“And done!”

  I stepped down from the ladder and admired my work. A long string ran from one wall of my palace to the other and was supported in the middle by the corner of the house. Dozens of colorful balloons hung from the rope and their glossy surfaces glistened in the bright sun.

  Arian came out of the house with a tea tray and a smile. She stopped at my side and examined my job with an affirmative air. “You have done a wonderful job. I had no idea such a thing existed.”

  I clapped a hand on her shoulder and grinned at my companion. “It’s all because I have a lot of inspiration from my friends.”

  She blushed and shrank beneath my kind words. “You are too kind.”

  “Too kind and too hungry,” I teased as I dropped my gaze to the tray. A small plate of cookies complimented the tea. “So is this the final meal before we gorge ourselves on fair sweets?”

  Arian nodded. “Yes.

  I tilted my head back and drew my arm over my eyes to shield myself from the burning orb in the sky. “What time does it start again?”

  “The Twilight Fair lasts from noon to midnight with a ceremony at twilight,” she reminded me.

  I blinked against the brilliant light that constantly hovered over us. “And what time is it now?”

  “A half-hour before noon,” she told me as she moved over to a small table with two stools. She set the tray down and poured the tea. “The crowds will be passing by soon to watch the barrier fall.”

  I took a seat on one of the stools and rubbed my foot. “I hope they’re careful around those.”

  “Lord Kang will no doubt limit his magic to a warning shock,” she assured me as she set out our filled cups.

  I furrowed my brow as my friend took a seat opposite me. “So what’s his element? Electricity?”

  Arian tilted her head to one side. “I do not know what ‘electricity’ is, but Lord Kang controls the element of lightning.”

  “Those are pretty much the same thing in my world,” I told her as I picked up my cup and blew over the surface. “Is that a common element for someone to control?”

  She took a dainty sip of her tea before she clasped the hot cup in her lap. “As common as the others.”

  “Except fire?” I guessed.

  She nodded. “Oh yes. Only Lord Eastwei can handle such a powerful element. We will-” She stopped herself.

  I leaned over the table and lifted an eyebrow. “We will what?”

  A light blush accented her cheeks and she turned her face away from me. “N-nothing.”

  I scooted to the end of the stool and cocked my head to one side to catch her eye. “You’re hiding something.”

  She bit her lower lip and tightened her grip on the cup. “I. . .I would prefer to keep it as a surprise.”

  I snorted and straightened. “Just as long as I don’t have to wait too long.”

  My friend shook her head. “Oh no. It will happen during the ceremony this evening. I am sure you will be very pleased with my keeping this secret from you.”

  I took a sip of the tea and licked my lips. The drink was well-sweetened and warmed me. My eyes twinkled as I looked at her out of the corner of my eyes. “Just as long as it’s the only one you’re keeping from me. I don’t want to learn from the neighbors about you eloping with Jin.”

  Her mouth dropped open and her eyes bulged out of her head. “E-elope with Jin! I-I would never do-”

  “Don’t make promises you’re tempting not to keep,” I teased before I took another sip. Arian’s mouth flopped open and shut like a fish gasping for breath and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Relax. We’re supposed to have fun today, remember?”

  “Lady Anna! Lady Anna!”

  The shout came from the palace gate and little Lia scurried into my domain. She grasped her partially inflated balloon in one hand and crashed into my lap. I caught her and held the squirming child as she waved the balloon in my face.

  “Look! My lantern is the only one left now!”

  I choked on a laugh. “All the others popped?”

  She bobbed her head. “Oh yes! Many of them were broken after you left.”

  An elegant couple strolled through my arch and Arian shot to her feet. She scooted to one side and bowed her head as the pair reached us. The woman appeared to be slightly older than me with long brown hair tied together and cascading down her back to her waist. She wore a white robe like the tall gentleman at her side and the open expression on her face reminded me of Lia.

  The man was of the same age and wore a darker tan attire. One hand grasped the belt around his waist and his brown eyes studied me with curiosity mingled with doubt.

  Lia bowed at the waist to our guests. “Lord Maersong. Lady Maersong. You do us a great honor to visit.”

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  Oh boy. I jumped to my feet and bowed my head. They returned the gesture and Lady Maersong’s twinkling eyes looked me over. “We have heard so much of you from our daughter that we could not help but come meet you for ourselves.”

  “Your daughter?” I wondered as I dropped my gaze to little Lia.

  She clutched her balloon to her chest and bobbed her head. “This is my Mother and Father!”

  “You have given our daughter a great many gifts of late,” Lord Maersong commented.

  The stiffness in his tone made me tense and I shook my head. “It was nothing. I was just, that is, I, um-”

  Lady Maersong set her hand over my clasped ones and captured my gaze. Her eyes were of a light soft hazel that reflected her warm heart. “You have nothing to explain. Our daughter and her friends appreciate your kindness more than you know.”

  I blushed and bowed my head. “Thank you. That means a lot.”

  Lia tugged on my clothes. “Are you coming with us to the fair?”

  I leaned down and smiled at her. “After I finish my tea, okay?”

  She bobbed her head. “Okay!”

  “What strange lanterns you have,” Lord Maersong commented as the string of balloons caught his attention. “They are the same as our daughter’s toy?”

  “Yes, I thought they’d look nice for the fair,” I told him.

  “Very interesting,” he murmured.

  “We should be going, dear,” Lady Maersong reminded them as she took Lia’s hand. Her bright gaze fell on me and her eyes crinkled with her smile. “I hope to see you at the fair.”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I promised her.

  “See you later!” Lia shouted as she was led away.

  “Later!” I replied.

  I waited for them to leave before I snatched up my tea. “Come on,” I encouraged my companion before I downed the whole cup. “I really want to see what all the fuss is about now.” Arian set her tea on the tray and grasped it, but I noticed she paused in that position. “What is it?”

  Arian straightened and turned to me with a disappointed face. “It is just that, well, we have no coins for the merchants.”

  My heart sank as reality bit down my enthusiasm and mangled it. “Oh. They. . .they aren’t here for free? Like with the kitchen and the other places?”

  She shook her head. “I am afraid not. Many of the lords and ladies here have a stipend from the king.”

  “But not me,” I finished for her as my shoulders sagged. Visions of romping through the stalls and buying candies and trinkets faded away. Arian’s disappointed face brought me around, and I rallied my spirits and offered her a weak smile. “Well, that’s alright. We can still enjoy the park and the ceremony, right?”

  She put on her own false front and nodded. “Oh yes. Those are completely free.”

  I clapped my hands and rubbed them together. “Then let’s go enjoy the sights and not get shocked doing it.”

  Arian put the tray away and we were ready for our adventure. Our excursion was interrupted by the appearance of Prince Yushir. He strolled through the arches and met us halfway down the path.

  The prince smiled and bowed his head to us. “Good morning, ladies. Are you off to see the fair?”

  I nodded. “Yep. Do you want to join us?”

  Yushir sighed and had a forlorn glint in his eye. “Alas, that I could, but my duties keep me from enjoying the many stalls. Speaking of those-” He reached into his sleeve and drew out a leather purse with a drawstring. The prince held the purse out to me. “My sincerest apologies for not delivering this sooner, but my duties kept me away.”

  I studied the bag and my eyes flitted between the leather and the man. “What is it?”

  “A gift for you and Lady Arian,” he told me as he grasped my hand and set the bag in my palm. The contents chinked. “You must enjoy your first festival with us and how can one do that with an empty purse?”

  Arian scooted up beside me as I loosened the string and opened the mouth. A stack of silver coins shimmered in the sunlight. I gaped at the wealth as did Arian.

  “This is most generous of you, Prince Yushir!” she complimented him.

  He chuckled. “It is, is it not? I do hope you enjoy yourselves, especially during the show.”

  “Show?” I repeated as I closed the bag.

  Yushir opened his mouth but Arian caught his eye and furiously shook his head. He clapped his lips together and cleared his throat. “That is, I hope you enjoy the sights the fair has to offer. This is one of our more special affairs and I am glad you are here to witness it. If you will excuse me, I must attend to my duties.” He bowed his head and hurried off without even waiting for us to return the compliment.

  I turned my head to Arian and lifted an eyebrow. “Show?”

  “The ceremony at twilight,” she reminded me as she leaned to one side and stretched her neck. “But we should leave right now or we will have to contend with a great deal of people.”

  My curiosity was unsatisfied but I heeded her warning and tucked the bag into my pocket. A wave of people flowed past the arch and confirmed her words. We joined that thick excited crowd and followed the flow toward the island park. I gaped at the transformation a few days and an army of decorators had done to the realm.

  The whole realm was decorated with streams, strings of lanterns, and colorful banners that hung outside the gates of the many palaces. The stone guardrails on the bridges were wrapped in fine silken cloth of various shades of purple and more lanterns hung down at various lengths toward the abyss below the realm. The crowd laughed and chatted, and admired the decorations as I was doing.

  A group of three people, one woman, and two men, strolled past us.

  “Lady Shian has really outdone herself this year,” the woman complimented.

  “She better have. She neglected her other duties enough,” one of her companions quipped.

  “My gate is finally fixed after nearly a year of being broken,” the other man chimed in.

  “Oh hush and enjoy the sights,” the woman scolded them as they moved off.

  I swam my way through the crowd and stopped to read one of the banners outside a palace. “Good health. Warm heart. Lucky dragon.” I lifted an eyebrow at the last moniker and I turned to my companion. “Are dragons considered lucky?”

  She nodded. “They are.”

  Something in her expression caught my attention and I eased toward her with a sly smile on my lips. “Is there something you want to tell me about dragons?”

  A shout came from ahead of us and Arian whipped her head in that direction. “I believe they are about to open the ribbons.” She snatched my hand and pulled me into the crowd which had increased its speed. “Let us see the opening ceremony!”

  We wormed our way through the people and managed to get ahead of the slower spectators to get close enough to see the mouth of the park. The fairgoers stood a healthy five feet back from the ribbons and Shian and Pampir stood on the other side of the barrier. Kang stood next to them with his head held high and his chest puffed out. The angle was all wrong for me to catch a glimpse of the stalls but a small crowd of merchants lingered fifty feet behind the trio.

  Pampir raised his hands and the crowd quieted. “Ladies and lords, thank you for coming to the Twilight Fair, the fifteen-hundredth and sixty-sixth occasion for this event.” I clenched my jaw to keep my mouth from dropping open. “Now here is Lady Shian with her own words before the ribbons are removed.”

  Shian stepped forward and smiled at everyone. “Thank you, Lord Pampir.” She lifted her chin and cleared her throat. “Ladies and lords, like Lord Pampir I thank you for attending this Twilight Fair. I hope you enjoy our vendors and take pleasure in the coming Twilight Ceremony which will undoubtedly be the finest one yet. Without further ado, I present Lord Kang who will remove his ward.”

  Kang sauntered up to the barrier and put his fisted hands on his hips. He stuck up his chin and grinned at the crowd.

  “Lift the ward, you fool!” Shian snapped.

  Her sharp voice shook him from his revelry and he nodded. He held his palms close to the ribbons and wrinkled his brow. “Alright, everyone, welcome to the fair.”

  A faint yellow light emanated from his hands and the ribbons shuddered before they parted, opening the way to fun.