“No clasp?” she said. Her long hair fell over her shoulder and into her lap like a golden river. “However did you get it on, then?”

“It was put on using magic,” I said.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door to her chambers.

“If it was put on using magic, it can be taken off by magic,” the queen said. “Come in, Oliver!”

My mind raced with possibilities. With the bracelet off, I could find a way out of the castle; I wouldn’t be tied to North any longer.

“Yes, Your Majesty?” Oliver asked. He crossed the room, eyeing me warily.

“Sydelle can’t get her bracelet off,” she said, flashing her big eyes at him. “You’ll take it off so I can try it on, won’t you?”

“Of course,” he said, favoring her with a confident smile.

I held out my wrist to him, looking away so I wouldn’t have to see the three blue stones and everything they had represented. It was just a piece of jewelry, nothing more.

Nothing more.

The moment he touched the chain, Oliver knew. Perhaps he sensed the magic woven into it, or maybe he could tell just by looking at my down-turned face. But he knew. I felt his fingers still against my skin.

“I’m sorry, I can’t,” he said, pulling his hand away. “There’s no clasp.”

The queen let out an annoyed sigh. “Of course there’s no clasp. She just told me it was put on by magic. So take it off using magic.”

“Yes,” I said, through gritted teeth. “Take it off.”

“I really don’t think I should…,” he tried, catching my eye. For the first time, he was looking at me with something other than disdain. The mask he wore as the commander of the Guard was ripped away, and standing before me was nothing more than a horrified young man.

“Take it off, Oliver.” The queen came up to his side, sliding her small pale hand down the length of his arm.

I felt him stiffen, his fingers poised to pull the chain apart. He closed his eyes and let out a harsh breath. There was an audible snap as the chain fell away onto the floor. I half expected a blast of emotions or a frightful storm to suddenly erupt and consume us all, but all I felt was a deathly calm as my connection with North was cut.

“Thank you, Oliver,” Queen Eglantine said. Oliver had turned his face away, his eyes still closed as if he couldn’t bear to witness what he had just done. “You are excused. Send Pompey in on your way out. He should be waiting outside.”

Oliver’s head snapped back toward us, caught between her tense smile and the bracelet on the floor.

“What are you—?”

“Good-bye, Commander Swift,” the queen said.

He turned away from us, looking back at me urgently as he left the chamber. It wasn’t until we heard the door to her sitting room open and close that the young queen broke the silence.

“Now,” she said, stepping on the bracelet as if it wasn’t there. “You’ll have to confirm something for me. I’ve recently heard a very nasty little rumor.”

My body lost feeling entirely.

“Pompey mentioned to me that he overheard a conversation between the Sorceress Imperial and her son, and do you know what he told me? He told me that you have the ability to destroy a kingdom.”

“No!” I whispered in horror. “No, that’s not true—I would never—no, Your Majesty!”

She folded her hands together. “I don’t claim to understand magic very well, but I do know that kind of power is a useful persuasion tool, not only for Auster’s king, but also for the Sorceress Imperial.”

“What?” I whispered. “No, you don’t understand. I can’t control it. I don’t understand how it works.”

“Don’t be afraid, you silly girl,” she said. “I don’t mean to kill you. The king of Auster contacted me privately just this morning, asking me if I had a visitor with your features. He said if I was willing to send you to him, he would cease his pursuit of my crown and withdraw from the war entirely.”

“You’re trading me for peace?” I asked.

“Yes, in a way,” Queen Eglantine said. “I’m also sending the king the means to his own destruction. Once you’re in Auster, your powers will reduce it to rubble.”

“No!” I cried. “I told you I can’t control it!”

“Precisely,” she said. “The king has no idea what he’s asked for.”

I felt the weight of Pompey’s hands as they came down hard on my shoulders. My back collided with his chest, and I knew I was trapped.

“You’re in charge now,” said the queen, looking at Pompey.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” he said. “I have taken care of everything. The boat is waiting and will leave for Auster as soon as she’s on it.”

“No!” I cried, struggling against his unyielding grip. The queen crossed the room to one of the wall panels. I watched in horror as she undid a hidden latch and pulled it open, revealing a perfect escape route. Pompey pushed me into the cramped passageway ahead of him. I didn’t even realize I was screaming until the captain delivered a harsh backhanded slap and covered my mouth with his leather glove.

“Forgive me, Sydelle,” I heard the queen call from behind us. “But I will do what I must.”

The passage narrowed as we went farther down. I never gave up trying to fight Pompey, even as my limbs tired and he grew agitated enough to throw me against a wall.