The chest is inlaid with precious jewels. Ornate carvings ornament the sides and the lid of the chest. Croi sidles nearer to it, looking for her pack but scared to touch the other contents just in case they’re magicked with malevolent spells. At first glance, she doesn’t see her pack, and her heart sinks right down to her feet. She does see a large crystal, the kind pretend fortune-tellers use in the human city, and scrolls jostling for space with, bizarrely enough, cutlery. Considering how close she came to being dinner for the Redcaps, Croi is not impressed.

There! Wedged under a plate with only a strap peeking through is her pack! She grabs it before Daithi can react and clutches it to her chest. The slight warmth emanating from it reassures her of the presence of the SoulSeed. Despite her ambivalent feelings for the dryad, Croi is relieved that she has recovered her pack and hopefully the contents within it. She sits down on the ground with a thump; opens the pack; and takes out the wrapped SoulSeed, Tinder’s necklace, and the book the Hag gave her. The scarves have not been touched. Satisfied, she replaces the SoulSeed into her pack and has just picked up the book when a noise makes her pause.

“Why do you have that?” Ceara stands in the doorway, Tinder riding on her shoulder.

“I told you not to follow us,” Daithi says to her, his eyebrows coming together in an irritated frown. Then, as an afterthought, he adds, “My lady.”

“You are mistaken if you think that I take orders from you,” Ceara tells him, her chin at a haughty angle.

Daithi’s lips tighten at her words, and he turns away. The Fire Princess comes to stand in front of Croi, who scrambles to her feet.

“Why do you have that book?” The Fire Princess looks at the book before her eyes return to Croi’s face. Her gaze is complex and confused.

Croi looks down at the book in her hands. “Should I not have it?”

“It belongs to the Forever King’s library, which was thought to be destroyed in the fire during the Great Betrayal!”

“How do you know it came from the Forever King’s library?” Croi gives the book a quizzical look. Apart from the ornate cover and its dense weight, it doesn’t seem to have any special qualities that set it apart from other books.

“Look at the drawing of the flower crown on the spine. That’s the symbol of the Forever King,” Ceara says.

Tinder flies over for a closer look, and Croi rubs the slightly raised symbol with her thumb.

Ceara looks Croi over, her eyebrows drawing together. “Tinder said you came from the human world. How could you have it?”

“Someone gave it to me,” Croi replies. She didn’t ask for it.

“Can…?” The princess hesitates and licks her lips. “Will you give it to me?”

“Ceara!” Tinder exclaims, her face red.

“I know it’s rude, but…” The Fire Princess clenches her hands into fists. “I have nothing from my maternal grandparents. Not even memories. That book would be something to hold on to. To remember them by.”