“I was trying to save you all! You made a huge mess of things!” Raina shouts.

This could go on for a while.

“Girls! Calm down,” Logan tries. “The truth is, it was both of your faults.”

Oh, Logan. He’s terrible at talking to princesses.

“I’m sorry?” Raina asks, but she doesn’t look sorry.

“I was all excited to taste the roast duck with fig sauce I had suggested Chef make when, poof! Suddenly we’re in Olivina’s office learning she’s the puppet master behind every fairy-tale story this kingdom has ever had—and she gets mad and sends us here.” Logan rubs his stomach. “And now I’m hungry.” He looks at his pile of berries. “I wonder what kind of tart I could make with these. I wonder if I could start a fire and find a small pheasant to cook…”

“Fire?” I narrow my eyes at him. “I am not breaking up an animal family by roasting one of their members for dinner!”

Logan nods. “You’re a vegetarian. I respect that. I might be able to make us a salad or a soup, then.”

“How can you think about food at a time like this?” Raina moans.

“Yeah! I’ve got so many more important thoughts rattling around in my head.” Sasha starts to pace and almost trips over a boulder. “How has Olivina gotten away with brainwashing students for so long? What is she telling everyone at school about us? And how do we reach our families to tell them we’re okay?”

“Hey!”

A handsome boy, a head taller than the rest of us, bursts through the trees. He’s wearing a double-breasted ivory jacket with gold buttons, black pants, and shiny boots that are covered in mud.

“Where were you?” Raina sounds very unprincessy, but I guess that’s allowed since Heath is her twin.

“Exploring!” Heath’s blue peepers have been known to make girls pass out in the school hallways. “I walked about half a mile and climbed up a small hill that overlooked a stream. There are some caves nearby that would make a great camp till we get out of here. I doubt there are any banshees or giants in them this time of the year because it’s too hot.” He slaps a bothersome fly with a quick swat. In the distance, we hear a crack of thunder.

“Hmm. Might be a storm brewing. Or it could be typhira? Who can say for sure? We should start hiking to shelter,” Heath says.

“Did you say…typhira?” Logan stutters before sneezing loudly. “I thought they were a myth! I definitely wouldn’t want to run into one for real. They breathe fire and cause lightning storms!”

“I could swear I saw one once when I was scaling Mount Olivando.” Heath shrugs. “I would have fought it off if I had to, but luckily it didn’t bother us, so Father and I kept climbing.”

Heath loves to mark off the places he’s traveled on the fairy-tale map he had in his dorm room. His goal is to visit every kingdom in the land. He doesn’t sit still, which is why Royal Academy wasn’t the best fit for him either. For any of us, really. (Except Raina, who lived for the place, so I do feel badly about her being stuck out here.)