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an hour of daylight.
    Before they reached the palace gardens, Gwen pushed Lily from behind. “Hurry! Go hide in the library.”
    “What?”
    “Lord Runny saw us leave. Go!” Gwen pushed her once more, linked arms with Ivy and Mara, and stopped. The other girls hung back, as well.
    Lily sighed heavily before turning down the hall leading to the library. The over-confident lord was determined to ruin the twins’ birthday.
    “The maze, twenty minutes,” Neylan whispered behind her.
    *
    The soldier-king’s architect had stretched the library and its windows up through all three floors of the palace. Narrow spirals of wrought iron linked the levels in each of the two rooms. Lily loved these rooms—the smell of old books and scrolls and sun-warmed leather. They were the reason Eben, an orphan destined for the dragon guard, had been allowed entry into the palace. Melantha, after discovering Eben’s thirst for knowledge, had traded sword-fighting lessons for access to information no public library would ever contain. With Father’s permission, of course. Lily remembered the exact spot she’d first seen him over ten years ago, poring over a history of Eltekon, oblivious to the curious princesses piling into the room to observe the young swordsman-in-training.
    Eben lounged with a book on one of a handful of overstuffed chairs near the window overlooking the gardens. Shelves of books stood within arm’s reach.
    She waved at the white-haired couple who served as librarians, and they returned the gesture before getting back to their board game. Those who frequented the library had long ago dispensed with formalities when the heir entered, another reason she loved these rooms.
    She paused before Eben noticed her. The sun had lightened his hair to the same almond shade as her dress. When they’d first met, his hair had been long enough to run fingers through. Not that she would know. But after the accident with the flaming arrow, he’d kept it short, as most dragon soldiers did.
    “Boo.”
    She jumped—but only a little—and her face heated. Of course, he’d known she was there.
    He flashed a brief smile without taking his eyes from the book and nudged the footstool over. She sank down onto the facing chair, hooked the stool with her foot, and slid it close. With a sigh, she propped up her throbbing feet.
    “I thought you might be on duty by now.” He wasn’t, but she wasn’t sure what else to say after their awkward moment in the maze.
    “Not for another hour.” His lips twitched, wanting to smile again. He knew she always knew his rotations. She slouched into the chair, letting the worn leather swallow her. They’d never had a problem talking, and their silences had always been comfortable. Natural. But that was before Lily’s last birthday, before she was expected to point to one of the men in her circle of acquaintances and say, “That’s him. That’s the one I want—the next King of Ituria.” If she pointed to the one she wanted, then the whole country would point at her. And he might not even want to be pointed at.
    “Kev’s fourth arrived yesterday.”
    Lily tucked her feet up in the chair and leaned forward, relieved that Eben still felt at ease sharing his news with her. “Boy or girl?”
    “He seems to be taking after the royal family.”
    She smiled. “I’ll drop a basket off later. Mara will empty the pantries to fill it.”
    “If you go now, I’ll help you carry it.”
    “You’re on duty soon.”
    “It’s on my way.” He closed his book and leaned forward, elbows on his knees.
    “What is? The kitchens, or The Tree?” It took an hour to get to Three Mole Tree, the soldier’s village, and back.
    “Both.”
    “You live in the barracks, Eben.”
    “I’ve got to see a guy about a thing.”
    “Uh, huh.” She grinned and shifted in her chair, reminding herself not to get too comfortable. She wouldn’t disappoint the twins a second time. “I can’t take it right now, anyway, but