After we got back, things got busy. Nero caught Maximus and began testing him to see if he was worthy of being the next king while Wayde watched from the sidelines. Alois officially became Alvis’s apprentice and was acknowledges as the future Headmaster. As for me, I was called in to meet the queen.

When I arrived at the queen’s office, Nero, Alvis, and Reginald were also there. Queen Levina stood in the center of the room, her artifact, Tears of Tethia, was clearly visible looped loosely around her neck.

“Cassandra,” she called, “I am sure you are wondering why I have called you here. Alvis has informed me that you have graduated from Nobility and gave me a record of your achievements. You have been selected as the new Tenth Princess of Tethia and heir to the throne, so long as you can pass today’s test.”

“I will do my best,” I promised, my heart thumping in my chest, “What is the test?”

“As the queen, there will be times when you will have to use the artifact for the country. However, the artifacts can be fickle, and not everyone can handle it. This test is a safety measure to be sure that all heirs to the throne can handle the Tears of Tethia should they ever need to use them.”

The Tears of Tethia were the artifact that allowed the queen glimpses into the future. In dire times she could activate the artifact on her own but in most cases, the artifact would project visions into her dreams or warn her of coming danger without being specifically activated. Forcing it to activate was draining, and sometimes impossible.

“Do I need to force a vision?” I asked. I wanted to avoid it if possible, but if that was what I had to do, I would do it.

“No. The Tears of Tethia always shows a vision when it is first put on by someone new if they are compatible.”

So the test would be both easy and incredibly difficult. If I had no affinity with the artifact it would be over for me and there would be no chance of her becoming queen. I took a deep breath to calm myself. “I am ready.”

Queen Levina carefully removed the Tears of Tethia from her own neck and placed the blue jeweled necklace around mine. Before I even felt them touch my skin, I could suddenly no longer see the room around me.

Instead, I seemed to be in the medical research building while Keane frowned over records. “Autumn, come take a look at these.”

“What is it?” Autumn asked. He stepped over to peer at the records Keane was looking at.

“This new disease that showed up is too strange. It seems to cause insanity before death, but it shows none of the patterns of common diseases of that kind,” Keane explained, “Not only that, but these cases are everywhere, and too far spread out to be accidental.”

“What do you think it means?” Autumn asked.

“Biological warfare,” Keane answered, “The disease is not only appearing in Tethia, either. We need to find a cure before things get any worse.”

“Couldn’t we just wipe out the source?” Autumn suggested.

“Easier said than done. Besides, Osmond disappeared from prison the day after he was put there. Even if he was destined to be a dead man, he could have passed a message before he died.”

Osmond? The old headmaster? It had been several days since he had been arrested but I hadn’t heard anything about that. The vision began to fade and I could no longer understand what Keane and Autumn were saying. The queen’s office snapped back into focus, and all four of the pillars of Tethia were watching me in concern.

“Did Osmond really escape the day after he was imprisoned?” I asked.

“That’s the past, not the future. How did you learn that?” Nero asked.

“It was mentioned as a possible source. A reason for someone to use biological warfare against Tethia,” I replied.

“You are going to have to explain in more detail,” Nero said with a frown.

I related the conversation from my vision. They seemed interested to know that I saw Keane and Autumn in it instead of something more on the frontlines of the disease, but it was very possibly because Keane was the first to notice.

“The future may change slightly because of our interference,” Alvis mused, “Those kinds of artifacts can only predict the most likely path.”

I nodded.

“The good news is, you passed,” Queen Levina told me and helped me remove the Tears of Tethia from around my neck, “Unfortunately, this does mean that your first task as the new princess is to get to the bottom of this disease you saw in your vision. You are not just a student anymore, so don’t be afraid to use the resources that the castle has to offer.”

“Thank you,” I told her, “If I am the new tenth princess, what is happening to the old one?”

“She is the ninth princess now. Reginald’s wife is pregnant again and she is retiring to take care of their children.”

Rosalind was pregnant? I was just there! How come she didn’t tell me? No, there was a crisis going on so of course, she wouldn’t tell me.

“That being said, it is Rosalind’s old office you will be moving into so we don’t have any unnecessary shuffling around,” Queen Levina continued, “You will also be taking over Rosalind’s old unit. Things are best kept simple, and since all princesses have the same duties it shouldn’t really matter.”

“That is why you should come to stay at my house now,” Reginald told me, “I am sure you will have many things to discuss with my wife. By the way, her retirement was conditional on you replacing her.”

I smiled, touched that Rosalind and the head magician thought so much of me. Still, I had a lot of work ahead of me. “It is fine if I ask my friends for help right?” I asked.

“Of course,” Queen Levina replied, “I think they know by now how to keep a national secret.”

I thought back on the chaos we had been through trying to predict what kind of event would make us the heroes of Tethia, and all of the trouble it was dealing with time travel. “Definitely,” I agreed. My friends were talented and trustworthy and I felt relieved being able to rely on them in my new position.

“May the adventures ahead be filled with success, and the road lead to a bountiful destination,” Queen Levina recited as I left the room with Reginald. If I recalled correctly, that was one of the last lines from the diary of the founding queen.

I turned back for a moment with a smile before reciting the pair to that line. “For even if trials lay ahead, we shall conquer them together and create our own kingdom of fortune.”