The willful teenager was spelunking in the forest when a pretty sight caught her eye: Fireflies, everywhere. She trotted around with a smile on her face, breathing in the night air.
Zoya’s mother was a strange woman. She truly was, with no desire to win back her crown. Who would make such a choice? She had been ousted, and Rambaldi-her brother; wherever he was God bless him-had been robbed of his status as future king. He had been Irina’s heir, after all. But it was more likely that Enif, as the firstborn of Zoya’s full siblings, would have been the heir, since Zoya was pretty sure they were legitimate.
She bounded closer to the fireflies, but just as she did, she felt dizzy. She could see a peacock man passed out in the distance, and then, her eyes closed and she hit the earth.

“We could’ve been anywhere, anywhere else!”