{"product_id":"raelia-isbn-9781662621321","title":"Raelia","description":"\u003cb\u003e‘Life is full of crossroads, Alex. Full of choices.’\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eReturning for a second year at Akarnae Academy with her gifted friends, Alexandra Jennings steps back through a doorway into Medora, the fantasy world full of impossibilities.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDespite the magical wonder of Medora, Alex’s life remains threatened by Aven Dalmarta, the banished prince from the Lost City of Meya who is out for her blood. To protect the Medorans from Aven’s quest to reclaim his birthright, Alex and her friends seek out the Meyarin city and what remains of its ancient race. Not sure who—or perhaps what—she is anymore, all Alex knows is that if she fails to keep Aven from reaching Meya, the lives of countless Medorans will be in danger. Can she protect them, or will all be lost?Lynette Noni is the bestselling and award-winning author known for\u003ci\u003e The Prison Healer \u003c\/i\u003eseries, \u003ci\u003eThe Medoran Chronicles\u003c\/i\u003e, and the \u003ci\u003eWhisper\u003c\/i\u003e duology. Her books have sold over one million copies worldwide.Osmada Cavelle.”\u003cbr\u003eAlex watched from the corner of the palace’s grand\u003cbr\u003eballroom, catching her first glimpse of D.C.’s parents as they\u003cbr\u003edescended the gold-lined staircase.\u003cbr\u003eKing Aurileous was tall and intimidating, but even from\u003cbr\u003ewhere Alex stood she could tell he had a kind face with\u003cbr\u003eprominent laughter lines. His eyes were warm as he scanned\u003cbr\u003ethe sea of cheering people and his smile made her feel relaxed\u003cbr\u003edespite the overwhelming atmosphere.\u003cbr\u003eQueen Osmada seemed, in a word, lovely. She was beautiful,\u003cbr\u003ewith her dark auburn hair, and her smile was even more\u003cbr\u003ecalming than the king’s.\u003cbr\u003eAlex’s attention was diverted when her best friend appeared\u003cbr\u003eat the top of the staircase and the room fell silent as everyone\u003cbr\u003egazed upon their princess.\u003cbr\u003e“Presenting Her Royal Highness, Princess Delucia Cavelle.”\u003cbr\u003eThe cheers were deafening as D.C. walked gracefully down\u003cbr\u003ethe staircase to stand beside her parents, her lavender-coloured\u003cbr\u003egown sparkling silver wherever the light touched it.\u003cbr\u003eBoth the king and queen reached across to kiss D.C. on\u003cbr\u003ethe cheek before her father stepped forward to address the\u003cbr\u003ecrowd.\u003cbr\u003e“Beloved friends, we thank you for joining us in celebration\u003cbr\u003eof our daughter’s seventeenth birthday. This is a momentous day\u003cbr\u003efor her and we are thrilled to share it with you,” King Aurileous\u003cbr\u003esaid. “Now please, eat, drink, dance, and be merry as we revel\u003cbr\u003ein this special occasion.”\u003cbr\u003eAs if the end of his speech was an invisible cue, the orchestra\u003cbr\u003ehidden in the balcony above the ballroom immediately began\u003cbr\u003eplaying an upbeat melody. The guests proceeded to move about\u003cbr\u003eand make pleasant conversation, while Alex stood awkwardly\u003cbr\u003eon her own as she waited for D.C. to make her way through the\u003cbr\u003ecrowd.\u003cbr\u003eGlancing around, Alex marvelled at her surroundings. She\u003cbr\u003ewondered if she should pinch herself to see if she truly was\u003cbr\u003estanding in the royal palace of Medora’s capital city, Tryllin,\u003cbr\u003ewhen just a few short weeks ago she’d had no idea how to sort\u003cbr\u003eout her mess of a life. That was because, as far as her parents\u003cbr\u003ehad known, Alex had spent most of the previous school year\u003cbr\u003eat the International Exchange Academy just outside Portland,\u003cbr\u003eOregon. In reality, she’d actually been stranded for eight\u003cbr\u003emonths in the fantasy world of Medora, attending Akarnae\u003cbr\u003eAcademy—a school for teenagers with extraordinary gifts.\u003cbr\u003eAlex was supposed to have spent her summer coming up with\u003cbr\u003ean excuse to leave Earth—or ‘Freya’ as it was known to the\u003cbr\u003eMedorans—so she could return to Akarnae when it reopened\u003cbr\u003ein the fall. But when she’d arrived back home for the holidays,\u003cbr\u003eher parents had been waiting for her, along with a dizzying\u003cbr\u003eassortment of federal agents.\u003cbr\u003eApparently the International Exchange Academy had\u003cbr\u003efinished classes a week earlier than Akarnae, and her parents\u003cbr\u003ehad returned from their Siberian sabbatical in time to greet\u003cbr\u003eher. When Alex hadn’t shown up, they’d contacted the school\u003cbr\u003eand discovered that she’d never enrolled as a student there.\u003cbr\u003eThis news had sent them straight past panic mode and directly\u003cbr\u003einto full on hysteria. Their daughter had been missing for the\u003cbr\u003ebetter part of a year and they’d had no idea. Cue the plethora\u003cbr\u003eof police, private investigators and federal agents all on the hunt\u003cbr\u003efor their lost teenager.\u003cbr\u003eWith Alex’s imagination frozen and her flippant story about\u003cbr\u003ehaving joined the circus for a few months falling on deaf ears,\u003cbr\u003eshe’d been forced to tell her parents the truth and hope they\u003cbr\u003ewouldn’t have her committed. It had been touch-and-go for\u003cbr\u003ea few minutes, so Alex had decided to prove to them that she\u003cbr\u003ewasn’t stark raving mad. After willing a doorway to open in the\u003cbr\u003emiddle of their living room, she’d dragged her stupefied mother\u003cbr\u003eand father through to Medora.\u003cbr\u003eWith them wide-eyed and slack-jawed, Alex had guided\u003cbr\u003ethem straight to Darrius Marselle’s office—her headmaster\u003cbr\u003eand friend—knowing he’d be able to speak parent better than\u003cbr\u003eshe could. And he had indeed come through for her, offering a\u003cbr\u003edetailed rundown of Alex’s months spent at the academy in a way\u003cbr\u003ethat her parents had been able to not just understand, but also\u003cbr\u003esee the changes in their daughter for themselves. In the few short\u003cbr\u003emonths Alex had spent at Akarnae, her dedication to classes had\u003cbr\u003emade her both mentally and physically stronger, and she’d found\u003cbr\u003egood friends who made her happier than she’d ever been before.\u003cbr\u003eBe that as it may, they’d still gone ballistic when Darrius had\u003cbr\u003ementioned Alex’s misadventures with the banished Meyarin\u003cbr\u003eprince, Aven Dalmarta.\u003cbr\u003eAlex wasn’t sure what had concerned them most: the fact that\u003cbr\u003ean immortal being was determined to use her influence over a\u003cbr\u003esentient library to open a magical doorway to a missing city—\u003cbr\u003eand said like that, Alex couldn’t blame them for worrying—or\u003cbr\u003ethe fact that if his plans succeeded, he intended to carry out a\u003cbr\u003emass extermination plot against the humans of Medora.\u003cbr\u003eAt that point in the conversation, Alex found herself wishing\u003cbr\u003eDarrius had gone for a ‘less is more’ approach. In fact, she’d\u003cbr\u003egone back to wondering if her parents would find a way to lock\u003cbr\u003eher up—this time for her own protection.\u003cbr\u003eTo calm her parents it had taken several cups of something\u003cbr\u003eAlex could tell by the smell alone wasn’t just tea. When they\u003cbr\u003ehad relaxed somewhat and Darrius had answered most of their\u003cbr\u003equestions—thankfully leaving out the part where Alex had been\u003cbr\u003estabbed and nearly died—they followed Alex home in stunned\u003cbr\u003esilence.\u003cbr\u003eThinking she was doomed to be superglued to their\u003cbr\u003eprotective sides forevermore, it came as a great surprise when,\u003cbr\u003ea few days later, her mother and father informed her that she\u003cbr\u003ecould go back to the academy for her next year of schooling.\u003cbr\u003eApparently once the shock had worn off—and they’d likely\u003cbr\u003erepressed everything regarding Aven—her parents had\u003cbr\u003erealised just how valuable the last eight months at Akarnae\u003cbr\u003ehad been for Alex. Intrepid explorers themselves, it would\u003cbr\u003ehave been hypocritical of them to keep their own daughter\u003cbr\u003efrom her chance at a real life fantasy adventure—or so they’d\u003cbr\u003etold her.\u003cbr\u003eWhatever their reasoning, Alex had been too thrilled to\u003cbr\u003equestion their decision. Until they’d informed her that they\u003cbr\u003ewould also be joining her in Medora for the year.\u003cbr\u003eHer parents.\u003cbr\u003eIn Medora.\u003cbr\u003eApparently her mother and father had become so intrigued\u003cbr\u003eby the possibility of the unknown that they’d decided their next\u003cbr\u003egreat archaeological adventure was to be of the otherworldly\u003cbr\u003ekind. As such, they’d spent the entire summer packing their\u003cbr\u003eearthly belongings into storage in preparation for spending\u003cbr\u003esome quality time in Alex’s new world.\u003cbr\u003eAlex, however, had spent that time freaking out about how\u003cbr\u003eto keep them safe from Aven since, if he found out about them,\u003cbr\u003eshe was certain he would use them as leverage against her.\u003cbr\u003eIn the end they’d come to a compromise, one that Alex had\u003cbr\u003ecunningly offered to them on her seventeenth birthday, using\u003cbr\u003ethat fact to help guilt trip them into accepting.\u003cbr\u003eHaving thought about it endlessly, she had decided that the\u003cbr\u003ebest place for her parents was inside the Library itself. While\u003cbr\u003eAven now had access to the unending corridors of doorways,\u003cbr\u003ethe chances of him locating them in there were slim to none\u003cbr\u003eeven if he somehow learned of their existence in Medora. As\u003cbr\u003efar as Alex could tell, it was the most secure place available to\u003cbr\u003ethem.\u003cbr\u003eBirthday-blackmail or not, it had taken some work for\u003cbr\u003eAlex to convince her parents to agree to remain locked away\u003cbr\u003ewhen they were so curious about the rest of Medora. But Alex\u003cbr\u003eexplained that if Aven ended up getting his hands on them, and\u003cbr\u003ethus Alex in turn, their otherworldly adventures would come\u003cbr\u003eto a swift conclusion—as would the lives of all the humans\u003cbr\u003epopulating Medora.\u003cbr\u003eDoom and gloom aside, Alex’s parents had accepted the\u003cbr\u003etruth of her words and reluctantly agreed to her terms. That\u003cbr\u003ereluctance had quickly turned to delight, however, when, with\u003cbr\u003eDarrius’s help, Alex had managed to find them a place to stay\u003cbr\u003ein the Library that came with an ancient ecosystem as their\u003cbr\u003escientific playground.\u003cbr\u003eHaving relocated from Freya just this morning, Alex had left\u003cbr\u003eher parents more excited than she’d ever seen them, even after\u003cbr\u003eshe’d hesitantly informed them that she’d have to limit her visits\u003cbr\u003eto keep from drawing attention to their unorthodox location. But\u003cbr\u003edistracted by the wonder of the impossible discoveries awaiting\u003cbr\u003ethem, they hadn’t minded in the slightest. Instead, they’d kissed\u003cbr\u003eher absentmindedly on the forehead, wished her good luck for\u003cbr\u003ethe year and encouraged her to enjoy her ‘adventures’. Alex, for\u003cbr\u003eher part, had just rolled her eyes, hugged them, and promised to\u003cbr\u003ekeep in touch as best she could.\u003cbr\u003eKnowing that her parents were safely tucked away deep in\u003cbr\u003ethe Library was all Alex had needed to switch her focus onto\u003cbr\u003ewhat came next: returning to the academy—and reuniting with\u003cbr\u003eher friends.\u003cbr\u003eShe had missed Jordan, Bear and D.C. fiercely over the\u003cbr\u003eholidays and couldn’t wait to be back with them again once\u003cbr\u003eAkarnae reopened. They’d kept in regular contact via their\u003cbr\u003eComTCD holographic communications devices, but she\u003cbr\u003ehadn’t been able to leave the academy grounds to see them in\u003cbr\u003eperson. They had, however, been able to meet up without her.\u003cbr\u003eIt was easy enough for the boys, since Jordan always spent his\u003cbr\u003esummers with Bear’s family, but Alex had no idea how D.C.\u003cbr\u003ehad managed to sneak out of the palace, especially given that\u003cbr\u003ethe boys were unaware of her royal status. As much as Alex\u003cbr\u003ekept telling her friend to let the others in on the secret, she knew\u003cbr\u003eD.C. was afraid that Jordan and Bear would treat her differently\u003cbr\u003eonce they learned she was the princess. Alex knew them better\u003cbr\u003ethan that, but she had yet to convince D.C.\u003cbr\u003eHonestly, between organising a new life for her parents and\u003cbr\u003earranging their long-term, secretive stay in Medora, Alex hadn’t\u003cbr\u003ehad much of a chance to try and break down D.C.’s arguments.\u003cbr\u003eBut that was also because what little spare time she’d had over\u003cbr\u003ethe holidays had been allocated for her to get beaten up, over\u003cbr\u003eand over again.\u003cbr\u003eIt was sad, but true. For three days each week Alex had\u003cbr\u003eendured hours of training with her Combat instructor, Karter,\u003cbr\u003edeveloping her previously non-existent fighting skills. In\u003cbr\u003eKarter’s defence, Alex could admit that he’d done wonders\u003cbr\u003ewith her in the nine short weeks they’d trained together. Their\u003cbr\u003efinal session had been just yesterday, and while Karter hadn’t\u003cbr\u003eshown any last lesson leniency with his fighting—not that she’d\u003cbr\u003eexpected him to—at the end of their time he’d gruffly conceded\u003cbr\u003ethat she’d learned enough to join the rest of her classmates in\u003cbr\u003ethe coming school year. Despite her anxiety, she was actually\u003cbr\u003elooking forward to seeing how well she handled the class. And\u003cbr\u003eher classmates.\u003cbr\u003eShe would know soon enough, since all Akarnae students\u003cbr\u003ewere due to arrive back at the academy tomorrow, with classes\u003cbr\u003ebeginning first thing the following morning. All Alex had left to\u003cbr\u003edo was make it through tonight—D.C.’s birthday party at the\u003cbr\u003eroyal palace.\u003cbr\u003eUnfortunately, it seemed like every single invitee wanted\u003cbr\u003eto pay their respects to the ruling family, and D.C. was stuck\u003cbr\u003eplaying the good little hostess until she could escape to Alex’s\u003cbr\u003eside, as they’d arranged earlier that evening while getting ready\u003cbr\u003ein D.C.’s bedroom.\u003cbr\u003eAt least I’m dressed for the part, Alex thought while she waited.\u003cbr\u003eThe dress she wore was almost as beautiful as the gown Bear’s\u003cbr\u003emother had designed for her as a Kaldoras present the previous\u003cbr\u003eyear. Unlike that one, which had been a stunning sky-blue\u003cbr\u003ecolour, the dress D.C. had given her was emerald green and cut\u003cbr\u003eon the bias to drape over one shoulder, leaving the other bare. It\u003cbr\u003ewas made of the highest quality material, flowing softly over her\u003cbr\u003ebody to compliment her figure. Her dark hair had been piled on\u003cbr\u003etop of her head with a few wispy tendrils left out to frame her\u003cbr\u003eface, and her smoky makeup accentuated her brown eyes. All in\u003cbr\u003eall, her regal look gave her the confidence she needed to wait,\u003cbr\u003eand keep waiting, on her own.\u003cbr\u003eWith nothing but the company of her thoughts, Alex\u003cbr\u003emulled over everything that had happened that day, from\u003cbr\u003esaying goodbye to her parents—and Freya—to activating her\u003cbr\u003epersonalised Bubbledoor invitation that was pre-programmed\u003cbr\u003eto whisk her directly to the palace where D.C. had been waiting\u003cbr\u003ewith open arms and excited squeals. The last few hours had\u003cbr\u003ebeen filled with Alex’s awed delight at wandering the majestic\u003cbr\u003ehallways, along with pampering fit for a princess in preparation\u003cbr\u003efor the night’s event. But now, especially given her exhausting\u003cbr\u003eweeks filled with packing and Combat training, all Alex wanted\u003cbr\u003eto do was walk back up the shiny gold stairs and curl up on the\u003cbr\u003ecouch in D.C.’s room—a room she was sure measured about\u003cbr\u003ethe size of a small city.\u003cbr\u003eThat, however, wasn’t an option for her just yet.\u003cbr\u003eAfter what felt like hours, D.C. finally managed to escape\u003cbr\u003ethe hordes of people demanding her attention to arrive at Alex’s\u003cbr\u003eside.\u003cbr\u003e“I’m so sorry!” D.C. said, her vivid blue-green eyes filled\u003cbr\u003ewith apology. “I didn’t think it would be so difficult to get away.”\u003cbr\u003e“That’s okay,” Alex said. “I’ve just been hanging with\u003cbr\u003emy new friend here.” She slung an arm around the statue of\u003cbr\u003ea dragon-like creature beside her and added, “His name is\u003cbr\u003eSpitfire and he likes long walks on the beach at sunset. I think\u003cbr\u003ewe’re a match made in heaven, don’t you?”\u003cbr\u003eD.C. shook her head. “You must have been bored out of\u003cbr\u003eyour mind!”\u003cbr\u003e“Seriously, it’s fine,” Alex laughingly reassured her while\u003cbr\u003euntangling herself from the dragon. “I actually kind of enjoyed\u003cbr\u003ewatching how everyone reacted to seeing you and your parents.\u003cbr\u003eThey really do adore you, you know.”\u003cbr\u003eD.C. smiled wistfully. “It’s my parents everyone loves. No\u003cbr\u003eone has seen me up close for years. This is the first birthday in a\u003cbr\u003elong time that I’ve celebrated with an actual party.”\u003cbr\u003eAlex had heard the warm reaction to D.C.’s arrival and she\u003cbr\u003ewholeheartedly disagreed that the crowd’s adoration was solely\u003cbr\u003efor the king and queen. But she let it go and instead asked, “How\u003cbr\u003eare you able to be here so publically now?” She gestured at the\u003cbr\u003eroom full of guests. “Won’t people realise who you are after this?\u003cbr\u003eWhat if there are other students from the academy here?”\u003cbr\u003eD.C. waved away her concerns. “Don’t worry, Alex. The\u003cbr\u003eguest list is highly exclusive. There might be some people from\u003cbr\u003eAkarnae here if they’re relatives of the royal council or on-duty\u003cbr\u003eWardens, but they’re all people I’ve grown up around. They\u003cbr\u003eknow how important it is for me to remain anonymous.”\u003cbr\u003eAccepting her explanation, Alex took a moment to scan the\u003cbr\u003eroom. Her gaze snagged on a familiar face and she had to do a\u003cbr\u003edouble-take to make sure she wasn’t seeing things.\u003cbr\u003e“Is that…?” Alex’s eyes narrowed and she hissed, “I can’t\u003cbr\u003ebelieve it, that’s Marcus Sparker! What is he doing here?”\u003cbr\u003eD.C. followed Alex’s line of sight. “The Sparkers are an\u003cbr\u003eimportant family,” she said in a hushed voice. “There was no\u003cbr\u003eway for us to get out of inviting them without causing more\u003cbr\u003eproblems than it was worth.”\u003cbr\u003e“You’re not worried that Jordan might have decided to come\u003cbr\u003ealong with his parents?” Alex asked, sounding a little more\u003cbr\u003eaggressive than she’d intended. She really didn’t like the idea that\u003cbr\u003ethe man who had once held her semi-captive for information\u003cbr\u003ewas in the same room as her again.\u003cbr\u003e“Jordan’s never come to a palace event before, so I doubt\u003cbr\u003ehe’d suddenly decide to now. Plus, he’s staying with Bear,\u003cbr\u003eremember?” D.C. answered. “Relax, Alex. Marcus and\u003cbr\u003eNatasha won’t dare try anything here.”\u003cbr\u003e“If you say so,” Alex murmured, choosing to trust her\u003cbr\u003efriend. But despite her acceptance, she still felt antsy. Seeking a\u003cbr\u003edistraction, her eyes fell on the bar and she said, “I think I’ll go\u003cbr\u003egrab a drink. Do you want anything?”\u003cbr\u003e“Some of that fruit punch would be great, thanks.”\u003cbr\u003eAlex left D.C. and headed towards the beverage table.\u003cbr\u003eShe would have made it there much faster if she’d crossed the\u003cbr\u003ecentre of the ballroom, but she didn’t want to risk running\u003cbr\u003einto Marcus, so she took the longer route and hugged the\u003cbr\u003ewalls. The closer she moved to the beverages, the louder the\u003cbr\u003emusic became, since the refreshments were located directly\u003cbr\u003ebeneath the orchestra. When she finally reached the table,\u003cbr\u003eshe felt overwhelmed by the vast array of coloured liquids to\u003cbr\u003echoose from.\u003cbr\u003e“What are you after?” asked a male voice in her ear. It was\u003cbr\u003eonly his proximity that allowed her to hear his question over the\u003cbr\u003emusic.\u003cbr\u003e“The fruit punch,” Alex said loudly as she continued to\u003cbr\u003esearch the kaleidoscopic contents of the table. A hand reached\u003cbr\u003eout from behind her and pointed towards the bubbly pink liquid\u003cbr\u003eserved in dainty crystal glasses. Alex retrieved two of them and\u003cbr\u003eturned to thank the person she presumed was a waiter.\u003cbr\u003e“Thank—Kaiden?” Alex stared up at his familiar face in\u003cbr\u003esurprise.\u003cbr\u003e“Alex,” Kaiden responded, with a hint of a smile.\u003cbr\u003e“What are you doing here?” Alex gasped, glancing nervously\u003cbr\u003eto where D.C. was waiting. Was Kaiden one of the people who\u003cbr\u003ehad grown up around D.C., or was he a threat to her friend’s\u003cbr\u003esecret identity?\u003cbr\u003e“It’s the refreshments table,” Kaiden said pointedly, reaching\u003cbr\u003earound her and grabbing a glass filled with a glowing green liquid.\u003cbr\u003e“Not what are you doing here, what are you doing here?”\u003cbr\u003eAlex asked, flustered.\u003cbr\u003eHe raised one dark eyebrow and she struggled to fight off a\u003cbr\u003eblush. If it was possible, he was even more attractive than the\u003cbr\u003elast time she’d seen him in her Combat class. And considering\u003cbr\u003ehe was wearing a tuxedo and not covered in sweat and grime, it\u003cbr\u003ewas definitely possible.\u003cbr\u003e“By ‘here’, I presume you mean the palace ballroom?”\u003cbr\u003eKaiden clarified.\u003cbr\u003eShe shook off her dazzled feeling and pursed her lips.\u003cbr\u003e“Obviously.”\u003cbr\u003e“It’s the princess’s birthday,” he stated. “There’s a party\u003cbr\u003egoing on, in case you haven’t noticed. And I never turn down\u003cbr\u003ean invite to a good party.”\u003cbr\u003eAlex couldn’t quite interpret the depth behind his humourfilled\u003cbr\u003eexpression, but before she could ask anything else, they\u003cbr\u003ewere joined by another familiar face.\u003cbr\u003e“Alex! Fancy seeing you here!”\u003cbr\u003e“Hey, Declan,” she greeted the massive hulk of a boy. His\u003cbr\u003etux was practically bursting at the seams and he didn’t appear\u003cbr\u003eat all comfortable—unlike Kaiden, who looked as if he was\u003cbr\u003eborn to wear formal attire. “How was your summer?”\u003cbr\u003e“You didn’t ask how my summer was,” Kaiden said, looking\u003cbr\u003eeven more amused for some reason.\u003cbr\u003eAlex felt her left eye twitch and was glad when Declan started\u003cbr\u003espeaking so she didn’t have to respond to Kaiden’s remark.\u003cbr\u003e“Yeah, all right. Not too exciting, but good. You?”\u003cbr\u003e“Same here,” she said, not wanting to go into detail. While\u003cbr\u003ethey were definitely the nicest of her Combat classmates, the\u003cbr\u003efirst time she’d met Declan he’d ended up sending her to the\u003cbr\u003eMedical Ward, unconscious. As for Kaiden, well, she wasn’t\u003cbr\u003esure what to make of him. Needless to say, neither of them were\u003cbr\u003ewhat she would call close friends.\u003cbr\u003eBut speaking of close friends…\u003cbr\u003e“Oh, no,” she said, looking across the room. “I’m so sorry,\u003cbr\u003ebut I have to go.”\u003cbr\u003eAlex set both drinks back on the table and lifted her floorlength\u003cbr\u003edress high enough to move quickly without tripping. She\u003cbr\u003edidn’t care about avoiding Marcus Sparker this time as she\u003cbr\u003ehurried across the middle of the ballroom, weaving between\u003cbr\u003edancing couples and political dignitaries. Her focus was solely\u003cbr\u003eon the two people who had arrived at the entrance to the room\u003cbr\u003eand were now heading towards the corner where D.C. was\u003cbr\u003espeaking to a small group of people. Alex knew she had to warn\u003cbr\u003ethe princess, but she was too far away to capture her attention.\u003cbr\u003eThe king and queen came into Alex’s peripheral vision as\u003cbr\u003ethey waltzed along to the music and she groaned inwardly when\u003cbr\u003eshe recognised the opportunity they presented. With a mortified\u003cbr\u003ebreath and a silent apology, Alex picked up her pace…\u003cbr\u003e… And launched herself at the dancing couple.\u003cbr\u003eThe three of them tumbled to the floor in a pile of limbs and\u003cbr\u003eformal attire. Alex could hear people shrieking around them,\u003cbr\u003eand before she could so much as blink, she was forcibly hauled\u003cbr\u003eoff the royal couple with her arms wrenched behind her back.\u003cbr\u003eWith no chance for her to explain, two guards promptly\u003cbr\u003edragged her from the room. She felt like her face was on fire as\u003cbr\u003ethe entire ballroom of people watched the guards manhandle\u003cbr\u003eher, but she managed to lift her head and meet D.C.’s stricken\u003cbr\u003egaze. When her friend stepped forward to intervene, Alex shook\u003cbr\u003eher head and subtly gestured in the direction of the two boys\u003cbr\u003ewho were now gaping in shock along with everyone else.\u003cbr\u003eAlex offered Jordan and Bear a weak smile as she was\u003cbr\u003eescorted past them. She turned back to D.C., relieved when her\u003cbr\u003enoticeably pale roommate nodded to say she understood why\u003cbr\u003eAlex had acted as she had.\u003cbr\u003eI’ll fix this, D.C. mouthed.\u003cbr\u003eAlex smiled ruefully, fully aware that they would have\u003cbr\u003ea difficult time coming up with an acceptable excuse for her\u003cbr\u003eattack on the ruling monarchs of Medora.\u003cbr\u003eThe two guards frogmarched Alex out of the ballroom and\u003cbr\u003ethrough the resplendent corridors, before hustling her down a\u003cbr\u003edark, winding staircase that led underneath the palace. Once\u003cbr\u003ethey were on level ground again, they strode past more guards\u003cbr\u003ewearing armour and through what could only be described\u003cbr\u003eas an ancient stone dungeon. Fortunately, it was empty of\u003cbr\u003eprisoners—as far as Alex could tell.\u003cbr\u003eThey stopped in front of a grimy cell and she was shoved none\u003cbr\u003etoo gently into it. One of the guards immediately pressed on a\u003cbr\u003etouch-screen TCD terminal attached to the wall and a semitransparent\u003cbr\u003ebarrier appeared, zinging with what appeared to be\u003cbr\u003elive electricity. It didn’t take a genius to work out that the barrier\u003cbr\u003ecould do some serious damage, but Alex still had to struggle\u003cbr\u003eagainst the temptation to touch the almost hypnotic entryway.\u003cbr\u003eWhen the guards took up sentry positions opposite her, Alex\u003cbr\u003ebegan pacing back and forth in the small space, preparing\u003cbr\u003eherself for whatever would come next. It wasn’t long before she\u003cbr\u003eheard the sound of approaching footsteps and a young woman\u003cbr\u003estepped into view. She had dark hair and striking features, and\u003cbr\u003ewore a black uniform with a gold emblem stitched above her\u003cbr\u003eheart—two swords crossed together behind a crown.\u003cbr\u003e“I’m Warden Jeera,” the woman said without preamble, her\u003cbr\u003etitle telling Alex that she, like Bear’s dad, was one of Medora’s\u003cbr\u003epeacekeepers and responsible for the safety of the kingdom.\u003cbr\u003e“And you just tried to carry out an assassination attempt on the\u003cbr\u003eking and queen.”\u003cbr\u003eAlex sucked in a startled breath, realising that her current\u003cbr\u003ecircumstances were perhaps more dire than she’d presumed. “I\u003cbr\u003edidn’t—”\u003cbr\u003e“What’s your name?” Jeera interrupted.\u003cbr\u003eSwallowing thickly, she answered, “Alex.” But at seeing the\u003cbr\u003eWarden’s I-hope-you-can-do-better-than-that expression, she cleared\u003cbr\u003eher throat and quickly added, “My full name is Alexandra\u003cbr\u003eJennings, if that helps. I’m Princess Delucia’s best friend.”\u003cbr\u003eThe Warden raised a sceptical eyebrow. “I’ve never seen\u003cbr\u003eyou at the palace before. That doesn’t sound like best friend\u003cbr\u003ebehaviour to me.”\u003cbr\u003e“We only met last year,” Alex defended. “We go to Akarnae\u003cbr\u003etogether—we’re roommates, actually. You can check if you\u003cbr\u003ewant.”\u003cbr\u003e“You’re a student at Akarnae?” Jeera asked, her head tilted\u003cbr\u003ethoughtfully.\u003cbr\u003e“Yes,” Alex said. “I’m about to start as a fourth year. Provided\u003cbr\u003ethat you let me out of this cell sometime before tomorrow.”\u003cbr\u003eJeera’s face transformed as if she’d come to a sudden\u003cbr\u003eunderstanding. Her harsh demeanour changed into something\u003cbr\u003ethat looked very much like amusement. “Epsilon Combat,\u003cbr\u003eright?”\u003cbr\u003eAlex felt confusion wash over her. How could Jeera possibly\u003cbr\u003eknow that?\u003cbr\u003eBefore she could ask—or confirm her answer—Jeera waved\u003cbr\u003eher hand and said, “Never mind. But answer me this: if you\u003cbr\u003eclaim to be the princess’s best friend, why did you just attack her\u003cbr\u003eparents?”\u003cbr\u003eAlex shook her head in denial. “I didn’t attack them.” When\u003cbr\u003eJeera’s brow rose again, she amended, “I can see how it might\u003cbr\u003ehave looked that way. But I promise there’s a perfectly good\u003cbr\u003eexplanation.”\u003cbr\u003eEven though Jeera opened her mouth, it wasn’t her words\u003cbr\u003ethat responded to Alex’s statement.\u003cbr\u003e“This I’d like to hear,” came a dry male voice. “Especially\u003cbr\u003egiven that you accosted me and my wife in the middle of our\u003cbr\u003ewaltz.”","brand":"Astra Young Readers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48532181942501,"sku":"NP9781662621321","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/es\/products\/raelia-isbn-9781662621321","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}