Page 9 of Heartless Prince

I quietly ducked behind the stacked coffins as the excited, blathering recruits made their way over to the men with the flaming torches. I now realized the men were guarding a darkened entrance to… I wasn’t sure what. I could only assume it was the way down into the underground lair I’d heard so much about.

“Silence, neophytes!” one of the torch-holders said, his deep voice echoing throughout the tomb. “You are treading on sacred ground.”

The brown-robed recruits went silent immediately.

“You wish to gain entrance to our Inner Temple,” said the other blue-robed man. “Speak our watchword or leave this place forever.”

“Deliciae dolor!” said every recruit in chorus.

I raised an eyebrow. Greer was right about that motto of theirs; it wasn’t just a rumor. Willa’s brothers either lied to her or didn’t care enough about the society to remember the words.

One of the men lowered his torch. “Follow me, neophytes.”

He turned and briskly headed through the dark entrance. The recruits followed him in single file.

I waited in my dark hiding spot, my heart racing. I had no idea what to do now. There was still one man with a torch guarding the entrance, so it wasn’t like I could sneak through. Damn. Willa was right the other week. It would be impossible for anyone to make it farther into this mausoleum than where I was right now.

My shoulders slumped, and I let out a defeated breath. I didn’t even know how I could get out of here without that guard seeing me. I’d just have to make a break for it to the back entrance and hope he didn’t catch me as I raced through the graveyard.

A shrill sound assaulted my ears a few seconds later. At first I panicked and almost jumped up, but then I realized it was only a cell phone. Not mine; I set it to the softest vibration setting earlier so that only I would know if it went off.

The guard with the flaming torch slipped a hand into a deep pocket and pulled his cell out. “Hey, man,” he said. “Yeah, they just arrived. We followed the stupid script, don’t worry. They’re on their way down to the lair with Hasser now. Should’ve seen their faces. They pretend like they’re so calm and casual but they take this shit so seriously. Fucking hilarious. Anyway, I’m just gonna go for a piss.”

My forehead wrinkled. So much for Crown and Dagger being grim and serious. From the way the guy was talking on the phone, it seemed more like the society was just a silly frat they only pretended to take seriously to scare the new recruits.

“What? No.” The man’s tone was getting argumentative now. “My fucking bladder feels like it’s about to explode! Seriously, man, my dick will probably fall right off if I don’t go now.”

I suppressed a snicker. Nice imagery there.

“It’s not like anyone else is coming. I’ll go outside and it’ll take three minutes max. I’ll see if anyone tries to get into the tomb, anyway.” There was a pause, then, “Yeah, fine, whatever.”

He hung up. I saw him dialing another number. “Hey, man, I seriously can’t wait until I’m second-level and don’t have to do this boring-ass bullshit anymore. Think you can come up here for a few minutes and keep me company? I need to take a leak but fucking Benson said I can’t take a break until someone else is here to keep watch.” He paused, presumably listening to his fellow Crown and Dagger brother on the other end of the line. “Ten minutes? Urgh. Fine. See you then.”

He hung up, grumbling to himself. Then he looked over to the tomb’s back entrance and muttered, “Oh, fuck it. Two minutes won’t kill the pricks,” and strode outside.

My heart leapt. This was my chance. The entryway was unguarded, and I knew no one else was coming up to cover for this guy for at least ten minutes. It was almost as if the stars had aligned to make my life as easy as possible tonight.

I crept out from my hiding spot on my tiptoes and ducked into the dark entrance. Shouts and drumbeats echoed up from deep below. My hands shook with fear and anticipation as I walked forward, feeling my way down a winding path. Everything turned black as the torchlight from the main room faded away. The air became cooler, thicker, filled with the scent of earth. I was in an underground tunnel.

I moved as fast as I could in the darkness, praying I didn’t run into the guy who would be heading up here soon to relieve the other guard. If I did, I’d be screwed.

Luckily, I didn’t encounter anyone. I made it all the way down to the end of the dank, twisting tunnel, and I squinted as light hit my eyes again. I drew in a sharp breath and shrank into the shadows as I saw what lay at the end.

It was a magnificent underground grotto, decorated with imposing stone columns and intricate sculptures carved into the walls and ceiling. Flaming torches and candles lit the sprawling place, and old cracked gravestones were scattered around the edges. I could see dark little doorways leading to other rooms in the grotto, and I could hear wild shrieks, masculine groans, and feminine giggles spilling out from them.

Deep, rhythmic drumbeats echoed throughout the main chamber. It was filled with dark blue-robed Crown and Dagger members, along with several others in red robes. They had their hoods pulled up, and they were all wearing golden masks which covered every inch of their faces. The masks were elaborate with gleaming jewels and elegant bird’s beaks that suggested arched brows and predatory mouths.

The new recruits stood barefaced and stoic on one side, not far from where I was crouched at the end of the tunnel.

In the center of the room, standing by a stone altar ringed by fire, was a man in a black robe. His hood was down and unlike the other established members, his mask only covered his eyes. He also wore a twisted golden crown. In one hand, he held a dagger.

I muffled a gasp. Even with the top of his face covered, I could tell it was Tobias King—Elias’s father. I recognized him easily, because I’d once seen him speaking to my parents about a potential contract for my father’s surveying business. He also had the exact same nose and powerful square jawline as Elias.

I guess it made sense that he was the head of Crown and Dagger, given how wealthy he was. The society only tapped members from super-rich or powerful families, and the Kings were the richest and most powerful of all.

There was a sudden booming sound as someone hit a large gong. The giggles and shrieks from elsewhere in the grotto abruptly ceased, along with the drumbeats, and a moment later, a few more robed men appeared from the doorways and headed over to the others.

“Welcome, neophytes!” Tobias called out, drawing everyone’s eyes to him. I took the opportunity to quickly creep out of the tunnel and slip through the darkness along the edge of the room, ducking behind one of the tall gravestones. “Come forward!”

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