“Dyniss, actually,” she replied.

  Surprise coursed through me. I’d met quite a few people since my return to Ethia but it was the first time I heard anyone actually having roots on the capital of the Empire, except for myself, that is. “Really?”

  She nodded. “Yes, my family has been there for three generations. My father is in the Legion too. He’s the Captain of the Gynox. It’s a dreadnought in the Nova Fleet. That’s another reason I decided to join the Legion. He had always taken a lot of pride in his duty to the Empire and I wanted to do the same.” She was quiet for a long moment as if in thought, and then quite suddenly changed the subject. “And as for what I like to do when I’m not on duty––well, I––” she paused and blushed, “you might think it silly.”

  I gave her an encouraging smile. “I promise I won’t.”

  “I like to draw,” she said, her voice suddenly softer. “Sketches mostly, of people and places. Sometimes I design ships too—not engineering schematics like I sometimes do for the Legion, but how I imagine they might look fully completed and operational.”

  I felt a flash of genuine interest that cut through my pain and made me feel excitement. “I’d like to see them sometime.”

  Lieutenant Quinton gave a small laugh that ended in a wince. “I doubt they’re worthy of someone of your status, Highness.”

  “I’m not asking as a Prince of the Empire,” I assured her. “I’m asking as someone who appreciates art and has seen precious little of it since coming to Ethia. And it’s Adar, remember?”

  The woman looked puzzled, and I realized I’d said too much and quickly adjusted. “I mean coming back to the White Palace. Anyway,” I changed the subject. “I sketch from time to time too.”

  The Lieutenant raised an eyebrow. “Really? And what do you like to sketch?”

  “Whatever feels good in the moment. I’ve done people, buildings, gardens, and even––” I was going to say gaming characters from Pokemon to Fable to Halo, but I caught myself in time and fumbled out––“landscapes,” I finished, hoping she hadn’t noticed my momentary hesitation.

  A faint smile touched Quinton’s lips, softening the lines of pain around her eyes. “I didn’t realize the Imperial family or anyone from the noble class was encouraged to pursue artistic endeavors.”

  I honestly didn’t know whether that was true or not. I hadn’t been raised like a normal noble. I had been on Earth, and my mom had always encouraged my artistic side, and even provided me extra art classes when I asked for them.

  “My mother insisted on it,” I said, as I thought of her and smiled. I missed her so much. “She believed a well-rounded education included an appreciation for beauty and the ability to create it.”

  A loud rumble shuddered through the cavern, causing more debris to rain down. The pile of rubble shifted slightly, increasing the pressure on my chest. I gasped involuntarily as fresh pain lanced through my ribs.

  Lieutenant Quinton leaned forward, concern etched on her face. “Adar?”

  “I’m fine,” I lied, trying to keep my voice steady. The pain had intensified, making it harder to breathe. “Just a little... compressed.”

  She didn’t seem convinced, but didn’t press the issue. Instead, she struggled to her feet, wincing as she put weight on her injured leg.

  “Let me try again,” she said, approaching the pile. “There has to be a way to get some of this weight off you.”

  I watched her determined face, feeling a mix of gratitude and concern. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. Your hurt––”

  But she wouldn’t let me finish. “And so are you, and you might be crushed under there if you don’t get out soon. I’ve been studying the rock pile while I’ve been sitting here. I’m pretty sure I’ve identified the rocks to stay away from. I’ll take it slow.”

  With careful precision, Quinton began working again, testing each stone before attempting to move it. I watched her face contort with pain each time she used her good arm to shift debris, but she worked methodically, her determination evident in the set of her jaw.

  “I think I’ve found a pattern,” she said after removing several smaller rocks. “There’s a support structure underneath—probably part of the cavern floor when we fell. I’m going to clear out these smaller pieces near your upper body and see if that helps.”

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  Working cautiously, Lieutenant Quinton shifted several more rocks from around my chest. Each movement brought blessed relief, allowing me to draw slightly deeper breaths, though the pain remained constant.

  “Better?” she asked, wiping sweat that had beaded on her dirty, smudged forehead.

  “Yes,” I breathed with relief. The pain was still there, but at least much of the pressure had lifted from my chest, making it easier to breathe. “Thank you.”

  “I appreciate the relief,” I said. “But please sit back down before you injure yourself further.”

  Lieutenant Quinton hesitated, her eyes scanning the remaining debris trapping my lower body. With visible reluctance, she eased herself back down onto the boulder she had sat on before. There was another silence between us, but this one didn’t feel as heavy or weird as before.

  Finally, the Lieutenant broke the silence. “Could I ask you a question?”

  That made me smile that she was becoming comfortable enough to even ask such a thing. It felt like a natural progression of the connection we’d been building in this unlikely situation.

  “Of course,” I replied. “Ask away.”

  Lieutenant Quinton shifted slightly, wincing as she adjusted her position. “I’ve been wondering... what was it like growing up where you were? I mean, you were taken from your home, the White Palace. Were you upset about that? Did you try to escape? Were you glad to come back?”

  My mind fumbled for something to say, but I was at a loss for words. I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised at the questions. I knew everyone in the Empire was curious about the time between when I had been taken from the White Palace and my return. I had been gone for twenty long years with almost nothing released publicly about my time away. Where had I been? Why had I been gone for so long? And why had I come back?

  “I guess that was more than a question. I’m sorry I shouldn’t have asked. If that was too much––” I heard the woman attempt to backtrack.

  I realized that I might have been quiet for more than just a few moments as I tried to figure out what to say. And I mentally kicked myself for not having something ready. I’d been in Ethia for nearly five months. Surely, I should have better prepared myself for this sort of thing. It was bound to come up. But I had been busy and even gotten used to the somewhat cloistered life I led, because even though I did work with my team on a regular basis and spoke to the palace staff daily, most of those I encountered would never be forward enough to ask such questions. And I, of course, had invited it in by asking the Lieutenant personal questions first.

  “No, it’s fine. I just––I haven’t really talked about my time away. I’ve been so focused on adjusting to being back that I’ve mostly put that other life behind me.” Which was true. It hadn’t been easy at first, but I had learned it was better to let my life on Earth go than to keep dwelling on it and the people I had left behind. Though I still felt the pangs of loss from time to time.

  I fumbled for something else to say. I had been cautioned to say as little as possible about my time away and that I shouldn’t reveal I had been outside the Empire, at least to those not already in the know. So I treaded forward carefully.

  “I was very young when I was taken away. I also had not been at the White Palace long before I had left it, so I didn’t feel attached to the place, or my father for that matter. I had deeper attachments to the people who spirited me away, and so for me, it didn’t seem like a bad thing.”

  I decided it was best not to tell her about Aragon taking my memories away and that I had not even remembered that I was Ethian until recently. There was already so much hate toward my old Protector for abducting me that I didn’t want to foster any more if I could help it.

  “To be honest, I had loved things as they had been. I didn’t want any other way of life. But then my father found where I was. He sent people to bring me back home, and so I came. And while it’s been an adjustment, I’m glad I am back.”

  I shifted slightly, trying to find a position that didn’t make my ribs scream in protest. The effort to explain my past without revealing too much had left me drained.

  “So you didn’t escape or try to return to your father on your own?” Lieutenant Quinton asked, her voice careful, measured.

  I shook my head, knowing I was in dangerous territory, because instinctively I felt as if she was hinting at something far deeper. Like she was testing my loyalty to Ethia, but even more, to the Emperor, my father. Part of me was immediately on guard, wondering why she would do such a thing, but I calmed myself down. I was supposed to be the Emperor’s successor. Wasn’t it perfectly natural to want to know if the next Emperor would have a patriotic duty to Ethia and its people, especially after he’d been missing and had an unknown influence over him for the last twenty years?

  “No. I think I believed I was where I belonged.” This was mostly true. Without my memories, I had no reason to question my life on Earth. “And I had my mother—she gave me everything a child could need—stability, guidance, a sense of belonging.”

  A flash of emotion crossed Lieutenant Quinton’s face at the mention of my mother. I thought I saw a flicker of something—sadness? Understanding? It was gone too quickly for me to be certain.

  “She sounds like she was a wonderful person,” Lieutenant Quinton said quietly.

  The way she said it made me think there was more behind her words, perhaps something personal she wasn’t sharing. I wanted to ask, but before I could, another rumble shook the cavern. This time it felt different—not the settling of debris, but something more deliberate. The sound of shifting rock echoed from somewhere down the tunnel.

  “That’s not another cave-in,” Quinton said, rising to her feet despite her injuries.

  I strained to listen, focusing beyond the pounding of my heart. There it was again—rhythmic thumping sounds, almost like footsteps, but with an odd mechanical quality. A voice called out, faint but unmistakable.

  “Hello? Is anyone down here?”