Page 99 of The Lost Prince
I clenched my teeth together. I needed him to get just a little further into the tunnel with me. My plan was to take the first branch on the left and follow it into the main mining cavern about a mile underground from the palace walls. There had to be somewhere out of the way where no one would ever find him.
And then …
“Everyone always counts me out. You know, you’re not as smart as you think you are. I—”
I grabbed his arm before I realized what I was doing, slamming him up against the stone wall, the torch in his face. Hot flames illuminated his face, sweat breaking out on his forehead as his eyes got bigger than dinner plates. His fear was a tangible tang in the air, stirring my blood magick to life under my skin. He stared at my skin in fascination as the golden sigils swirled to life.
“I’m a bit … testy right now,” I managed, hanging onto my temper by a shred. “So how about you just shut up until we get there?” My voice was sugary sweet as I backed away.
Nisar rubbed his face with his hands, nodding emphatically without speaking. Perhaps he wasn’t as dumb as he looked.
“Wonderful. Come.”
“Comewhere, exactly?”
Maybe he wasn’t as dumb as I’d thought. He eyed me warily, no doubt taking note that I wore no satchel and had nothing on me besides my torch pouch. And my knife.
“To show you what’s in those scrolls,” I said coolly. It wasn’t a lie. What I was about to show him had been hinted at in the scrolls. Somewhat.
We walked and walked. I took four left forks until I paused. I could sense a wide, open space in front of us. It was likely just the large, open cavern I’d explored another time with Shava. All these tunnels likely connected back to it.
I put the torch in a small bracket by the threshold and checked I had all of my tools.
Nisar paused at the entrance to the mine, sensing it was an open space but unable to see through the pitch black. In the torchlight, I watched him scratch his whole arm vigorously.
“Itchy?” I asked, wondering if I’d be lucky enough to see a change. Self-defense would be justified in that case. I wouldn’t even have to make anything up about his disappearance! Nisar didn’t seem far gone enough, though. Shame.
He glanced down at his arm and frowned, catching sight of gray, flaking ashes falling to the ground.
“How that’d get on there? Filthy caves …”
I watched with interest. Did he really think the gray ash covering his entire forearm was dirt from the cave? The light from the torch was rather dim, but surely he wasn’t that stupid.
Surely.
My patience with him was gone. And down here, I didn’t have to hide anymore, did I? There was no need for further lies.
“You aren’t itchy. You’re turning into a demon,” I informed him calmly, sliding my knife out from my waist and pointing it towards him. Inwardly, I was giddy to see his reaction. Would he cry? Rage and scream? Try to attack me? Oh, the possibilities were endless.
He blinked at me. “Ah. I see. Isee.”
And the oddest thing was, I think hedidsee. How disappointing and anticlimactic.
“That’s what happens to all of us, isn’t it?” he continued wistfully, voice shifting from the whining, nasally annoyance to more thoughtful with a touch of melancholy. It didn’t sound like him at all. I hesitated, my hand with the knife relaxing.
“It explains a lot; why they make us marry mud girls, and why so many people I know have simply … disappeared.”
Not so dumb after all.
Maybe I didn’t truly know this Noble at all.
Who was I to be jury and executioner? Me, who valued intelligence above all else, when Nisar was at least literate, and none of the others in my party were?
The others aren’t turning into demons. Well, at least not yet.
Nisar didn’t flinch or step back as I approached with the knife, dark eyes trained on it and me. He was oddly calm.
“Can it be quick, at least? I’m afraid.” He gave a weak little laugh and stepped toward me, showing more bravery in that admission than I’d seen in the queen’s entire court my whole life.
