The prince stops in front of us, a wide smile softening his harsh features. Rafe is smiling too. Really smiling—with teeth and cheeks and twinkling eyes. I didn’t think he was capable of such an expression, and now I can’t make myself look away.

When the prince speaks, his voice is gravel. “Raphael, it’s been too long, brother.”

Brother?

The prince grabs Rafe’s hand, squeezing it as he leans over and kisses him on the cheek. His long hair shields them from view, but I am close enough to hear Rafe whisper, “I miss you. I miss home.”

“You are where you should be” is the quiet, gritty response.

“How are Ben and Mab?”

“Everyone is well and missing you.”

“And Gwen?”

“She misses you the most.”

And then Prince Alexander sweeps away.

I look up at Rafe, who is back to his stone-cold self.

“Are you kidding me?” I whisper to him. “You’re a prince?”

He looks at me with disdainful amusement. “Obviously.”

Once all the delegations have arrived, the crowd makes their way through the archway that leads to the auditorium in the Autumn wing. The other apprentices who will be presenting their galleries are with their families, and I find myself on my own, awkwardly scanning the room for a familiar face.

“So, you’re the provincial Sire,” a melodic voice says from behind me. I spin around and see a petite woman in all black. She’s striking, with olive skin and dark brown hair in a sleek topknot. A pearl hoop hangs from her right earlobe, indicating that she’s a Cipher master.

“Aria Loew,” she introduces herself.

So this is Michael’s older sister. How is she so short when he’s so tall?

“Ada Castle,” I respond with a smile that she does not return. She is assessing me, looking more through me than at me.

“I know who you are.” She lifts her arm and slowly strokes her fingers through the air around me like harp strings. An onyx ring adorns her pointer finger. In my apprentice classes, we’d learned about some of Aria Loew’s research—smart, sciencey stuff I never really understood about strings that connect the universe. I knew she was doing further research in Avant, but I hadn’t realized she joined the Mystic guild as her ring would suggest. I had been under the impression that the Mystics barely accept anyone. In fact, I think Hypatia had told me they’d only accepted one Genesis student into the Mystics in the past two decades. She must have been referring to Aria Loew.