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Magic. Such a strange thing.

I startled, flinging my eyes open as water sloshed over the stone floor from the unexpected movement.

I’d gotten into the water and been almost fully submerged, without so much as a second thought.

The first time I’d been in this room, the guilt of enjoying the water had been too much to bear.

And when Adrian had forced me to bathe, I’d merely sat at the edge of the water, dipping a cloth to wash off, using a pitcher for my hair.

Now here I was, neck-deep, and not a grain of fear filled my body.

Had talking openly about Aaron healed me in a way? Or was it whom I’d confided in that gave me comfort in the water now?

Leo.

King.

Creator of life.

A man who possessed powers so profound he couldn’t tell a soul. Except a soldier from Six whose memory he could alter at any moment.

Leo had sworn to protect me, but he would also protect the people closest to him, like Adrian, and Sigrid. Did that mean when the time came for me to return home, he would erase these newly created memories from me?

I didn’t want him to.

Not because I wanted to tell those closest to me what I’d learned about the universe, but because I wanted to keep the memories for myself.

I wanted to remember Leo.

And I wanted to see him again.

I pulled myself out of the water and dried off quickly, changing into my perfectly fitting black ensemble, finger-combing my hair as I sprinted to the door.

I needed to ask the guards where I could find him.

“Ouch!” a voice wailed as I pushed the door open, slamming it into something heavy.

“I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there.” I slid out from behind the door, only to find Adrian standing there, dressed in his own black attire. “Oh, it’s you. Never mind.”

He glared down at me, cradling his elbow in his hand. “Charming as always,” he said between his teeth.

“Were you waiting for me?” I asked, extra nicely.

He huffed. “Unfortunately. Leo asked me to get you, he wants to see you before he leaves.”

I fought back my disappointment. He was back, and leaving again so soon. “Where is he going?”

Adrian didn’t answer me. Instead, he walked away from me, still clutching his elbow.

Annoyed, I followed, imagining throwing rocks at the back of his head.

Would it hurt him to try and be nice? And to slow down? I had to half jog just to match his pace. Each landing I passed a blur of gray stone as he guided me through the upper levels of the castle.

When we arrived at the sixth and final floor, I stepped into the hallway, but Adrian continued upward on a smaller flight of wooden stairs, the sturdiness of them questionable.

I suppressed my sigh and followed, about to complain about the length of our journey, when he opened a door at the top of the last step, revealing the afternoon sunlight.

We’d arrived at the rooftop.