Diana glanced at the tents around her. Women set down sculpted vases and painted bowls. Silk dresses hung from hooks and fluttered in the breeze. Diana couldn’t sculpt. She couldn’t paint. She was not able to heal people with her words or with herbs. The one thing she wanted to do was be a true warrior, like the legendary Amazon warriors she lived alongside.
That was who she had always believed she was meant to be.
But now, with a sinking heart, Diana wondered if maybe she was wrong.
The palace vibrated with the steady hum of laughter and conversation well into the evening. Dinner had just concluded, and lively music flowed through the expansive guest hall. Some women danced while others reclined on velvet sofas, sipping from glass goblets. A few stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out at the waterfalls and flowering cliffsides; the scenery shone under the moonlit sky.
Taking the steps two at a time with Arya close at their heels, Diana and Sakina headed upstairs. From the landing above, the marble corridors of the palace stretched in multiple directions toward the palace baths as well as the many different living quarters and suites. Turning right, Diana headed to her bedroom and turned the handle.
Diana’s bedroom was a large space with three windows overlooking the wooded grounds that stretched toward the craggy seaside cliffs. The mahogany shelves lining one of the walls was bursting with books—many of which Sakina had gifted to her over the years. Floating shelves on the opposite wall held trinkets and works of art.
“Have I told you how much I love this rug?” Sakina asked. She hopped onto the plush cream carpet in the center of the room. “Ah!” She twirled around, her braid spinning behind her. “Now this is what it would feel like to dance on a cloud.”
“Do you want to share rooms again this year?” Diana asked her. “The guest room is set up if you’d rather have your own space.”
“Seriously?” Sakina said. “We have to share a room, because sharing a room—”
“Maximizes our time together,” the girls said in unison.
Diana laughed. They had this conversation every year.
Mira fluttered into the room and perched on the middle windowsill. She tapped her golden beak against the window and blinked at the girls before turning her head and sending bolts of light from her eyes into the darkness.
“Does she want to go outside?” Diana asked. “Sinla and Jasnin will be excited to see her again!”
“Not as excited as Mira. She can’t get enough of the winged horses on Themyscira,” Sakina said. She leaned over and unlatched the window, opening it. The bird fluttered outside. In an instant, Arya leapt up, her paws gripping the windowsill.
“Arya!” Sakina slammed the window shut. “No.”
The snow leopard scraped at the glass urgently with her paw and moaned.
“What’s she saying?” Diana asked.
“She’s being ridiculous.” Sakina rolled her eyes. “Keeps saying ‘they’re here’ over and over again. Of course everyone is here.”
The cat chuffed. Her gaze remained fixed toward the docks.
“I’m sorry. I know you want to explore, but you can’t go off wandering alone. Not with the way you’re acting,” Sakina said. “Maybe tomorrow, once you’ve calmed down.”
“I know how she feels,” Diana said, remembering her conversation with her mother from earlier in the day. “I’ve been feeling a bit cooped up myself lately.”
“Wait.” Sakina looked at her. “Has your mother seriously still not budged on letting you train?”
“Not even a little bit.” Diana shook her head. “I feel a little stuck lately.”
“I get it. I feel that way, too, sometimes.”
“You?” Diana asked. “But you’re apprenticing at the library. It’s what you’ve always dreamed of.”
“I didn’t tell you what my apprenticeship was.” She smiled bashfully. “It’s not like I’m inputting information or curating books or even organizing the collections. I’m…dusting.”
“Dusting?”
“Yep. Literally dusting books. We have so many titles, they require constant upkeep. I clean the spines and bookshelves and make sure the pages are intact. Pretty impressive, don’t you think?”
“Well…” Diana’s voice trailed off.
“I mean, fine. Okay. It’s important work. Whatever.” Sakina flopped backward onto Diana’s bed. “But this wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I begged my mother to let me apprentice. I thought I’d at least get to observe the curating process or trail one of our book detectives who locate rare books around the world. But no. I’m wandering through bookshelves with a duster and a snow leopard by my side. I began at the As three months ago and only last week worked my way to the Ds. At this rate, I’ll finish the Zs when I’m twenty and will have to go back to start all over again.”
Sakina had a point. It didn’t sound like much fun to wipe down books for hours, but at least she was there. She was on the brink of the journey she’d always dreamed of instead of watching wistfully from the sidelines. It was more than what Diana could say for herself.
“I’m sure once they see how well you’re doing, they’ll move you up to other more interesting things,” said Diana, settling down on the bed next to her. “It’s only a matter of time.”
“I hope so. And to be fair, it’s not all bad.” Sakina sat up and shrugged. “I get to read while I dust, which is pretty nice. I’ve learned so much—random things that’ll be of no use, but it’s still interesting to learn about the history of alligators, the different types of bears, and the workings of clocks. The D section is more interesting than I’d realized. Long-forgotten demons. Dragons, real and fictional. Can’t wait until I move on to the Es,” she said with a wink. “Maybe I’ll discover the evolution of eggs or something.”
“You’re lucky to have so many books at your disposal,” Diana said. They had their own impressive library at Themyscira across from the white-walled armory, but it couldn’t compete with the kingdom that hosted the largest libraries in the world.
“Oh!” Sakina’s eyes lit up. “I almost forgot!” She hurried to her belongings tucked in the corner of the room and opened a leather bag. “Brought these for you.” She balanced a heap of books in her arms and walked over to Diana.
“Did you find it?” Diana exclaimed. “The book about eastern swords?”