Stella
Patrick. Bolin’s friend’s name was Patrick. I repeated it to myself over and over, hoping it stayed in my memory this time.
After a morning of shopping for items and clothing for me, my head hung with exhaustion. We walked across a busy cobbled road to return to the house. A heavy clicking sound behind us made Bolin pull me off the street and against a stone building. Patrick stumbled out of the way, his cane insufficient for fast movement.
A massive creature appeared, with a figure perched on its back. My jaw fell.
Patrick mumbled in his language.
“What is it?” I asked, perhaps too loudly.
“That’s a noble,” Bolin said, squinting as the magnificent beast pranced into the bright midmorning sun.
I clutched his arm more tightly. “Why are nobles so large?”
Patrick guffawed. “I’m bigger than him.”
I squinted at him. “The noble almost ran over us. It was huge.”
“Do you mean the horse?” Bolin asked, eyebrows raised.
This language barrier was beyond frustrating. I huffed air between my lips.
“The animal was a horse. The one riding was a noble, or a king’s magic user,” he explained.
“Oh.” I tapped the aching wound on my forehead through the bandage. This outing pushed me to my limit, and I needed rest.
A metallic blast battered my hearing, and I stumbled onto my knees as I covered my ears. Patrick and Bolin winced, but remained upright beside me.
More click-clacks sounded against the paving stones, and many horses pranced closer.
“Make way!” A sentry shouted several times, looking at everyone on the sides of the street.
I watched, transfixed at the majestic beasts and the rider’s violet jackets. A man with midnight-black hair and a sun-kissed complexion rode in the entourage’s center. His eyes met mine. Deep green irises glared through me, though his expression softened when his gaze flicked to my bandages.
“Lower your head. It’s the prince,” Patrick said, reaching behind my shoulders and gently pressing me forward.
Despite my confusion, I obeyed.
They passed, and I stood to watch them disappear around a bend.
“His security is doubled,” Bolin said, stroking his smooth chin.
“Good. It’s about time he took his safety seriously.”
Bolin gave a curt nod in agreement.
I observed the splendid beasts lumbering away, and for a split second, I thought the green-eyed prince looked over his shoulder … at me.
Prince Ferdinand
As my men and I made our way back to the royal estate, those ocean-gray eyes kept interrupting my thoughts. This surprised me, as the assassin’s grimacing expression haunted my mind since he died. Yet that unknown, injured woman’s gaze lit an intense desire to take her.
My father procured concubines when the impulse inspired him, though Queen Caterina objected most fiercely to the practice. In my twenty-seven years, I’d never taken one.
Perhaps this brush with death awoke my baser urges.
“Are you well, your highness?” Rocco, one of my guards and a skilled air wielder, rode closer to me. I favored him over most others because he genuinely cared.
I cleared my throat. “Fine. I want the bastard behind this.”
He nodded, then fixed his crooked guard’s cap. “We’ll catch them.”
We found no leads beyond the slain would-be-assassin. Riding around town did nothing except show the perpetrator I was alive.
“Dario,” I called to the broad-shouldered escort leading the entourage. “Do you sense anything?”
“Nothing dangerous,” he answered in a deep voice.
Good. Dario was a sensor and could detect even faint magical abilities. Apparently, wielders emitted magical vibrations, and each element: air, fire, earth, water, and metal had their own frequency. Dario explained once that healers released a calming essence that he could almost hear, while seer magic was like a throbbing, freezing wind.
None of Astralind’s royal family members had magic, sadly. How I wished I had fire, metal, or any of them running through my veins. Except healing. That was a cursed magic, as they usually died from overexerting themselves. I shuddered at the thought.
Once we reached the royal estate, Dario left his horse to a stable-hand and hurried to the villa. The palace, situated northeast of the city, was being renovated. I preferred the south-eastern estate with its expansive gardens and wildlife.
Dario found something important, and he meant to inform my father, but not me. There was no other sensible explanation for his behavior. I frowned. Men my age ruled kingdoms, and I was sick of being shielded.
I dismounted and thrust the reins at a stable-girl. She murmured to the beast as I followed the muscular guard. Running would draw far too much attention.
I caught up to him outside my father’s study. Two guards flanked the ornate wooden doors with gold trim in star designs. My eyebrow quirked when he frowned.
The guard on the right knocked and announced us.
“Enter,” my father called.
“I don’t think you should-” Dario began.
“Whatever you plan to divulge to the king, you’re also going to share with me.”
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