Page 19 of The Prince

“They’re your only family. Even if they are terrible people, we’re still talking about killing your father and your brother.”

“I don’t love them. I don’t even like them,” Caro said, trying to explain but mostly relieved Braxton had yet again divined his thoughts and helped Caro get them out in the open.

“But that doesn’t mean they don’t hold some level of import to you, even if it’s in the role of a bogeyman.” Braxton wrapped his arm over Caro’s shoulders and pulled him into a hug. “If you weren’t finding this difficult, I would be concerned.”

Caro tried to relax into Braxton’s embrace, into the warmth and comfort he exuded. He tried to still his mind, pushing every worry and fear to the background, but he failed. The night surrounding them was soothing, at least. Darkness, punctuated by stars far overhead, gave the illusion that they were home in Etoval, sitting in the royal garden on top of the palace. Now they were done talking, and the crickets and frogs had resumed chirping, until it seemed as if Caro and Braxton were the only two people for miles around.

It was only when Braxton gently shook him awake, revealing the first hints of dawn just beginning to glow low on the horizon, that Caro realized he had somehow managed to fall asleep. Braxton pressed a warm bowl into Caro’s hands, and after blinking blearily at it for a long minute, Caro realized it was full of oatmeal.

“Eat up. Once everyone’s ready, we’ll head out.”

Caro obeyed, and even though his stomach immediately soured at the memory of where they were going and why, one spoonful of Char’s cooking led to an empty bowl far too quickly. Horses were being saddled when Caro went over to the kitchen area to return the bowl, and he found Fen and Char holding hands and looking far too ooey-gooey for such an early hour.

“You’ll be safe?” Fen asked Char as Caro hurried to locate the drop-off spot for dirty dishes.

Char nodded. “As soon as you’re gone, we’ll pack up camp and head out too. The big trading city of Talvn is a couple miles that way,” he added, pointing south. “That’s where I completed my apprenticeship after school, so I know the area well, and I have friends who will help. I’ll hide there until we get word to come meet you.”

Caro scurried away as Fen bent to take a kiss, glad to find his horse and Braxton, and to disappear amid the bustle of the soldiers around him.

“Right!” Thris called, clapping his hands to bring everyone to order. “You all know the plan. Last night, the majority of our forces snuck into the city, where they are ready to attack the castle from multiple gates as loudly as possible. We won’t know whether they will only serve as a distraction for us, whether they’ll be able to breech the gates, or whether any townspeople will join in or fight back. Either way, we need to be inside the castle before they begin. Remember, from here on out, the only thing you should be thinking about is how this is a lovely day to go visit grandma. One stray thought of our real objective could ruin it all. But you soldiers are the best of the best. That’s why you were hand-picked to be here! We are going to go kick ass and take back our country from the tyrant running it!”

The answering roar startled a few roosting birds, who flew off chirping indignantly.

“Mount up!” Thris finished, putting words to action as he slid a foot into the high stirrup of his horse and heaved himself into the saddle. Caro obeyed, climbing onto his own horse.

Thris rode over to Caro, stopping at his side and waiting patiently as Caro got the reins situated.

“Right. Show us the way to the hidden entrance.”

Caro grabbed onto his resolve and nodded firmly. “This way.” He walked his horse through the crowd until he was in the lead, then settled into a ground-eating trot on the path to destroying his past and hopefully ensuring his future.

Chapter Fourteen

THE PATH TOhis own bedroom through the secret passages was forefront in Caro’s mind. The various turns and hallways he had used for years to hide from the public eye, and thereby preventing any of his family from noticing him, were all he thought about as he walked through the far-too-familiar pathways up until the moment when Caro stopped outside the one doorway he had never dared use before. He refocused his thoughts on the lock, which was a deadbolt-style that required multiple turns of the knob to pull back. Preventing the bar from scraping or the knob from squeaking was all he allowed himself to worry about. Once the door was unlocked, he took a step back and to the side, motioning Thris forward with a wave of his arm.

Thris drew his sword, echoed by the rest of their group, before waving for another soldier to yank the door open.

They fell into the king’s sitting room with a roar, dashing forward into an immediate melee. Caro followed, staying back and out of the way. He was fully aware he wasn’t nearly as well trained as the mixture of Thris, Fen, and Braxton’s elite fighters. Caro remained by the secret door, ready to join the fighting should he be needed, though he hoped that wouldn’t be necessary.

Four guards were always stationed by the door in the king’s private rooms. The king also had two bodyguards with him at all times. The crown prince had an additional two bodyguards, and Prince Cadell was also properly trained in how to use a sword. This time of the morning, Cadell and King Cyphus ate breakfast together. Caro had never been certain whether Cadell was getting trained as heir, or whether it was Cyphus’s way of monitoring him to prevent Cadell from stealing the throne early. Caro had certainly never been invited to dine with them. What that meant was nine fighters immediately jumped to their feet to engage with the fighters coming out of the hidden door, and their shouts brought more guards from the hallway.

Swords clanged, and fighters grunted and yelled. Furniture screeched as it was shoved out of the way, and dishes clattered as the breakfast table was overturned. Cadell was yelling about something as he was surrounded by fighters from both sides, including Fen and Thris, but Caro couldn’t make out the words over the rest of the cacophony. Braxton was on the other side of the room, part of a group fighting over there.

Once the initial influx of guards from the hallway had ended, Caro expected more to arrive from the barracks or other hallways. That was why their plan was to take out King Cyphus and Prince Cadell quickly, and escape back into the secret passages to join the rest of the fighters in the city. But the doorway remained empty. Namin had about fifteen people fighting for them, against Caro’s group of thirty. The outcome was decided.

Only… Caro sucked in a breath, his gaze casting around the room and trying and failing to find the familiar, hated face of his father, King Cyphus. There was no sign of graying blond hair or angry blue eyes, or even a spot where he could be hiding. Hisbodyguards were here, fighting, which meant he had to be in residence. But he was definitely not in the sitting room.

Perhaps their attack had happened a few minutes too early, and King Cyphus hadn’t yet emerged from his rooms to have breakfast with Cadell. Or, they had failed to conceal their approach from Cyphus’s magic, and he had fled. Either way, they had to find him or the coup would fail.

Since the guards from the hallway outside hadn’t rushed in until after the fighting began, Caro felt it safe to assume King Cyphus hadn’t fled that way. Additionally, Prince Cadell had been left like a sitting duck when he could have fled after King Cyphus had Cyphus gone out that way if he did indeed flee. King Cyphus might not care overly much about anything but his own comforts and security, but Cadell was the only viable heir in Namin. Losing Cadell would destabilize Cyphus’s rule and reduce their international standing. Not having an heir in Namin could cause absolute chaos. Other countries wouldn’t want to continue even the already limited trade agreements they had with Namin. Had he the chance, King Cyphus would have fled with Cadell in tow. Which meant King Cyphus had to be in the private bedroom area of the royal apartment.

Braxton must have come to the same conclusion since he was fighting his way toward the doorway that led deeper into the apartment. And yet, an alarm went off at the back of Caro’s brain. Perhaps King Cyphus thought his fighters could win against the invading force, but would he really trust them? Fleeing into a dead end would only increase his chances of getting caught. Unless…

A terrible scream interrupted Caro’s swirling thoughts. He spun to look and let out a squeaking gasp. Cadell hung off Thris’s sword, impaled like a bug in the museum’s curio collection. The sword had pierced through his stomach, at an upward angle withthe tip penetrating out his back near his shoulder blade. Cadell’s heart must have been skewered.

Cadell twitched once before going limp, and Thris twisted his sword as he lowered his arm to ensure the damage was permanent. Cadell’s body hit the floor with a thud that seemed to echo in Caro’s mind, the sneering lips and condescending eyes replaced by the slackness of death. The older boy who had broken Caro’s arm in a fit of rage when Caro was six; the young man who had used the younger Caro as a practice dummy when he was learning sword fighting; and the prince who had ordered Caro to join a mercenary band in a doomed attempt to invade Toval—knowing Caro likely wouldn’t survive—lay there like a mannequin, blood pooling beneath him onto the cream-colored carpet. Dead. Gone. The boogeyman of Caro’s childhood, the terror of Caro’s adult life, and the only older brother he’d ever had was gone. Caro let out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, the violent exhalation masked under the roar as the coup forces were galvanized, and the Namin defenders fought to protect what was left of the royal family.

Reminded, and glad for the distraction if he was being honest, Caro spun and dashed back into the secret passage. King Cyphus wouldn’t box himself into a corner. No, there had to be a second exit into the secret passages from the bedroom area.

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