Page 104 of Of Monsters Of Kings

“Yours is a beautiful one,” I told the prince. As I watched, he morphed to a conventional and handsome daylight form. My stitches and patches disappeared also. Goodness, was it dawn? I’d been down here for hours. Princess Bring had left my hotel at midnight.

“There are only three free stairwells in the kingdom. This is one of them, and it is mine.”

I took that to mean Raise’s princes could go where they liked. “Tell me, Prince Sign. Did you and your liege hear of my recent arrival to monsterdom?”

“You’re a monster?”

I cocked a brow. “Couldn’t you tell from my patches and stitches when you found me? You know, I give frights as well as receive them.”

“I have no doubt. I haven’t seen a human in a long time and couldn’t remember what they look like or if they changed sometimes. I thought you were the most exquisite and rare creature ever seen, heard, or smelled, just not that you were monster. My oversight, lady, I assure you. Work has kept me busy here for centuries.”

“You haven’t ventured to the surface at all in centuries? No wonder you’ve forgotten the difference between monster and human. You must have become disconnected.”

“Connected to my work more so.”

“This is how King Raise likes you?”

“What else would he like us for? His purpose is his breath, and so it’s mine as his prince.”

King Bring had said that Raise’s purpose had become personal. I’d interpreted that to mean that Raise had corrupted long ago to whatever riches or glory his purpose could provide.

We reached the bottom of the stairwell and entered a long hallway.

The padding of my bare feet echoed, as did my breath. I couldn’t see any doorways down the hall, but when the prince turned right, an unmarked door appeared. That seemed to be the way in this place: things weren’t there one moment, then they were in the next.

The kingdom obeyed the will and thoughts of King Raise, and that was frightening indeed. Prince Sign could summon destinations and doorways because his king trusted that the will of his princes aligned with his will absolutely. That was why the princes each had a free stairwell. I doubted the stairwell would work for me, though. Raise surely wouldn’t trust his princes that far.

In short, if I couldn’t convince Raise that returning me to the hotel served his interest, then I suspected escape might be impossible.

“My liege,” the prince called into the room, then bowed. “There has been an interruption in proceedings.”

“An interruption,” drawled a voice. “There is no such thing in my kingdom.”

“No, my liege. You are brilliant, and it does seem there’s an interruption.”

“I am sure it is not, but speak your quibble, so that I might reassure you it is not such.”

Prince Sign cleared his throat. “My liege, a Lady Patch declares she fell into the kingdom to land upon a stairwell. She mentions that she was not delivered. In addition, she opted to answer only two entry questions and then,” he mumbled the rest, “didn’t sign.”

I became aware of the crackle and pop of flame in the silence.

A creak of leather followed. “Did not sign?”

“Yes, my liege. And so she suggested I bring her here to solve matters directly, and I didn’t feel sure that was the right course until the lady mentioned she’d recently become monster. Then I felt certain you’d wish to meet someone like her.”

“A new monster,” said Raise. “Yes, I heard of her through the channels as one does. New monsters don’t mean much to business, my prince.”

My eyes narrowed.

He’d known of me and snubbed me for the sake of his purpose, which he termed a business.

Raise sighed. “Let her enter then. I might as well see what can be done.”

To enslave me?

Prince Sign stepped aside, and I had the relish of witnessing King Raise jerk on his couch. He shot to his feet.

“Lady,” he hushed. “Magnificence.”

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