by Jen Wylie
BROKEN PRINCE
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2013 by Jen Wylie
Cover Design © 2013 by Sean Hayden
Cover Photo © 2013 by Arman Zhenikeyev
All rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Names, characters, places, and incidents are the products of the author's imagination and or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Published by Untold Press LLC
114 NE Estia Lane
Port St Lucie, FL 34983
www.untoldpress.com
PRODUCED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Dedication
To Sean; without your constant ‘whip whip!’ this book would still probably be a work in progress. You are always by my side in everything I do and I can never say how much that means to me.
And
To Claire and Amber; thank you so much for all you have done to spread the word about this series. You girls rock! I don’t know what I’d do without you!
Chapter 1:
Bad Memories
Arowyn looked down, absently rubbing the mass of white scars across the back of her hands. They stood out sharply against her sun-tanned skin. A grimace formed on her lips at the memories they invoked.
No matter how much she wanted to forget the past year, everything remained too clear in her mind. Being sixteen didn't change anything. Age didn't make her wiser or better able to cope with everything that had happened. She wished it would. Her mind overflowed with anger and fear and loss.
When their city across the sea had fallen, she’d been taken as a slave. During the fight, she'd been knocked unconscious and later awoke in a slave ship, alone. What happened to her brothers remained a painful mystery. It didn’t hurt as much to think of them now, even though the likelihood of ever seeing them again was small. Most likely they’d died in the fighting or been taken as slaves as well.
She'd made a new family, the soldiers on the slave ship had taken her in, and they’d quickly come to mean as much to her as her own flesh and blood.
Unfortunately, almost immediately, she’d starting losing them. Kendric hadn't survived the dangerous swim to shore past the treacherous rocks and the currents around them. She wouldn't have either if it hadn't been for Prince. Those rocks were what scarred her hands so badly. Prince had taken worse damage trying to protect her from them. Avery’s death in the spring from sickness continued to hurt, the wound of his loss still raw and painful. Of the six soldiers she’d befriended, she’d lost two already.
She was so tired of death.
Tearing her gaze away from her scars, she opened her pack to find what had been poking her in the back all morning. Shifting things around, she finally found the culprit; the worn wooden comb she rarely used. Her fingers brushed something soft and she paused a moment before curling her fingers into it. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath.
A shadow loomed over her and she looked up quickly.
“Having trouble?” Cain crouched down beside her.
Lowering her eyes she shook her head, but pulled the sleeve of a black wool sweater partially out of the pack to show him. Avery’s sweater. “I miss him,” she said quietly.
He ran a hand gently over the top of her head, his smile sad. “We all do.”
She pushed the sleeve back in and closed up the pack. “We going soon?” Her words came out sharper than she intended.
Cain stood, giving her shoulder a quick squeeze. “Shortly. We’ll give him a little more time.”
She turned and they both looked over to Prince. He sat on the edge of the road, looking wilted and pale.
“I’ll take his pack this time.”
She nodded and turned to stare off into the fields along the dirt road as he walked over to talk to Prince.
As the days and weeks passed, Prince continued to grow weaker, becoming tired easily. She’d watched his face lose its remaining color, the circles under his now sunken eyes darkening. Forcing him to eat proved a challenge, even though she managed somewhat. Watching him fade before her eyes broke her heart.
They did what they could for him, carrying most of his gear, stopping to rest often and traveling more slowly. It didn't seem to help. Slowly he was fading away.
She wished they could afford a horse. The highly valued animals had become more common the further south they traveled, but continued to remain well beyond their means. Her frantic worry for Prince had her to the point she had seriously started to consider stealing one.
She looked away, her eyes finding Kei as he spoke to Bo. Kei wasn't human, but one of the wild Fey. Unlike the rest of his people, he could control his fury, mostly. For some reason she could help, could take the wild madness from him and calm him. Over the last few months he’d started to be able to control it by himself. Now, at eighteen years old, he still looked much the same. A little taller maybe.
Her gaze travelled over his lean and wiry frame. His golden skin complimented his golden eyes. Such windows they were, glowing with his emotions. His anger turned them from yellow to orange to red. Thankfully they weren’t glowing now.
Seeing her watching him, he grinned and ran a hand through the light brown hair spiking around his head. It poked past his slightly pointed ears. The sight of them always made her smile.
Kei had become her best friend, her first friend. On the ship simple fey magic bound then together. Hands pressed together, a few simple words, and Kei’s power made them friends forever. She looked away, that memory bringing forth another, when they had done the second binding, making them family. She'd been dying then. The sickness that had claimed Avery only days before had almost taken her as well. Kei's magic had saved her.
He always saved her.
Leaving the city that spring to continue their journey to take Prince home had been a relief. Discovering he was in fact an Elf hidden by a glamor had been a bit shocking, yet they’d gotten over it. Learning he was dying proved more difficult to deal with. She didn’t want to lose him, couldn’t bear the thought of it.
Bo walked over and rested a hand on her shoulder. "Ready to go, pup?"
Nodding, she stood, far from rested but vowing not to complain. Her mind still lost in the past, she quietly joined her boys and continued down the road.
The only road running through these eastern lands, it connected all of the small cities, each ruled by a prince. Back home, kings and queens ruled countries. Why princes ruled cities on this continent, she had no idea. But these lands only became inhabited by humans in the last few centuries, colonized by pirates and slavers. They did what they wanted, even if it was to name themselves the prince of a city.
Bo and Cain walked side by side. They’d grown close, two opposites who somehow found a perfect friendship. Though both tall, Bo’s wide shoulders and barrel chest dwarfed Cain’s medium build. A few steps behind them, she could barely hear Cain’s quiet voice. Bo’s loud laugh startled birds in the field next to the road.
Turning to glance behind her, she watched Prince bravely try to keep up. Though tall, his slim frame seemed weak compared to the others. It wasn’t, or hadn’t been. Few saw past the beauty of his face anyway. Even dying he took her breath away. Had he not been an arrogant, temperamental and impatient prince, he would likely have been a favorite to them all. As it was, quite often the other men barely tolerated him.
The winding road brought them steadily closer to yet another large city. It was situated well back from the sea, the rocky cliff-lined shore
preventing any type of port. Stone walls sat upon a wide, low hill, surrounded by a patchwork of fields. Far to the east she could see the forest line. Certainly this had been the closest they had come to it since the previous fall.
She regarded the distant trees warily. Humans held the coastline, but Were and Fey ruled the easterly forests.
Drawing closer to the city gates, Kei and Prince adjusted their hats, ensuring their ears remained well hidden. Prince's ears were pointed, too, but much more so than Kei's. She smothered another grin at Prince’s floppy hat. It still made her laugh every time she saw it. When the Dragos, Damon, destroyed the rune holding the glamour making him appear human, he'd been forced to adapt and hide.
He had no magic left. At least he could somewhat pass for human by hiding his pointed ears. He still moved more gracefully. However, his weakening condition had started to compensate for that. Keeping his face lowered hid his beautiful face, all planes and angles, sweeping brows over sparkling blue eyes. His black hair hung long and fine down his shoulders.
"Rot." She looked away. Too often, thoughts of him occupied her mind.
Trying to keep them away didn’t seem to work, even though she had nothing to offer him. She wasn't beautiful, though Avery had once told her she was. She’d grown some curves, but was too hard and thin from little food and too much walking and weapons practice. Her hair hung to her shoulders, but went wild unless braided. Scars marred her face too, one high on her forehead from when she'd gotten struck by debris in the sea, and she didn't know how many from the slaver attack.
Luckily she'd not seen a mirror in almost a year. Though they travelled through many cities on their journey south, they couldn’t afford to rent rooms. Any coin they had went to food. Strangely, she didn’t really mind, even though she’d grown up rather privileged. Her family hadn’t been nobles, but they’d done well enough.
Her thoughts turned to memories of her lost home and family as she trudged along the dusty road.
Kei stepped up to her side, playfully bumping his shoulder against hers. "No dark thoughts."
"I wasn’t–"
"You were." He looked up at the sky, smiling when he saw a few clouds. "Tell me what you see today."
Finding shapes in the clouds proved an easy and amusing distraction. Before long, Kei had her laughing and smiling again.
Entering the city just past noon they immediately headed for the market. They had nearly no coin left and had decided to sell some of their extra daggers taken from slavers Kei had killed. Hopefully they would get a decent price and would be able to afford food for their further travels.
The market teemed with people and she struggled not to lose sight of everyone. She noticed Prince being jostled more than once and moved closer to him. She wasn't certain how much pain, if any, his weakening condition left him in. Though his arrogance had dimmed somewhat compared to when she’d first met him, it certainly hadn't gone away. He always insisted he was fine and never whined or complained.
She worked her way over to him and slid her arm around his.
He glared down at her. "I am fine."
"I know," she said, looking up at him innocently. She thought of Damon then, just for a moment. He had attacked her in a city once, ripping memories from her mind.
Prince sighed and shifted his arm, slipping her hand down into his. "It is unlikely he will be here."
She nodded and ducked her head, more to hide the smile which came to her lips than anything else. Elves could read thoughts and mind-speak. Though he kept out of her mind unless invited, he still skimmed her surface thoughts often enough when they touched.
She wasn't truly worried about the Dragos being here. However if Prince thought she was, he would allow her to remain by his side where she could keep an eye on him.
Squeezing his hand a little, she looked back up at him. "Do you mind? Just in case?"
"Troublesome child. Do as you wish."
She offered him a small smile. "Thank you."
They stood off to the side watching Bo and Cain continue to move from stall to stall looking for someone to purchase their daggers. She adjusted her pack with one hand, wishing it were safe enough for her to remove it. Though she'd grown used to the weight, the day had turned hot and the crowds didn’t help the stifling heat.
"We could fill the water skins," she suggested to Prince, looking up at him.
He nodded, his eyes continuing to scan the crowd for possible danger.
Spotting Kei, she waved him over. "We're going to get water. Can you get the skins from Bo and Cain and meet us at the well?" She pointed toward one they’d recently passed.
Kei nodded and slipped into the crowd, disappearing quickly.
Keeping a hold of Prince, they made their way back to the well and stood in line. Kei joined them a short time later, extra skins over his shoulder.
He moved close to them. "People are skittish," he said, keeping his voice very low. "We should go soon."
She looked up at Prince. She hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary.
Prince stared off into the crowd, a frown on his face.
He continued to watch while the line slowly moved them to the well. When they eventually had their turn they worked quickly. Finding Bo and Cain after a short search, they moved to a quiet spot near a wall to divide up the supplies the men had been able to purchase with the sale of a few daggers.
Considering there were five of them, it wasn't much, but it would hopefully get them to the next city where they might find better luck.
They wove their way through the crowded market, carefully keeping track of each other. The mid-afternoon sun beat down and the strange tension within the city had, if anything, gotten worse.
Eventually leaving the market behind, they headed for the south gate, drawing tighter together. The crowds had barely thinned, which was unusual to say the least.
Aro moved closer to Kei, continually glancing over at him while they walked. He didn't notice, his gaze flickering from one thing to another, on constant watch.
The noise of the crowd echoed off of the buildings behind the stalls, making it difficult to decipher anything specific. At least for her.
"Kei, what's going on? Can you hear?"
His gaze darted over to her for a moment before he stopped walking. The others noticed and they moved off to the side, out of the way.
She could tell Kei wished she wasn't there. He wanted to talk to the others, at least at first, before saying anything to her. She scowled at him and managed to keep herself from swatting him. He rarely treated her like a child. Him doing so now both irritated and worried her.
"Tell me," she demanded angrily.
After a moment of silence, and many exchanged looks between the men, Bo answered, "There is an army marching on the city."
She stared at them in shock. Stupid, stupid men! "Then why are we still here?" Her voice came out many octaves too high.
"It was just recently spotted. We should have time–"
"Rot!" She cut Bo off before he could finish, grabbing Kei roughly by the arm and pushing and pulling and dragging the lot of them to get them moving again.
Panic quickly began winding its way through her. She wouldn't be trapped in a city under siege again. If it happened, and the city fell...she didn't want to think of it, but couldn't help herself. Would they all be killed? Her breath caught in her throat. No, not killed, death would be a waste. They would be sold. Like the last time.
Last time...
She closed her eyes for a moment, fighting the skittering darkness which tried to overwhelm her.
"They're closing the gates!" The fearful panic in the voice of whoever yelled spread through the crowd.
People screamed. Some ran, some stood frozen in shock or terror.
She became one of the frozen, her mind refusing to believe. It had happened, they had become trapped here. An arm encircled her shoulders. She looked up, not surprised to see it belonged to Prince.
"We will
be fine," he said softly.
She shook her head wordlessly and let him lead her off the street. They wound their way through streets and alleys until they came to a quiet deserted spot between two old decrepit buildings.
Stopping beside Prince, his arm still around her, she could only stare off blankly into nothing. The fear choked her. The spiraling panic continued to worsen. She couldn't breathe.
"We can leave our gear here," Bo said, removing his pack and tucking it into the shadows. "It would be best if we weren't noted to be obvious travelers and mistaken for spies."
Cain looked over at her. "We'll find a way out. Don't worry."
"Kei, check the main north gate and see if there are any other gates on that wall," Bo said.
Kei nodded. He'd been a scout before, he knew what to do.
"Cain, take the west wall, I'll take the east," Bo continued, scratching the old scar down his face absently as his mind quickly made plans.
She looked up suddenly. They were all leaving her? Shaking her head frantically, words lodged in her throat. She looked up at Prince. Don't leave me!
He acknowledged her mental scream with a slight squeeze. "I should stay with Aro."
Bo stared at her a moment before nodding to Prince. He turned to Cain, "We can do the south wall as well, meet us at the gate."
Cain nodded.
Without further discussion they set out. Kei turned to her, pulling her out of Prince’s embrace to hold her in one of his own. She held him tightly, struggling to calm down. "Be careful."
He kissed the top of her head. "I will." He ran off, quickly disappearing into the shadows.
Staring after him, a shudder ripped through her. She wrapped her arms around herself, wishing Prince would hold her, comfort her. At the same time she knew better. It wouldn't help. He would say everything would be fine and she would try to believe him. In the end, whatever happened would happen.
She turned when Prince moved and watched him sit down and lean against one of the building walls. Frowning, she hesitated a moment before joining him. He looked so tired, so worn out. Concentrating on worrying about him instead of the fighting she knew would soon come helped calm her panic.