The common room of the inn had grown louder as the evening went on. Braedon was a stopping point for merchants, travellers, soldiers, and anyone else who had business along the road between Eldoria and the surrounding territories. By the time dinner was served, nearly every table was occupied. The air smelled of roasted meat, spilt ale, woodsmoke and damp wool from cloaks hung near the entrance.
I barely noticed any of it. My attention kept drifting towards the man sitting at the bar. Lord Killian Ravenscroft.
He had appeared in Evergrove, and somehow turned up here in Braedon before us. I still hadn't decided whether that was merely coincidence or something I should be worried about.
I pushed my food around my plate. Across the room, Alexander was speaking quietly with Liam. Gabriel was still on the road to Eldoria with the message for Duke Lysander, which left Liam as Alexander's only remaining knight at the inn.
Alexander noticed me looking towards the bar. Of course he did. His eyes followed mine for a moment before returning to Liam. He didn't ask anything. That somehow made me more conscious of where I was looking.
I lowered my gaze to my plate. Fine. I could wait. There was no reason to abandon dinner just because I was curious about someone across the room. So I ate. By the time the plates had been cleared, the common room had begun to thin out. Some of the travellers had already gone upstairs, while others were settling their bills before leaving the inn.
Alexander pushed his chair back. "That should be enough for tonight."
Liam rose beside him, and Lady Evelyn gathered her things. I stood as well, adjusting my skirt.
My eyes went towards the bar. Killian was still there. For a moment, I considered following everyone upstairs. Alexander was already walking towards them with Liam. Lady Evelyn followed a few steps behind. No one was looking at me. I waited until Alexander's back was turned before taking a few steps away from the group.
My heart began beating faster. I glanced towards the bar. Killian was still there. For a second, I almost turned back. This was ridiculous. I barely knew the man. But the bracelet was still on my wrist. I slipped back across the common room. Killian looked up when I approached.
His expression changed slightly, surprise replacing the quiet amusement he'd been wearing earlier. Then his mouth curved into a faint smile. "You came back."
I pulled out the stool beside him and sat. "Lord Ravenscroft." I suddenly felt awkward. I'd spent the entire dinner thinking about what I wanted to ask him, yet now that I was standing in front of him, the words seemed to have disappeared.
Killian waited.
I glanced briefly towards the stairs before lowering my voice. "May I ask you something?"
"Of course."
I hesitated. My fingers moved unconsciously towards my wrist, brushing the moonstones hidden beneath my sleeve.
Killian noticed. His eyes followed the movement.
"The bracelet," I said quietly.
His expression changed.
I swallowed. "I need to know something about it."
For a moment, he said nothing. Then he set his glass down. "What would you like to know?"
I looked around the common room before leaning slightly closer. "How did it get back to me?"
Before I could press him further, a familiar voice came from behind me.
"Princess."
I turned. Alexander had crossed the room. His expression was polite, but I had spent enough time around him to recognise when his politeness was being carefully maintained. His gaze moved from me to Killian. "Lord Ravenscroft."
"Your Highness."
They regarded each other for a moment.
"I wasn't aware you had business in Braedon," Alexander said.
Killian lifted his glass slightly. "Business and curiosity."
Alexander's mouth tightened almost imperceptibly. "I hope the business proves agreeable."
"I expect it will."
There was something beneath their exchange that I couldn't quite put my finger on. Neither man raised his voice. Neither was openly hostile. Still, the air between them felt different.
Alexander turned to me. "Come. The night is getting late."
I looked back at Killian. He gave me a small nod, almost as though we had unfinished business. I didn't like that thought. I was about to say something when the inn's front door flew open.
A blur of fur shot through the doorway. Someone screamed. The creature skidded across the floor, knocking over a stool before disappearing beneath a table.
"What in the—?"
Another creature bounded through the doorway. This one was twice the size of Tumblefluff. It had thick fur, short horns and a tail that swept across the floor as it scrambled after the first creature. Neither looked particularly threatening, but both seemed determined to turn the inn upside down.
A serving girl dropped a tray. A chair toppled. Someone shouted for the innkeeper. The two creatures darted between tables, chirping and squeaking as though they found the entire situation hilarious.
I stared. They weren't attacking anyone. They weren't even frightened. They were playing. "Don't hurt them!" I pleaded when I saw Alexander and several knights had already moved towards them.
The larger creature stopped long enough to stare at me. Its ears twitched. Then it bolted again. I felt something stir in the back of my mind. Not words. Something closer to a feeling.
Run.
I blinked. Before I could make sense of it, someone caught my arm.
"Princess." It's Killian. He leaned closer so I could hear him over the noise. "Come with me. We need to talk."
"Now?"
"Now."
He didn't wait for an answer. He guided me through a side door and out behind the stables. The noise from the common room faded almost immediately. Cold air brushed my face. I pulled my cloak tighter around myself and looked at him.
"What was that about?"
Killian walked a few steps before stopping. Something moved in the darkness beyond the stable. A pale shape stepped into view. I forgot what I had been about to say.
A unicorn stood beneath the moonlight. Its coat was almost completely white, clean despite the muddy ground. Its mane and tail were a silvery grey, and a long horn rose from its forehead.
I stared. "That's..."
"Arion," Killian said. The unicorn lowered its head slightly. "He's an unusual creature," Killian continued. "And a difficult one to earn the trust of."
Arion looked at me. Not at Killian. Me.
I took a cautious step forward. The unicorn didn't move away. "Why is he here?"
Killian didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached inside his coat and withdrew a small carved wooden box. He opened it. A blue crystal rested inside. It wasn't large. It could easily fit in the palm of my hand. Yet something about it made the hairs on my arms rise. The crystal gave off a faint blue light.
"What is that?"
"Luminara." The name meant nothing to me. Killian held the box towards me. "This has been kept in my possession for a long time."
I looked at him. "Why are you showing it to me?"
"Because I think you should have it."
I stared at the crystal. Then at him. "You barely know me."
He just smiled.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"No." He closed the box again. "I don't have a better answer."
That caught me off guard. For all the mysterious things Killian had said since I met him, that was perhaps the most honest. He opened the box again and placed the crystal in my palm. It was cold. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the blue light brightened.
I drew in a breath. The sensation was strange. Not painful. More like the feeling of standing too close to something I couldn't see.
Killian watched my face carefully. "You can sense it."
"Sense what?"
"The crystal."
I looked down. "What does it do?"
"It reveals what is hidden."
I raised an eyebrow. "That's vague."
"It is meant to be." He paused. "Luminara can guide its bearer towards something they seek. A person. A place. An object. Sometimes it reveals what the bearer needs to know rather than what they want to know."
I looked at the crystal again. "And you expect me to carry this around?"
"I expect you to decide whether you want it."
I almost laughed. "You just handed me a magical crystal and told me it might reveal hidden things. You're really asking me to make that decision?"
A faint smile touched his mouth. "I thought you might appreciate having a choice."
I closed my fingers around the crystal. "What else does it do?"
His expression became more serious. "If you are ever in danger, use it."
"How?"
"Hold it and call for Arion."
I looked towards the unicorn. Arion's ears moved at the sound of his name. "You're saying he'll come?"
"Wherever you are."
I stared at Killian. "That's a rather powerful promise."
"It isn't a promise." He glanced towards Arion. "It's what he does."
The unicorn stepped closer. I reached out slowly. Arion allowed me to touch the side of his neck. His coat was warmer than I expected. For some reason, that made my chest tighten. I withdrew my hand. "Why me?"
Killian looked at the crystal in my hand. "I don't know."
I studied him. He seemed to realise that wasn't going to satisfy me. "But I know Luminara doesn't respond to everyone." His gaze lifted to mine. "It responded to you."
I looked down at the crystal. The blue light had faded again. That somehow made the whole thing more unsettling. "What happens if someone else finds out I have it?"
"Then you should be careful."
"That sounds reassuring."
"It's not meant to be."
I gave him a look.
He sighed softly. "Luminara is powerful. Anything with that kind of power attracts attention. If someone senses it, they may try to take it from you."
I closed the box and held it against my chest. "So you're giving me something that could help me escape danger while also making me a target."
"When you put it that way..."
"That's exactly what you just described."
He almost smiled. "I suppose it is."
For a moment, neither of us spoke. The stable behind us creaked softly in the wind. Then Killian reached out and rested a hand on my shoulder. "Whatever happens, don't assume you're alone."
I looked at him. His expression had lost its usual amusement. There was no teasing in his voice either. "Stay safe, Princess."
I didn't know what to say to that. So I nodded.
When I returned to the common room, the chaos had mostly settled. The furry creatures were gone. The knights had apparently managed to herd them back outside, although the innkeeper looked as though he might never recover from the experience.
Alexander was standing near the table. His eyes went immediately to me. "Where did you go?"
"Outside."
His gaze moved briefly towards the door behind me. "You disappeared."
"I needed some fresh air."
He studied me. For a second, I wondered whether he knew. Then his expression softened slightly. "Next time, tell someone."
"I was only outside."
"That doesn't mean nothing can happen." There was a warning beneath his words.
I lowered my gaze. "I'll be careful."
He nodded, but he didn't look completely satisfied.
I kept my hand closed around the box hidden beneath my cloak. Later, in my room, I placed the wooden box on the table. The blue crystal sat quietly inside. I touched the lid but didn't open it. Killian had given me no explanation for why he had chosen me. Perhaps he genuinely didn't know. Perhaps there was something he wasn't telling me. I wasn't sure which possibility bothered me more.
I looked down at my wrist. The moonstone bracelet was still there. The bracelet Killian had placed on my wrist in the jewellery shop. The bracelet I had returned. The bracelet that had somehow appeared on me later. Now there was another object from Killian in my possession. I didn't like coincidences anymore. Not in this world.
I closed the wooden box. Whatever was happening, I couldn't afford to simply wait for answers. Aetheron was still somewhere ahead of us. Alexander was still determined to hunt him. Duke Lysander and the Astorian envoy were on their way to meet us. And I was carrying a magical crystal whose purpose I barely understood.
I lay down and pulled the blanket over myself. Tomorrow, I will have to deal with all of it. For now, I closed my eyes. The last thing I thought about before sleep came was Killian's voice.
Don't assume you're alone.
I wasn't sure whether that was meant to comfort me. Somehow, it did the opposite.