I wasn’t about to discuss strategy while Donovan sat behind me, listening. From here, it was about a ten-minute swim back to the shore. Not too bad. It was a lot closer than the distance to the island. “We’ll make plans to take the goblet in a minute. First, I’ve got to do something.”

Without explanation, I pivoted and lunged with outstretched arms in Donovan’s direction. If I’d been wrong about where he sat, my momentum might have made me topple from the boat. But I wasn’t wrong. Donovan let out a muffled exclamation, and a moment later a huge splash of water sprayed the side of the boat.

I sat back down, folded my hands in my lap, and calmly smiled at Jason.

He peered at the water then back at me. “What did you just do?”

I shrugged. Shrugging is not a lie, so it was safe.

Off to our side, the water stirred, splashed some more. A string of muttered curse words seemed to hang, disembodied, in the night air.

“Row faster,” I told Jason. I didn’t want Donovan to swim to the boat and hang on.

Jason applied the oars to the water with extra urgency. “Did you see that?” He looked over his shoulder. “What’s living in this lake, anyway?”

After a moment’s thought, I decided Jason should know about our competition. After all, Donovan might swim to the island instead of the shore.

“Actually, that splash was an invisible guy who stowed away on our boat.”

“An invisible guy?” Jason repeated doubtfully.

“His name is Donovan, and he’s after the queen’s goblet too. You’ll need to watch out for him.”

Jason’s eyebrows rose skeptically. “How do I watch for an invisible guy?”

“I didn’t mean literally.”

Jason cocked his head to the side. “Why does an invisible guy want the queen’s goblet? Doesn’t he have enough invisible goblets at his house?”

This was just what I needed. Jason thought I was crazy. I let out a frustrated sigh. “Don’t any guys know the story The Twelve Dancing Princesses? What were you all doing during your childhood?”

“What was I doing?” Jason asked, taking offense. “I was practicing. While the rest of you wannabes goofed off, I took guitar, piano, and voice lessons.” He went on for the rest of the trip across the lake talking about how everyone thought his success was a fluke—when actually he’d worked his butt off for years.

I nearly told him I was impressed to meet someone who could play musical instruments with his butt.

Wannabe. Honestly. I was taking his posters off my walls as soon as I got home.

As we neared the shore, I broke into his rant. “We need to get back to our plans for the goblet. The queen asks it a question at midnight. After that, she might not notice if it goes missing. So here’s what I think we should do: We’ll dance for awhile. A few minutes past midnight, go up to the queen and tell her you want to sing a song in her honor. Turn on the charm. Keep her attention on you. Can you manage that?”

Jason let out a snort as though it was ridiculous to even ask. “Hey, when I sing to a woman, she doesn’t take her eyes off of me.”

“Good. While she’s watching you, I’ll swipe the goblet. After your song, we’ll fade into the crowd. When no when is looking, we’ll leave and head back to the boat. Hopefully we’ll be long gone before the queen notices that her cup is missing. Once we’re through the forest, we can contact Chrissy. She’ll take us home.”

It sounded easy enough, and I desperately hoped it would be.

Jason’s speed had picked up once I’d pushed Donovan from the boat, and we weren’t far behind everyone else now.

The first boats were reaching the island. The trees there had an unearthly beauty, shining faintly, as though holding bits of sunshine in reserve. In between them, rows of lampposts lined a stone path leading to a large columned pavilion.

The other princes rowed as far as they could onto the shore, then hopped out of the boats and dragged them further onto the embankment so their girlfriends wouldn’t get their slippers wet. The princesses accepted these attentions with smiles, eyelash flutters, and beaming looks of approval.

Jason rowed our boat as far as it would go onto the shore, then mopped his forehead with his coat sleeve. He shook out the cramps in his hands took off his gloves to check for blisters, and seemed to be waiting for me to disembark.

I tried not to hold his lack of gallantry against him. He hadn’t been born in a time when women needed help hauling their dresses around. I gathered up my skirts, holding as much fabric in my arms as possible, and attempted not to trip while stepping out of the boat. My slippers partially sunk into the wet ground. I took careful steps to dryer land.

Overhead, a raven sailed through the moonlight, circled us, then glided down to the stone path. Before it landed, it transformed into a young man. He was perhaps in his early twenties, although it was hard to tell. He was handsome in an ageless way, in a fairy way. His dark hair was pulled back into a sleek ponytail, accenting a pair of equally dark eyes that oversaw our arrival.

He wore black pants, boots, and a loose black shirt—not modern but not Renaissance either. His wings resembled raven feathers and seemed fierce somehow. Warlike. So different from Chrissy’s silky butterfly wings.

He spread his wings out, then drew them together and with a flash of magic they disappeared. He waited for us on the path, arms crossed. I’d been standing in front of the boat, blocking Jason’s view of the man, which was perhaps for the best. Jason might have worried if he’d known our hosts weren’t human.

Jason stepped onto the shore after me, glancing around and still stretching the aches out of his hands. “Who’s that?” he asked, gesturing toward the man.

“I don’t know.”

“Must be a show worker. Good.”

Instead of looping his arm through mine like the other princes had done with their princesses, Jason strode up the stone trail, not caring that I had to struggle to keep up with him. The other couples were a little ahead of us, chatting as they strolled toward the pavilion. They hardly glanced at the fairy guy, and he didn’t pay any attention to them.

His gaze slid to Jason and me. I noticed a scabbard hung at the fairy’s side, revealing the hilt of a sword. Was he here to guard against intruders?

“Only eleven couples have graced the ball before,” he said. “And yet now comes a twelfth. How is it you found your way here?”

“I rowed.” Jason wiped sweat from the back of his neck. “And it’s harder than it looks. Can you have someone get me a drink?” He fluttered his hand. “I don’t care what it is, as long as it’s chilled.”

I stared at the fairy and gulped. I hadn’t expected him to realize we were new to the story, and I didn’t know what to say. I couldn’t lie, and I couldn’t tell him the truth—at least not the part about Chrissy sending me here to get the queen’s goblet.

He turned to the couple passing him, Catherine and her prince. “Who is yonder maiden?”

Catherine let out a laugh of surprise. “Do you not recognize her? ’Tis Sadie, our youngest sister.”

“Your sister?” The fairy’s gaze skimmed over the group, checking their responses.

Elizabeth sent me a teasing look. “Perhaps you don’t recognize her because Kayla did her hair tonight. Sadie looks presentable for once.”

The fairy smiled genially at the couples. “Very well. Go eat and drink. The music has already started.” He turned to me, and the smile faded. “I’ll take you to meet the queen. She wishes to speak with you.”

“Thank you,” I said, though the ominous tilt of his brows suggested he wasn’t doing me a favor.

Chapter 14

The fairy motioned for me to follow him. Before I did, I curtsied politely. If we were all polite to each other, the queen might not . . . say . . . get mad at me for crashing her ball and turn me into a topiary bush. “May I have the pleasure of your acquaintance?” I tried to sound royal, but the tone sounded false in my ears, like play acting.