In my dream, I’m a gnome girl again. It’s not jarring, because it’s a dream. In a dream I could be anyone.

  I have my hair tied back, and I’m w on a new potion. In my head, it’s my most devious co yet. I hope I don’t have to use it.

  We’re on the road. I look at my new friends, and my heart swells. The brave orc, the heroic elven bartender, her sister the she human wizard, we all adventure across the forest quelling evil. And there is nobody I’d rather do it with than them. But tonight, tonight we face a dragon.

  The wizard doesn’t look anything like the boy I think about from time to time. But he’s still very handsome, if a little simple. He treats this whole endeavor like it’s a game. But it’s not a game.

  He shows me his magic crystal ste, the way it glows, it's entrang. He says that he’s here to find others like him. I don’t wonder much about what this means.

  It all goes to shit.

  The dragon’s red scaled face takes up my whole vision. It feels like it’s a mile wide. His voice rumbles, rattling the s that make up his bed. He says ‘why should I fight for ahese goblins have never bothered me’ and ‘a kingdom is just a little bird with eggs waiting to be plucked, not something tain with.’

  Then the dragon moves faster than I thought possible. His jaws close down on the elven sniper, and suddenly she is gone. But for one lone boot, foot still intact, you would never know she had ever been there.

  Then we run. Fire burns hot at our backs. I toss a potion behihat explodes into a wall of ibsp; It buys us precious seds.

  Later. A rematbsp; The dragon curls around the pace tower. Smoke darkens the sky. I look to the human wizard. I look to the elven bartender. They look back with determination. We do this. We have to. Who else would save us, but ourselves?

  I woke up to the sound of rain, the details of my dream fading fast. I quickly jotted them down ies app on my ste. The sun shone dimly through the portholes. Everyone dashed busily here and there to get the ship ready to dock.

  The m rushed by so quickly, I could barely reize what was going on. We were shoved into a carriage — I only got a little bit wet from the drizzle. This time I got to ride with Bernie, but Cal was there too so we kept our hands to ourselves. Then, I was dunked into a cold bath as soon as I got to the castle. A man named Vinter scrubbed me of the sweat, and saltwater, and grime. He was not gentle, but I was grateful. Then it was into fine clothes. All the while Ara’alyne, Braelyn’s assistant, droned on about the important people I’d meet at the party.

  I was rushed into a room with Braelyn, Rachel, Bernie, Cal, and Mark for lunbsp; Oable were sandwiches, tea, and buttery pastries. It was fantastic.

  Mark, sipping tea as he paced, looked much like I remembered him. A man in his te thirties, he had a bit of male pattern baldness, but had kept very trim, his nky frame well dispyed by his shimmering blue robes. A huge gaudy red scarf, and tight leather belt ched in his waist. A thin, patchy bit of stubble covered his , and crows feet kled around his pale green eyes.

  When I got there, Rachel, Bernie, and Braelyn were already embroiled in a heated discussion about the source of Caleb’s Strife Among the Stars, and a certain divisive character in particur.

  “Look,” Rachel said as I walked in, “he was made specifically because JJ was accessing his greatest fears. As a kid his greatest fear was ‘what if my dad was evil.’ But as an adult it’s ‘what if despite my best iions, my son was evil.’”

  “Yeah. And the evil makes him kinda hot,” Bernie said.

  “I mean he’s a petunt, whiney nepo-baby,” Rachel said, “who has all the opportunity in the world to do the right thing, and chose not to.”

  “Right, and then I get to cure him with my magic vagina,” Bernie tered.

  “Abusive men are real,” Braelyn said, “It’s a bizarre fantasy.”

  “The bad me the fantasy,” Bernie expined. “They’re on. But being able to ge them, or them wanting to ge, that’s the fantasy.”

  “I don’t get it,” I said, grabbing a pastry. I wasn’t sure I could handle anything heavier. Too nervous.

  “That tracks,” Bernie said, with a ugh.

  The irls ughed too.

  “And I 't believe all the hubbub over Caleb’s fanfi,” Mark said.

  I felt my blood pressure rise.

  “It’s a truly transformative creative pastiche Mark,” I replied.

  Mark sched up his fa annoyance.

  “I don’t get it either,” Cal said.

  “Thank you!” Mark said with a ugh.

  “People need something to occupy their days that isn’t misery, of course they’d love Strife,” Rachel said.

  “What do you even do in your tower all day?” I asked, uo stop myself.

  “Ah, w on important mystical projects,” he replied. “And teag the geion of wizards.” His hands went into his pocket and he pulled out a ste, “Oh, shoot! Here is one now. Give me a moment.”

  As he typed away on his ste, I turo Braelyn.

  “Horeparations for Caleb’s security detail?” I asked.

  “They’re already at the Opera House, going over final steps. We’ll have elven snipers in the rafters, and knights at every entrand exit. Plus, we’ll be there too.”

  “What about Caleb’s sons?” I asked.

  “They have the fi ons, armor, and training already. And Mark did us the favor of pr a teleportation scroll in case he is uo cast one.”

  “You ’t cast one yourself?” I asked.

  Braelyn stiffened, and adjusted her gsses.

  “I am quite profit with a vast array of magical spells, but that particur spell is in an area of study that happens to be outside my purview.”

  “She means,” Mark said, pocketing his ste, “that she spends as much time on castle politics as she does magical researbsp; Unlike her, my status as a recluse affords me a bunch more time for the full spectrum of magical study.”

  “There is that,” Braelyn said, cutting a sly smile to Mark.

  She seemed to be taking the insult in stride, but I was reminded why nobody liked Mark. It was the smug superiority. And the man could use some tact.

  “I gotta run,” Ber in. She smiled at me. “As much as I’d love to stick around, I should see if I ’t scoop a st minute clue as to where the attack will e from.”

  “The Elven Delegation still sequestered in the embassy?”

  “For now,” she said. “But someone is bound to leave a window open.”

  “Be careful,” I pleaded.

  “I will,” she said.

  Bere kissed me on the cheek, a.

  “I should leave too,” Rachel said.

  And suddenly, lunch was over.

  I hardly remember the rest of the day, but I was shoved into my shiny new armor — breastpte, greaves, and bracers over full length mail. It was light and easy to move in, but a little warm and stuffy. Not bad in the cold and drafty castle though. The clouds hung heavy out the window, and the rain refused to let up. Then a quick carriage ride, and I was at the Opera House.

  They ushered me in through a side entrance, past three checkpoints, and into the braheater. I wished I was able to remember the py. The music was nice, and fights were good, but I found it hard to trate. I think there was some big twist with the main character’s heritage?

  After, I followed the crowd into the ballroom.

  It was filled with people. The whole pce shimmered with light from a series of deliers at the edges of the room. The ceiling was a dome that sat on a ring of colored stained gss windows that faintly glowed with the st trace of the day. debras reached above the folk that mingled, and talked in low voices, a long shadows in their wake.

  It was too dark. And the rain too loud. I had a sick feeling in my stomach.

  I found Rachel. She didn’t wear a dress, but a beautiful bck suit. Her magic belt pleme well.

  “Where’s Caleb?” I asked.

  Rachel grabbed my arm, and directed me across the ballroom to a group of people. I noticed Braelyn first, ed in a beautiful green gown that plimented her elven physique well. She talked to a young man in pte armor. o him was a boy in a pale blue cloak and dark browhers.

  “Breznik,” Braelyn said upon seeihese are Princes of the Bde,” she then motioo first the young man ihen the boy ihers, “my Lords Pes, and Fa’ander.”

  Caleb’s sons. The you was dressed as an elven ranger. I wondered what Cal thought about that. The elder one was the one who had rushed back to see his wife. Word around the castle was that the duchess was stable, but not yet recovered. He ’t have been taking this well, but here he was.

  “Just Fa,” the young one said, smiling brightly.

  “Of course,” I said. “o finally meet you.” I shook his hand and theher’s. “And Pes, I’ve heard much about you.”

  Pes smiled curtly, and his handshake was firm. In truth, I hadn’t heard much about him at all. Xander was the eldest, and favored son. Some word around the castle was that Pes had taken to Padin training well, but that was only iion to Xander, arently excelled ireme. People saw much of his father in Xander.

  I imagi was hard to stand out in this family.

  “I’m sure you have,” he said rotely. “I heard that I have you to thank for the capture of my wife’s poisoner. I am grateful for it.”

  That’s right. Caleb had kept the involvement of Princess Mia hush hush. Apparently even from his own sons. They’d pihe poisoning solely oor Benoit.

  “Eh,” I waved his plement off, “I mostly just succeeded iing captured. It was all your dad.”

  “Ah, then I resd my thanks,” he said.

  I ughed, nervously. Pes smiled grimly.

  “What did you think about the py?” Fa interjected.

  We talked about the py for a bit. The shinesword fights were a hit with just about everyone.

  Thunder rumbled behind the versation.

  Xander approached. The versation didn’t die, but his brothers immediately gave him space to talk. If there was ament for his p the family, it didn’t show.

  Though only a few ialler than me, Xaood as if a giant. His armleamed bd gold in the dlelight. That could be where the Bight appelte had e from. uess they could have been referring to his skin color.

  He smiled in a way that told me he knew how much he looked like his father.

  My brain buzzed with statibsp; Xander said things, but I hardly heard them. I knew something was about to go very wrong. But what was I supposed to do?

  Bere was at my arm, she took it into hers.

  “Hey,” she said.

  “Hey,” I responded.

  She wore her silksteel armor, but had gussied it up with a smart vest and a half cape. She had her daggers here and there, but only her best ones. Fasator io her cape. She looked nice, but not as nice as our date st night. Somehow, that made the memory of it better.

  Her smile, aouch seeped the tension from me.

  “You okay?” she whispered.

  “I’m fine,” I said. “You look nice.”

  “Of course I do. I like your suit. The o night was better.”

  “Thanks,” I said. “Learn anything?”

  “Nothing aable,” she replied curtly, switg into business mode. “They’re looking for us,” Bernie’s eyes sed the crowd as she talked. “But if they were pnning something for tonight, I’d expect chatter about it. Or at least less elven soldiers at the embassy, meaning they weren't off talking somewhere else. There were lots of elves there. This isn’t adding up.”

  I gave an indistinoise. Braelyn approached, and Bernie filled her in too.

  “This is disquieting,” the elven woman said.

  “Right,” I said.

  “Wait. You hear that?” Bernie asked.

  “Hear what?” I answered.

  “The rain.”

  “What rain?”

  “Yeah,” she said, “that’s what I meant. The rain stopped.”

  A gasp shuddered through the crowd. I turo see the otion.

  Men and women gave her a wide berth, and she parted them as she approached.

  “Where’s Caleb?” she asked.

  I was the first to answer.

  “What the hell are you doing here?”

  “Did I miss the py?” Sofia asked.

  She wore a stunning bck dress that stilted like a beetle's wing, with gloves that went up to her mid bicep. Her pale white skin shone from her shoulders and nebsp; Her hair was a beautiful, intricate silver pit down her back.

  Damn, she had a nice cvicle.

  “Don’t do this,” I pleaded.

  “Do what?” she asked, cool blue eyes smiling mischievously.

  “What did these people ever do to you?”

  “Who is this?” Pes asked.

  “The Sorceress,” Xander said.

  “Dad’s nemesis?” Fa asked. “The ohat —”

  Pes drew his sword, and stepped a siep toward Sofia.

  “Don’t!” I heard myself shout.

  Sofia’s eyes fshed with purple fire, and she snapped her fingers. Pes’s back arched in pain, he dropped his sword, and he seemed to lock up. His face torted.

  “Rude,” she admonished.

  Caleb, and Queen Cerelia walked out of the crowd. So too, did an armored Captain Wen.

  “He didn’t mean —” I started to say.

  “I know what he meant,” Sofia said, cutting me off.

  “What did these people ever do to you?” I asked.

  “They refuse to submit to the will of the Queen.”

  “You mean, they refuse to submit to you,” Bere accused.

  “What do you mean?” I asked, but I already khe answer as soon as I asked it.

  “This is Queen Tenenbria,” Xander announced.

  Sofia’s smile was wider than I had ever seen her smile. She grabbed her skirts, and did a tiny little curtsy.

  “Holy shit,” Rachel said. “It finally makes sense.”

  Caleb’s hand was on the sword at his back, but so too was Captain Wen’s on her sword. Nobody made a move yet.

  It did make sense. Suddenly the reason why Caleb and Queen Tenenbria had been at war for such a long time was crystal clear. Caleb couldn’t kill Sofia. Whatever had happened between them, he couldn’t just kill her. And if he did, would we be able to go home?

  Wait. No he could. The quest — the quest the DM had written in our stes. We had to kill the Queen of Darkness. Sofia was the Queen of Darkness. I couldn’t do that. Could I?

  And Caleb had been pying this game, this game of kings and knights, and Sofia ying her own game, aher of them could make a move on each other directly. They’d been at war for thirty years.

  Except, now she was here.

  Mark, fug Mark, circled the crowd, ing closer to us. I wondered if he knew all of this already. Had Caleb told him?

  “You don’t have to do this,” I said again. “These people aren’t soldiers. They’re just here for a show.”

  “Oh,” Sofia replied darkly, “but the show hasn’t even started yet.”

  Two more knights of the word stepped out of the crowd. How had they gotten here? Magibsp; Probably magic.

  Caleb’s knights, I could tell by the pale blue capes, started to line up o him. Good. When shit popped off, his aura could support them.

  How do I keep this from popping off?

  Should I try charming her?

  “You want to be my friend,” I said, waving my hand for the somatipo.

  Sofia’s ughter rang out.

  “A charm spell?” she asked. “Oh Zachary, you’re so cute.”

  Then, it did indeed pop off.

  Bere pulled Fasator, her cape fluttering to the ground, and it grew to its full size. Sofia flew up half a foot and back several feet, just outside the reach of Bernie’s swipe. Captain Wen yelled, and drew her sword. Caleb drew his, and they immediately cshed.

  Small, six foot wide explosions rippled across the floor. Guards surged in.

  Sofia licked her index finger. She flicked her wrist, and a sword very much like the one she had showhat night at the ke appeared in her hand in a fsh of purple fme.

  Skeletons crawled from the holes in the floors. They all had ons. Immediately, they set upon the party guests, blood flying. The guards fought babsp; There just wasn’t enough of them. Bodies began to pile up by the sed.

  Sofia pulled a mote of purple fire from her sword, and she was just about to unch it, when it dissipated. Mark held his hand in the air, evidence of his terspell. Sofia flew higher.

  I drew my sword, Redeemer, and cut the head from a skeleton. Pes stood o me, finally free from the paralyzing spell, his sword in his hands.

  Me, Rachel, and Bere put one of Caleb’s kids to each of our sides. The skeleto ing. We o hold them off until Mark or Braelyn could get that teleportation circle up.

  How the hell were we going to do that? We seemed royally screwed.