Elshana woke the next morning with no recollection of meeting Kerrim. In Elshana’s mind, the entire event was a blurry nightmare with no real meaning. Buried beneath a mound of expensive blankets, it took Elshana a minute to find her way out of bed. But once her feet were on the cold ground, she wished she’d never left the warmth of the bed and hopped right back in for a few more minutes of rest.

Vashti burst through the door a minute later. “What do you think you’re doing?” she yanked the blanket off Elshana and tossed it on the ground. “It’s already 7 o’clock. Breakfast is in fifteen minutes.”

Elshana turned over in her bed. “Why do rich people feel the need to get up so early?” she asked. “I mean, I had no choice when I was a mail carrier, but surely you do…right?”

“Prince Isidro requires that all his servants be awake and prepared for the day by six a.m. sharp.”

“Of course he does,” Elshana muttered. “If I had to guess, I’d say he doesn’t get up until noon.”

“Then you don’t know the prince,” Vashti replied. “Make yourself look decent then come to the dining hall. If you miss breakfast, there won’t be another meal until midday.”

“Ugh. Fine,” Elshana said. As Vashti turned to leave the room, she added, “And don’t think I’ve forgotten about our bet.”

Elshana opened the wardrobe and settled on a pair of black trousers and a light orange tunic. All the shoes felt tight and foreign, so she decided to wear the boots she’d been wearing for years. She laced them up and ran to the dining hall.

The dining hall was abuzz. Two dozen or so estate workers were gathered in various huddles, chatting amongst themselves. Elshana noticed that Vashti was standing alone with her arms across her chest. When Vashti noticed Elshana walking towards her, she rolled her eyes.

“Look who decided to get up,” she said. “I must admit I’m impressed that you were able to prepare yourself for the day so quickly.”

“My record for getting ready in the morning is 2 minutes and ten seconds,” Elshana replied. “Fifteen minutes was easy.”

The room went silent the moment Isidro arrived. Everyone offered a respectful bow. Well, everyone except Elshana, who had no idea that a bow was expected of her in the first place. Isidro rolled to the head of a long table and motioned for everyone to take a seat. It seemed that the seats were assigned, because when Elshana tried to sit beside Vashti, an employee said, “this is my seat.”

Much to Elshana’s dismay, the only remaining seat was the one directly beside Isidro. She tried to hide her disappointment as she sat down beside the prince. It was the first time Elshana noticed he was wearing a blue shonjan.

“So, you’re a sky mage,” she said in an attempt to make conversation. “That’s cool.”

He glowered at her. “It is customary to remain silent until I provide the daily blessing.”

“A blessing? From you?” Elshana asked. “Sounds more like a curse if you ask me.”

Once again, Elshana watched as the corners of his mouth attempted to curl into a smile. But his dignity simply wouldn’t allow it. Still, if Elshana could make him want to smile, she could make him want to laugh, too.

A kitchen servant entered the room and placed a silver tray and a glass of water in front of everyone at the table. The tray was covered by a dome. Elshana lifted it to see what was for breakfast but found that the tray was empty.

“Psst, I didn’t get any food,” Elshana whispered as she suddenly became acutely aware of her hunger.

“Patience…” Isidro said as he pushed the dome back over Elshana’s tray. He cleared his throat and announced: “We thank the spirits for our meal, for our land, and for our health.” He raised his glass to toast. “To the Kingdom of Vekoba!”

“To Vekoba!” the servants echoed.

Everyone lifted their domes. Elshana was peeved that they all seemed to have meals picked specifically for them while Elshana had nothing. She stared enviously at Isidro’s bowl of oatmeal and fresh fruit.

“Is this some sort of joke?” she asked.

“These trays have been passed down through my family for generations. They were crafted by talented mages centuries ago,” Isidro said. “As long as whoever eats is hungry, the tray will provide the meal their heart desires.”

Elshana lifted the tray again and was pleased to find a plate of fluffy waffles with chocolate syrup and sprinkles. “Woah,” she said, admiring her meal. “Where has this tray been all my life?”

“Waffles with chocolate and sprinkles? Are you five years old?” Isidro asked. “It disturbs me that your heart doesn’t desire a practical meal.”

“Not everything has to be practical, Mr. Boring Oatmeal.” Elshana dug her fork into the top waffle and put a piece of it into her mouth. “No wonder you and Vashti are friends. You both have massive sticks up your asses.”

“That’s because we understand the weight of our responsibilities,” Isidro replied. “If I am to be king someday, I have no time for frivolity.”

Elshana shrugged and took another bite of her waffles. “Oh well, more frivolity for me I guess.” She pointed to his untouched cup of strawberries. “Are you going to finish those?”

After breakfast ended, Isidro told Elshana to wait for him on the training grounds. “And don’t touch anything until I get there,” he chided.

As soon as Elshana reached the training grounds, she couldn’t help but touch everything in sight. There was so much to choose from. Swords bigger than her entire body, a spiky ball on a stick (Elshana had no idea what it was called), and devices that looked like they were used to test balance and stamina. When Isidro arrived, she was caught red handed trying on a pair of armor.

“Does this chainmail make my butt look big?” she asked.

“I told you not to touch anything,”

“And you thought I’d listen because…?”

Isidro rolled to a wall filled with bows and arrows. “I know you’ve had no magic training, but have you had any formal instruction in weaponry or hand-to-hand combat?”

Elshana let out a sharp laugh. “Of course not.”

“The physical demands of magic require your mind and body to be trained,” Isidro said. “Many mages don’t even call upon their power for the first time until they’re thirteen years old.”

“I’ve never been the type of person to be on time,” Elshana replied. “I’m sure I can catch up.”

“That’s easier said than done,” Isidro said. “It’s taken me a lifetime to understand my magic and I still have much to learn. I am nowhere near the level of a warrior.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but…” Elshana wasn’t sure how to finish her sentence without sounding offensive. “You know what? I’m just going to say it. If I saw you on the street, I wouldn’t think you were a threat. At all.”

“I’m well aware,” Isidro replied. He reached for a dozen arrows but no bow. He used his magic to make them levitate. On his command, the bows flew through the air, each one landing mere millimeters from where Elshana was standing. Satisfied by the fear in her eyes, he said, “My greatest advantage is that people think I’m helpless.” He maneuvered one of the arrows until it was an inch away from Elshana’s right eye. “After all, no one expects a cripple to cause any real damage.” He allowed the arrow to fall to the ground with a satisfying thud.

Elshana stood still. “That was incredible,” she said. ‘Do you think I’ll ever be able to do something like that with my magic?”

“If you want it badly enough.”

“You still haven’t told me why you brought me here,” Elshana said. “You haven’t even explained what a shadow mage is.”

“I can’t tell you yet,” Isidro said. “If your power doesn’t manifest again within a month, I’ll have no choice but to try to find another shadow mage. Until I am confident in your abilities, my plan must be kept a secret.” He noticed the disappointment on Elshana’s face and said, “It’s for the good of the kingdom.”

“Whatever,” Elshana muttered. “How am I supposed to get my magic to appear again? Are you going to teach me?”

“Of course not,” he said. “Only a warrior can teach you the ways of magic.”

“Let me guess, you know a guy?”

“A woman, actually,” Isidro said. “She was my instructor when I was young.”

“Is she going to teach me, too?”

“Yes, but she won’t be here until tomorrow. She has asked me to assess your skill level before she arrives.”

“Uh-oh,” Elshana said.

For the next few hours, Elshana tried her hand at everything from swords to climbing the walls of the main house. Like an unprepared teenager entering the workforce, she failed at everything she did. Isidro showed neither disappointment nor anger. It was almost as if he’d been expecting such a result.

By lunchtime, it was clear that Elshana had no aptitude for athletics. She laid on the grass, feeling like the biggest failure in the world. Then she remembered the one thing she couldn’t fail at: her bet with Vashti.

Isidro rubbed the spot between his eyebrows. “Your performance today was abysmal.”

“Do you want to help me play a prank on Vashti?”

“Did you not hear what I said?” Isidro asked. “You have the coordination of a one-winged moth.”

“I have an idea,” Elshana said. “Trust me. The look on Vashti’s face will make it all worth it.”

She told Isidro her idea, and to her surprise, he was actually on board with it. Even he couldn’t seem to pass up the opportunity to mess with Vashti.

Once they were seated at the lunch table, Isidro gave his regular blessing and the servants lifted their domes to reveal their lunches. Elshana watched with anticipation as Vashti lifted hers only to find that there was nothing under it. With a red flush on her cheeks, she opened and closed it a few more times.

“Oh no, what’s wrong Vashti?” Elshana asked. “Do you not have any food?”

She didn’t look up. “It appears I do not.”

“try opening it and closing it again a few times more,” Isidro said. By that point, he wore a full smile, but Vashti didn’t seem to notice as she did what he said. She opened and closed her dome twenty times before throwing it on the ground.

“What the hell?” she seethed. “The tray has one job. One job!”

That’s when it happened. Isidro leaned back in his seat and let out the most glorious laugh Elshana had ever heard. A few of the servants gasped at the sound of his laughter, including Vashti. Her eyes widened in realization. “You did this,” she said. She picked up the tray. “This isn’t one of the ancient trays.”

“Nope, just boring old silver,” Elshana said, satisfied with herself. “I would like to request that a certain court jester come juggle clubs for me before I go to bed tonight.”

Confused, Isidro said, “Surely you realize I don’t have a court jester.”

“Really? I think you do.”

Elshana told Isidro all about their bet and it actually got another small chuckle out of him. “She’s going to put on a full jester costume and juggle for you tonight?”

“She’s the type to stay to true to her word, so yes, I think she will.”

And she did. Before Elshana settled in for the night, Vashti arrived in her bedchamber and put on a surprisingly impressive display of juggling.

“Don’t forget you have to wear the costume all day tomorrow too,” Elshana said.

“Don’t remind me,” Vashti said as she seamlessly juggled three balls. “I must admit, it was nice to see Prince Isidro find joy in something—even if that joy came at my expense.”

“What happened to him?” Elshana asked. “Why can’t he walk? Why is he so...sad?”

“I am not permitted to discuss the prince’s personal affairs,” Vashti said. “But I will say that I hope your magic returns quickly, because I think you’re good for him.”

Without another word, she stopped juggling and left Elshana alone in her bedchamber.