It was all a waste of my time – time that should be spent solving my conundrum with Winter, because until I did, I was trapped.

The procession stopped, two figures breaking away from the pack and walking onto the bridge. The girl’s grey hood swept back to reveal long dark hair, and the man walked with the aid of a wooden crutch. “Let them in,” I called out, and trotted down the steps to await Zoé and Tips.

The portcullis creaked upwards, the half-bloods ducking underneath and approaching me. “Stones and sky, but it’s good to see you.” A grin spread across Tips’s face. “You did it, you and Cécile.” He lifted his face to the sky. “Never believed–”

“How did you get past my wards?” I asked, interrupting him.

He blinked. “Pardon?”

“My wards. The dome,” I added for clarity. “How did you get past them?”

“Mostly miners with me,” he said. “We went under.”

“Ah,” I said. Then I turned my back on the lot of them and went into the castle.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cécile

“He’s not going to be happy about this.” Marc kicked the base of a tree in a rare display of frustration, muttering what I suspected was profanity as a heap of snow landed on his head. “All three of us were to remain with you, and we were to return as soon as the deed was done.”

“The deed’s not done,” I said, rubbing my hands together and casting a longing glance at the glowing fire.

“You’re splitting hairs.”

I smiled. “How very trollish of me.” My levity felt out of place, given that our plan to kill Roland was ruined, but I felt better than I had since I’d plunged that knife into Anushka’s chest. I had a plan. A place. A purpose. Even if it did mean remaining parted from Tristan.

“Of a surety, she’s seen through your disguise,” he said, trying a different tactic. “Dozens of people have called you by name, and if she can separate you from the twins, she’ll use you to get to Tristan. Those wretched seeds you two concocted won’t last forever, and a millennium of experience has no doubt developed her skills of extracting information she wants.”

“Can’t extract what’s not there,” I said. “I’ve thought this through, so you can quit trying to convince me to run back to Trianon and hide.”

“And if I say no?”

I considered the question before responding. “As you said, Marc, I’m a princess of Trollus. Your future queen. And this isn’t a request – it’s a command.”

Part of me expected him to retaliate, to push back. But I should’ve known better.

He bowed with somewhat more flair than was typical of him. “As you command, Your Highness, so shall it be.”