It was magic.

  The moment we'd crossed open waters into the Servalt kingdom, the ship was met with a torrential downpour that could fill a bucket to the brim in minutes.

  I enjoyed the rain, and spring showers were common across Valaria… but this was different. This was endless and relentless.

  My affinity for aerial magic left me with a strange sense of unease that pushed up against the edge of my senses, and I resisted reaching out with my aura to see.

  I couldn't be sure one of Deryl's guards wouldn't notice.

  The stormy passage did bring one good thing - the prince stayed below deck, busily throwing fits in his quarters. He was cold, hungry, thirsty, bored and all manner of angry.

  I knew, because I could hear through the walls he was so loud. I suffered none of the same troubles that the prince was, because I'd brought along someone competent for the journey.

  Lishinia served hot squash soup, tea and pastries to while away the voyage.

  My family loved hiring competent attendants, and paid them their worth. Lishinia was worth her weight in gold, and I couldn't imagine travelling with anyone else.

  After a full day of fighting the storm, we reached our destined port, which had a road straight to the North Sumbrian border. The rain did not let up even for a moment, but there was something worse much worse than rain that awaited me.

  There was only one carriage.

  “What are you doing here?” Deryl demanded, and I asked myself the same question. “This is the royal carriage, and last I checked you were a mere countess.”

  I decided not to point out the fact that my family was tenth in line to the throne which wasn’t too far from royalty, or that the royal family was technically in charge of this journey and thus its logistics. Or that it was one of his own attendants who'd escorted me to the carriage. In fact, all I said was, “My apologies, Your Highness. I simply wished to give you this to aid in your journey.”

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  Impressed at my own quick thinking, I presented the crown prince one of my enchanted fire stones. I'd started collecting them from an early age because of my father’s disposition. The stone gave off a wave of gentle warmth that filled the carriage.

  “Finally, something useful.” Deryl snatched the stone and held it up, admiring the flickering in the warm amber coloured rock. With his free hand, the crown prince waved at her, “Now leave me.”

  He didn't need to tell me twice. I backed out of the door as fast as I could. My boots splashed in a puddle, and I thanked my foresight to wear riding attire. The thick woolen hood kept everything mostly dry, but the pressure of the rain on my shoulders had me pulling the hood tighter around my neck.

  I peered through the downpour until I spotted Lishinia. The maid was speaking with one of the royal attendants, an overdressed elf who looked miserable in his lavish attire dripping heavy with rainwater. The guards weren’t much better, choosing to demonstrate their opulence over wearing a simple cloak for protection against the elements.

  Lish was sitting on the back of the carriage. “My lady! Please, back into the carriage, you’re getting drenched!”

  I could only give her a helpless look and a shrug. “We don’t happen to have a spare horse, do we?”

  They didn't. I ended up sitting with Lish at the back of the carriage for the start of the ride. Only one person could actually fit 'comfortably' in the space, and I came out with a bruise on my hip - but it was still infinitely better than being in the carriage itself.

  There was a Bolin's in the town we stopped off for lunch, and I rented my own horse. And one for Lish. It was all rolling hills and open countryside from there, until we reached the border village, Colwood, closer to dinner time.

  A border village with clear blue skies.

  “Definitely magic.” I told Lish when we saw the edge of the cloud cover.

  Lish sat straight in her saddle, eying the cloud cover. “Or divine intervention.”

  Crossing into the sunshine felt like breaking the surface of the sea without realizing how close one came to drowning. I was already more sensitive to the air, and the constant weight on top of the pounding rain hadn't been pleasant.

  The dry breath almost hurt as as I inhaled through my nose and relished in the fresh air.

  We were finally in North Sumbria, and we’d made it three days before the Spring Ball. If nothing went wrong, we’d reach Holly Hill tomorrow and the Coral palace the day after that.