“Your Highness? Do you mind if I ask you a question?”
“Go ahead.”
“What about the guardsman draws you to him?”
I glanced sideways in time to see the prince smile fondly. Myl, he was gorgeous when he smiled.
“When I was eight, he saved my life.”
My eyes widened. How could anyone look back on a life-threatening situation and grin? “What happened?”
“I fell into the pond in the palace gardens. I hit my head on the bottom and passed out. Antonio stood guard at the door and saw me fall. He rushed in and pulled me from the water. When I woke up, he stood over me, like an angel. My heart became his that day.”
“That is very romantic,” I said.
The prince turned his head sharply, eyes narrowed, fingers digging into my arm. “You mock me?”
“Mock? Of course not. I can understand the appeal of loving someone who saved you. It’s incredibly touching.”
He relaxed. “What of you, Alma? Do you have someone you love back home?”
“No.”
He didn’t press further, for which I was glad. I didn’t feel like thinking about Vulten at the moment.
Chapter Fourteen
WE FOUND A little bakery right outside the castle gate. Antonio stood at attention beside the entrance to the palace grounds. We were perfectly placed.
This was the first time I’d been outside the palace’s inner courtyard. I looked forward to seeing more of the people and the surroundings. I hadn’t thought about the mechanics of the city, but it seemed magical conveniences weren’t readily available. The royals’ dwelling did—there were electric lights, running water, cool air in summer, warm air in winter. It said a lot about the nation if the rulers kept so much from the common folks. Especially since this seemed a very wealthy country.
The smell and smokiness of coal permeated the air, even this close to the castle. The laborers likely depended on steam power for completing their tasks. I couldn’t wait to explore, see the commoners, find out what type of lives they led.
We sat outside, at a table beside the front door. A few other tables had customers—mostly nobility, from their clothes and jewels. The owner of the shop brought us fresh loaves of bread with honey and a pitcher of milk. My eyes studied the passing people as we ate. Most in this area were dressed well, in silks or decorative cotton. Many bowed as they passed Yarling or called out a greeting to the prince.
I could tell they loved him. None sneered when they turned or rolled their eyes at him or muttered under their breath. But the prince had proved he wore a mask to cover his true self. Did his people know the real Yarling? Did his parents? He’d shown he kept secrets from them—even covering up Desian’s identity. I bet the dragon was the only one to know his master’s heart and soul.
I furrowed my brow before I remembered I needed to keep up the façade of courting the lovely prince. The mood had to be light or else I’d fall into an analytical mode, trying to delve into all aspects of the prince’s personality. Better to talk and stay away from processing until I was alone.
“Your Highness.”
Yarling turned eyes toward me. He’d been staring at the gate. At Antonio. Just as bad as me being inattentive.
“May I ask where you learned magic? If you did not learn from Roberta, did you have another teacher?”
He shook his head. “No, I found some books in my parents’ library and read them out of curiosity. When I tried a simple spell, it worked. I was hooked after that.”
I smiled, remembering how infatuated I’d been with magic once I realized I could get the unseen forces to do as I commanded. It had been a wonderful feeling, something to cover the emptiness at having been abandoned by my parents. Magic had taken their place, my closest family member.
“How old were you at the time?”
“About five,” he said.
“How soon after did you summon Desian?”
“The next year.”
My jaw dropped. “Your Highness, that’s an incredible amount of power for someone so young.”
“I’m aware,” he stated casually, but I could sense the hint of smugness accenting his words.
“And you had no teacher?”
“Technically, no. Once I had Desian, a whole world opened to me. He could fly anywhere, bring me anything I needed. I had him fetch every sort of book he could.”
“From where?”
He made an unpleasant face. “Anywhere.”
His expression brought back memories of the Alsa Alma when he collected me from Farlerotna. Only someone who’d seen the wrath of the tiny, old man could make that kind of a look.
“You stole from the Alma Palace?”
His frown became even more prominent. “Yes.”
“And the Alsa Alma threatened to bind your magic?”
He cringed but nodded.
“And you learned how to bind my magic,” I guessed. “You’d seen the spell done by him, and you could duplicate his magic.” Myl and all her angels. The Alsa Alma was the most powerful magician in the past millennium. For anyone to be able to mimic his magic from seeing it once was unfathomable.
“I’m a quick learner” was all he said.
I scowled at him. “Just because you know a certain magic doesn’t mean you should use it! I can’t believe you actually tried to bind me!”
To my surprise, the prince looked away. His finger played with the beads of condensation on the outside of his mug. “I’m sorry, Alma. I… I want Antonio to love me. I needed your help and you weren’t going to agree. I had to do something.” He met my gaze. “And so you know, I don’t have any idea how to complete the binding. The Alsa Alma never finished the spell. I only learned the beginning. You were never in any danger.”
I sighed. He was so young. I thought of Carishina as a child, but this prince was the real thing. He had so much growing up to do.
“Apology accepted,” I told him. At least, now I had no reason to fear him.
“Will you stay on and keep assisting me?”
“Yes, I will. But only because you were honest. Has anyone ever told you kindness brings better results than bullying?”
His back straightened. “And why would an Alma respond to kindness? It’s known you all refuse to assist unless forced.”
“That’s not—” I trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.
From the very beginning, I had been forced into this. First, the Alsa Alma ordered me to accept the task. Then Carishina had made me kiss the prince. And even Franik pressured me into pretending to court Yarling. I never did anything unless someone browbeat me into complying.
Though his statement didn’t apply to all Almas. Carishina offered her aid to anyone who needed it. Franik, too, took little coercing to get him into a course of action, though he did expect something out of it. Not me. I refused to do anything. No thought of compensation or the reason why the task needed to be performed in the first place. I didn’t care at all Yarling suffered under a dark spell.
What’s the matter with me? Why do I behave this way? Had I been like this before Vulten? Or is this all because of my broken heart?
“You’re right, Your Highness,” I admitted. “To some degree, at least. Your attitude toward me is not unearned. I deserve your scorn and your admonition. But I do plan to fix it from here on out. I will do as you’ve asked me. I won’t leave until you have Antonio as your own. I swear it.”
Yarling reached his hands across the table. He grasped mine. “Thank you, Alma.” He grinned, and my heart skipped a beat.
“Klint. You can call me Klint.”
“And I’m Yarling.”
I swallowed and nodded, not trusting my voice to speak.
“Desian,” said the voice in my ear. I jumped, having completely forgotten the dragon rested in my pocket.
“Desian,” I repeated.
“Now we’re all friends,” the dragon said, “why don’t we check out the city. Klint, aren’t you anxious to
see the sights?”
“Yes, I am.”
The prince left a few silver coins on the table. We stood up and I offered Yarling my arm again. We set off down the street. The prince glanced back at the guard station once.
Chapter Fifteen
THE POPULATION OF the city was several thousand. Smaller than Farlerotna, bigger than the Alma Palace. It surprised me to see some citizens did have magical conveniences. A blacksmith used a heating stone to temper his metals, while across the street they had billows and flames. Magic and mundane mingled.
The people didn’t seem at all concerned that their prince walked in their midst. They bowed to him as they passed, then continued about their business. Occasionally, a child would run up and greet him enthusiastically—and he’d pat their head—but on the whole, they mostly ignored him.
“I walk these streets often,” he told me as we strolled. “Even when I was very little, I liked being in the crowds. Mother and Father worried, of course, and that was my main reason in summoning Desian. If I had a protector, they’d stop being so concerned. I knew I could take care of myself—magically or otherwise—but they had no idea.”
“It’s a beautiful city,” I observed. The buildings were made of stone, from a quarry outside of town, I’d learned. With the rocks so easily at hand, all the buildings in Terius were constructed from the material. It made the structures appear to be part of a set, as if they all went together. None stood out in obvious ways. Some were spruced up and decorated differently, some painted bright colors, some were taller, but all fit the theme. It aesthetically pleased the eye.
“Thank you, Klint. My great-great-great-grandparents were the ones who helped build the city into what it is today.”
I nodded. That was even before my time. “It’s is a bit strange, though, Yarling. This nation has elections to see who will rule next, but it’s stayed in your family for so many generations?”
“No, it’s changed hands a few times in the past years. My father took the office when he was about my age. He’d taken over for King Panarik—who had been a minister in the court of Queen Bunerri. She had been the daughter of the previous king, who had also been elected from the council. Before him, my great-grandmother ruled.”
“I see. So, the throne mostly stays within the families of the royal court.”
His fingers tightened on my wrist, an unconscious gesture. “Yes, that’s exactly it. Our country has never been ruled by anyone outside of the main five families. Three other families on the council have never had a person successfully crowned.”
“And you feel Panpir has a good chance to be the next king?”
“I do. But the council wants to put me on the throne. And that’s where I’m having issues.”
“If you’re elected, is there anything you can do to get out of it?”
He shook his head. “I would be forced to rule until they stripped me of the title, or I died. And ….” He trailed off with a gloomy look. “I just don’t want to talk about it.”
I let the topic drop. It must be hard for any mortal to contemplate their eventual demise.
We passed an apothecary shop and I asked Yarling if we could go inside. Once this ordeal ended, and I was free to go, I intended to demand the Alsa Alma give me a shop. No more mucking around in the basements, waiting for him to notice. The prince promised to reward us and that would be more than enough to set up a shop somewhere.
I’m not going to sit around anymore. I’m tired of being an inactive participant in my own life. Or of being forced into decisions I didn’t make. It all ends here.
Already, I felt like a new man.
Around midday, we stopped at a restaurant by the outside gate. Of course, Antonio stood stationed nearby for the last half of his shift. We got a table inside the establishment, but next to the window so the guardsman was sure to notice when Yarling reached out and wiped a speck of cheese off my chin. Or when the prince offered me a bite of his meal on his own fork. Or when Yarling laid his hand atop mine when he got excited about our discussion topic.
As for me, my heart raced anytime this occurred. I wasn’t used to such constant and doting attention. And to have those beautiful pale-brown eyes peering into mine made me feel giddy. This was getting bad. We had to make the guardsman fall in love soon, or else I’d do it myself.
After lunch, we relaxed for a bit, drinking glasses of weak ale mixed with tea. The bitter taste took some getting used to, but Yarling clearly liked it. A regional drink, he called it. Something they’d invented here.
I only had one glass, not wanting to be impaired in any way. I had to stay focused on my task or else I’d fall under Yarling’s magical spell. Not real magic. The better-than-magic feeling that was so hard to duplicate. It’d been a very long time since I’d had those strings thrummed in my soul.
As the sun began to sink toward the horizon, Yarling and I started back to the palace. The prince was a bit tipsy and he held on to my hand tighter than usual, as if he needed the support. At the gate, the guards let us in with deep bows. As we walked up the steps Desian walked down.
“Desian!” I gasped. I patted at the pocket of my tunic. The dragon was not inside. “What are you doing?”
The man’s eyes twinkled. “You two didn’t need my help. I realized in the first five minutes. Alma Klint, I underestimated your abilities.”
“Well, I…” I began shyly. “Thank you.”
“Now, my dear Yarling, you should get cleaned up for dinner. You don’t want Antonio to see you in this state.”
“Why not?” the prince asked, his voice a little fuzzy.
“Because you look like you’re about to fall over.”
“I’m not,” he huffed but released my arm. “I’m perfectly fine, Desian. Besides, Klint is capable of escorting me the rest of the way to my rooms.”
Desian’s smile deepened. “As you say. Klint, I wanted to praise you again for bringing Alma Carishina with you for this task. She is such an apt student, picking up on any magic I show her. So, so bright.”
I almost gaped. I don’t think I’d ever heard anyone use those words to describe Carishina. Oh, she was bright in the sense she was energetic, and she glowed with life. But bright in her studies….
“What have you taught her?”
“All sorts of things. She has a real knack for transformations. I suspected she was skilled in that area when I noticed her hair. But with a little more instruction, she will surely soar.”
“More instruction?”
“Yes, she wants to stay here and study a bit longer with me. She wrote to the Alsa Alma this afternoon.”
“She’s too young to be out on her own.”
Desian grinned. “She’s not on her own, Klint. She’ll be here with me, Roberta, and Yarling.”
A flash of jealousy burst inside me. Carishina had been invited to stay while I would be sent back home like a wayward child? Well, I guess they hadn’t said they were sending me home. Not yet, at least. Yarling wanted me to stay until Antonio was brought around. It hurt to think she could stay long-term and I had to leave once I served my purpose.
“We better get you upstairs,” I told the prince, changing the subject.
Desian fell in step with us, much to my dismay. Now I realized the dragon hadn’t been with us all day, I resented his presence. I wanted to be alone with Yarling.
“She may have found the problem with our spell,” Desian said conversationally.
“Which spell?” I asked.
“Both, actually. While looking for antidotes with delayed reactions, we discovered using essence of bloomberry can have effects which occur days, even weeks after the potion is administered.”
I didn’t know the berries had this sort of consequence. I’d have to research the berries further. “So, the bloomberries worked nearly a day late. That’s why Yarling woke when he did.”
“It would seem,” the dragon concluded.
“What about the other spell?”
Here,
Desian looked a bit shy, a touch of heat in his cheeks. “Well, we also used bloomberries in our potion.”
“And that means...?”
“The two potions may continue to react to each other.”
“React how?”
Desian spread his hands. “I have no idea. We may have to wait and see.”
“Wait and see?” I repeated hotly. “This could do worse damage than putting Yarling to sleep! This could kill him!”
Yarling’s fingers gripped my wrist. “Klint, just relax.”
“No! I can’t believe I didn’t factor in the idea of conflicting ingredients. I’ve put you in danger with my carelessness.” I turned to Yarling, fear gripping my chest. “Are you feeling okay? Are you hurting anywhere? Are you weak? Fatigued? Sleepy?”
The prince grinned, his face softening and his eyes melting me from the inside out. “I’m fine. Really. There’s no need for concern.”
I fidgeted under his direct gaze. “Well.” I cleared my throat. “Please let me know if anything feels off.”
“I will. Now, will you escort me to my room so I can change for dinner?”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
Desian grinned, showing his slightly pointed incisor. “If you don’t object, Yarling, I’ll go find Carishina. She was eager to know when Klint returned to tell him the good news.”
Yarling nodded, and we set off toward his quarters.
At the door to his room, I hesitated, unsure of what to do. Franik insisted I stay with Yarling all day. Did that include going into his room while he changed? While I warred with the internal dilemma, Yarling tugged on my arm, pulling me through the doorway.
“Come in,” he told me as he shrugged off his cloak. “I’ll only be a moment.” He disappeared into an adjoining room with a clean shirt clutched under his arm.
I did as instructed, walking to the table beside the fireplace. Though no flames danced in the stone opening, I could feel residual heat. Something had simmered in here not too long ago. Maybe the prince had done some night time brewing. Or, more likely, Desian had been playing in his master’s quarters. The dragon’s den had seemed homey and comfortable, but not adequate for working spells and potions.
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