Page 12 of The Lost Prince
I stood straighter and lifted my chin, daring myself to meet her silver stare.
My body went ramrod straight as some foreign feeling passed between us—something dangerous and powerful, like the tigers I’d read about in one of Mother’s storybooks, crouching down in the grass as it waited for the perfect moment to pounce on its prey.
“You dare.”
Her voice was so low I doubted anyone heard it but me. The urge to take a step was strong, but I fought it, too stubborn to back down.
Danger. Predator.
I ignored my instincts as they screamed at me to back down. Something large and powerful leered down at me, demanding I kowtow to it. The urge to refuse was enticing. The queen could order my death as easily as her next meal. What was I playing at?
My eyes flitted to the king, settling on his dark hair before going back to the queen. If he could thrive in this court, so could I.
I would not be bullied. Not by B. Not by a queen.
Tension bled from my shoulders and I shifted my gaze to stare straight ahead, away from the queen. My silence meant I couldn’t give the wrong answer, but it let her know I was obedient tono one.
The tension between us thickened, warnings blaring in my head. My head grew fuzzy at the rush of defying a queen.
“Seen your mother lately?”
The noise in my head disappeared. The world sucked in around me, claustrophobic and pushing on my chest. My mouth dried, and my heart pounded against my chest. I licked my lips, but no words came out.
“I asked you a question,boy.”
The left corner of her lip curled back. She was having fun.
It felt wrong to let her win. The correct answer was in my head, but I didn’t like it. I didn’t want it. What I said came out much louder than I’d intended.
“My mother is prettier than you.”
The boys on either side of me gasped, turning their heads and openly gawping at me with open shock. The queen reared back as though I’d struck her physically. All around us, Nobles tensed. The Fireguards shifted restlessly.
Fear grabbed hold of my spine and clawed its way down to my toes.
I was so, so dead.
The queen smiled at me and leaned forward. I wished fervently she’d just shove a spear through my ribs. At least it’d be a cool way to die.
Goosebumps broke out along my arms even as sweat snaked down my back. I fought hard the urge to lean back, away from that deadly look.
“Your mother is dead.”
ChapterFour
“Your mother is dead.”
And then she was gone, leaning back and smiling as she moved onto the boy next to me, asking about his older brother who was a healer for the infirmary.
Lies. Lies.Lies.
I bolted from the line, racing towards the doors. Gasps and shocked cries rang in my ears, but I ignored them, stubbornly focused on reaching the open doors before the Fireguards either caught me or closed them.
“Stop him!”
I zoomed by the guards outside the door before they could react, and blindly raced down the corridor. I didn’t care where I was going, but my feet automatically went to my mother’s apartments. Ourapartments.
I hadn’t been allowed out of our rooms often at all, but I knew the way from the throne room to them; mother had made sure of it. Left, left, up the stairs, then right.
