's working.

violet: what do you mean it's-

*insert kate and anthony dancing in the most get-a-fucking-room, how-do-you-make-a-dance-this-formal-horny way*

violet: oh. OH. i see, lady danbury. we must see how this progresses.

yeah so they just dance with no one but each other for the rest of the dances. it's extremely fucking annoying to everyone because anthony's not giving anyone a chance and him and kate are using it somewhat as an excuse to spy on their little sisters more. eloise and edwina know what's up and keep exchanging looks across the dance floor as kate and anthony helicopter-older-sibling them. i imagine then that getting the sharmas to aubrey hall is a sort of mutual scheming thing. eloise lies that benedict and edwina are getting on well (they dance with one another once a ball to keep kanthony off their asses but edwina is really not interested in art movements and benedict is not interested in marriage) and so it would make sense for them to be invited to aubrey hall. anthony agrees & sends out the things. cue aubrey hall shenanigans. anthony and kate keep going off alone together, and they are way too stubborn to realise that at this point most people think they're engaged.

anthony: i am going to show lady sharma around the grounds some so that she can better understand her poor pall-mall strategy.

violet: oh, not without a chaperone i hope.

anthony: mothER, i am twenty-nine years of age, you can trUst that i have no intention of interfering with miss sharma's HONOR

*the entire table shares a look*

lady danbury: very well, but when people are here for the country ball you should ensure that they do not get the wrong idea.

bee sting, midnight library meeting, etc. they are horny motherfuckers indeed. violet asks anthony if he wants his father's engagement ring to give to kate, he unconvincingly tells her that she annoys him and he has no intention of marrying her. violet just gives him a Look. anthony says he will take it in case one of his brothers decides to declare their intentions. violet lets him knowing full well that her son is an idiot.

at the ball, kate dances with *gasp* someone else, leaving anthony to pine from across the dance floor as he dances with some debutante. he pulls her aside afterwards, asking if the dance was to her liking (in an extremely Jealous manner, of course). they bicker their way into the library, where they have a lovely damning sexually tense almost-kiss. daphne walks in on them as before, but anthony "i hate having emotional conversations" bridgerton simply decides that he is going to dance the night away with kate about it. he avoids her like the plague.

daphne: ah, brother, there you are! i wish to talk to you about a private matter, would you join me in the-

anthony: ms sharma i believe they are playing a quadrille next, is that not one of your favorite dances?

kate, not entirely sure what is going on here: it is indeed, i can't believe you remembered such a detail about my personal tastes, especially when it pertains to dancing. i thought you danced with me out of necessity, not desire.

*you can imagine the flirting and sexual tension that goes here*

basically, by the end of this trip they have both realized their feelings and are trying very hard to tamp them down. of course, penelope can't resist a good scandal, so the next edition of lady whistledown is heavily about them literally dancing the whole night together. finding eloise a husband has completely slipped from anthony's mind, so she is no longer foisting suitors onto pen but just plain running away from them as usual. pen has her Observation Time back and oh god. she writes them for filth. eloise hands anthony the lady whistledown with a shit-eating grin on her face and watches as her older brother is thrown into a rage about how he does not love her. were popcorn a thing in this era all of the bridgertons would be eating it as they watch anthony frantically deny any affections for kate while getting more and more unhinged.

cue a bridgerton-danbury Damage Control Dinner, where after all the awkward "how do we salvage this" conversation is done kanthony manage to sneak away to make out because. yaknow. it's Them. i think the boating scene and the falling-into-the-water bit should happen as in canon because. well. they don't exactly have wet t-shirt contests in the regency era. edwina's the one who tells kate not to stare though. then of course, several more sexually tense balls in which kanthony are now Determinedly staying apart from each other and eyefucking from across the dance floor. this does not deter lady whistledown although she cools it a bit. they still haven't properly talked about their feelings, but at the first ball of "let's remain separate" they certainly have a Talk. a heated talk.

Well, at least she’d gotten some sleep. Still half-awake, Virgil went back to sleep—in her bed, this time. Laurus had taken over the middle of her bed, so she pushed him to the side and settled in.

***

Jessie woke her up in the morning, throwing the room into light, and she got up in record time. For the first time since the dragon had showed up in Straith, she had a good night of sleep, and most of it was due to Roman. Somehow, around them, she had just…calmed down. She supposed that talking about her problems (for once in her life) helped, but maybe there was something else.

It was ridiculously early when she woke up, and Jessie appeared to have slept well. Their rainbow-haired chaperone rambled about how excited she was to go on this adventure, and how much she missed her family. Having nothing better to do than awkwardly interact with Roman, Virgil joined in, surprised to find herself with enough energy to match the bounce in Jessie’s step. Laurus was much more tired, opting for Roman’s shoulder over hers.

Their bags were already packed and taken away to the ship, which meant that they were going to get to do “all sorts of team-building activities!” in Jessie’s words when they all met the captain of the ship. As much as Virgil found Jessie to be endearing, the thought of talking to Roman in front of other people was enough to make her hurl herself off the side of the ship. She focused on carrying Gray’s case down the path to the docks first.

Fortunately, their captain, who introduced himself as Mac, was not interested in team-building activities.

“I have places to be, and I don’t have the time to play games when it is still nighttime and I have stuff to do,” he said when Jessie suggested it, hands on his hips and eyebrows fully raised. “You can go hang out in the cabin, unless you want to freeze out here.”

Before Roman or Jessie could suggest anything, Virgil was down the hatch and making a beeline for the cargo. Setting down her magical dragon carrier on the wooden floor, she cast all the spells she could think of to keep the dragon asleep and the case in place. Once it was all done, Virgil sat behind a box marked FRAGILE and stared at the countless packages in front of her like they were going to tell her the answers she hadn’t even asked herself.

Well, Virgil supposed a good start to getting answers from something other than clearly non-sentient boxes would be asking herself questions. She started with the obvious— why was she being so weird about last night? It wasn’t like she’d never shared a bed with anyone before, as Missy and Jest could attest, and though she wasn’t unfamiliar to paranoia over simple social situations, this was ridiculous.

Roman was her best friend, and Virgil couldn’t even look them in the eye. Had something crazy happened last night that her very subconscious was protecting her from? No, it couldn’t be. All she remembered was asking Roman if she could come in, then settling herself in next to them, how she’d felt like she was intruding, but they had assured her she wasn’t. It had been so nice, holding their hand, and not feeling alone in her struggles. She remembered smiling at their stories and laughing even when it wasn’t funny, just because she loved them.

Hold up. She loved Roman? Well, certainly as a friend. But just thinking about the many ways that the sticky word “love” was used made her contemplate if her feelings for Roman were anything other than platonic. The more she rolled the thought around her head, the more Virgil realized that she wasn’t opposed to the idea of kissing them, or holding their hand. In fact, she’d be okay with a date, maybe a nice restaurant. She wouldn’t mind a long walk with just the two of them either.

Virgil widened her eyes, staring down the boxes in front of her as if to silently impart the one thought running through her head. I have a crush on Roman. It was a relief to figure it out, but it also created a new batch of problems. Which she would rather talk to Roman again than think about, which was saying something. Before anxiety could take root in her head, she got up from the hard floor of the ship and moved back towards where she’d came in, seeking a distraction.

She made her way back easily enough—this wasn’t a very big ship—and saw Roman and Jessie sitting on chairs in the cabin of the boat, talking. They stopped when she walked in.

“Hey guys,” Virgil said, trying to remember how words worked. “Um, are we going to eat breakfast soon?”

“Yeah, in an hour. There’s a tiny kitchen around here somewhere, but we’re not supposed to use it. Jessie and I were just talking about it, actually,” Roman said, giving Virgil one of their easy smiles.

“Sounds good, I don’t know if I can wait much longer, it feels like I’ve got a miniature dragon clawing at my insides,” Virgil said, noting that her purple dragon was curled up in Roman’s lap. 

Roman laughed, and Virgil felt the flutter in her chest. Noticing it startled her—usually, she didn’t notice the quickening of her heart around Roman— but not anymore. “How’s the dragon, by the way? Is it safe? I don’t want it getting out on the boat.”

“I worked some sorcery so that it won’t roll around in the hold, and I gave it another sleep spell. It’s fine, there’s nothing to worry about,” Virgil said, trying to comfort them the best she could.

Something in her tone must have been off, though, because then Roman asked, “Are you okay?” Their eyes spoke volumes, referencing the night before.

Virgil looked at them, at her friend who had stuck with her through everything, who had been the first to hear the secrets she kept closest. She could see the concern for her woven into their face, feel how much they cared. There was no way that Virgil would let her crush create a divide between her and them.

Lunchtime every week was usually the only time they got to talk about anything other than business. Along with Rafaela, Virgil was running the shiny new Sorcery Department of Straith, and her path frequently crossed with Roman’s, although usually just for minutes at a time. She always needed signatures, a word of input, or persuasion, but their lunches together were the only time Virgil wanted Roman’s company.

For old time’s sake—it reminded them both of the stolen hours spent planning—they met in the library. They weren’t supposed to eat there, but being the king had its perks. Roman had a (trusted) cook bring them something small, and got to be away from responsibilities with Virgil. It was a calm oasis amidst the chaos of Roman’s life. Sixteen-year-olds were not well equipped to run a country, but Roman was doing their best.

Descending the stairs to the library doors, Roman unhooked the small gold crown from their hair and stuck it in their pocket. No one recognized them without a crown, the young ruler was finding, and they used that to their advantage when hiding from anyone that would want the king. Which turned out to be a great many people.

Roman flung open the doors to the library, making the pages of the librarian’s book flutter. He barely gave Roman a glance as they passed, probably not caring. Either he was too caught up in his book, or the librarian was accustomed enough to Roman practically living here to raise an eyebrow.

Virgil waited at their usual table, the one next to the window where sunlight always lit whatever you were reading. She had started on the sandwiches already, and a smile broke out on her face when Roman walked in. Her dragon, Laurus, snoozed on the nearby windowsill, sending up puffs of smoke with every exhale.

Sliding into the wooden seat next to her, Roman reached for the other sandwich. “Starting already?”

“You can’t expect everyone to wait for you, your majesty,” Virgil said, taking another bite out of her sandwich. Roman laughed.

“Didn’t expect you to, just thought it was unusual. You must be busy.” They unwrapped the sandwich, trying to distract themself with something other than Virgil’s face.

“I could say the same about you, but I’m more focused on this sandwich right now. What’s new in the life of a king?” She wanted to catch up with Roman; it had been too long since they’d last talked, and a hundred things must have happened since then.

“Just a lot of things, and they keep piling up. Kind of makes you miss running for your life, but at least it’s predictable. Like, if I tell someone this, my chief advisor will become furious, the cabinet will act scandalized, and everyone who doesn’t live inside this ancient pile of rocks will cheer. My dad massively sucked, but at least he prepared me, you know.” Roman started eating their sandwich, trying to repress the spark of bitterness about their dad. It was a sore subject, but being around Virgil always managed to loosen their tongue.

“Never thought I’d hear you say something positive about Epos,” Virgil said, quirking an eyebrow, “but I can’t imagine how hard being king would be without someone helping. I’ve got Rafaela, but you’ve got…” She wasn’t sure how to phrase it correctly.

“A lot of people who don’t trust me and treat me like I’m five? Yeah, but I’ve got you, Pat, and Logan. It balances out.” Roman tried to shrug it off, but the set of their features suggested that their predicament was troubling.

“Considering I’m actually losing sleep over the responsibility of like, restoring the entire reputation of sorcery, I have no idea how you’re alive,” Virgil said, reaching for one of the cups of water on the table. If there was one thing she could count on, it was self-doubt.

“Your guess is as good as mine. I’m not sure how I’m surviving it all, quite frankly,” Roman said, shoulders slumping inwards. “I mean, I thought that after what, four months of this? I’d be used to the constant demands, the pressure, the crown. But every time I have to give a speech it feels like walking into the room with Epos to lie my way into the throne.”

Virgil sighed. “Remember when we thought I was going to break Rafaela out of prison with just my own powers? Those were simpler times.” She finished off her sandwich, picking a stray piece of lettuce off the paper to eat. “Still can’t believe you didn’t tell us until after we thought the whole world was going to end.”

“For the thousandth time, I’m sorry. But hey, the stress of being king is kind of karmic,” Roman reasoned, taking another bite of their sandwich. “This food is really good.”

“I know, it is. You should seriously give him a raise,” Virgil said, sadly looking at where her now-eaten sandwich once was.

“As a matter of fact, my financial advisor will give me a twenty-minute lecture on budgeting if I give anyone else a raise. I am limited to two raises a month, which I already spent on the calligrapher and the candle-lighter. So I’ll keep it in mind for next month,” Roman said, taking a long gulp of water. “Do you know how Logan and Patton’s plan is coming along?”

“They’re working on it, that’s for sure, but I really don’t know,” Virgil said, shrugging. “I haven’t seen them as much as I’d like to. Things with Rafaela have been…busy.”

“I feel you on that, honestly,” Roman said, “Obviously, I’m the king and getting the best of everything, which I’m reminded of every time I visit—” They were cut off by something loud. A rumble, warning.

Something shook the ground underneath them. Laurus jumped down from the sill. A rush of panic flooded over Roman, and they ran to the window.

 Next to them, Virgil whispered, “Is that an explosion?” Her dragon cowered behind her, tail brushing her ankles.

A gray cloud hovered over a patch of the forest, with everything beneath it a muddy gray, like someone had coated the trees with concrete. The gray was stark against the snow-covered trees surrounding the cloud.Roman squinted at it. “What in the name of-”

Another rumble, and more liquid spewed from the same spot. The window frame shook under Virgil’s white-knuckled hands. Laurus’s tail clenched around her leg. She looked at Roman. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

They could hear people yelling outside, mostly in astonishment at what just happened. Nothing more happened, the cloud rooted in place above the desaturated trees. “Do—what do we do about it?” Roman asked, heart pounding in their chest. This was not supposed to happen.

“Let me contact Rafaela,” Virgil said, rolling back her sleeve to shoot a jet of magic at her purple bracelet. It buzzed back at her, and her brow furrowed. “Not available, and—”She tapped the bracelet. “—won’t let me track her.”

“Great. This is great. Just perfect. Couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Roman said, knowing that their break from reality with Virgil would have to end. “I should probably go, and talk with people. Let me know if you find Rafaela.” They had a sinking feeling that the explosion and Rafaela’s disappearance wasn’t a coincidence.

“I will, don’t worry,” Virgil said. Roman left the room, looking back at the mess they’d made at lunch. While they hated leaving things with Virgil like this, Roman only had so long before everyone started looking for them. They’d much rather that the entire castle staff didn’t find the king’s hiding place.

“Okay,” Virgil said. She looked at the market once more. “Is it okay if we go slowly? I know we’re on a tight schedule, but I’ve never seen this much magic before.”

“Sure. We’ve got the time, just don’t take all day,” Roman answered. They remembered the first time they saw this market, how overwhelming everything had been. Now, knowing what it was like, the market was less overwhelming, but only a little.

Virgil talked to several of the vendors, curious about everything. Though the dragon she carried would have stood out anywhere else, nobody batted an eye. A dragon breeder even asked her if she was selling. Virgil asked them about containing dragons, and was told that her sleep spell and perfectly made trap would hold it, but to add another sleep spell for good measure. She asked the woman selling portable balls of light what the spell was, and quickly learned that those sorts of things were trade secrets.

Watching Virgil experience it all was almost better than seeing it for the first time to Roman. They admired her curiosity—not just at the more outlandish things, but at things as ordinary as soap and mood rings that worked with magic. She took all the free samples and trinkets that the stands had to offer, and demonstrated her sorcery abilities when asked “Are you a sorcerer?” No one pressed her about her age, and many commented on Laurus’s cuteness, as if Roman wasn’t holding onto him half the time. She laughed, and was more friendly and social than they’d ever seen her before.

Roman didn’t mind being ignored, but as noon approached, they knew that, in the interest of time, it would be best to get going. “We should head to the castle soon,” they said, trying to gently nudge Virgil away from the market.

“Okay, I’m going to buy a book or two first,” Virgil said, heading to a spellbook vendor. She gave the merchant a few coins for a handsome leather-bound volume, and they were off to the palace.

Unlike Straith, there weren’t any guards around the perimeter, so Roman circled the palace in search of a front entrance. After what seemed like forever— they were both getting hungry— Roman found a small corridor that led into some offices. Roman knocked on the door to one of them, which opened to reveal an unfriendly sorcerer, a cloud of brilliant yellow-white energy surrounding him.

“What do you want?” he said, looking from one of them to the other. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”

“I’m King—Prince Roman, I’m looking for King Mark. This is my good friend, she’s a sorcerer.” Virgil gave a small wave and smile, not sure what to do.

“Well, if you want the king, maybe you shouldn’t be in here,” the sorcerer said. He took a deep breath, steadying himself to give them a telling-off to go with his glare.

“It’s okay, Matt, they’re with me.” Roman and Virgil spun around to see a tall girl with multicolored hair, turning from orange to turquoise before their eyes. The sorcerer grumbled and closed the door, muttering something about kids these days.

Jessie watched the door close, then turned to the two teenagers. “Roman, what are you doing here? Not that it’s bad to see you, of course, but I didn’t think you would just show up. And who is this?” She pointed at Virgil, looking between the two of them as if trying to puzzle out something. Laurus curled around Roman’s feet, looking up at Jessie with wide-eyed curiosity.

“We’re here to get that dragon— “ Roman pointed to the purple bubble, where the gray dragon inside was, thankfully, slumbering. “To Lyrwrithe, the place you told me about. The thing is, my father wants to kind of…take back the kingdom. He said that I’m unfit to rule because I let that dragon terrorize Archdale, but I managed to negotiate. If I can get the dragon to Lyrwrithe and keep it from terrorizing anyone else within the week, I get to stay king. If I don’t, he —he makes sorcery illegal again. Virgil is um, she’s a sorcerer.”

“Okay,” Jessie said, and Roman could see her thinking it through. “You said you had a week, right?”

“Yeah, so we kind of do need to leave today,” Virgil said, biting her lip. “Any help would be good.”

“I remember Epos’s reign,” Jessie said. A cloud passed over her face, and her hair turned gray. “And I don’t really have anything pressing to do this week, and I know Tyler is really busy. You guys just have to get to Lyrwrithe and back, right?”

Roman nodded. “Yeah, and we need some supplies, but nothing fancy. We were thinking of just taking the Graelen River, all we’d need is a boat and someone to sail it.” They looked at Jessie expectantly, hoping that she could help, or Rafaela was as good as dead.

Jessie took a deep breath, gathering herself. “I don’t want to get your hopes up,” she started, uncertain. “But I might be able to guide you guys there. I do have family that work at Lyrwrithe, but I need to talk to the king first. I can’t just abandon the palace, but I definitely think the world is a better place when Straith allows magic. Plus, I haven’t seen my brother in a while… I’ll talk to Mark, okay? No promises.”

“Thank you so much,” Virgil said, without a touch of sarcasm. “Um, is there anything here to eat?”

“Employee breakroom. Go straight, take a left, second door on your right,” Jessie said, “I’ll go ask the king. See you in an hour or so.” She waved goodbye, and walked to the nearest stairwell, hair changing to electric blue.

Roman and Virgil didn’t have any difficulty finding the break room, and they dug into the soup someone had brought from home. “What’s the book about?” Roman asked Virgil, trying to make conversation to pass the time. They slipped Laurus a piece of meat, knowing the little dragon had to be hungry. He gulped it down.

“History of sorcery,” Virgil answered, turning the volume over in her hands. “It’s got some cool spells in it, too, that’s what the lady said. I… do you mind if I read it now? Just sitting around and waiting makes me anxious.”

“Go ahead, I don’t mind,” Roman said, even though there was nothing for them to do. “You don’t have to ask me.”

Virgil opened up her book and started reading. “Cool.”

Since Roman hadn’t slept well in the boat, and they certainly couldn’t sleep well now, they had seconds of the soup, and tried to look inconspicuous as various people came in and out of the break room. Fortunately, Laurus and the grey dragon helped them fit in, this was the sorcery wing after all.

Going by the clock on the wall, it was about forty minutes before Jessie came for them. She almost ran over to them, a wide smile on her face as she crossed the room to the pair. Virgil looked up from her book when she saw Jessie, looking at her hopefully.

“So, I have good news and bad news,” Jessie said, sitting down next to Roman. “Which do you want first?”

Roman perked up, Laurus running up from their lap to the table. “Good news,” they said.

“No, bad news first,” Virgil said, picking up her dragon and taking him off the table. “Whatever. Just tell us.”

“I can take you guys to Lyrwrithe, but not until tomorrow,” Jessie said, patting Laurus on the head. “You can stay here tonight—there’s some guest rooms—and we’ll leave first thing tomorrow morning. Is that okay?”

“Yeah,” Roman said, a flutter of hope leaping in their chest. “That’s almost perfect. Do we get to eat dinner with the king?”

“Wait, that’s an option?” Virgil asked, looking terrified at the prospect.

“Don’t get too ahead of yourselves, Mark will be busy with other engagements tonight. I think you’ll just get food delivered to your rooms,” Jessie said, her hair shifting from deep black to platinum blond as she twirled it around her finger. “In fact, I can take you to your guest rooms right now, unless you want to spend more time outside the palace.”

“Can we drop our things off at our rooms and then leave?” Virgil asked, running her fingers over the cover of her book. Roman wasn’t big on the idea of going back out into the cold, but with Virgil it wouldn’t be too bad.

“Sure, I can give you a tour, too, Virgil. If you want, that is,” Jessie said, carding her hand through her hair.

“Oh, I think I’d rather visit the market, sorry,” Virgil said, blushing a little with embarrassment. “Let’s go to our um, rooms.”

Roman respected Camden. The man did the difficult, thankless job that was advising them, and he did it well, even if he was a bit robotic at times. He was one of Roman’s biggest supporters, although if he didn’t always show it. Nonetheless, Roman’s brain wasn’t functioning. “Ok, well um, can you tell him to wait until the sun is up?”

“He is the past king and your father, Roman. And he is very, very angry. Get dressed and be in the council room in ten minutes.” He smiled, then closed the door in front of a still half-asleep Roman.

So, Roman got dressed. It was dark, but it didn’t take long to put on something that looked about halfway to kingly. Not even bothering to look in the mirror, Roman went downstairs to the council room, still rubbing their eyes and unaware of how shocking their presence was to literally everyone they passed.

They reached the council room, taking a brief moment to attempt composure before opening the door and stepping inside. Roman gave the room a visual sweep, wondering who they had to ask to take over in order to get back to bed. That train of thought ground to a halt when Roman realized that no, it hadn’t been a joke.

Epos Theularus stood in the center of the council room, looking at Roman with disappointment practically radiating from his body. “Hello, Roman.”

“Father.” It was a statement, since they were still trying to figure out what was happening.

“I trust that I don’t need to explain to you how the chaos you’ve unleashed on Straith is a terrible mistake, and you will hand the throne over to me immediately, since I’m not so foolish as to actually legalize sorcery. Just show me to the throne room.” Epos stopped talking, waiting for Roman’s response. Judging by his tone, he expected a quiet “Yes, father.”

Well, even half-asleep Roman wasn’t that much of a pushover. “Actually, no. I’m the king of Straith, remember? And my actions have done a lot more good for everyone than you could ever imagine. So if you would, please go back to your lovely vacation home and leave me to deal with my own problems,” Roman said, staring their father down. This had to work, there was no way Roman could put up with their shitbag father for more than a few minutes without losing all the sanity they had.

“Actually, I have just as much of a claim to the throne as you do, Roman. Considering that I am the older member of the royal family, and gave up the throne voluntarily. I can always take it back,” Epos said, frowning and crossing his arms.

Roman kept glaring at him, too tired to do much more.“You gave it up. The throne, the kingdom is mine now. Right, Camden?”

“Well…” Camden began, looking down at his hands. “Roman, you are still a child in the eyes of the law, and considering that you are currently co-ruling with a cabinet, he can take the throne back. You could be relegated back to the status of prince, assuming that you willingly give your father his crown during the coronation ceremony.” He looked up at Roman, apology clear as day in his eyes.

“Exactly. Roman, I see no reason for you to object to this simple request. After all, I am not the king who allows magic to terrorize his capital city. I have a solution to that problem, which is eliminating all magic in the country. In fact, we could go before a judge and get the official ruling that would make me king due to your disrespect of time-honored traditions.”

“But I can solve the problem without eliminating magic,” Roman said, tilting their head. Checkmate. “There’s a place in Canea called Lyrwrithe. It’s a reserve for magical creatures, like the one that is the root cause of the magical problems Straith is having.”

Epos’s reaction to Roman’s mention of Canea was priceless. His face twisted, he opened his mouth to speak, but held back. “We should make a deal, son of mine. If you succeed with eliminating this danger within a week, the kingdom is yours and I will go on my merry way. If you do not succeed, sorcery becomes a crime punishable by death. The deaths start with your, ah ‘Head Sorcerer.’ I believe that’s what you called the lunatic you freed from the dungeons, yes?”

Taking in the nervous faces of their cabinet, Camden, nobles, and even the staff, Roman knew they had one choice. Neither of them were perfect kings, but Epos was a proven tyrant. “It’s a deal.” They stepped forward and shook hands with their father, knowing that this was a dangerous game.

“I’m glad we can come to an agreement, Roman. I can’t wait to take back my rightful throne in a week’s time.”

“Fine. So long as my choices for the crown can govern while we carry out our challenge.” Roman trusted Corbin and Sloane over their father in more or less every situation, and this was no exception. While they hated to put it on the couple, the two were the best people they could think of for the job.

They were wide awake now, and they had to talk to Virgil and Rafaela immediately. They left the council room without another word, cutting through the hallways of the castle to Rafaela’s quarters. The first goal here was to capture the dragon, put it in a cage that could at least be used to transport the creature. And the only way to do that was figure something out with Rafaela. Roman stopped in their quarters to grab a few things for the journey before heading to the Dragon Witch’s rooms. They made sure to grab their mother’s scarf—the last thing Roman wanted was for Epos to have it.

This plan was ambitious, but Roman knew it was the only way. They knocked on Rafaela’s door, slightly nervous. It was still very, very early.

Fortunately, she answered, with the dark eye circles of someone who was up late rather than awake early. “King Roman. What brings you here?” She didn’t open the door completely, wary of why Roman would be here at this early hour.

“Epos is back,” Roman said, giving her a second to process. “He caught wind of what I’m doing here and, well, it’s a long story. Can I come in?”

Rafaela let them in, sitting in one of the armchairs in her room, gesturing for Roman to take another. “Tell me everything, I assume we don’t have much time.”

Roman recounted everything that happened that morning, leaving out the night before but mentioning the preserve for magical creatures, Lyrwrithe. Rafaela took it in, growing more concerned as they continued.

“You need me to capture the dragon, yes?” She was matter of fact about it, and her gaze went to the books lying open on the floor of her room. “I can do that.”

“Great, that’s perfect. Can you do it now, or…?” Roman asked, bouncing a little with the first excitement they’d felt this morning.

“I can give you the trap. You need Virgil to set it, I can’t approach the creature. Get her, and by the time the two of you come back, it will be ready.” Rafaela stood up and began gathering books, flipping through them and placing magical bookmarks at important parts. “Go.”

Finding Virgil wasn’t too difficult, she was still asleep. Roman woke her up gently, and had to explain everything once again. Before long, she was awake enough to realize that they had to move now, or Virgil would be stuck cleaning up after the dragon for who knows how long. As a side effect, Laurus also woke up, which was adorable. Both Roman and Virgil could have watched the tiny dragon make adorable snuffly noises for hours, but they didn’t have the time. Virgil set Laurus on her shoulders and they left her quarters.

The pair raced back to Rafaela’s quarters, focused on getting that trap. Virgil burst into Rafaela’s room, much to Roman’s surprise. “Rafaela, you can stop the dragon? With us?” she asked, daring to hope.

“I can give you the trap and send you on your way,” Rafaela said, still fidgeting with some sort of magical device. Much like the still-sleeping Laurus, she was unaffected by Virgil’s entrance. “I myself cannot be near the dragon, and using my magic against it could prove fatal. But I can give you the means to trap it yourself.” She held up the fist-sized device in her hand.

Virgil’s face fell, and she focused on the thing in Rafaela’s hand. “How does it work?”

Rafaela handed her the small contraption of gray metal. “It’s very simple. Find the dragon, and keep it in one place with a freezing spell or something similar. Then, give the device a shot of your magic—not a spell, just a bit of sorcery— and throw it at the dragon.”

“Okay, got it,” Virgil said, turning the device over in her hands.

“Can I come along?” Roman asked.

The Dragon Witch’s harsh gaze scanned them. “I suppose, just stay out of the way. The dragon shouldn’t care about you, you’re irrelevant. It cares about Virgil, though, she looks so much like me.”

Unsure as to what she should say, Virgil nodded.

“We should get going,” Roman said, swallowing their questions and hoping this all worked out well.

Roman and Virgil walked outside, only to find that it was still dark. That was winter, especially here in Straith. The darkness had one advantage: when they looked at the city, it was immediately clear where the dragon was. On the outskirts of town, a small puff of blue flame would reappear, only to disappear again.

“It’s…sleeping?” Virgil half-asked, looking to Roman for reassurance.

“Yep.”

Without another word— it was way too early for words, after all— the two walked towards the dragon. Virgil did her best to keep her footsteps quiet, knowing that it would be easier to trap a sleeping dragon than an awake one. Her dragon rested around her shoulders, a comfortable weight. She hoped Laurus stayed that way, there was no telling how he would react to the much larger dragon currently terrorizing Archdale.

After an uncertain period of time, they reached the dragon. Roman almost gasped aloud at the sheer size of the beast, stopped only by Virgil’s hand on their mouth. They stood stock still as Virgil approached the sleeping creature carefully, making sure that it was still sleeping after each hesitant step.

Its head twitched up, a bloodred iris looking out on them. Virgil raised her hand, not sure what spell to use. The jolt of anxiety in her stomach propelled itself out through her outstretched fingers and hit the dragon in the eye. The eye snapped shut, and the dragon fell back asleep, even more deeply than before.

Roman startled as a puff of dragon breath interrupted the darkness of night. “Is it… asleep?”

Virgil nodded, shushing them, then dug Rafaela’s trap out of the pocket in her cloak. Holding her breath, she sent a jet of purple magic into the contraption. When the dragon kept sleeping, Virgil threw the device. For a second, it didn’t look like anything had happened. The bundle of metal and magic just sat on top of the dragon, doing nothing. Her sleeping spell had to be more powerful than usual.

Then, purple streaks of magic engulfed the dragon, moving across it to create a translucent purple bubble. The dragon still slept. They breathed a collective sigh of relief.

After a minute or two of looking at the dragon and feeling very happy that it was caught, a large error in their plan dawned on the pair. “How are we going to put that on a ship?” Roman asked, “Can you like, shrink it?”

Virgil considered it for a second —that was one big dragon —and decided that she could. “Yeah, I can make it smaller. It’s not an easy spell, but at least undoing it is simple.” She pointed her fingers at the purple bubble and focused, pouring the emotions that had resurfaced in Roman’s chambers last night into stretching the very boundaries of space and matter. It took a lot of concentration for approximately six in the morning, but Virgil pushed her magic to its limit, and the dragon shrunk before her eyes.

“Let’s go,” Virgil said, and Roman didn’t question it. She levitated the dragon and its carrier so that it followed just behind them, and the pair made their way to the docks. Every so often, she looked back to make sure it was still asleep.

A tap on her arm made Virgil flinch, but it was just Patton. “Hey, it’s going to be ok. Logan and I thought we’d ask the staff some questions, see where Roman was before they left. You saw them last, do you have any ideas who we could ask first?”

Virgil let her anger die within her, sighing as she faced Patton. They’d gotten to know each other a little in the months since the quest, although neither was really sure how to approach a conversation together. Regardless, Virgil trusted Patton, and his calm in the face of stress was a welcome relief from her own anxious mind. 

“We had lunch in the library, right before the explosion. Maybe have Logan ask the librarian, he’s been dying to know more about the castle library for ages anyways,” Virgil said, pulling her hood over her hair. “I think I’m going to ask Rafaela about it, because she’s been keeping awfully quiet.” Laurus perked up at Rafaela’s name, and immediately started running in tiny circles around her feet, claws clacking on the tile floor.

“Logan already went to the library. I’m not sure if he’s after the librarian or the books.” Patton sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I know who some of Roman’s friends in the castle are, so I’ll ask around. Sorry the guards didn’t have any information.”

“It’s ok, we’ll find something soon enough,” Virgil said, trying to keep up hope. The explosions of the last few days were nerve-wracking, and she’d reverted back into some of her old habits of worrying. A little positivity was the most she could hope for when her stomach felt like a wrung washcloth.

“You’re going to talk to Rafaela, right? I know she’s been off lately, but maybe see if she has a spell that could find Roman?” Patton looked around at the now-empty corridor, as if uncertain that his suggestion would be taken seriously.

Laurus stopped running, deciding to sit on Virgil’s feet. “Yeah, that sounds like a good idea,” Virgil said, knowing that she’d rather talk to her trusted mentor than a near-stranger. Unlike Patton, she had difficulty befriending the palace staff, as she could never find the right place to slide into their conversations. “Let’s meet at the gates before sundown, ok? So we can tell each other what we found.”

Patton smiled. “Sounds like a plan. Good luck.” He waved back at Virgil.

“Same to you.” Virgil let her feet carry her to Rafaela’s rooms, Laurus on her heels, knowing that when the Head Sorcerer was in such a state, she could usually be found in her private quarters. They were the same as the ones she’d inhabited over a century ago, when there were more members of the royal family who needed rooms. 

Virgil knocked on the door, and took Rafaela’s distant “come in” as her opportunity to enter. She opened the door to find Rafaela sitting at her desk, creating a sphere of water over her fingers only to let it evaporate, then forming it again.

Lost in thought, Rafaela didn’t look up as Virgil entered. Something about the way she sat almost perfectly gave Virgil a bad gut feeling. Laurus slunk behind her, as if afraid.

“Roman’s missing,” Virgil said, trying to say something that would clear the air, or at least get the Dragon Witch’s attention.

“That’s unfortunate.” The water in her hand turned to a snowflake, then an ice cube. Virgil watched, puzzled.

“Do you know a tracking spell? Something that could help us find him?” She didn’t understand why her mentor was acting like this. It was common for Rafaela to be stoic, or reserved, but not frozen like a statue.

“Only if they were a sorcerer. What a pity.” Her head tilted a fraction of an inch, and the snowflake reformed. “Snow is so pretty in the winter, isn’t it? I hadn’t seen it for decades.”

“Rafaela. What’s wrong? Why—why are you acting like this?” Virgil tried to keep her tone polite, formal, but her nerves were fraying after the day she’d had. Last night, she’d barely been able to sleep.

“I’ve made some bad decisions in my life, Virgil. Spur-of-the-moment things. I had too much power, and nothing good to do with it. I’m very sorry.” Nothing moved except for her mouth. The water turned to blue flames, casting a ghastly glow on the Dragon Witch’s face.

Virgil let herself marinate in the silence, hoping that Rafaela would continue, explain. But it was the door opening that punctuated their conversation.

“You guys need to come quick. There’s been another accident. This time, it’s worse.” Logan was out of breath and panting, and he leaned against the doorframe as he took in Virgil’s shocked expression and Rafaela’s passive one. “What’s with her?”

“I don’t know. What happened?” Virgil looked from her mentor to Logan, not sure what to do.

“I’m sick. Continue without me.” She allowed the flames to melt, dripping down her hand.

“Come on,” Logan said, waving Virgil through the door. She followed him, tightening her cloak around her shoulders, but not before shooting one last glance over her shoulder at Rafaela. Laurus jumped up onto her shoulders, making Virgil stumble for a second.

“So, Rafaela aside, what’s going on?” Virgil asked, hurrying after Logan. He must have really been in a state, because usually he never moved fast unless books were involved.

“There’s been a fire on the outskirts of town, near the forest. Right around where the source of our problem is.” He took a sharp left. “People are really freaking out, because nobody has any idea how to put it out.”

Virgil drummed her fingers along the wall to release her nerves as they walked. “Is the fire department there?”

“Yeah, and that’s part of the problem. They think it’s magical, and nothing scares the daylights out of a rule-abiding citizen of Straith like sorcery,” Logan said, sighing as he pushed open a door to the outside. A large crowd was gathered at the castle gates.

“Anything unusual about it beyond not being able to put it out? Does it spread abnormally fast, or is it a weird color, or does it burn things weird? Does it smell weird, or something?” Virgil made a quick mental list of all the spells she knew that could extinguish fire.

“No, it’s an ordinary fire in every aspect except that water is not putting it out,” Logan said, pacing impatiently towards the small gate in the wall that would let them through.

“That’s not good. I think I’ve read a spell like that somewhere.” She wracked her brain for the information on how to put it out, following Logan through the gate.

They were invisible in the thick crowd, the panicked voices unmistakable. Everyone wanted something done about the problem in the woods, whatever the hell it was, and the fear was palpable. Virgil sensed the undercurrents to the panic: after so quick of a power transfer, was their country ready to face this threat? Would the young king be able to handle it?

While Roman was nowhere in sight, Virgil supposed she could make do in his place. As Logan led her to the fire, she tried to take note of easy-to-fix problems on the streets of Archdale. When they got back, Roman would have a lot to deal with. She could only hope that they were doing something that could help the country, even if it wasn’t in the castle where the king belonged.

She smelled the fire before she saw it, and the familiarity of it almost knocked her over. It was one of Rafaela’s favorite spells, the one that was burning the torches of her bedroom right now. Next to her, Logan’s face was a mirror of her own confusion.

“I didn’t think Rafaela would be involved in this,” Logan said as the building came into sight. A simple farmhouse was on fire, the blue flames consuming everything. The handiwork was so familiar, Virgil knew exactly when it would flicker.

“At least I know how to stop it,” Virgil said, pointing her hand at the house. It was an odd gesture, but the people milling around the fire didn’t even notice her. The black and purple of her cloak allowed Virgil to fade to the background, and Laurus was invisible on her shoulders, scales transparent.

She ignored the twang in her heart as the fire splintered like glass, the light blue shards catching the winter sun until Virgil floated them out of the house and stacked them next to her in a neat pile. What had Rafaela done?

Heads turned, following the glossy blue shapes, a wall of astonishment facing Virgil. After an awkward pause of silence, Logan said, “She’s the Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Kind of cool, right?”

Before any of the gawkers had a chance to respond, a woman broke away from the crowd to stand before Virgil. “Thank you so much,” she said. Logan and Virgil took in her haggard expression. Her eyes were red, but from smoke or crying it was impossible to tell.

“It’s—it’s what I do,” Virgil replied, dropping her gaze to the snowy ground.

“It’s miraculous. You just saved—that house has been in my family for generations. I’m not sure what happened to it, but there was a boom—like the explosions recently, then before I knew it, the house was in flames and we had to escape. I thought I’d watch the place where I grew up burn to the ground.” She sobbed, a fresh tear running down her right cheek. “I know it might be too much to ask, but do you know what happened to set it on fire? I can’t thank you enough.”

Virgil’s eyes went wide, tears of her own on the edge of spilling over. “I don’t know what happened, sorry. I’m happy I could help, I know how it feels to think you’ll lose the only place you’ve ever lived.” Uncertain of what to do next, she swallowed her sobs and embraced the woman, closing her eyes so that the tears wouldn’t help.

She felt Logan’s hand on her shoulder, a comfort. When she broke away from her hug with this total stranger—what was she doing?—the crowd was applauding her. A standing ovation. Virgil froze where she stood, panic rushing through her as she realized what had just happened.

“Thank you, I have to go tell my wife,” the woman said, leaving Virgil to disappear into the crowd, just as quickly as she’d come.

Logan led her away from the crowd, before the situation could freak her out any more. She wanted to thank him, but Virgil couldn’t seem to find the words for the life of her. They walked down the familiar streets of Virgil’s home until they were at the doorway of Food for the Mind. Virgil felt some of her anxiety fade away as she stepped into the bookstore.

“Are you alright?” Logan asked, inviting her to sit next to him on a beanbag in the kids section. “I thought you might just want to get away from the situation, if that’s fine.”

She sank into the small yellow beanbag. “I’m better, thanks. Thank you for taking me here, too. I’d rather be here than the palace, or that house, or anywhere, really,” Virgil said, wiping her nose on her sleeve. “Crowds. Crowds watching me do magic are…fun. So much fun. Full sarcasm. And strangers who approach me to thank me for solving a problem my mentor may have created in the first place.”

“Sorry about that, do you want anything?” Logan was still worried about her, but Virgil couldn’t focus on that for long.