Page 15 of Gilded Lies

He was higher than the sun. Once, he was aware of water being splashed on him, and he was pretty sure someone was moving his body.

But who cared? Actually, it felt divine, and it was just Jari. Aurelius had been seeing a lot of him lately, and even though he craved it, Jari’s touch was so fleeting. Still, he was there, and that alone put him miles ahead of everyone else. He’d never get tired of those green eyes.

Nobody had ever stuck by him for so long despite the shell Aurelius had built for himself like a coat of gilt. No one else had ever tried to get past it to get to him and not what he could give or do.

More bitterness and floating. Jari moved him again, and when the lightness started to ebb, he wanted it back because he couldn’t see Jari anymore. His surroundings weren’t right either. It was supposed to be nothing with only his lion.

“This is bullshit.”

The voice that came through wasn’t Jari. Someone was touching him, and for a second, he thought Mother was combing his hair, a process he’d hated at the age of five. He had refused to let her cut his hair short anymore back then because he’d wanted to be different from his three brothers. It didn’t matter that hehad a missing eye and a patch unlike them. He’d wanted to pick something himself to be different from the three who looked like him in just about every other way.

“If youwon’t let me cut it, then I have to comb it out. You can’t go about with such snarls and tangles. Sit on my lap, and be still.”

Mother had never been so rough with him.

“Why the fuck do I gotta comb his hair?”

“Because the King wants him to look decent. He probably gotta tempt him with shit. Be nice. Get secrets. That kinda bullshit.”

“What the fuck for? He should kill the Prince. There’s only one Nova Prince left, and he’s not around to defend his Kingdom. We don’t need anything.”

“Then go tell him what he should do.”

Someone else spoke. “What if his brain’s all fucked up? He wasn't supposed to be out for that long. You gave him way too much.”

“Eh, it's only an issue if they keep doing it. I once knew a guy who died on it, but he kept taking it for weeks with no one to watch him.”

“How the fuck did he get so much?”

“I dunno. His daughter had died, so he didn’t want to be in his head anymore.”

Aurelius wasn’t in the cart anymore. He had clothes on too, and whatever he’d been planted on was plush. The cuffs keeping his wrists behind his back weren’t, and a collar had been added to his neck. Even his rings had been replaced on his fingers.

This wasn’t real. It couldn’t be. He didn't remember being brought in here.

“That’s good enough.”

Someone was holding him up. He tried to jerk aside at the feel of hands that weren’t Jari’s, and the man shoved him back. Jari wouldn’t be that cruel. Not like that.

“Snap to it, bitch.” Aurelius forced his eyes open just before pain cracked across his face. “I don’t feel like holding you up and keeping you from drooling on yourself.”

The room was too fine to keep a prisoner in. A few chairs with red velvet lined the wall, and the carved crown and base molding were fit for a King.

That meant they’d arrived. Six men watched him, and they looked like they belonged in a dirty old tavern, not in a room with matching red cloth carpet and glass doors that led to a balcony. It took him a second to recognize Freckles and Tall.

Aurelius was on his own in the den of the enemy. He shouldn’t have expected anything different, and his throat tightened.

“Try something,” snapped Tall.

Jari had referred to Aurelius’s home as a snake den. The biggest serpent lay somewhere in here. The one who had slapped him went out onto the balcony, plucked golden hairs from the comb, and flung them away to be snatched by the wind.

The other five stared so hard, Aurelius’s skin crawled as he tried to clear the fog from his brain. How long had he been out, and what were they doing now? Once the sixth returned, the others seemed to relax a bit. It wasn’t like their prisoner could do anything. Their eyes still flicked to him when he shifted and tested the shackles.

“What did I say?” snapped the first.

“I’m just adjusting myself,” mumbled Aurelius. They were too tight. He wouldn’t be sliding his wrists out anytime soon.

“I don’t give a fuck. Don’t move.”

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