Lottius just grinned, her canines elongating.

"Ask her parents to hire him, so she can have a little fun with him. They are not toys, Lottie. They have feelings and their situation is so sad. Besides, you are mated."

"But minions are fun. They're usually so eager to please."

I glanced at where the guy was, but he'd disappeared. The idea of Lottius toying with one of them bugged me. Or maybe it was the thought of her with him.

A little girl won a small stuffed Pegasus and in her excitement, tripped and fell right by my feet. She whimpered. I bent down to help her up.

"Are you okay?" I asked. She didn't respond, just stared at me with big eyes. Then I saw her knee. She had a nasty bruise. "You're bleeding." I brushed off the dirt near the wound.

A tingling warmth shot up my spine and then down my arm. Then everything happened fast. Strange markings appeared on my skin. Before I could react, my hand glowed briefly and then dimmed.

"Look, Mommy," the little girl called out. "The nice lady healed my knee."

I stared at her knee and was surprised to see that the wound was healed. Stares and whispers followed. Those nearby moved away.

What? I wasn't supposed to heal her? I didn't know how I had done it, but I didn't regret it. Lottius and Katia didn't say anything either, but they couldn't hide their shock. I stepped forward and smiled at the woman running the game.

"You don't have to play to win," she said. "Choose any stuffed animal and it's yours."

"But I, uh, want to play," I said.

"Of course." She eagerly gave me five darts.

Ignoring the crowd that had gathered, I aimed and threw them one dart after another, and missed the target. I shrugged. "Thank you."

She held a huge teddy bear. "Please, take it."

I shook my head. "I didn't win it."

"You don't understand," she whispered. "That was a minion child you healed, Princess Lilith."

I blinked, surprised she recognized me. "That's okay. I didn't mind."

"You're not supposed to heal them, Princess. They have their own healers. Some people believe they're cursed. Not worthy. And that's why they have no special powers."

What a stupid, senseless logic. None of the clairvoyant crystals I'd watched mentioned such weird beliefs. From the woman's tone, she didn't buy it, either. I turned and looked at the child, who was clinging to her mother and holding on to her puny Pegasus like it was the most precious thing in the world. Both looked scared.

"She's a child. Harmless. I'll take that, please." I pointed at the largest stuffed Pegasus. I took it to the little girl. "What's your name?"

The child stuck her thumb in her mouth and burrowed in the crook of her mother's neck.

"Seraph," the mother whispered. "I'm so sorry she bothered you, Princess Lilith. She didn't know who you are. We didn't know."

"She didn't bother me, and I'm happy to meet you, Seraph." I touched her arm and she cringed. My hand dropped to my side. "She didn't bother me, and if anyone says you did, ask your mommy to bring you to the castle and tell me about it. Do you know why, Seraph?"

The little girl shook her head, her eyes wide.

"Because you are my friend and friends look out for each other. This is for you." I gave her the stuffed animal. At first, she was reluctant to take it. When she did, I turned and smiled at the crowd that had gathered. Some of them wore security uniforms. They all stared at me as though I had grown two heads. Their telepathic conversations said just as much, so I tuned them out. I couldn't explain how I did it. Must be instinctive or something.

I looked up and my gaze met Green Eyes's. He smiled with approval and heat crawled up my face. I turned to Lottius and Katia. "Let's go."

Katia took my arm and giggled. "Oh, you are going to cause waves across this island. No, across the entire Hermonite Nation. I'll be honored to work with you, be your right hand woman"-she punched the air-"the enforcer of your will."

"She's going to cause nothing but trouble," Lottius said.

"With who? The king? Everyone knows she's his favorite." Katia looked at me and winced. "I heard he searched for you all over the world and never gave up."

I didn't want to discuss my father. "Come on, let's go have some fun."

But news spread fast. Minion children and their parents started to follow us wherever we went. When I smiled at them, the bold ones showed me their cuts, which I healed, and scars, which I couldn't. More and more joined us. One gave me flowers. I plucked one and tucked it in my hair. More arrived with flowers. By the time we reached the end of the gaming tents, Katia and I had our arms full of flowers and nearly two dozen children with their parents trailed us.

Lottius turned and raised her hands. "Okay, enough. Princess Lilith is here to have fun too, so leave her alone."

"Diplomatic, isn't she?" Katia asked. "I'll take care of this." She turned and faced the kids. "Lady Lottius meant to say the princess is happy to meet you, but right now, she needs to go on the rides." She pointed at the trolleys hurtling past us so fast they were a blur.

I squatted so I was at the children's eye level, then reached out and touched a cheek here and an arm there. "I will come and visit you as soon as I can, okay?"

Nods followed.

"Good. Now go to your mommies and daddies." I stood and waved to the parents. A few took their children and left. Others stayed and watched us walk away.

"You don't want to visit their homes," Lottius said, throwing me a sideways glance.

"Why?" I asked.

"Yeah, Lottie. Why?" Katia jumped in. "Doesn't she deserve to know that some of our people live in burrows? That they're illiterate and stuck here because they're scared of living among humans? The power-that-is doesn't care-" Then her eyes widened and she covered her mouth. "I, uh, I'm so sorry, Lilith. I didn't mean to imply that your father is a mean or a bad ruler-"

"It's okay." Minions were stuck here? The way my father and Lady Nemea talked and from what I'd watched on the CCs, I thought this place was paradise for our people.

"Would you like to see where they live?" Katia asked.

I didn't know if that was a good idea. What could I do to change their lives? I'd barely woken up from a coma and I didn't know what lines to cross or if I should even cross them. Besides, the minions in the castle didn't seem unhappy.

"Okay," I said weakly.

"Good. Now I want to go on a ride," Katia said, and ran ahead to get in line, the conversation we were having seconds ago forgotten.

"You don't have to visit the minions, Lilith. There's not much you can do for them. The caste system was set by Queen Coronis thousands of years ago. Each Hermonite plays his and her role, the hierarchy never changing. You have the dukes, the lords, the knights, the guards, and the workers. Katia has a good heart, but she is too impulsive. She thinks we can change the system. It takes decades for changes to occur, and even if they happen, they are usually small and insignificant."

I didn't know how to respond, so I just shrugged. We moved from ride to ride. We were leaving one when I saw Lord Gavyn with two men standing behind him like bodyguards. My heart skipped and started to pound.

He flashed a smile and walked toward us. Wariness washed over me. Was he here for me?

"Katia," he said softly, taking her hand and bringing it to his lips.

"Why can't you just leave her alone?" Lottius snapped through clenched teeth.

"Nice to see you again, Lottie." The smile Gavyn gave her was stiff. He glanced at me and bowed. "Princess." His focus shifted to Katia, and he offered her his arm. "Want to join me on the next ride?"

Katia threw Lottius a beseeching look and took his arm. They walked ahead of us, Katia's cheeks rosy. It was obvious she liked him. The expression on Lottius's face was thunderous.

"You don't like him," I whispered, conscious of Gavyn's guards behind us.

"No. He singled her out during the first conference after the Great Battle and has been pursuing her, buying her things and meeting with her every time he's on the island."

"And what's wrong with that?"

"I think he's up to something."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, but I plan to find out," Lottius vowed.

I frowned, studying Katia and Gavyn, who were ahead of us. Gavyn seemed attentive, his head angled to catch whatever Katia was saying. I didn't get any negative vibes from him now, not like earlier. He seemed genuinely happy to be with her.

"What do you know about him?" I asked.

"He's the youngest lord, rich, and the king's favorite. I tried asking my parents why Lord Valafar favors him and they warned me to stay away from him. They warned Katia, too."

Which was like waving a red flag at a bull. "Maybe we should let them take this ride alone."

"Oh, no, we're not." Lottius gripped my hand. "Wherever they go, we go. Excuse us," Lottius told the people ahead of us, "Princess Lilith coming through. We're with Lord Gavyn."

My face grew hot as the people stepped aside to let us pa.s.s until we were behind Gavyn and Katia. He glanced at us, his glance lingering on me. A mocking smile lifted the corner of his mouth. I frowned. There was something oddly familiar about that smile.

We piled into a tram for six, Gavyn and Katia in front, Lottius and me in the middle, and the two bodyguards in the rear, carrying our flowers. The ride rose smoothly like a well-oiled engine, taking us higher and higher. At the top, a cover slipped over our tram, completely covering us and leaving us in total darkness. Sizzling energy b.a.l.l.s appeared around us like stars. They looked so real.

As we started a slow descent, they moved toward us. The faster we went, the faster and closer they appeared. Lottius forgot about Gavyn and screamed, gripping my hand. We were laughing hard when the ride came to a stop.

"That was awesome," I said.

"Let's do it again," Lottius said, hurrying after Katia and Gavyn, but I noticed Lady Nemea with half a dozen guards waiting for us.

Something snagged my foot and I lost my balance.

"Pardon me, Princess Lilith," one of Gavyn's guards said, gripping my arm and saving me from a humiliating fall. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Take this." He pressed something smooth in my hand. I lowered my head to look, but he added, "Don't look down. It's a clairvoyant crystal with a message from Lord Gavyn. Watch it when you're completely alone, then destroy it. Your bodyguards are here, so please take my arm and pretend you tripped because you are exhausted."

I wasn't sure how to react, so I played along. Lady Nemea and the guards stepped into our path.

"We'll take it from here," she told Lord Gavyn's man with a broad smile, but my empathic sensors were on full alert and picked up on her anger.

The guard let go of my arm, bowed, and joined his partner, who stood by Gavyn, Katia, and Lottius. We were drawing attention. My cheeks warmed.

"Do you still want to go on more rides, Princess?" Lady Nemea asked.

"No." She'd spoiled my fun. I brushed past her and went to my new friends. Ignoring Gavyn, I hugged Lottius. "Thanks for tonight."

I turned to Katia. She was worried. "I'll be fine."

"I hope so." She glanced at Lady Nemea, then hugged me.

"See you at the Academy," I whispered. "Or come to the castle tomorrow and visit." I hugged Lottie again. "Promise me you'll come and visit."

"Or you could visit us at the Academy," Lottie said defiantly and aloud, her eyes drifting to Lady Nemea. From the older woman's expression, I doubted that was ever going to happen.

"Sure. Why not?" Then I remembered something my father had said. "Don't your parents stay in the castle when they visit? I was told High Council members do."

Lottius shook her head. "Most do. Because of the sun, mine have a penthouse in the city. It's perfect for private parties," she added with a wink.

"Princess, your dress," Lady Nemea said when I joined her and the guards.

"I love the color," I said.

"Your father-"

"...will not approve." I was tempted to defy her, but I'd rebelled enough for one day. I started to turn toward Katia to ask her to change the color of my dress and froze. The emerald green was already leaching away from my dress. I glanced at Katia. "Thanks."

Katia shook her head. "I didn't do it."

"Of course you didn't," Lady Nemea said imperiously, moving to my side. She took my arm. "Princess Lilith did. She is an Earth Prime, too."

I was?

-5-.

"Your father is going to be very disappointed in you. Taking off like that was reckless," Lady Nemea scolded. "You are seventeen, almost eighteen, too old to be pulling childish pranks."

"Or to be lectured because I went to enjoy a few rides," I said, wishing I had the power to make people shut up. "I was on the island, Lady Nemea. Hardly a reason to panic."

Her eyes narrowed. "We had every reason to panic. We lost you before and I refuse to let it happen again. On Monday, you will start working with a tutor here in the castle. You will not leave the castle without him or a guard, and when you do, you are not to go beyond the castle grounds." She stopped and frowned as though thinking up more c.r.a.p to pile on my head. "Oh, and you are not allowed to a.s.sociate with those two girls."

My jaw dropped. "You can't dictate who I see or can't see."

"Oh, I most definitely can. Your father put me in charge of your welfare. Your safety means everything to him. You are not to mingle with minions, either. They have healers to tend to their wounded. It is not your job to heal them."