The royal audience made me late for my second day of physical training; always tardy is going to be added to my permanent record. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I mean, I know I'm not doing anything right, but I don't know how to fix it. I don't have anyone to talk to about it, either. If Dathid were here he would support my dislike of Queen Ekecheiria. I could really use some of his snarky remarks and funny stories right now. But then again, he doesn't think I'm good at anything, either.

Jonah has faith in my abilities and believes I have what it takes to be a Knight, but he would defend the Queen. Not her insulting me, of course. He would just explain away all her evilness by only seeing the good side of her.

It doesn't matter; I agree with Ekecheiria. I'm not a Knight. I'm just not good at any of this. I'm not strong enough, smart enough, or brave enough to do what they need. I want to throw myself at her feet and tell her she's right about everything.

I wish I wasn't so alone. I wish someone could help me...not with learning magic or riding a unicorn, but with helping me figure out what I'm supposed to do. This is so important and I'm failing. The task is too big, too overwhelming, too everything. I am Agatha Stone, foster kid of two crazy hoarders who ignored and imprisoned me. I'm no hero.

I pull a muffin out of my pocket and eat my simple breakfast while I search for my riding instructor. I don't find her, but I remember that I'm supposed to get my own unicorn ready, so I retrieve Stryder from his stall. He nickers when he sees me and that makes a smile crack my sadness. I pet the wide white stripe traveling down his face, and he lifts his head so I can scratch his furry black neck. When my fingernails reach his shoulders he nods his head and smacks his lips.

"You're so silly," I say with a laugh I desperately need.

Stryder would let me scratch him all day, but we're already behind schedule so I put a halter on him and lead him to the cross ties. We're alone for only a short time when Levise finds us in a grooming stall and apologizes for being late.

"I had to give the stable master, Mr. Galnoy, assurances that it's fine having a pegasus live indoors," she says with a face that suggests she wasn't entirely truthful with him. We share a giggle about that while she helps me finish grooming. I ride the same three unicorns I rode yesterday and it goes about as well.

Levise still has to pick me up to get me in the saddle. It's just humiliating because we're the same size and she throws me up there like it's nothing. Then I spend all morning trying to get the unicorns to move, only to have them go the wrong way. Walks in circles needs to be added to my list of failings. I know it's just walking and stuff, but by the time I'm done and get the last one cleaned, fed, and in her stall, I'm whipped.

I'm supposed to meet some new instructor for more physical training, but I get lost again on my way back to the castle. I need a map of the grounds because these paths don't make sense. Add Gets lost all the time to the list. I'm close to the outer—I mean, the curtain wall. Albína insists I use the correct words. This wall surrounds the entire castle and is the opposite way I should be heading. Maybe I should turn around and retrace my steps, but I think up ahead is a path leading to the Temple.

A set of thick arms wrap so forcefully around my chest that air leaves my lungs in an audible whoosh. I can't see who grabbed me, but another man grabs my feet. There's a flash of orange skin before my head is violently turned to the side and all I see is the wall as they carry me off.

My heart is thumping so fast the beats are indistinguishable. No one knows I'm out here! My lungs are so constricted that I can only get a short gasp of air before I use it all to let out a pathetic scream.

A sweaty hand clamps over my face, and my body tenses solid. His fingers are so long they wrap around to the back of my head and seal his palm over my nose and mouth. Two male voices have a brief discussion in an indistinguishable language, but it's hard to hear over my heartbeat pounding in my ears and my lungs screaming for air. I try to inhale, but no oxygen enters, just the taste of dirt and sweat from the hand over my mouth.

The man covering my mouth turns my head to force me to look at his broad orange face. These men are human...I think: one head, two burly arms wrapped around me, and two feet beat against the ground as they run.

They stop abruptly and he slowly moves his hand away from my mouth, but his large black eyes stare into my frightened ones as he softly grumbles at me, as if to communicate that if I scream again the hand comes back.

I'm afraid to take a deep breath so I slowly pull in a small shaky inhale. I want him to be certain I won't scream again. He smiles at me. I don't know if I'm more revolted by his crooked pointy teeth or by my pathetic submission. I don't have time to consider it because he roughly tosses me over his red-armored shoulder and pain sears through my guts as they take off in a run.

The jostling makes it hard to breathe and the pain makes it impossible to think. I should fight back. I should do something. I'm being kidnapped. But I can't fight this man, or his friends, and if I scream again he'll suffocate me.

They stop at a ladder that's leaning against the curtain wall. As the large man easily carries me up I see there are four soldiers, all of them thick as fireplugs and just as orange. I want to ask where they're taking me and why, but I want to cooperate and not make noise so they won't hurt me.

Once we reach the top of the wall, three soldiers lift the ladder and carry it to the other side. When my guy turns to supervise the work I spot a large, black-winged demon flying toward us.

I don't know who the good guy is. These men are human. The monster flying at us definitely is not. I can barely make out the large curved horns and red skin before my guy spins around and drops me.

Pain shoots through my shoulder and blinds me. I refocus just as the monster collides with my guy, shoving him off the wall with a scream.

The enormous demon is so large he completely blocks me from my abductors. From this side, he's all black: black boots, black pants, and massive black feathered wings that fold to expose brawny red arms.

I scoot against the floor until my back hits the warm stone of the turret. One of the men hits the wall headfirst a few yards down from me and then slides into an unmoving bloody heap. I turn away and hope he's just unconscious.

The demon yells and turns, exposing the two remaining soldiers; dressed in red armor with swords drawn, they look like Knights fighting an angel from Hell.

His face is long and pointed, like an elf's but bigger, with a heftier nose. His forehead ends at the base of two thick horns that take up the entire top of his head. They curl around to the back and then tip upwards to end in front of his face at his chin, like a ram.

I have seen this monster thousands of times. I'm looking at the devil. My head swims. I don't know who the bad guy is.

One of the men lunges at the unarmed demon. The monster doesn't move. He reaches out a meaty hand and grabs the forearm of the attacker. A twist, a snap, and a scream. The man is on his knees. The remaining attacker throws his sword and drops to his knees as the elfin guards reach us.

The guards surround the attackers and the demon walks over to me and squats down. His skin is a deep, burnt reddish-brown with black undertones that make him look like he's been cooked by a hot fire.

"Agatha, are you alright?" asks a gravelly voice. The devil knows my name. Knights are good guys. Satan is the bad guy. He just killed two men. A heavy hand rests on my shoulder. "Are you injured?"

"She may not want to talk to Satan," an elf guard says as she removes her helmet to reveal ridiculously curly yellow hair.

"She believes that devil story?" he asks her and then turns to me. "Am I scaring you?"

The elf is the same height as the squatting demon. With great authority, she removes his hand from my shoulder and nudges him out of the way. Then she holds out a hand and pulls me to my feet.

She eyes me from my hair to my toes and then back up. "Are you injured?"

"No," I whisper.

With a nod, she says, "Danger's over. This is your trainer. Go with him." Then she turns on her heel and walks away, taking the guard and my abductors with her.

I watch her leave and then turn and meet the black-eyed stare of Satan. He smiles and that makes him much scarier. I take a deep breath. He's not the devil. He just saved my life. Speak!

"No," I say. He looks confused, so I clarify. "I mean, yes. No wait, no. Well, sort of..." I take another breath. "I don't know. Was I almost kidnapped? Did the devil just rescue me? Did you kill those guys? Did I see that?"

He folds his arms across his chest and rubs his chin. "I'm not the devil. My name is Trelix. I was looking for you when I heard you scream. Those ésú were trying to take you. I stopped them. The guard would have stopped them if I hadn't—eventually. Two of the ésú were killed. Two were captured."

"What's an ésú?"

"Why don't we go to my office and I will explain?"

"I don't think I should be going anywhere with you." He may not actually be the devil, but I know he's the bad guy.

"How about we go to the Temple and see Master Sarpedon?"

"I don't trust him either," I mumble. "I want to go to my room."

He looks over his shoulder, like he's unsure of what to do next. I'm afraid to move. We stare at each other awkwardly until he finally breaks the spell. "The elves took the ladder. I could carry you down, or we can walk to the stairs. But you look shaky. I'm a little concerned."

I spin and vomit over the wall. Now that the danger is over the fear is taking hold. My arms are shaking and my legs wobble. Someone actually tried to kidnap me!

"Well, that decides it." He picks me up, extends his wings, and jumps off the wall. For the second time today, I'm being carried away without my permission, and there's still nothing I can do about it.

Thank you for reading : )