Page 52 of The Lost Prince
The crowd roared its approval as two Fireguards yanked Shava up and began dragging her away.
“All of you are invited to watch from the east balcony, which should give you a clear view of what happens to those who are unworthy of my court!”
Fuck, shit on a stick.
I went the same way as the crowd to avoid sticking out, but at the first opportunity I ducked out and ran through the castle as fast as I could, knowing I had to get up on the dome before the Fireguards and the queen reached the latch.
The south parapet was the most direct path.
Left turn, right turn, up the spiral staircases. Gods, when I ruled the world I’d build a castle without a single damned spiral staircase! Ramps were better!
Up and up …
Down the corridor. Keep breathing!
I burst out through the archway, the gap between the dome and the open air my only focus. There were enough notches and breaks in the crumbling stonework, allowing for hand and footholds. Adrenaline fueled me as I quickly scaled the parapet, ending only a few feet from the lip of the dome.
I eyed the distance warily. It was maybe four to five feet of open space. If I missed or could not hang onto the lip, the fall would definitely kill me. I was resistant to heat thanks to my rituals. I was not resistant to every bone in my body shattering.
My eyes closed as I breathed deeply, weighing the risks and rewards.
Cold realization froze the blood in my veins.
What was I doing? I was a few feet away from killing myself, and for what? For this slip of a girl who filled me with lust? If I needed to dip my wick, there was an entire kitchen full of simpering girls who would see to my needs.
You don’t want them. Not like you want her. It’s too easy with the others.
Fuck.
Walk away.She chose her fate.
I tried to rationalize the myriad of emotions rattling through me. This just wasn’t some lovesick attempt to save Shava—it was an opportunity to piss off the queen and hurt her credibility with her people, while letting her know I was a major player who wouldn’t go away so easily. How frightening would it be to see someone you thought you’d killed not only alive but also influencing your biggest weapon on the same day?
Yes, that was it. I was doing this as part of my plan for revenge against the queen. That was always worth the risk. I certainly didn’t care for a stupid girl right after meeting her. That was madness.
Are you sure?
I weighed my options. I could drop back to the parapet and go back to my room, and keep working on my next ritual. I’d ignore the thrill that’d gone through me at finding a strong, fierce woman who wasn’t the queen. I’d give up my opportunity to take and make my own decisions for once; to strike out on offense instead of constantly playing defense.
Stop waffling. Pick a direction and go.
I leaped.
ChapterThirteen
Vession is right. I’m an idiot.
I pushed off from the stone with my legs as hard as I could, stretching my body out and reaching for the lip of the dome. For an agonizing second, I hung in the air, then slammed down hard on the dome.
My fingers scrabbled against the slick surface, which was warm to the touch. With a grunt, I called on my strength bloodmagick and swung my right leg up as hard as I could. My skin sparkled gold and shone, sigils and lines running up and down my muscles.
The surface was too slick, and my leg slipped hard off the side.
The momentum almost ripped my hands from the dome, but it didn’t matter. It was a smooth surface that I couldn’t get much grip on.
I fell.
The only thought going through my head as the dome rose above me was how utterly stupid I was. At least the poets in the archives had their words to be immortalized by. What did I have?
