“You would pretend to be the help just so you could get away from a palace that has everything one could need and people to wait on you night and day?” Esha makes the clarification for his own good. People would kill to live the lives we have, and to give it up for a taste of exploration is unfathomable to some.
“This must be your first time away from court.” Benny chuckles before taking a swig and grimacing at the burn. “There is nothing better than discovering something new. No matter how glorious or treacherous it turns out, the high getting there isall the same. Feeds your soul, much like praying to Mathemous probably does for yours.”
“Yes, only one has better outcomes, and it ain’t a dead divinity,” Deean chimes in.
There is a thud when my boot collides with Deean’s foot. “And what about Marcel?” I pull everyone’s attention back to the issue at hand. “You think he’ll let you carry on once he finds out?”
“Stop worrying,” Deean says with agitation. “Worrying is boresome. For someone who has experienced so much of life and the unexpectedness that comes with it, you care far too much about getting caught. Father will not blame you. Mother will not blame you. Marcel will not blame you. So why are you so worried?”
Done with arguing, I flip open my book and read the same sentence ten times before trying to get the last word. “Do what you want. And I’m not boring.”
Deean smiles. “Never said you were. I’m certain I said worrying was boring.”
Suddenly, the alcohol glasses jingle violently and our bodies sway uneasily, bobbing back and forth. We each cling to the seatbacks or whatever we can grab for stability, while the carriage driver tries to garner back control.
The carriage tips over, balancing on the wheels on the right side, and just when I think gravity is about to win and take us down sideways, the weight shifts and we are pulled back down on the left and become balanced again.
The driver stops and curses as he tries taming the horses.
Esha stops me from opening the door. “I’ll go see what the issue is, Your Highness. Everyone stay here.”
As he opens the door it slams back, sounding like it rips off the hinges. A strong flurry invades the carriage. Esha strugglesto close the door behind him, but manages to do so with the aid of Benny and me.
A few minutes later, the door swings open again and Esha jumps back in, covered in snow.
“We traveled right into a snowstorm, and it covered a bed of rocks that nearly took us out. Originally, we were heading to a town called Alphen where we have accommodations for the night, but it’s another few hours away. The driver says there is a place about ten minutes away where we can potentially stay and put the horses up for the evening. It’s either that or stay here and freeze to death. Prince Marcel has already ordered us to keep moving and go to this not-so-far-off inn.”
“Thank you, Esha.” I turn my attention to Deean. “I advise you to work on a story as to why you’re here. There’s no hiding out here all night unless you wish to be ice by morning.”
14
IANN
“You’re a selfish soul that deserves to be left behind in this frozen, pathetic little town.” Marcel grips the collar of Deean’s shirt and pushes him against the carriage door. “If you think you’re actually going to make it to Haymel with us, you have lost all sense.”
Deean sucks in a sharp breath as his head slams into a glass window that I’m surprised doesn’t shatter.
Deean was meant to stay hidden a little longer, but no one suspected Marcel would come over to our carriage. Once he opened the door, he saw Deean first and went red before pulling him outside.
Like the rest of us, he knows Deean being here is dangerous, but beyond that fact, he knows his presence comes with a level of managing.
In many ways, Marcel has always been Deean’s protector. Their antagonistic behavior towards each other might not always suggest it, but there was once a time when they had a relationship stronger than any one of us. This bond, of course, intensified the more I found myself away from home, but oneday I came back, and it was different. Their care for one another became tolerance. They never speak about it, and I do my best to never ask.
“I’m selfish? Ha. Shall we list the things you’ve taken just because you can?” Deean squirms under Marcel’s weight. “I’ll stay out of your way and you out of mine,” he pleads, as Marcel places his hands near his neck, pushing his fists into his collarbones.
The crew traveling with us watches the interaction and begins whispering among each other.
Marcel’s muscles are hard as boulders when I reach for his arm. “Maybe we should discuss this privately.”
Marcel takes in the staring faces and releases Deean. “He is to go back to Saden as soon as we depart for our lodgings in Haymel.” He leaves us and walks into the inn.
Deean doesn’t need anI told you so, so I don’t give it to him. He stands there, seemingly a bit distressed, as he fixes his coat. He takes a lot of crap from people, which would make me feel bad, but I know he also gives a lot.
“You, okay?” Benny steals the words from me.
Deean smirks. “Always.”
We follow the rest inside and get out of the cold.
