“Maybe.” The world was cloaked in darkness above us as the moon hid its face behind heavy clouds.
“I wish I could join.”
I put my hand on her knee. “You’ll find someone to dance with you eventually, Anna.”
She snorted. “I appreciate the optimism but don’t bother.” She turned to me. “Don’t you want to go in and give Prince Thomas a real goodbye?”
My ribs ached. “Why?”
“Because from what you’ve told me, last night was not a real goodbye.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “He kissed me, then reminded me why I’m not good enough for him. Why would I ever want to speak to him again?”
“Because you love him.”
“I donot love him.”
She raised her hands. “Alright.”
“I could never love such a pompous—”
“Ladies.”
I whirled toward the intruder, my spirit chilling at the sight of a noble who’d wandered out for a breath of fresh air. In the fallen darkness, away from the palace’s torches, he must have failed to realize we were merely service staff.
“Did I overhear the two of you discussing Prince Thomas, perchance?”
As the man stepped closer, I made out a small frame and mage robes that billowed down to his feet.
“Do you know him?” I asked.
He nodded with a laugh. “Of course. He was once like a brother to me.”
Interest stirred in my chest. “And you are?”
“Mage Lee,” he said with a bow. “At your service.”
“I’m Miss Smyth, and this is Miss Crowley."
He leaned against a nearby trellis, his eyes scanning the gardens in the distance. “My apologies, but I believe I heard something about Prince Thomas’s indecency toward you. You didn’t sound especially fond of him.”
“I don’t believe that’s any of your business,” I replied.
“I wouldn’t dare pry where it’s not wanted. I simply wanted to know if others had seen the prince for who he truly was.”
My jaw, previously clenched tight, loosened slightly. “What occurred between you and the prince?”
“That’s a long history.”
My eyes flicked back to the twirling silhouettes in the palace windows. “We have time.”
He exhaled loudly. “I can share a little, but know that I am entrusting you with a private matter.”
“Of course.” My soul itched for comfort. Thom had spent thesummer insisting he knew better than everyone else. It was time for the truth to come out.
“If you know him, you may already know the story,” he said. “Thom and I were meant to work together on a treatise, one we would co-present for the Mage Council to help certify us as Masters ahead of our classmates.”
“A treatise?”
