Nova stared, in awe that she could fall into slumber so quickly. Then again, she was not quite sure how long they had been at this. She gazed down at Jinx, at the small bow arch of her top lip, and the long straight line of her nose. She barely knew her, but there was a swell of something that happened inside every time Nova looked at her. The sensation got larger by the day, so much so that Nova did not know what to do with herself when it happened. Gratefulness, she thought. The warrior witch had blown into her life like a windstorm and brought with her every kind of hope and courage. She was awe-inspiring. Who would not be drawn to that?

And there was the fact that even now as she studied her friend’s sleeping face, her magic was still routing itself through her body, already adapting to the trick Jinx had taught her. A few nights together, and Nova already felt less controlled by her fear, and more in charge of her own fate.

She adored Jinx for that alone. And she desperately hoped that they would be able to find a way out of their current situation, because she had a sudden desire to see the world the way Jinx saw it. Maybe even with Jinx at her side.

For now she knew there were other options for a life like hers besides secrecy and solitude.

Aurora spun around to face her mother and asked, “What do you think?” She wore a false wig of long black hair that made her skin look nearly as luminous as the moon. A shimmering skirt of greenish blue hugged her hips and fanned out at her knees like a mermaid tail. The color made her think of secret coves and far-off island waters. With it she wore a cream-colored top with short, capped sleeves and a neckline that sat just below her collarbone, high enough to cover her secret. In all, it was less revealing than what she had worn for her betrothal ball, but she could imagine how intriguing it might look under the blue lights downstairs. “Would you recognize me?” Aurora asked.

Her mother still did not know exactly where they were, but Aurora had been honest enough about her intentions for the evening. She needed to fool people who had seen her, some of whom had once been among her mother’s advisers. She knew her mother had wanted to object at the idea of Aurora risking herself, could see the worry on her mother’s face, but for some reason the once-overbearing queen had kept quiet.

“You will certainly draw the eye,” her mother said. “Come here. Let me add some more rouge and shadow to your eyes, and then I think you will be disguised enough to fool even me.”