Page 39 of The Prince's Captive

Which only confirmed it had all been an act. He’d known exactly what he’d been sending her into, and when he cozied up to her side again, pretending he wasn’t the man responsible for keeping her trapped, she wasn’t going to fall for it.

She should have used her magic on him the second her manacles hit the ground.

Chapter14

MARCELLA

The Inimicus dragged Marcella back to the camp. She glared at every inch of it, huffing and fuming with every step they forced her to take. No matter how difficult she was or how much she struggled, they still kept marching her into the camp.

At Gavril’s gesture, the Inimicus deposited her in the center of the camp, on the ground by a dying fire. The older commander barked a few orders at the men, and they quickly dispersed, hurrying away from the three of them. Gavril lifted his hands and started to cast.

Marcella’s breath caught in her throat, and she tried to move as far away as she could, but now that her hands were bound behind her back she wasn’t able to get very far.

However, the rune just hovered in the air. Marcella had no idea what it was for.

Then in the silence, she realized itwassilence. She couldn’t hear any of the men’s movements or voices in the rest of the camp. It was blocking sound from getting in, and likely from getting out.

“—forget him—got the key doesn’t matter—pretend I believe you—” the older commander said. “—one hand—same time—lost this opportunity—you know—do that?”

“No. I didn’t.” Gavril kept his hands in the air, holding up the rune. “—strike fast—caught don’t cast—assumed their runes—”

“—Healer—”

Marcella’s mind stopped translating at that word as she stiffened. She tried scrambling back farther, shoving her fraying, tattered sandals into the dirt. She failed to put much distance between her and the commanders. The second she started scrambling, Gavril moved at the same time, shifting his leg so it was behind her, and she hit it before she could go any farther.

She looked up at him, but he was still looking at the older commander. “—too valuable—point was peace—”

“—to stop the alliance—cooperate—doing clearly hasn’t worked—”

Gavril snapped. “—mission, not yours—know what I’m doing—”

“—this and—explain yourself—your head—” The older commander threw a hand up and then walked away, out of the range of the silencing rune as the crunch of his footstep cut off halfway through.

Gavril lowered his hands, shifting the rune to the ground, and the glowing lines settled on the dirt beneath Marcella, setting into place the way the Inimicus did to get around the fact that they could only cast with two hands. She tried to move out of its range, but Gavril had already dropped to the ground in front of her and grabbed her ankle as she tried to squirm out of the silencing rune. He pulled her back until she was right in front of him, her legs bent and twisted to the side so their knees touched.

He stared down at her and started speaking in her tongue. “You lied.”

Her mouth fell open. “What?”

There was only one liar between the two of them, and she wasn’t the one who was skilled in casting them.

He narrowed his eyes. “Said you are no one. Not no one.”

Now she was utterly confused. What made him think otherwise?

“What are you talking about? I am no one of importance. Just a decoy for Hypatia. You figured that out on your own.”

He gestured to her hands behind her back. “Cast at the same time. Valuable skill.”

It really wasn’t. Every clan mage could do it. Only the Inimicus’ magic required them to use both hands to cast their runes. Did they think they could cast one-handed, but only one rune at the same time?

She shook her head. “I’m not valuable.”

He shook his head. “Your people—”

He let out a long sigh and ran a hand through his hair. The harshness ebbed from his features as exhaustion took its place. She braced herself. Here came the illusion, and this time she was going to see right through it.

He sighed and said softly, “They threw you away to die?”

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