Page 8 of Gilded Lies

Aurelius’s new eyepatch itched as he remained frozen and stared at Father. He was supposed to pretend like nothing happened? If he told his brothers the truth, they’d look at him in disgust. They already did when they thought he wasn’t looking. With a smirk, Zylem had asked him if he still had his cock, so they must have guessed part of the truth. Who knew what Aurelius had babbled in his feverish state?

Clearly, they didn’t care. Zylem was only annoyed that he hadn’t gotten the position of Crown Prince since Father refused to admit that Aurelius was missing, and they’d had no body to bury.

He couldn’t go to Mother anymore so that left him with no one.

It had been a mistake to try and open up, even to Father. No one gave a shit, and he was entirely alone.

Chapter One

1692

Why would anything be different this time?

Aurelius hunched in the corner of the box cart as he tried to shake off the remnants of the drug that had made him sleep. Panic threatened to make him throw up because everything would be as before.

Just like last time, he’d been stripped of his clothes. His rings were gone. The cold, metal shackle around his wrist was connected by a chain to a solid ring set in the floor. It clinked as the cart rattled over the uneven ground which threatened to further upset his stomach.

All he had was a waterskin that he’d felt by his bare leg.

He shouldn’t have been so stupid as to go off alone with those two men. He’d thought Gullveig had gilded others and tried to hide the evidence in a hurry. If people started thinking that the Midas children had been born with some odd ability…

What if Jari was dead? He would have been in a camp surrounded by an army loyal to Este, who in turn was loyal to her Father. Aurelius’s throat tightened along with his chest again.

It was better that Jari hadn’t gone with him to the copse. Six against one hadn’t worked in Aurelius’s favor, and if Jari had been there, they would have killed him to ensure no witnesses lived. He would have been viewed as useless fodder to be rid of, and while he was a good fighter, the best could be taken out by a surprise attack.

Maybe he’d lived. He had to have made it. Este had two men lead Aurelius away, and he was far more valuable than Jari due to his ability. It was unlikely that the whole army knew of muchbeyond the war itself. Este would likely wait a bit, and Jari would realize something was up with no Prince to be found.

That meant he had a good chance to escape. A lone man with no abilities like Aurelius wouldn’t be worth bothering with either if he caused no trouble, so Este likely wouldn’t send anyone after him. Jari couldn’t even be ransomed to his family since he had none. Aurelius told himself that over and over as he stared at the bit of light in the corner.

Jari could live now. He’d have the sense to run and save himself since Aurelius had been betrayed. He’d take the items, destroy them, and go far away. His failure would likely weigh heavily on him for a while, but there was nothing he could do. He had to go on and live. Aurelius had commanded him to do it.

As for Morning Glory, Este would have full control of it along with Nova. At some point, she’d go home and tell Darlim who’d likely split it with King David.

More importantly, King David would have someone to gild for him. His greed would never end, and nobody would come to save Aurelius. Not even Jari. By the time he realized the Crown Prince was gone, it’d be too late. He’d know he couldn’t do the impossible.

It didn’t matter if Aurelius ached to kiss him or feel his hand for just a second. The only hands he’d feel now were the ones of the men before they came to use him. If he had any chance of escaping, which wasn’t likely, he’d have to do it himself.

That meant pushing down his panic and taking stock of his surroundings.

He felt around the waterskin which was quite large and full. It didn’t have a strap and was useless in terms of a weapon. He set that in the corner before he stood while holding onto the wall with his free, right hand. The chain clinked, and he paused before he rattled it on purpose and listened. If anyone heard,they didn’t say anything. Right above him, he was sure he caught two voices. They didn’t seem alarmed or irritated.

If the boxcart had a railing around the top, a couple of men could sit up there and rest. Perhaps they had a case or a chest with supplies. There had been six men altogether, and a couple of horses must have been hidden farther away. Two could ride mounts, two could sit on top, and two would take the driver’s seat.

They’d rotate and take turns driving, riding, or resting on top of the cart. If anybody passed in the distance and saw the group, they’d likely think the men were making an important delivery of goods to a merchant or something of the sort.

He rattled the chain again, but no warning was shouted, and the cart didn’t slow. If they heard, they didn’t care. He gripped the chain in his hands so the shackle didn’t yank his wrist, braced his feet, and pulled, but it didn’t budge an inch.

He had room to lay down either way, and he walked across the smoothed boards. Nothing was loose, and he pressed on the sides. He felt each board for a loose nail, a wobble that spoke of weakness, or anything. Nothing gave. Of course, they wouldn’t put him in a prison that was ready to collapse, but still…Through a couple of cracks between the boards, he caught faint flashes of light, but he couldn’t see through them and tell where he was.

The hole where he’d have to do his business was too small to get through. He got on his knees by the edge and peered through it. The grass and dust thrown by the horse’s hooves rushing by below didn’t tell him much. They weren't using the Long Road that was for sure.

Finally, he tried the doors, not that he expected them to swing open. Someone laughed right above him, and he jumped as his heart started thudding. During this trip, they might come in at night to use him, and terror twisted his insides. To experiment,he tried to make his lightning crackle around his fingers, but nothing happened. The shackle obviously had lirek in it.

The only thing he could do was gild, although gilding the cart wouldn’t do him much good. He'd only be trapped in a pretty prison.

Naked and with no typical fairy magic, they might risk it to further bind him so he couldn’t touch them with his hands. A few good hits with lightning or energy could knock him out, and they’d do what they needed before using him. He couldn’t fight off six men. Panic clutched his chest, and he forced himself to take deep breaths and try to focus on something else.

Jari would have a chance to get away and live. Aurelius was already lost, so that’s what counted now. He’d go and live like Aurelius wanted, although sometimes he had imagined being with Jari. No. He couldn’t think of that because it wasn’t happening, and he already knew wishes like that would never be granted to him. He didn’t even deserve it since he’d used Jari to start with.

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