Aria’s POV
Sleep didn't come easily most nights, but that night, exhaustion from training finally pulled me under before I could finish worrying about everything Ines had refused to explain.
I dreamed of a woman standing in a field I didn't recognize, moonlight bright enough to see her clearly even though there was no visible source for it. She looked like the portrait in the palace, the same tilt to her eyes, the same steady expression, except here she was alive, watching me with an intensity that made the dream feel more real than dreams usually did.
"Aria," she said, and hearing my own name in a voice I'd never actually heard before sent a chill through me that had nothing to do with cold. "You've grown so much. I wish I could have watched it happen."
"Mom?" The word felt strange i
