For some girls, age eighteen is the magical age of freedom and independence. For Aerys, turning eighteen means an arranged marriage to a man she's never met before, leaving the only home she's ever known, and accidentally discovering things she never knew about the world, about her family, and about herself, things that have been lurking beneath the surface all along. However, each new discovery brings new questions with it, and the answers could lead in some very dangerous directions. She and her fiancé, Dmitri, must decide whether or not to find the answers to these questions and what to do with the knowledge they gain. To change the game instead of living by others' rules, they must look beyond what they see.

Look Beyond What You See

"Dmitri, that was not enough rest and you know it," I grumble, hiding under my duvet and praying that he ll just go away.

"It doesn t matter. Our presence is required for luncheon in less than five minutes. I m not thrilled about it, either, but we have to go, and that means you have to get out of bed," Dmitri replies, pulling the covers off me. I m being invisible again, but the covers had more or less revealed my position and so Dmitri s arms wrap around me before I can escape. He pulls me out of bed, very much against my will.

"But I m still tired!" I whine, clutching at the bedposts as I release the invisibility (there s no point in it now).

"You re putting up far too much of a fight to be really tired," Dmitri points out irritably. "Will you just come along quietly? The sooner we go, the sooner it s over and we can move on to more entertaining things later on."

Chapter 40 Battle Plans