Sapphire held out a timid pinkie. The witch stared for a few heartbeats before offering a rare unguarded smile, interlocking her own pinkie with Sapphire’s.

An oath. No words; not in that perfect moment, at least.

Instead, they lay there, bodies entangled in the moss, Ashes murmuring sweet promises into her hair. ‘Just you and me, Sapphire, for as long as you please.’

Sapphire was on edge as Claye escorted her down the long corridor.

The crown on her head was heavy, the dress fabric thick. She fought the urge to loosen the corset to make it easier to breathe.

Still, Sapphire had to admit that the seamstress had outdone herself. Shades of deep blue with jewels to match were sewn into the sleeveless gown, with the slightest dip at the neckline. She wished Ashes could see her like this.

‘There is nothing the wealthy love more than feeling like a good person for a night,’ Claye explained as he led Sapphire to the room where Kaian would meet her. She had tried to laugh but she couldn’t bring herself to do it. She took a deep breath.

‘Mr Princeps will meet you here in –’

‘Now,’ Kaian interrupted. ‘Hello, Sapphire. You look beautiful.’

Sapphire nodded in gratitude but noticed Kaian avoided her eyes. Claye, sensing the tension, stepped out of the room.

‘Are you ready?’

Sapphire turned to regard herself in a nearby looking glass, running her thumb over her scar.

‘I’ll be by your side the entire night.’

Sapphire knew he said it in the hope of relaxing her but it just caused her dread to grow.

‘Thank you, Kaian.’

A soft knock at the door signalled that it was their time to join the ball and she rolled her shoulders, trying to put on a brave face. Kaian offered his arm and she accepted it and they began the act they had rehearsed hundreds of times.

Atop the stairs, she felt the crowd’s eyes on her. She summoned every bit of courage she had as she took her first step, then held her breath all the way down. Kaian stepped to the side, allowing her to have her moment and she smiled as she had been trained to do before finding their seats at the table closest to the king and queen.

As introductions were made, Sapphire laughed for the first time all night when she realized that Claye had been right about the wealthy feeling like good people. The line for donations for those impacted by the Harvest Storm was longer than the line for the food, and the temple was packed with people praying for good fortune.