Page 83 of The Lost Prince
Shava’s hands clenched into fists at her sides as she ignored a litany of jeers and catcalls from the shadows.
“Who’s he? Your prince?” cackled another man. The others thought this was funny, laughing and laughing. The alley felt like it was shrinking around me.
Don’t panic.
“Need to get out of the fucking male alley,” Shava whispered to me harshly, picking up the pace.
Oh. This was themalealley. Because that made so much sense.
“What’s going on? Shut up down there!”
I didn’t have time to react as Shava grabbed me and shoved us into the nearest hut, just as a trio of Fireguards stuck their heads down the opening of the alley.
The men went silent as the tomb.
It was dim and hard to see inside of the hut, but I could still make out two figures in the corner that were stirring.
“Who are you? Trying to steal what’s mine?” A man threw off the ratty blanket covering him and a naked woman, rearing at me with a crude shank in his hand. Shava lunged, but I was right in his path. I caught his wrists with my hands, his rudimentary weapon slicing a thin line across my forearm.
Blood welled slightly, and I grinned. That was all I needed.
Golden lines flared in the darkness, filling the depressing hut with a warm glow. Shava stepped back in awe, mouth open.
Strength flowed through me, a rush of power and adrenaline that had me giddy.
“What the—”
I grinned.
And pushed.
The man flew back into the mud wall and crashed head first, sliding down to the dirt in a heap.
The woman with him scurried to her feet, tears streaking a path of clean skin down her cheeks as it washed away the dirt and grime. She fled the hut before Shava and I could say a word. Probably was terrified of me. I was already trying to think of how I’d explain to Shava what she’d seen.
“Well … that’s useful,” Shava managed, blinking at me.
I ran a hand over the small cut on my forearm, and the gold sigils of my bloodmagick faded back into my skin. When it was done, my arm was unblemished. “Come on. He won’t be out long. Annoyingly hard head on that one. Hopefully, she got a good head start.”
We darted out of the hut and towards the opening of the alley where the Fireguards had been. The girl was long gone.
I tensed, waiting for Shava’s questions.
Nothing. Her full attention was on our surroundings as we slunk through the slum and went as quietly as the sucking mud would allow us. As we neared an open area, Shava grew weary. “It’s not dark yet, so we should still be fine. If we can make it to the second row in the T alley, we can—”
I couldn’t take it anymore. “That’s all you’re going to say? You don’t have questions?”
It was possible that a part of me was more incredulous than worried about her reaction; she’d just seen actual blood magick, likely thefirstblood magick to be seen in centuries, and all she had to say was that it was useful?
She didn’t spare me a glance, her eyes on the patrolling Fireguards who were guarding a large wagon in the center of what I supposed passed for the town square. It was just an open space of mud that was the intersection of several alleys.
“Well, yeah. Of course I have questions. Now isn’t thetime.” Shava waited until the Fireguards passed, then made a break across the square for the third alley on the left. I struggled to keep up, wincing at the mud and dirt. How would I ever explain my filth if I stumbled back into the Seat?
“Where exactly are we going?” I asked.
“To see my friend,” she answered shortly, not even stopping to glance at me.
I bristled. “A friend? I’m not here to socialize. I—”
