Page 137 of Trick

The guard hadn’t even given Nicu a blanket.

The boy whimpered. Behind the sentinel’s back, I pressed a finger to my lips.Hush.

He bit his lower lip. At which point, I more than crossed the boundaries of my jurisdiction. I outright trampled over them.

To the guard, I glanced over my shoulder and lifted an imperious brow. “I was informed that you held a child down here.”

“The Crown’s orders, milady. This urchin’s a simpleton. He’s to be shackled while His and Her Majesties make plans for him.”

“He’s hardly a physical threat. Surely there’s a better place to detain him.”

“The Crown’s orders,” the man and his jowls repeated.

“I wish to question him. Open the cell and leave us.”

“Milady—”

I spun toward him. “Stop addressing me as a noble,” I hissed, my voice hot enough to incinerate his flesh. “I am not a ‘milady.’ I am a Royal, the Princess of Autumn, and an honored guest of Spring. In other words, ‘Your Highness.’ I suspect this child may very well be the smuggled property of my nation. Your sovereigns have granted me leave to investigate the matter while my mother is otherwise occupied. Now I command you toopen the cell!”

He fumbled with a ring of keys. Nicu scurried backward as the door winced on its hinges and swung wide.

Another thorny look at the guard sent him away. Muttering, he shut me inside and returned to his post in the alcove.

Just in case, I waited a beat. Then I dashed into the cubicle and dropped to the floor. With a low cry, I spread my arms at the same time Nicu flung himself at me.

His whole body quaked. His skin was ice cold, his fingers frosting over. I wanted to check him for bruises, for signs that he’d been mishandled, but I couldn’t let go. I rocked him from side to side, encircling his waist and cupping the back of his head with my free hand.

He sniffled into my neck. “Briar Patch.”

“Yes, it’s me,” I whispered. “I’m here. It’s all right now. It’s all right.”

“I want my papa.”

“I will get him for you. I promise.”

“I met a king and queen, but they didn’t want to be my friends. And the guard didn’t want to play with me. He yelled mean things. He called me names.”

Poet was going to murder the guard. I fantasized about it, too.

Jinny had said that Nicu went with the sentinels willingly. It did not take a genius to surmise why. He must have been thrilled to meet so many people. He must have believed everything was fine. Doubtless, that assumption had changed once they locked him in this horrific place.

Nicu launched into a peculiar story. I managed to pick through it and puzzle together the facts: Jinny, the herbs she’d been gathering, and how Nicu wandered off to explore.

At the woodland’s fringes, he had seen the carnival ribbons in the distance. He’d thought of home and how he was supposed to follow the colors hanging from the ceiling. Tired and longing to sleep in his bed, he hurried toward the garlands, then got distracted by the looming spectacle of the castle, with its towers vaulting skyward. Because he’d never seen anything like it, Nicu changed his mind and hastened toward the stronghold.

Among a horde of citizens, the child hadn’t known what to do with himself. He’d cavorted from one person to the next, bursting with hugs and questions.

At the gate, the statuesque guards in their shiny armor had made an impression. They were metal trees. Their poleaxes were giant toys. Nicu had tried to climb one of the soldier’s legs, but the man kicked him away and then got a good look at the boy’s face. That, plus a string of queer comments, had gotten Nicu into this mess.

He wept in my arms. Tears sliced through his muck-stained cheeks. He didn’t understand what was happening or why.

I didn’t understand it, either. No one should.

When I called for the guard and ordered him to bring milk, bread, and cheese, the man grunted. “He isn’t right, Your Highness. Everyone knows a half-wit isn’t right by nature. They can’t fend for ’emselves. They grow up to be trouble what can’t look out for their own. They’re good for nothing, much less a Royal’s mercy.”

“Did I seek your counsel?” I snapped. “Bring me what I asked for. Now!”

The guard tossed Nicu a repellent look, then disappeared while uttering the words, “stupidhalf-wit”and “stupidercunt.”

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