His eye stayed pressed to the gap in the stone. Kota stood with his back to them, the crimson fabric draped over his bare shoulders like he'd been born in it.
The King was still speaking, but Bijan wasn't hearing the words anymore.
"Bijan," Jarek hissed, yanking on his sleeve. "It's time to go. Curfew will start soon. We need to be at our posts."
Bijan pulled back from the wall slowly. His face had changed. The grin was gone.
"We have to swear it," Bijan said. His voice was quiet. "Right now. Before anyone else does."
"Swear what?" Jarek stared at him. "Have you lost your mind in there?"
"To him." Bijan nodded toward the gap. "Sir Kota."
Jarek's mouth opened. Then closed. "Get a grip," he said finally. "You look older than him. He's wearing a curtain he ripped off a stand."
"If we're not at the west wall in ten minutes, Rhen will have our heads. Curfew means patrol. You know that." Jarek added.
"He's her son," Bijan said. "Leona Solstia's son. That makes him…" He couldn't finish the sentence. He didn't need to.
Jarek grabbed his arm harder. "You don't know that. You heard a name. That doesn't make him king. Now move."
Inside the room, Xerxus stood from his chair. The guards shifted with him.
"You've traveled far," Xerxus said. "I'll have people escort you to the royal rooms. You'll rest tonight."
He looked toward the window. The light outside had gone orange. The sun was low.
"This kingdom has a curfew," Xerxus said. "One hour after the sun sets. No flying. Barely anyone walks the streets after dark."
Leiya frowned. "Curfew? Why?"
Xerxus didn't answer right away. He gestured toward the door, and the guards moved to open it. Servants were already waiting in the hall.
"Tomorrow is the day that starts our four day yearly Solstia event," Xerxus continued as they walked. "People gather from every district. We hold tryouts for the guards. Archers, royal guards, even my personal guards. But it's more than that. The whole kingdom comes together. There are games. Food. Music. It's celebration."
Mira's eyes lit up despite herself. "A festival?"
"Something like that," Xerxus said. "Solstia was built to endure. Once a year, we remember why."
They passed through the grand hall. Bijan and Jarek had already slipped from behind the panel and were moving fast through a side corridor, keeping low as the group's footsteps echoed nearby.
"Sun's almost down," Jarek muttered. "If that purple haired girl story is even half true, I'm not getting caught out there without backup."
Bijan wasn't listening. His eyes kept flicking toward the hall where Kota had disappeared. "Sir Kota," he whispered again, testing the words.
Jarek shoved him. "Stop that. Walls have ears during curfew."
Kota walked near the back of the main group, silent. He was still wearing the torn cape.
"Why is there a curfew?" Kota asked suddenly.
The question stopped Xerxus mid stride. He turned.
The King's face was unreadable. "Because there have been reports," he said bluntly. "Children. A few of them, from different districts. They say they've seen a purple haired girl roaming the streets at night."
The group went still.
"She tells them something big is coming," Xerxus continued. "That's all they remember. They wake up in their beds and don't know how they got there."
Leiya stepped forward. "A purple haired girl?"
"We have no purple haired girls in this kingdom," Xerxus said. "No one matching that description exists in Solstia. We've checked every record."
His eyes met Kota's.
"So we instituted the curfew. One hour after sunset. No one flies. No one lingers. The guards patrol in pairs." Xerxus paused. "Whatever she is, we don't take chances."
A servant approached and bowed. "Your rooms are prepared, Your Majesty."
Xerxus nodded. "See them settled. Make sure they eat." He looked at Kota once more. "We'll speak again in the morning. Before the event begins."
The guards escorted the crew down a separate hall. Kota didn't look back.
In the service corridor, Jarek checked the sky through a narrow window. Orange had gone to red. "We're cutting it close," he said. "You want to swear fealty, do it on your own time. I'm not getting written up because you saw a cape."
Bijan finally looked at him. "You heard what she's saying. 'Something big is coming.' What if he's it?"
"Then he can deal with it from the royal rooms while we do our jobs," Jarek said. He didn't wait for an answer and strode down the corridor. "West wall. Now."
Bijan hesitated one second longer. Then he followed.
The royal rooms were quiet. Stone walls, thick rugs, and windows that looked out over the entire kingdom. Kota stood at his alone.
He pushed the glass open and breathed in. The air smelled like light. Like the ribbons that floated through the streets during the day. He was trying to get a feel for it. For Solstia.
Movement caught his eye.
Down below, the streets were empty. Curfew had started. Except for one figure.
A girl walked through the center of the road. Alone. Her hair was purple. Deep, unnatural purple that caught the moonlight.
Kota's hand went to the window frame.
Don't do anything crazy, boy, the voice in his head said. That thing out there isn't like anything you've seen.
Kota didn't move. "What do you mean?" he said under his breath.
I'll tell you at a later time, she said. For now, just get some sleep.
The purple haired girl stopped walking. She looked up. Straight at his window. She didn't smile. She didn't wave. She just looked. Then she kept walking and disappeared into the dark between two buildings.
Kota stayed at the window long after she was gone.
The next morning, the palace was already awake. The smell of bread and meat drifted through the halls. Banners were being hung in the courtyards. The Solstia event would start by midday.
Xerxus stood in a side chamber speaking with three of his servants. They bowed as he entered.
"I hope you all did well seeing to our guests," Xerxus said. "I hope they're settling in well."
One servant stepped forward. She kept her eyes down. "Most are, Your Majesty. The rooms are to their liking. The food was delivered as instructed."
"Good," Xerxus said. "Good."
The servant hesitated. "Only three of them ate, Your Majesty."
Xerxus looked up. "Oh?"
"The boy in your robe did not eat, Your Majesty. Nor did the silver haired one with hazel eyes."
Xerxus was quiet for a moment.
"And I gave every one of them separate rooms," the servant continued, "but the silver haired boy didn't even sleep in his own room. He stayed outside of the boy with the robe's room the whole night."
Xerxus stared past her toward the window. The sun was up. The city was stirring.
"They didn't eat," Xerxus said. "I wonder why."
A knock came at the chamber door.
"Enter," Xerxus said.