When Lyn woke up, Apple was missing. Lyn searched the usual places to no avail. Apple wasn't under the desk or bed, or on top of the bookshelf. Lyn's room was spacious, soft, and colorful, with an aether night-light that cast swirling stars around the walls and ceiling. Lyn's favorite toy, her slingshot, was on her dresser. Everything was tidy and in its proper place, except Apple.

  So Lyn went downstairs. The castle's working staff were all busy catering to visiting dignitaries. Captain Reynard couldn't be found either, so Lyn had no other recourse but to ask her governess, Dina, for help.

  Dina was a middle-aged woman of considerable meanness. One might expect the governess of a deaf princess to sign (if not fluently, at least conversationally), but since Apple had been interpreting for Lyn since she was a baby, Dina only ever learned a few rudimentary signs and never bothered to improve.

  She was in the grand foyer, flirting shamelessly with a disinterested guard.

  Pulling on Dina's dress hem to get her attention, Lyn signed, 'I can't find Apple anywhere. Have you seen her?'

  Visibly confused and red-faced with inadequacy, Dina impatiently said, "Apple's not here," while signing 'not here.'

  Lyn wasn't an expert lip-reader, but Dina was basic and uncomplicated. 'I know she's not here! I don't need you to tell me that. I need your help finding her.'

  As Dina looked around the room. Lyn imagined she could read the woman's mind: All these rich and interesting guests, and I'm busy arguing with a child over a missing toy.

  "Go to your room," Dina ordered while pointing upstairs.

  Lyn clenched her fists. If no one wanted to listen to her, then damn it, she'd make them listen. Lyn started screaming, high-pitched and full of malice, terrorizing the guests and staff until Dina finally carried her upstairs, kicking and screaming, and locked her in her room.

  Lyn stormed across the orange shag carpeted floor like an angry tiger in a cage, plotting her revenge with ruthless cunning (she would slingshot dog shit in Dina's face at the earliest opportunity), and when Lyn wasn't plotting, she howled like a wild wolf cut off from her pack.

  All that changed the instant Apple hopped through the door. Lyn forgot her rage and tears and rushed to embrace her familiar. Trembling with emotion, Lyn explained how her governess would only sign that Apple was 'not here.'

  Apple groomed Lyn's hair with her tiny fingers, nodding along, but when Lyn asked where Apple had been, she was slow to respond. The question confused Apple. She felt guilty but didn't know why. She replied that Captain Reynard sent her on a mission, but she couldn't say what it entailed. Being a child, Lyn was accustomed to half answers and didn't press the issue.

  A pause hung over them as Apple removed some spiderwebs from Lyn's hair. The girl was unwashed from their earlier adventures. Dirt and tree sap covered her hands, arms, and legs. Apple motioned for the girl to bathe, and her little princess marched obediently to the washroom. Apple helped her change in and out of the tub, all while telling Lyn stories. They spent more time laughing and goofing than bathing, but in a blink, they were finished.

  Party morsels were being prepared and served downstairs, so Apple arranged for some to be brought up. As they waited, they built a pillow fort next to the window. Delicious foods from faraway places and made special for the Perigee Festival were brought to the door. Then, together, they read from Captain Reynard's list of required stories. Occasionally, Lyn would inquire about the text, and they would stop. Apple would explain patiently, utilizing the accumulated knowledge of the aether to inform her answers, but all stories end, and their fortress of linens and pillows offered no protection from the coming storm.

  -8-

  Arthur announced himself and entered the room. Captain Reynard followed like a shadow. Melancholy weighed Arthur down, though he wore a brave smile for his baby girl. His duties often kept him from Lyn for days and even weeks at a time. She ran toward him, her short, messy hair bouncing wildly. Her face came alight, and she looked just like Emma. Arthur's heart shattered, and not for the first time.

  All the moments devoted to the revolution, he thought, moments wasted, not spent with Lyn. When will we see each other again? Anxiety gripped him, but Arthur was a man with a vision.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  Arthur knelt to face his daughter and brushed her cheek with singular affection. He signed, not bothering to acknowledge the familiar. 'Tonight, you and Captain Reynard are going on a trip. But no one can see you go. We'll make a game out of it.'

  Lyn's brows furrowed. 'Why?' she asked.

  He signed, 'Reynard is going to teach you to use magic, but it has to be secret. The ability to wield magic is a rare gift, and some may see you as a tool or a threat. So it's best to keep your powers hidden until you have some mastery over them.'

  Lyn nodded slowly, trying to understand. 'Can I say goodbye to Morgan and Rafael first?'

  Arthur shook his head. 'They're busy with matters of state, but you will see them again before long. This will only be for a short time.'

  He could see Lyn was ready to press the issue, but fortunately, Apple hopped forward and slipped her tiny hand into Lyn's. The simple gesture of solidarity distracted Lyn from her unease. She smiled and shrugged, and it was settled.

  Captain Reynard rushed forward to lift the little one off her feet and twirled her in the air. Lyn let out a goofy, artless laugh that raised everyone's spirits. Reynard set her down, and together they quickly packed necessities. Lyn wasn't a material child, so it was up to Apple to plan ahead. As Lyn and her familiar were getting ready to leave, Arthur and Reynard discreetly kissed and said their goodbyes.

  Arthur bid his daughter one final and loving goodbye. Then he turned and left to clear their path to the wine cellar.

  -8-

  They waited while Arthur directed the guards elsewhere. When enough time had passed, Reynard lifted Lyn's travel bags with ease and motioned for the little witch to follow his lead.

  All the lights in the hall were put out, but silvery moonlight shone through the windows and bounced off dark, lacquered wooden walls and floors.

  Lyn felt the castle hum with activity. Her brother's victory would be cause for celebration for many nights to come. Everyone would be in the great hall and intoxicated. It was an ideal night to make a secret getaway. Stopping in front of a nondescript door, Reynard reached into his bag and removed a key, unlocked the door, opened it, and motioned for Lyn to step through it.

  She looked in and saw stairs descending into pitch blackness. Lyn's heart quickened with excitement and, for the first time that night, fear. She pulled Apple down from her shoulder and held her close, taking comfort in her warmth and fur. Apple, in return, nuzzled her head against Lyn's neck. She stepped slowly through the door, and Reynard followed and locked it behind them in a single graceful movement.

  Lyn was in complete darkness. A fearful noise rose in her chest, not a scream so much as a whine; when suddenly, a spark of light swirled and coalesced into a ball of fire, illuminating the stairway. Reynard had summoned fire using magic! The fireball hovered elegantly over Reynard's outstretched hand. Lyn was so impressed, she stifled her fears. I will learn this magic, she told herself, and I will not be afraid.

  Slowly, the fireball began to float downstairs, and they followed it. The stairs spiraled downward on and on. Lyn had no idea how far beneath the main floor they were. Her feet and shins were sore. She glanced behind to make sure Apple was close by. Eventually, the stairs bottomed out and opened into a large room without any windows. Reynard concentrated. The air around him radiated like air above a fire. The fireball grew brighter, like a little sun, illuminating a wine cellar. Fully stocked wine racks lined the walls alongside enormous wooden casks. The space was filled with barrels of wines and meads. Stewards of Castle Moondial must have been aging wine for generations.

  But Reynard wasn't interested in the wine. He led them across the room with clear intention and stopped in front of the largest cask in the cellar, a massive oaken barrel. It touched the ceiling and was as wide as it was tall. Smaller barrels were stacked on shelves on either side of it. Reynard ran his hands along the side of the barrel until he found a groove, then pushed and pulled something until the barrel swung open like a door. The inside was empty, but on the floor was a small hole that opened to a narrow downward tunnel. It was large enough for Lyn to crawl through easily, but Reynard had to tie their luggage to his leg and squeeze through. Apple closed the barrel behind them and followed down the hole.

  As she crawled on her knees, Lyn wondered if it was morning yet. She had no idea how long they'd been descending. Dina would notice she was missing by morning. Lyn thought of her brother and sister, Raf and Morgan. Would they miss her? Would they hate her for not saying goodbye? The stone scraped her knees unforgivingly, and she felt tired and miserable. She looked up and saw the little sun float into a great empty room.

  Lyn squeezed through one last crevice and stumbled onto stone. Reynard and Apple followed, and together, they looked out into a darkness so vast it left them silent. The idea of disturbing anything slumbering in the dark filled Lyn with dread.

  Once more, the air around Reynard rippled, and his features seemed to blur and lose their detail. He fell to one knee and took several large breaths, but the ball of light grew brighter, and as it rose and floated forward, they looked out into an enormous cave system. It was larger than anything Lyn had seen before. Larger than Castle Moondial. Larger even than the cliff that Castle Moondial was built on. They had descended deeper than the shoreline of Crescent, under the ocean itself. The caves went on for days and days. The magnitude of the space settled on her as Reynard recovered his energy.

  "Let's rest here for a bit," he said, and Apple interpreted. He dimmed the light to conserve energy and pulled out a canteen, some nuts, and jerky from his pack. By the time they finished eating and making water, their eyes had adjusted to the darkness, and details of the cavern came into focus.

  Above them, thousands of glowworms twinkled like starlight in the dark. Giant crystal formations covered the cave walls, refracting the light of the glowworms. Tiny, shimmering rainbows shot out in every direction.

  A more beautiful darkness Lyn could never imagine.