Page 91 of The Lost Prince
“Fuck,” I whispered in to the darkness as footsteps approached. “Shit.”
I closed my eyes, willing myself to calm down. No one knew the tunnel was here. They’d see nothing. Then I could just … leave the body here, then figure out a way to dispose of it later. Yes, that’s what I would do.
No one had to know. No one would know.
* * *
“Where have youbeen? I waited for hours … I was just about to head back without you!”
Shava was mildly hysterical, her dark hair in a fuzzy halo around her head from the head of her torch, which was almost burned down to a stub. Her eyes scanned the satchels and bags draped over me, then paused at seeing blood on my hands. I’d wiped it off the best I could, but it still stained my skin in obvious places, as well as gotten under my nails.
“There was trouble,” I offered smoothly.
The truth was always the best lie.
“Tell me about it later. We have to go!”
She picked two of the bags off my back without a word and hurried down the corridor.
A few hours later, we emerged out into the mud quarter, dirty and sweating. We had to keep going, and get into the next tunnel to get out of the city. The little girl’s (Mari?) unconscious form was gone from the tunnel. Hopefully that meant she’d woken up and gone on her way, telling no one what she’d seen.
All they’d have to do is offer a crust of bread, and she’d spill all she knew, I thought, remembering her rail-thin frame. It was frustrating relying on a child’s silence, but we had no choice.
The sun was rising over the mud quarter, but unlike the Seat, no one was stirring. Then again … why would they? There was no market to hustle by, no stalls to bustle through. Just hunger and poverty.
“Come on,” Shava urged me, as we crossed through the open area with its food cart and water well.
One lone Fireguard stepped out from behind the cart, stepping up to halt us in our tracks. My bags dropped to the ground and my knife was out in one fluid motion. Only Shava’s hand on my wrist stopped me from immediately activating my blood magicks and running him through.
Finish what you tried to start with the other one,my inner voice urged.You felt the magick coursing through your veins. Don’t waste this chance. Don’t—
“I had hoped it wasn’t you I saw earlier, but now I see it was true,” L said. “What are you doing here?”
I reared back as L’s face peered down at me from underneath his polished gold and red helmet.
Wrong place, wrong time. So sad for him, cajoled my inner voice.
What? No! This was L. He was a fri—Well, he was a helpful connection to have. I wasn’t going to killhim!
He isn’t even in the palace anymore. Idiot obviously got reassigned to the mud quarter for something stupid. Kill him.
“Z? Zephyr? Why do you look like that?” Shava’s voice was tinged with worry, her eyes darting into every shadowy corner as though more Fireguards would pop up any moment. My anger must have been palpable.
“The queen found out about our … association,” L said. “She banished me here when I couldn’t tell her where you went. Did she banish you, too, finally?” L asked.
My fingers let go of my knife handle, and it slid back into its sheath. Shakily, I picked up my bags.
You almost killed L after he took the fall for you.
Shava’s face was white as we left L behind. He didn’t call for help or try to follow us. I should feel doubly awful for nearly killing him, but I didn’t.
Why didn’t I?
“Come on. In.”
We made it to the tunnel, and headed back toward the desert.
ChapterTwenty-One
