Page 22 of Towering Future (The Emerald Realm 5)

“I’ll be back the same time tomorrow with more meals and clay.” His strong tone clearly broadcasted his defiance against his father, and I found it strangely comforting that he was willing to risk the king’s anger for me. “We’ll do everything we can to get those doors open, but if we can’t... I want to ask if you can promise me something.”

My squinted eyes popped open behind my blindfold, and I tilted my head in intrigue. “What kind of promise?”

He shifted his feet across the rigid floors. “A promise where you leave if things get too dangerous. My father is twisted, and I don’t trust that he’ll remain patient for much longer. If he tries to hurt you, or threatens you any further, can you promise you’ll let me free you?” His hand reached for mine and this time, I couldn’t bring myself to stop him.

His thumb stroked the back of my hand with nervous circles, and I found myself momentarily entranced by the touch.Could I really do it? Could I really trust him and just leave when there may be others trapped like me?“I can make that promise, but on one condition...” I gave his hand a firm squeeze and his petting stopped.

“And what would that be?”

“You have to promise me that you’ll find out what’s behind those doors before your father selects his heir.” I pressed my tongue into my cheek to prevent my face from giving away any further information. I didn’t know for sure, but it seemed likely that Prince Conan would try to kill his brother after learning that the throne belonged to him. If Miron waited any later to plan a rescue, he might already be gone...

Miron dropped my hand, and I felt a sudden rush of nerves pulse through me.Was I not cryptic enough? Did he suspect something?I waited in silence for a painful moment as my hand floated awkwardly to my side. The silence continued on for another tense second until an apologetic gasp broke through the quiet.

“Oh, sorry! I’m holding my hand out... You know, for you to shake,” he squeaked awkwardly.

“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t sense your hand this time.” I reached out to grab his hand and swung at the air. A puzzled expression puckered my brow as a panicked squawk erupted inelegantly from the prince.

“Ah! Sorry! I put it back down again. I thought you weren’t going to... I mean, I was just... What in the realms am I doing!?Here!” He snatched up my hand between flabbergasted exclamations and shook it firmly.

Laughter burst out of me as he dropped my hand from the ridiculous shake. “I’m relieved to see than I’m not the only blind one.”

chapter fourteen

Miron’s visits continued for the next several days, and each time he brought me meals more decadent than the last. I had been receiving trays with standard bread and cheese once every few days, but I didn’t even bother to touch them now that Miron had me spoiled. My long tresses glittered vibrantly against the morning rays as I stared wistfully out the window.

The king was meant to visit me today. It was strange to believe that it had only been a week since I first met Miron—it seemed like we had known each other for months at this point. My fingers tangled through my thick hair as I meticulously wove it into a tight braid to sling over my shoulder. As my hands worked, my heart thumped obnoxiously as it longed for the prince’s company once more.

We had agreed that he shouldn’t visit today since the king could pop in at any time. While it was safer for us both, I still wished I could talk to him. I had promised him that if the king threatened my safety, I would allow him to help me escape. There was no telling what kind of anger the king would let loose if I refused him again. It likely wouldn’t be easy to convince Miron to let me stay...

I let out a heavy breath as my eyes drifted over to the hidden box of failed key forgeries.I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.Each day, Miron had brought me fresh lumps of clay to cast and mold into the intricate lock. It seemed as if my keys had matched the inner workings with a better precision than the original locksmith, but no matter how many I made, they never made contact with the lock’s pins. If I couldn’t open those doors before Miron died, then we may never know who was inside.

A tear stung under my lashes and I blinked it back furiously. I had been so foolish the last few days... Instead of closing off my heart like I’d intended, I had been entirely swept away by Miron’s kindness and sympathy toward me. No matter what I did, I couldn’t ignore my growing feelings. My heart had completely broken free from me and rooted affection toward the prince. I wasn’t sure if it was purely due to his warm friendship, or if something else was transpiring within me...

Either way, I couldn’t fight the desire to laugh with him and show my gratitude for his company, so instead of blocking off my heart, I blocked off my mind.

As a last resort to shield myself, I stopped thinking of my visions altogether. It was surprisingly easy to do when it was just the two of us. His friendly presence and joyful laugh made it easy to exist in the present and ignore the truth behind our future. Unfortunately, my shield was far more brittle when I was left alone with my thoughts. He was going to die, and I couldn’t change that. It wasn’t something anyone could truly prepare for either, so I simply decided not to try. If my time with the prince was destined to be short, then I was going to soak in every moment I could. I knew it would only make the pain worse in the end, and I knew I was risking everything by tying my heart to him... But wouldn’t it be worse if I allowed him to die without ever learning to appreciate his life?

A familiar guilt chewed at the back of my mind for not sharing the truth of his demise with him. He had refrained from bringing up the vision lately, but I could still tell the curiosity burned within him. Some days I wondered if it would be kinder if I simply told him the truth, but then another piece of me wanted him to live his last days in blissful ignorance. Was it wrong of me to make that decision for him?

My fingers fumbled as I got midway through my braid. I reversed the motion to untangle the accidental blunder, but froze as something unusual caught my eye. I grabbed the entire chunk of hair with one hand while the other picked through the silver strands until I had excavated the imposter. With fine movements I tweezed the single hair and held it up to the sunlight for closer inspection.

It was... black?

I narrowed my eyes in bewilderment as I investigated the strange discovery. My hair had always been pure silver, so where did this come from? I dropped the unfinished braid from my other hand and ravenously dug through my locks for any other abnormalities. My breath hitched as I located another ebony strand, and another, and more...

I rushed over to the mirror and pulled my hair over my shoulders to place in full view. Small speckles of individual black strands peppered my silver locks so lightly, it was nearly undetectable unless looking for it. I pressed a hand to my gaping mouth as I stared wide-eyed at my reflection.

What in the realms is happening to me?

I had never heard of a mage losing their silver before... Was I just imagining this? I picked up another clump of hair and blinked at the touches of black.Still there...Before I could think to spiral into a deeper tumble of panic, a soft knock on the servant’s door jolted me with a gasp.

I whirled around to face the door and watched as a small letter slid from underneath the crack and flittered across the floor. I pressed my hand to my racing heart as I let out a relieved breath and hurried over to the note to scoop it off the worn stone. My tension lifted as my eyes fell onto the familiar seal of the youngest prince.

How thoughtful of him to send me a letter on a day he couldn’t visit.An irritating reminder tapped at my brain to keep my emotions in check, but I dismissed it and allowed the warmth of his kindness to fill me.

With long and slow strides, I walked over to my lush arm-chair as I popped the seal and pulled the note out.

Princess Estelle,

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