“Is that a raven?” Kyra breathed in fascination, hopping up onto my bed beside me and moving towards the beam which ran along the corner. In my more bored hours I’d spent some time carving little images into the wood there, though no one had ever really noticed them before. “And a wolf?”
“Err, yeah.” I shrugged. “It can get pretty boring around here during a sandstorm so...”
“They’re all predators. All wild like you,” she said with a smirk.
I snorted a laugh. “That’s one way of looking at it.”
“This is where you live?” Rapunzel asked softly and I bristled a little at the hint of pity in her tone.
“It used to be. And I had it a lot better than most.”
Her eyes widened. “I’ve lived my whole life in-”
“The walls here are very thin, our voices will travel through them as if they don’t exist at all,” I interrupted her, raising an eyebrow to warn her not to spill any important information. I turned my attention to Kyra instead. “Seems like a design flaw, don’t you think, Kyra?”
“Someone should fix that,” she agreed earnestly.
“I wish they would,” I replied.
Kyra grinned as she unleashed her magic and I felt it spilling around us like a flood of warm water.
Rapunzel’s eyes widened and she glanced around. “Is it safe to speak freely now?”
“Our voices won’t carry out of this room,” Kyra confirmed proudly. She turned her attention back to running her fingers over the carvings in the wood and I laced my hands behind my head as I leaned back on the cot.
“So what do we do now?” Cassian demanded.
“Well, we need to lay low for a bit and now that we’re here we might as well take the opportunity to do so in the comfort of my palace,” I said with a shrug. “Plus Egos won’t take his attention off of us too soon. He’s got his suspicions about the holes in our story but he’s also got a big pile of treasure so I think we’ve done a good job of confusing him. We need to stay here tonight and make a plan.”
“We have to figure out how to destroy Gothel,” Cassian said urgently.
“We can’t leave her in the palace with my father,” Rapunzel agreed. “We need to figure out where to find a weapon that killed an Emperor and-”
“Oh, I found mine,” Kyra interrupted, tearing her gaze away from the wooden beam. “Didn’t I say?”
We all turned to stare at her as she pulled an ornate silver dagger from her pocket, spinning it between her fingers. “The Emperor I killed all those years ago had been buried with it in the catacombs. When he came to try and eat me, I took it back.”
I barked a laugh as she started tossing it from palm to palm.
Cassian’s hand whipped out and he snatched it from the air with a look of awe on his features.
“Hey!” Kyra complained but he ignored her.
“This is it? You’re sure it’s the same blade?” he demanded, his tone offering no room for jokes.
Kyra folded her arms and dropped down onto the bed by my legs. “Yes,” she sighed. “I’d know it anywhere.”
Rapunzel’s face broke into an excited smile and she moved closer to Cassian to inspect it.
Kyra’s bottom lip was pushed out a little as she pouted in irritation.
“Well done,” I said to her, brushing my fingers against the back of her hand. “Once again we’d have been lost without you.”
She looked down at me with a smile and I didn’t withdraw my hand from hers, the slight pressure between our flesh sending little tingles of excitement coursing into me.
Cassian said something but I was a bit too busy looking into Kyra’s green eyes to pay him any attention. I shifted my hand on hers and she hooked her little finger around mine, her eyes glittering as neither of us looked away. The tiny point of contact between us made my heart thump solidly in my chest and energy dance across my skin. I had no idea what she was doing to me but I did know I didn’t want her to stop.
Cassian cleared his throat. “I said thank you, Kyra,” he repeated and I realised he’d already said it once. He raised an eyebrow at me and I shrugged innocently, earning myself a flat stare.
Rapunzel was looking between Kyra and me and I shifted a little uncomfortably, pushing myself to sit up. I felt like I owed her an explanation but at the same time, I wasn’t really sure what I’d say. We hadn’t made any promises to each other outside of the Pageant. And the more time I spent in her company, the more unsure I was that we’d ever be able to fully breach the differences between us. And Kyra was… I didn’t really have the words for what the genie was but I knew that I wanted more of it.
“We need to give Egos an amulet like this one,” I said briskly, moving the conversation on. “I think the lamp will have to be a lamp again for now and maybe you can make him a replica of the amulet?”
Kyra nodded seriously and the chain fell from my neck, becoming a lamp again before it landed in my lap. I picked up the beautiful golden lamp, my fingers caressing it for a moment before I pushed it into my pocket. Kyra looked like she was holding her breath as she eyed the offending pocket and I gave her a winning smile to ease the tension in her posture.
She held her hand out to me, offering a replica of the amulet so that I could give it to Egos.
“Right then. If that’s all sorted, we should get back downstairs. You girls have got an appointment in the ring and Egos won’t be pleased if he has to send someone to fetch you.”
“You mean we have to fight these people? Seriously?” Rapunzel demanded, her face written with shock.
“Yeah. Den rules. Don’t worry though, there’s no weapons involved, you’ll just have to pin your opponent to the ground and stop them from rising again. Easy.” I shrugged and Kyra giggled.
“A fist fight?” Rapunzel asked, seeming horrified.
“Yup. And no turning to smoke or magicy ways, Kyra,” I added.
“Fine,” she sighed like she was disappointed by that and I grinned at her. “I’ll just punch and punch and punch until I’m the winner then.”
I laughed at her enthusiasm.
“Perhaps we can fight in their place?” Cassian offered. “It isn’t right for the Princess of Osaria to be taking part in a brawl with a bunch of ruffians-”
“You don’t think I can do it?” Rapunzel demanded, her face written with outrage.
“It’s not that,” Cassian back-peddled quickly, glancing at me for help but I wasn’t going to get involved, watching him squirm was too damn funny.
“Then what is it?” the Princess asked, folding her arms and pinning him in her gaze.
“It’s just that... these people are-”
“What are we, exactly?” I asked, arching a brow.
Cassian frowned, clearly not knowing how to press forward with his point without offending someone here. I imagined he was about to go with insulting me over the Princess though.
“I believe in you Rapunzel,” Kyra said enthusiastically. “We can fight side by side like a two woman army.”
Rapunzel grinned in response to that and Cassian groaned as he tried to accept the inevitability of the situation.
“No way out of it, mate,” I said with a shrug.
“Are you sure that this is a good idea?” Cassian growled, shifting closer to the Princess.
“It’s the best one we’ve got. And it’s only one fight. After that, Egos will turn his eye from us and we can figure out how best to go about taking on Gothel.”
Everyone nodded determinedly and I pushed myself off of the bed before heading for the door. I wasn’t sure what was waiting for us beyond it but I knew there was no hiding from it.
To say I was nervous was the understatement of the century. But so much had happened in the past twenty four hours that as I walked towards the ring at heart of The Forty Thieves' Den with a real-life genie at my side, I found my strength growing. I was learning more about myself than I ever had before. And now I was out of the palace and out of my depth all at o
nce. Some quiet voice at the back of my head told me this was a test of my gall, my ability to run an empire just like my father had and his father had before him. And I would not fail it.
I tilted my chin up, linking my arm with Kyra's as we arrived at a ring set out by a steel chain. The scent of men and dirt hung thickly in the air, making my nose wrinkle as we ducked into the circle.
Kyra squeezed my arm, giving me a bright smile that said she wasn't nervous about this fight. Of course, why would she be? She couldn't die as far as I knew. But then again, if anyone noticed that she was impervious to injury, she was in serious trouble.
Hand to hand combat wasn't something I'd had the chance to practice with a partner. But I'd learned the footwork; I knew how to move, duck, weave. Throwing punches at anything more than a stuffed, leather bag though? I wasn't sure exactly how good I'd be at that.
Two girls stepped into the ring; one clad in nothing but a tiny crop top and a skirt that was the shortest I'd ever seen. Egos eyed her keenly and a savage grin pulled at his lips. “Bring me blood, Amira,” he called to her and she offered him a nod, a promise flaring in her eyes that made my stomach writhe.
The other girl was almost taller than Kyra and I put together and had a menacing gleam in her gaze that unsettled me.
“Take them down, Parim!” one of the men called to her and I glanced between our two opponents with a pang of doubt.
“What if we lose?” I asked, turning my gaze to Egos.
He raised an eyebrow as if he was surprised I'd addressed him directly. “You don't have to win, girl. Fighting is just a right of passage here.”
I nodded firmly, raising my fists and setting my feet. I don't have to win, but I'd sure as hell like to.
I focused my thoughts on the way I'd felt earlier, seeing Cassian beaten repeatedly for information. He'd never cracked. Not once. And I drew on my anger, fuelled by my rage at seeing him like that. Amira had watched him, standing at Egos's side with little more than a vague interest. So I set her in my sights and clenched my jaw.
For him, you will fall first.
“Fight!” someone bellowed and Kyra rushed past me, moving in a graceful dance. And she really was dancing. Parim dived at her, but Kyra was like the wind, avoiding every blow, smiling all the while.
I was so distracted by her display that I nearly missed Amira coming at me. She shrieked like a banshee, throwing a punch for my head. I ducked it at the last second, stumbling away, then setting my feet once more.
My heart thumped a rapid tune as she swung out her arm again.
I gasped, lurching aside to avoid it, but the third hit landed in my gut. I wheezed, falling back a few steps to catch my breath.
Ow! By Osaria, I’ve never been punched before and it hurts.
“You can do this!” Cassian's voice slammed into my ears, holding so much faith that it reminded me who I was. What I stood for. Why I was here.
I released a cry of anger, rushing at Amira and slamming my weight into her. I tangled my leg around hers, uprooting her and losing my footing in the same moment.
We hit the floor together and she gasped, her eyes wide with surprise. It didn't last long. She regained her composure and raked her nails down my arms. Blood spilled and pain blossomed.
With a cry of effort, I pushed my weight down on her shoulders, trying to keep her in place. Before anyone called time, mocking laughter rang out around me and Amira suddenly reared up and bit my shoulder.
“Ah!” I screamed, my veins humming with rage as she dug her teeth deeper into my flesh.
“Don't fight with honour!” Cassian's voice came again, finding me amongst the heckling.
Sounds like a plan.
I caught Amira's raven locks in my fist, ripping them back as hard as I could. Her jaw unlocked as she yelled in pain and I pressed my other hand to her face, pushing her back down to the ground. Her fist slammed into my side and I gasped as she locked her legs around me, rolling us over. She cracked my head against the stone floor and blackness curtained my vision.
Oh no.
I've got to get up.
I have to get up.
Her palm crashed into my cheek and a feral noise escaped my lips. I turned into a wild thing, releasing an animal inside me that I'd never realised lived there. I slashed at her sides with my nails, tearing her skin and drawing blood. She tried to get away and I threw my palms into her chest to knock her back. I wriggled out from under her, diving on top of her instead.
My triumph only lasted a second as she shoved me off and darted to her feet, aiming a kick for my side. I scrambled away before she could land the blow, jumping up too and taking in a gulp of air.
Parim crashed into me and I staggered aside as she hit the ground with a loud grunt. I looked to Kyra who was grinning maniacally, her fist still raised from the powerful blow she'd landed, almost certainly infused with magic.
Ha!
Parim didn't get up.
Kyra moved to my side, gazing at Amira like a tigress about to take down its prey.
Bloody scratches marred Amira's side and she had a sizeable welt on her lip which I couldn't remember delivering.
My heart pounded and my chest rose and fell in time with it.
“I'm out,” Amira snapped suddenly, turning sharply and ducking out of the ring.
My mouth fell open in surprise and a whoop went up from Aladdin. I turned to spot him next to Cassian, the two of them casting us looks of pride.
“You can stay,” Egos said with a shrug as Amira walked to his side. He grimaced at her then sauntered away without another word. Her eyes slid to us with a festering rage in them but I was distracted from it the second someone's hand closed around mine.
Cassian was there, his gaze bright and an excited energy rolling from him that intoxicated me.
“Come on!” Aladdin called to us and I spotted Kyra wrapped around him, bouncing up and down on her heels.
I glanced up at Cassian with words hovering on my lips. But now wasn't the time. Not here, surrounded by hollering thieves.
Cassian didn't release my hand as he guided me across the room after Aladdin and Kyra. His large, calloused palm was hot against my skin. I wondered if he was holding my hand to play up to the picture Aladdin had painted of us. Just a noble girl saved from a loveless marriage. It wasn't even that far from the truth. Kahn was waiting to marry me back at the palace and the thought sent my gut spiralling.
We headed into Aladdin's room and Cassian released his hold on me the second the door closed. My hand tingled from the absence of his and I gazed after him with a frown.
Aladdin rounded on me with a grin. “I never would have expected the Princess of Osaria to fight so dirty. You made Egos’s girl bleed. Ha!”
A mischievous smile pulled at my mouth. “Well I did what I had to.”
“Yes...unlike someone the last time he had to fight in that ring.” Aladdin turned to Cassian, wiggling his brows as he taunted him. “You fight with so much honour, sir,” he mimicked Cassian’s voice but over dramatised it and Kyra and I started laughing.
Cassian folded his arms, waiting patiently while Aladdin continued his act. He bowed overly low to me, twirling his hand in the air. “I am Cassian Lazar, I am made of iron-”
“Steel,” Cassian interrupted him, looking like he was fighting a grin.
“My steel balls are so heavy, they need a special girdle to hold them in place,” Aladdin continued and I clutched my side as I tried to stifle my laughter. Kyra floated off of the ground as she glanced between Aladdin and Cassian, her eyes glittering with mirth.
Aladdin fell to his knees before me, snatching my hand and stamping his lips to the back of it. He looked up at me with a wide grin. “I would do anything for the Princess but the stick wedged firmly up my ass stops me from acting on my urges.”
I yanked my hand free as my heart lurched into my throat. Cassian’s shoulders hunched as if Aladdin had inflicted a wound on him.
Aladdin continued to laugh,
wiping his eyes as his amusement got out of control. When he’d finally reined it in, he looked between Cassian and I, his smile suddenly falling away.
“Too far?” he questioned, glancing back at me for an answer.
I shook my head then nodded, my heart pattering like mad from what he’d said.
That’s not true is it?
“Are we having an awkward moment?” Kyra cupped her hand around her mouth as she whispered to Aladdin, hovering over his shoulder. My stomach knotted as I glanced at Cassian, trying to read beneath his now-stern expression.
I wish I could see into his mind.
Aladdin rose to his feet, brushing off his knees as he cleared his throat. “Yeah we are, love,” he answered Kyra under his breath. “Let’s run away.” He grabbed a cloak, pulling it over his shoulders before passing another to Kyra.
“What are you doing?” Cassian asked, clearly latching onto to the change of subject.
“Going out to get something to eat. We can’t just conjure up food without someone wondering where we got it - we have to keep up appearances.” Aladdin shrugged. “Problem?”
“Can we leave too?” I asked hopefully.
“Nope.” Aladdin tied the knot at his throat. “I'll get out no problem. Kyra too. But you guys are kind of....obvious.” He winked at Kyra and I eyed their casual interaction. I knew that I needed to talk to Aladdin alone. But I didn't know when I'd get the chance to do it.
“You kiddies have fun.” Aladdin clapped Cassian on the shoulder, nodded to me then guided Kyra out of the door.
Cassian released a slow breath then dropped down onto the floor. I gazed at him, biting into my lip as silence fell thickly in the room.
He didn’t meet my gaze, his eyes firmly on his hands in his lap. I lowered into the space beside him and his fingers suddenly brushed my arm. “I should have asked Kyra to heal these.”
I glanced down, finding him tracing the scratches Amira had given me. But they didn't seem to hurt. In fact, all I could feel was the intimacy of that gesture.
“It’s not painful,” I whispered, my throat swelling as I gazed at him, silently begging him to meet my gaze. Maybe I can read his mind if he just looks at me.
Forbidden Fairytales- The Complete Series Page 60