She ghosts across the room, tucking herself behind the door as it slowly swings open. A guard pokes his head inside, and Caspida springs on him. She hooks an arm around his neck, plunging his head down to meet her rising knee. He drops, unconscious, and she drags him into the room. Sulifer stirs but does not wake.
Two more guards stand watch, and before they can shout out, Caspida drops one with a kick to his groin and a blow to his head, and the other with a blade across his throat. He sinks, blood running down his chest, and she steps over him, wiping scarlet specks from her cheek with a shaking hand.
Breathing a little harder, Caspida wraps the lamp in her cloak, ties the ends together, and slings it across her shoulders before heading out into the hall. She sets off, drawing her knife from her belt.
Faster and faster she moves, until she’s running through the halls, making for the nearest exit. But then the creak of an opening door stops her short, and she sucks in a breath when Darian steps into the hall. He stiffens at the sight of the princess, and he looks around, his hand moving to his sheathed sword.
“Cas?”
“Hello, Darian.”
“What are you doing here? I’ve orders to throw you in the dungeon. Cas, they’re going toexecuteyou!”
Caspida’s forehead wrinkles. “Cousin, surely you don’t believe these ridiculous accusations. I was fooled by Aladdin as much as anyone. More so, in fact. I agreed tomarrythe bastard. You think I don’t want his head as much as you?”
He bites his lip as he studies her, his gaze conflicted. “Ever since we were kids, Cas, it was supposed to be you and me.”
“I know,” she groans, rubbing her temples. “I’ve been such an idiot. My first duty has always been to our people, Darian, and I thought I was fulfilling that.” She lifts her eyes to meet his, and tears dangle from her kohl-lined lashes. “I can’t expect you to forgive me, but I must beg it of you anyway. I’ve been monstrous to you.”
“Cas...” He opens his arms and she runs to him, her body shaking. He embraces her tightly, one hand around her waist, the other caressing her hair. “Cas, it’s all right. Look, I believe you. I know Father will too, once we have a chance to talk about it. Everything just happened so fast today, we panicked. And youran. Why did you run? It only made things worse for you.”
“Like you said, it all happened so fast.” She lifts her face to look at him. “I panicked too.”
“Oh, Cas.” He wraps her in his arms and kisses her hair. “This is why you need me. Ruling is difficult enough for a man—a girl like you can’t expect to carry this burden on your own.”
“You’re right,” she says softly. Her hands run down his back, gentle and inviting. “I’ve been such a child. So naïve. No wonder I fell for the thief’s lies.”
“Marry me, Cas. Forget him.”
She tenses. “You... you’d take me back? After everything I’ve done?”
He smiles and lifts her chin. “It wasn’t your fault, love. He manipulated you. You were alone and afraid, and he offered you strength. Naturally you were drawn to that. But he was a lie, and I am the truth. Letmebe your strength. Letmehelp you see through the deceptions. I can protect you, Cas.”
He bends his neck and presses his lips against hers. Her eyes slide shut, and she melts into him.
“I love you, Cas,” he whispers.
“I know,” she says. “I’m sorry.”
He pulls away, his brows drawing together. “What?”
“Oh, cousin.” She cups his face in her hands, her eyes filled with pity. “You want so desperately to be loved. If you’d stop being an ass for five minutes, maybe someone could.”
He begins coughing, and his legs weaken. He topples forward, and Caspida supports him.
“Youwhore...” he gasps.
“Sh. It’ll go easier if you don’t talk.”
Darian’s lips and fingernails are turning bluer by the second, and he fights to breathe. Caspida gently lowers him to the floor, stroking his hair and murmuring consolingly as he gags and twitches. She pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and wipes the rest of the creamy red crimsonleaf poultice from her lips. His eyes fix on her, wild and frightened.
“You’ll pass out, then wake in an hour,” she murmurs. “You’ll have a terrible headache for days, but you’ll live. I could have killed you, Darian. But we were friends once, you and I, so I’ll give you this one chance.” She kisses his forehead, then bolts upright when shouting breaks out down the corridor, from Sulifer’s rooms. Dropping Darian, she flees.
Footsteps pound after her, and Sulifer’s angry shouts ring out. Torchlight begins bouncing wildly on the walls behind and ahead. Caspida is trapped.
The princess skids to a halt, her braid whipping as she looks back and forth between the guards sprinting toward her. Then she runs to a window, kicking out the carved trellis covering the opening. She gets one leg over the casement as Sulifer, flanked by guards, runs into view and calls out, “Stop her!”
Caspida throws herself out the window.
