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That is the best way I can think to describe it. I wade through the truth and lies, desperate to find the best words. She’s been asking questions since the first time we met. Well, demanding answers, rather.

“Like I told you already, I don’t have all the answers—that’s why we need to get to your uncles. But I do know that you were born at Winter Haven. And sometime later, you were hidden in the place they thought would keep you the safest.”

“But you found me.” Her tone is accusatory.

“I did.” I’m torn between relief and regret.

“How?” She looks over her shoulder at me, and I take my eyes off the path for a second to scan her beautiful face, her wide hazel eyes waiting. “I have a right to know.” And she does. But when she knows everything, I fear she might leave this place and never come back. I wish I didn’t care. I wish I wasn’t the one who brought her here—but I am.

“The queen’s power—” I start.

“Birdy said the queen has no powers.”

Clever.

“Looks like someone has been paying attention. She might not have powers in the traditional sense, but trust this, Princess, she has her ways. She found you. I was just the transportation.”

“Mirroring?” she asks me nonchalantly.

“Yes, mirroring.” She really has been paying attention.

“So, how does that work exactly?”

“It’s a lot like jumping.” I rack my brain for pop culture references she might understand. “Like portals or loops that allow people to move around from place to place. But it requires a combination of magic, power, and the elements.”

“Which one are you?” Adelaide inquires, adding. “I mean, how did you bring me here? To Haeream?”

“I have a power or a gift.” I choose my next words very carefully. “I’m a hunter, or the official term is huntsman. I’m from the original bloodline. And it means I have the ability to track people. Mirroring from realm to realm is rare—it’s usually used for jumping kingdoms, but since it’s so close to the Winter Solstice, and this is the first year in over three hundred years it coincides with a complete lunar eclipse, the power has been like nothing I’ve ever felt. The queen has been using that to her advantage.”

“That’s how so many people got to the castle the night of the… party?” She puts the pieces together.

“Most of them, yes. But not everyone. Not all kingdoms have hunters.”

“I knew it had to be magic of some type. It’s not like you can call an Uber.” She snorts.

“No.” I laugh. Sometimes I forget she’s not from here, or at least hasn’t been for a long time. She fits into this world seamlessly, like she’s always been here.

“How many are there—hunters—like you?” she wonders aloud.

“I’m not sure, really,” I answer honestly.

“Seems like an odd name, hunter. Why not jumper?” Her questions are deadly accurate.

“Different kingdoms call them different things. In the First, we’ve always been huntsmen since before my father’s grandfather. Plus, we’re trained to hunt in… other ways. I trained in these very woods, in fact.” I nod as we continue our trek through the woods, thankful we haven’t come into contact with any threats… so far.

I have Lucien and Bash to thank for that.

Needing to put some distance between us for a few minutes, I find a break in the trees and pull the horse to a stop. “Whoa.”

“Why are we stopping?” She looks over her shoulder at me, and her lips are inches from mine.

“Nature calls.” I lean forward and rest my head against hers for a fraction of a second, then pull away before I do something stupid.

“If the moon helped with the elements and you have a powerful gift, what’s the queen’s magic?” she asks as I dismount and reach for her.

“It’s called an enchantment. She can manipulate reflections, thus the Hall of Mirrors. It started out as a single enchanted mirror, but she keeps adding mirrors of all shapes and sizes, desperate to amplify her power.” She falls into my arms, legs no doubt sore after spending the past couple of days on the horse and in the inclement weather.

She looks up at me, and I can see the wheels turning.