His body language showed no signs of betrayal, and seeing how honest and open and clueless he was, I couldn't believe I thought him capable of an elaborate deception before. Yet, he and I had only known each other for a day, and in that time, I had never been honest. He could not trust me. I could not trust him.

Even if I told him Mallow wasn't a gift, he wouldn't help me rescue her. No matter what he said, we weren't friends. I had to do this without his help.

"It's nothing, Winsor. I'm just sluggish from yesterday. You'll take care of those wanted posters?"

"Oh yes, Azark. I'll go find Father right now. He's been acting odd today, but I will talk sense into him—"

Osoro's lips moved, and I stared trying to figure out what they were saying as Winsor prattled on in front of me.

At the front of the room, Bernard stood. He cleared his throat and declared, "This entire thing is absurd!" Bernard's voice belted across the crowd. Winsor's jaw dropped. The bubbling of the crowd began to die down. "For a second born to inherit Blythe, when I, the rightful heir, am still here!"

Winsor's knees shook, and I realized the word Osoro had been muttering again and again was distraction. My heart sunk to the bottom of my ribs.

"What?" Winsor's tone was choked with disbelief.

"Winsor Reglar is unfit to lead. I stepped down first out of pity, but it would be a grave injustice to allow him to inherit the city!" Bernard shouted. The crowd shifted uncertainly, eyes falling on Winsor. It was like back at the play, except there was nowhere to run away to this time.

"I.... you..." he sputtered. His attention fully absorbed by Bernard, I backed away from him and toward the exit Osoro was gesturing toward. With any luck, the Divinis was also involved in watching this spectacle. Their argument grew in intensity. I caught a swish of fabric, Azeria's dress, as she hurried to Winsor's side.

"A son and a boy is all you'll ever be. Be quiet and go back to your shoes, Bernard," she said disparagingly, supporting Winsor's inarticulate stammering with her words. She slipped a hand beneath his elbow. "Winsor today is a man; a condition of which I am sure you are unfamiliar and confused by."

"A man who needs a woman to fight his battles for him?" Bernard said. Falsity rang in Bernard's voice, which for the role had grown more masculine and deeper than how he usually spoke. Is this how Bernard talked when he had teased Winsor in the past?

"...A... I.... That's rich from you, Bernard. You never had less than three other sorcerer's helping you when you decided it was time to fight," Winsor said. Unlike Bernard, he was sincere. He was hurt. I felt embarrassed just hearing him.

"More proof that I am a natural leader, and you are ill suited," Bernard barked.

"Sons, stop this..." Naobe came from the back, a doorway close to me and Osoro. I twisted so that she did not see my face until she passed. Although she tried to push through the crowd, it had constricted with the rising tension. Without magic, she was helpless to shove her way through, her anxious pacing outside the fence of people reminiscent of the sickly mother I had swindled.

"Winsor, Bernard, please stop!" Her words went unheard.

The audience was eating it up, their attention leaping between the two brothers. As far as sorcerer parties go, this was probably the most interesting thing that could happen. The audience burbled like a river.

"Bernard is a better leader. I've been thinking this the entire time." Goldwynn's voice? I glanced over my shoulder and saw the Arcana Enforcement Agent stand beside Bernard, not impartially like I was pretty sure he was supposed to be in these situations. Even Bernard seemed confused, and he glanced at Goldwynn twice to confirm he was actually there. His uniform instantly made the match seem uneven, although it was two against two now. "Winsor can have his Age Day. He can even have you, fiery and short lived as you will be Azeria. However, he may not have Blythe. The Arcanacracy deserves someone powerful and proud to rule over this city."

"He can't even cast around other people!" Winsor cried, his voice breaking. "How can you lead? You can't even cast!"

"Winsor, calm down. This is your party, not his." Azeria's soothing words were intimate.

"I know, but..."

"Hysterical," A person shouted, too loud. Not overheard but wanting to be heard. A fit of laughter, like when Winsor's table had gone soggy at the restaurant. Bernard's face paled, but he glanced at us and steeled his small jaw. He gave a slight nod before he stared back at Winsor and Azeria, and I hurried. His glance had said it all: 'I don't want to be here any longer than necessary. This is getting out of hand. Find Mallow so I don't have to distract them anymore.' And yet, where was the Divinis Wenrick? Why hadn't he said anything?

"Two cowards together, a perfect pair. Run off together, cowards."

"If you continue to speak to Divinis Reglar's son like that, I will be forced to expel you," Wishid Kluth said, and I pressed against Osoro to keep from being spotted as he passed. He was yelling at fireflies, offensive statements flashing brightly before fading back into the dark as the confusing chorus of voices overlapped each other.

"No, Winsor's right. Bernard acts as if he is ungifted. He has no right."

"Azeria is only avoiding her Proving; she doesn't care about him or who rules Blythe as long as she's safe."

"Winsor doesn't even smell right; how is he going to rule a city of thousands when he stinks?"

"But, more importantly, who will design my sandals if Bernard inherits Blythe?"

"Winsor's too shy and small; he'll never have what it takes."

"I suppose it's inevitable for a second son. This was a farce from the very beginning."

"Bernard and his goons were bullies. If we hand the city over to him, Blyth will rot into a cesspit. He can't handle power."

"Winsor's weak. He's too weak. We don't want the Arcanacracy shrinking because Enchanted can't hold onto their cities."

"I always thought the Contractor was the most powerful sorcerer. Maybe he should be asked if he wants to rule it?"

"That's not even an option. Shut up."

"Winsor's not a coward though. He saved Thessa."

"From an empty tower? How do we know he didn't do it himself? We only have his story."

"Winsor didn't hurt me!" Thessa cried, but her angry splashing made it hard to understand. I only knew because that's what I expected her to say.

"Bernard lives here too. Maybe he did it."

"Why would Bernard make someone with no feet? He's a cordswainer, you icicle."

"Winsor's crying! This is hilarious."

"I'm going to help Winsor. This is his party. His brother is a jerk."

"Yeah, I don't really know either of them. I came for the circus... but I know Goldwynn is a total creep. If Goldwynn's with Bernard, then I'm with Winsor."

"The law is on Bernard's side, though. That is Arcana Enforcement."

"The law may be on his side, but do you remember summer retreat with him? He's a terror. I wouldn't wish Bernard's rule on my worst enemies."

"Stop standing behind a girl, Winsor!"

"He's standing beside her. You'd understand that if you weren't such an icicle."

And Osoro and I were gone, passing through the large wooden arch. People were streaming in the front door now, making the hallway narrow as bodies pushed toward the conflict. Gossip traveled through the shuffling crowd like fire, urging them to push toward the argument and drowning it out all at once..

It was a struggle to swim against the crowd through the entry hall, toward the wing that led to the bedrooms and quarters of the family. Like swimming through stones, I pushed against resisting material, something that would actively hit me. For one claustrophobic second, I was back in front of the Avalons, screaming for food, unable to move forward even though failure would mean death for my father and I. But no.

No, I had done this before, this week. I had successfully gotten through this mass of conflict and people. I had gotten that girl to the Avalonry, and she had been healed. I had done it for selfish reasons, but I had done it, and now I could do it again. My contract ring snagged on someone's sleeve and I thought it would break, but only a thorn tore off.

We staggered past the last wave. I inhaled deeply of the humid air, the press of bodies now behind us. Precious feet of empty space surrounded us in this wing hallway. I stretched out my hand. Osoro was walking forward still, not stopping. His ponytail snapped in the air as he glanced over at me.

"Azark, hurry up. We don't have much time. Bernard's flailing in there."

"That was cruel," I said, once we were in the hallway out of earshot.

"Yes, anarchy erupted quickly. I had not expected others to get involved... But no one is going to want to be skulking the halls with a showdown between those two going on—" He cut himself off as he noticed a maid hurrying past, tugging at another one's sleeve. They muttered about an argument, rushing toward the hall. "What happened to your disguise? Did Winsor dispel it?"

"What? No. I assumed you had."

"Hmmm." Osoro slowed his gait and gazed at himself in a long gilded mirror. His strong chin softened, his skin looked less smooth. And then it was smooth again. And then it was flawed. "My powers seem to be fluctuating. Probably the potential goodness of our rescue weighing against the actualized conflict in the dining hall. We need to rescue her quickly and resolve this."

We began to move again.

"Does Bernard really mean that stuff?" I asked. Osoro barked a laugh.

"Please, Bernard's been trying to distance himself from the responsibility of being a Divinis for a long time. The last thing he wants is Blythe," Osoro said. "He knows this issue will get both Winsor and his father into the room at the same time. It's actually incredibly Arcanacratic for him. I hope... his new allies don't let the situation get out of hand."