“Wham!” Maya slams her hands onto the table, and half a dozen mugs wobble. She pauses to adjust the hood of her cloak before continuing. “Tatiana puts her forehead right into Annandale’s pointy nose!”

She’s sitting across from Tatiana and ‘Selena Grove.’ Selena Grove is apparently another royal girl from the Albanum family.

“She did?” Selena Grove asks, leaning forward in her chair. Her black bun wobbles on her head.

Tatiana ‘subtly’ introduced her to me by announcing: ‘Well, if it isn’t Selena Albanum. Daughter of Tortchune and Allactus.’

Selena Grove and Maya had shared a confused look before Selena Grove spoke.

‘I go by Selena Grove Albanum, now,’ Selena Grove had said. ‘Selena Grove is my name.’

The pane promptly referred to her as Selena Albanum. It also called her a ‘poor excuse of a swordswoman.’

I’m starting to question whether or not I can take these panes at face value.

Either way, I decide that Selena Grove sounds better. Especially since she’s so insistent about it. It’s her name, after all.

“And then…” Maya takes up a mug and waves it in the air. “She knocks Annandale’s sword away.”

I haven’t said much since Maya showed up and led Tatiana out of her tower. I feel like I’m watching a movie or something.

“Yes,” Tatiana says, picking at the pink flower still embedded in her cheek. I can feel the roots moving just beneath her skin, and I hate it. “We’re grateful for your storytelling, Maya.”

“Are we?” Selena Grove asks, leaning toward Tatiana. “I think she’s obnoxious.”

“Yes,” Tatiana says, leaning in as well. “But we can pretend. Otherwise—”

Maya hurls the mug, and the girls jump apart. The mug soars across the tavern and explodes against the opposite wall. Bits of glass clatter on a table where a single woman sits.

Annandale scowls at them. She’s wearing a dark tunic and her red hair is loose on her shoulders.

“Maya!” Tatiana hisses, whipping her head to the hooded girl. “You cow!” She looks back to Annandale and finds the woman approaching.

“I’m not scared of Annandale,” Maya says as the woman stops by their table. “She’s a…” she trails off, eyeing the woman.

Annandale brushes a bit of broken glass out of her hair, her face dark.

For a moment, no one speaks.

“Annandale,” Selena Grove says, sitting a little straighter. But the quirk of her lips doesn’t bode well. “It seems we’ve lost a mug. Have you seen it?”

I realize instantly that these girls are a bunch of brats. I feel like I’m sitting at a high school cafeteria.

“An O’Hagan in Romenthe,” Annandale says flatly, her narrow orange eyes landing on Maya. “Your arrogance astonishes me.”

Maya clears her throat and adjusts her hood.

“I’m no O’Hagan,” she says. “I’m merely a weary traveler in—”

“And you,” Annandale turns to Selena Grove. “Selena, is it?”

“Selena Grove,” Selena Grove says, lowering her chin. “Both parts are my name.”

“Grove is your family name?” Annandale’s brow furrows. “You’re not an Albanum?”

“No.” Selena Grove aims a finger at her. “My family name is Albanum. Selena Grove is my first name. If you refer to me, you will use both parts of my first name.”

Annandale looks to Tatiana, seemingly expecting some sort of explanation.

“Just call her Selena,” Tatiana says.

“You will not!” Selena Grove pipes up.

“You’re confusing her!” Tatiana snaps.

Annandale stares as the two of them argue back and forth.

“Have you come to drink with us?” Maya asks, picking up another empty mug. “Or are you going to claim revenge for my mug?”

“I merely want to speak my belief,” Annandale says, dropping into the seat next to Maya.

Maya stares at her in the corner of her eye, pretending to drink from the mug for some reason.

“What’s your belief?” Selena Grove asks.

“None of you should be allowed in the Stonewall Ceremony.”

Tatiana stiffens.

“You speak confidently,” Tatiana says, curling the stem of the pink flower around her finger. “Especially considering I bested you.”

“None of you have been properly trained,” Annandale goes on, glaring at Tatiana. “And if you are harmed in the ceremony, what’s stopping your families from seeking revenge?”

“It didn’t stop you from attempting to gut me,” Tatiana says.

“I did not attempt to gut you,” Annandale says quickly. “I kept the wound shallow to keep you alive. If I wanted you dead, I would’ve cut you open from belly to throat.”

Tatiana sets her jaw, clearly frustrated by that information.

“I—”

“You’ve only a few months of training,” Annandale cuts Tatiana off. “And that was only because Gideon took pity on you.”

I wonder who Gideon is.

A pane appears in the air next to Annandale.

‘Gideon Porish. A knight of the Malvey court. Is incapable of telling Tatiana no.’

Oh.

The pane fades and I start wondering what else I can just ask the world.

“I’ve been trained in swordplay since I was seven,” Selena Grove barks.

“A rapier isn’t a sword,” Annandale says. She glances at Maya, who is chewing on the rim of her mug. “The ceremony is for knights. Not for the whims of princesses.”

“How’d you know I use a rapier?” Selena Grove asks under her breath.

“Who cares about that,” Maya cuts in. “You lost, Annandale. Don’t forget yourself.”

Annandale’s eyes slowly narrow.

“My fight is tomorrow,” Maya goes on, extending a hand. A rose blooms from her palm. It has a faint glow to it. “I won’t need a sword to make a fool of…” she paused, glancing at Tatiana.

“You’re fighting Markus,” Tatiana says. “And you have to hold a sword. It’s part of the rules.”

“Certainly.” Maya cracks a grin. Then, she jerks her hand. The rose spins into the air and pops like a firework.

Annandale flinches back and scowls at her.

Sparks rain on the table.

A few people nearby turn their heads. Someone yells about fire.

“We’re not doing this on a whim,” Maya says. “We all have something to prove, Annandale.”

“What do you gain from making a joke of the knights?” Annandale asks.

“I get an excuse to spend time in Romenthe,” Selena Grove says. “It’s been months since I’ve been into the archive.”

“You know why I’m doing this,” Tatiana says, raising her chin.

“I’m only here to piss you off,” Maya says.

“You’re the worst of the bunch,” Annandale says, standing up.

“And don’t you forget it.” Maya grins at her.

“The next time we cross blades in the ceremony,” Annandale says, reaching into the collar of her tunic. “I won’t restrain myself.”

She produces a shard of glass and frowns before dropping it onto the table. It lands with a quiet thud.

Tatiana’s eyes linger on the glass before she meets Annandale’s gaze.

“I’ll deal with whatever consequences come from slaying a princess.” Annandale turns and walks away.

The girls watch her leave.

It isn’t until Annandale is out the door that Selena Grove speaks.

“I must say. I don’t think she’s too fond of us.”

Tatiana and Maya erupt into laughter.

They go back to their bickering and chatting. Tatiana starts talking about Markus and how Maya could best him.

I wish I could go to sleep or something. Even though I haven’t been in control of Tatiana’s body since the fight, I feel exhausted. I wonder if there is any way for me to rest.

Sure enough, a pane appears.

‘Only the mind in control can rest. If you do not swap every so often, a swap will be forced.’

Forced? Why?

And here I thought I’d be able to just sort of watch from in here until they found a way to get rid of me.

‘Tatiana,’ I say.

“What?” Tatiana looks around, earning confused stares from Selena Grove and Maya. “Shit…” she adds under her breath.

‘Sorry,’ I say, trying to sound calm. ‘But I learned something. We might be forced to swap soon.’

How often? I wait for a pane to answer me while Tatiana melts under the girls’ scrutiny.

Tatiana’s hand clenches into a fist under the table.

“Sorry,” she says, picking up a mug and finding it empty. “I thought I heard something.” She raises the mug. “Nix! More drinks!”

No pane comes. Clearly, God picks and chooses the questions that get answered.

‘Maybe you should go home,’ I insist while a woman crosses the tavern with a handful of mugs. Her bronze hair sways behind her. ‘If we swap…’

“Shut up,” Tatiana snaps under her breath.

“You girls got the coin for all this drinking you’re doing?” The woman asks. “You know, this clean stuff ain’t cheap.”

“You’re the one who wouldn’t give us the real thing,” Selena Grove says. “We are adults.”

“Sure.” The woman wanders off.

‘I could be forced into control,’ I say. ‘Do you understand?’

“‘Do not,’” Tatiana says, dragging the words out. “Piss Nix off,’ she finishes, nudging Maya.

I get the message, but I’m certain she isn’t understanding me.

‘I don’t have a choice. That’s what I’m saying!’

“It’s true,” Selena Grove insists, producing a coin pouch. “I’m done drinking, anyway.

“I better summon Yordga,” Maya says. She flexes her fingers and a long stem grows in her palm. At the end, a puffy white flower forms.

‘What is that?’ I ask. ‘Just what is she capable of?’

“Ah,” Tatiana says. “You’re using your flower magic to send a signal. And because Yordga is so attuned to the flow of your magic, she will know to come.”

Maya and Selena Grove share a look.

“Wow,” Selena Grove says. “Tatiana sure is smart.”

Maya snorts.

A moment later, a woman is standing at the end of the table. She wears a velvet robe, and her brown hair is tied up in a ribbon. Her eyes dart across the girls’ faces.

Where did she come from?

A pane appears in front of her.

‘Yordga O’Hagan. The oldest of the O’Hagan siblings. Is aware of you.’

What?

“Yordga,” Selena Grove says, standing up. “Do you remember…”

Something in Yordga’s flat expression silences her. She stares at Selena Grove for a moment before nodding.

“Albanum.” Yordga gives her a tiny smile. “Yes. I remember you.” Her eyes flick to Tatiana for a moment before she offers Maya a hand. “We should get home. Are you ready?”

‘Tatiana,’ I say. But I don’t know how I would frame the question. If she’s ‘aware’ of me, why isn’t she saying anything? Unless it means she’s somehow able to sense that something is up with Tatiana but doesn’t know the details.

Maya stands, dropping a few gold coins onto the table. She shakes her hand, and the white flower falls free, drifting to the floor.

“I’ll see you lot tomorrow,” she says, rounding the table and joining Yordga.

“Tatiana,” Yordga says, her near black eyes glimmering. “I hear you performed…” she gives a slight wobble of her head. “Well enough.”

Tatiana meets her eyes and taps her fingers on the table.

“Never well enough,” she says.

“She won, didn’t she?” Maya chimes in.

“Let’s be off,” Yordga says. She reaches over, taking Maya by the shoulder. They’re gone in the blink of an eye.

“Will you walk me to the inn?” Selena Grove asks. “This city is scary.”

The two of them stand and leave the tavern. The street is muddy and the air is thick with rain.

The road is lined with things that I can only describe as streetlights. Thick wooden posts with glowing white orbs hovering above them. They illuminate the rain and cast their eerie glow onto the mud.

Selena Grove walks slightly ahead, her dress clinging to her.

‘Tatiana,’ I say as a wagon rolls by them. ‘What is Yordga? I think she… saw me or something?’

“What are you talking about?” Tatiana mumbles. “She could sense you? Yordga is…” she trails off and swears under her breath. “She’s a seer,” she hisses.

‘So she saw me?’

“She didn’t say anything. Perhaps she sense you but chose not to—”

“Do we turn here?” Selena Grove calls, pausing at a street corner and turning to Tatiana.

A camel trudges in front of her, ridden by three cloaked figures.

“Which inn is your party at?” Tatiana asks.

A man rounds the corner and pushes past Selena Grove. She gives him a shove in response.

The man stumbles a few steps before turning to her. He wears a thick coat and has a bald head.

“Fuck’s sake,” Tatiana groans, picking up her pace.

“You’re out late.” A figure appears in Tatiana’s peripheral. An arm juts out in front of her, stopping her advance. She turns, finding a hooded woman at her side. Her eyes have a faint green glow to them.

“Abba?” She asks.

“Who do you think you are?” The man demands.

“My name is Selena Grove Albanum,” Selena Grove declares, staring him down.

“Povenna asked me to come get you,” the woman says as a pane forms before her.

‘Abba Esparna. The only student of Povenna. Fears Tatiana.’

These are getting less informative by the second.

Ahead, there’s a flash.

Selena Grove’s hand is extended. She whips it to the side, and a rapier appears in her hand. The needle-like blade moves in a slow arc.

The man steps back as she aims it at him.

“Tatiana!” Selena Grove calls. “This man is an assassin!”

“You’re insane!” The man yells. He turns and starts to run.

“Consider your life spared!” She yells after him.

“Hold on,” Tatiana says, pushing past Abba. “Selena! What are you—”

She stumbles forward, her legs giving out. I react before I understand what I’m doing. I stick an arm out, landing on a hand and my knees.

I’m in control.

“Tatiana?” Abba asks. “What is it?”

“Shit,” I breathe.

“Tatiana!” Selena Grove is looking our way. “How dare you!”

“Wait—”

Selena Grove thrusts the rapier, and we’re hit by a gust of wind. I blink and she’s gone.

I find her standing over me, the weapon a blur. Abba is bent backwards, her hand closing around the blade as she pushes it out of her face.

Everything is suddenly silent as they stare each other down. Then, the rain comes back, hitting us like a wave.

I flinch down, covering my head. The rain had stopped?

“You trying to get yourself killed?” Abba asks, a bit of hair falling into her face. “Girl?”

“I won’t stand by as my friend is hurt,” Selena Grove replies.

‘Stop them!’ Tatiana yells in my head. ‘Do something!’

Abba yanks on the rapier and pulls Selena Grove forward. Selena Grove releases the weapon, and Abba’s momentum throws her off balance.

Selena Grove hops, grabs the rapier and rips it free of Abba’s grasp. Then, before she lands, she turns the blade in a small arc between herself and Abba.

I see it this time, for a single heartbeat. A ring in the air between them. It expands in a flash, clearing out the rain and repelling Abba.

I’m pushed back, the mud shifting around me and my hair whipping around my head. I barely glimpse Abba spinning through the air before she crashes into the canopy of a wagon.

A few people around it scatter as the wagon’s canopy caves in on itself.

I stare as the rain comes back. A ‘poor excuse of a swordswoman?’ Clearly, the panes have no idea what they’re talking about. Was that a shockwave?

‘Talk her down!’ Tatiana orders. ‘She’ll kill Abba if she isn’t careful!’

“I’m trying!”

“What?” Selena Grove asks, grabbing my arm. “Come on, let’s go! We gotta get out of here!”

“Wait!” I insist. “Did you just kill her?”

“No!” Selena Grove insists. “Whoever that woman is, she’s tough.”

The caved-in wagon bursts open, but I don’t see Abba.

“She wasn’t hurting me,” I go on. “Abba is friendly.”

“Wait, what?”

Abba is standing behind her. Her hood is off and her hand is bloodied.

Selena Grove turns, leveling the rapier.

“Abba!” I call. “This is all a misunderstanding! She’s an Albanum!”

Abba runs a hand through her hair.

“An Albanum?”

‘Tell her Selena is a fool!’ Tatiana insists. ‘She’ll understand!’

I hesitate, stumbling over my words.

“It seems I attacked you for no reason,” Selena Grove says. She tosses the rapier aside and offers Abba a hand as if she expects it to be kissed.

I’m stunned by her audacity, and Abba just stares flatly at her.

“Selena Grove Albanum,” Selena Grove says. “Don’t hurt Tatiana again, and you won’t get hurt… again.”

I get to my feet.

“Tatiana,” Abba says. “Your mother expects you back at the castle. If I do not return with you in… moments, she’s going to come herself.”

“I…”

‘I promised I would walk Selena to the inn,’ Tatiana says. ‘Tell her.’

I almost start with ‘Tatiana told me.’ I have to pause and reorient myself.

“What in the gods is going on?” someone yells from across the street. “Who destroyed my wagon?”

“Your wagon was struck by lightning!” Selena Grove calls. “Sorry!”

Abba massages the bridge of her nose with her bloody hand.

A few people are gathering around the yelling man.

“I have to get her to her inn,” I say. “Before she kills someone.”

Abba seems to understand. She nods and produces a coin pouch.

I stand by Selena Grove while Abba gives the man what looks like a handful of coins.

“You’re…” I hesitate again, unsure if I should even risk speaking to Selena Grove. She and Maya seem incredibly familiar with her. And Maya already almost caught Tatiana out back in the tower.

“Are you alright?” Selena Grove asks, extending a hand to her rapier. “I can walk myself if you prefer.” The rapier disappears in a flash of light. As it does, a metal bracelet appears on her wrist. She smiles at it.

“No,” I say, eyeing her bracelet. “It’s fine.”

‘Damn you… Alyssa.’ Tatiana’s voice is heavy in my head as the three of us eventually start walking. ‘I should’ve known you would steal my body again, sooner or later.’

I want to apologize to her. I want to explain that ‘this’ was literally what I was trying to explain to her in the tavern. It’ll have to wait.

At the same time, my mind wanders. Tatiana had wrenched control away from me in our fight with Annandale. If she could do it then, why can’t she do it now?

I wonder if adrenaline had something to do with it. I wonder if this being a ‘forced swap’ has something to do with it. Maybe because it was a forced swap, the rules are different.

Tatiana doesn’t say much else.

The rain keeps falling.

“You coming?” Selena Grove asks, starting to walk ahead. Her bun has party come undone and sits, slowly unraveling, on the back of her neck.

“I’m coming, Selena Grove,” I say, stumbling after her.

But she stops and stares as I catch up. There are several strands of wet hair between her confused eyes.

I realize that Tatiana hadn’t been using the ‘Grove,’ and mentally slap myself.

Selena Grove’s lips move, a slight tremble that vanishes as soon as I notice it.

“Oh, Tatiana,” she breathes, throwing an arm over my shoulder and pulling me against her.

Her frame is light, and there’s an unsteadiness to her gait. I wonder if the fight took more out of her than I realized.

‘Alyssa, you fool,’ Tatiana grumbles as I walk with Selena Grove pressed at my side. ‘Now if I don’t call her Selena Grove, she’ll believe me a hypocrite.’

I swallow a laugh.

“Sorry,” I mumble. Except I’m not. Something about the look on Selena Grove’s face makes the slip difficult to regret.