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futures hinge on whether I deliver a proper performance.
    She kisses my cheek before peeling herself away. But before she lets go of my hand, her eyes capture mine, and I’m not prepared for what I see within them. No longer are her eyes the rich brown that match Father’s—they flash a bright, piercing pink, there for one moment and back to brown the next.
    “Do your best.” Aunt Kalea’s smile trembles. “Please. For the kingdom.”
    The anxiety doesn’t snuff out; it surges until it’s like hands around my throat. The noise I make as her hands slip from mine is hardly human. The ground beneath me is like the sea, swaying as her words sink in.
    Aunt Kalea’s learned enchantment magic.
    I am no longer one of two possible heirs; I am the only possible heir. Should I fail, there will be no one left to protect Visidia from the vengeance of the beast within the Montara bloodline.
    Aunt Kalea showing me this was a warning—should she be forced to accept Aridian soul magic, it’ll be her second magic. The bond with the beast will be severed.
    “You were supposed to wait.” My words are as shaky as my trembling hands. “How could you do this?”
    “It was an accident.” Her eyes are wet when she reaches back out for me, but I refuse to look at them for another second. I take Casem’s arm. His eyes are narrowed with uncertainty, not having seen her use enchantment magic.
    “Take me to the gardens,” I tell him, needing to get away from her as the magic within me stirs. “Now.” Casem obeys without hesitation.
    It’s only a short walk to the gardens’ entrance, and my head is still swirling with a thousand thoughts when we arrive. I have to try my hardest to push them to the side and focus on the task at hand, just as everyone has been telling me to do. I can’t let myself be distracted by her betrayal.
    Tonight, I must be perfect.
    A place of worship, the gardens sit atop the tallest peak in all of Arida, about two miles north of the palace. The entrance is through a cavern that’s covered by heavy vines and thick ivy that Casem pulls back so that I can enter without snagging my adornments.
    “You’ve got five minutes before others arrive,” he says as I duck into the cavern, greeted by the bioluminescent flora that coats the walls and helps guide my way into the gardens.
    The moment I step into it, the sight steals my breath, as it always does.
    These gardens are beautiful in the daytime, but their true magnificence shines beneath the stars.
    A field of untamed flowers stretches out before me, some of them tall enough that they brush against my satchel, while others drip from trees in perfect spirals. Much of the flora is bioluminous, petals and bulbs glowing in brilliant shades of greens, pinks, blues, and purples.
    I brush my hands across the bulb of a flower that’s taller than my hip, and it rocks back as if in surprise, its petals unfurling at my touch. They shimmer as they open, stretching awake.
    Behind them, at the back of the garden, rests a small waterfall that glows as brightly as the flowers, creating breathtaking scenery that many travel from all over the kingdom to see.
    At the base of the waterfall, a flat stone slab with a fire pit carved into the center has been erected as a stage for my performance. I take a seat on the edge of one side as voices begin to stir behind me. From the corner of my eye I see my parents enter the gardens, but I don’t turn to them in case Aunt Kalea is there, too.
    I press a hand to my chest and draw in a long breath to steady my heart. It doesn’t help much, so I run my finger across the lip of the satchel and bow my head, praying that the gods steady me. It’s a familiar feeling, one that reassures me even as anticipation nips at my skin and buzzes around me. More and more people enter the gardens, heating the air with their chatter and creating a space that’s so full of different colors and styles that it’s dizzying to look at. Before them I