Fairy darted through the Citadel’s grounds, keeping away from the paths and staying along the back sides of the buildings whenever possible. Her first stop was the mess hall. There was a boiler room beneath the main dining room that no one ever went to except the maintenance staff, and it was both out of the way and uncomfortable enough to be used as a prison cell.

She tiptoed to the back door of the mess hall and pressed her ear against it. It was relatively quiet on the other side. Thank the gods it wasn’t mealtime.

But Fairy didn’t go inside. If the boiler room was being used as a jail for the empress, the main access door from the inside would be locked and heavily guarded. Luckily, Fairy knew a secret way in. (She’d brought a boy down there once, but it had been way too steamy—and not in the good way.)

She knelt in the garden behind the mess hall and brushed the ground with her hands, searching. Mud caked in her fingernails, and a couple rocks scraped her.

She kept digging. It had to be around here somewhere.

The footsteps were nearly upon her before Fairy noticed. Her pulse flitted like a caged hummingbird.

Nines, she swore as she dove into the bushes. Hopefully it was dark enough that they wouldn’t see her, or if they did, she’d pass as the silhouette of one of the boulders scattered around the garden.

“It’s better than we could have imagined,” a woman was saying. “Who knew that when he swore loyalty to Zomuri, it would impact the people?”

“Still not as strong as direct mind control,” a man said as they approached where Fairy hid.

“No, but it’s achieved with zero effort. And I’m sure Emperor Gin will find a way to magnify Zomuri’s influence.”

They passed Fairy without noticing her, but panic spiked in her chest nevertheless. Something was happening to the people of Kichona because Zomuri was the official god now? What was it? She hadn’t felt it herself, or noticed it in Broomstick, Wolf, or Spirit. Maybe they were protected because Luna, as goddess of the taigas, was still their patron god.

Even so, she worried for everyone else.

Broomstick’s concern pulsed through their gemina bond. He’d sensed her worry, and now undulations like sound waves drummed through their connection, a continual question about whether he needed to come to her aid.

She sent back an arrow of reassurance. He’d understand that she was dismayed but not in danger.

Fairy had to get back to digging. Finding Empress Aki was more important than ever. They had to stop whatever it was that Prince Gin and Zomuri were doing to the kingdom, put the empress back on the throne, and make Sola, goddess of the sun, the people’s patron god once more.