I tried my best to smile for Ash, but fear froze my mouth in a frown. This was so, so bad. Niv’s sense of duty to the Crown was all-consuming. To abandon his post, to essentially kidnap Ash—when we all knew that putting a member of the royal family in danger was treason? What could have happened, to push Niv to such drastic action?

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t know where else to go. Can we come in?”

“What happened?” I asked.

Ash looked up at me. Made eye contact. Handed me something. Like a coin, but flatter. And misshapen. Like a penny that had been stomped on by a titanosaur.

“I found that in her hand,” Niv said. “It wasn’t in there before. She said you gave it to her. After it was run over by a train. She said the two of you were down by the train tracks today. You were screaming.”

And when he said that? I did remember. I remembered handing it to her. How it held the heat of the sun and warmed my palm. A whole host of other memories seemed to glimmer ahead of me, just out of reach. She could help me unlock them. I could help her. We could make each other whole again.

“The spell they have her under, she’s been fighting it more and more,” Niv said. “And if they don’t know where she is, it’ll be a lot harder for them to strengthen the spell, and sedate her all over again.” His eyes told me he had more to say, but didn’t want to say it in front of Ash. I nodded, to show that I got it, that we could talk about it soon.

“They’re going to lose their minds, when they find out she’s gone,” I said. “They’ll pull out all the stops to try to find her. Turn this city upside down.”

He nodded. “I know. If I had any sense, I’d bring her back now. But this feels . . . important.”

“You’re right,” I said. “Of course, you’re right. Come inside, I’ll see if Radha can put you up. It’s crowded, but she’s a miracle worker.”

Radha emerged from the kitchen with water dripping from her hands. Connor came running to see the strangers.

“This is Niv,” I said. “He’s . . . my colleague at the Clarion. And this—”

I was scrambling for a story, about to say that she was his sister, Ananka. But Radha had already dropped to her knees. “Your Highness,” she said.

I was surprised, and impressed, that she could recognize Ash without her royal trappings. But Radha adored the queen, and maybe she recognized some of Ash’s mother’s face and regal bearing in the young woman who stood before her. Ash inclined her head slightly and I swear I never saw Radha smile so deeply.