Page 39 of The Lost Prince
People screamed and ran, making it difficult for the Fireguards to race forward with bags of sand and buckets of water.
The fire was out in short order, but the distraction had achieved its purpose: no one had noticed me fall from the sky into their midst.
And now I was stuck in a pile of silk bolts taller than I was.
Twisting and writhing, all I did was sink further down into the cart. But I could move my arms and legs. My limbs didn’t hurt, and broken bones were set and all in the right places.
Dragon’s blood can heal.
I’d have to examine that bombshell later. Time to get out of this wagon.
I wriggled my way to the bottom of the cart, finding the wooden bottom. With two feet on the ground, I pushed myself towards the back of the cart, fighting the nagging feeling of claustrophobia, sucking in air as best I could while the fabric clung to my skin, hot and stifling.
There!
My fingers brushed the back of the cart, and I used the wooden slats to climb up the edge of the cart, finally emerging from the swath of fabrics to pop my head into clean air.
A man stood directly in front of me and the cart, his fine red and purple tunic swaying slightly in the breeze. He stared open-mouthed at the smoking remnants of the tree, completely unaware of the random stowaway sneaking from the depths of his cart.
I climbed out and walked away as casually as I could manage.
But at least I was walking; something I didn’t think I’d ever do again as of this morning.
Walking among the Nobles going about their days, I was reluctant to return to the castle immediately. It was bright outside despite the dome overhead; I’d spent so much of my life indoors that I hadn’t realized how much …brighterthe world outside was. The warmth of the bare sun on my skin on top of the dome was already a treasured memory of mine. And like a drunk with too much wine, I wanted more.
The sea of humanity around me was simultaneously thrilling and nauseating. People pressed against each as they went on their way, and others yelled as they haggled prices and bartered goods. Jewelry, pots, clothing, and food surrounded me. While beautiful, I’d seen it all before. The palace had many fine things, after all. What caught my attention was the chaos and the people.
What I truly wanted to see lay below the Seat in the other quarters: the artisan quarter, the stone quarter, the bread quarter, and, of course, the mud quarter. I wanted to see where these mud boys came from, and I wanted to see how people in the other quarters lived. I hadn’t yet met anyone from the stone, bread, or artisan quarters.
They all lived below, down the sheer cliff. Maybe Zariah would help me get down there one day?
The very thought excited me. A friendship with a dragon was quite the feather in my cap, but I hadn’t truly appreciated what it meant: freedom!
Yes … this would be a fine alliance, indeed.
“You! Scribe! What are you doing outside the palace?” a Fireguard shouted at me, one I didn’t know, and to my embarrassment, I panicked.
And ran.
Stupid, stupid, stupid.
Of course, I would stick out like a sore thumb in my simple apprentice shift and over robe, which looked nothing like the bright, colorful fashions the other Nobles wore. My age alone made me stick out; boys were supposed to be in training, not standing in the market square gawking like a fish out of water.
His shouts faded behind me as I ducked down and used my smaller frame to my advantage, weaving through the crowd and darting towards the palace as fast as I could. The crowd slowed the guard and any others that tried to join him, people moving too slowly or with confusion that ended up impeding him more.
I didn’t know any other way into the palace aside from the one I could see: the main entrance. Pushing towards the white marble, I prayed to any gods listening that the Fireguards guarding that entrance would help me out as I bounded up the steps.
“Woah. What are you doing out?” one Fireguard asked as both of them crossed their spears over the door to bar my entrance.
“Exactly! Let me back in!”
They blinked at me, grips on spears loosening as they couldn’t deny the logic. I didn’t wait for their brains to catch up to their ears. I dove through the spears and nearly did a somersault, hitting the stone floor hard. My body kept propelling itself forward, not willing to give up a scrap of time in case the Fireguards snapped out of it and chased me down.
I gunned it down the long hallway towards the bathing chambers, knowing I could navigate my way back to my dormitories from there, at least.
Behind me I heard the Fireguards chasing run into the ones guarding the doors. Shouts and arguments broke out, but there were no thundering footsteps coming after me. I didn’t slow down as I zipped through the bathing chambers, ignoring the yelps and screams from the primas and other young girls who were bathing.
And I might have sneaked a peek here and there, slowing my run just enough to appreciate the round plumpness of a breast here, and the swell of a hip there. The women were still all the same; scared and delicate little creatures who would break and cry at the smallest bit of trouble.
