Beneath my feet, the floor was made from the same dark gray stone as the mountain, and its polished surface helped reflect the glow of light from above. At the far end of the room—if one could even call it such—sat a throne carved from the dark stone. It was tall and wide enough for two men, the stone cut and polished in a way that made the facets shine like black jewels. I had imagined a throne before, but it was nothing like this thing jutting from the floor, as dark and imposing as the mountain itself.

It was also empty.

I turned to Ebb. “Where is the king?”

“We’ll meet him in his chambers, once you’ve had a bath and a chance to change.”

I’d never been so excited about the prospect of bathing in my life. I followed Ebb across the room to one of the many corridors that split off from it, taking care with my steps, as the floor was slippery and my shoes provided hardly any traction.

As soon as we entered the corridor, I realized how dark it was in the castle. Yes, it was nighttime, but I hadn’t spotted a single window yet. The ones I’d seen from outside must be for lookouts. Here, the only light came from a few flameless torches, the ends wrapped in what appeared to be some kind of algae. It glowed pale blue, like a maiden’s hair jellyfish.

“What is it?” I asked, pausing to get a closer look. The light was as bright as blue flame, but there was no heat.

“Lunar moss, from the forest,” Ebb said. “It glows when the moon is up. It works best on a night like tonight, when the moon is almost full. Servants harvest it once a month for the torches.”

“And when there is no moon?” I asked.

“We use a fungus called foxfire, but it doesn’t give off quite as much light as the lunar moss.”

I shuddered at the thought of even less light. “What about the daytime? Aren’t there windows?”

“In the places with adequate ventilation, like the great hall, there are fires. No windows, I’m afraid. It does tend to get a bit darker as you go farther into the mountain, but your eyes will adjust.”

Without fire, it wasn’t just dark; it was cold. The heat of my exertion during the climb had left me, so I wrapped my arms around myself and followed Ebb.

“Ah, here we are.” She paused in front of a door where a guard stood watch. He opened it silently at our approach and stepped aside to let us enter.

Inside was another smaller corridor with several doors leading off from it. She turned down another hall. “Here are your chambers.”

Ebb led me into the large room, its ceiling polished and painted like the one in the great hall. Tapestries and rugs covered the stone surfaces, adding a small amount of warmth. An enormous bed sat in the center, piled high with blankets and fur throws.

The only other furniture was a large wooden wardrobe, with doors carved into strange swirling shapes. For a room that was roughly the size of the governor’s house, it was surprisingly bare. Then again, this wasn’t someone’s house; it was merely a place to sleep.

A bath had been prepared in a stone tub carved out of the wall. A folding screen of painted silk stood next to it.

“Now then, shall we get you bathed and changed?” Ebb asked. “I’ll have a light supper brought, so that you can eat while I fix your hair. It’s very late, and the king will want to get his rest.”

I felt the same way. My eyelids were heavy, and my muscles ached from the climb. “What about the prince? Will I meet him tonight?”

“I don’t believe so. But I’m sure he’ll be here tomorrow.”

That was a relief, at least. I undressed behind the screen and climbed into the stone tub before the cold air had a chance to seep in. This was my first hot bath ever, and after so many days without washing, it felt wonderful. My aching muscles immediately began to relax. Ebb undid my braids and washed my hair with some kind of perfumed soap that lathered and foamed, then rinsed it all out with more warm water. I began to worry the water might rinse the stain from my cheek, but Ebb didn’t seem to notice anything amiss.

I could have stayed in the bath forever, but Ebb’s clipped movements reminded me we were in a hurry. I climbed out and immediately regretted it when the cold air hit my bare skin.

Ebb handed me a towel, then walked to the wardrobe and opened the doors. “Now, milady, you’ll need to choose your gown quickly. I believe this one is appropriate for the occasion, but there’s also—”

“You choose,” I said, sensing her urgency. “I trust you.”

As promised, a light repast sat on a small table to the side of a stool, where I perched so Ebb could get to work on my hair. I nibbled on some kind of dark bread and a creamy cheese with figs, but I was too anxious to eat more than a few bites. Ebb began to coil my hair, twisting and pinning with a deftness I hadn’t expected. Despite her efficiency, she was much gentler than Zadie, and she left half of my hair down, which was a nice rest for my scalp.

After, she helped me into a dark blue gown embroidered with threads of gold. I had grown used to the subdued clothing, though I still didn’t like it, but I admired the way the metallic threads shimmered in the light from the lunar moss set into small lamps in the wall.

When Ebb left to change as well, I opened my trunk from home, which a servant had delivered while I was dressing. I pulled out the little jar of stain for my scar and approached the large standing mirror slowly. I’d seen my reflection in the hand mirror in the carriage, but I hadn’t seen all of me at once. Not in my entire life, now that I thought about it. I wasn’t sure I was ready for this.

But before I could stop myself, there I was. Or at least a version of me, unlike anything I’d ever imagined. Who was this girl with the stilt-straight posture and neatly styled hair? The fabric of the gown was richer than all the others I’d worn, and I ran my hands across the flat plane of my stomach and the curves of my hips, accentuated by the corset.

Even my face was that of a stranger. My cheekbones appeared more pronounced, though that could just be the shadows in the dark room playing tricks on me, and the way Ebb had pinned up my hair made my neck seem long and graceful. I looked a little like my mother, I realized, with her golden eyes and proud mouth.

The scar was still covered by the stain, but I reapplied it anyway. Without the mark on my cheek, I could almost pretend I really was Zadie.

“What do I do?” I asked my reflection, as though my sister were there with me.

Square your shoulders, I imagined her saying. Chin up. The elders wouldn’t have chosen us if they didn’t believe we could do this.

I heard the door open behind me. I turned to Ebb, my heart suddenly beating faster. This was it. I was going to meet the king.

“You look lovely, milady,” she said, handing me a short capelet made of the softest black fur. “It’s cold in the corridors, milady. This will help keep you warm. Are you ready?”