A tall white woman steps out of the car, adjusting her sleek auburn ponytail, and immediately I know who she is.

“Cestra,” I breathe.

“Regent Cestra,” Lark corrects, the amusement in his eyes at odds with the harsh, commanding tone of his voice. “A Page must never address a Regent without their title.”

I press my lips into a thin line of acknowledgment, and Lark winks. He’s clearly delighted by our temporary ruse.

Each Regent is selected by their predecessor, but must be of a Legendborn bloodline. I know that Cestra was once a daughter of the Line of Tristan, a distant relative of Tor’s who was never Called, but when she took her title, she shed allegiance to her bloodline, forever abandoned its colors and sigil, and became the Regent of Shadows.

When Cestra steps away from the car, she is adorned in Merlin colors: a silver-edged black sash that trails down to the thighs of her wide-legged dark pinstripe suit. Her sharp brows and eyes dart quickly over the crowd and the circle of Mageguard surrounding it. It occurs to me that her Seneschal isn’t present.

“Where is—” I whisper.

“Erebus remains in the field while his Regent attends the ceremony,” Lark supplies.

As Cestra approaches the edge of the shield, the closest Mageguard twists their wrist in a quick gesture, creating a doorlike opening in the magic barrier for her and the others to pass through. Cestra strides forward without stopping or turning to either aisle of standing guests.

Cestra’s intelligence team has been running the investigation into Nick’s kidnapping, mining the chapter members’ debriefs for information. Within days of Nick being taken, they gained access to every document about me that has been recorded in any digital system ever. Medical records, school transcripts, Social Security number, addresses, you name it. Which means that Cestra knows exactly who I am and what I look like, but in this moment, she passes by me without a glance.

Why would a Regent spare a glance for a Page?

When Cestra reaches the dais, she takes the stairs to the center seats and nods to the standing Legendborn before sitting. As she settles, another door in a car up the hill opens, sending our attention back the way she came.

The next driver is already standing at the door. When his passenger exits, I recognize the white man in the dark navy suit as the Regent Gabriel, who, as the Regent of Light, oversees all of the society’s operations in the Onceborn world, including those that have helped the Order move from medieval society to a modern power conglomerate. Gabriel leads the recruitment and management of thousands of Vassals across the globe. The Merlins that report to him are specifically tasked with maintaining the Code of Secrecy—and mesmering anyone who has seen too much.