King Uther sat on the raised dais, on his wooden throne. The last time she’d been here, the king had ordered her locked in the dungeons and sentenced to death. Her stomach clenched, and her pulse thudded, and Arthur shot her a look of encouragement, as if he knew how she felt.

She stopped in the open space before the throne and sank into a curtsey.

“Emry—the other Merlin—has accepted the position of apprentice court wizard,” Arthur said, at her side.

She rose awkwardly, trying not to squirm under the king’s scrutiny.

“I see,” the king said, his expression stony. “As an apprentice court wizard, I trust you’ll have no problem providing a demonstration of your magic.”

If the king thought he could intimidate her so easily, he was very much mistaken.

“None at all, Your Majesty.” Emry grinned. She’d give him a demonstration, all right.

She said nothing and reached for no wand. She gave only the slightest flick of a finger as she cast the spell.

Snowflakes drifted from the ceiling. Real ones, falling in fat, wet droplets onto the shocked courtiers. The hall filled with shocked murmurs, and Emry bit back a smile as a couple of women frantically patted at their elaborately coiffed hair.

Emry flicked her fingers, and the snow stopped. A muttered spell had everyone’s clothing and hair dry. The courtiers gasped in disbelief, and the murmurs rose to a frenzied whisper. No one had been expecting such a dazzling display of magic, and for the first time, Emry got some grim satisfaction out of exceeding everyone’s expectations, and doing so entirely as herself. A wave of dizziness hit her from the overexertion, but she clenched her jaw and held her stance, waiting for the king’s reaction.

She met his gaze, and he stared back at her, shocked into silence.

And then Princess Guinevere burst into enthusiastic applause. The other courtiers hastily followed suit, and the king gave a grudging nod.

Emry’s cheeks went pink from the attention.

“Show-off,” Arthur accused, nudging her in the ribs.

“You wanted me to,” Emry whispered back.

“Of course I did.” Arthur tipped her a grin. “But you’re still a show-off, Apprentice Wizard Merlin.”

She sighed.

“Ugh, fine, you can call me Emry again.”

CHAPTER 43

Emry woke at dawn, staring up at the familiar ceiling beams with a grin. From the sound of it, the guard was starting to assemble outside. Oh, she had missed this place. And this room.

It had taken surprisingly little bullying to make Emmett switch rooms with her. If anything, he had been a little too eager to take the frilly pink bedchamber next to Princess Guinevere’s off her hands.

Well, he probably hadn’t figured out how to cast a muffling spell on the window. Which was his problem, and her good fortune, because Father’s old room felt like home.